Why are the 7 Churches in Revelation each greeted differently...

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Heart2Soul

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Hello once again, @Heart2Soul

That these epistles to the seven assemblies are addressed to those who shall be on the earth during,' The Day of the Lord', may be seen by comparing many expressions contained in them with the actual scenes and circumstances described in various parts of the Book, for example:-

* Compare Revelation 2:3 with Revelation 13:10 and Revelation 14:12:-

'And hast borne,
and hast patience,
and for My name's sake hast laboured,
and hast not fainted.'

(Rev 2:3)

'He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity:
he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.
Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.'

(Rev 13:10)

'Here is the patience of the saints:
here are they that keep the commandments of God,
and the faith of Jesus.'

(Rev 14:12)

* Compare Revelation 2:9-10 with Revelation 13:5-8:-

'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.
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer:
behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried;
and ye shall have tribulation ten days:
be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.'

(Rev 2:9)

'And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies;
and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God,
to blaspheme His Name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them:
and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him,
whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world.'

(Rev 13:5-8)

* See also:-
Revelation 2:13 - (Revelation 13:2 & Revelation 16:10)
Revelation 2:16 - (Revelation 19:21)
Revelation 2:18 - (Revelation 19:15)
Revelation 2:20-23 - (Revelation 17:2 & 4 and Revelation 18:3)
Revelation 3:3 - (Revelation 16:15)
Revelation 3:12 - (Revelation 21:2)
Revelation 3:21 - (Revelation 20:4)

* List compiled by Dr Bullinger in 'Commentary on Revelation'

Thank you
In Christ Jesus
Chris
Thanks again for your input....one reason I compare the 7 churches to today and the timing pointing to His return is because the Revelation was given to Jesus by God, the 7 stars are the 7 angels assigned to each church, the 7 candlesticks are the 7 churches....this gives the reader the idea that it wasn't solely addressed to the physical 7 churches but all churches who followed in their example (spiritually)....
Also you can read in chapter 2 that this church is in danger of having it's candlestick removed unless they repent. Can this only occur for this 1 church?....no this is a warning to all churches who follow after their example.
Anyway, nothing is concluded as far as what I have learned so far....still seeking.
God Bless
 

charity

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There are several things which will not allow for this interpretation.

1. Christ walking among the churches is a reminder that He is still carefully scrutinizing all the churches which call themselves Christian. As He did then, He is doing it now. And He also has holy angels observing Christian worship. See 1 Cor 11.

2. When God eventually walks among His people, they have been thoroughly purified, cleansed, perfected, and glorified: And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Rev21:3)

3. The Lord's Day is the first day of the week, the day of Christian worship, commemorating the resurrection of Christ. "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day" says it all. Sabbatarians resist this truth.

4. The Day of the LORD is a period of God's wrath upon the unbelieving and the ungodly: Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. (Joel 2:1,2)
Thank you, Enoch111,

But I will stand by the content of my posts - #332, 333, 335 & 337

In Christ Jesus
Chris
 
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Waiting on him

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2. When God eventually walks among His people, they have been thoroughly purified, cleansed, perfected, and glorified: And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Rev21:3)

Psalm 19:1-5 KJV
[1] The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. [2] Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. [3] There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. [4] Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, [5] Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.


Tecarta BibleThanks brother, never caught that. Paul said I’ve ran the race?
 
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Waiting on him

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Psalm 19:1-5 KJV
[1] The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. [2] Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. [3] There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. [4] Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, [5] Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.


Tecarta BibleThanks brother, never caught that. Paul said I’ve ran the race?
Who’s house are we.
 
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Waiting on him

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The question is, is the revelation of Jesus past present or future?

Revelation 1:19 KJV
[19] Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;


Tecarta Bible
 
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Davy

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I'm noticing a trend... For cryin' out loud, let's not try to develop the idea God used clouds as a means of transportation. LOL

For cryin' out loud, lest not stretch the literal cloud which transported Jesus in Heaven per Acts 1 into some pagan philosophical idea.
 

BARNEY BRIGHT

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Is it that easy to understand? In most passages, we read that the Father or God raised Jesus raised up; but there are other passages that tell us it's not so easy to understand.

One passage says God will raise up the dead.

1 Corinthians 6:14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

Then there are passages that say Jesus raised himself.

John 2:19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

John 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.


And there is a passage that says the Spirit did it.

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Lastly John said something I found remarkable:

John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

All praise and glory goes to The Only True God Jehovah. So although there are scriptures saying God will raise us up from the dead, it will be done by his only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. We must always remember that The Only True God Jehovah is the only creator and the source of all life so everything is attributed to him
 

Waiting on him

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All praise and glory goes to The Only True God Jehovah. So although there are scriptures saying God will raise us up from the dead, it will be done by his only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. We must always remember that The Only True God Jehovah is the only creator and the source of all life so everything is attributed to him
Glad to see you seeking Barney.
 
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Giuliano

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All praise and glory goes to The Only True God Jehovah. So although there are scriptures saying God will raise us up from the dead, it will be done by his only Begotten Son Jesus Christ. We must always remember that The Only True God Jehovah is the only creator and the source of all life so everything is attributed to him
Isn't it the same thing? Jesus is doing the works of the Father using the Power given him.
 
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farouk

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All excellent responses as far as I read. I'm going to take a leap here and guess that, since all the letters have the same closing refrain focusing on the Holy Spirit, that Jesus was telling us about the different aspects of the Holy Spirit that would work through the word that He inspired to hold safe and unblemished the Bride of Christ. That is why it is vitally important that the Church study the Book of Revelation (and why a blessing is attached to the reading and study of it). Unfortunately, Christians, as a whole, do NOT read and study it and perhaps one of the reasons we have never formulated a very comprehensive theology of the Holy Spirit is that lack. Especially in these Last Days (and what I believe to be the last of the Last Days) we need to keep pursuing the meaning of this last word of the word of God.
The last of the last days, is a good phrase...
 

Jay Ross

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I thought Acts 1 said "a cloud hid Him"... not that it "transported" Him.

The reference in Acts-1, tells us this:


Acts_1:9-11: - 9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."​

It seems from the above passage that Jesus rose up from the ground and a cloud received Him and as the cloud in the heavens/sky surrounded Him, the disciples were no longer able to see Him.
 
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ScottA

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The reference in Acts-1, tells us this:


Acts_1:9-11: - 9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."​

It seems from the above passage that Jesus rose up from the ground and a cloud received Him and as the cloud in the heavens/sky surrounded Him, the disciples were no longer able to see Him.
This is the same use of the word "cloud" which concealed/revealed God leading Israel in Sinai by day.
 
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Willie T

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If He required a cloud for transportation, how did He manage to get the thousands of feet up to that cloud in the first place?
 

Jay Ross

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If He required a cloud for transportation, how did He manage to get the thousands of feet up to that cloud in the first place?

Willie, what you are saying is in line with the Acts account of the event. That was why I quoted that portion of Acts 1 to confirm what were the facts of the situation. Another then came after me to spiritualise the "cloud" and to make reference to the pillar of cloud in the exodus and desert story where there was no need to.

Clouds are a swirling mass of water droplets, a bit like smog or fog, where the distance one can see is governed by the number of water droplets or dust particles per cubic metre relative to the droplet or particle size, as to how far one is able to see in the smog or "cloud."

We can go too far in our need for understanding by spiritualising the event to death.

Shalom
 

Giuliano

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If He required a cloud for transportation, how did He manage to get the thousands of feet up to that cloud in the first place?
Very good question.

I've another. If he is said to come again in physical clouds and every eye will see him, what about deserts and other places without such clouds? Would Jesus have to wait until the whole world is covered with physical clouds, or would he have to cover it all with clouds before he can come? I think not.
 
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VictoryinJesus

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If He required a cloud for transportation, how did He manage to get the thousands of feet up to that cloud in the first place?

If you consider the clouds with no water in the New Testament...Jude 1:12-13
These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; [13] Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

It is a people. Consider the cloud of witnesses spoken of also in the NT. That He was received into a cloud out of their sight doesn’t seem all that odd(IMO). Doesn’t mean God drives around in clouds. But God does use witnesses to carry His Spirit and testimony.

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

But I guess everyone sees it however they choose ...not saying it is right but giving an opinion.
 

Heart2Soul

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All excellent responses as far as I read. I'm going to take a leap here and guess that, since all the letters have the same closing refrain focusing on the Holy Spirit, that Jesus was telling us about the different aspects of the Holy Spirit that would work through the word that He inspired to hold safe and unblemished the Bride of Christ. That is why it is vitally important that the Church study the Book of Revelation (and why a blessing is attached to the reading and study of it). Unfortunately, Christians, as a whole, do NOT read and study it and perhaps one of the reasons we have never formulated a very comprehensive theology of the Holy Spirit is that lack. Especially in these Last Days (and what I believe to be the last of the Last Days) we need to keep pursuing the meaning of this last word of the word of God.
I really like the way you think! Thanks for sharing!