Do the Seven Churches in Rev. 2-3 Symbolize Seven Church Eras and Seven Zeitgeists?

Often people see a typology where it is simply coincidental. If we take the letters to the seven churches to be just that, we can see that they are Jewish and believers in Messiah. This was to Jewish refugees 2,000 years ago waiting for the return of Jesus A description was then given of what could be expected of the tribulation. This will still be valid after the rapture.

It is human nature to take something revelatory and try to make it about us.

I view the 7 letters as instruction to every believer on how to grow into the fullness of God's presence. Notice that at the end of the letters a doorway into heaven is opened to John. Peter wrote about this too

RegisterNow said:

This is a popular doctrine taught by William Branham, that Jesus's letters to the seven churches are a timeline of the entire church age (also known as "age of grace") from His ascension to His return, the seven churches in Rev. 2-3 symbolize seven "church eras" in church history, dominated by seven dominant zeitgeists; specifically, they are characterized as the loveless (also legalistic) church; persecuted church; compromised church; corrupt church; dead church; faithful church; lukewarm church. William Branham matches them to the apostalic early church; persecuted Roman church; Roman state church; the Catholic/medieval church; the protestant/Enlightenment church; the missionary/colonial church; the rich apostate/modern day church, respectively.

I think there're some profound truth in that. First of all, these seven churches were seven real historical churches in ancient Asia Minor (which is modern day Turkey), they were in full swing at apostle John's time, Jesus judged the seven guardian angels of those seven churches in those seven letters, that's the primary interpretion based on the historical context. The question is how far can we stretch from there in the additional layers of interpretation. It is a common consensus that these seven churches are also seven archetypes of churches that co-exist all the time, throughout the entire church age, and this church age is known as the "times of the Gentiles", in which Jews are dominated by the Gentiles, and the gospel is also primarily preached by the Gentiles and to the Gentiles, it will be preached to all nations on earth. Both Jesus and Paul taught about it, and we're near the end of it.

See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ” (Matt. 23:38-39)
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matt. 24:14)
And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Lk. 21:24)
For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (Rom. 11:25)
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. (Rev. 6:9-11)

This is also hinted in the context of the seven letters - "Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this." (Rev. 1:19) In the context of the book of Revelation, "the things which are", also "what you see" (Rev. 1:11) is the times of the gentiles and the end of it, "the things which will take place after this" is the millennial kingdom and the New Jerusalem.

But is the church age divided into seven eras symbolized by the seven churches, and there's one overarching, dominant zeitgeist for each era? Not really. As mentioned above, these seven churches are seven types of churches, and they co-exist all the time, throughout the entire church age, just as those original seven churches co-existed in Asia Minor. The lukewarm church might be the dominant kind of church in America, but not all over the world, you've got other kinds of churches in other countries such as underground home churches. However, it is a very helpful teaching tool to study the church age from the perspective of these seven historic eras for the purpose of learning church history, just like using the doctrine of "seven deadly sins" as a teaching tool to understand what sin is, even though they were not directly and explicitly named in the bible. Branham's mistake was to have made up different messages and different spirits for each era. Zeitgeist changes, but the Holy Spirit doesn't, the gospel message stays the same.

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Be careful to not strain out gnats and swallow a camel or Camels. God loves us all, today choose God, life everlasting God wants what is vest for us all, Jeremiah 29:11 to me at least, thanks for the post

I don't buy anything Branham tried to sell. He claimed the idea of the seven church ages was given to him by divine revelation; however, he cribbed most of it from Clarence Larkin's Dispensational Truth.

There is nothing in the text to suggest its church eras and of course, everyone in the 1800s was living in the laodecian era cause it was luke warm and all going bad, and now we look back at the 1800s and even the 1950s and say its so good and those were the times, NOW we are really in the laodecian era. Wicked men and deceivers wax worse and worse.

Dispensationalism, to say that God does things a certain way in a certain time but then changes as time advances, is not accurate. God may revisit or reconstitute things considered complete in one era to show a greater reality in another. The letters to the churches are like that. They were specific to churches at the time the letters were written but now may apply to believers at large in the modern era. We should take note of the warnings and the consequences of continuing in behavior not pleasing to God.

Watchman Nee wrote a book about this that is still in my library: The Orthodoxy of the Church. It's easily ordered here: https://www.amazon.com/Orthodoxy-Church-Watchman-Nee/dp/0870830074

I have not heard any preaching on this and check out everything for myself.

But it makes sense and I believe it is the truth.

The 7 Churches is a prophetic statement to how the Church age will go in popular influence.

And if any faults there are people still in the truth.

Things said concerning the Churches could not of happened in the first century.

And they would of not been so contradictory to each other and so corrupt in areas back then.

Act 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
Act 2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

Act 4:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
Act 4:35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

Rev 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
Rev 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Rev 2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
Rev 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

The first Church age was doing real well.

But they had a problem with caring for the poor and needy like when the Church first started.

Rev 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
Rev 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

This Church age is when the Roman Empire embraced Christianity which there were still many people abiding in the truth as the Catholic Church was beginning to influence.

It is obvious that when the Roman Empire embraced Christianity they did not get rid of their pagan and occult ways and it became their foundation for interpreting scriptures.

Because of that they can sway to go along with the world as it changes.

Which because of their pagan and occult ways they are known as the synagogue of Satan.

Dan 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.
Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

Dan 7:11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

Dan 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Dan 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

The Roman Empire does not lose her dominion until Jesus puts down all power, rule, and authority.

Which they will become 10 horns which is the world divided in to 10 sections with a leader in each section.

Which the antichrist comes from the 10 horns which comes from the Roman Empire.

Which they shall devour the whole earth which they will do by the new age setting up a system on a world wide scale that exalts people and there is no personal God.

1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.

2Ti 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
2Ti 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

The new age movement that interprets the Bible and religions according to the occult and evolution, and people are going to evolve to be spiritual, and greater, and Jesus became an ascended master among others, and there is no personal God, but they honor the God of forces the power of the Cosmos, and the New Age Christ is the next world teacher.

The time will come that people will not want to hear the truth of the Bible but want to hear it according to the new age.

When the New Age Christ/antichrist starts working in the world he will push the agenda of the new age which he will think to change times and laws.

Because of the foundation of the Catholic Church and the Roman Empire has the dominion the Pope and Vatican will embrace the new age christianity.

Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Rev 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

The Pope will become the head of a unified religious system and the false prophet.

They will go back to persecuting the true saints like they did in the past with their worldly religion.

When the New Age Christ claims to be God and savior they will get rid of the unified religious system.

Continued in next post

Continued from above post

Rev 2:12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
Rev 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Rev 2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Rev 2:15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

This also applies to the Catholic Church.

Rev 2:18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
Rev 2:19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
Rev 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
Rev 2:21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Rev 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
Rev 2:23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
Rev 2:24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.

I know the second and third are the Catholic Church for they influenced many years becoming more corrupt as time went on.

And being more corrupt when the antichrist works in the world.

But I believe this is the Catholic Church for it says the fourth Church is of Satan.

Which the Catholic Church having great influence for 3 Church ages makes sense for they influenced for many years until the Reformation happened which was not that long ago about 1517.

For the first 280 years of Christian history, Christianity was banned by the Roman Empire, and Christians were terribly persecuted.

This changed after the “conversion” of the Roman Emperor Constantine.

Constantine provided religious toleration with the Edict of Milan in AD 313, effectively lifting the ban on Christianity. Later, in AD 325,

So it makes sense they cover 3 Church ages for their influence was great with them getting worse until the Reformation.

Rev 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
Rev 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Rev 3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Rev 3:4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

The Reformation and Protestant Churches emerging becoming a popular influence.

They had fault as they had to weed out the garbage of the Catholic Church so they were not perfected yet.

But Jesus told them what they had to do.

Rev 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
Rev 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Rev 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
Rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

1Th 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
1Th 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

Jesus did not have fault with this Church.

And He said He will keep them from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

So this temptation could of not happened in the first century because it is the same temptation coming upon all the world at the same time.

There can only be one temptation that can come upon all the world at the same time.

Which is when the world says Peace and safety which they start setting up their system that is against the operation of God.

And those not in the truth have a choice to stay with God for the hypocrites, or get with God, or follow the world.

The saints abiding by the truth will not be tempted by it.

Rev 3:14 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;
Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Rev 3:17 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.

Pro 30:11 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
Pro 30:12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
Pro 30:13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.
Pro 30:14 There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

And now we are at this Church age where people are hypocrites loving money and material things which neglect the poor and needy.

The last generation will devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.

Which can only happen at the time of advanced technology which causes money to flow like a raging river.

And they can set up more businesses to make money and can reach out farther to influence people to buy which is the world.

And with all that money flowing many people claiming Christianity are getting involved in pursuing it.

RegisterNow said:

Maybe not. These seven letters were seven job reviews of the seven churches, not instructions like Paul's epistles. Jesus started everyone with "I know your works."

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Yes, of course there's that, but I also see a deeper message

They were historical churches that were in existence in the first century. Jesus gave commendation where appropriate and warnings where warranted.

RegisterNow said:

This is a popular doctrine taught by William Branham, that Jesus's letters to the seven churches are a timeline of the entire church age (also known as "age of grace") from His ascension to His return, the seven churches in Rev. 2-3 symbolize seven "church eras" in church history, dominated by seven dominant zeitgeists; specifically, they are characterized as the loveless (also legalistic) church; persecuted church; compromised church; corrupt church; dead church; faithful church; lukewarm church. William Branham matches them to the apostalic early church; persecuted Roman church; Roman state church; the Catholic/medieval church; the protestant/Enlightenment church; the missionary/colonial church; the rich apostate/modern day church, respectively.

I think there're some profound truth in that. First of all, these seven churches were seven real historical churches in ancient Asia Minor (which is modern day Turkey), they were in full swing at apostle John's time, Jesus judged the seven guardian angels of those seven churches in those seven letters, that's the primary interpretion based on the historical context. The question is how far can we stretch from there in the additional layers of interpretation. It is a common consensus that these seven churches are also seven archetypes of churches that co-exist all the time, throughout the entire church age, and this church age is known as the "times of the Gentiles", in which Jews are dominated by the Gentiles, and the gospel is also primarily preached by the Gentiles and to the Gentiles, it will be preached to all nations on earth. Both Jesus and Paul taught about it, and we're near the end of it.

See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ” (Matt. 23:38-39)
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. (Matt. 24:14)
And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. (Lk. 21:24)
For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. (Rom. 11:25)
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. (Rev. 6:9-11)

This is also hinted in the context of the seven letters - "Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this." (Rev. 1:19) In the context of the book of Revelation, "the things which are", also "what you see" (Rev. 1:11) is the times of the gentiles and the end of it, "the things which will take place after this" is the millennial kingdom and the New Jerusalem.

But is the church age divided into seven eras symbolized by the seven churches, and there's one overarching, dominant zeitgeist for each era? Not really. As mentioned above, these seven churches are seven types of churches, and they co-exist all the time, throughout the entire church age, just as those original seven churches co-existed in Asia Minor. The lukewarm church might be the dominant kind of church in America, but not all over the world, you've got other kinds of churches in other countries such as underground home churches. However, it is a very helpful teaching tool to study the church age from the perspective of these seven historic eras for the purpose of learning church history, just like using the doctrine of "seven deadly sins" as a teaching tool to understand what sin is, even though they were not directly and explicitly named in the bible. Branham's mistake was to have made up different messages and different spirits for each era. Zeitgeist changes, but the Holy Spirit doesn't, the gospel message stays the same.

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I was taught this in the Bible institute I attended as a teenager. That's because my pastor attended a dispensational Baptist Bible college. It was in his college notes/handouts. My pastor gave us two possible views of it but never taught it with the belief he did of 7 dispensations as taught by the Schofield reference Bible notes.

A. I see no reason why there haven't been a variety of churches every year since Christ was on the earth.
Why?

B. People are different in every year of my life. Did I miss something about history? Were people always homogeneous up until now? IF we assume people were the same in one period of so called church ages, then there's a plausible possibility for the hypothesis. Differences between even the same denominations kinda disproves this, doesn't it?

C. The Epistles were written to churches that were different from one another.

D. Acts described the first churches.
They had their own issues as described in Revelation. If they existed in the time Jesus judges them in Revelation, why would they represent "Ages?"

E. Dispensationalism began with a man named Darby and was popularized by a man named C.I. Schofield.

Other than what you described, I know nothing about Branham.
He sounds like he's adopted the expanding dispensational theory.

I don't buy it.