7 Churches of Revelation
All 7 existed as church congregations in physical cities in the first century.
The 7 have existed throughout the church's history.
All 7 churches-as groups or attitudes-exist concurrently.
During each of these periods, 1 of the 7 churches was prevalent; today the laodecian church is prevalent.
Hitchcock’s Bible Names
Ephesus- desirable Revelation 2:1
Smyrna- myrrh Revelation 2:8
Pergamos- height; elevation Revelation 2:11
Thyatira- a perfume; sacrifice of labor Revelation 2:18
Sardis- prince of joy Revelation 3:1
Philadelphia- love of a brother Revelation 3:21
Laodicea- just people Revelation 3:14
The History Of The Church May Be Correlated To
Revelation 2-3 As Follows:
Revelation 2-3 As Follows:
1) Ephesus (2:1-7):
The Loveless Church of the late Apostolic Age (to 100 AD),
"Thou hast left thy First Love" (2:4).
2) Smyrna (2:8-11):
The Suffering Church of the period of persecution (100-300 AD),
"Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer" (2:10).
3) Pergamos (2:12-17):
The Compromising Church (300-500 AD) that led to the Dark Age,
"Thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam [diffusing the power of the godly by alliances with darkness]" (2:14).
4) Thyatira (2:18-29):
The Worldly Church of the Dark Age (500-1500 AD),
"Thou sufferest that woman Jezebel [the harlotry of Rome]" (2:20).
5) Sardis (3:1-6):
The Barely Alive Church of the Reformation (1500-1700 AD),
"Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die" (3:1-2).
6) Philadelphia (3:7-13):
The Missionary Church of the late Church Age (1700-1900 AD),
"I have set before thee an Open Door, and no man can shut it" (3:8).
7) Laodicea (3:14-22):
The Lukewarm Church of the present apostasy (1900 AD to the present),
"Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth" (3:16).