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We don't know a lot about the New Testament church at Smyrna, in what is now modern Turkey. But what we do know speaks volumes about what Jesus thought of this church. Few of us face the persecution inflicted on the believers at Smyrna. What would happen if we did?

Jesus has clear expectations of His local churches. He spoke to seven churches in Revelation facing conditions which are similar to the present. What does Jesus want to see? He wants repentance where necessary and the resumption of carrying out His commands.

Jesus has clear expectations of His local churches. He spoke to seven churches in Revelation facing conditions which are similar to the present. What does Jesus want to see? He wants repentance where necessary and the resumption of carrying out His commands.

Jesus had messages for seven churches in the early chapters of Revelation. For the first church, the message was a mix of good and bad. He gave the good news first, but then came judgment on a matter He felt was crucial.

Jesus had messages for seven churches in the early chapters of Revelation. For the first church, the message was a mix of good and bad. He gave the good news first, but then came judgment on a matter He felt was crucial.

What can we learn from what Jesus had to say to the Church in Ephesus? Ephesus was a major city along the coast of what is now Turkey. Acts 18 tells of Paul's founding of its local church. In Revelation, Jesus commended the Ephesian church, but then chastised them for leaving their first love.

With hair as white as snow and eyes of flaming fire, Jesus fills the pages of the book of Revelation, and His judgment on the world is fierce. But we also see His disposition toward seven ancient churches, and not all of them were doing well.

Coming to grips with the justice of God is not easy. He's seen as both loving and vengeful. But once we understand how much God hates sin and what He did for us in sending His Son to atone for that sin, things become clear.

Medieval art portrays the afterlife with saints in glory above and sinners in torment below. Hell is seen as a place of fire, the place the lost will inhabit for eternity. But hell is no longer taken seriously in our "enlightened" age.

Some ask if God has relaxed His standards in the New Testament. No. The book of Hebrews says that "our God is a consuming fire." Knowing what He's done for us through Christ, we should expose every dark corner of our lives to the light, allowing us to serve God with cleansed hearts.

Many people think God is more tolerant now than He was in the days of Old Testament Israel. Christians don't stone people for sin like the Hebrews did. So has God changed? God has not changed His mind toward sin.

There's a difference between Old Testament regulations and New Testament commands. The New Testament fulfills the requirements of the Old, and introduces a new category of people known as the church. But through it all, God has not changed.

How do the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit relate to each other? There's great mystery here, but the Bible gives us direction in understanding this. Let's clarify their roles, focusing first on how Jesus, God's Son, spoke of His Father in heaven.

God is incomprehensible. He is so vast that our tiny minds cannot fathom His immensity. Theologians have wrestled with the nature of God for centuries, trying to sort out how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit relate to each other. But it's not a problem to be solved; it's a mystery at which we marvel.

To ask why God does what He does is to go where angels fear to tread. Paul wrote, "How unsearchable are His judgments, and his ways past finding out." God's purposes are unable to be thwarted. We must learn to accept His sovereignty and obey His commands.