Days of Vengeance - The Preterist Archive

INTRODUCTION TO PART TWO
Part Two
HISTORICAL PROLOGUE:
THE LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES
(Revelation 2-3)
Introduction
The second part of the covenantal treaty structure (cf.
Deut. 1:6-4:49) 1 is the Prologue, which recounts the
history of the Great King’s relationship with the vassal,
reminding him of his lord’s authority and covenant
faithfulness, listing the benefits that have been
provided, enumerating the vassal’s transgressions of the
law, commanding the vassal to repent and renew his
obedience, and promising future rewards. An important
aspect of the Prologue is the covenant grant, 2 the
command to take possession over the land, conquering
it in the name of the Great King (cf. Deut. 2:24-25, 31;
3:18-22; 4:1, 14, 37-40). 3
The Seven Messages to the churches correspond to the
Covenant Prologue in several ways. Their structure
follows the same general pattern: Christ’s lordship over
the Church, the individual church’s record of
faithfulness or disobedience, warnings of punishment,
and promises of blessings in response to obedience.
Moreover, in each case the church is given a covenant
grant, a commission to conquer, to overcome and exercise
dominion under Christ’s lordship (2:7, 11, 17, 26-
29; 3:5, 12, 21).
In addition, each message itself recapitulates the entire
five-part covenant structure. Consider the first message,
to the church in Ephesus (2:1-7):
1. Preamble: “The One who holds the seven stars in
His right hand, the One who walks among the
seven golden lampstands” (2:1)
2. Historical Prologue: “I know your deeds. . . .” (2:2-4).
3. Ethical Stipulations: “Remember therefore from
where you have fallen, and repent, and do the deeds
you did at first” (2:5a).
4. Sanctions: “Or else I am coming to you, and will
remove your lampstand out of its place – unless you
repent” (2:5 b).
5. Succession Arrangements: “. . . To him who
overcomes, I will grant to eat of the Tree of Life,
which is in the Paradise of My God” (2:6-7).
Recapitulation of Covenantal History
We discussed under 1:4 the view (strangely common
among modern “literalists”!) that the seven churches
symbolically represent “seven ages of Church history”;
and, while on several counts that interpretation is
patently erroneous, there is another sense in which
these seven churches are related to seven periods of
Church history – Old Testament Church history. For the
imagery used to describe the seven churches of Asia
progresses chronologically from the Garden of Eden to
the situation in the first century A.D.:
1. Ephesus (2:1-7). The language of Paradise is
evident throughout the passage. Christ announces
Himself as the Creator, the One who holds the seven
stars; and as the One who walks among the lampstands
to evaluate them, as God walked through the Garden
in judgment (Gen. 3:8). The “angel” of Ephesus is
commended for properly guarding the church against
her enemies, as Adam had been commanded to guard
the Garden and his wife from their Enemy (Gen. 2:15).
But the angel, like Adam, has “fallen,” having left his
first love. Christ therefore threatens to come to him in
judgment and remove his lampstand out of its place, as
He had banished Adam and Eve from the Garden (cf.
Gen. 3:24). Nevertheless, Eden’s gate is open to those
who gain victory over the Tempter: “To him who
overcomes, I will grant to eat of the Tree of Life, which
is in the Paradise of My God.”
2. Smyrna (2:8-11). The situation of the Patriarchs
(Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph) and of the
children of Israel in Egypt appears to be reflected in the
words of this message. Christ describes Himself as He
“who was dead, and has come to life,” a redemptive act
foreshadowed in the lives of Isaac (Gen. 22:1-14; Heb.
11:17-19) and Joseph (Gen. 37:18-36; 39:20- 41:45;
45:4-8; 50:20), as well as in the salvation of Israel from
the house of bondage. The Smyrnaeans’ condition of
seeming poverty and actual riches is analogous to the
experience of all the patriarchs, who “lived as aliens in
the land of promise” (Heb. 11:9). False “Jews” are
persecuting the true heirs of the promises, just as
Ishmael persecuted Isaac (Gen. 21:9; cf. Gal. 4:22-31).
The danger of imprisonment at the instigation of a
1. See Meredith G. Kline, Treaty of the Great King: The Covenant Structure of
Deuteronomy (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1963),
pp. 52-61.
2. See Ray R. Sutton, That You May Prosper: Dominion by Covenant, (Tyler,
TX: Institute for Christian Economics, 1987).
3. Kline, Treaty of the Great King, pp. 56ff.
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