The Seven Types of Christians

In 1766, Emanuel Swedenborg published Apocalypse Revealed, expounding a deeper meaning in the book of Revelation. Revelation is famous for its fantastic imagery: seven headed dragons, beasts from the land and the sea, stars falling from heaven. But one of my favorite sections of Apocalypse Revealed is its exposition of the tamest part of Revelation: John’s letters to the angels of the seven churches.

In the literal sense, these letters chastise and encourage seven churches in Asia Minor as they experience both joy and persecution. According to Apocalypse Revealed these seven churches represent all the different types of Christians in the world, and the letters to them express how each type is called to change to be more receptive of the Lord.

I’ve always been a sucker for personality quizzes. These chapters in Revelation offer something more: a chance for spiritual self-assessment. I don’t have any artificial quizzes or questions to tell you where you fit – I’ll leave that up to you to decide. If you’re not familiar with Swedenborgian exegesis some of the explanations might seem like a bit of a stretch, but hopefully you’ll find some value here even if you disagree with a particular interpretation or two.