how is the age of church history decided?

Question

starting with laodacia the first church, how do we know from history, when the succeding church periods started and ended

Answer 1

You are referring to the belief that the seven churches of Revelation 2-3 represent seven ages of church history.

The first church in the list is Ephesus, so for those who accept this idea that church represents the earliest period in church history. Laodicia is the seventh church, so would stand for the LAST period of time.

But note that though this view has become popular in the past two centuries, many do not agree with it. To begin with -- there is no specific statement in these chapters about these letters having to do with successive future ages. Nor is there any other place in the New Testament (or Old) that suggests the "church age" is to be divided up in such a way.

(The main argument made for these letters portraying the church age is that the following chapter begins with "after these things". We are told that what is described beginning in chapter 4 comes "after" --or at the end of-- the "church age". But "after" here need only mean that this was the next VISION John received, not that everything is in chronological order. And in fact the main event of Revelation 5 is the ascension of "the Lamb that was slain", which comes at the BEGINNING of the church age!)

In any case, you've put your finger on one of the most serious problems with the "ages of the church" interpretation of these letters. Interpreters have great trouble showing how the details of a particular letter relate to a specific period of church history, and end of stretching things to make any scheme work. (Most of them simply start with their personal conviction that we are now in the "Laodicean age", and try to work backward.) In fact, the strongest "historical" pointers in the seven letters are to various events in OLD Testament history up to the FIRST coming of Christ!!

Answer 2

The 12 apostles were the first Christians, so it has been 2000 years for the Christian Church, since it's been that long since Christ walked the earth in human form.

Answer 3

Same way all the other religious dates are decided, guess. Doesn't seem to matter if you're even close so long as you have faith!

Answer 4

Whatever they say, which changes from century to century and sometimes decade to decade.