The Churches of Revelation 2-3

Among futurist interpreter of Revelation, there are two schools of thought regarding the seven churches of Rev 2-3. 

According to one school of thought, Rev 2-3 describes a prophetic historic of the churches, that is every church describes a particular stage in church history. For instance AJ Pollock holds the following periods of church history:

EPHESUS: First phase of Church history. Began at the end of the apostolic age when the Apostle John wrote. Succeeded by Smyrna.

SMYRNA: A period of persecution allowed by God as a voice to the Church, which in the preceding stage had been marked by decline of “first love.” Succeeded by Pergamos.

PERGAMOS: The period marked by the alliance of the Church with the world, beginning about the time of the Emperor Constantine. Succeeded by Thyatira.

THYATIRA: That phase of the Church in which corruption asserted itself, and is seen full blown in Roman Catholicism. Represents the whole Church till Sardis appeared, when Thyatira still pursued her way, but as contemporaneous with Sardis, and later with Philadelphia, and later still with Laodicea.

SARDIS: God in mercy gave a purer testimony to His Word. This resulted in Protestantism. Contemporaneous with Thyatira, and later with Philadelphia, and still later with Laodicea.

PHILADELPHIA: Represents rather a moral than an ecclesiastical movement. It represents a moral recovery from the departure that set in at Ephesus. Contemporaneous with Thyatira and Sardis, and later with Laodicea.

LAODICEA: A moral movement representing the full declension that set in in Ephesus, and stands in vivid contrast to Philadelphia. Contemporaneous with Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia. The last phase of Church history.

A second school of thought holds to historical-typical view, that is all these churches actually exists in 1st century AD and are typical of churches of all times. That is at any point in history, some churches will be Ephesian-type, meaning orthodox in theology but lacking in love; some will be Smyrna-type, faithfullly suffering; some will be Pergamum-type, generally orthodox but compromising, etc. 

I hold to the second view. I will expound in future posts.

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