The Seven Churches | Introduction The 7 Churches of Revelation | Episode 1
The book of Revelation is the last book of the Bible
and has long inspired readers of this sacred text
from scholars to theologians, to the average man and woman.
It's a book full of signs and symbols that excite the imagination
but that require careful study to decipher the hidden meaning.
Yet in the midst of the beasts, plagues, and horns,
it's imperative that we find Jesus,
for the book begins with these words:
the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
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John wrote the book of Revelation from the rocky island of Patmos,
located about 50 miles southwest of Ephesus,
or a four-hour boat ride today.
It is believed that he was the last living apostle,
with all the others having been martyred.
He was summoned before Emperor Domitian
and tradition tells us that he was thrown into a pot of boiling oil
but survived unscathed,
and thus as a last resort he was banished to the island of Patmos.
There, at the end of his life, close to the age of 100,
he finally had time to write.
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Revelation contains several groups of sevens.
Seven trumpets, seven plagues, and seals,
but perhaps it's the first one mentioned, the seven churches,
that is the most applicable to us today.
These messages appear in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation,
but the names first appear in chapter 1, verse 11,
where John is told to write and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia:
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
These cities are located in what is modern-day Turkey,
and this region would have played an important role
in the development of Christianity.
Two of Paul's missionary journeys were concentrated in this area.
John's letters to the seven churches were written and sent to this area,
and also Noah and Abraham both spent considerable time
in what is modern-day Turkey.
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When you consider the thriving state
of the Christian church in the first century,
you have to ask yourself the question, 'Why these seven churches?'
There were other thriving centers, such as Miletus and Colossae.
One idea is that these cities were on an ancient Roman postal route.
The cities are located in an upside-down horseshoe,
beginning with Ephesus,
which at the time would have been a coastal city.
It could have been that instead of writing seven letters,
one letter was written, and it was taken to the seven churches
and read in sequential order.
But perhaps more significant is that these seven churches
manifested characteristics that are evident in the Christian church
throughout broad swaths of its history.
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The messages to the seven churches can be read three ways.
Firstly, they were literal letters to those literal churches
in the 1st century A.D.,
and would apply to the time they were written, around 95 A.D.
Secondly, when you read the letters and the contents of them,
the introduction, the affirmation, the rebuke, the counsel and the promise,
they apply to the Christian church
during different time periods over the last 2,000 years.
And thirdly, they can be read on a personal level,
meaning even though we're living during the time period of Laodicea,
I may be going through an Ephesus experience,
and the counsel, the promise, and the rebuke to that church
may apply to my personal spiritual life today.
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Each of the messages are structured in a specific way.
They start off with an introduction of Jesus.
They then move into an affirmation,
then a rebuke, a warning, counsel and a promise.
Two of the churches, Smyrna and Philadelphia, receive no rebuke.
Two of the churches, Sardis and Laodicea, receive no affirmation.
Each of the churches has a general, pervading characteristic,
be it lukewarm, faithful, dead,
apostate, corrupt, persecuted, or loveless.
Each one of these experiences can be ours at different chapters in our lives,
and the antidote is always Jesus.
I implore you that as you read through the book of Revelation
that you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus,
the Alpha and Omega, the author and finisher of our faith.