Week 14 - The Seven Churches in Revelation

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1 Monday Scripture Reading: Matt. 13:31-32; Rev. 2-3 I was in the Spirit on the Lord s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, and, What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. (Revelation 1:10-11) The Seven Periods of Church History As we saw last week, chapter 13 of the Gospel of Matthew presents seven parables spoken by the Lord Jesus. In order these parables are: 1) the sower, 2) the wheat and the tares, 3) the mustard seed, 4) the leaven, 5) the treasure hidden in the field, 6) the merchant seeking beautiful pearls and 7) the net which, cast into the sea, gathers fish of every kind. On the other hand, the book of Revelation in chapters 2 and 3 mentions seven letters from the Lord Himself to seven churches in Asia Minor: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Many Bible scholars throughout the centuries have found correlations between the seven parables in Matthew and the seven churches in Revelation. Furthermore, many interpret that these seven churches indicate seven periods of church history, each one with its own characteristics. This week we will cover some aspects of the correlation between the parables in Matthew and the churches in Revelation. However, our approach will be from the perspective of applying it to our need and not as a theological study. We will begin today to present the seven churches in Revelation. The first is the church in the city of Ephesus, which represents the church in the age of the apostles, a period of time from the resurrection of Christ until the end of the first century of the Christian era. The name Ephesus means desirable, and it is important to highlight that, just as in the case of the other churches, the name of the city is directly related to the condition of the church. However, in God s eyes the church is Ephesus was not in a desirable condition. We will spend some days this week dealing exclusively with this matter. The second church was in the city of Smyrna, a word that has the same meaning as myrrh, a plant that was used as incense in burials, therefore pointing to death and suffering. The period of the history of this church lasted approximately two hundred years, from the second century to the beginning of the fourth. This was the period in which the Roman Empire severely persecuted the Christians and imposed on them intense suffering. The letter to the church in Smyrna speaks of ten days of tribulation, which represent ten long periods of slaughter initiated against the believers. The Roman Empire repressed crowds of people because they were afraid that the people who had been conquered would rebel. This is why the Romans used all means to try to eliminate the church during this period. The year 312 marks the beginning of the third period, represented by the church in Pergamos. The word Pergamos has two meanings. On one hand, it signifies high tower, that is, something exalted by man, and on the other, it signifies marriage, indicting the union of the church with politics, which is what happened through the decree of Constantine in 312. The church in Thyatira represents the fourth period. Thyatira means unceasing sacrifice or sacrifice of perfume. The name of a woman, Jezebel, is mentioned in the letter written to the church in Thyatira, who besides calling herself a prophetess and exercising dominion over the church, even seduced God s servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols. The fifth letter was addressed to the church in Sardis. The word Sardis means restoration. The next church was in Philadelphia, whose name means brotherly love. Therefore in this church there is brotherly love. Last comes the letter to the church in Laodicea. The word Laodicea signifies the opinion of the people. In this church people have an abundance of opinions and because of this God s will was not carried out through it. The Holy Spirit, therefore, used the names of the seven cities existing at that time in Asia to identify the condition of the churches in seven time periods of the history of the Christian church. The church is a mystery. Your What are the meanings of the names of the seven churches? ENTERING INTO THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS TO GAIN THE REWARD - God s Purpose in Creating Man 1

2 Tuesday Scripture Reading: Matt. 13:1-23; Acts 15:4-5; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 1:2-4; Rev. 2:1-7 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28) The Condition of the Church in Ephesus at Paul s Time Beginning from today, for three days we will seek to bring out principles and lessons from the characteristics of the church in Ephesus that may be useful for our life with the Lord. When Paul from Miletus...sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church (v. 17), he said to them, Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood (v. 28). We highlight an important teaching from this verse: establishing elders. Elder indicates a mature person. This shows that for a brother to be an elder he must be spiritually mature. Only brothers like this can be constituted elders. The meaning of the word bishop is supervisor, one who oversees. According to the verse we read, a bishop and an elder are the same person. Elder refers to the person, and bishop to the function of the elder, which is to supervise, that is, to look at the things of the church in a broad way. Among us in particular, we have been very cautious before constituting elders in the churches because we have learned from the word of God and from our experience that it is very risky to establish elders prematurely. Let us look at some examples from the Bible regarding this. When the apostle Paul visited Galatia on his first journey, he preached to the people there, who, once converted, began to be the church in this city. On the return trip, perhaps some months later, he established elders there (Acts 14:23). These elders were recently converted, and the Epistle to the Galatians shows that they had declined to a fully unsatisfactory condition. Much time later, when Paul wrote to his co-worker, Timothy, he led him to not establish elders who are novices, persons who are new in the faith. It seems that the apostle learned from his own experience that this was not a good practice. According to our experience, it is best to allow the elders to be manifested spontaneously from among the serving brothers. In other words, as brothers are serving the churches with responsibility they are maturing in life, and one day the Holy Spirit Himself will establish them as elders. Being an elder is a matter of maturing in life. Your How do the elders mature in life? ENTERING INTO THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS TO GAIN THE REWARD - God s Purpose in Creating Man 2

3 Wednesday Scripture Reading: John 10:10, Acts 20:28-31; Eph. 1:16-21; 3:14-19; 5:15-17 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth (3 John 4) The Desirable Church Let us look at some words the apostle Paul spoke to the elders of the church in Ephesus recorded in Acts 20. Verses 29 and 30 say, For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Paul warned them to watch, for the church would confront difficulties coming from outside, represented by savage wolves, as well as from within, represented by men speaking perverse things, for the purpose of causing the disciples to follow them. In a normal church, the elders help the Lord s disciples grow in life and follow the Holy Spirit. Paul s warning that there were people among the elders in Ephesus (v. 30) that would draw the disciples after themselves proves that the condition of the church was not normal. In verse 31 Paul finished, So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears. Years later, when he was a prisoner in Rome, the apostle wrote his Epistle to the Ephesians to help them come out of that situation. It seems, however, that they did not change their conduct. Probably their practice was to take the word merely in the mental realm to discuss opinions without exercising their spirit in prayer. Thus the word heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith (Heb. 4:2). So they lost their first love, as the apostle John wrote in Revelation chapter 2. The two epistles Paul wrote to Timothy also show the abnormal condition of the church in Ephesus. In the first letter, Paul showed that the brothers in Ephesus were living by their soul, taking the word of God only as ground for discussion. This is altogether contrary to what the Lord has determined, for His word must be food to us. In his second epistle to Timothy, Paul presented the deplorable condition of men in the last days, which may refer to the situation of some in the church in Ephesus that had been taken captive by the trap of the devil and were doing his will. These people were lovers of self, lovers of money and lovers of pleasures, besides being revilers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, slanderers, without self-control, savage, not lovers of the good, traitors and reckless (2:25-26: 3:1-5). Obviously, a church in this condition is not desirable. This all serves as a warning to us. If we do not have the freshness of life in our church living and only promote doctrines, we will become people like these that Paul spoke about. Let us watch in order to always be in the spirit! After the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation, he was with the church in Ephesus. Since he was filled with the Spirit and mature in life, he was able to help the church to practise the word and to not remain in the realm of discussion. He remembered that when the Lord Jesus was with them He not only taught them different things but also supplied them with life. John helped the saints in Ephesus to practise the words Paul had written to the church. We know this because the Gospel of John uses and clarifies many terms used by Paul in his epistle. Paul had written to them concerning five ways of walking: in grace, in truth, in love, in light and in the spirit, but it was only when John was in Ephesus that the Ephesians began to practise this rich word. From then on the condition of the church changed, and the saints began to grow in life. Practising the word and not only studying it. Your How did the church in Ephesus become desirable? ENTERING INTO THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS TO GAIN THE REWARD - God s Purpose in Creating Man 3

4 Thursday Scripture Reading: Matt. 13:10-23; John 3:16; Acts 20:35; Rom. 16:23; 3 John 3, 6-7 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty (Matthew 13:23) The Parable of the Sower and the Church in Ephesus We have seen that the church in the city of Ephesus, whose name means desirable, was raised up by Paul. Paul remained with them for two years and taught them daily in the school of Tyrannus. However, sometime later the situation of the church became degraded, and Paul told them that after his departure men would rise up from among the very elders, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves. The church in Ephesus had become a church filled with problems. Instead of practising the truths in the word, they transformed them into mere doctrine. Consequently, they became unfruitful, their heart was hardened and worldliness invaded the church. The situation only changed much later, when the apostle John came to help them. Through the Spirit he managed to help them with the truths Paul had taught them, and thus they were able to receive life. Life grew in them to the point that Ephesus became a centre of the work and sent brothers to help other churches. From Ephesus John sent workers to Corinth, where there was a brother called Gaius, who not only gave them hospitality but also took care of them and sent them forward with financial help to continue on their way. We see thus that the church in Ephesus promoted the preaching of the gospel in other places, such as what we are doing today. This is the normal attitude of those who have God s life: bringing this life to all. Hallelujah! As we saw on Monday, the experience of the church in Ephesus (the first church mentioned in Revelation) is related to the first of the parables the Lord gave in Matthew 13: the parable of the sower. This parable says that one part of the seed fell beside the way, where the earth had been hardened due to the traffic of people, and the birds came and devoured it. It also says that one part of the seed fell on rocky soil and another part fell among thorns. Finally, one part of the seed fell into the good earth and produced much fruit. The church in Ephesus passed through the experience like that of the hard earth beside the way. They heard many truths given by Paul, but they did not receive the word in the right way. Their heart was hardened, and the word could not get in. With the help of the apostle John, this earth was softened and thus the seed of the word could get into their heart. In this way the birds who represent God s enemy could no longer snatch away the seeds. John also helped them to break up all hardness of heart. All the life we receive through the word is not able to produce a lasting result if our heart is filled with rocks. John helped them to deny themselves according to the word he had heard from the Lord Jesus Himself, recorded in John 12:24-25 (cf. Matt. 16:24). Furthermore, they had a problem with mammon, the god of riches. The proof of this was the fact that when there was the need to offer for the churches in Judea, Paul did not share this need with the church in Ephesus. When he wrote to Timothy, he also warned him to exhort those who were rich in Ephesus to be generous in giving and ready to share, that they might store up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come (1 Tim. 6:17-19). Nonetheless, the situation in the church in Ephesus really changed when the apostle John led them to pull out and burn all the thorns. Hallelujah! We believe that John led them to call on the name of the Lord, supplied them with life through the word and also helped them to practise Paul s words. In this way they received more Spirit every day and consequently more life. Thus they were able to take the rocks and thorns away and they became the good earth. They changed so much through John s help that they sent saints to other places to take the Spirit and life they were enjoying, just as we have been doing presently (3 John 3, 6-7). Ephesus finally became desirable. Thank the Lord! John s important help. Your What were the characteristics of the church in Ephesus that are related to the four conditions of the soil of our heart? ENTERING INTO THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS TO GAIN THE REWARD - God s Purpose in Creating Man 4

5 Friday Scripture Reading: Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43; Rev. 2:8-29 Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life (Revelation 2:10b) The Churches in Smyrna, Pergamos and Thyatira The second parable in Matthew 13 deals with the tares sown in the midst of a certain man s field of wheat. His servants proposed to him pulling up the tares, but he said to them, Let both grow together until the harvest (Matt. 13:30a). This parable corresponds to the situation of the church in Smyrna, which suffered greatly due to the persecution of the Roman Empire. During the time of the church in Smyrna there were ten periods of great persecutions, and many Christians were killed. In spite of this, they remained faithful to the Lord by calling on His name and keeping His word. As a reward the Lord promised them the crown of life. They will receive the crown and will reign with the Lord Jesus in the coming kingdom (Rev. 2:8-11). In reality, just as tares stimulate wheat to grow because of competition for the sunlight, the more persecution the Christians suffered at this time, the more they grew and multiplied. Thus, the Roman Empire changed its strategy when it realized that it was useless to persecute the Christians, since it only caused them to multiply. Instead of persecuting them, it joined them. It was at the time of the Emperor Constantine that Roman politics was joined to the church. For this reason countless people started considering themselves Christians, even without having a living and real experience of Christ. Thus they became Christians in name only. This is how the period of the church began, which the letter to the church in Pergamos refers to. As we saw on Monday, there are two meaning to the word Pergamos. One of them is high tower, which means that the Christians were no longer oppressed, since they were exalted; the other is marriage, which indicates the union of the church with politics. This is directly related to the third parable, which says that the kingdom of the heavens is like a mustard seed which a man planted in his field and which grew until it became a tree, so that the birds came and nested in its branches. The transformation of this herb into a tree and the fact that the birds nested in its branches indicate the abnormal growth of this seed. The deepening of this union between the church and Roman politics gave rise to the Roman Apostolic Church, represented in Revelation by the church in Thyatira. In the letter to the church in Thyatira, the leadership of a woman, Jezebel, is mentioned, referring to the name of a queen of Israel, the wife of King Ahab. Her teachings seduced the Lord s servants to practice fornication and idolatry (Rev. 2:20; cf. 1 Kings 16:31; 21:25-26). Thyatira also received from God the commission to keep His word, but instead of this, they kept the word of Jezebel, a prophetess of idolatry. For many centuries only the Catholic Church had the Bible and only the clergy used it to study. These studies were deep, but they became mixed with many heretical and pagan things, which were likened to leaven hidden in three measures of meal in the parable of Matthew 13:33. During the centuries in which there were only the teachings of the Catholic Church, the name of Jesus was put aside and the name of Mary was emphasised. This brought in much confusion because it was said that speaking with the mother of Jesus would be the same as speaking with Him. Then the practice of praying to Mary began instead of calling on the name of the Lord. This situation did not please God. Because the teachings of Jezebel had become more important than the teachings of the Bible, a group of people came out of the Roman Catholic Church, and this movement began what was known as the Protestant Reformation. With the printing of the Bible by Gutenberg and its translation into German by Martin Luther, the word of God became available to everyone, and from then on it could be studied by many. We give thanks to God that today we have the Bible in our hands and can read it with prayer that we might receive life (2 Cor. 3:6; cf. John 5:40). Not losing sight of the Lord s name and word. Your What are the parables that are related to the churches in Smyrna, Pergamos and Thyatira? ENTERING INTO THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS TO GAIN THE REWARD - God s Purpose in Creating Man 5

6 Saturday Scripture Reading: Matt. 13:44-46; Rev. 3:1-13 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown (Revelation 3:11) The Churches in Sardis and Philadelphia By studying the New Testament, Martin Luther identified precious truths in the Bible, such as justification by faith. He emphasized the practice of this truth, and because of this many people, who agreed neither with the dominion the papacy exercised over the church nor with the abusive use of authority of the Roman Catholic Church, came out of it. This became known as the Protestant Reformation and the period of the history of the church that began from then on that is related to the letter to the church in Sardis, as is recorded in Revelation 3. As we saw yesterday, the Bible became an open, available book, and all those who were seeking the word of God began to study it to gain knowledge, which became very common during that time. The result was that, through their investigation they discovered truths that had been lost throughout the centuries, and they wanted to practise them. This desire of recovering the biblical truths produced a work of restoration, confirmed by the Holy Spirit through the name Sardis, which means restoration. Just as in the parable of the treasure hidden in the field, these people identified some truths hidden in the Bible and, setting aside the control of Thyatira, began to lay hold of these truths. Unfortunately, this treasure, which represents the preciousness of God s word and which ought to be available to everyone, was hidden by those who found it. The treasure should be unearthed in order to help the children of God seek the reality of the truths that have been revealed to them. When they discovered a truth that had been lost, they each clung to their interpretations, considering theirs to be better than those of others. In this way they were becoming divided until innumerable Christian groups were produced. Those who believed in justification by faith formed one group; those who stressed baptism by immersion formed another group. Still others divided over the doctrine of the rapture: some stating that this would take place after the great tribulation and others thinking that it would be before. This central idea of theological knowledge of the Bible produced the so-called Fundamentalists, which, through emphasis on the letter, resulted in their spiritual coldness and apathy. Pentecostalism arose as a reaction to the dead condition of the Fundamentalists, aimed at causing some revival. The church in Sardis corresponds to the fifth parable, which deals with a man who found a treasure in the field and hid it. Therefore, the church in Sardis received a warning from the Lord: I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead (Rev. 3:1). In other words, the Lord seemed to be saying, You have not fully restored things; you have doctrine and power, but you are dead. You have all the riches, but you are not practising them. There was, however, a group of people that learned to keep the Lord s word and to not deny His name, represented by the church in Philadelphia. They are those who continued to call on the name of the Lord and enjoy His word (Rev. 3:8). According to the record in Revelation, the church in Philadelphia has a little power, but it practises brotherly love, which is the meaning of the name Philadelphia. Hallelujah! Because the church in Philadelphia has the Lord s name and word, the Spirit and life, there is also an expression of God s life, which is love. Furthermore, the crown that had been given to the church in Smyrna was also given to the church in Philadelphia (Rev. 2:10; 3:11). The church in Philadelphia corresponds to the sixth parable, which portrays a specialist, a merchant who is an expert at recognizing good pearls. He found one pearl of great value, sold everything he had and bought it. A pearl is formed when a grain of sand gets into an oyster. Instead of expelling it, the oyster secretes a substance that surrounds the grain until it produces a pearl. Similarly, we were like this grain of sand, without any value. But through the redeeming work of Christ and through working His life into us through reading and praying the word, calling on the name of the Lord and living in the spirit, we become very precious to the Lord. We must also be like this merchant, who was a specialist in pearls. He sought for and found a pearl of great value, and because of it sold all that he had and bought it. Praise the Lord! Through experience we can say that this pearl refers to the Lord s word and also to His name. The day we found Him, we left everything to follow Him. Even though we are persecuted and defamed by some, we are fighting to obtain this pearl of great value. We have a little power, but the Lord has put before us an open door that no one can shut. Praise the Lord! The crown will be given to those who have persevered in the name and word of the Lord. Your What are the requirements to receive the reward? ENTERING INTO THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS TO GAIN THE REWARD - God s Purpose in Creating Man 6

7 Sunday Scripture Reading: Matt. 13:47-50; 25:14-30; Rev. 3:14-22 His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord. (Matthew 25:23) The Church in Laodicea and the Growth in Life The last of the seven churches in Revelation is Laodicea, whose name means the opinion of the people. The saints of the church in Laodicea think they already know all the biblical truths. They are satisfied with what they have, saying that they have need of nothing. For them there is nothing more to be revealed in the Bible. As we read in Revelation, Laodicea thinks she is rich, but to the Lord she is miserable, poor, blind and naked. As opposed to Sardis and Laodicea, Philadelphia is humble through keeping the word and calling on the name of the Lord. The church in Philadelphia daily experiences the Spirit and through this receives life. She seeks more and more revelations and the practice of the word. Moreover, this church has a door which the Lord has opened that no one can shut. Because the saints practice brotherly love, they receive the believers and do not try to impose what they have received from the Lord on others but only enjoy the word by reading and praying, and they supply life to the other saints. The church in Laodicea corresponds to the seventh parable of the net. After the parable of the pearl in Matthew 13, we have the parable of the net that is cast into the sea, and when it is pulled up, brings in fish of every kind. After the fishermen collect the fish, the good are useful and the bad are thrown out. We can relate this parable to the condition of the church in Laodicea because, according to her own interpretation and opinion, she considers that she has many truths; therefore she is satisfied and does not receive new revelations. When a net is gathered in from the sea and is heavy, it seems that it contains many fish, but we need to remember that there are also bad fish among the good, and there might even be seaweed, bottles and cans, that is, a lot of garbage. Once I had an experience related to this in the city of Joao Pessoa. I was lodging in a brother s house that faced the sea. One night he and other brothers called me to go trawling on the beach. In trawling, a long narrow net with wood on each end is used. I would stay on the beach holding one end of the net while another brother would go into the sea to make a semicircle and come back to the beach. Afterward we would pull the two ends together and would see what the net had brought in. When we began to pull it, we realized that it was very heavy and we were excited, thinking we had caught many fish. But when we finished pulling, we saw we had caught few fish because most of the contents was seaweed and garbage. We caught some fish, but most of what was in the net needed to be regarded as junk. This experience illustrates the situation of the church in Laodicea, who thought she had many things, but by not practising God s word and by being proud, she actually had very little profitable content. The last four churches mentioned in Revelation represent those that will remain until the Lord s return. Of these, the Lord only presents Himself to Philadelphia as the One who has the keys of David, which are the keys of the kingdom. The Lord warns her saying, Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown (3:11). This crown in not only for exhibition but for us to wear that we might enter into the millennial kingdom. If we practise what has been spoken to the church in Philadelphia, we will enter into the manifestation of the millennial kingdom as overcomers. This is why we are always encouraged to practise the word so we may grow in life. If we practise the kingdom today in the church life, we will already be trained to reign, to rule with the Lord in the millennial kingdom Besides growing in life, we need to do business with our talents in order to have experiences in the Lord s work. What will qualify us to rule with the Lord is not our culture, degree of education or mere knowledge of ENTERING INTO THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS TO GAIN THE REWARD - God s Purpose in Creating Man 7

8 Powered by TCPDF ( the truths, but how much we have grown in life and how much we were faithful to do business with our talents. If we have been faithful over the few things He has entrusted to us, He will set us over many things in the future. We have seen that there is a correlation between the churches in Revelation and the parables in Matthew 13. But we should not be satisfied merely with having seen this correlation. We need to treasure the pearl we have found the life in the word just as the church in Philadelphia did. We need to remain in Christ so that this pearl may be produced in us. Even in suffering, if we persevere in Him and receive His life-supply, we will become more and more precious. Hallelujah! Jesus is Lord! Continually growing in life. Your What are the characteristics of the church in Laodicea, and how is it related to the last parable in Matthew 13? Additional Reading Enrich your reading of the Daily Food by simultaneously reading the books suggested below: The Orthodoxy of the Church Watchman Nee ENTERING INTO THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS TO GAIN THE REWARD - God s Purpose in Creating Man 8