Life Study of Revelation Misses Mark RE: "First Love"

[JJ]

It seems contrary and conflicting to me for Lee to both say the seven churches are symbolic of the stages of church history we have been discussing and also in his 1976 Life Study commentary on Revelation 1:11 https://biblehub.com/revelation/1-11.htm also say “only those who are in the local churches are rightly positioned with the right angle and the proper perspective to see the visions in this book” (in Chapter 7, Section 3 of On-Line Life Study). It seems contrary and conflicting to me for Lee to both say the seven churches are symbolic of the stages of church history we have been discussing and also in his 1976 Life Study commentary on Revelation 1:11 https://biblehub.com/revelation/1-11.htm also say “only those who are in the local churches are rightly positioned with the right angle and the proper perspective to see the visions in this book” (in Chapter 7, Section 3 of On-Line Life Study).

For example the letter to the church in Sardis according to Lee represents churches such as Lutheran, Methodist, Mennonite (denominations) who today don’t call themselves “the church in....” so could they not see the Jesus described as walking among seven lamp stands with seven stars in His hands nor read, understand, and respond to the messenger or Angel with Sardis’ letter and the Spirit’s speaking to the churches even though it was intended for them?