I've devoted so many articles to the seven church eras and the seven spirits of God that I've lost count. The amount of information that exists, and can be extrapolated, from those few chapters in the beginning of Revelation is astounding. But somewhere along the way the question was inevitable; if the seven church eras represent the seven successive angels who managed Earth the last 2,000 years... then did the same thing have happen in the Old Testament?

I'd heard the idea casually mentioned once or twice long ago, but never seriously proposed. The modern eras themselves are so hazy in most people's mind that there was no hope of extrapolating similar eras out of the Old Testament when we have VASTLY less information!

But when you really get familiar with the church eras and the angels that lead them, you start to know what to look for and you start seeing some obvious correlations. For example, God told Laodicea “thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17).

Now could you have written a more apt description of the Pharisees? They believed they had everything they needed for salvation; that they were spiritually rich, not in bondage, not blinded, and needing NOTHING for salvation from Jesus!

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

John 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

John 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.

So calling the Pharisees “Laodiceans” wouldn't be a big stretch, from an attitude standpoint. Furthermore, we know that Laodicea is the era before Jesus returns; God compares that era directly to the time of Noah:

Luke 17:26-27 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

They heard the preaching of Noah, but they weren't worried! They kept going about their normal lives, rejecting God and expecting blessings in exchange just as, Jesus says, they do in OUR TIME! So then it wouldn't be a big stretch to call the period immediately preceding the flood “Laodicean” either. These examples should give you enough reason to keep reading, because to really grasp this concept we must answer another question:

Why have church eras at all?

And the answer, though not obvious at first is quite simple. Sure, the obvious stuff is clear – seven angels, giving each a chance to rule his own way; to bring variety into the world; to give each attitude a chance to express itself so we can have saints acquainted with a wide variety of sins. All that aside. The reason is that seven church eras are the inevitable result of revealing the truth of God!

Too cryptic? Ok. When God reveals truth – as at Pentecost, 31 A.D., some accept it. They follow their own path, and are no longer relevant to our study. The majority reject it. The church fills up with tares and heretics. Eventually, the heretics outnumber the true Christians and the true Christians are being put out of the church (3 John 1:9 for instance).

So the church has left it's first love – as Ephesus is rebuked for doing. What must God do? What is the logical, inevitable, just judgment of God? Punishment! So what is the next era, Smyrna, famous for? Being persecuted!

God takes a church (Ephesus) that has become evil and sends them persecution – in other words, He sends them into the Smyrna era; in still other words, He puts the Smyrnan angel in charge. Now in this persecution, some repent – these again are the few, and are not relevant to us. The majority continue to be rebellious; so then what must God do?

Isaiah 1:5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.

They continue to be evil, even in the face of brutal persecution. So God has two options; He can continue to punish them, which He knows will only cause them to revolt more, and make Him even MORE angry. Ultimately, He'll be forced by His own laws to kill them all. Or He can “deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 5:5).

2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 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.

So God must send them DECEPTION! And deception is the hallmark of the third era, Pergamos! And the sword was replaced with the lie as primary weapon of the false church! And so by deceiving this rebellious church, God placed them in the Pergamos era. There was no other way to save ANY of the church!

This is all an inevitable response to the revelation of truth to a group of carnal people, church eras or not. After the initial acceptance always follows lack of zeal and punishment, then lack of repentance and deception... then what?

After they are deceived, they are barely even the true church anymore. So if God is to preserve ANY of this group, He must isolate them; quarantine a group of the most loyal out of reach of the tendrils of the great whore. And so Thyatira fled Rome and spent a thousand years patiently waiting out in the alps. They “held fast that which they had”. They didn't grow, they didn't do great exploits, they just hung on.

And after a thousand years of hanging on, it was inevitable that some would be TIRED of hanging on, and want to DO something! And so behold, Peter Waldo did come along, and many others, many who paved the way and did the real work for the “Reformers” of the 15^th and 16^th century.

But equally inevitable is the lack of strength in this group. You can't forget a thousand years of hiding from oppression; avoiding persecution; and doing your best to be invisible overnight. And so after Thyatira quit hiding they began the reformation, which started the Sardis era; and the reformation did a great deal, and many suffered and died for the truth.

But there was a problem. After a thousand years of hiding, as soon as they were acknowledged as a power they were EAGER to accept a compromise to keep it! Imagine, they were completely powerless against the Catholic Church for a millennium, and then suddenly they had half of Europe on their side! So what? Sure, they weren't quite perfect... but they had come SO FAR, did it really matter?

And so they did indeed compromise with the Catholic church; about Sunday, Easter, infant baptism, sprinkling, and various other things. They did a lot – but they didn't do ENOUGH. And so compromise was the hallmark of Sardis. But just as compromise is the inevitable result of hiding for a millennium, so those who grew up out of the compromised era had a good foundation to start with.

They didn't have to come ALL the way from Catholicism to perfection in one jump, as Sardis tried to do; they could start with the reformers and improve from there. And so they had a much easier shot at doing a good job, and so they did. Mostly by teaching the commandments and spreading the Bible around the globe, they started the best era for mankind in the last 2000 years. This was Philadelphia, the era of brotherly love.

But all good things come to an end, inevitably. And after 300 years of Philadelphia, the world became rich; following God's way does that. And it increases knowledge, and with knowledge comes wealth, which in turn brings idleness, and with idleness comes laziness; lukewarmness. And with knowledge comes pride. And so Laodicea was the inevitable result of the collapse of Philadelphia, and that's where we are today. To a time where Jesus said “when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).

Laodicea is a period characterized by a total lack of faith, great blindness, and tremendous pride. And the only way to fix it is to start over with a new revelation to a totally new group.

This is an inevitable story, the details will change but the broad concept is a series of interactions between God and the world, and that never will change. When a church is evil, they must be punished. When they won't be punished, they must be deceived, then quarantined; then they will compromise, then finally get it fairly close to right, and then collapse into pride and lukewarmness. This is how it must work. God has no choice. So now that we have covered that, we will start at the beginning and identify all the church eras as best we can.

OLD TESTAMENT ERAS

The easiest eras to identify are those we know the best; Ephesus, and Laodicea. Ephesus, because it is the time of the New Testament, so we have lots written about it. Laodicea, because we live in it. We are it, so we know it well. Philadelphia always stands out as well, as a time of great happiness, prosperity, and brotherly love.

And when you find an easy contrast between a proud, period that thinks they're spiritually rich when they're not, right before an era of great zeal for God, and of righteousness and purity, you know you've found a break between a group of seven eras.

Eden is Ephesus, of course. The flood lends itself to being the end of an era, as does the exodus/entry to the promised land. Then of course the Pharisees fit Laodicea perfectly, followed by Ephesus. That gives us four cycles, including the present one. So now let's see if we can fill in the pieces, starting at the beginning.

In all my studies on the eras, I've reduced each one to a single word that expresses the predominant feature of that era. They will help to identify the new eras, so here they are:

• Ephesus = Zealous
• Smyrna = Persecuted
• Pergamos = Deceived
• Thyatira = Patient (as in “patiently hiding”)
• Sardis = Compromised
• Philadelphia = Love
• Laodicea = Pride (although “faithless” is a close second).

PREFLOOD ERAS

We know very little about the preflood world – from the fall of man in Genesis 3 to the building of the Ark in Genesis 6, really. Three chapters from which to extract information for seven eras. And one of those is devoted to the “he begats”. Still, you might be surprised at what we can do.

First, Eden surely began Ephesus. The next event worthy of an era is the death of righteous Abel. At this point, the first Christian died for his beliefs, which is the hallmark of the Smyrna era. Then Cain was sent off in disgrace. The next event we look for is deception – especially deception by a woman (as in the great whore of Revelation).

Genesis 4:25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, SAID SHE, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

This is difficult to prove – with the paucity of information, some of the weaker parts have to be speculated on a bit – but notice how “SHE SAID” that God appointed her “another seed”. The very first promise of Christ had been given to the woman in Genesis 3:15, and the promise was of “her seed” which would bruise the head of the devil. They well understood that this was a promise of a savior to come from the seed of the woman.

And here, when she had her third son, the woman CLAIMED that this WAS that seed! Think about it – why would Seth be a REPLACEMENT for Abel? Abel wasn't the firstborn, Seth wasn't to replace him for the inheritance; why would she claim that He was a replacement for Abel? Because she believed (and taught) that he WAS the Savior who would bruise the devil!

Thus the first DECEPTION in the church came into being! Pergamos had arrived! Next we look for a true Christian hiding from a false church. And we find Enoch!

Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

As we know, Enoch still died. In Adam, ALL die. And no man has ascended up to heaven (John 3:13). The Greek word translated as “translated” there literally means to TRANSPORT – “to transfer, i.e. (literally) transport” (Strong's Greek Lexicon). So Enoch had to be TRANSPORTED so that he would not see death; and he wasn't found... by WHOM? WHY did he have to HIDE? Because if he didn't hide, he WOULD see death! So God supernaturally transported him – much as he did Elijah, or Philip (Acts 8:39), so that those who wanted him dead – the false church – wouldn't find him!

It is obvious that this fits perfectly – and in proper order – with the events of the middle ages where the true church was hidden in the wilderness, supernaturally, by God!

Revelation 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

And how did she GET to the wilderness? To this place specially prepared by God? God TRANSPORTED her there! Just as He did Enoch!

Verse 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might FLY into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

After Thyatira, we look for a church that has compromised to identify as Sardis. And we find it in Genesis 6:1, where the “sons of God” – the true Christians – married with the daughters of men – the unconverted – they fell away, and their children grew up to be tyrants (men of renown). This is because they had the wisdom their father had, which only comes from God, and the freedom to be evil and reject God and use their wisdom for evil that they learned from their mothers.

This could be considered a compromise, for certain, and as such, an element of Sardis. The time element is difficult to determine here, because it is stated that this happened “when men began to multiply on the face of the earth”, which could be anywhere between 400 years from creation to, say, 1000 years from creation. It wouldn't seem it would have taken more time than that to happen.

Genesis 5:28-29 And Lamech ... begat a son: And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.

We know that Noah lived for 600 years before the flood; we also know that Noah was a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5), so presumably he was preaching long before the flood. And the law of God is the only thing that could comfort a world created by “the sons of God going unto the daughters of men”; and so Noah's preaching must have begun Philadelphia.

He lived a long time, and we know virtually nothing, but even assuming he started preaching at say, 100, he had half a millennium before the flood to work and “comfort” them during Philadelphia. It must have been a losing battle however, as by 120 years before the flood (Genesis 6:3), Noah seems to have completely failed to get any permanent converts:

Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Which thoroughly describes Laodicea. Jesus, as has been said, compared Laodicea (our time) to the time of Noah. They were going about their business, laughing about Noah and his silly ark, joking about God's wrath until suddenly it was there. They had a complete lack of faith in God's warnings – all signs of Laodiceanism.

And then the flood came. And with it, a new cycle:

THE POST FLOOD WORLD

It was surely a contrite eight people who walked out of the Ark. For a while at least, they were cowed. They were sacrificing to the true God, everyone knew not to tell jokes about Noah anymore, and all was well for awhile; a century or two, anyway. This fits Ephesus perfectly. A new beginning.

But just as before, somebody wanted something that wasn't his, and so Nimrod became a mighty hunter in place of God (Genesis 10:9). He was a warrior, built walled cities, and started the original post-flood Beast empire at Babel (Babylon). The Bible is silent beyond that, but history is not. It is certain that he persecuted those who still wanted to obey God, who had commanded them to “replenish the Earth”.

But Nimrod wanted them to stay in one place, and serve him. So Nimrod represents the Smyrnan era of the powerful beast persecuting the church. Much of what's about to be said is drawn from history, as compiled in Satan's Great Deception by C. Paul Meredith; so the story is as follows. First, Shem killed Nimrod, ending the Smyrnan era. And then Nimrod's wife, Semiramis took the religion/empire they had built underground, starting the Babylonian mystery religion, the false church that has continued to this day.

Now rather than persecuting the saints, she deceived them – sound familiar? Just like Eve, and the Catholic church? After the destruction of the power of the empire, she develops a deception to continue her work! Pergamos, again!

By the time of Abraham, about 200 years later, her deception was so powerful that the only way to keep a church alive was to leave; and so Abraham was called OUT OF UR – which was in the land of BABYLON! (Acts 7:2-3). We also know that Abraham's brother Haran died in Ur, before they left. (Genesis 11:28). We are not told why or how Haran died, but God surely said it for a reason. So consider this idea;

Abraham was a man of God. God surely didn't randomly select him to receive such great promises. So before God ever brought him out of Ur, he was presumably quite righteous. Since he will dwell on God's holy hill, it is safe to assume that he was a person “in whose eyes a vile person is contemned” (Psalms 15:4). We also know that “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12). So it's reasonable to assume that, like Lot felt about Sodom (2 Peter 2:8), Abraham's righteous soul was vexed daily by their evil deeds.

And when Abraham told the people of Ur they were evil, they no doubt reacted negatively. That may be how Haran died. And so God told Abraham to LEAVE Ur, and flee to a safe place that God would give him for an inheritance. So all of his family came with him – being the family of a heretic, even if pagan yourself, can still be unhealthy.

All of that fits perfectly the attitude of Thyatira; so then Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob wandered “in a land not theirs”, safe from the evil in Babylon. Just as the church in the middle ages hid patiently in the alps safely away from the reborn Babylon.

The weakest part of the whole concept is that I haven't found a place to identify Sardis (compromise) after this. But the entry into Egypt, with the “brotherly love” between Joseph and his brothers, with the way the Egyptians joyously received them, with the wealth and happiness that existed while Joseph was alive, and while those were alive who knew Joseph (Exodus 1:6-8), fairly reeks of Philadelphia.

So somewhere between the entry to Egypt and the time of Abraham – probably after Isaac as well – lays Sardis. Regardless, Philadelphia lasted a good while in Egypt, but all too soon it ended and was replaced by a new attitude in the Israelites. At the time of the Exodus, they were thoroughly devoid of faith; and with an attitude very much like we see today:

Acts 7:27 But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him [Moses] away, saying, Who made THEE a ruler and a judge over us?

This is the earliest recorded instance of “how dare you judge me!” in history. A phrase which sums up Laodicea as well as any other. But God overlooked all that, and brought them out of Egypt anyway. And still, they stubbornly refused to have faith.

Hebrews 4:8-10 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

Which sums up Laodicea quite well again. And the pattern follows true, that Laodicea is immediately before a new start; immediately before we enter the spiritual promised land. And here, immediately before they entered the literal promised land.

But although Laodicea technically ended at the Exodus, the people who left Egypt would not embrace a new era; they kept their old attitudes, their old spirit, and so they perpetuated the era even after it had ended!

Numbers 14:22-24 Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: But my servant Caleb, because he had ANOTHER SPIRIT WITH HIM, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

Caleb had a DIFFERENT SPIRIT than the rest of the Israelites! The spirit of the NEW, EPHESUS era – one characterized by ZEAL!

Numbers 13:30 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up AT ONCE, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it.

But the Laodiceans who had been brought out of Egypt wouldn't have it! They tried to stone him, just as the Laodiceans (Pharisees) at the time of Christ wouldn't accept the new Ephesus era and tried to stone the apostles (and sometimes succeeded). And it wasn't until FORTY YEARS passed, with the destruction of the temple, that the power of the Pharisees was truly broken and the Ephesus era was truly on a roll.

Most of the Jewish Christians stayed around Jerusalem, around the temple, around the scribes and priests for 40 years after Jesus died, and the early church was regularly contaminated with Jews trying to force new converts to be circumcised, sacrifice, and so on – frequently bothering Paul and his new churches.

Acts 25:7 And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.

Galatians 2:11 But when Cephas [Peter] came to Antioch, I made a protest against him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. For before certain men came from James, he did take food with the Gentiles: but when they came, he went back and made himself separate, fearing those who were of the circumcision.

Peter was afraid of those who were holding on to the Laodicean era – those who had another spirit – and even Barnabas was overcome by them!

Verse 13 And the rest of the Jews went after him, so that even Barnabas was overcome by their false ways.

So it was these “leftover Laodiceans” that caused most of the damage to the church, with circumcision, “Jewish fables”, and so on – just as it was the leftover Laodiceans in Egypt who prevented Caleb and Joshua from entering the promised land right after Sinai. And it was about 40 years in both cases between the start of the Ephesus era, and the true end of Laodicea, which wasn't until they entered the promised land and all those who had grown up in Laodicea and refused to let go of it... died.

THE PROMISED LAND

After entering the promised land, they were immediately circumcised (Joshua 5); and for a little while, there was no major trouble; they zealously fought the inhabitants of the land, were reasonably faithful, and God drove out the nations before them.

Judges 2:7-10And the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua ... [then Joshua died] ... And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

But then perhaps 30, perhaps 50 years after entering the promised land, they started to lose zeal; they got comfortable, they became strong (another attribute of Ephesus), and they didn't need God quite so much... and so they left their first love.

Judges 1:28 And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out.

Which God had specifically commanded them NOT to do;

Judges 2:11-12 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.

And immediately, when they became strong, they started “fudging” with God's commands. And what always happens when the Ephesus era does that? Persecution!

Verses 14-15 And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.

Could you describe the Smyrna era better than that if you tried? A once-zealous nation turning their back on God being persecuted by their enemies?

God really tried hard with Israel; He devoted a lot of time to Smyrna this time. They were sold into slavery over and over – six complete captivities are recorded in Judges. There were still Philistine garrisons in the land of Israel in the time of DAVID! Four hundred years after they entered the promised land, Israel was still being persecuted by outsiders – the hallmark of Smyrna.

But where do we find a change into religious deception? Not under David, who ended Smyrna... but under Solomon!

Nehemiah 13:26 Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish WOMEN cause to sin.

Notice the role women played in this deception, so characteristic of Pergamos! Just as Eve and Semiramis started the Pergamos era in the former two cycles, so Solomon's wives began the process here; and it was greatly helped by another famous woman, Jezebel – but we'll get to her in a moment.

After the death of Solomon the kingdoms were divided; Israel was headed by Jeroboam who immediately set up golden calves, moved the feast to the eighth month, and in various ways contributed to the RELIGIOUS deception of Israel!

1 Kings 14:16 And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.

But Jeroboam, though the ringleader so to speak, was far from the most effective deceiver of Israel; that honor goes once again to a WOMAN, Jezebel!

1 Kings 21:25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.

Jezebel was actually the daughter of the high priest of Tyre, Ethbaal – notice the “baal” in that name – and was in fact a high priestess herself. And she holds a special place in God's heart as one of the most evil people ever. And what did Jezebel do? Let Revelation answer:

Revelation 2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

Jezebel set the pattern for the next several centuries; her deception (from the Pergamos era) persisted long after she was killed, she continued to influence Israel and Judah for hundreds of years. Just as in the most recent cycle of eras, when Rome was killed (received a deadly wound) at the end of the Pergamos era, it was resurrected and continued to afflict the saints for over a millennium throughout the Thyatira era.

Thus Jezebel was a part of the Pergamos era – a religious deceiver if ever there was one, worthy to follow Solomon's wives and Jeroboam. This was also the time of Elijah, who was battling these people but, ultimately, to no avail; he himself wondered why he was bothering. To which God said...

1 Kings 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

But it was time for a change; Elijah, for all his power, wasn't having any effect in bringing Israel back on track.

Verse 14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

So what did God do? What does He ALWAYS do when an era is getting worse and worse, despite all His best efforts? Fire EVERYONE and get all new leaders – even of the gentile nations! In other words, God started a new era!

Verse 15-17And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.

A complete changing of the guard and the inauguration of the Thyatira era! As usual however, it took quite some time for Ahab to die and Elijah to actually leave, so there was a gradual change as the old leaders left or were killed off and the new ones took office. Notice another change that took place at the time Jehu took office:

2 Kings 10:32 In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel;

Within about 150 years, God scattered them among the nations.

2 Kings 17:18,20 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. ... And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers, until he had cast them out of his sight.

A slight variation on the theme of hiding the church in the wilderness, but only slightly. Israel was scattered because together they would not stop being a slave to Pergamos, and so to save them Thyatira was scattered among all nations, to be hidden and protected until later!

To be fair, this is one of the weaker points of the theory; there are only 2-3 gaps that are difficult to establish for certain, but so many fit easily and perfectly, that the concept is very convincing. The details can be ironed out later, an era moved here and there, but the idea has so much behind it that it's difficult to argue the principle.

One idea at this point that's worth mentioning is that Isaiah is not too negative; he's far less doom and gloom than Jeremiah; most of his prophecies are somewhat encouraging; “yes, it's bad, but it's going to get better! God is coming to set up a kingdom; Jesus is coming to die for our sins; an age of peace and happiness for everyone is coming, just HANG ON” – that to me is the feeling I get from Isaiah. Which is the message I would think Thyatira, the patient, oppressed church, would need most.

Isaiah was written around 780-740 B.C. – and by the time of Jeremiah (640-550 B.C. or so) the message had completely changed; Jeremiah is very harsh in his criticisms of the people, and very sparing with his “it'll get better” messages. This difference must reflect the difference in the attitudes of the people, and more importantly the difference in God's method of dealing with them!

Meaning that between Isaiah (Thyatira) and Jeremiah, the change to Sardis must have occurred! Jeremiah's chief complaint about the people was that they SAID they were people of God, but really served Baal and the queen of heaven (still listening to Jezebel's advice).

Jeremiah 7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.

What lying words?

Verses 8-10 Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations?

So they wanted to serve other Gods, burn incense to Baal, then come to the temple of God and say “We are God's people! We are delivered to do these things!” And after a lifetime of Jeremiah's prophesying, the people still wanted to be called God's people and serve Semiramis/Jezebel/the Great Whore!

Jeremiah 42:2-3 [the Jews that were left that didn't go into captivity came...] And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:) That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do.

They wanted God's help! They wanted to be known as God's people! Well, God said “whatever you do, don't go to Egypt”; so naturally they ignored Him and went anyway. Jeremiah said don't worship idols; and they said (after all this!):

Jeremiah 44:16-17 As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

So here we have a people who have a NAME that they are alive (Israelites, people of the Lord) – but are in fact, DEAD in their sins! Just like Sardis! Sardis, who wanted to be the church of God and believe the Bible alone, but when it came down to it COMPROMISED with the Great Whore about the Sabbath, Easter, and so many other things so-called “Protestants” do IN OBEDIENCE to the commands of the modern Jezebel!

Micah 3:11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: YET WILL THEY LEAN UPON THE LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.

Surely these rebellious Israelites fit perfectly the attitude of the Sardis era! This attitude did not change until the return from the captivity; then God set a great door before Ezra and Nehemiah that “no man could shut” (though many tried). Then was a time of communal work, of sharing, of rebuilding the city and the temple, of reestablishing order; of the great assembly, which restored most of the truth and finished much of the Old Testament; all things identified directly with Philadelphia!

This lasted for awhile, until once again all those men died and were replaced by an attitude that was – you guessed it – Laodicean, which we read about in Malachi.

Throughout Malachi – too often to quote – God says “you have despised me” and the priests say “Who, us? How?” and God says by doing this or that; God says “you have stolen from me” and they say “Not us!”; they do this over and over again. Because THEY haven't sinned! THEY aren't evil! They are righteous, holy, and are SURE God loves them – and they don't realize they are “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked”!

All these attitudes are echoed thoroughly in the Pharisees. And on your TV, your church's podium, and at the supermarket. Just as they were before the flood, and before the entry to the promised land. Now consider that the Pharisees watched their temple destroyed, and themselves and their people slaughtered in horrific numbers – over a million according to Josephus:

“The slaughter within was even more dreadful than the spectacle from without. Men and women, old and young, insurgents and priests, those who fought and those who entreated mercy, were hewn down in indiscriminate carnage. The number of the slain exceeded that of the slayers. The legionaries had to clamber over heaps of dead to carry on the work of extermination.” (Josephus, Wars of the Jews, regarding the siege of Jerusalem by Titus in 70 A.D.)

This is what God did to finally exterminate the Laodicean church of that age. And the Jews have since, by their stubborn rejection of Christ, been locked away from God, without hope of salvation. After the siege of Jerusalem Titus, a pagan, reportedly refused to accept a wreath of victory, saying there is “no merit in vanquishing people forsaken by their own God”

And then consider that all the leftover Laodiceans from Egypt died without entering the promised land – to the last man. And then consider that all the Laodiceans before the flood died.

Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

God has already said that the Laodiceans have Him locked out of their churches; and that He will spew them out of His mouth when He returns if they don't listen. We have three earlier cycles of dead Laodiceans to prove that God is not bluffing. And yet the world will call His bluff nonetheless – it is calling it as we speak. Daring God to destroy it.

Luke 18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

And the time is coming when God will forbear no longer, when He will destroy Laodicea and start anew with... Ephesus? Or with all seven at once? Or with none of the above? I'm not sure yet.