Dake Bible Discussion Board ⇒ SEVEN CHURCH AGES

[branham1965]

i never knew that everyone did not believe in this.it was not a sneaky two face attempt to get a book on here.


i though even the Reverend himself taught it somehow.

i thought everyone ....had a form of it. i react very defensively on here.... im quite warped.apologies.

DO any on here have any favorites on the 7 Church Ages??

The dispensational application, that is, that these 7 letters portray 7 distinct church ages and 7 phases of church history throughout the age of grace is not clearly taught in the book. Much confusion and many false teachings are the result of this theory. If we would take all the 7 letters to apply to all Christians and churches throughout this dispensation, as we do all the other New Testament books, then we would have the true prophetic and dispensational aspect of the letters. Otherwise we would have just as much right to make 21 additional church periods out of the New Testament epistles or letters, as some do these 7 letters. Finis Jennings Dake, Dake's Annotated Reference Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments of the Authorized or King James Version Text, (Lawrenceville, GA: Dake Bible Sales, Inc., 1997), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Side Notes And End Notes Of Revelation".

[Reuben]

DONT FORGET THE PERSECUTED CHURCH AROUND THE WORLD REVEREND.THE VOICE OF THE MARTYRS TELLS THE STORY ALL THE TIME.
THE CHURCH ESPECIALLY HERE IN THE USA IS IN LAODICEAN PERIOD.
AND WHEN WE =THE USA IS BURNED UP...WHEN THE COUNTRY IS DESTROYED IT WILL BE VINDICATED (AGAIN) AS THE TRUTH AND GOD'S SERVANT(S) AS BEING TRUE.
ALL THE MEGACHURCHES , AND OTHER IMAGINATIONS WONT STOP IT.

DO any on here have any favorites on the 7 Church Ages??

The dispensational application, that is, that these 7 letters portray 7 distinct church ages and 7 phases of church history throughout the age of grace is not clearly taught in the book. Much confusion and many false teachings are the result of this theory. If we would take all the 7 letters to apply to all Christians and churches throughout this dispensation, as we do all the other New Testament books, then we would have the true prophetic and dispensational aspect of the letters. Otherwise we would have just as much right to make 21 additional church periods out of the New Testament epistles or letters, as some do these 7 letters. Finis Jennings Dake, Dake's Annotated Reference Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments of the Authorized or King James Version Text, (Lawrenceville, GA: Dake Bible Sales, Inc., 1997), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, Under: "Side Notes And End Notes Of Revelation".

Very true! Some will say that we are currently in the Laodicean church age, however, what an affront to the underground church in China. They certainly are not lukewarm etc. I agree with Dake on this that much confusion can be perpetrated as a result of misunderstanding and misapplying these things. One thing for sure, anyone of these conditions can be applied to any certain groups in all periods of time throughout the last 2000 years not to mention individuals.

This was my point. Many use one church as the blanket or umbrella for the entire period we are living aka Laodiceon age. As you have stated, America may be in a general sense exhibiting Laodicea, however, the underground Chinese church is not, along with a host of other countries. Again, I agree with Dake that to label an entire period as one church or another creates confusion.

[titus213]

I agree that there's nothing in church history to suggest that the 7 letters correspond to succesive stages of history. The letters were applicable first and foremost to the 7 churches to which they were addressed. But they have a permanent message for other churches as well, since the 7 churches of Asia in John's day between them cover most of the conditions in which churches have found themselves throughout church history.

For example, in America do we have churches whose love has grown cold, as in Ephesus; or face bitter trials, as in Smyrna; or find it easier to compromise than to stand for Christ, as in Pergamos?

I think it's okay to say that we are living in Laodicean times, if we mean that we ourselves are Laodiceans, because then we can act on the Lord's advice in Rev. 3.18. But there's a danger to say it if we mean that OTHERS are Laodicean while we are not; that spirit of complacency is the essence of Laodiceanism and is very difficult to cure.