Jesus' letters to the seven churches in Revelation are widely accepted to be a prophetic description of seven church ages that would occur in order during the "times of the gentiles" leading up to Christ's return. Each age is of unspecified length, but since 2000 years have passed and seven ages are described, one could assume that each age generally spans a long period of time, possibly centuries. However there is nothing to imply that each age is the same length.

Note: there are two other interpretations of the seven letters, but all of them admit that these represent errors that we in this age will be prone to, although one denies the errors will become dominant. The view I will espouse here will focus a bit more on the Laodicean age but it is mostly compatible with other views (even my attempts to pinpoint the birth of the Laodicean age are still applicable although we could not claim the name Laodicean for the age we live in. There are plenty of other scriptures describing an apostate church of the end-times so that would be a more appropriate term in the other views, the end-times apostate church). The letters also have a dual meaning, they were addressed to the historical churches also. I will not focus on that aspect, but will dwell on the parts that are relevant to us today.

Here I will go through briefly the symbolism of those seven churches and explain briefly the meaning and historical basis for each age.

Firstly, Revelation declares a blessing upon those who read and keep the words of its prophecy:

rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

This is highly significant to us, since only two of the seven churches are unconditionally commended by Jesus, and His warning to the end-times church we live in is scathing and terrifying, so please read on.

The seven churches in order are:

1. Ephesus
2. Smyrna
3. Pergamos
4. Thyatira
5. Sardis
6. Philadelphia
7. Laodicea

Those names, some of which are symbolic, were the names of real places in their day, not all of those places still exist, but the remnants of each church age endure. Each age has a dominant church, described by the letters in Revelation.

Each letter (loosely) follows a specific form,

1. A greeting, which often tells us something about Christ.
2. it starts with an exhortation (praise for doing something good),
3. then criticism for things done wrong,
4. a call to repentance,
5. and a promise for those who do repent.

The promises are assumed to be cumulative to all the church ages. So is the information in the greetings, each gives us a little bit of information about our Lord Jesus. But the criticisms and calls to repentance are focussed toward each kind of error that those churches engaged in. Here in the end-times, all the errors will be present, but the error of the Laodiceans will be the dominant one, so I will devote a little more space to that one since we are the Laodicean church today.

A little more introductory symbolism, the letters are addressed to churches, not individuals, talk of taking the candle away, or removing the lampstand, are promises to remove His blessing from the church so that it will no longer endure and shine with His light. It is not aimed at individuals at all. When the angel of the church is addressed, it would appear to be addressed to the leadership of the church. I was confused by this until I read a few commentaries.

The purpose of this is clear in retrospect, our Lord cannot allow His word to be tarnished, or corrupted, and cannot bless institutions that do not hold fast to His word. He says so pretty directly throughout the letters.

1. Ephesus

rev 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
rev 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
rev 2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
rev 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
rev 2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

• The exhortation is that they have been patient, have not tired in good works, have rejected false teachers.
• The criticism is that they have left their first love, they have focussed on works and not on Him.
• The call to repentance is to return to Him, their first love, as the focus of their lives.
• Another exhortation is that they have rejected the deeds of the Nicolaitans. This is a highly symbolic word, it translates literally from the greek as "subjection of the people". Our word laity comes from the root word used there. Laity is the part of the compound word in Nicolatians that means people. Nicolaitanism is any teaching that suggests that the priesthood is somehow more spiritual than the people, that priests must live a more holy life, or that their prayers are somehow more significant than a lay person, or that they mediate between God and laity, and so on. This insidiuous teaching is of course rampant today, and Jesus did not mince words in stating his opinion of it "which I also hate".
• Note the rise of the false teachers here. They are not yet organized as a group, but they will be, stay tuned.

2. Smyrna

rev 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
rev 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
rev 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
rev 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

• The exhortation is simply encouragement to hold fast in the face of persecution and poverty. Notice that the religious persecution arises from the false church, those who call themselves Christians but aren't. At the time the name Christian did not exist, the word Jew is used instead to represent the false religious people of God. The false teachers of the previous church have united and grown now, into a false church that persecutes the true church.
• A warning is given, that more persecution is to come, and the victory is promised by Jesus.
• Notice that no criticism is offered to the persecuted church. The fire of persecution often cleanses the church in the Bible, and here is an example of that.
• If you will allow me to inject some sarcasm here, neither is there an exhortation to use their mighty delegated dominion authority to overcome and destroy the enemy, merely a simple command to endure what must come, even unto death, and the promise of eternal life to those who remain faithful.

3. Pergamos

rev 2:12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
rev 2:13 I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
rev 2:15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
rev 2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

• The exhortation is that they have held fast to his name, and not denied the faith under persecution. Antipas is a symbolic name, it translates literally "anti-compromise".
• The criticism is that they have become licentious, both with idolatry, and with sexual sins. Notice also that the evil teachings of the Nicolaitans and those of Balaam are now established, accepted, and codified into doctrine. Put another way, the rise of the religious caste, that puts the people into subjection, is well under way.
• Balaam is another symbolic term. Balaam was an Old Testament prophet who prophesied things that the Lord did not say. Later he repented but that is not relevant here. These verses explicitly tell us what the teachings of Balaam are, and they are those of sexual licentiousness and idolatry. In a later letter we will see these same teachings referred to under the name of Jezebel, but now they are named as Balaam. The significance is that Jezebel is a stronger symbol as I will explain later.
• The call to repentance is to repent of those sins. And the warning is that the Lord Himself will expunge the licentious from the church with His judgement. The reference appears to be to the second coming int his case, since it is often referred as coming "quickly", which more is properly translated as "suddenly". The implication is that the sin of the Nicolaitans will endure to the end, and those who follow them will face judgement.
• The promise is unusual, in Heaven, we each have a pet name, known only to God and ourselves. Such is the loving relationship we will have with Him.

4. Thyatira

rev 2:18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
rev 2:19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
rev 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
rev 2:21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
rev 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
rev 2:23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
rev 2:24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
rev 2:25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
rev 2:28 And I will give him the morning star.
rev 2:29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

• The exhortation is that their good works are great, and they have done them with patience.
• The first criticism is about the woman Jezebel. This is a symbolic name. Jezebel was a queen of Israel in the Old Testament who had a weak king (Ahab) for a husband. She ruled with an iron fist, and led the people astray into much idolatry and sexual imorality. So here we have a dominant historic church that worships a woman as a prophetess and follows her into much idolatry. The teachings of this false prophetess are also explicitly explained: idolatry and sexual sins. I think the historical identity of this church is fairly obvious as the Roman Catholic Church. Later in Revelation however we see the false church (mystery Babylon) expanded from a denomination into the entire false church (those who profess Christ with their mouths, but deny Him by their actions and theology), with its many facets, all rolled into one. And she is called the great whore who is drunk on the blood of the saints (Rev 17:6 and Rev 19:2). This builds on the symbol of Balaam (who sold false prophesies for money), and represents the culmination of the false church, and its final judgement is also spoken there.
   
  The reference to adultery in Rev 2:22 is a reference to spiritual adultery. Idolatry throughout the Old Testament is referred to as Israel being unfaithful to God, just like an unfaithful wife. We are destined to be the bride of Christ, so the symbolism continues. Except it isn't really symbolic at all, earthly marriage is just a shadow of the far more real heavenly relationship we are destined for.
   
  The choice of Jezebel as the symbol implies an increase in the strength of control over the people, we have gone from a weak false prophet (Balaam) who leads a few astray to a strong ruling queen who leads the masses astray. The Lord essentially passes judgement on those who follow her teachings in this letter and prophesies their doom. For your sake I hope it is obvious to you also. "Those who have an ear, let them hear..."
• The second criticism is about the "depths of Satan". It refers to a teaching that one had to know sin in order to overcome it. So in order to overcome adultery for example, you first had to taste of it. This seems laughable does it not? But that was what they did. I see little evidence of this teaching enduring today. So the church at large heard this call to repentance, but did not hear the other one.
• The call to repentance is about holding fast to what you have. This is to a nearly dead church, full of works, but full of idolatry and evil, to those who are still alive to hold fast to what they have. I am surprised at the smallness of the call to repentance. Jesus did not call for a complete transformation of the church. I don't think He meant that it was not needed, but that it was not possible, the call goes only to the remnant who are truly serving Him, to those who have an ear. And the implication is that is only a few in this period in history. Sadly, it get worse before it gets better.

5. Sardis

rev 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
rev 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
rev 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
rev 3:6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

• Here we have the truly dead church, only the name (of christianity) remains. The dead religion of the middle ages in all its formalistic ceremonial splendor reigns here. Choked to death by its plethora of false and heretical doctrines. And it gives no life. Religion places people into bondage and leads them to their deaths.
• Notice that dead religion also does not have any significant good works either. Jesus had nothing good to say about this church.
• His call to repentance again was an almost plaintive call to hold on to the few embers of life that still remain. And it was also to the very few who were still alive in Christ to hold on.
• This church represents the lowest salvation rate of any christian church, and it immediately precedes the final two end-times churches.

6. Philadelphia

rev 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
rev 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
rev 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
rev 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
rev 3:13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

• This is the only other church that Jesus has no criticism for. And notice that it appears out of the dead church that was dominant before it. Notice the other (dead) church continues to endure, referred to symbolically as Jews, but that is really talking about the dead Christian church.
  
  The Philadelphia church is generally assumed to be the reformation church and its descendants. This is the great revival of the end-times, the rise of the true church, it's last heyday it you will. The great evangelism of the reformation appears to fit this prophecy best, they were true to the word, and very evangelistic, risking death and torture at the hands of the false church.
  
  From Martin Luther in the mid 1500's all the way through the mid 1800's sound doctrine and the greatest evanglism the world had seen in a thousand years reigned as the dominant church of its time.
  
  The name Philadelphia is also symbolic, it literally means "city of brotherly love". Phileo is the greek word for brotherly love.
• The first promise to this church, the open door, is generally assumed to mean the end-times evangelism that no false church or device of Satan will be able to pollute or stop.
• The second promise is that the faithful who hold fast to His word (without compromise) will be spared from the great tribulation, also known as the day of the Lord, when God's wrath is poured out on the earth. Much debate of the nature of being "kept" occurs (raptured out of, or preserved through), but regardless of that the promise is only to those who hold to His word uncompromisingly. This promise becomes far more significant in the context of the next dominant church, the one we are living with today.

7. Laodicea

Here we have the last great church. Each of the preceeding churches will still exist but are no longer dominant. The consumation of the church age occurs when this church is dominant. The Laodicaen church is essentially the decaying remains of the Philadelphian church, a church that has grown fat and comfortable with its dominance and success, and it merges with the other elements of false churches, and its final destiny is to worship anti-christ. This is the church we live in today.

rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
rev 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

• One thing is unique about this church. The letter is addressed to the church of the Laodiceans, not to the church of Laodicea. In other words the people are being addressed individually rather than the church itself. In other words the church is beyond repentance, only individuals can be saved. While this was true of every age except two, Jesus gives it special emphasis here.
• The name again is symbolic. Laodicea means literally "the will of the people". The implication is that people will be following their own wills rather than Jesus' will. Other verses confirm this interpretation:
   
  ti2 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
  ti2 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
   
  Notice the criticism of fables. Clever stories of men are taught rather than sound doctrine from scripture. How many pulpits do you know of where one or two scriptures are used merely as a jumping off point for clever tales and stories of men. Jesus had nothing good to say about it.
  
  ti1 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
   
  
• Again, no good thing is said about this church, this is hard to swallow since we think we are living in a great Charismatic revival, but Jesus does not say this about us at all. It is tempting to believe that our great revival today is really the Philadelphia church arising again for the promised latter rain, but its emphasis on blessing (wealth and comfort and miracles) betrays its true identity.
• In fact the Laodicean church is the fulfillment of this prophecy:
  
  th2 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
  
  No, the anti-christ has not been revealed, but the great falling away is in progress and has been for at least a hundred years, as the Philadelphian church decays and people turn from sound doctrine to doctrines of demons. Many prophecy teachers say the stage is set for the rise of anti-christ. But few of them admit that means the great falling away must be nearly complete for that to be true. But it is a necessary consequence of the end-times scenatio.
  
  Another sign of the end-times church is an obsession with signs and wonders.
  
  th2 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
  
  Jesus also made it clear what He thinks of those who seek after miracles:
  
  mat 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
  
  Seeking after signs and wonders is a sign of doubt, not of faith. Signs and wonders are supposed to follow the teaching of sound doctrine. The conclusion that many miracles today are lying signs and wonders is inescapable. We see have only to look around us and see the apostate church matching up exactly with the prophetic picture.
• Another of Jesus' criticisms of the Laodiceans is this: They equate wealth and comfort with God's blessing. Therefore this will be the great temptation for us end-times Christians. And isn't that what we preach today? Blessing and more blessing? And we pitch salvation that way too, come to Christ and He will bless you. It is a false gospel, Jesus said we shall share in His sufferings if we are serving Him. The modern Church's preoccupation with prosperity teaching again betrays its true identity.
• Notice the Laodicean Church has not one single good work that our Lord finds worthy of commendation. I find this hard to receive in my natural mind, I see us as having many great works, I have taken part in them myself, but Jesus disagrees. Again, it might be tempting to say that all these great works are the sign of the Philadelphia church, but Jesus comments not at all on the works of the Philadelphia church. Rather He commends them for holding fast to His word (avoiding sin and compromise), and not denying His name. A ray of hope however is that the Gospel will be preached to all nations, and then the end shall come. This much shall be accomplished by the Laodicean Church.
• Notice that Jesus completely rejects the Laodicean church, vomited out of His mouth is clear. From His perspective they are an apostate church.
  
  My best guess for when the Laodicean church began is with Charles Finney in the 1850's. He preached virtually all of the false doctrines today (minus the lying signs and wonders). And is rememberd fondly today by many modern evangelists. I see Finney as the key transitionary figure, and by the late 1800's the beginnings of modern Pentecostalism had been built on Finney's legacy, and by the early 1900's was in full swing. I have no objection to miracles per se, but the miracle movements brought with them a general viewpoint that the subjective was more important than sound doctrine, so loyalty to His word began to wane in favor of emotionalism, signs and wonders, and the great falling away was in full swing by the early 1900's. It is coming into its fulness today as the so-called charismatic gifts are spanning denominational lines into clearly heretical sects, and the world-wide unification of the false church is beginning.
• The call to repentance and the promise are spoken in one sentence. Like all the other promises to each church age it is given only to those who repent. To the final church Jesus beautifully and simply gives the call to salvation The door He knocks at is generally considered to be the door to your heart. From this verse we get the phrase "invite Jesus into your heart".
   
  This is God's message to us today, repent and be saved. Come out of the false church of peace, comfort, and prosperity. Stop living for the idol of self, lose your life, and start living for Him.
   
  mat 10:39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

So, we have all seven churches to choose from today. The fact we have that choice is partly what makes us the Laodicean church. With all this choice we need to ask God to guide us into all truth, and to lead us to the remnants of the Philadelphian church. If you are in a persecuted church, then thankfully you have already been guided to the only other true church in the world, that of Smyrna. But I must caution you that false doctrine accompanied with persecution will not make you part of the Smyrna church.

Notice also, Jesus' recurring theme that a true and false church would continually exist. And that generally, with few exceptions, the false church would be dominant, and would persecute the true church. Another general theme is that the true church, those who were holding fast to His word, would be in the minority of professing Christians.

In the Laodicean age today, the dominant church is a soul-killing lukewarm church. It has lots of zeal, but little loyalty to God's word. We also have no distinctive false church, but neither do we have a true one. This lack of of seperation - where the true and the false are intermingled together - is one of the characteristics of the Laodicean age.

Given all this, how is it that that Jesus is coming back for a bride without spot or blemish? The cleansing fire of the Holy Ghost will purify His bride. It is not clear what this means, some believe it will be the fire of zeal and power given by the Holy Spirit, others believe it will be the fires of persecution that will cleanse the true church just before His coming. Generally the viewpoint is tied to one's view of the rapture, those who believe we will be spared persecution by anti-christ hold to the former view, and those who don't hold the latter view.

In any case, I believe scripture strongly supports the idea that the great falling away is ocurring now, and is not an event yet future. The Laodicean Church has risen to its zenith over the past hundred years, carried perhaps by the power of the Philadelphian church contained within it, but more likely powered by the siren song of appeal to self and selfishness that it so tirelessly sings.

They are luring most (but not all) away into the luke-warm wealth and comfort gospel - the gospel of seeking self, the gospel of doing what is right in our own eyes, the gospel of seeking teachers to tell us what we want to hear rather than sound doctrine.

A terrible thing is we preach this false gospel in the name of maximizing salvations. The gospel that is "positive" in all respects, is palatable to the widest audience, therefore the most people will be saved goes the thinking. You will hear this thinking espoused across the Christian world today. Don't drive away the seekers with a negative or offensive message. Positive messages encourage church growth and are therefore the most successful. All that thinking is based on fallacious compromise of the scripture and walking by sight rather than walking by faith. Sight is using the size of our churches as a measure of success. However, using the size of our churches as a measure of success has no biblical basis whatsoever.

The sad reality is the false positive message leads people not into life, but into death and everlasting judgement.

Gone are the fire and brimstone preachers of the early 18th century, who preached grace and judgement with equal fervor, whose evangelistic meetings were every bit as successful as the great evangelists of today, who according to the Biblical record, were far more successful than today's efforts.

I find this message quite sobering personally. All those verses about the end times, about purifying ourselves and watching soberly reach their climax here in this teaching in my mind.

It seems inescapable that to properly preach the word in these end-times you have to include a word of warning against the peace/wealth/prosperity Gospel.

It would of course be equally unbalanced to preach only a warning against the Laodicean gospel, and omit God's grace, love, and forgiveness. God really does promise to bless us, but that is not the primary message of the Gospel.