Quote:
Originally Posted by Evangelical
City-church rule is proven by the fact that in Revelation 1:11 it only counts SEVEN churches.
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You have insufficient information to declare that the one verse makes any kind of declarative statement. Are you sure that the reference is intended to be to seven assemblies that are tied by official name (and the only official way to name) to the cities? Or was there only one assembly in each at the time? You cannot declare something to be simply true based on a lack of information upon which to define your terms.
Besides, if you need to take all of the words as being precise statements of fact, then Rev 1:11 may be declaring that there are, at that time, only seven churches. It does not say send letters to "these particular churches." I will note that certain translations indicate "which are in Asia" but it seems most do not. Different source texts? You chose the one without the designator. But even if it was to be limited to churches in Asia, are you sure that those were the only ones in Asia? Most historical writings describe these seven as the "major churches" in the Roman province of Asia. Not the only ones. And at least one of the house churches (which you deny as being what they are described as in the Bible) are in this region. If that house church had been the church in some other city, why wasn't Paul up on his doctrine and instead referred to them by their city name and not this erroneous descriptor?
In short, even trying to use this one, you dismiss too much as irrelevant so that you can force an unstated prescription on the nature of the church.
Reminds me of Father Guido Sarducci (from SNL) telling of the American they made into a saint by waiving one of the required miracles. "They just a waved a miracle."
Or Adam Savage "I reject your reality and replace it with my own."
I once thought as you do. But one day I realized that it didn't really say what we were taught. There was something added. And something taken away. Once you do that, you are not really talking about the Bible anymore. Just some of the words from it so heavily edited that they bear little resemblance to what they were in their context.