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The Churches of Rev. 2-3

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pilgrim:
We have posted evidence that the “church’ of Matt. 16:18 was in reality the kingdom of heaven assembly to which the Lord gave peter the keys. We have the same problem of translating “ekklesia” to church instead of assembly in Rev. 2-3.

In the letters to the seven assemblies in Rev. 2-3 seven times it is said “…he who overcomes.” But of the present assembly of Christ Paul said of Christ and His church:
 
“…that He might present her to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27).

Without doubt, there will be much disagreement as to the identity of the “churches” in Revelation above. However, the question can be easily settled with a simple question.

   Does Christ, the living God, need to eat of the tree of life that He created to live? Why then should we? Paul told the Philippians church that not only is our citizenship is in heaven, but that Christ “…will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body” (Phil. 3:21). The tree of life is for those flesh and blood mortals to become immortal and live and reproduce in the kingdom on earth (Rev. 2:7). Therefore it is necessary that those who survive the tribulation are not changed to have spiritual bodies as the church saints will.

   Paul clearly stated (1Cor. 15:49-50) that we of flesh and blood cannot produce a spiritual body fit for heaven, therefore, we will have a spiritual body by the Spirit of Christ who dwells in us; clearly separating us from the judgments of the earth dwellers at the Second Advent.

   Paul says:

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you (Rom. 8:11).

It is yet another example of how the translators have for two millennia deceived the Lord’s people by translating “ekklesia” to Church in the seven letters of Revelation 2 and 3. As already shown in our studies of Matt. 16:18 Christ said He would build His assembly and immediately identified it when He said He would give Peter the keys to the assembly He would build and named it as the kingdom of heaven (v. 19).
 
   To put it another way, why would Christ build the present assembly and then give Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven? They are most certainly not the same. If anyone had keys to the church, it would have been Paul who founded it, and that without any help from Peter and the others.

    Furthermore, Revelation 2:9 speaks critically of those who claimed to be Jews and were not. There is no advantage of being a Jew in this dispensation? In the tribulation there will be. It is the time of Daniel’s 70th week when God is in process of reclaiming the nation Israel; the rebuilding of the household of David (Acts 15:14-17). And that, after He has finished taking out from the Gentiles (catching out in the rapture) a people for His name” (v. 14).

   Because it is universaly taught that the seven assemblies in Revelation are about the present church there is a mistake as to the identity of the 24 Elders of Rev. 5:8-10. They are Jewish successors of the 24 priests of 1Chron. 23:4 and chap. 24. who will be gathered from the nations (Jer. 29:14; Eze. 11:17; 20:34; 36:24; Zeph. 3:20.

   In Rev. 1:1 it is said that the things the Lord was to reveal will take place with speed. The word ‘shortly’ is not the best translation. In the Greek “en tachei’ means “with, or in speed.”

   The Revelation was written to the Jews in the tribulation and if it is the yet future tribulation, than the events described therein will begin with speed and continue with rapid succession, and that could hardly be said of the present assembly of Christ which has already covered two thousand years. It could hardly be described as happening in rapid succession. Instead, it is speaking of the 7-year period after the rapture, and the unfolding of the events happening during Daniel’s 70th week. With all that is described it would have to be in rapid succession.   

   One other point in identifying the churches in Revelation, in Rev. 1:7 it is said that John was in the Spirit “…on the Lord’s Day.” The notion that the Lord’s Day is Sunday on which Christians worship is another of the early Church’s fabrications. One might ask, what is the difference between The Lord’s Day, and the Day of the Lord? Does it not say the same thing? In 2 Thess. 2:2 Paul speaks of the day of the Lord as "the day of Christ" as a future thing.

   If indeed we are speaking of the Day of the Lord in Revelation 1, then it is just more evidence that the present church has already left in the rapture and the seven letters are to Jewish churches in the tribulation rather than the present one. If the above is not accepted, then the question must be asked, what has being in the Spirit on the pagan name Sunday, or any day of the week got to do with what was revealed to John?
   
   However, if John was in the Spirit on the Day of the Lord, then it would and did have everything to do with what he was shown and told to write. If they are Jewish assemblies in the tribulation, then again, according to James (Acts 15:14-18) we are forced to the truth that at that time, the rapture has already taken place and the kingdom gospel is again being preached according to the Lord’s words in Matt. 22:8-10 and 24:14. It is the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week. James said that after God has finished taking out of the Gentiles a people, He will then begin the rebuilding of David’s kingdom which is synonymous with the tribulation period.

May the Lord bless

pilgrim

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