Sean, let me explain what I believe before you put words in my mouth,
Rev 1 is symbolic. How do I know? As I stated, the sword from Jesus' mouth is directly related to
Heb 4:12 that says God's word is sharper than any twoedged Sword.
It symbolizes the WORD. Get it? From the mouth?
Secondly, Jesus flatly stated symbols to John.
Revelation 1:20 KJV The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
The candlesticks he was standing in SYMBOLIZED THE SEVEN CHURCHES. The stars in his hand SYMBOLIZED THE SEVEN ANGELS OF THE CHURCHES.
John actually saw with his eyes a seven candlesticks and seven stars in His hand, like he saw the sword form his mouth. But the candlesticks and stars were symbolic. John saw a VISION. Symbolic.
The seven churches were actual churches.
Rev 2-3 were chapters where THE VISION OF CHAPTER 1 had Jesus TELLING HIM TO WRITE words to seven churches. John did not see seven churches in a vision, except for the seven candlesticks that symbolized those churches in Chapter 1. HE HEARD WORDS that he was told to write in Chapters 2 and 3. He did not see seven churches in Chapters 2-3. He just heard words to write to those churches.
And
Rev 1:10 says he was in the SPIRIT. That shows us it was a VISION. He said the same thing
Rev 17:3 where the Spirit carried him away IN THE SPIRIT to the wilderness where he saw a monster with a whore riding it's back.
He was in the spirit, meaning IT WAS A VISION.
SYMBOLIC, Sean.
Chapter 4-5 is another vision. THE LAMB has seven eyes and horns and goes to the one on the throne. If you do not believe chapters 4 and 5 were visions, then you must believe we will see TWO IN HEAVEN... the Father sitting on the throne and the LAMB approaching the Father. But the truth is that is a symbolic vision and we are not going to see TWO. God is ONE. We will only see the BODY OF JESUS, but never God the Father because God is a Spirit who is everywhere. You cannot see someone who is everywhere or else you would not be able to see past the surface of your eyeballs. So, John saw a symbolic vision of Jesus as LAMB and HIGH PRIEST BOTH going into the holiest of holies which is heaven. And he made atonement for us like the high priest alone could only go into the holiest in the Old Testament. That's why no one was worthy to go to the throne and take the book except THE SEVEN-EYED LAMB IN REV 5:3.
It is symbolic.
You symbolize it yourself! You said
Rev 4:1-WAS THE RAPTURE, when in reality ONLY JOHN WAS CAUGHT UP. If only John was caught up at the voice of the trumpet, and the church was still on earth when John saw that, and you say it is the rapture, then you are saying JOHN'S CATCHING UP is SYMBOLIC of the church.
It was a VISION John saw where a hand touched him. If it wasn't then, why did Jesus say that the same right hand that touched him also held seven stars that were the ANGELS OF THE SEVEN CHURCHES? When John wrote the letters to the seven churches in chapters 2-3, he addressed the angel of each church. Is there a STAR in each church, and is each church a literal CANDLESTICK? You do not read everything in the chapter, Sean.
Did John take the letters he wrote and to those seven churches and hand them to each of the candlesticks he saw Jesus stand in? Did Jesus intend for John to write a letter and actually give it to one the candlesticks instead of sending it to an actual congregation in Asia Minor? You said none of it is symbolic! That means Jesus wanted him to write a letter to a CANDLESTICK!
So what? RAPTURE is never used in the entire bible and you believe in it.
It is clearly a VISION, because John was in a CAVE and suddenly saw the golden candlesticks from the Tabernacle IN THE CAVE with Jesus holding stars. And Jesus told him the candlesticks were the churches and the stars were the angels of the churches. But you do not think it is symbolic so for you must believe there were not seven real churches
and actual since in this case CANDLESTICKS were distinctly said by Jesus to be churches, and that cannot be symbolic since you said the word VISION was not mentioned.
So which is it?
So, in that case a revelation of the churches being candlesticks must mean they are not actual churches but candlesticks with fires, and no people involved at all! And Jesus has seven stars that are angels of those churches. Not actual beings but impersonal STARS.
You really have quite a doctrine, Sean. It's quite a revelation, indeed, to now know that churches are not congregations, but candlesticks. Silly us!
It says the revelation of Jesus THAT WAS SIGNIFIED TO JOHN. In other words the Revelation of Jesus was revealed to John BY SIGNS, not actualities. Like Jesus in candlesticks WAS A SIGN that Jesus is in the midst of the churches, as we read about in
Rev 2:1.
If this is not symbolic then you have to say that Jesus was literally in non-symbolic candlesticks, where congregations and people have nothing to do with it like actual churches that we are familiar with. Churches to JESUS in
Rev 1 were not congregations of people in certain cities, but CAnLDESTICKS.
However, John was in PATMOS and Jesus said one of the candlestick churches was in EPHESUS. Was EPHESUS actually in that cave, too? Was the actual congregation physically taken tot he isle of Patmos and turned into a candlestick for an hour or so while John watched the non-symbolic scene? After all, he said the churches that were actually candlesticks were IN THOSE CITIES. But John saw them in the cave at patmos!
Can you explain how the churches can be in Patmos at the same time they're in seven different cities?
What about all the other CITIES these churches were in? Were these cities ABSENT OF THE CHURCH CONGREGATIONS, since Jesus took them and changed them into actual non-symbolic candlesticks and stood inside them in the cave with John? Or was the CAVE'S position where ONE candlestick stood, actually Thyatira. And a few feet away where the other candlestick stood the city of EPHESUS was there in the cave? In other words, ALL THESE CITIES WHERE THE CHURCHES WERE must have been inside that little cave, since you said none of it is symbolic.
For Jesus to tell John to write to the church in Ephesus was really silly, you must think. The church was right there in the cave and was turned into a candlestick! Why would he have to write to it if it was right there as that candlestick? Why did John simply go to the candlestick and tell it the words of Jesus.
Oh, maybe it could hear Jesus itself, since Jesus was in the midst of the candlesticks that he said were churches. But why would he tell john to write to them if they could hear the words of Jesus standing right there in the cave anyway? Oh, right! Candlesticks do not have EARS! But how could they read letters if they ere non-symbolic candlesticks?
Whew, you have quite the doctrine, Sean! Please explain that to us!
Sorry, I believed this was a vision long before I knew anything about preterism LIKE ANY OTHER PERSON READILY KNOWS, Sean.
lol
Anyone futurist or preterist KNOWS THAT WAS A VISION, but for some reason you are the lone ranger who disagrees! To you, the seven churches are not congregations, but actual candlesticks!
Sure did! I guess John w as wrong as well when he was told churches are not congregations, silly John. They are CANDLESTICKS! Non-symbolic candlesticks. And although John did not likely now it before, non-symbolic STARS CAN READ LETTERS! No wonder people started talking to the stars at night! They must have agreed with you that they are angels of churches out there in the dark nightsky!
It's the WORD going forth fulfilling the judgment He spoke. 
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