The Seven Churches (2): Ephesus & Smyrna, the Early Church & the Suffering Church

In Revelation 2-3 the Lord first deals with the seven churches, which show us prophetically the history of the entire church age, before going on in the remaining chapters of Revelation to judge the world and Satan. This is in keeping with the principle the Apostle Peter gives us, that “judgment begins with the house of God” (1 Pet. 4:17).
On the one hand, before God the churches are golden lampstands, shining out God’s testimony, and we really need to appreciate them in this way. But even so, on the other hand, they exist practically on the earth according to their actual condition, and the Lord judges them on that basis in chapters 2-3 of the book of Revelation.
In this episode of the podcast, we consider the first two of these churches, Ephesus & Smyrna. These represent, respectively, the church at the end of the first century and the suffering church of the 2nd and 3rd centuries.

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Previous Episodes
Episode #63: “Could We Be Disciplined When We See the Lord?” (1)

Bible Verses
See Episode #86: “The Seven Churches (2): Ephesus & Smyrna, the Early Church”

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Recording
Recorded in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday, 10 April 2024