[MHGinTN]

FIRST, the seven churches have nothing to do with The Roman Catholic religion.

SECOND, the 'works' you seem to want to be proud of are not praise worthy in the majority of the gathering believers! That apparently went right over your head, or your coach is not giving you full disclosure.

THIRD, Jesus addresses the seven and that is all you need as evidence that they are genuine bodies of believers.

FOURTH, you completely missed the point of HIS lesson; the works are AFTER the believers are already alive forever more and THAT is why JESUS addresses the gatherings because they are in need of correction, not salvation. Now I realize that is a completely alien concept to a catholic steeped mind like yours, but the correction is not to get them 're-saved' it is to improve their strength IN THE FAMILY TO WHICH THEY ALREADY BELONG. How can I say that?... Their lampstand, even the Laodicean one, is in Heaven.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“FIRST, the seven churches have nothing to do with The Roman Catholic religion.

Glad to hear yo recognize Christianity predated Catholicism.

Progress.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Oops wrong post!

[af_vet_1981]

1. The seven churches each had a golden candlestick in heaven. There were churches in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church which is the body of the Messiah.
2. The word "works" was used by the Messiah twelve times in speaking to these churches. His message is important. He warned the church at Ephesus to repent and do the first works or else He will come quickly and will remove their candlestick out of his place, except they repent. He that has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
3. Given the standard that an address to a church is evidence that the church is genuine, the church(es) of Rome are genuine.
4. The Messiah threatened to kill Jezebel at Thyatira, who called herself a prophetess, and her children with death. He said all the churches (sounds catholic) shall know that He searches the reins and hearts and will give unto every one according to one's works.
   
   He told the church at Sardis that only the one who overcomes shall be clothed in white raiment, and He will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but will confess his name before the Father, and before his angels, implying the one who does not overcome will be blotted out of the book of life. This was not a message of Once Saved, Always Saved. If one can be killed by the Messiah, or blotted out of the book of life, it does not bode well for the servant who does not heed the Lord's warning to repent and do the first works.
   
   Someone may say, but the warning to Laodicea was only to be spit out of the Messiah's mouth, as if that lends itself to Once Saved, Always Saved. He is rebuking and chastening in love, but one must obey (repent and be zealous) or else.
   
   Given the premise that the lamp stand of the church of the Laodiceans remained in heaven (for it is not written that it did not), one can then assume that the lamp stands for all the churches of the one holy catholic apostolic Church remain in heaven (for they were mentioned in the scriptures and it is not written otherwise). However, it would be erroneous to assume that all of the Christians of those churches overcame, were not spit out of the Messiah's mouth and blotted out of the book of life. There are too many warnings in the Gospels and Epistles to support that view.