Churches In Revelation

[Faith 23]

There are letters to churches in Revelation, at the beginning. 7 churches. How do these letters relate to our churches today? What do they mean? (I am just starting to try and understand end times passages. Please be patient with me as I post questions)

[wingnut-]

1 hour ago, ProudArmyWife said:

There are letters to churches in Revelation, at the beginning. 7 churches. How do these letters relate to our churches today? What do they mean? (I am just starting to try and understand end times passages. Please be patient with me as I post questions)

 

The seven churches were actual churches that existed in the first century, all located in what is modern day Turkey.  While there are certainly messages that can be applied to us still today, the letters were written and composed for them as you can see by specific information within them.

 

Revelation 2:13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

 

Obviously no one today was alive in the days of Antipas, so when reading these letters you want to keep them in the context they were written.

[Shilohsfoal]

1 hour ago, ProudArmyWife said:

There are letters to churches in Revelation, at the beginning. 7 churches. How do these letters relate to our churches today? What do they mean? (I am just starting to try and understand end times passages. Please be patient with me as I post questions)

It appears though these letters were written to people thousands of years ago they are understood by people much later. For instance, Jesus says to those who overcome, will be granted that they sit on his throne. 

https://biblehub.com/kjv/revelation/3-21.htm

Later in Revelation we find that those who died for thier testimony of Jesus, and who did not worship the beast or recieve its mark are resurrected from the dead and they reign with Christ on thrones. 

https://biblehub.com/kjv/revelation/20-4.htm

 

With this kept in mind, I don't think it really matters who the letters were sent to but who hears and understands them. In this case, those who do not worship the beast or recieve its mark hear what the spirit says to the churches. They are rewarded for thier faithfulness and blessed above all nations. They will be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Christ. 

[Spock]

3 hours ago, ProudArmyWife said:

There are letters to churches in Revelation, at the beginning. 7 churches. How do these letters relate to our churches today? What do they mean? (I am just starting to try and understand end times passages. Please be patient with me as I post questions)

I treat the message to the 7 churches on several levels:

a. Message to specific real churches back then

b. Message to me....to see if I am guilty of or proud of my walk with the Lord.  I look at what Jesus is saying to each church and apply the message to my life, my walk.  Am I guilty of some of the things he brings up that saddens him?  Am I too also faithful in the things he commends some of these churches? 

c. Message to history....it seems possible these 7 churches represent the church from day one till today with the Laodicean church being the bulk of describing today’s church. I’ve seen this shown that impressed me enough to see that real possibility.  In other words each church represents a period of time consecutively from 1st century to present time.
 

one more point to consider....the book of Revelation is the last book and primarily written for future application. No way do I think the message to those 7 churches are just for those real 7 churches back in the first century. I think God is Much much bigger than that and His vision and purpose is much broader.  And, of course, He loves to communicate with us killing two birds with one arrow....a dual meaning....then and later.  
 

hope this helps my sister in Christ. Cheers,

spock