Like the Lord’s parables in Matthew 13, His letters in Revelation 2-3 reveal seven distinct periods of Christendom’s not so illustrious history. From the very first days of the Church until the time of Laodicea—with but two exceptions; namely, Smyrna and Philadelphia—the church has been marked by a steady drift into apostasy and unfaithfulness. In time the lowly upper room was forsaken, tares were sown amongst the wheat, biblical truths were corrupted with leaven, and the little body of faithful believers became lost in a great multitude of unbelievers. For as Judas sat among the apostles, so are many disciples in this age who, although lukewarm and showing a trace of spiritual life, yet deny the Lord in word and in deed.
We are living in the last days, and the time is fast approaching when “the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:49-50).
Mr. Pember noted, “If we cannot accurately compute the times of the Church, we are by no means without intimation of the present nearness of Christ's coming. For we see Christendom beginning to assume its last form, and the Mystery of Lawlessness daily gaining strength; while the Jewish prophecies seem to be on the point of fulfilment. Since, therefore, the Church must be taken away before any of these things is consummated, we may be well assured that the Lord is at hand, and should exhort one another so much the more as we see the Day approaching.”