The Seven Ages of the Church?

How many layers of application might John's Letters to the Seven Churches¹ have? After a recent encounter with a 1919 book, there appears to be at least four, being application:

1. to the original seven churches;
2. to individual men and women in every age (including in our capacity as stewards / leaders / servants);
3. to individual congregations;
4. as a prophetic outline of the Church ages from Apostle John to the present day.

I explored application two in a 2011 post titled: Which Church? (Questions for the latter-day believer),² but this past week I encountered the "prophetic view of the Church" in Rev. Clarence Larkin's 1919 book, The Book of Revelation, wherein he states:

[Revelation] chapters two and three, must be a description or prophetic outline of the "Spiritual History" of the Church from the time when John wrote the Book in A. D. 96, down to the taking out of the Church, or else we have no "prophetic view" of the Church during that period, for she disappears from the earth at the close of chapter three, and is not seen again until she reappears with her Lord in chapter nineteen.³

Larkin describes and dates the seven Church periods / ages as:

I. The Church At Ephesus (A Backslidden Church.) Rev. 2: 1-7.
    70–170 A.D.
II. The Church At Smyrna (A Persecuted Church.) Rev. 2: 8-11.
     170–312 A.D.
III. The Church at Pergamos (A Licentious Church.) Rev. 2: 12-17.
       312–606 A.D.
IV. The Church at Thyatira (A Lax Church.) Rev. 2: 18-29.
       606–1520 A.D.
V. The Church at Sardis (A Dead Church.) Rev. 3: 1-6.
     1520–1750 A.D.
VI. The Church at Philadelphia (A Favored Church.) Rev. 3: 7-13.
       1750–1900 A.D.
VII. The Church at Laodicea (A Lukewarm Church.) Rev. 3: 14-22.
        1900–present A.D.

Larkin further explains and cautions:

This interpretation of the "Messages to the Seven Churches" was hidden to the early Church, because time was required for Church History to develop and be written, so a comparison could be made to reveal the correspondence. If it had been clearly revealed that the Seven Churches stood for "Seven Church Periods" that would have to elapse before Christ could come back, the incentive to watch would have been absent.
While the character of these Seven Churches is descriptive of the Church during seven periods of her history, we must not forget that the condition of those churches, as described, were their exact condition in John's day. So we see that at the close of the First Century the leaven of "False Doctrine" was at work in the Churches. The churches are given in the order named, because the peculiar characteristic of that Church applied to the period of Church History to which it is assigned. It also must not be forgotten, that, that which is a distinctive characteristic of each Church Period, does not disappear with that Period, but continues on down through the next Period, and so on until the end, thus increasing the imperfections of the visible Church, until it ends in an open Apostasy, ..."⁴

Larkin's observations about all seven ages and their regressive, cumulative nature are thought-provoking and worthy of study. And as we are, allegedly, in Period VII, I include a few of his Period VII observations:

Our churches today are largely in this "lukewarm" condition. There is very little of warm-hearted spirituality. There is much going on in them, but it is largely mechanical and of a social character. Committees, societies, and clubs are multiplied, but there is an absence of "spiritual heat." Revival meetings are held, but instead of waiting on the Lord for power, evangelists and paid singers are hired and soul winning is made a business. The cause of this "lukewarmness" is the same as that of the Church of Laodicea--Self-Deception.⁵

The Church at Laodicea was not burdened with debt, but it was burdened with WEALTH.⁶

The trouble with the Church of Laodicea was that its "Gold" was not of the right kind, and so it was counseled to buy of the Lord "gold tried in the fire." What kind of gold is that? It is gold that has no taint upon it. Gold that is not cankered, or secured by fraud, or the withholding of a just wage. What a description we have of these Laodicean days in James 5: 1-4. But the Church of Laodicea was not only poor, though rich, it was blind. Or to put it more accurately--" Near-Sighted." They could see their worldly prosperity, but were "Short-Sighted" as to heavenly things, so the Lord counseled them to anoint their eyes with "Eye-Salve." Their merchants dealt in ointments and herbs of a high degree of healing virtue, but they possessed no salve that would restore impaired Spiritual Vision, only the Unction of the Holy One could do that.⁷

Then a most startling revelation was made to the Church of Laodicea, Christ said--
"Behold, I Stand at the Door and Knock."
These words are generally quoted as an appeal to sinners, but they are not, they are addressed to a Church, and to a Church in whose midst Christ had once stood, but now found Himself excluded and standing outside knocking for admittance. This is the most startling thing recorded in the New Testament, that it is possible for a church to be outwardly prosperous and yet have no Christ in its midst, and be unconscious of the fact. This is a description of a Christless Church. Oh, the EXCLUDED CHRIST.
Excluded from His own nation, for they Rejected Him; excluded from the world, for it Crucified Him; excluded from His Church, for He stands outside its door Knocking for Entrance. How did Christ come to be outside the Church? He had been within it once or there never would have been a Church. How did He come to leave? It is clear that they had not thrust Him out, for they do not seem to have missed His presence. They continued to worship Him, to sing His praises, and engage in all manner of Christian service, yet He had withdrawn. Why? The reason is summed up in one word--Worldliness.
But how is Christ to get back into His Church? Does it require the unanimous vote or invitation of the membership? No. "If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." That is the way to revive a lukewarm church is for the individual members to open their hearts and let Christ re-enter, and thus open the door for His reappearance. The character of the Church today is Laodicean, and as the Laodicean Period is to continue until the Church of the "New-Born" is taken out, we cannot hope for any great change until the Lord comes back.⁸

Could there be anything in Larkin's 1919 observations to provoke our 2020 self-reflection? our self-awareness? our repentance?

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All bold emphasis has been added.  

1. New Testament | Revelation 2–3
2. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2011/08/which-church.html
3. Larkin, Rev Clarence. The Book of Revelation (Kindle Locations 453-456). Kindle Edition.  Note however that Larkin does not seem to consider that the little horn of Old Testament | Daniel 7:8 and 8:9 may have a parallel in Revelation (lamb-like beast with two horns: exercising secular & religious powers? Rev. 13); thus the "Church" would not be left out of the intervening prophecy period between Rev. 3 & 19 as he sees it.
4. Ibid., (Kindle Locations 457-466).
5. Ibid., (Kindle Locations 675-679).
6. Ibid., (Kindle Location 689).
7. Ibid., (Kindle Locations 692-698).
8. Ibid., (Kindle Locations 701-716).

A Way Forward?

Moving forward
on target; on point

(A Call to Action)

Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land; And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.¹

So who is befriending the Constitution and its principles? Who is exposing the “more” that is destroying rights and freedoms? Who is calling for accountability for the evil that is rolling like a worldwide tsunami of destruction?

Thankfully, a few good people² are rising up with options but we will not hear about them from the (bought-and-paid-for) MSM or the gainsaying-of-truth “authorities.”

There is a man, Christopher James, who has collected / catalogued the witness of many truth tellers³ who are being censored and maligned because they were gainsaying the authorities, the power-brokers, the profiteers.⁴ But this man has also conceived a way forward out of the abyss that we have fallen into by believing the lying wonders⁵ of the servitors of a Domination System (a term he does not yet use, but that I do); a Domination System that has now perfected its opportunities for total world control thru co-opted, corrupted science and technology.

Christopher James is not the first man to investigate this great fraud perpetuated on people all over the world, but he has devised and begun a plan of action that will expose the fraud and collapse the (IL)Legal, (Un)Civil System upon itself.

The Domination System has, in secret, converted people into property that can be ordered about, managed, and commercialized at the will of the Domination System. Service Corporations of all kinds (including local and state governments) have converted themselves into masters with one-sided Terms of Service agreements, regulations, orders, demands, and on and on. Much of the fraudulent conversion seems unbelievable, but consider our present world, where quarantine, masking, distancing, gathering, no singing, vaccination are all being mandated as if people were property owned by someone or something. Have we not already been warned that in the last days, the souls of men [and women] would be just one more commodity for the merchants of the world?⁶

Let us open out minds, hearts, and resources to investigate and support this warrior's global call to and action for freedom and accountability. Although the initiative was begun in Canada, it is generating worldwide off-shoots.

Please investigate a further awakening here:

Foundational Knowledge Intro: https://awarriorcalls.com/foundational-knowledge/
Foundational Knowledge Part 1: https://awarriorcalls.com/foundational-knowledge-part-1/
Foundational Knowledge Part 2: https://awarriorcalls.com/foundational-knowledge-pt-2/
Foundational Knowledge Part 3: https://awarriorcalls.com/foundational-knowledge-part-3/
Foundational Knowledge Summary: https://awarriorcalls.com/foundational-knowledge-summary/

WEB site: https://awarriorcalls.com/
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtB2oua1nXaPJtqJcibKmGg

Addendum 26 Oct. 2020: As always, we must proceed with discernment per some of the above assertions, BUT the science and history of power (of the ubiquitous Domination System) and its obsession with converting humans into property has been manifest in every age. Domination is exactly what is happening in this 2020 crisis. People are being treated as property – ordered about as if livestock. WE are not livestock. We are men and women with inalienable rights, but in this corruption, service corporations (created by men and women) have converted themselves into masters with indentured enforcers. That is what we MUST reverse, and this “common law” trespass approach appears, at this time, to be the best (perhaps only) and most rapid possibility for reversal. Listen to this:

Small Business Owners Unite and Fight Back! Christopher James Explains With Small Business Owner Tim (Amina M | Oct. 26, 2020 | 48:14) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEd1W1lTx7o

Let us not be distracted by convoluted definitions of “common law.” It is simple. Men and women are not property. WE have inalienable rights and freedoms. Governments (service corporations) were created by men and women to protect those rights and freedoms and to help protect their lawful property. Employees of these service corporations have duties and obligations not to commit trespass against another's property or to try to administer another's property without right. And each employee is personally liable for any trespass.

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1. Doctrine and Covenants | Section 98:5–9 ~ And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me. Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land; And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil. I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free. Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.
2. Charles W. Nibley: “I believe as the Prophet Joseph has written, that the day would come when there would be so much of disorder, of secret combinations taking the law into their own hands, tramping upon Constitutional rights and the liberties of the people, that the Constitution would hang as by a thread. Yes, but it will still hang, and there will be enough of good people, many who may not belong to our Church at all, people who have respect for law and for order, and for Constitutional rights, who will rally around with us[?] and save the Constitution.” https://ia800701.us.archive.org/17/items/conferencereport1922sa/conferencereport1922sa.pdf | p. 40 of Conference Report, October 1922 (bold emphasis added)
NOTE: the paragraph before this statement and in other portions of his talk, it seems CWN puts us in a “double bind” (as do many past and latter-day others) by advocating strict obedience to whatever statute is in force: “We should uphold all the laws of the land whether we like them or not; ... And if we will think more of our duties, and a little less, perhaps, of our rights, we will be gainers thereby, and we will not break any law of the land, for the Lord has said, 'He who observeth the law of God hath no need to break the law of the land.'” Prior to this at p. 37, CWN stated: “It has been the counsel of the leaders of this Church from the beginning, to observe the Constitutional law of the land, and it is stated in the revelations that whatsoever is more than this or less than this, cometh of evil. We do not need anything outside of this strict letter of the law, for if we do go beyond it, or come tardy of it, we are liable to make a mistake. The agency that the Lord has given to his sons and daughters was given to all—the free agency to choose between right and wrong, and that agency makes us free, for the Lord has said, 'If ye abide in my truth, then are ye free indeed.' Now, whenever any man enters any organization, secret or otherwise, that takes from him a certain degree of that free agency to choose between right and wrong, and makes of him a servant, to do as he is told in certain matters, quite irrespective of the righteousness or justice of the case, or of the right or wrong of the case, then that man surrenders that much of his free agency which he ought not under any circumstances to surrender.” This writer (SMS) says: Reality demands that we ponder deeply how to reconcile these seemingly contradictory demands.
3. ● Pandemic Truths; https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWqXf9iQ-_tDP4D8KqDZzYxw9t6mQvTUy
● Common Law: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWqXf9iQ-_tB9eDYm4q9oQGqwxJAmApjP
● plus others at his YT channel and website
4. https://dejavu-timestwo.blogspot.com/2020/08/whom-do-we-believe.html
5. New Testament | 2 Thessalonians 2:7–12 ~ For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
6. New Testament | Revelation 18:12–13 ~ The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.

Another interesting link: Birth Certificates are Federal Bank Notes: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/birth-certificates-federal-bank-notes-dr-paul-pharms-phd (As always, check out all things (prove all things), but realize that fact-checkers and so-called debunkers must not be blindly trusted, nor should anyone.)