#IM Media | #Revelations | The Seven Churches

IM Media Productions produces quality Christ, Culture & Creator videos. Our goal is to provide content that advances the believer’s identity in Christ.

Today’s Video: The 7 Churches of Revelation | Times of Fire
Overall theme: Historical Reveal of the Seven Churches

Dr. Phinney is the Founder of IOM America, Identity Matters Worldview Institute, and the IM Online School. He is the author of several books that focus on Christ, Culture, & Creator - all centered on the believer's identity in Christ. IOM America publishes online articles & media through multiple venues. Dr. Phinney holds degrees in Psychology, Counseling Psychology & International Cross-culture Leadership (DMin).

[mac]

Thank I so much for this production! ❤

[kaith]

Thank you for this…I enjoyed knowing my roots in Christ and I learned a lot. We always judge others but we don’t know what people have or had to go through!!! Only God🙌🏻

[DrStephenRPhinney]

I want to thank all of you for watching "The Seven Churches." Consider watching part two. You can find the link in the description box. Blessings to all of you. -Dr. Phinney

[charlene]

We traced the Apostle Paul’s journey through Turkey and Greece in Nov 2023. This is a welcome reminder of that wonderful trip. Thank you.

[sharonprem]

This is a well documented movie🔥 Wonder why there are not many likes! Matthew 7.13&14

[heather]

Thank you for your hard work and for sharing it with us.

[JPGdesigngroup]

We’re going through the book of Revelation right now in church. This is a great resource. May we not forget what Jesus has done for us and may we live for him!

[HotelCharliHill]

Come quickly, Lord! This world SUCKS!!!! And you are SO MUCH GRANDER!!!! I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM!!! AND THEN THE NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH!!!

[ninagonzalez]

I was looking for the second part I'm like wait there is none yet I absolutely loved the video I never understood about the churches n u showing n going into depth I wrote 17 pages just now literally. I love history n love love learning about GOD. Please send the second copy out asap. I'm dying to learn more. Your the first person that actually lives n ask the questions n goes into depth. I understood alot from watching this movie. Thank u so much. Praying for a safe trip all around n that this movie of the 4 other churches goes well as GOD would love and expect it to be.

[JoseLopez-fugm]

Praise God above for this great movie, I have been studying the Book of Revelation and this movie helped me get a fuller understanding of the 7 Churches. I can't wait to see part 2 and see where the other 4 Churches are located and what narration of them is. Thank you so much for this movie and may God bless you all who are involved.

[huyly]

Thank you for this documentary, and I looking forward to the other 4 churches.

[Saint_nobody]

Just like the Luther movie staring Voldemort's brother in the titular role, I come here from advertisements in Gabland...

[antoniois]

That isn't the star of David, that's the star of Remphan.
"But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves." -Amos 5:26 KJV
"Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon." -Acts 7:43 KJV

[raywatts]

The love that we should have to one another and spread the love of our Lord to everyone spreading the gospel and spreading the love that Jesus gave I can see where the church itself could be so frustrated that little by little instead of preaching the gospel with love and correction with love they became very hard and so many ways could be judgmental to society against the people itself That's why Paul wrote for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but it gets principalities and that's where I believe in my own theory that the church itself went against humanity instead of actually looking at the root instead of actually showing love of the Lord to everyone and spreading the gospel they were showing hard unloving gospel to everyone this is my theory I could be wrong Lord forgive me

[antoniois]

The throne is not a physical place but the "rule" or "under the authority of, " "to bow down to;" also known as worship.

[chesterhiggs]

part 1 Polycarp - Introduction
The early church was hated by the society and government of the Roman Empire for various reasons, such as the refusal of Christians to sacrifice to the gods. The Empire went through many phases of demanding that the Christians sacrifice — which meant denying their faith — or be killed. The earliest attacks claimed the lives of many of the apostles.
This text is the story, from around 160 AD, of the martyrdom of Polycarp, the Bishop of the church in Smyrna, a city in Asia Minor (modern Izmir in Turkey) devoted to Roman worship.
The account is in the form of a letter from eye-witnesses to other churches in the area. It is the earliest chronicle of a martyrdom outside the New Testament.
Polycarp was an old man, at least 86 (see part 10), and probably the last surviving person to have known an apostle, having been a disciple of St. John. This was one reason he was greatly revered as a teacher and church leader.
One interesting feature of the letter is that the writer is very conscious of how Polycarp’s death followed the pattern of Christ’s. As you read it, look for parallels between this story and the Easter story in the gospels.
The numbers below refer to segments in the document.
1. Smyrna’s Introduction
We are writing to you, brothers, with an account of the martyrs, especially the blessed Polycarp, whose death brought to the persecution to a close.
Almost all the events that led up to it reveal it to be another martyrdom in the divine pattern that we see in the Gospel.
For he waited for his betrayal, just like the Lord did, so that we might follow him, in looking out for the needs of others as well as ourselves. True love desires not only one’s own salvation, but the salvation of all our brothers.
2. Earlier Martyrs
All the martyrdoms which God allowed to happen (remember that the devout will ascribe all things to his sovereignty) were blessed and noble. Who could not admire their honor, their patience, their love for the Lord?
They were whipped to shreds till their veins and arteries were exposed, and still endured patiently, while even those that stood by cried for them.
They had such courage that none of them let out a sigh or a groan, proving when they suffered such torments they were absent from their bodies –
or rather that the Lord then stood by them and talked with them. By the grace of Christ they despised all the cruelties of this world, redeeming themselves from eternal punishment by the suffering of a single hour.

The fire of their savage executioners appeared cool to them, because they fixed their eyes on their escape from the eternal unquenchable fire and the good things promised to those who endure – things ‘which ear has not heard, nor eye seen, nor the human heart imagined’ but were revealed to them by the Lord. They were no longer men, but had already become angels. In the same way, those who were condemned to the wild beasts endured dreadful torture. Some were stretched out on beds of spikes. Others were subjected to all kinds of torments, all in the Devil’s attempt to make them deny Christ.
3. The Death of Germanicus
In all that the Devil attempted he failed, thanks be to God. The heroic Germanicus encouraged the weak by his own endurance, and fought bravely with the wild animals: when the Proconsul tried to persuade him to cooperate for the sake of his own youth, he drew the wild beast towards himself and provoked it, in order to escape more quickly from this wicked world. Seeing all this, the amazed crowd of spectators cried out, “Down with the atheists! [i.e. those who do not believe in the Roman gods] Get Polycarp!”
4. Why we don’t encourage voluntary martyrdom
By the way, when Quintus the Phrygian handed himself over for martyrdom with some others, the Proconsul persuaded them to take the oath and sacrifice. This is why we do not approve of voluntary martyrdom, something the Gospel does not teach us to do.
5. Polycarp’s Vision- The Betrayal

When he heard about this, the redoubtable Polycarp was not in the least upset, and was happy to stay in the city, but eventually he was persuaded to leave. He went to friends in the nearby country, where as usual he spent the whole time, day and night, in prayer for all people and for the churches throughout the world. Three days before he was arrested,

[jessbecause]

At about 21 minutes, they’re addressing. What is this love that has been lost. Speaking of the church of Ephesus. When you compare various translations, you realize that it is the love of charity that they lost not the love of God.

[RaptureReady]

Are you going to put part 2 on youtube at some point?

[rebekahbeare]

I don't go to church I can worship God from my home. There are churches that believe abortion is not murder, but say the bible says thou shalt not commit murder. Contradiction. I would just rather not be part of that.

[chesterhiggs]

Part 2
while he was praying, he had a vision of the pillow under his head in flames. He said prophetically to those who were with him, ” I will be burnt alive.”

Those who were looking for him were coming near, so he left for another house. They immediately followed him, and when they could not find him, they seized two young men from his own household and tortured them into confession.
The sheriff, called Herod, was impatient to bring Polycarp to the stadium, so that he might fulfill his special role, to share the sufferings of Christ, while those who betrayed him would be punished like Judas.

7. The Arrest
The police and horsemen came with the young man at suppertime on the Friday with their usual weapons, as if coming out against a robber.
That evening, they found him lying down in the upper room of a cottage.
He could have escaped but he refused saying, “God’s will be done.”
When he heard that they had come, he went down and spoke with them. They were amazed at his age and steadfastness, and some of them said. “Why did we go to so much trouble to capture a man like this?”
Immediately he called for food and drink for them, and asked for an hour to pray uninterrupted. They agreed, and he stood and prayed, so full of the grace of God, that he could not stop for two hours.
The men were astounded and many of them regretted coming to arrest such a godly and venerable an old man.

8. Entering the City
When he finished praying… they put him on a donkey and took him into the city….
9. Polycarp Refuses to Deny Jesus
As Polycarp was being taken into the arena,
a VOICE CAME CAME TO HIM FROM HEAVEN:

“Be strong, Polycarp and PLAY THE MAN!”

No one saw who had spoken, but our brothers who were there heard the voice. When the crowd heard that Polycarp had been captured, there was an uproar. The Proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp. On hearing that he was, he tried to persuade him to apostatize, saying, “Have respect for your old age, swear by the fortune of Caesar. Repent, and say, ‘Down with the Atheists!’”

Polycarp looked grimly at the wicked heathen multitude in the stadium, and gesturing towards them, he said, “Down with the Atheists!” “Swear, ” urged the Proconsul, “reproach Christ, and I will set you free.”

“86 years have I have served him, ” Polycarp declared, “and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”

11. More Attempts to Make Him Submit
“I have wild animals here, ” the Proconsul said. “I will throw you to them if you do not repent.” “Call them, ” Polycarp replied. “It is unthinkable for me to repent from what is good to turn to what is evil.
I will be glad though to be changed from evil to righteousness.” “If you despise the animals, I will have you burned.” “You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour, and is then extinguished, but you know nothing of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. Why are you waiting? Bring on whatever you want.”

13. The Fire is Prepared
It was all done in the time it takes to tell. The crowd collected wood and bundles of sticks from the shops and public baths. The Jews, as usual, were keen to help. When the pile was ready, Polycarp took off his outer clothes, undid his belt, and tried to take off his sandals – something he was not used to, as the faithful always raced to do it for him, each wanting to be the one to touch his skin – this is how good his life was. But when they went to fix him with nails, he said, “Leave me as I am, for he that gives me strength to endure the fire, will enable me not to struggle, without the help of your nails.”

14. Polycarp Prays
So they simply bound him with his hands behind him like a distinguished ram chosen from a great flock for sacrifice. Ready to be an acceptable burnt-offering to God, he looked up to heaven, and said,