“Because you have kept My word to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world,
to test those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation 3:10
As we study the Lord’s sixth letter to His church we are reminded that not only is each church a separate local congregation but in addition the seven churches give us a “panorama” of the stages of the church age which goes from the ascension of the Lord into heaven to the opening of the door into heaven in Revelation 4:1 at the rapture of the church. Each of the seven types of churches exist in every phase of the church age. This understanding is important as we read the Lord tell the church at Philadelphia that they will be kept from the worldwide trouble that comes on the earth to test the earth dwellers.
The fLord tells us s that the rapture occurs in the “Philadelphia” phase of church history. That phase began around 1800 AD and continues until the return of the Lord. In that regard it overlaps with the Laodicean age for a period of time.
We see this in the age we live. Both strong Bible believing and Bible teaching missionary churches exist. They are dwindling in number, however, as many denominations and churches adopt a social gospel. The Lord’s promise is that the Philadelphia age will still exist when He returns for His bride (even though there may only be a few (much like believers dwindled to 8 persons before the flood came).
The second thing we note is that all seven types of the churches exist in the last days. This is clear from the Lord’s teaching of the parables on the kingdom of God. In those parables He tells us His kingdom is like a great tree in which birds (symbols of demons) would rest. Note that Satan attaches his impure works to the church but he never is a part of it. Further, the Lord tells us that the church is a mixture of wheat and tares. Inside the church are members that look identical, at least for a while. The church finds that the adversary (Satan) planted poisonous weeds inside it. The Lord commanded that both the wheat and the tares be left alone until the end of the age when they will be identified and separated. That separation begins at the rapture when true believers from all the seven types of churches are taken out of the earth and all tares and earth dwellers go into the seven year tribulation period.
What can we learn? Every local church (except for the possible exception of Smyrna) is a combination of true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and “tares” – those who only look like believers. (Smyrna churches may only be composed of true believers because no unbeliever would stay in a church where they must suffer for something they do not truly believe.) From each type of church believers, overcomers, (in some, there are only a few) will be raptured.
The major lesson for us today is that the rapture will occur during (toward the end) the Philadelphian church age.
It began in the 1800s so the age is near its end. The visible signs that the Tribulation is near also tells us that the Laodicean age is in place. That means we must be sure we are part of the“wheat” and not the “tares” for we surely live in the seconds before the Bridegroom returns for His bride – “our redemption draws near”.