In a world that is falling into increasing deception, we must be resolved to love the truth and to tell the truth without compromise. What makes something a treasure is that it is rare or hard to get. As integrity becomes increasingly rare, we must resolve that it is a treasure we will protect with the utmost diligence. One of the most important ways that we build our lives on integrity is to obey what Jesus said in Matthew 5:37: “But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil.”

      Contrary to...

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8 NKJV).

      As the book of Revelation is of Jesus Christ, we should especially try to absorb everything about Him in it. Here He is called the Alpha and the Omega—which are the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet. This indicates that Jesus is the beginning of the purpose of God, and He is the conclusion of it.

       As we noted in the first chapter of John,...

      We ended last week’s Word for the Week with a brief on the distinction between the church man has built and the one God is building. There is a continuously unfolding message in Revelation about both of these, what they will each become, and how we can recognize them. Since much of the book of Revelation is about the true and false churches, it is very important for us to understand them so we can be part of the right one.

      Man was created to be a friend of God who would walk with Him and have a...

      Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:7-8 NKJV).

      One of the greatest hopes of Christianity is that our King, Jesus, is coming back to rule over the earth and restore it to the paradise it was originally created to be. He paid the ultimate...

“And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:5-6 NKJV).

      The letters to the seven churches in Revelation are also from Jesus, and they include a wonderful description of Him as, “the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.”...