The seven congregations and the Woman
In the article titled “The Seven Congregations: A Turning Point” , we saw how they represent God's people, i.e. the Jews, and how all theories concerning Christianity are absolutely bogus.
We deduced this, among other things…
1) the fact that some of them are accused of tolerating in their ranks those who " say they themselves are Jews, and are not" - see Revelation 2:9; 3:9
2) because in each of them there is a star that holds the lampstand and that can be taken away from them - see Revelation 2:5
Are these reasons sufficient to exclude, categorically, that they are "Christian churches" or other things?
Absolutely yes in that, as we have already seen, Christianity has no part in God's purpose and the book of Revelation focuses especially on Israel and its centrality from beginning to end – see Revelation 3:12, 13; 21:2, 10
Simple logic leads us to conclude that if at least one congregation is reprimanded for having "those who say they are Jews and are not" among its ranks, they must be composed of Jews to be recognized as valid .
This scripture also helps us to understand that even when Gentiles were added to God's people, it was still the Jews who took the lead - see Acts 15:22-29; 1 Corinthians 3:5-9
All speeches made to try to prove that those who are supposed to be Jews are not really Jews have no logical basis and are only made to refer to themselves or their illegal religious organization.
It is evident that throughout the Bible being "seed of Abraham", and in particular Jews, constituted a condition of privilege compared to other peoples - compare Romans 11:1, 2, 17-21
The Jews were given the sacred oracles of God and to no one else - Romans 3:1, 2
The matter is made even more evident by an episode well narrated in the Scriptures, recorded in 2 Corinthians chapter 11.
The "superfine apostles" who arose in the first century began to lead astray some Corinthians who, at the height of superficiality, felt particularly attracted by their way of speaking and presenting themselves.
As widely foretold, the rapacious wolves were quickly creeping in with all their deceptive might – see Acts 20:29, 30
What tactic did they use to take away the true disciples?
From Paul's words we understand that they did not simply use courtly language, showing themselves to be so educated and intelligent, but added to this their real or presumed origin.
The apostle wrote “ Are they Jews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Am I Abraham's offspring? So am I” – 2 Corinthians 11:22
Why, for these superfine apostles, was it necessary to specify that they are Israelites and seed of Abraham if indeed there would be no difference in authority between them and the Gentiles?
And why did the apostle Paul specify that he too was so instead of explaining that being Abraham's seed or not did not make any difference within the Christian congregation ?
If this were true, the whole matter could have settled in the final part where they say they are "followers of Christ" - 2 Corinthians 11:23-27
Surely Paul had demonstrated it much more than they did.
In order for the deception of these superfine apostles to be complete, they did not have to be simply "good at speaking" but they also had to demonstrate that they had what it takes, that is, that they were Israelites and Abraham's seed evidently because, at the time, it was known that only they could take the lead and eventually "draw disciples after them."
With the advent of Christianity, of course, this simple and profound truth was hidden and confused also because it would have been impossible to mislead all of humanity by remaining tied to a single people, but the biblical account is clear if one reads it without prejudice.
According to them, the Jewish people became not only "rejected forever" but the apostate people par excellence, worthy only of hatred and contempt.
For many Westerners the word "Jew" is synonymous with "denier of the Messiah" and, at best, something completely unrelated to the "church", a thing apart.
For a large part of self-referential Christianity, to be a Christian you simply have to "accept Jesus" and it doesn't matter if "this Jesus" is completely different from the one reported in the Scriptures and there is an even more important aspect.
For a Jew to "accept Jesus" meant acknowledging that all the prophecies recorded in the Jewish Scriptures concerning the Messiah, including the various precepts of the Law, were fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth and no one else - compare Acts 5:34:40
For a Jew, obviously, "accepting Jesus" had a precise and profound meaning.
Since apostasy took hold from the end of the first century to the present, what has it meant to "accept Jesus" for any Gentile?
It simply means "to believe that he existed"... but was this really the original meaning and would this recognition really be enough to be saved? - compare James 2:19; see also Matthew 7:22, 23
The article titled “Who is illegal?” explains why all organizations that exist today are self-referential and illegal.
Can Ephraimites be part of the seven congregations? - John 4:22
Recently, however, the in-depth biblical study has led us to open an interesting parenthesis regarding the Ephraimites and the other dispersed tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel - Deuteronomy 30
In the article titled “When Ephraim Returns Home” we saw that the 10 tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel, now scattered for 2700 years, must “return home” as this is God's will expressed in clear Biblical prophecy – see Ezekiel 37:15-20
From Deuteronomy chapter 30 we learn that God's people, the moment they showed disobedience, would be scattered among the nations and this is exactly what happened, in due time, for both kingdoms.
While the southern part returned in its time coming out of Babylon, the northern kingdom never returned and, indeed, it is practically impossible for a human being today to understand who has a Jewish ancestry and who is not.
We are unable to say, at least with absolute certainty, who has Jewish ancestry and how many there may be today (certainly a huge number).
However, Bible prophecy must be fulfilled, does it not?
This must take place in the time of the end and from Jacob's own blessing we learn that Ephraim in particular would become " a multitude of nations" - Genesis 48:13-20; compare Revelation 7:9, 10
Throughout Jewish history, Ephraim never became a multitude of nations, so it is evident that this prophecy has yet to be fulfilled.
Returning therefore to the initial question, that is, the one relating to the seven congregations, does the question perhaps become more complicated?
It is evident that at least a portion of these ephra imitates , however numerous they may be , must be found scattered among the various churches of Christendom.
They are obviously “Jews” and “seed of Abraham”… so what to say?
Are we at the end of the day and the seven congregations go back to being "by right" the sects of Christianity due to the fact that, within them, there is at least one Ephraimite?
Judging by the false beliefs and practices described in them it almost seems so!
However , a more careful reading leads us to exclude this possibility.
The accusation leveled at the congregations of Smyrna and Philadelphia is not about being generically "Jew" but "Jew" and this is not only in harmony with the words that the Lord spoke to the Samaritan woman but with the whole biblical story - see John 4: 22
The Jews, all, for example, to celebrate Easter had to go " to the place chosen by Jehovah for his name to reside there " or in Jerusalem, in the territory of Judah - Deuteronomy 16:1-8
Furthermore, the leadership in worship was reserved for the Levites and no other tribe could take their place: therefore it was not enough to be a Jew – Exodus 27:20, 21; Exodus chapter 28; 29:43
From the biblical story it is well understood that "being Abraham's seed", although an indispensable condition, was not a sufficient condition for worshiping God as He had commissioned the Levites for this.
Also in the first century, precisely with Jesus , salvation would restart from there.
From this we understand why the last book of the Bible, speaking of the seven congregations, simply mentions the Jewish ones: this happens because true worship will have to restart from these.
As mentioned, the book of Revelation focuses particularly on Israel and its fundamental role.
Aside from those Jews and Levites who will be chosen as the major portion of the 144,000, the seven congregations, at least potentially as it will depend on individual faithfulness, are the seed of what will become the woman described in chapter 12.
It will then be made up of all who have settled themselves and will be further purified at the coming of the Lord – Malachi 3:2-4
By carefully reading the evidence and warnings addressed to the various congregations, we understand the correctness of this interpretation.
Every single Christian is responsible for his or her own behavior but who, of all of them, would bear the greatest responsibility?
Obviously those who would take the lead, those whom the Lord calls “stars”, whom He sees with the lampstand and who He addresses in the first person – Revelation 1:12, 16, 20; see also Daniel 8:9, 10; 12:3; Jude 11-13; James 3:1
These stars may be among "those who will bring many to justice" or among those "without established course" to whom destruction is reserved: everything will depend on their spiritual condition when the Lord arrives.
The Woman will then be formed from all the faithful part of these seven congregations who will flee into the desert and, at God's appointed time, there will be reunited with her seed - Revelation 12:14; see also Isaiah 60:1-10; Jeremiah 31:1-6; Ezekiel 20:36-38; 34:25-31; Hosea 1:14-16
There is therefore no contradiction with what we have learned because the seed of her, or of the Woman, will be all the other tribes of the northern kingdom, of which Ephraim will constitute the main part, and which God will have brought out of all the nations and gather in due time during the great tribulation.
Together with them, probably, there will also be a part of foreigners as happened during the exodus from Egypt.
This understanding brings us closer to a better understanding of the ten virgins of the Lord's parable - Matthew 25:1-12
Are they Jews, i.e. brides, or Ephraimites, i.e. invited to the wedding ?
For these and other questions , please refer to a future article.
Pictured: Laodicea
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