The Seven Churches of Asia

The Seven Churches of Asia Background and Ephesus Revelation The book of Revelation is unique among the books of the New Testament in its figurative style of writing It was written about 96ad during a time of extreme persecution of the Church by the Roman Government Lets look at some events that took place around the time of the writing of the book of Revelation. There were 10 different persecutions of Christians by the Roman government during the 1 st 300 years of the Church Emperor Nero was the first and he began a persecution of Christians that lasted from about 64-68ad. 1

Persecution The Roman historian Tacitus described the persecution under Emperor Nero. Tacitus says: In their very deaths they were made the subjects of sport: They were covered with the hides of wild beasts, and worried to death by dogs Nailed to crosses Set fire to They were burned to serve for the evening lights. Persecution Persecution under Roman Emperor Domitian began about 81ad. The following are excerpts from Foxes book of Martyrs The emperor Domitian, who was naturally inclined to cruelty, first slew his brother, and then raised the second persecution against the Christians. In his rage he put to death some of the Roman senators, some through malice; and others to confiscate their estates. 2

Persecution He then commanded all the lineage of David be put to death. A law was made, "That no Christian, once brought before the tribunal, should be exempted from punishment without renouncing his religion." A variety of fabricated tales were, during this reign, composed in order to injure the Christians. Such was the infatuation of the pagans, that, if famine, pestilence, or earthquakes afflicted any of the Roman provinces, it was laid upon the Christians. Persecution These persecutions among the Christians increased the number of informers and many, for the sake of gain, swore away the lives of the innocent. Another hardship was, that, when any Christians were brought before the magistrates, a test oath was proposed When, if they refused to take it, death was pronounced against them; and if they confessed themselves Christians, the sentence was the same. 3

Persecution This test oath that is mentioned may have been something similar to what Pliny the Younger (governor of Bythinia from 111-113ad) mentions to emperor Trajan in a letter. Here are some excerpt from that letter. It is my practice, my lord, to refer to you all matters concerning which I am in doubt. Persecution For who can better give guidance to my hesitation or inform my ignorance? I have never participated in trials of Christians. I therefore do not know what offenses it is the practice to punish or investigate, and to what extent. Meanwhile, in the case of those who were denounced to me as Christians, I have observed the following procedure: 4

Persecution I interrogated these as to whether they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed. For I had no doubt that, whatever the nature of their creed, stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy surely deserve to be punished. There were others possessed of the same folly; but because they were Roman citizens, I signed an order for them to be transferred to Rome. Persecution Those who denied that they were or had been Christians, when they invoked the gods in words dictated by me, offered prayer with incense and wine to your image, which I had ordered to be brought for this purpose together with statues of the gods, and moreover cursed Christ--none of which those who are really Christians, it is said, can be forced to do--these I thought should be discharged. These were required to pray to the Roman gods, make offerings to the emperor and curse Christ in order to live. 5

Persecution The Apostle John had been a victim of this persecution. Secular history says that he was dropped into a pot of boiling oil before he was exiled to the island of Patmos It is while on this Island that the Apostle John writes the book of Revelation to the seven churches of Asia Re 1:9 I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. The Seven Churches Another unique quality of the book of Revelation is Jesus Himself dictated these letters to John that are addressed to the seven Churches in chapters 2 and 3. Ephesus Smyrna Pergamos Thyatira Sardis Philadelphia Laodicea 6

The Seven Churches Many of these churches were having problems with sin Some of them very severe problems We can see just about any problem a congregation of the Lord s people may face today represented in the problems facing one or more of these churches I believe this is why Jesus ended each of these letters with the same phrase He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 7

The Seven Churches Before we begin our study of these letters I want us to go to Revelation chapter one to get the definition of a couple of terms that are used when Jesus addresses these Churches Re 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, This loud voice was the voice of Jesus speaking to John The Seven Churches 11 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. 12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 8

The Seven Churches 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. The two items mentioned that we want to define are the Lampstands and the stars. The Seven Churches Thankfully, Jesus defines what these items represent for us. Re 1:20 "The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches. The lampstands represented the seven churches The stars represented the angels of these seven churches 9

The Seven Churches Before we jump out of the tracks and begin to think that every congregation has a supernatural angelic being watching over it we need to understand what the word angel really means. It simply means messenger. It comes from the Greek word aggelos which means: to bring tidings, a messenger This word is used to describe both angels and men in the scriptures The Seven Churches It is used to describe John the Baptist in Matthew 11:10 It is used to describe the messengers sent by John the Baptist to Jesus in Luke 7:24 The same word is used to describe the spies that Rahab helped in James 2:25 In my opinion this word is used in Revelation 1-3 to describe the messengers or evangelist working with these 7 churches not some spiritual being. 10

Now let s start in Revelation 2:1 and see what Jesus had to say to the church at Ephesus. Ephesus is the most well known of these churches to us. The Apostle Paul spent 3 years there. Re 2:1 "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 "and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. This Church in Ephesus was in many ways a model church. 11

In their early years they were a model for evangelism. While the Apostle Paul was working with this congregation the whole region heard the word of God taught. Ac 19:10 And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. The Church in Ephesus was a model in resisting evil. Ephesus was home to the Temple of Diana or Artemis. This temple was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. It was 425 ft long, 225 ft wide and had 127 columns standing 60 ft high. This was an impressive place In comparison the Parthenon in Athens was only 230 ft long and 100 ft wide with 58 columns 12

Paul and the other Christians at Ephesus had been so successful in teaching against this idolatry that it began to hurt the pocket books of some in Ephesus which eventually caused a riot. Ac 19:24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen. 25 He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: "Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. 26 "Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. 13

27 "So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship." 28 Now when they heard this, they were full of wrath and cried out, saying, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians! They recognized that both their craft and their religion were in danger because of the preaching of the gospel by Paul and the other Christians in Ephesus. Early on, this congregation of the Lord s People was also a model of faith and love of the brethren. The Apostle Paul also commends them for this. Eph 1:15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 14

Don t you know that made the Apostle Paul feel good. While he is sitting in jail in Rome to receive news that the congregation in Ephesus was doing so well. Over the next few years they probably continued to grow in number and maybe even influence in the community. They continued to take a stand for the truth and work in the vineyard of the Lord. The Seven Churches of Asia Ephesus 15

Revelation This letter was written to the 7 Churches of Asia during a period of severe persecution by the Roman government It was written by the Apostle John while exiled on the island of Patmos about 96ad Jesus Himself dictated 7 short epistles to these Churches in Chapters 2 and 3 We began a study of the letter to the Church at Ephesus in our last lesson Re 2:1 "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 "and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. 16

This letter dictated to them by Jesus Himself must have gotten their attention. Nothing like this had been written before or since All the good things that Jesus said about them in the 1 st few verses must have made them feel pretty good about themselves. We will soon find out that being right in most things simply is not enough! Things Jesus knew about them: Their works: they were still out there plugging away busy in the work of the Lord Patience and perseverance: they had endured under difficult circumstances, no doubt had endured persecution and not given up the faith They could not bear those who are evil: they would not tolerate wickedness in the Church. They had labored and not become weary in doing what was right. 17

This sounds like a Church who is right on the money doesn t it? But there was a big problem! Re 2:4 "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent. They were in danger of no longer being a congregation of the Lord s People because they had left their first love. They had lost that fervent zeal and desire they had when they had first learned the Gospel Being a Christian had just become a habit to them. They were just going thru the motions There problem was not that they had wandered away from the truth or embraced false doctrine. They simply did not love Christ as much as they once did. 18

We may ask ourselves why were they obeying God? Had it just become a habit? Was it because friends and family expected them to? Whatever their reason was, it was not because they loved God as they should. Our love for God should be the driving force in our life. Mr 12:30 'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. Their problem was similar to the story told about an old preacher He came to church one cold Sunday morning The church building had a gas furnace with an electric blower. The preacher intentionally turned off the gas, but he turned on the blower so it was blowing cold air. When the people got to church that morning it was real cold 19

The people could all hear the blowers blowing. The preacher titled his sermon that morning The Blower s Still Blowing, But the Fire s Gone Out! Could that be said of us? Is our blower still blowing but the fire has gone out? Do we love Christ as much as we have in the past or are we just going thru the motions? If we don t love Christ more than we used to, then we probably love Him less. Because they had left their first love, Jesus commanded them to repent. Re 2:5 "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent. 20

What were they lacking? What were these first works Jesus said they needed to do? We know they were doing some good works or else Jesus would not have praised them for their work. What ever it was it must have been a basic principle of the Church. Lets just quickly consider a couple of ideas about what these first works could have been. What is one of the 1 st things a person wants to do when they become a Christian? Teach others! Evangelism: Maybe the Church at Ephesus had gotten away from what it had been so successful at while Paul was with them. Ac 19:10 And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. 21

Paul tells the Church at Phillipi that they should be lights to the world by holding forth the gospel. Php 2:14 Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. ASV translates that as Holding Forth, TCNT translates it as Offering to men the Message of Life One of the basic jobs of the Church is to be a pillar for the Truth 22

1Ti 3:15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Webster s defines Pillar: usually ornamental column or shaft; especially : one standing alone for a monument The glorious Church as is it is described in Eph 5:27 is the beautiful pillar that holds up the Truth for all the world to see. When a congregation fails to do this, it has gotten away from one of its first works Maybe the Church at Ephesus had stopped preaching the Gospel to the World. Or, Maybe they had lost their love for the Brethren. Our love of God is tightly connected to our love of other Christians. 1Jo 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. 23

It is a possibility that they had gotten away from demonstrating their love for the brethren thru acts of benevolence 1Jo 3:17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? Acts of benevolence towards the brethren is one of the first things we see the early Church being involved in. Ac 4:32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 24

34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need. These first works they were lacking could have been evangelism, benevolence or any number of things. Whatever it was, they needed to get back to the basics of serving God with all their being and be motivated to do so by an overwhelming love for God. is absolute proof that one Church is not as good as another. 25

Even with all their good works, Jesus was about to disown them because of sin. What will He do with those who don t believe they need his authority for what they do? What about those who fail to do all that He has commanded? Re 2:6 "But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Not much is really know about these Nicolaitans. No doubt they were a group who taught false doctrine and promoted wickedness. The churches attitude towards this group fits in with what Jesus said about them in verse 2. They could not bear those who are evil. 26

7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. Are we interested in obeying God? Do we want that home in Heaven when this life is over? Then we better pay attention to what is being said by Christ to these different congregations! Conclusion What about us? Could it be said that our blower is still blowing but the fire has gone out? There never comes a point in this life where as Christians we can simply set back and rest on our past accomplishments. Our love for God must continue to grow, driving us to continue in the work of the Lord. 27