Serious question: What do the seven churches in Revelation mean symbolicly, also, is my son too young to hear?

Question

The Revised Standard Edition I have at home says the 7 churches represent time eras; the first church was the first century, the second church was the time after fall of the temple till the fall of rome, etc.

Also, is my 3 year old son too young to hear the book of Revelation. I was reading to him last night Chapter 1 and while he didn't complain, I don't think he got the message. What do you think, should I read to him tonight from the rest of Revelation, so he may know Jesus, and be scared of hell? Or should I take him to the zoo and show him cousin chimpanzee and cousin orangotang

Answer 1

The 7 churches in revelations really is most of the churches today. You can go to any church today and find in it something from each of the seven. It is in many ways a warning of what not to be and what we should be. So in many ways it was telling us to watch out for what we all are going to become.

I think that a 3 year old is too young, depending on who you explain it , you could give a child nightmares. In many respects it gives adults nightmares.

Take him to the zoo, sure, don't show him a pig and tell him that is what his wife one day will think he is.

Answer 2

Question: "What do the seven churches in Revelation stand for?"



Answer: The seven churches described in Revelation 2-3 are seven literal churches at the time that John the apostle was writing Revelation. Though they are literal churches in that time, there is also spiritual significance for churches and believers today. The first purpose is to write to the literal churches and meet their needs at that time. The second purpose is to reveal seven different types of individuals/churches throughout history and instruct them in God's truth.



A possible third purpose is using the seven church to represent seven different periods in the history of the church. The problem with this view is that each of the seven churches describes issues that could fit the church in any time in its history. So, although there may be some truth to the seven churches representing seven eras of the church, too many people go into far too much speculation in order to determine which church fits which era. Instead, our focus should be on what message God is giving to us through the seven churches. The seven churches are:



(1) Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7) - the church that had forsaken its first love (2:4).

(2) Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11) - the church that would suffer persecution (2:10).

(3) Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17) - the church that needed to repent (2:16).

(4) Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29) - the church who had a false prophetess (2:20).

(5) Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) - the church that had fallen asleep (3:2).

(6) Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13) - the church that had endured patiently (3:10).

(7) Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22) - the church with the lukewarm faith (3:16).

Recommended Resource: Understanding End Times Prophesy by Paul Benware.

Answer 3

I am sure that is why the churches are compared to candlesticks. Churches are to be places of light or witness to the world for Christ, Who is THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD - John 8:12 (note John wrote the gospel of John and Revelation). Additionally, the number 7 in Scripture, especially in the Book of Revelation is symbolic of perfection or completion. We see this throughout the Book of Revelation as there are the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven bowls --- all picturing the completion of God's Kingdom, other sevens are also used in this Book. Seven churches are mentioned, I believe, because their traits are representative both good and bad of all churches. Seven as symbolic of perfection and completion, God's number, goes back all the way to Genesis 1 and God's rest on the seventh day.

Answer 4

well, here is a good bedtime story for him- being that most bedtime stories are fairy tales anyway this should fit right in, There is a link at the bottom for an even better one:

Once upon a time... this group of apes gets together and decides that it would be so much more beneficial to them, survival of hte fittest and all, if they had more developed brains and if their bodies were virtually hairless, so they concentrate really really hard as do their children and their childrens children and so forth. One day this part ape part human gives birth to a perfectly hairless pink little human baby- imagine the rejoicing that happened that day! Anyway, meanwhile, there is a sect of apes - descendents of some from that original group, who just somehow knew that nothing good would come of that evolutionary step, and how right they were, I mean look at all these weak minded, uneducated Christians, war over money and religion, destruction of the planet, boy were they right- so they just left well enough alone and continued on their happy lives, except a few of them thought life would be a LOT more fun if they had purple butts so those guys evolved into baboons!!
(This took place over several million years- all the while thousand and thousands of poor little lungfish are losing their lives left and right in an effort to evolve the lungs they somehow knew they would need!




Hey here is a really fun article you can ponder :
Meet Gaspy - the Lungfish
http://www.reflecthisglory.org/study/did...

Answer 5

There were 7 churches at the time of the writing. They were in the Asia and on a map they would be like points in a large circle. There still today churches with their names.
That said-
It is far more important to think of the churches as types, read what is said about them, you will find that only 2 of the 7 Christ our Lord did not find any fault with. Find a church of that type and join. Likewise you can see many churches today as a type of one of the 7.

Answer 6

Your son is to young for the book of Revelations, let him be a child and take him to the zoo, he will learn more things out of this than the book of Revelations at this point. I was about 8-9 when my aunt started to talk to me about Revelations and it scared me a lot, I would start to cry everytime i heard my family talk about the bible, i was terrified of the devil, and thought he was always watching what i did wrong, it did no good to me, I am now 27 years old and i refuse to read the Bible because of what happened when i was 8-9. You 3 year old probably didn't complain about you reading to him last night because he really didn't understand what you were saying, I was talking to my 9 and 8 year old couple weeks ago about good and evil and that scared the heck out of my 8 year old, she is old enough to understand Revelations if i read it to her but i know this will scare her and not help her any either. Let you little one be a child, explore, learn to Love the world, please don't frighten him.
XOXOXOX:)

Answer 7

You'd have to ask the writer about what the 7 churches represent.

As for reading revelation to a 3 year old, I wonder if you have a brain...would you read Dostoyevsky and expect a better response, or anything more advanced that Green Eggs and Ham?

Cmon, use some common sense. You do have it, don't you?

Answer 8

You have a good question. I was just recently reading that and allI could see so far is that they werethe churches of Ephesus,smyrna,Pergamas,thyatera,Sadis,Phildelphia,and lyodocea.Hope I spelled thes right. I did not see any other inofr.
YEs, Raead your child revelations by all means. WHAT HURT IS THERE IN THAT?
wished I could give you a better answer than I have. try interent resouces. type ina question like this on the address bar and you will get surprised at the web sites with infor that come up.
good luck

Answer 9

There are countless different interpretations of Revelation. The important thing is to ask what the writer was trying to do; most interpreters instead come to the text as if it were a kind of inkblot, and read their own preconceptions into it. Below is a link to one piece of serious scholarship.

And as far as your son goes: definitely, take him to the zoo. He'll learn more about God by looking at freaky cool animals than he will from obscure ancient apocalyptic.

Answer 10

I've heard the same thing about them representing time periods, or dispensations of the gospel.

Small children learn in very simplified ways, I think it's good to get children familiar with the language of the scriptures, just make sure to stop frequently and explain in VERY simplified terms what you just read. If you know a related children's song - sing it with your child, I'm always amazed at how well my nieces and nephews know those songs, and what they teach.

best wishes