What was the meaning and purpose of the letters written to the seven churches? What is the historical background and are they relevant to us today?

The Apocalypse, the Revelation of Christ was written to seven churches. These are definite locations in what’s called Asia minor or western Turkey. John wrote the letter from the island of Patmos, which is about 90 miles off the coast. Patmos was a prison island, and so it’s not surprising that John would be there during this persecution that was only barely getting underway empire-wide. It started under Nero and 64 by 65. The probable date of this letter. It’s now spread in fits and starts to various parts of the empire. It is spreading and affecting Christian people there.

Among them, these seven churches, which are part of the population in Asia Minor, the seven churches actually are named in order in a kind of horseshoe shape and they represented what most think is a mail route. So actually as the letter was delivered, it was delivered in sequence beginning with Ephesus and winding up on the other end of this horseshoe with Laodicea.

If you’ve read the letters, you know there’s a basic structure to them that’s fairly predictable. You start out with a reference to the author. For the most part, the author is identified based on some of these descriptions of Jesus from chapter one. “These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.” That’s how we hear the letter to Ephesians start.

“This is the word of the son of God whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.” You see that in the letter that’s addressed to Thyatira and so on. So these wonderfully colorful images of Christ are used to drive home particular messages to these particular churches based on what their particular need might be. Each letter, with the exception of two, has a commendation. Two of them don’t warrant any commendation at all. Two of them don’t warrant any criticism, and so they get only commendation. The other three have a mixed kind of message to them.

The two churches that are only praised and not criticized are the two that seemed to have been exposed to the most severe level of persecution thus far.
Those are the churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia. The two churches that are criticized and not praised seemed to be the ones that have escaped persecution so far. Those are the churches of Sardis and Laodicea. The other three get a mixed review. They seem to be experiencing some degree of persecution there, commended mostly for how they’re responding, and yet at the same time there’s some slippage in their faithfulness. Those are Ephasis, Pergamum and Thyatira.

The first of the churches, just to briefly look at them, is the church in Ephesus.

Revelation 2 :1 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; ² 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: ³ And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.⁴ Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.⁵ 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.⁶ But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.⁷ 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.

Ephesus is well known to us. Paul was there for almost three years on his third missionary journey. He spent more time in Ephesus than any other single community during his missionary journeys. It was a huge city, about 250,000 people, which made it a huge, huge city by ancient standards. It was a center of commerce and worship and pagan religion. We also know of course it had a church that was founded by the Apostle Paul. The Church was commended for its orthodoxy and its hard work. “I know your hard work and your perseverance. I know you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles and are not and found them false. You have persevered and endured hardship for my name and have not grown weary.”

All of that is great praise for this community. The problem is that while they were very strong in orthodoxy, they had really lost the fervor of their faith. It had just become a kind of doggedly determined, gutting it out sort of experience, and so they’re chastised a bit for having lost their first love. Jesus says, “nevertheless, I have this against you. You’ve forgotten your first love. Remember the height from which you’ve fallen, repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place.” That in fact happened. The entire city of Ephesus had to be vacated about 40 years later because of a malaria outbreak.

The Church in Smyrna

Revelation 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;⁹ 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.¹⁰ 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.¹¹ 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.

The next city that’s mentioned is Smyrna. Smyrna is the next one on the mail route. It’s a little north of Ephesus. They are one of the churches that get only praise, no criticism. They’re facing significant persecution. They have significant hardship and poverty. They feel like they’re painted into a corner. There’s nowhere to turn. Nothing they can do. Jesus says, “I know your affliction and your poverty, yet you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but our synagogue of Satan, I tell you, the devil is going to test you. He’s going to cast some of you in prison for 10 days, but be faithful even to the point of death. I will give you the crown of life.”

Strong encouragement for a church that feels pretty embattled at this point. They feel they are in poverty yet Jesus says, you are rich. How many churches do you suppose there are around the world right now, Third World settings or possibly first world settings that feel utterly impoverished. They can hardly balance the books and yet Jesus would look at them and say, “you are rich.”

It’s very interesting how many times having material wealth militates against spiritual wealth. Smyrna was given this wonderful, encouraging review by Jesus. This is the modern city of Izmir. It’s a major city today in Turkey. It’s the traditional birthplace of Homer, of the Greek epic, the Iliad and the Odyssey. There remains there evidence of the early Christian presence and there continues to be a Christian presence to this day.

The church at Pergamos

Revelation 2:12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. ¹⁶ Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. ¹⁷ 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.“

Pergamos is the next of these. It’s the northern most city in was distinguished as being what we might call a kind of Roman county seat. It was sort of a local capital for Roman governmental business and therefore this church was one of the first to be exposed to persecution by the Roman sword, and so the church was having to deal with this. Jesus says to them, “I know where you live, where Satan has his throne, yet you remain true to my name. You didn’t renounce your faith in me. Even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness who was put to death in your city where Satan lives.”

It’s a rich commendation for this church that is kind of in the belly of the beast there in Pergamum. They stand against pagan authority, but there’s a little slippage when it comes to pagan philosophy. Jesus continues, “nevertheless, I have this against you. You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balam, who taught Ballack to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and committing sexual immorality. Likewise, you have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent, therefore, otherwise I will soon come to you and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”

The Nicolaitans seemed to be proto Gnostics. They probably represented some form of that Jewish gnosticism that was circulating widely in the first century and gradually became the Greek gnosticism that we’d find in the second century. It would represent a point where the church may have been compromising a bit with that kind of pagan outlook even though they were being pretty firm in dealing with pagan authority.

Isidore of Seville, who finished the Etymologies, or the Origins, in the year 636 A.D. In Book VIII titled “The Church and sects (De ecclesia et sects)” he wrote, “The Nicolaites (Nicolaita) are so called from Nicolas, deacon of the church of Jerusalem, who, along with Stephen and the others, was ordained by Peter. He abandoned his wife because of her beauty, so that whoever wanted to might enjoy her; the practice turned into debauchery, with partners being exchanged in turn. Jesus condemns them in the Apocalypse, saying (2:6): “But this thou hast, that thou hates the deeds of the Nicolaites.” (SOURCE: The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville stephen a. barney, w. j . lewi s , j . a. beach, oliver berghof with the collaboration of muriel hall, Cambridge University Press, © Stephen A. Barney, W. J. Lewis, J. A. Beach and Oliver Berghof, 2006, page 175.)

The church at Thyatira

Revelation 2:18 “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;¹⁹ 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.²⁰ 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.²¹ And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.²² Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.²³ 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.²⁴ 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.²⁵ But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.²⁶ And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:²⁷ 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.²⁸ And I will give him the morning star.²⁹ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

The city of Thyatira is probably the opposite of Epphesus. You’ll see they had a lot of good works, a lot of love, a lot of that warmth that you find some times in the kind of Christianity that goes to the left a little bit, but they were not very strong in their orthodoxy. Jesus says to them, “I know your deeds, your hard work, your love, your perseverance that you’re now doing more than you did at first.”

He commends them for that. He likes their life of good works, but then he gives them a pretty severe warning. He says, “nevertheless, I have this against you. You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching, she’s misleading my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I’ve given her time to repent and she’s not willing, so I’m going to cast her on a bed of suffering. I’m going to make those who committed adultery with her suffer intensely unless they repent of their deeds. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds and I will repay everyone according to their deeds.”

Who is this woman, Jezebel? That is a question that seems to have remained unanswered throughout church history. “When a woman is used symbolically in Scripture, she represents a religious entity. This might be either positive or negative. On the positive side, there is Israel as the Wife of Jehovah and the Church as the bride of Messiah. On the negative side, there is the woman with the leaven (Mtt. Mat. 13:33), the Great Harlot of Rev. Rev. 17:1+, and here, the woman Jezebel.”—Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of Messiah, rev ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2003), 58.

While Jesus commends their heart, he’s not so happy you see with where their head has been going. The Ephesians had a lot of head, not much heart. The Thyaterians have a lot of heart, not much head. We need to find somewhere in the middle you see where we balance those two interests in our Christian worship.

The church at Sardis

Revelation3:1 “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.² Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.³ 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.⁴ 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.⁵ 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.”

Sardis has an interesting story. This was a city that had a long history going way back. You’ve all heard the expression, “the wealth of Croesus.” Croesus was a famous king who ruled in an in a kingdom called Lydia way back in the seventh and sixth centuries BC. He was fabulously wealthy. The reason was that there is a river that runs by Sardis that brought down a lot of gold silt from the mountains. People just went out and panned for that gold and it was a very productive effort. And of course, Croesus needed a little tax on all the gold that was dredged out of the river. Thus he became famously wealthy in the ancient world and that was probably his most distinct claim to fame at that time and in subsequent history. This did lead the people in Sardis through history to become somewhat complacent. There is this deluded idea that if you have a lot of money, it solves all your problems and the people kind of lapsed into that.

To some degree, the church in Sardis seems to have lapsed into the same misguided idea. They seem to have been a wealthy church because there was a lot of wealth in the city and they confused wealth in the church with wealth in heart. Twice Sardis had fallen based on a sneak attack. The strange topography of the city left a kind of back door into the city that they usually didn’t guard. Twice the city had been taken by a sneak attack through that back door. And that’s why Jesus himself says, “if you don’t repent, I’ll come to you like a thief in the night,” because that’s exactly the way that city fell twice before. In this case, it would be the church that would be exposed to that kind of threat. So Sardis was overconfident wealthy. But as Jesus says, they were dead. “You have a reputation for being alive. He says, but you are dead.” Wake up.

The church at Philadelphia

Revelation 3:7 “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;⁸ 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.⁹ 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.¹⁰ 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.¹¹ Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.¹² 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.”

Next on our route is Philadelphia. The difference between Smyrna and Philadelphia is that Smyrna was backed into a corner. They really didn’t have much that they could do. They just felt constrained by their circumstances and Jesus seems to allow that to them, but the case of Philadelphia is different. They don’t seem to have much strength, but Jesus says, “I’ve set before you an open door.” He says, “these are the words of the one who holds the key of David in his right hand. I’ve set before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength that you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I’m going to make those who are of the synagogue of Satan acknowledge that I have loved you.” This is a church with a little material power but much opportunity.

And so the word to them is that they should seize on the opportunity that they have. They are also not given any criticism. They’re given a promise of protection that’s going in the attack that’s going to come across the whole inhabited world at that point. He’s nevertheless going to guard and protect them.

The church at Laodicea

Revelation 3:14 “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;¹⁵ I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.¹⁶ So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.¹⁷ 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:¹⁸ 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.¹⁹ As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.²⁰ 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.²¹ 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.

The final church is Laodicea. One of the better know,n because it’s famous for it’s lukewarmness. The church at Laodicea was again, one that appeared wealthy, respected, and sufficient. Jesus says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were either one or the other, but because you’re neither cold nor hot, I’m about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, I’m rich. I have acquired wealth. I don’t mean a thing. You don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me, gold refined in the fire so you can become rich, white clothes to wear so you can cover your shameful nakedness, salve to put on your eyes so you can see. Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline, so be earnest and repent. Here I am. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone will open the door, I’ll come in and eat with him and he with me.”

Laodicea, even though it’s given a severe warning, was also given a word of hope that the the Jesus, who they say they worship, is at the door, they just need to let him come in and join them.

The salve references both something historical and of their character. Laodicea was one of the most famous cities in the ancient world for a salve that they sold on the open market that was supposed to have healing qualities and apparently a did for certain ailments. And so that’s an appeal to local color. Also, the luke warm water was part of the condition of Laodicea. The only water they could get came from an aquaduct from a city about 30 miles away. By the time it got to Laodicea it was not very cold. They had gotten used to it, but the rest of the world could hardly stand it when they came by to visit. Jesus makes reference to that.

All of these letters were sent to real historical cities. Although churches through history, and even today, may find themselves with the same strengths and weaknesses of these early churches, there is absolutely no hermaneutical or exegetical reason to believe they refer to “church ages,” as many people teach and believe.

We each need to examine ourselves and ask ourselves, would Jesus give us commendations, commendations and criticisms or only criticisms? Are we falling into any of the patterns revealed in these early churches?