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The Seven Churches Ages: Difference between revisions
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#William Branham's view of the messengers is inconsistent | #William Branham's view of the messengers is inconsistent | ||
#the whole point of William Branham's interpretation was to point to himself | #the whole point of William Branham's interpretation was to point to himself | ||
==Seven Church '''Ages'''?== | ==Seven Church '''Ages'''?== | ||
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:''"The seven churches with their angels represent the whole Christian church, dispersed throughout the whole world, as it subsists, not, as some have imagined, in one age after another, but in every age. This is a point of deep importance, and always necessary to be remembered: that these seven churches are, as it were, a sample of the whole church of Christ, as it was then, as it is now, and as it will be in all ages."'' - John Wesley | :''"The seven churches with their angels represent the whole Christian church, dispersed throughout the whole world, as it subsists, not, as some have imagined, in one age after another, but in every age. This is a point of deep importance, and always necessary to be remembered: that these seven churches are, as it were, a sample of the whole church of Christ, as it was then, as it is now, and as it will be in all ages."'' - John Wesley | ||
It is easy for people in the First World (North America, Europe, etc.) to look at the state of the church and to see the parallels between the modern church and the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-22. However, this parallel does not hold true in third world countries and, is as far as one can get from the truth in countries where Christians are openly persecuted for their faith (for example, Islamic countries). | |||
===Where is Asia?=== | ===Where is Asia?=== | ||
Asia Minor is located in the country of Turkey. | Asia Minor is located in the country of Turkey. | ||
*Paul grew up in Asia Minor, and established the church in Ephesus. | *Paul grew up in Asia Minor, and established the church in Ephesus. | ||
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William Branham took his teaching on the church ages directly from Clarence Larkin, who wrote a book about the Book of Revelation. To see exactly what William Branham [[Plagiarism|plagiarized from Clarence Larkin, please click on this link.]] | William Branham took his teaching on the church ages directly from Clarence Larkin, who wrote a book about the Book of Revelation. To see exactly what William Branham [[Plagiarism|plagiarized from Clarence Larkin, please click on this link.]] | ||
==Plagiarism in the Church Ages | =What is the proper interpretation?= | ||
Most scholars and biblical commentators understand the letters to the seven churches to be addressed to the actual, historic churches named in them, and by extension to any churches that may find themselves in similar circumstances to theirs. Beyond this, they seek no additional, hidden meaning behind them. | |||
Some commentators in the past have called attention to certain parallels between the individual letters and successive periods of church history, from John’s day until the end. They conclude that the seven letters present a panorama of the age of the church. Clarence Larkin, as well as other dispensational commentators, was in this group. | |||
However, virtually all commentators today generally ignore this application altogether, or critique it on the grounds that nothing in the text of Revelation would in any sense suggest that the letters to contemporary Christian congregations should be given this secondary meaning, and that it violates the commitment to literal interpretation espoused by many.<refr>Steve Gregg, Revelation, Four Views: A Parallel Commentary (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers, 1997), 62.</ref> | |||
William Branham taught that the description of the seven churches referenced seven successive periods of the church are prophetically delineated. But this does not agree with the division made in Revelation 1:19: | |||
:''Write, then, the things you see, both the things that are now and the things that will happen afterwards.<ref>American Bible Society, The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation, 2nd ed. (New York: American Bible Society, 1992), Re 1:19.</ref> | |||
The second and third chapters of the book of Revelation contain "the things that are now", while the remainder of the book contains " the things that will happen afterwards." <ref>John Chappel Woodhouse, The Apocalypse, Or, Revelation of Saint John, Translated; With Notes, Critical and Explanatory, vol. 2 (London: J. Hatchard; J. Brettell, 1805), 40–41.</ref> | |||
=Plagiarism in the Church Ages= | |||
NOTE: William Branham's book "An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages" (which is commonly referred to as the "Church Age Book" or the "CAB") contains all of the plagiarism noted in his sermon series on the Seven Church Ages which were delivered in December, 1960. Most of the references in this article relating to the church ages are primarily to the actual sermons and not to the CAB. While the CAB contains all of the plagiarized text referred to here, some have said that the plagiarism in the CAB was the direct result of the involvement of Lee Vayle and, therefore, cannot be attributed to William Branham himself. The quotes contained below, however, clearly show that William Branham was the one that plagiarized Clarence Larkin's works. | NOTE: William Branham's book "An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages" (which is commonly referred to as the "Church Age Book" or the "CAB") contains all of the plagiarism noted in his sermon series on the Seven Church Ages which were delivered in December, 1960. Most of the references in this article relating to the church ages are primarily to the actual sermons and not to the CAB. While the CAB contains all of the plagiarized text referred to here, some have said that the plagiarism in the CAB was the direct result of the involvement of Lee Vayle and, therefore, cannot be attributed to William Branham himself. The quotes contained below, however, clearly show that William Branham was the one that plagiarized Clarence Larkin's works. | ||