ROBERT@kontu.utu.fi (Robert W. Johnson) (02/25/91)
In a series of articles I am going to present the entire Church history as
phrophezied in Revelation 2:1-3:22. These verses phrophezy concerning the
first Church to the last Church before the Lord returns.
If you would like a list of references on Church history please send me a
note.
Note: This posting is very long. It will be divided into seven parts (there
are epistles to seven Churches.) Each part will consist of one or more
subparts.
Part I of VII - Subpart 1 of 3 of Part I
CHAPTER 2
III. "THE THINGS WHICH ARE" --
THE SEVEN LOCAL CHURCHES
2:1-3:22
A. Church in Ephesus --
the Church at the close
of the initial stage
1 (1)To the (2)messenger of the church in (3a)Ephesus write: These things
says he Who (4)holds the (b)seven stars in His right hand, Who (4)walks in the
(c)midst of the (d)seven golden lampstands:
(1) The seven epistles in chapters 2 and 3 are the record of the actual
situation existing in the seven churches at the time these epistles were
written. However, since this book is a book of signs with a phrophetic nature,
the situations of the seven churches are also signs, signifying prophetically
the progress of the church in seven stages. The first epistle, to the church
in Ephesus, affords a picture of the end of the initial church in the first
stage, during the last part of the first century. The seconde epistle, to
the church in Smyrna, prefigures the suffering church under the persecution
of the Roman Empire, from the last part of the first century to the early
part of the fourth century, when Constatine the Great, the Casear of the
Roman Empire, brought the church into imperial favour. The third epistle,
to the church in Pergamos, pre-symbolizes the worldly church, the church
married to the world, for the day Constatine accepted Christianity to the
time the papal system was established in the latter part of the sixth century.
The epistle to the church in Thyatira depicts prophetically the apostate
church, form the ordination of the papal system in the latter part of the
sixth century to the end of this age, when Christ comes back. The fifth
epistle, to the church in Sardis, prefigures the protestant church, from
the Reformation in the early part of the sixteenth century to Christ's
coming back. The sixth epistle, to the church in Philadelphia, predicts
the church of brotherly love, the recovery of the proper church life, from
the early part of the nineteenth century, when the brothrs were rais3d up
in England to practice the church outside all denominational and
divisive systems, to the second appearing of the Lord. The seventh epistle,
to the church in laodicea, foreshadows the degraded church life of the
brothers in the nineteenth century, form the latter part of the nineteenth
century until the Lord's return.
(2) Gk. angel.
(3) "Ephesus" in Greek means "desirable." This signifies that the initial
church at its end was still desirable to the Lord; the Lord still had much
expectation in her.
(4) The messengers of the churches, the spiritual ones, signified by the
shining stars, who bear the responsibility of "the testimony of Jesus," are
held in the "right hand" of the Lord, and the Lord is walking in the midst
of the churches, signified by the seven golden lampstands. What a wondeful
scene! While the Lord is sitting at the right hand of God as our High
priest interceding for us, the churches (Heb. 7:25), He is holding the
messengers of the churches and walking in the midst of the churches to care
for them.
(a) Eph. 1:1, (b) Rev. 1:16, (c) Rev. 1.13, (d) Rev. 1:12
2 I (a)know your (b)works and your labour and your (c)endurance, and that
you cannot bear evil men; and you have (d)tried those who (1)call themselves
(e)apostles and are not, and have found them to be false;
(1) Gk. say.
(a) Rev. 2:9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8, 15 (b) Rev. 2:5, 19; 3:1-2, 8, 15 (c) Rev. 3:10,
(d) I John 4:1, (e) 2 Cor. 11:13
3 And you have endurance and have borne because of My (a)name and have
not grown weary.
(a) John 15:21
-----
Robert W. Johnson
Computer center, The University of Turku, Turku Finland
robert@kontu.utu.fi (InterNet)
robert@firien.bitnet (BITNET)
The preceeding is my opinion and may not express the opinion of my employer
and furthermore has nothing to do with my employment.