The things that are - the Church Age
The second division of Revelation presents "the things that are." In this section, Christ the Judge, who is over the Church (and therefore the churches, or local assemblies), sends letters to seven specific churches in Asia, evaluating them. We tend to be surprised to learn that "the things that are," are disappointing.
We tend to think that the Church Age is the ultimate in God's plan. We have heard that Jesus "will build His Church" - so churches can't fail, can they? We may fail to recognize the difference between the true Universal Church (or all those, Jew and Gentile, who are drawn to faith in Christ as their Savior in this Church Age) and the local assemblies or individual gatherings of people who claim status as a "church." The Universal Church is composed of all who believe the Gospel. Local assemblies are composed of any who come and participate.
The Epistles warn that local assemblies can go astray following false teaching. If that false teaching distorts the Gospel so that people who join believe in something other than the person and work of Christ, it will have unsaved people in it. Paul tells Timothy that the Spirit has revealed this will happen in the latter days. Why? Because mankind, even Christians, are still affected by a sinful nature. As long as sin affects man his efforts will fail.
This section of Revelation shows that it was already happening in the 1st Century when John wrote. While some would interpret these letters as allegorically speaking of different divisions of the Church Age, they are presented as being to specific local churches, and we should understand them as such. However, each also carries an indication that they are open letters that we should all heed. ("He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.") I believe it best to see these letters as showing examples of ways men lead local churches astray. (Eccl 7:29 "Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.")
Each letter is written to "the angel of" the local assembly. While we tend to think of "angel" as a heavenly, spirit being, the word basically means "messenger." Paul notes that each local church has been entrusted with a message - the Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. These letters seem to make the most sense as written to that function of the local assembly - messengers and guardians of the Gospel.
We find at best mixed reviews of the churches. Some are warned that their "lampstand" - or symbol of authority as Christ's Church - may be removed. This is not to say that individuals there who believed the true Gospel would lose salvation! Indeed the letters point out that those who persevere - who believe in the Gospel - will be given the blessing promised to all believers. However, the local church may no longer truly represent Christ. In such a case their message has been lost, and those who attend may not be believers in the Gospel.
Indeed, the letters appear to show that some assemblies contain mostly unbelievers. The last states, ‘Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked...' This describes people who do not know their need for a Savior.
Overall, these "things that are" show what other Scripture also declares: that the Church Age itself will not restore the world to God. Because man is still affected by sin nature, man in the Church Age will still fail, even though God will save all that He draws to salvation through the Gospel of Christ. The Universal Church will be completed, but local assemblies will stray when they lose the Gospel entrusted to them.
So the failure of man in the Church Age means that God will do something more following the Church Age in order to restore His creation to Him. He will do exactly what He promised throughout Scripture: purify and restore Israel to be the light to the nations, pour out His righteous wrath on those who oppose Israel (as promised by His Covenants), and establish the Millennial Kingdom with Christ ruling.
But all that is the next section of Revelation. In this center section we need to realize that Christ agrees with Paul: in the Church Age individual local assemblies will fail. We need to be sure we know and safeguard the Gospel message entrusted to us, or we could be one of them.