The Seven Churches or The Seven Church Ages
- John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;
The salutation above is addressed to “the seven churches which are in Asia.” Asia, however, is not the great continent of Asia or even Asia Minor, but rather is the western end of Asia Minor bordering on the Agean and Mediterranean Seas, a small area comparatively speaking. Neither do these seven churches mean that there were only seven churches in that district, for there were at least three other churches —
- To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.
- And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.
- I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,
- Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
These seven churches, as representative or typical churches found during the coming Tribulation period, but also on down through the centuries until the true church is removed from the earth, represent the seven church periods clearly defined in church history.
John at this time was not in his body but was in the Lord’s Spirit and taken into the future through a miraculous spiritual transference from where he was exiled on the Isle of Patmos in about 96 AD.
Any study of the seven churches must include by necessity the “Head of the church,” Jesus Christ. When Jesus first appeared on earth in the flesh, He appeared as a Jew with eyes like a dove, a head like burnished gold, and bushy black hair, eyebrows and beard — nothing like the effeminate pictures painted by Roman Catholic artists.
- For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
- What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?
- My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.
- His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.
- His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.
- His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.
- His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.
- His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
- His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
In His risen glorified appearance, Jesus is no longer the meek “Lamb of God” but is the “Lion of the tribe of Juda.” With feet of fine fiery brass which symbolizes swift hot judgment, Jesus will put all His enemies under His feet — no longer “meek and lowly.” The sharp two-edged sword that comes out His mouth is the irresistible compelling “word of God” that all of creation obeys instantly without question.
- And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;
- And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
- His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
- And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
- And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
- And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
- And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
- And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
- And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
- And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
- Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
- For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
- The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
- For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
- And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
- For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
- And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
- And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
- And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
- But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- The same was in the beginning with God.
- All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Being a member of His body, each real church is assigned an angel to oversee its protection and provision just as Jesus was kept by the angels in His earthly ministry. Most modern “churches” of today’s world are incorporated into man’s government as §501c3 tax-exempt corporations under title 26 which are “churches” in name only. There is no way that such an unrighteous and unholy thing created by sinful man could ever be joined to the holy and righteous body of Jesus Christ. To attempt to do so would be fornication which always results in immediate death as described in Part Two of this series. This is why the early church was so hated and persecuted by governments — it refused to join itself to government, just as Jesus also refused.
Connect the dots: Every government of sinful man is under the control of Satan. A harlot is not a whore but a representative agent of a god, an angel of Satan if not Satan himself. For a real church to join itself to Satan or his agents by an unholy sexual or statutory union is fornication and will result in its destruction.
- For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
- And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
- And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
- Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
- Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
- And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
- But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
It is easily seen here that Jesus Christ is typified by the sun; the Son of God = the Sun of Righteousness. As God is a Trinity: Father, Son (the Word) and Holy Ghost; the sun also is a trinity with alpha rays (infrared or heat that you can feel but not see – God the Holy Ghost), beta rays (light that you can see but not feel – God the Son) and gamma rays (ultraviolet that you can neither see nor feel – God the Father) — all three in one.
- For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
The world not only receives its light from the sun but also its spiritual light from the Son. Every day from sunup to sundown the Gospel is preached through the witness of the Sun. Every night the sun dies, turns blood-red and is buried below the horizon, just as Christ was at the end of the First Coming. Every morning the sun rises blood-red, only this time it is a type of the Second Coming — the Day of the Lord. Therefore altogether the sun is a type of the First and Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- The same was in the beginning with God.
- All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
- In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
- And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
- There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
- The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
- He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
- That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
- For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
- Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.
- Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?
- I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment.
- For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.
- And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.
- And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.
- But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
In Revelation there are seven sevens, of which the seven churches addressed here are a part. Seven is a number indicating completeness or perfection. The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1) clearly represents the perfect and complete plan of God’s purpose in finalizing unknown millenniums of wickedness from the time of the original earth to the present by those who hate God and the perfect everlasting life for those saints who have suffered so much at the hands of the wicked while waiting with patience for God’s justice. The seven sevens consist of the seven churches, the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven personages, the seven vials, the seven dooms, and the seven new things.
The messages to the seven churches are sequenced after John’s vision of Christ. John’s vision of the 24 elders around the throne of God is of the glorified church after it has been caught up or “raptured” as indicated in verse 1 of chapter 4 with “Come up hither.” “The things which are” would be a record of things present and past or in this case of the messages to the seven churches, a spiritual historical account of the Lord’s church from time of John (96 AD) to the time when the present church disappears from earth by “rapture” and is seen again only in Heaven.
- And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
- I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
- Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
- The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
- After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
- And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
- And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
- And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
- And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
- But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
- For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
- For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
- For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
- Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
