[fortheDeclaration]

The Church of the Reformation in the Book of Revelation is the Church of Sardis I've never bought into the seven churches of Revelation 2 & 3 representing the progression of the Church Age. I believe to do so does too much harm to the doctrine of the Imminent Return of Jesus.

Interesting view.

However, while generations were going through those different Church ages, elements of all seven churches were present (as they are today)

What they did not know is which element was the dominant one.

Thus, while the Jews waited each generation for their Messiah and he could have come at any time, there was one generation that had been picked for that privilege long before it happened.

We now have the benefit of looking backward and seeing how that Messanic line developed, but they could only wait hope that they would be the generation in which it would occur.

We are the generation that can now look back and see the others over 2,000 years and notice the comparsion of those other 6 Churches with history.

Revelation is progressive as the prophecies in Daniel were sealed for another generation.

The 'churches' were not even revealed to Paul, but to John at the close of the First Century.

[xzins]

ftD,
The view that the churches of Revelation represent already passed periods of church history is simply not supportable biblically. You know all my other premillenial sentiments, so you know I am not arguing against premillenialism or even dispensationalism.

The only way to tie these is by an entirely speculative reading of HISTORY about the so-called eras in question.

It is far more appropriate to consider these 7 churches to be "types" and that various churches can be compared to those types.