Featured Seven Churches - Why all the Ado?

Perhaps we can focus on what it a more plausible theory - or even the teaching of Spirit and Truth.

that each of the 7 local churches is a model of a church for which the scripture/Spirit says "he who has ears to hear let him hear".

If we assemble with a church who is DOCTRINALLY SOUND, scrutinizes and examines the teachings of those who call themselves "preacher" and calls them down for any wrong doctrine.

in addition it is a HARD WORKING church that does not shy away from hard work at home and abroad.

HOWEVER - if "you have left your first love". Then you attend an Ephesian type church and need to pay heed to what the LORD says to you.

Are you gentle and patient with sinners?
Do you issue insults instead of helpful recommendations for sinners weaknesses?
Do you encourage sinners to not despair (should they do so)?
Do you put aside those things which you know you will be able to deal with later as sinners mature into saints (no one is perfect)?

1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

 

This is all so American-centric. To call this the Laodicean age you have to ignore the dear saints in Communist, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu cultures who are laying down their lives for the Lord Jesus Christ, and looking nothing at all like the church in 1st century Laodicea.

I urge you to buy and read China's Book of Martyrs (AD 845-present), by Paul Hattaway. And what about the dear saints in Communist countries who laid down their lives for Christ, or were imprisoned for Christ. Have you read nothing about Christianity behind the Iron Curtain? Educate yourself!

 

Over the BIBLE ? It figures...

 

Turns out Dr. Criswell wasn't as squeaky-clean as you'd like to make him, RT. He was called out for plagiarism in his book,
"Why I Teach That the Bible Is Literally True," (W. A. Criswell, 1969), accused of copying from the book "Difficulties and Alleged Errors and Contradictions in the Bible,"(R. A. Torrey, 1907) Nothing came of the charge, as any copyright Torrey mighta had was long-expired, But the fact is, the legal plagiarism existed.

And he certainly goofed on the false "7 church ages" doctrine. Hard to say whose work he copied for that garbage. IT CERTAINLY WASN'T THE BIBLE ! !

 

And in their "Philadelphia age", there were SIXTEEN wars worldwide between 1840 & 1845 alone!

The LDS wasd founded in the 1820s. The Sicilian "la costra nostra" (mafia) spread to the US in the 1840s.

As an amateur historian, I can point out umpteen hundred evil events that occurred during the so-called "Philadelphian age", as we both can point out Jesus-centric events of the "Laodicean age".

Simple BIBLICAL TRUTH is that the 7 churches all existed while John was on Patmos, & Jesus not only intended to admonish them over what needed to be corrected, as well as encourage their "right" things, but also keep those things before US as guidelines for OUR churches. NOWHERE does Scripture mention "church ages " !

 

So, your hero Criswell was guilty of another false doctrine - THE KJVO MYTH !

The KJVO myth is even more-insidious than the "7 church ages" myth, as it's a direct attack upon God's word. Neither myth has one word of SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT, which automatically makes them false. So again, if you wanna keep on adding to God's word with your private interps, go on. That's as bad as trying to add new words to Scripture.

 

MMRRPP! WRONG!

There's no such thing as "church ages" How many times must you be told?

Scripture & history both prove it false. You only make yourself look silly repeating that garbage.

 

It was FYI.
Criswell and other Baptists have taught it. You seem not to have known:

Now you know!

 

I don't care WHO taught it. It's FALSE!

SCRIPTURE doesn't teach it, & history proves it false.

 

At one phase in my life I believed this teaching and it was taught at my school (at least in the class rooms) at Calvary University KCMO.

I'm not sure if the school officially endorsed it at the time.

I no longer categorize it as "gospel truth" and look at it along with tongues (for instance) or KJVO - A phase that many dispensationalists pass through.

There are other similar situations in Christendom that don't meet your criteria.

e.g. the Canon of Scripture. There is no one place in the bible where the 66 books of the bible are listed as the word of God - unless one believes the Index to be inspired.

As for history - the major tenants of Christendom are in disagreement as to the Canon of scripture
What is the canon of the Bible and how did we get it?

NOTE This is only an example, there are others.