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Seven Churches
...I was caught up in spirit on the
Lord's day and heard behind me a voice as loud as a trumpet, 'Write on a
scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna,
Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.'
(Rv 1:10-11)
Ephesus
Smyrna
Pergamum
Thyatira
Sardis
Philadelphia
Laodicea
Introduction
Church tradition indicates that the St. John moved to Ephesus with many
Palestinian Christians around A.D. 65 before the fall of Jerusalem in 70.
During Nero’s persecution against Christians in Rome at that time, both St.
Peter and St. Paul were martyred in Rome. As the leader of the Asian
church St. John was targeted by Roman authorities and exiled to Patmos (Rev.
1:9).
While on the island St. John received his apocalyptic vision about the
spiritual situation of seven churches in Asian as well as about the future
of the church and the world (1:10–11, 19). The order of the seven churches—Ephesus,
Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea—follows a
route that a messenger would naturally follow in visiting the cities.
During St. Paul’s ministry in Ephesus many churches were established in
Asia.
Hence these seven churches seem to represent many other churches that were
in Asia at the time (e.g., Miletos, Troas, Assos, Cyzicus, Magnesia,
Tralles, Metropolis, etc.). The style of the seven messages is similar,
with the heart of each focused on commendation and correction concluding
with a promise of victory. The historical and spiritual situation of each
church aids in interpreting the details of its message.
to the angel of the church in Ephesus, write this:
'The
one who holds the seven stars in his right and walks in the midst of the
seven gold lampstands says this : " I know your works, your labor, and you
endurance, and that you cannot tolerate the wicked; you have tested those
who call themselves apostles but are not, and discovered that they are
imposters.
Moreover,
you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown
weary. Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at
first. Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did
at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its
place, unless you repent. But you have this in your favor: you hate the
works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."
"Whoever
has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the victor
I will give the right to eat from the tree of life that is in the garden
of God."
(Rv 2:1-7)
The church in Ephesus (2:1–7) was
commended for its hard work and perseverance. The church encountered much
spiritual opposition from the temple of Artemis as well as from the
fourteen or more other Greek deities that were worshipped.
Ephesus was also a center of magical practices (Acts 19:19). False
apostles in the church were also a problem. At Miletos St. Paul had warned
the Ephesians elders that some from their own company would distort the
truth (Acts 20:29–30). Timothy was to make the Ephesians Hymenaeus,
Alexander, and Philetus stop teaching false doctrine (1 Tim. 1:3, 19–20; 2
Tim. 2:17–18).
Such external and internal conflict had caused the church to lose its
first love of Christ and his saints. The site of Ephesus had moved three
times during its early history. Unless the church repented, Jesus
threatened to move its lampstand from its place of prominence among the
Asian churches. (It does not mean Jesus would do away with the church.)
The victorious Christians in Ephesus were were promised to eat of the tree
of life in the paradise of God. Paradise was the name for the Garden of
Eden in the Greek Old Testament. Outside Ephesus was the grove Ortygia
which was thought to be the traditional birthplace of Artemis.
The sacred grove called a paradeisos still drew pilgrims in the first
century. The Christians were thus promised an eternal paradise far
superior to that possessed by their pagan counterparts.
The
Church in Smyrna
to the
angel of the church in Smyrna, write this:
'The first
and the last, who once died but became to life, says this : "I know your
tribulation and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who
claim to be Jews and are not, but rather are members of the assembly of
Satan. Do not be afraid of anything that you are going to suffer. Indeed,
the devil will throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and
you will face an ordeal for ten days. Remain faithful until death, and I
will give you the crown of life.'
"Whoever
has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The victor
shall not be harmed by the second death."
(Rv
2:8-11)
The church in Smyrna (2:8–11) had experienced great pressure from the
Jewish authorities, called the synagogue of Satan. No archaeological
evidence exists today for such a synagogue. It had closed its doors to
Christians, and its leaders were inciting the Roman authorities to
persecute the church.
The Jews later had a similar role in the martyrdom of the bishop of Smyrna,
Polycarp. The crown of life is a possible allusion to the acropolis Mount
Pagus that looms over the city. Such ancient writers as Aristides
describes it as Smyrna’s crown. Whatever temporal crown the citizens of
Smyrna enjoyed, the believers were
guaranteed an eternal crown.
They were also promised exemption from the second death. There existed in
the ancient world a connection between death and Smyrna. Its name is
identical to the Greek word for the sweet–smelling spice in which dead
bodies were wrapped (e. g., Jesus; John 19:39).
A number of mourning myths became
associated with Smyrna, particularly that of Niobe whose tear–stained face
was thought to be etched in the marble of nearby Mount Sipylus.
T
to the
angel of the church in Pergamum, write this:
The one with the sharp two-edged
sword says this : 'I know that you live where Satan's throne is, and yet
you hold fast to my name and have not denied your faith in me, not even in
the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was martyred among you,
where Satan lives. yet I have a few things against you. you have some
people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who instructed Balak to
put a stumbling block before the Israelites: to eat food sacrificed to
idols and to play the harlot. Likewise, you also have some people who hold
to the teaching of (the) Nicolaitans. Therefore, repent. Otherwise, I will
come to you quickly and wage war against them with the sword of my mouth.
Whoever has ears ought to
hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the victor I will some of
the hidden manna; I shall also give a white amulet upon which is inscribed
a new name, which no one knows except the one who received it."
(Rv 2:12-17)
The church in Pergamum (2:12–17) existed in the place where Satan had his
throne. This reference probably does not refer to the altar of Zeus that
sat atop the thousand-foot acropolis that towers over the lower city.
Rather it refers to the city as the seat of the provincial koinon, or
assembly, whose leader was also the chief priest (“the beast out of the
earth”; 13:11–17) of the imperial cult—the first cult temple in Anatolia.
The Roman governor of Asia exercised the
power of life and death—the “right of the sword” (ius gladii)—in his
province. Jesus stated he held even higher authority with his sharp,
double-edged sword. One church leader named Antipas had already been
martyred in the city. He was the only person named in Book of Revelation
as a martyr. The imperial cult temple housed a white stone stele inscribed
with a decree issued by Fabius, the governor of Asia, around 9 B.C.
It decreed that Augustus’ birthday should
be made an official holiday in Asia as well as mark the beginning of the
municipal new year.
The birth of Caesar Augustus was called the
beginning of life and breath (cf. Rev. 3:14). And his birthday was
declared the beginning of good news for the world (cf. Rev. 14:6). The
emperors made the same claims to deity as Jesus Christ! No wonder the
Christians refused to take the mark of this beast and worship him.
T Tyhatira
to the
angel of the church in Thyatira, write this:
'The Son of God, whose
eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like polished brass, says
this " I know your works, your love, faith, service, and endurance, and
that your last works are greater than the first. Yet I hold this against
you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess,
who teaches and misleads my servants to play the harlot and to eat food
sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent, but she refuses to
repent of her harlotry.
So I will cast her on a
sickbed and plunge those who commit adultery with her into intense
suffering unless they repent of her works. I will also put her children to
death. Thus shall all the churches come to know that I am the searcher of
hearts and minds and that I will give each of you what your works deserve.
But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not uphold this teaching
and know nothing of the so-called deep secrets of Satan: on you I will
place no further burden, except that you must hold fast to what you have
until I come.
"To the victor, who keeps
to my ways until the end, I will give authority over the nations. Hw will
rule them with an iron rod. Like clay vessels will they be smashed, just
as I received authority from my Father. And to him I will give the morning
star."
"Whoever has ears ought to
hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
(Rv 2:18-29)
The church in Thyatira (2:18–29) was plagued by a false prophetess
symbolically named Jezebel after the evil queen of Israel who worshiped
idols. She along with the Nicolaitans advocated compromise with certain
pagan practices. Meat in the ancient world was dedicated to the gods at
the pagan temples before it was sold in the public markets; many
Christians refused to eat such meat sacrificed to idols.
Thyatira was known for its trade guilds (cf. Lydia; Acts 16:14) which
would hold banquets in the pagan temples. After eating and drinking, the
diners often engaged in sexually immoral acts on the couches (klinai)
where they lay. Jezebel and the Nicolaitans apparently condoned such
behavior because of a false understanding of freedom in Christ.
T
to the
angel of the church in Sardis, write this:
The one who has the seven
spirits of God and the seven stars says this: 'I know your works, that you
have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and
strengthen what is left, which is going to die, for I have not found your
works completely in the sight of my God. Remember then how you accepted
and heard; keep it, and repent.
If you are not watchful, I
will come like a thief, and you will never know at what hour I will come
upon you. However, you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled
their garment; they will walk with me dressed in white, because they are
worthy. The victor will thus be dressed in white and will never erase his
name from the block of life but will acknowledge his name in the presence
of my Father and of his angels.
"Whoever has ears ought to
hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
(Rv 3:1-6)
The church in Sardis (3:1–6) had become
dead in spite of its reputation. Twice before the city’s acropolis had
fallen because Sardis had fallen asleep
and let down her guard. Cyrus defeated Croesus in 546 B.C., and the Cretan
general Lagoras captured it for Antiochus the Great in 218 B.C. Greek
cities maintained a list of citizens in a public register.
When someone committed a criminal action and was condemned, he lost his
citizenship and his name was then erased from the register. The believers
who preserved would never be blotted from the eternal book of life.
Sardis
was noted as a textile center, producing wool to make the himation, the
most common outer garment for men and women in the Greco-Roman world. The
color white in Book of Revelation always denotes purity and worthiness.
Hence white garments would be a suitable reward for the victors.
T
to the angel of the
church in Philadelphia, write this:
'' The holy one, the true,
who holds the key of David, who opens and no one shall close, who closes
and no one shall open, says this: "I know your works (behold, I have left
an open door before you, which no one can close). You have limited
strength, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
Behold, I will make those of the assembly of Satan who claim to be Jews
and are not, but are lying, behold I will make them come and fall
prostrate at your feet, and they will realize that I love you.
Because you have kept my
message of endurance, I will keep you safe in the time of trial that is
going to come to the whole world to test inhabitants of the earth. I am
coming quickly. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take your
crown.
The victor I will make
into a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never leave it again.
On him I will inscribe the name of my God and the name of the city of my
God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God, as
well as my new name."
"Whoever has ears ought to
hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
(Rv 3:7-13)
The church in Philadelphia (3:7–13) stood at an important junction of the
imperial post road that ran from Rome through Troas, Pergamum, and Sardis
on through to Tarsus and the East. They had an open door through which to
share the gospel.
Yet here too a synagogue of Satan opposed the believers. Although no
archaeological evidence for a synagogue has been found, a 3rd-century A.D.
inscription was found 10 miles east of the city mentioning a “synagogue of
the Hebrews.” Philadelphia was located in an earthquake-prone region
called the Catacecaumene.
Both Sardis and Philadelphia were devastated by earthquakes in A.D. 17.
Asian temples were built to withstand severe earthquakes. Their
foundations were laid on beds of charcoal covered with wool fleeces, which
caused the structure to “float” on the soil like a raft. Each block was
joined to another by metal cramps, so that the platform was a unity.
The temple would be the most secure structure in the city, hence the
promise to be a pillar in the temple of God was one of security and safety.
Inscribed pillars are found throughout Aegean Turkey. A dramatic example
is the temple of Zeus at Euromos with dedicatory inscriptions on ten of
the eleven standing pillars. Jesus will write divine names as well as his
new name on those human “pillars” who overcome.
Philadelphia received a new name twice in the first century: the first
time after the A.D. 17 earthquake to “Neocaesarea” in gratitude for
Tiberius’ generosity, the second time to “Flavia” after Vespasian gave
financial assistance following a similar catastrophe.
T
to the angel of the
church in Laodicea, write this:
'The Amen, the faithful
and true witness, the source of God's creation says this: "I know that you
are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because
you are lukewarm, neither hot or cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
for you say, 'I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,' and
yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
I advise you to buy from
me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments to put
on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to
smear on your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and
chastise.
Be earnest, therefore, and
repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice
and opens the door, (then) I will enter his house and dine with him, and
he with me. I will give the victor right to sit with me on my throne, as I
myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne.'
"Whoever has ears ought to
hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
(Rv 3:14-22)
The church in Laodicea (3:14–22) was closely related to its sister church
in Colossae and Hierapolis . Its spiritual condition was lukewarm—neither
hot nor cold. Six miles north of the city were the thermal springs (not
drinkable) at Hierapolis, whose white calcareous cliffs were visible in
the distance.
To obtain drinking water, the Romans built an aqueduct that ran five miles
south to an abundant spring (now in Denizli). The cool spring water would
become lukewarm as it passed through the aqueducts into the city. The city
was strategically located for trade and commerce, and became a leading
banking center. It had accepted aid from Rome following earlier
earthquakes.
However, after the earthquake in 60 that devastated many Asian cities,
only Laodicea refused to accept Roman financial assistance because she was
so wealthy. This attitude of material self-satisfaction, “I am rich,” had
seemingly entered the church also. The church’s spiritual blindness was
ironic because a famous salve for treating eye disease was produced by the
medical school there.
The exhortation to buy white garments to cover their shameful nakedness is
another example of irony. For the believers were living in a city where
the Romans had established textile factories to manufacture clothing from
the famous black wool of the region. Laodicea was a “throne city” because
a citizen Zeno became king of Cilicia in 39 B.C. and of Pontus in 36.
His family continued to rule in some measure in Anatolia over the next
century. The Zenoid family figures prominently on the Laodicea 's coinage.
Again the victors are promised that they will sit with Jesus on his
heavenly throne.
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