Epeshus is talked about in verses 1-7. Below are the attributes associated with it:

The Nicolatians believed all they had to do was claim to believe in Christ, but they could go on behaving the way they wanted.

30AD to 100AD (Church Age)

Smyrna is one of two churches that is not chatised for anything. They are praised for their ways and given a message of hope to endure to the end. Smyrna is offed reffered to as the persecuted church or the suffering church. Not surprisingly, the Smyrna actually means myrrh. Myrrh was associated with death, as it was great for embalming bodies. They are told to remain faithful unto the death.

Ephesus had to deal with people claiming to be apostles when they werent, and Smyrna delt with something similar. This time God refers to those who say they are Jews but are not. One could (and people do) take this to mean various things. It could be a reference to people literally claiming to have Israelite blood but not actually having that blood. It could be a reference to those who are Jewish by birth but not following God. Or It could be broader and include the newly converted believers, meaning someone who professes to be of God but is walking in the Spirit.

What stands out prophetically in Revelation 2:8-11 is that there is a period of increased persecution. God gives this time period as ten days—in many cases of prophecy, a day is given for a year (), so this would actually be a reference to 10 years. Picking up where the prophetic Church of Ephesus left off, Smyrna would start at around 100ad. During this time Christianity was illegal, and all Roman subjects were supposed to be worshipping the gods of Rome. Persecution occurred on and off at the local level for quite some time, however, the wrath of Roman spotlighted on Christianity in the 200s when Diocletian became emperor. Diocletian started with purging Christians from certain positions and evenually declared an edict to persecute Christians in early 303ad. This time is actually referred to as "the Great Persecution." It is generally accepted that this new wave of heavy persecution ended with the Edict of Milan in 313, exactly 10 years later. Many were martyred and/or thrown in prision during this time.

[???]

[???]

1740-1844

(1844-Present?) From a prophetic standpoint, Laodicea represents the church of today; they church that is present when Christ comes back. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletianic_Persecution https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/diocletian-persecution

Back to

Back to ? overview