Mr. Mauro, writing on Rev. 2 and 3, writes:
"For chapters 2 and 3 have to do exclusively with the churches of Christ. Their scope is limited to things ecclesiastical. On the other hand, the subsequent chapters have nothing at all to do with the churches. Their scope, so far as they relate to matters on earth, is limited to the affairs of the nations of the world. This objection is fatal to the futurist system, since it is evident that, whatever be the nature of the 'things which are,' the 'things which shall be hereafter,' are things of the same kind" (The Patmos Visions, p. 36). "For it is clear that the clauses 'things which are,' and 'things which shall be hereafter,' are strictly parallel, the difference between them being not at all in the nature of the 'things' themselves, but solely in the time of their occurrence" (The Patmos Visions, p. 37).
Mr. Mauro tells us in the first extract that Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation have to do EXCLUSIVELY with the churches of Christ, and that the subsequent chapters, i.e., chapters 4 and on, have NOTHING at all to do with the churches. He says that this is fatal to the Futurist. system. We should have thought it was the other way about.
One of the great contentions of the Futurists is, that if saints of God were upon earth during the period of the awful happenings in chapters 4 and on, as set forth in the seals, trumpets, and vials, there would certainly be reference to them, and instructions how they were to behave during the time that these terrific judgments were being poured out upon the earth. The fact that no reference is made to the Churches after Chapters 2 and 3 is conclusive that there is no Church of God on earth to make reference to, and supports powerfully the Futurist system of exegesis.
From other Scriptures we know that God will yet bless Israel, so in Chapter 7 we find 144,000 sealed, doubtless a symbolical number. Then from Matt. 25:31-46 we gather that many Gentiles will be reached by the Gospel of the Kingdom preached by Jewish missionaries, called "My brethren," and multitudes of them will be martyred, "a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues" (Rev. 7:9).
Then in the second extract, we ask Mr. Mauro, How can two things be EXACTLY parallel, and yet have a difference? This is certainly not logical. Then, further, if the only difference is as to time, we would ask him, How can the chapters subsequent to Chapters 2 and 3, which have NOTHING AT ALL TO DO WITH THE CHURCHES, as he asserts, be EXACTLY parallel with Chapters 2 and 3, that are ENTIRELY TAKEN UP WITH THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST? Notice carefully that the only difference, according to Mr. Mauro, is as to TIME. The parallel, then, must be in the nature of the things described. What have the churches of Christ in common with the unbelieving nations of the world, those who will gnaw their tongues with pain and curse the God of Heaven? Yet Mr. Mauro says these things are EXACTLY parallel. We do not think so, any more than we think black is white, and white is black.