Seven churches as ages

[Thom18]

I read someone make the claim that the seven churches being written to in Revelation aren’t actual, physical churches, but are representations of “ages”, and I’m wondering exactly what that is supposed to mean. They listed them as:

Ephesus- Messianic
Smyrna- Martyr
Pergamos- Orthodoxy
Thyatira- Catholicism
Sardis- Protestantism
Philadelphia- Wesleyanism
Laodicea- Charismatic

They said that “the spirit of Jezebel- to control and dominate- was once upon the Catholic Church- but now it can reside in any denomination”.

Any ideas?

 

[Fauken]

So why is the Wesleyan church separate from Protestantism? Isn’t Charismatic a movement as opposed to an actual church? Where’s the Ethiopian church? How does this person know that a new “church” won’t splinter off of these seven? And what is the “martyr” church? And what is the spirit of Jezebel? It sounds like a convenient way of saying that the Catholic Church is corrupt. If the spirit of Jezebel can reside on any Church, including the Catholic Church, then it seems Jesus is utterly incapable of keeping His Church(es), the pillar of truth, from collapsing, and He was lying when He said Hell would not prevail against it.

 

[Thom18]

I don’t even know why they brought it up- and I was wondering why they distinguished Wesleyanism from protestantism in general. The original conversation was about someone whose pastor went on a rant about how the congregation should avoid contact with people who left their church.

 

[Trilor]

I have heard of that general idea before. It is found in Dispensationalist circles, hich I believe dates back to the Millerites about 200 years ago

 

[BartholomewB]

It’s new to me, but frankly it doesn’t sound like something to be taken seriously. How did they work out that Philadelphia, for example, is the right one for Wesleyans, rather than Smyrna or any of the others?

 

[Fauken]

If I had to take a random crack at it, the churches are in chronological order.

 

[whyeyeman]

This is exactly the danger of private interpretation of scripture. You come up with all sorts of wacky theories, particularly with a mysterious work like the Apocalypse of John, with little justification for them other than the fact that it may suit your pre-held beliefs.

 

[Fauken]

Lol, of course the Catholic Church is the one accused of paganism and idolatry.

 

[jcrichton]

Hi, Thom!

I believe that they are the Church in time (not so much “ages”); we can see the various descriptions of the various behavior of the Church (Christ’s Community); yet, as all prophecy, some of what is being Revealed can indeed be actions/behavior of Christians in those communities at the time that the Revelation was made.

Maran atha!

Angel

 

[JoshuaIsLord]

That is Tim Lahaye’s work. I’ve read it before. It came from his book “Revelation Unveiled” or something like that. It wrote the fictional “Left Behind” series.