2. The letters to the seven churches (2:1)
Introduction to the letters to the seven churches:
The letters to the seven churches are a distinct unit of seven
within the book of Revelation. Other sevenfold units are the seven
seals, the seven trumpets and the seven bowls of God's wrath. Because
the number seven denotes divine completeness as a whole the seven
letters form a whole unit which has a message to the church universal;
there are more than seven churches in Asia, for example Colossi has
been omitted. In 1:11 John is commanded to 'write on a scroll what you
see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum,
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea'. In verse 13 we see
Christ among the lampstands, that is the seven churches, and in the
letters we find out what he observed as he walks among the seven
churches (2:1). Our Lord is one who walks among the churches and sees
their deeds both good and bad. The seven churches represent the
different imperfections that are likely to be found in individual
churches in different localities and at different times. The churches
give us a template against which we can measure our church in order to
see our weaknesses and strengths, he also gives us the remedy for our
deficiencies.
In this preliminary section God is judging His church in order to
purify it from sin within so that it will be able to stand up to the
coming persecution and also so that it will not be condemned along
with the world (1 Cor 11:32), see the warning in Rev 18:4 to come out
of Babylon lest we share in her sins and her judgement. This judgement
is depicted later in the sections of the seven trumpets, the seven
bowls, the judgement of the harlot and the day of judgement. Pergamum
is warned about the Balaamite teaching concerning idolatry and
immorality, Thyatira is warned about the false prophet Jezebel who
misleads the church into idolatry and immorality. Laodicea thinks it
is rich but actually it is poor, but we find that those whom the Lord
loves he rebukes and disciplines. Here God warns the church because
the world is infiltrating the church, but later the seven trumpets are
warnings to the world to repent of its idolatry and its results which
include sexual immorality. The harlot Babylon which seduces the people
of the world is herself destroyed by fire.
Smyrna and Philadelphia are both troubled by false Jews who slander
her, later we find the 144,000 who are sealed by God to protect them
from the seven trumpets, these are the true Jews, the Israel of God,
who we later see as a great multitude. Smyrna is warned that a period
of Satanic testing is coming and they must be faithful unto death and
in 12:17 we find Satan making war against the saints and in chapter 13
we find that the beast from the sea making war against the saints and
conquering them. We find that those who would not worship the beast
are killed and yet in 15:2 there are those who had been victorious
over the beast and his image and his name.
Ephesus was sound in doctrine and persevered under hardship, neither
the world or persecution was the problem. However they had lost their
first love, for Christ and each other and had therefore almost become
sub-Christian. John, as his first epistle makes clear, considers love
to be the essential response to God's love; 'We love because God first
loved us' (1 John 4:19); 'Whoever loves God must also love his
brother' (1 John 4:21). One of the features of the churches witness
was that her members love each other (John 13:34-35), it is not an
option it is a commandment. God's counterpart to the hatred of the
world is to be the love of Christians for each other. The church in
Sardis was on the verge of death and was hardly in a position to
withstand attack from the world and its values. Similarly the church
in Laodicea was in danger of receiving the world's values.
In verse 1:19 he commands John to 'Write, therefore, what you have
seen, what is now and what will take place later'. The letters to the
seven churches form a unit as to 'what is now' and the rest of
Revelation concerns 'what will take place later'.
The letters follow a general sevenfold pattern:
- A greeting. To the angel of the church.
- A reference to Christ's self designation from Rev 1:12-19, this
has some application to the letter to the church.
- A commendation. I know your deeds... (except in case of Laodicea
and Pergamum).
- A rebuke if applicable (except in case of Smyrna and
Philadelphia).
- A charge to repent or a warning.
- A call to hear. The phrase 'He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches'.
- A promise. The phrase 'To him who overcomes' followed by
a reference to a reward mentioned later in Revelation.
Dr A T Pierson (quoted by Lang) pointed out that these promises at
the end of each letter follow an historical order. The tree of life
refers back to Eden; the second death to the fall; the hidden manna to
the manna in the desert; the white stone to the engraved stones on the
high priest's shoulder and breastplate; the rod of iron to Moses
holding the rod of God for the defeat of Amalek (Ex 17:8); the white
raiment to the garments of the priests; the pillar in the temple to
those in the temple of Solomon; and the sitting on the throne to
Solomon's reign in glory and peace.
Lang points out that there are three aspects under which these
letters may be considered.
- As a description by the Lord of the state of the seven churches
of believers then existing (preterist).
- As a prophetic foreview of the Christian age then commenced and
to conclude at the coming of the Lord (historicist).
- As a revelation of the moral characteristics of churches found
always throughout the age (idealist).
The first (i) is obvious but these were chosen out of all the
churches then existing because these reveal the states of every church
in all ages, the number seven, the number of completeness suggests
this.
The second (ii) is a widely held belief that these seven church in
the order used, foreshadow a progressive development of the church
throughout church history.
a. the first letter reveals the beginning of declension in the
waning of first love, and the last (Laodicea) shows the final
outcome of this in rejection by the Lord.
b. The meaning of the name of each church corresponds to the
historic feature of the stage assigned to each.
c. The history of the Christian age has in fact followed the
stages thus obscurely outlined in advance.
Trench has given a summary of the history of this interpretation and
offers these reasons against it.
i. The Letters themselves contain no hint of a prophetic period
sense.
ii. The scheme is not known to the apostolic, the post apostolic
or even the following sub apostolic age.
iii. The advocates of this interpretation vary greatly among
themselves in their distribution of the periods, examples of which
of which divergence are given.
iv. There is no truly accurate correspondence of Letters with
periods.
One of the themes that runs through the letters are the promises of
rewards to those who overcome. Clearly Jesus is the model of one who
overcame (3:21). In Johns first epistle we read of those young men
within whom the word of God lives who overcome the evil one (1 John
2:14); those who overcome the antichrist because Jesus within them is
greater that Satan (1 John 4:4); those who overcome the world by faith
(1 John 5:4). Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes
that Jesus is the Son of God (1 John 5:5). In John 16:33 Jesus tells
his disciples that in the world they will have trouble but not to fear
because he has overcome the world.
The rewards for those who overcome involve a share in Christ
himself:
- Will eat of the tree of life watered by the river of life whose
source is Christ (2:7).
- Will receive the hidden manna which is Christ the true bread
which comes down from heaven (2:17).
- Will share in Christ's authority over the nations (2:26).
- Will walk with Christ dressed in white (3:4).
- Will write on him my new name (3:12).
- Will sit with Christ on his throne (3:21).
The letters to the seven churches are integral to the book because
they refer to the vision of Christ and the new Jerusalem at the end of
the book. In the letters he prepares and purifies the church so that
it can withstand the coming assaults on it by its enemies: Satan, the
beast, the false prophet, the world and its seduction which are
described in the rest of the book.
Summary of the condition of the churches:
i. Commended with nothing against:
Smyrna: Materially poor but spiritually rich, enduring affliction,
slandered and persecuted.
Philadelphia: Open door, little strength, kept his word, had not
denied his name, endured patiently.
ii. Commended but with things against.
Ephesus: Hard work, perseverance, have not grown weary, cannot
tolerate wicked men but had lost their love.
Pergamum: Live where Satan has his throne, Antipas was martyred,
remain true to his name did not renounce their faith, but some hold
to teaching of Balaam.
Thyatira: Have growing love and faith but tolerate the false
teaching of Jezebel.
iii. Nothing to commend.
Sardis: Reputation of being alive but spiritually dead. Wake-up
Laodicea: Lukewarm, materially rich but spiritually poor, blind
and naked. About to be spewed out.
Ramsey notes that the descriptions of the churches in all their
imperfection serves to define the limits within which the church may
exist, yet all of them are part of the church of Christ despite their
imperfections |
