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Do the Seven Churches of Revelation bear any contemporary significance?
by Martin De Beer There are several opinions which attempt to answer this question. The main opinions seem to be that the letters were exclusively addressed to the original churches and bear no real significance for any contemporary church, that the letters were symbolically addressed to these seven churches and actually represent distinct periods in Church history or that these letters are universal in that they apply to different churches in different places through all time, since they were written and until Jesus returns. At the outset I emphatically state that I believe that these churches are of extreme importance and significance to contemporary Believers and the rest of this article is aimed at proving that belief with as much Scriptural evidence and as little imagination possible. I invite my readers to judge the success or failure of my endeavour. Were these seven literal churches or are they merely figurative or symbolic? The seven cities mentioned actually existed and consequently there is no reason to doubt that each had a Christian congregation with differing characteristics and challenges, as presented in chapters two and three of the Revelation. From the following discussion we shall see that their literal existence is ultimately of little significance to their actual value to the contemporary Believer. The history and function of the seven churches Rev 1:12 And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Rev 1:13 And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands. And in the midst of the seven lampstands I saw One like the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the feet, and tied around the breast with a golden band. This is the King of kings Jesus speaking to John, a Jesus he had not known on earth and a Jesus Whom he probably never would have imagined, because he falls down as if dead, according to the following verses. It is important for us to note that in verse 13 there are two references to the seven lamp stands. Jesus is in the midst of these lamp stands, which might suggest a dependence on Him or Him tending them. This is not a new description of the area of Heaven directly before the Eternal Throne of God. Zec 4:2 And he said to me, What do you see? And I said, I see, and behold, a lampstand, all of it gold, and a bowl on its top, and its seven lamps on it, and seven pipes to the seven lamps on its top; Zec 4:3 and two olive trees beside it, one on the right of the bowl, and the other on the left of it. Someone decided Zechariah should be one of the so called "minor prophets", as if God would have major and minor messages whilst there are no major and minor sins? In any event Zechariah, who lived more than five centuries before the Revelation was delivered and written, describes a very similar scene. Now we can play the children's game of spot the differences? Zechariah saw a unit, a lamp stand, comprising a bowl on top, seven other lamps as part of the one complete unit, with seven pipes connecting the bowl to the lamps, to provide them with oil, and two olive trees or branches, one on either side of the bowl. In the Revelation we see that the bowl and pipes are missing but now Jesus is in their midst holding seven stars in His right hand. What happened, why the change? Joh 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth. The two olive trees are also suddenly missing and not transformed like the Bowl into Jesus and the pipes into stars (angels), but their absence is not relevant to our current discussion and will be discussed at a later stage in a different article. Nevertheless, please do make a mental note regarding their apparent disappearance as their absence in Heaven is extremely relevant and important in the wider scope and our understanding of the book of Revelation. So, sometime between Zechariah and the Revelation the bowl and pipes disappeared and the Son of Man appeared. Until His birth in Bethlehem, Jesus was the Word and he became flesh in the year zero or at the beginning of what we call the first century anno Domini. I would say that the reason for this change was very aptly explained in the book of John before the Revelation was even written! So what do these lamp stands have to do with the seven churches? Rev 1:20 the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand and the seven golden lampstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. The seven lamp stands represent the seven churches addressed in the next two chapters, Jesus says so Himself. Unfortunately we now have some new questions? Didn't the Church only come into being with the advent of Jesus Christ being born in the flesh, being crucified and ascending into Heaven? Mat 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. If so, what did the seven lamp stands, obviously in existence five centuries before Jesus' birth, represent in Zechariah's time? We need to be critical, rational and ask questions because the Bible teaches thus: 2 Tim 2:14 Put them in memory of these things, charging them before the Lord not to dispute about words to no profit, to the subverting of the hearers. 2 Tim 2:15 Study earnestly to present yourself approved to God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. 2 Tim 2:16 But shun profane, vain babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 1 Pet 3:15 but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason of the hope in you, with meekness and fear; Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you from being priest to Me. Since you have forgotten the Law of your God, I will also forget your sons, even I. We need to provide rational answers when encountered by fair and reasonable questions. These are obtained through studying the Word in the presence and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Sanctimonious, illogical and irrational responses and doctrines definitely won't bring the inquisitive interrogator closer to God but rather drive him or her away? 1 Cor 14:9 So also you, if you do not give a clear word through the language, how will it be known what is being said? For you will be speaking into the air. 1 Cor 14:10 So it may be many kinds of sounds are in the world, and not one is without a distinct sound. 1 Cor 14:11 Therefore if I do not know the power of the sound, I will be a foreigner to him speaking, and he speaking will be a foreigner to me. 1 Cor 14:23 Therefore if the whole church has come together, and all speak in languages, and if uninstructed ones or unbelievers come in, will they not say that you rave? The apostle Paul is actually discussing tongues in these verses, but the same applies very similarly to rationality and logic. If our explanations and doctrines are illogical and irrational we might as well be speaking into the air: unbelievers will shake their heads, distance themselves from us and brand us raving mad? So we need to critically evaluate the rationality and logical consequences of our doctrines and dogmas. Let us apply this process of evaluation to these seven letters and their history. Before Jesus became flesh there were many Believers from Adam through to Joseph and Mary. But many of these Believers were dispersed and definitely did not form a united Body, the Church, which only came about through Jesus Christ. Still we cannot ignore historical fact that even outside of the nation and territory of Israel and even before Israel came into being, there were collections or congregations of Believers. Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek the king of Salem brought forth bread and wine. And he was the priest of the most high God. Exo 2:15 And when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and lived in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well. Exo 2:16 And the priest of Midian had seven daughters. And they came and drew, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. Exo 3:1 And Moses kept the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back side of the desert. And he came to the mountain of God, to Horeb. Is it possible that Moses had learnt of God Almighty from Jethro before his burning-bush- experience? This is not unconscionable as, until he met Jethro's daughters at the well, he was essentially an Egyptian: Exo 2:18 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, Why have you hurried to come today? Exo 2:19 And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew for us and watered the flock. Moses was groomed to be an Egyptian ruler and as such he would have been brought up in Egyptian paganism probably knowing little or nothing relating to the God of Israel. The above are just two examples of people mentioned in the Bible, one before Israel came into being and another far outside the territory of Israel and not an Israelite, who were evidently Believers and priests of God Almighty (see other references to Jethro in Genesis in this regard). Now would God have left His people, Believers, untended and unguided because Jesus had not become flesh yet? That would surely be contrary to His character of desiring interaction with mankind since the creation of Adam? But the "connection" to God was initially through the "oil" of the Word flowing through the pipes or angels tending over tradition through the clergy or priests to the Believers whilst, after Christ, the Word was poured out to live within each and every Believer through the Holy Spirit! Joh 16:7 But I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Comforter will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send Him to you. Thus I doubt we would be wrong in imagining that the seven lamps existed from, at least, Adam and his offspring. As such they represent the "categories" or "types" of congregations of Believers before the Throne of God in Heaven. In human terms they appear to be part of the "furniture" of Heaven. All that actually changed was their mode of "feeding": Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you. Joh 6:35 And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes on Me shall never thirst. Consequently the history and function of the seven lamps as symbols representing types within congregations of Believers, regardless of time or location, suggest that these lamps or congregations are universal in character and all are of essential significance in evaluating the "health" of the Church and individual congregations, until Christ returns. The churches as symbols of differing church dispensations or periods in church history If one were not to derogate from the meaning of each separate letter to each individual church and one were to acknowledge that all seven are as applicable today as they were when written and you have the time and inclination to search history in order to simultaneously ascribe specific letters as being descriptive of a specific era or period in church history, then I could surely not object. But I do believe that time would have been better spent in teaching the Truth and making oneself available as an instrument in saving lost souls. But if you were to suggest that any letter's application ceased at the end of the era it is said to represent, on the basis of some chosen historic event to dispense with one and usher in the next, then I would need to object. Now, I would call on reason and imagination to support my objection. Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, says Jehovah; though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool. We have seen that these seven lamps existed in Heaven centuries before Christ. Now, if we are in the supposed last era then we might expect a few lamps already burnt out in Jesus' time and definitely six burnt out lamps now? Why would they still burn if their function had past? Imagine the awesome Figure of Christ, described in Revelation chapter one, in the midst of six burnt out lamps with only one still burning! This does not seem quite right? But apart from these ugly burnt out lamps, possibly lying around in disarray as discarded on burning out, Jesus would only have one star in His right hand and we would also find six unemployed angels loitering around: Rev 1:20 the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand and the seven golden lampstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. I know contemporary humankind views overfull trash cans, hoppers and smouldering landfill sites as part of everyday life; unemployment, homeless people and beggars are also an everyday occurrence and reality for us, but to equate Heaven to our littered, imperfect and unjust world, I find quite appalling. I cannot imagine that anyone can reason in such a way that the logical result of that reasoning would necessitate Heaven looking like that? Furthermore, if the preceding periods are past, in our rushed world we might, at most, brush over these letters but more probably ignore them completely? By doing this we would miss the warning and hatred that God declares for the teachings and deeds of the Nicolaitans! I therefore venture to suggest that anyone teaching that any of the first six letters are defunct or inapplicable today, is a Nicolaitan trying to have us forget about the Nicolaitans or disregard them when they are the very people preparing the way for the Nicolaitan of Nicolaitans, the Antichrist! (Please to see my article Who were the Nicolaitans?) Conclusion The seven lamps and the seven stars are an integral part of Heaven and have been at least since five centuries before Jesus Christ, probably since Adam. To suggest some of them are no longer applicable leads to the logical and rational result that some are burnt out and their angels redundant. An absolutely frightful thought, is it not? The seven churches are rather the types of congregations of Believers that have existed since mankind believed in God. As such they are the typical "advertisement" for the seven possible variants of churches we might encounter. As such they empower the Believer to evaluate their specific church and those around them. These seven letters are consequently essential reading material for any Believer who truly believes and seeks the Truth. All seven are as applicable today as they ever were and we would do well to study, discuss and take them to heart. Rev 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads and hears the Words of this prophecy, and the ones keeping the things written in it, for the time is near. Martin de Beer Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |