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NASB | Revelation 1:4 ¶ John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Revelation 1:4 ¶ John, to the seven churches that are in [the province of] Asia: Grace [be granted] to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being], from Him Who is [existing forever] and Who was [continually existing in the past] and Who is to come, and from the seven Spirits that are before His throne, [Is 11:2] |
Bible Question:
The seven Churches that were in Asia, received warning. Did they change, do they still exist? Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea. These Churches were important enough, to be mentioned in Revelation, and also important enough, to get direct warning from Jesus. (WHY) How do they fit into the picture, of the Church, as it is today? If they did not survive, what happened to them, and when? |
Bible Answer: First of all, are you talking about the physical church buildings or the body of Christ located in those particular cities. Are there still believers in those cities? Probably. Second, Revelation is just a letter. It is a letter to the seven churches in a particular area of Asia Minor. John didn't write it to be "in the Bible." He wrote it because God told him to write it and who to send it to (Rev. 1:11). This is just like any of Paul's letters to various churches that he was familiar with. Why was it written? Probably because God loved these churches (but not any more than any other churches) and was concerned about how they were doing things. Only to one of the churches did God have no words of rebuke. I'm not sure what you want to know about what part they play today. I do know that they serve as an example, however. Each of the churches exhibit characteristics of most churches today, good or bad. The messages to each church show what God's response is to each kind of behavior. Hope this helps. |