Tabletalk Magazine, May 2009: The 7 Letters of Revelation

by Ligonier Ministries

Publisher:

Ligonier Ministries

, 2009

Overview

In the book of Revelation are written messages to seven of the most prominent churches of the Roman province of Asia, which are located in what is now western Turkey. In them, by praise and censure, warning and exhortation, the risen Christ makes plain much of His will for His people. At the time, the onslaught on the church was physical through a persecuting empire, intellectual through false cults, and moral through sub-Christian ethical standards. As we look around the world today, the same pressures are harassing different churches, and the messages in these letters are equally applicable. The May 2009 issue of Tabletalk intends to look at these inspired letters as a means to urge its readers on toward faithfulness and holiness.

Contributors include R.C. Sproul along with Mark Bates, Chris Donato, Paul D. Gardner, Dennis E. Johnson, John MacArthur, Keith A. Mathison, Roger Nicole, R.C. Sproul Jr., Jason J. Stellman, Gene Edward Veith, Cornelis P. Venema, and R. Fowler White. Tabletalk features articles about topics central to the Christian faith and daily, in-depth Bible studies.

The 2009 Bible studies look at the apostle Paul’s life and thought in a study of the books the frame his career: Galatians, the very first letter he wrote, and 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, the last epistles to come from him.

Contents

• The Perils Facing the Evangelical Church: "Right Now Counts Forever" by R. C. Sproul
• "The Letter to the Church in Ephesus" by Dennis E. Johnson
• "The Letter to the Church in Smyrna" by Paul D. Gardner
• "The Letter to the Church in Pergamum" by Chris Donato
• "The Letter to the Church in Thyatira" by R. Fowler White
• "The Letter to the Church in Sardis" by Jason J. Stellman
• "The Letter to the Church in Philadelphia" by Cornelis P. Venema
• "For the Love of God and Man" by Tom Ascol
• "Chief of Sinners" by Terry L. Johnson
• "Prayers Well Aimed" by John S. Sartelle
• "Our Only Mediator" by Kim Riddlebarger
• "Federally Backed Security" by Chris Larson
• "Pastor’s Perspective" by Mark Bates
• "For the Church" by John MacArthur
• "Generation to Generation" by Roger Nicole
• "Tolle lege take up and read:Two Kingdoms, One God" by Keith A. Mathison
• "Seek Ye First" by R. C. Sproul Jr.
• "Truth and Consequences" by Gene Edward Veith

Top Highlights

“The lukewarm person is not one who is mildly passionate about God. Rather, the lukewarm person is one who has lost his dependence on God. In his arrogance, he believes he has no need of Christ’s righteousness because he has enough of his own.” (Page 65)

“If a person is born again of the Spirit of God, that person is, to be sure, a Christian. If a person is not regenerated by the Holy Spirit, he may profess to be a Christian, but he is not an authentic Christian. There are many groups that claim to be churches that long ago repudiated the evangel, that is, the gospel. Without the gospel, a gathering of people, though they claim otherwise, cannot be an authentic church.” (Pages 5–6)

“Ironic and counterintuitive as it may seem on the surface, the church is often strongest when it is facing some specific challenge (whether doctrinal or moral), and the flip side is also true, that the church is in gravest danger when the waters are calmest and when the sailing seems the most smooth.” (Page 19)

“Jesus has no censure for the church in Smyrna but reveals His deep compassion for a people who are faithful to the Lord and suffering persecution as a result.” (Page 12)

“In every generation, including our own, the same perils to the spiritual strength that Jesus rebuked in the seven churches of Revelation threaten us anew. These include such things as a lack of love, a lack of truth, a compromising spirit with the world, a lukewarm devotion, and a double-minded conviction, to name but a few.” (Page 7)

Praise for the Print Edition

Tabletalk has been a key ingredient in the diet of Christians conscious of their spiritual vitality.

—Michael S. Horton

Month by month, Tabletalk represents an oasis in a desert of false spirituality, mindless Christianity, and vapid conviction. Tabletalk represents theological rigor, biblical Christianity, and authentic Christian devotion. It is an antidote to the world of superficial Christianity. Read it and grow.

—R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

Tabletalk has been a wonderful resource in my own daily walk with the Lord.

—Ravi Zacharias

Product Details

• Title: Tabletalk Magazine, May 2009: The 7 Letters of Revelation
• Executive Editor: R. C. Sproul
• Editor: Burk Parsons
• Series: Tabletalk
• Publisher: Ligonier Ministries
• Publication Date: May 2009
• Pages: 83

About Ligonier Ministries

R. C. Sproul is founder and president of Ligonier Ministries and president of Ligonier Academy. He also servers as the senior pastor of Saint Andrew’s in Sanford, Fla., and he has written more than seventy books including The Holiness of God, The Intimage Marriage, Essential Truths of the Christian Faith, Following the Cross, and the R. C. Sproul Exposition Collection.

Burk Parsons serves as editor of Tabletalk and associate pastor of Saint Andrew’s in Sanford, Fla., and he is editor of the books Assured by God: Living in the Fullness of God’s Grace and John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, and Doxology.