Specifically, a prophetic reference, by Apostle John, to the first century church (Smyrna) suffering "tribulation" or persecution by Rome for10 periods of time. However, the reason I am blogging it here is my interpretation of what those 7 chruches represent.
Bob, I can tell you how I have
preached this text over the years. In my opinion, the seven churchs, named in
Rev.2-3, represent three different, unique and distinct things. First, they
were seven actual, local, church bodies there in the Holy Land in the early 1st
century in the days of Jesus and the Apostles. They were, of course, all
different, like personalities. Second, they represent seven distinct "periods" of
time in church history, from the early first century Ephesus Church, a very
spiritual church period, all the way through the last 2000 years of changing
times and personality of each different era of church history right
up to the present, and last of the seven periods ... Laodicean, the luke -warm
church period, which will end with the Rapture of the church at the second
coming and the marriage supper of the Lamb and His bride(church) in heaven.
Third, the seven churches, being very different, represent seven different
types of church in existence in all seven church periods over the last 2000
years. Some were more spiritual than others and some more worldly or luke -warm. Each had their own unique personality, spiritual quotient, strengths, weaknesses and problems... as is also the case with today's churches. Each has a somewhat different personality, reflecting, generally speaking, one of the seven.
Back to the "ten days of tribulation" for the Smyrna church period, which
would be the later part of the first century and part of the second century,
which was all under Roman domination. During the Smyna era, the church suffered under
Nero, who burned Rome, blamed the Christians, and persecuted them for it. The
Smyrna church was persecuted by ten different Roman tyrants over ten different
time periods of tribulation, against the churches, by them. The Smyrna church period is the one we all
know about for it's horrific persecution by Rome. The word Smyrna is the Greek
word myrrh, which was a costly spice and was crushed and beaten into powder to
release it's precious "a roma" as was the Lord's church during that time of the "Roma n"
crushing of them.
The word "days" in the phrase,
"tribulation ten days", is the Greek word hemera and is usually translated day
or days but is also translated "time" and again "judgement". The word actually
means a "period of time" and therefore, I think, is a reference to ten different
periods of time under ten different Roman rulers and persecutors who created
their "tribulation".
The most important and revealing thing, to us today, about the seven church periods is that we are very obviously living in the last of the seven periods of church history as described by the Laodician church period.
"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God: I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." Revelation 3:14-19 |
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