Most evangelicals being different from the insular, dogmatics of WTS theology openly acknowledge that Revelation can be perceived in different ways:
1 Lord's Day may refer to an expression that was familiar to 1st century Christians and found in several OT and NT verses: Isa 2:12, 13:6, 13:9, 34:8, Joel 1:15, 2:1, Zeph 1:7,8, 1Th 5:2, 2Pet 3:10, etc, and which portrayed a future day, when the earth will experience God's judment.
2 It may also refer to an expression, that having followed on from Revelation, led to becoming a technical phrase in the 2nd C AD, meaning the first day of the week, Sunday. Deismann has shown that defiant Christians replaced the Roman expression "Emperor's Day" which was celebrated at least once a month and usually weekly, with their own phrase. The term "Lord's Day" came to memorialize the resurrection of Christ, hence the belief in His exaltation to sovereignty.
3 The phrase "Like a SOM" recalls Dan 7:13, and doubtless is used with the remembrance of our Lord's use of this title, despite its absence in Paul's and other epistles. Evidently John is sactioning the validity of his own vision by drawing freely from OT apocalyptic themes. The sword out of His mouth may have several meanings, but one could be that Christ was now no longer a humble human being, but a future, divine judge.
4 The seven churches were indeed real, and are presented in a geographical progression. A messenenger would naturally travel the route from the seaport of Ephesus north to Smyra, another port some 60 kms away. A journey further north and east would bring one to Pergamos, and then would swing east and south to the other four cities.
A basic problem in interpreting the Book of Revelation is the various chronological schemes it may fit into: past, historic, and futurist.The WTS follows its own idiosyncratic scheme in that it deliberately wrests much of the book out of its own context and applies it, with varying degrees of credulous inconsistency, to the historical development of the WTS, especially since 1918. Evangelicals though differing in detail, feel only a futuristic interpretation of chaps 4 - 22 has any consistency for theological expression. What is mentioned therin has, in other words, not come about yet.
Before unfolding the tremendous prophetic scenes of chaps 4 - 22, Christ gave a personal message to each of the seven churches mentioned, a personal message that many believe, has practical application today to the universal Body of believers residing in all denominations, and even seperately, and which we call His Church.
Cheers
