. . . do you belong?
Some years ago, a friend in the same ministry as me subscribed to the theory that the Churches of Revelation, represented seven distinct periods of time. That meant, assuming we are in the Last Days, we are the Church of Laodicea. If that were true, we’d all be luke warm. My friend called Laodicea the Church of the Last Days.
The author of Revelation was instructed to write to the angel of the Church of Laodicea, in part:
I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:15,16
[ ASIDE: Ouch! Y’shuaJesus says he’s gonna spit the Church out of His mouth. That’s not a very tolerant thing to do, is it? I mean, meek, mild, born-in-a-manger Baby Jesus is gonna spit me out of His mouth! Well, yes! That is what He said; so that is what He’ll do. ]
Here’s a nice summary of the Seven Churches of Revelation from Got Questions.
Question: “What do the seven churches in Revelation stand for?”
Answer: The seven churches described in Revelation 2-3 are seven literal churches at the time that John the apostle was writing Revelation. Though they were literal churches in that time, there is also spiritual significance for churches and believers today. The first purpose of the letters was to communicate with the literal churches and meet their needs at that time. The second purpose is to reveal seven different types of individuals/churches throughout history and instruct them in God’s truth.
A possible third purpose is to use the seven churches to foreshadow seven different periods in the history of the Church. The problem with this view is that each of the seven churches describes issues that could fit the Church in any time in its history. So, although there may be some truth to the seven churches representing seven eras, there is far too much speculation in this regard. Our focus should be on what message God is giving us through the seven churches. The seven churches are
(1) Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7) – the church that had forsaken its first love (2:4).
(2) Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11) – the church that would suffer persecution (2:10).
(3) Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17) – the church that needed to repent (2:16).
(4) Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29) – the church that had a false prophetess (2:20).
(5) Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) – the church that had fallen asleep (3:2).
(6) Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13) – the church that had endured patiently (3:10).
(7) Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) – the church with the lukewarm faith (3:16).
Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .
JonahzSong 