The Seven Churches

By Ashley R. Clarkson
1 January, 2004

"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea." - Revelation 1:10,11

The Seven churches of Asia (Minor) are the focus of the first 3 chapters of Revelation. What is the reason for their being such a prominent part of the book of Revelation? Is it in any way applicable today? This is my attempt to answer these questions.

The First Church - Ephesus

"Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." - Revelation 2:1-7 Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia. As an extremely important commercial and political centre, it had all the perks of the cities of this calibre - including that it was extremely wealthy. Ephesus was also the location of one of the seven wonders of the world - the famous temple of Diana. Despite this however Ephesus had many who were revealed to the truth of the Gospel under the ministry of Paul, and the church there likewise prospered. Paul even asked Timothy (as in the guy to whom Paul wrote the two best-sellers - 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy) to be the pastor at Ephesus. However much Jesus had good to say about them he also had a few niggles.

In verses 2 and 3 Christ commends them on their testing of apostles to see whether they are real or not (something which many people don't do today, thus the reason we have so many bad doctrines running amok in the church), and on their works, patience and perserverence. But he also chastens them for leaving their 'first love' - that is, not loving with such intensity as when they first began thirty years earlier. He warns them that if they do not repent and return back to their more loving ways he will take away the candlestick (church) from them. He then returns to praising them in verse 6 for hating "the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate" (note the particular statement there that it is the deeds they hate, not the person. This is the approach we should have to all on this planet - loving the sinner, but hating the sin). Verse 7 then concludes Jesus' message to the Ephesians, and to all the churches by saying that to him that perseveres against Satan the fruit of the tree of life would be given (which brings eternal life).

The Second Church - Smyrna

"And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." - Revelation 2:8-11 Smyrna, like Ephesus, was an important commercial centre, although unlike Ephesus it was wealthy because of the revenue generated from its port. The citizens of Smyrna were very devoted to Imperial Rome and its pagan idols. Obviously as a city with this sort of residents you would expect them to be persecuted greatly by the Romans. But the Jews were also heavily into the persecution of the church there, and as a result the church at Smyrna was quite poor. However in the ledger of wealth everything balances - Smyrna was rich in spiritual gifts, perserverance and were stedfast in their faith.

Jesus tells the church at Smyrna that he is aware of the tribulations they are undergoing, of the works they do and of their poverty (and the balanced ledger). He also says to them he is aware of the persecution of those who claim to be Jews. But he says to them not to fear, as though they will continue to face strong persecution from Satan. He also states to them that if they are faithful to their death (whether that be natural or otherwise) they will receive the crown of life. Verse 11 concludes his message to Smyrna by saying that to him (or her) that perseveres against Satan shall not die the second death (being thrown into the lake of fire as eternal punishment).

The Third Church - Pergamos

"And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." - Revelation 12-17 Pergamos was a city that was widely known for its temples and worship of pagan idols. Pergamos was the centre of the mystery religions that originated in Babylon (it is here Satan moved his pet projects after Babylon fell) and had three large temples dedicated to the worship of the Roman Emperor, whom you no doubt are aware was considered to be a God (Of course, we know otherwise that that is not the case). The city also had struck into many of its coins the image of a serpent (hello!! ), which was the image of Aesculapias, who was one of the chief idols of Pergamos and was the pagan god of healing. The many public festivals and ceremonies were rather immoral, and temple prostitution was abound.

In this message to Pergamos Jesus commends them on their stedfast faith in him, their good works, and their strong faith even during spiritual assualts by Satan and the lure of idolatry. However he chastens them for tolerating those who eat meats sacrificed to idols and commit fornication - here called the doctrine of Balaam. He also chastens them for having amongst their midst Nicolaitans. He commands them to repent, or face the consequences of their actions. Then finishes by saying that he who perseveres against Satans tempting of physical food will be given spiritual food (hidden manna), and a white stone upon which is a new name which no man knows but the man that receives it.

The Fourth Church - Thyatira

"And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." - Revelation 2:18-29 Thyatira was another wealthy city, which was known for its manufacture of purple dies, which were used to die fabrics used by the Romans as an official toga for heads of provinces and the Emperor. It is located in modern-day Turkey and goes by the name of Ak-hissar.

Christ here commends the Thyatiran church on its charity and love in works for the community and himself. But it was also tolerant of sin within the community and fervour for proper doctrine and Christian discipline. For this Christ admonishes them, with especial attention to a woman whom is a false prophet amongst them and is named as Jezebel (after the false prophet of the Old Testament who lead the Israelites astray). This woman taught that Christians could commit immoral sinful acts as much as they wanted becuase sins were automatically forgiven. Christ her says that because of her refusal to repent even after being given a time to, she would be punished along with her followers. To those who reject this sort of heresy and pursues righteousness he promises "power over the nations" and the "morning star".

The Fifth Church - Sardis

"And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." - Revelation 3:1-6 Sardis was the capital of King Croesus, who was hardly a pauper (if you get my drift ). The city residents wore sardis stones as amulets to ward off evil spirits. They were followers of what we call today the "capitalist's dream" (material wealth). The church at Sardis unfortunately bowed to the pressures of the secular world and joined them in attempting to attain the "capitalist's dream". Though they boasted of their sundry accomplishments they had lost their spiritual liveliness. The only good words that Jesus had for them was directed towards a small remainder of the church who were truly followers, and whom had not "defiled their garments". To them he promised they would be clothed in "white raiment", and would not have their names blotted out of the book of life.

The Sixth Church - Philadelphia

"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." - Revelation 3:7-13 The Philadelphian church was a poor church, but rich in the eyes of God. Like Smyrna, Philadelphia escapes the criticism of Christ. The church is commended for their faith and strength, and their evangelism. Christ gives a very powerful promise in verse 10 for as a result of their efforts for him - he promised to spare them from the hour of temptation (the Tribulation). He then tells the church to hold on to what they have so their crown is not taken away. The reference to being made a pillar in the temple is probably symbolic of the local custom to inscribe the name of noble citizens onto a temple pillar, although it may be a reference to their having an instrumental part in the governing of the Earth during Christ's millenial reign.

The Seventh Church - Laodecia

"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." - Revelation 3:14-22 Laodecia was located on the river Lycus not far from Colosse. The surrounding area was predominantly that of rich farming which produced abundant supplies for the city. More importantly Laodecia was situated on the crossroads of most important Ionian cities (at that time). Because of its handy position on the beaten track Laodecia was a rather...vigorous trade center, and of course where ever there is money ravens gather (uh, banks that is) so as a result the Laodecians were quite well off. Laodecia also had the uncanny "fortune" of being situated on the mountainside of a volcano. As such it had a number of hot, cold, and lukewarm springs. These were well known for their medicinal properties, and many sick people pilgramiged to take advantage of the physicians, the eye salve, and the springs. It is a good point to mention now that while the waters were extremely pleasing to the body, to drink it was rather nauseating.

As a stark contrast to Philadelphia, Laodecia was not a church that Jesus had anything good to say about. He begins by saying that he knows their works, but would rather they made up their minds whether they were faithful (hot) or unfaithful (cold). Because they sit on the fence, compromise with the uncompromisable Christ will spue them out of his mouth, as such he will not accept them in their present state. Their material wealth and false spiritualism which they so proudly display is seen right through, as Christ says they are poor, wretched, miserable, blind and naked. What he means it that they have no real spiritual depth, perception and are more concerned with earthly matters than spiritual ones. They are more concerned with their own selves than with others. Because of this he counsels them to open their eyes to real priorities, and to redirect themselves to matters of more consequence than how rich they are. He tells them to be zealous and repent of their 'lukewarm' spirituality. The closing verses promise us eternity with Christ if we push forward in the faith and overcome the temptations of Satan.

Putting It Together - The Message Behind It

We can learn a lot from the lessons to the Seven churches. Six of the seven churches carry warnings and things to avoid in both our daily walk and the Church's walk through the ages. It also gives us a goal to aim for - those of Philadelphia, the only church to escape Jesus' criticism.

But there is more to this than the afore mentioned. The seven churches correspond to seven periods in the history of the Church. Each period sees the Church holding corresponding beliefs to that certain time period. Any assignment is subject to a degree of arbitrariness, but were I to do so I would roughly divide as follows -

• Ephesus - 33-100AD Early Church
• Smyrna - 100-312AD. Intense Roman Persecution
• Pergamos - 312-590AD Byzantine, fall of Western Roman Empire
• Thyatira - 590-1517AD Dark Ages, Roman Catholic dominance and persecution of small uncompromising churches.
• Sardis - 1517-1600AD Reformation Church
• Philadelphia - 1600-1850AD Missionary Church, multiple revivals and advances of Christian social concern (e.g. abolition of slave trade)
• Laodecia - 1850-PRESENT Apostate church, materialism, false revival etc

It is true that the characteristics of the Church period do not apply to every church - just look at the diversification among those seven churches mentioned (belonging to the Ephesus period). The fact remains however that the overwhelming majority of churches (and the church body) reflect the period they are in. Take the last two periods for example. Philadelphia was a church that did a lot of missionary work, and held God's Word in high regard. The church between 1600 and 1850 was (in my view) the same. There was also a great missionary effort in all the newly discovered lands, and all the great revivals happened in this period. This was the church at its best. On the other hand, Laodecia was the exact opposite. The members there were self-satisfied, materialistic false spiritualists. How true of today, where most of the church body does not take God's Word for granted, is more concerned with wealth and physical prosperity (unrighteous mammon) than with spiritual wealth. They get suckered in by televangelists who care more about their mansion and BMW collection than with saving souls, and false spiritual movements.

Are we to 'go with the flow' of the mainstream church, or should we aim for God's standards? I cannot tell you what to do, although I can strongly urge you not to just do what everyone else is doing. Sure it may be hard, but then that's what Jesus said would happen. The rewards are not here, they are in heaven. If you're in a church which could be Laodecian in nature, I suggest you get out. But most of all, take the warning found in the Laodecian church. Aim for spiritual things, not those of the physical realm. Set your sights on God and you will live the better life for it. Rejoice in the tough times, be patient in all and you will overcome.