"Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter." REVELATIONS 1:19
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
DOES THIS VIEW INVOLVE ALL OF REVELATIONS OR JUST THE 7 CHURCHES/
I BELIEVE IT SURELY INVOLVES THE VIEW OF CHURCH.
Some have argued that because these 7 churches are the last mention of the church, then this "last mention" must include all churches in a historical timeline with each church representing a church age.
The Rev. 1:19 view gives some credence to this argument of a historical timeline.
Obviously what we know is that these 7 churches were existing churches at the time of John's writing. Because John is writing this in his old age these 7 churches do have a history. Maybe 50 or more years have passed since the churches were founded, and this gives the churches numerous generations of church members. They were and are churches made up of mostly Gentile believers.
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT OUR STUDY OF THE CHURCHES?
The Roman-Jewish War had just about wiped out Jerusalem as a city. The Temple was destroyed and along with it the Jerusalem Church. The Jerusalem Church obviously had developed as the Center of Christianity with the apostles and elders (James, Peter, and John--Acts 15; Gal.2), living there, but the war would have drove them out. Tradition has it that John moved with Mary(Jesus' mother) to Ephesus. Ephesus was a very large cosmopolitan city with a seaport--one of Rome's "free cities, making this an ideal Christian base. With John there--for decades the last living Apostle--and his close disciples(Polycarp, etc.), Ephesus probably replaced Jerusalem as a Christian Center.
Because the Ephesian Church has numerous mention in the New Testament and appears to replace Jerusalem as the Christian Center--at least to function that way for the first three centuries.
WHAT ABOUT ROME?
UNTIL EMPEROR CONSTANTINE (300 AD), Rome would not have been a place for centering Christianity.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
DOES THIS VIEW INVOLVE ALL OF REVELATIONS OR JUST THE 7 CHURCHES/
I BELIEVE IT SURELY INVOLVES THE VIEW OF CHURCH.
Some have argued that because these 7 churches are the last mention of the church, then this "last mention" must include all churches in a historical timeline with each church representing a church age.
The Rev. 1:19 view gives some credence to this argument of a historical timeline.
Obviously what we know is that these 7 churches were existing churches at the time of John's writing. Because John is writing this in his old age these 7 churches do have a history. Maybe 50 or more years have passed since the churches were founded, and this gives the churches numerous generations of church members. They were and are churches made up of mostly Gentile believers.
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT OUR STUDY OF THE CHURCHES?
The Roman-Jewish War had just about wiped out Jerusalem as a city. The Temple was destroyed and along with it the Jerusalem Church. The Jerusalem Church obviously had developed as the Center of Christianity with the apostles and elders (James, Peter, and John--Acts 15; Gal.2), living there, but the war would have drove them out. Tradition has it that John moved with Mary(Jesus' mother) to Ephesus. Ephesus was a very large cosmopolitan city with a seaport--one of Rome's "free cities, making this an ideal Christian base. With John there--for decades the last living Apostle--and his close disciples(Polycarp, etc.), Ephesus probably replaced Jerusalem as a Christian Center.
Because the Ephesian Church has numerous mention in the New Testament and appears to replace Jerusalem as the Christian Center--at least to function that way for the first three centuries.
WHAT ABOUT ROME?
UNTIL EMPEROR CONSTANTINE (300 AD), Rome would not have been a place for centering Christianity.
