The Seven Churches (Revelation 2-3)
(Past and Present Church Prophecy)
Introduction
Although the ‘seven churches’ are not used for proving ‘pre-tribulation’, they
are extremely important nonetheless. (Note: the Seals prove pre-tribulation naturally,
because they were in the past, making Revelation’s timeline straight-forward and logical.)
Nevertheless, the letters to the seven churches are important because, in addition
to being real churches in John’s day (see map), they also form a complete prophecy
of the Church, as a whole (through the last 2000-years), revealing some interesting
prophecies about end times today.
One thing, the seven churches illustrate to me,
is ‘why’ there’s such a strong difference of opinions,
when it comes to interpreting end times from the Bible.
I doubt if I can bridge the gap, completely, but individuals
are free to examine the facts and make up their own minds.
In other words, a person doesn’t have to believe exactly like
their church on every topic and in some cases; it’s best not to.
Regardless, it helps to know the source of the differences
and why some people feel so strongly, on both sides, so
a person can make an informed decision.
Map of Seven Churches
click to enlarge
Commentary on the Seven Churches
Ephesus and Smyrna – the early church
As I said, the seven churches sound like a progression of the Church, as a whole, through the last 2000-years.
I can show that the first two were already happening in other churches, during Paul’s time, using scripture.
Revelation 2:2 & 6 (#1 Ephesus)
2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your
perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate
wicked men, that you have tested those who
claim to be apostles but are not, and have
found them false.
6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the
practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Acts 15:1-2
1 “Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching
the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom
taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." 2 This brought Paul and
Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and
Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to
Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.”
Acts 15:27-29
27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of
mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit
and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following
requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from
blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.
You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
False apostles infiltrated the Corinthian Church and forced Paul to take
the offensive, even though he preferred humility.
2 Cor 12:11
I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought
to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least
inferior to the "super-apostles," even though I am nothing.
Yet, he was determined to expose the frauds as “Satan’s servants”.
It goes to show that any teaching, contrary to God, is a serious matter.
2 Cor 11:12-15
12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground
from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in
the things they boast about.
13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading
as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as
an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as
servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
The name, Nicolaitans, would imply that they were
followers of Nicolas. Well, it just so happens there was
a Nicolas who was one of the first seven deacons of the
Jerusalem Church. I have a feeling that he’s the same one
because he’s listed with a unique quality from the rest, a
convert to Judaism. (Acts 6:5) The reason I think it was his
followers is that ‘converting to Judaism’, as a requirement
for Christianity, was the first dispute settled by the disciples.
In fact, it inspired the first official letter, in which they
purposely omitted any requirements for following Jewish
traditions. Perhaps the Nicolaitans were the first Christian
splinter group that disagreed with simplicity and started
their own unnecessary traditions. Naturally, Paul saw it as
a travesty because the Jews had been doing that very thing,
ever since they built the second Temple. (Malachi 1:10+)
Perhaps that’s why Jesus hated their practices too.
Rev 2:9 (#2 Smyrna)
9 “I know your afflictions and
your poverty-yet you are rich!
I know the slander of those who
say they are Jews and are not,
but are a synagogue of Satan.”
Mark 7: 3, 4, 7
3(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing,
holding to the tradition of the elders. 4 When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless
they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and
kettles.) ... 7 [Jesus said] They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'
Galatians 3: 1-3, 5
1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before
your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.
2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive
the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?
3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because
you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?
Smyrna – the early church - con’t
In general, Christians were persecuted more severely after they were blamed for the fire in Rome, in 64 AD.
That continued until Christianity was legalized by the Emperor Constantine, in 313 AD. (see next church) The Jews
may have received some backlash from the Roman fire because the 1st Jewish revolt coincidently started two
years later, in 66 AD, which resulted in the destruction of the second Temple, in 70 AD. Perhaps the Christians
in Judea, following Jewish traditions, somehow blamed the other Christians for the unfortunate turn of events.
However, it was never their fault in the first place.
Why would Jesus refer to Christians claiming to be Jews as a “synagogue of Satan”?
I have a feeling they were similar to the Nicolaitans (above), perhaps without
the full conversion of circumcision, but following all the ritualistic traditions that
Jesus despised, nonetheless.
Mark 7:6-8
6 [Jesus] replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied
about you hypocrites; as it is written: "'These people
honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'
8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."
Paul confronted the problem head-on when some
Christians from Galatia were letting the Jews interject
their laws into Christianity. Of course, Paul agreed
with Jesus and condemned the practice.
Personally, I had one messianic Jew ask me,
“What does it hurt to follow the traditions?”
Well, if Jesus was against it, and Paul was against it,
“why would you still want to do it?” (common sense)
In general, those who followed Jewish law in the NT were wrong because Christianity is about obeying God,
not petty rules and traditions. Obviously, Paul wasn’t successful in stamping out the practice because it was
still around in Smyrna and the Nicolaitans are mentioned again in the 3rd church.
The Christians made a more permanent split from the Jews, when the 3rd Jewish revolt was led by
a false messiah, Bar Kochba, in which the Christians refused to support. The Jews were subsequently
exiled from Judea in 136 AD. (Note: A similar issue arises in the 6th church (below), concerning end times.)
Rev 2: 14-15 (#3 Pergamum)
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you:
You have people there who hold to the teaching
of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the
Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to
idols and by committing sexual immorality.
15 Likewise you also have those who hold
to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
That being said, the Romans were known for their sexual promiscuity,
(seen in paintings of the time). Paul gave a stern summary to the Romans
about the origin of sexual deviance and the sinful nature of such in his
introduction to them. (Romans 1: 20-31) Nevertheless, the practices
obviously continued and crept into the Church. (still exists to some degree)
As the Church grew, naturally questions arose so bishops were assigned,
in each city, to settle disputes. Over time, the Church became organized,
like the empire, and the bishops of certain cities, such as Antioch, Rome,
and Alexandria, became more powerful. Eventually, the Bishop of Rome
became the ultimate authority, in appeals, and was named Pope.
As I said, Constantine became the first Christian Roman Emperor and
legalized Christianity in 313 AD. After that, he supervised the selection
of the canonical books of the Bible. He also built Constantinople, as
the Byzantine capital (in the east), and it became the center of the
Eastern Orthodox Church, which remains separate from Rome today.
For more, see God’s “Timeline of 37’s”, which includes churches 3 & 4.
Now, I’m not blaming any particular group but given the time period
and nature of these descriptions; I think there’s a chance that verses
22 & 23 are referring to the black plague, which killed over 75 million
people from 1346-1353. (about seven years)
Rev 2: 20-23 (#4 Thyatira)
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you:
You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls
herself a prophetess. By her teaching she
misleads my servants into sexual immorality
and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
21 I have given her time to repent
of her immorality, but she is unwilling.
22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and
I will make those who commit adultery with her
suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.
23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the
churches will know that I am he who searches
hearts and minds, and I will repay each of
you according to your deeds.
#3 Pergamum and #4 Thyatira – embracing the world – into the dark ages
I’m not saying that the Catholic Church matches these verses exactly but the ‘time period’ is the same
and the Catholic Church was the primary ‘Christian’ Church for many centuries (although not the only one).
Rev 3:1-4 (#5 Sardis)
1 “I know your deeds; you have a reputation
of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up!
Strengthen what remains and is about to die,
for I have not found your deeds complete
in the sight of my God.
3 Remember, therefore, what you
have received and heard; obey it, and repent.
But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief,
and you will not know at what time I will come to you.”
4 “Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have
not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me,
dressed in white, for they are worthy.
#5 Sardis - The Protestant Reformation Church
The Protestant Reformation was undoubtedly aided by the Gutenberg press, which printed copies of the Bible
in the 1450’s. Even though it was printed in Latin, it made the Bible more accessible and many other translations
followed by the 1530’s. One of those translators, Martin Luther (German), also wrote a list of grievances against
the Catholic Church, in 1517, and is credited for the start of the Protestant Reformation.
I guess they had the reputation for being alive, compared to the Catholic
Church, but they apparently grew complacent, in their understanding of the
Bible, and stopped receiving any new knowledge from God. I’m speaking of
many churches that split from the Catholic Church but stopped short of
accepting the ‘rapture’ concept in Revelation. Granted, the old pre-trib
theory had a few flaws but all a person has to notice is the similarities
between the ‘signs in the stars’ in Matt. 24 and the 6th Seal to know that
the gathering of the ‘multitude’ in Rev. 7 happens before the main wrath.
There are definite references to end times here but notice that they
will only be caught like a thief if they don’t wake up. That’s consistent
with Paul’s statement, “But you brothers are not in darkness that this
day should surprise you like a thief.” (1 Thess 5:4) That’s because God
provided signs in Daniel 11, leading to the abomination, just like Jesus said.
The signs are obviously happening but some post-tribs reject everything.
Nevertheless, all is not hopeless because some in this category are
found ‘worthy’ and will be dressed in white. I’m not saying that a person
has to believe in the rapture, to go in the rapture, but a person needs to
be open-minded and check the scriptures, honestly, rather than rejecting
everything new, before they even check.
#6 Philadelphia - the ‘Pre-Tribulaion’ Church - Spiritual Awakening Begins
Now, I’m no expert in Church history but the next major split was due to the ‘Pre-tribulation’ theory,
which was proposed in the 1830’s. Granted, their theory had flaws, because they didn’t interpret the
Seals correctly, but in hindsight; the Seals would have been difficult to interpret at that time. At least
they were trying to make sense of Revelation, with minimal amounts of manipulation. As I’ve said, the
correct interpretation of the Seals eliminates all contradictions and manipulations (discovered recently).
Rev 3:8-10 (#6 Philadelphia)
8 I know your deeds. See, I have
placed before you an open door
that no one can shut. I know
that you have little strength,
yet you have kept my word and
have not denied my name.
9 I will make those who are
of the synagogue of Satan,
who claim to be Jews though
they are not, but are liars-I will
make them come and fall down
at your feet and acknowledge
that I have loved you.
10 Since you have kept my
command to endure patiently,
I will also keep you from the
hour of trial that is going to
come upon the whole world to
test those who live on the earth.
Rev 3: 15-20 (#7 Laodicea)
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.
I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because
you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to
spit you out of my mouth.
17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and
do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that
you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire,
so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear,
so you can cover your shameful nakedness;
and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.
So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am!
I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears
my voice and opens the door, I will come in
and eat with him, and he with me.
Basically, I think Jesus is saying that the ‘pre-tribs’ have had little strength because
they have been verbally abused by post-tribs, for many years. Yet, they did relatively
little in return. One reason might be the fact that they couldn’t dispute the post-tribs for
manipulating Revelation when they had slight manipulations of their own. Nevertheless,
no one could ‘shut the door’ on them and they grew, along with the ‘spiritual awakening’,
until now, when the correct meaning of the Seals actually proves them correct (in a way).
Who is the synagogue of Satan?
Verse 9 is very interesting because it shows a re-emergence of Jewish influence in
the Christian Church, which is similar to the ‘early church’ in Paul’s day. (see #2 above)
However, Jesus says that the ones in the ‘synagogue of Satan’ claim to be Jews but
are not. I admit that I used to think it was the Messianic Jews because they follow
the customs and laws such as Jews but also claim to be Christians. Paul was adamantly
against following the Jewish laws and considered it a step backwards from the spiritual
freedom that Jesus provided to Christians. (Galatians 5: 1-10) Therefore, I’m still
against the practices of the Messianic Jews but further study into the Reform Jews
and non-orthodox sects leads me to believe that they could be the synagogue of Satan.
I mean, they claim to be Jews but the ultra-orthodox, who try meticulously hard to
follow every rule, don’t accept that they are. I’m no expert on Jewish customs, but it
seems that the deciding factor would be God’s word, so the ultra-orthodox could be right.
In any event, it casts ‘reasonable doubt’ on the Messianic Jews being the synagogue of
Satan so even though I disagree with mixing Jewish customs with Christianity, I apologize
for making that accusation before.
The ‘hour of trial’ is a period of time before the rapture, meant to test people on earth,
so God will know exactly where they stand on their relationship with Jesus. In other
words, the rapture will decide where gentiles spend eternity so there’s no middle ground
where people can ride the fence. God must ‘test’ some people to see what side of the
fence they choose, such as the Parable of the Banquet suggest, when God tells them that
the banquet is ready. (Luke 14: 15-24) The ‘hour of trial’ also coincides with the “devil’s
fury, because he knows his time is short.” (Rev. 12:12) That ‘fury’ is bringing increased
violence, from terrorists, around the world. [See more on the context of Rev. 12]
#7 Laodicea - Last Days - ‘Lukewarm’
Many people are under the false assumption that just ‘being nice’ will get them to heaven but that’s
never been the case. As Paul pointed out, if a person could get to heaven without need of Jesus, then
that would render Jesus’ accomplishment unnecessary, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Elements of this ‘church’ are reflected in the
Parable of the Great Banquet, where God sends a
servant to tell everyone that the time has arrived,
but some are too busy with material items and
relationships to find the time to attend. To make a
long story short, they don’t get to go to the banquet
at all, which is very bad. (Luke 14:16-24)
I think the ‘lukewarm’ are similar to the parable
because it takes wealth to buy material things and not
going to the banquet is the same as being ‘spit out’.
Granted, it’s not a sin to have money and material things
but they can’t be allowed to become more important than
God and going to heaven.
As you can see, Jesus is almost pleading with them,
to save themselves, but it has to be their choice.
In some cases, a person may need ‘discipline’ to get
back on the right path, but as I said; I think God will know
exactly where everyone stands when the time comes.
Church #6
revised
7-22-2016
Summary and Conclusion
As you can tell, each of the various ‘churches’ did not cease to exist, just because the next one started.
Thus, there are examples of each church in the world today, such as the Yazidis in Iraq, which remind me a lot of
church #2, whenever I hear about them on the news. It’s ironic that Jesus calls them ‘rich’ (v. 2:9), while calling
the wealthy in church #7 wretched and poor (v. 3:17). It goes to show that God does not think like man does.
Jesus said, “What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” [referring to money] (Luke 16:15)
I hope no one thinks I’m trying to stereotype them into a category because I wouldn’t be qualified to judge,
even if I wanted to. Besides, everyone will be judged, individually, according to their hearts, not their church.
If any of the above descriptions offend you, then you’re probably thinking like the wrong church. Yet, all is not
lost because people can change their thinking. In fact, they should when a better explanation comes along that
agrees with the Bible and has no contradictions. Like I’ve said, the various churches are effectively ‘stuck in time’,
according to when they decided to reject the next ‘knowledge’ from God. In other words, God never stopped
advancing Biblical knowledge; the various churches stopped accepting it.
Graphical representation of the seven churches:
Notice that Churches 3 & 4
are faulted for violating these
same issues ... so they knew.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People
will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive,
disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving,
slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous,
rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God- 5 having a
form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
Paul warned to steer clear of these people in the end times. That’s because modern post-tribulationists over-lap
and manipulate Revelation, God’s prophecy, in an attempt to prove pre-tribs wrong. However, in doing so, they
violate God’s warning (Rev. 22:19) and entice others to do the same. Jesus said, “Leave them; they are blind guides.
If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matt. 15:14) Therefore, don’t listen to the doom and gloom
scenarios of post-tribulationists; I’m not sure what their motives are but God knows. (1 Cor. 4:5) Some may even
think they are doing right (v.4), by preserving tradition (having a form of godliness), but God’s word is ‘living and
active’. (Heb. 4:12) Thus, blindly refusing any advancement in Biblical knowledge is not a good tradition. (Matt. 5:20)
Paul warned that there would be increased wickedness
in the last days but he also warned of a religious group
that would seem godly but deny its full power.
That would be consistent with the Sardis Church
because they only had the reputation for being alive but
their ‘deeds were incomplete’, perhaps because they
rejected the ‘spiritual awakening’ in the next church.
The Divine Origin of ‘Pre-Tribulation’
Post-tribs try to use the origin of ‘pre-tribulation’ as a negative against it but that’s not a valid
argument either. Basically, the story goes that a Scottish preacher named Edward Irving began teaching
that the spiritual gifts, including prophecy and speaking in tongues, were meant for the present-day church.
After the gifts began to manifest themselves, Irving was dismissed by the Church of Scotland, in 1832.
Prior to his dismissal, in 1830, a young Scottish girl named Margaret MacDonald fell into a trance, for
several hours during a meeting, and prophesied that Christ’s return would be in two phases, rather than one.
She revealed that Christ would return first for the righteous and then a second time to execute
wrath on the unrighteous (or something similar to that).
Anyway, after that, an Englishman named John Darby met with Irving and it’s believed that
he was the first one to develop the ‘old’ pre-tribulation theory that placed the rapture at Revelation 4.
The theory was further popularized by Cyrus Scofield in his reference Bible. I don’t fault them for trying
to adapt the vision to Revelation but they just had the Seals wrong. Like I’ve said, it would have been
difficult to interpret the Seals, back then, because Seal 3 is very vague. Nevertheless, my interpretation
of the Seals proves Margaret MacDonald correct, just not the human interpretation, by Darby, that followed.
Conclusion
As you could probably tell, I’ve presented my interpretation of the Seals and pre-tribulation rapture
as if it were already the ‘new’ pre-tribulation theory. That’s because I think it will be, whenever some
well-known and bold preachers, such as Irving, Darby, or Scofield realize that this interpretation is
correct and begin telling people. After all, if modern pre-tribs can support a vision from a Scottish girl,
in the 19th century, why can’t they support my interpretation of the Seals, which is based on real history,
and proves the Scottish girl correct? After all, I’m not changing any vision that came from the Spirit;
I’m just changing how man interpreted it.
Believe it or not, I was called to provide “food” to the “servants in the household” (Matt. 24:45), which
I’ve come to believe are ‘pre-tribs’ in general. After all, food provides strength, which is needed by church #6,
especially going into the “hour of trial” (v. 3:10), which I think we’re in now. Strength, in the form of Truth,
is needed to counter post-tribs, who lead people astray, either by accident or on purpose, by giving false signs
that breed complacency. The true signs, which lead to the abomination (like Jesus said) are clearly outlined
in Daniel 11, which was ‘sealed until the time of the end’. Now that it has been ‘unsealed’, people can
actually see the signs that God intended as they reveal themselves in the Middle East. In that respect,
somebody had to reveal the correct signs, sometime, because pre-tribs couldn’t watch the signs if there
were no specific signs to watch. (below) Thus, the meaning of the Seals, from Revelation, and the ‘signs’,
from Daniel 11, are meant as “food” for Church #6 (pre-tribs), or anyone who wants to accept them.
Luke 12:37
“It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes.
I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table
and will come and wait on them.”
I don’t know why this is seen as a negative, by some, because
Peter reiterated Joel’s prophecy that the Spirit would be poured out
in the last days and people would prophesy, including young women.
Yet, post-tribs act like nothing ‘new’ can ever be discovered
from the Bible, no matter what. Although Peter never got to read
Revelation, I think he would be in favor of keeping an open-mind
to new ideas on how to understand it. (without changing it)
After all, everyone has the same access to God’s Spirit, who
teaches all things, even the deep things of God. (1 Cor. 2:10)
Acts 2: 17-18 (Peter quoted Joel ...)
17 “In the last days, God says, ‘I will pour
out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and
daughters will prophesy, your young men
will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.’”
more in
summary
Printable PDFs available here
Related page:
“John-the-Baptist”
(a personal tribute)
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by
International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
© Copyright 2010 - 2019 All rights reserved.
Daniel 11 Explained
(condensed ‘one page’ commentary)
‘Matthew 24’ Explained
(must match Revelation)
The ‘Seals’ Explained
(Revelation timeline revealed)
Seven Churches Explained
(Past & Present Church Prophecy)
Note: ‘Sitemap’ shows a complete list of all pages (by category).
‘Homepage’ gives 3 simple steps + timelines + summary.
Current Events from Daniel 11 (matching the Middle East)
The
Abomination
(Daniel 11:31)
done
Recent Events
ISIS - Saudi - Turkey
(Daniel 11: 24-27)
Final Events
to the Abomination
(Daniel 11: 28-30)
Shiites re-take Persia
+ America’s Role Begins
(Daniel 11: 21-23)
soon
done
done
0
2000
500
1000
1500
#1 Early Church
Hard Work / Good Teachings
Lost First Love
#2 Early Church
Poor, Slandered, & Suffering
#3 Catholic Church / #4 Eastern Orthodox
Some followed false teachers and accepted sin
black
plague
Rev 2:21-23
printing
press
#5 Protestant Reformation (post-tribs)
some ‘dead’ -need to ‘wake up’
some ‘worthy’
#6 Spiritual Awakening (pre-tribs)
Little strength but kept His Name
#7 New church -
wealthy but not
focused on Jesus
?
1517
1830’s
1350
1454
Plague of Justinian (Rev 2:21-23)
541
750
324
Note: I have created a new page for the 7th Church, which includes
discussions on Materialism, Homosexuality, and Interfaith Ministries,
as fitting the description of being ‘lukewarm’.
UA-32512179-1