A Walk thru Revelation: The Churches

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

So far, we’ve covered the introduction to Revelation and the seven churches, which includes Revelation 1-3. From here, we will actually move to the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21), for a few weeks, then move back to Revelation 4. The reason we’ll do that is because there are many things in the Olivet Discourse that Jesus outlines that connect with the last generation and coming Tribulation that will occur throughout the entire world. For now, let me provide information on the the seven churches of Revelation. The latest video is posted at my page over on SermonAudio.com with the PDF handouts for readers to download and follow along if they desire.

Revelation 3: The Churches
 – Characteristics Found in the Seven Churches:

• Messages of Jesus to the Churches
• Involve the visible church, not the invisible church
• Jesus has something against five of them and nothing against two
• Finds something good in six churches and nothing good in the seventh
• Four common things in all seven letters

 – Four common things in all seven letters.

1. 1. Every letter has a description of the Messiah taken from the description of the Glorified Son of Man in Revelation 1.
2. All seven letters contain the words: “I know”
3. “he that overcomes” followed by a promise
4. “he that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” – admonition to obedience

 – Interpretation
Most Agree that: (among Premillennialists)

• These churches were seven real churches
• Provide us a picture of what the Church was like toward the end of the first century.
• The messages to these churches will always be perennial
• The messages contain prophetic truth
• All seven church types exist throughout the Church Age
• All seven types will continue to exist until the Rapture

 – Historical-Prophetic Interpretation

• While all seven types of churches always exist, one type dominates a particular era of church history.
• These letters then could present a prophetic picture of seven historical periods in which the visible church will develop
• The letters are being written to the seven churches, representative of the whole

– Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7)

• Destination: Ephesus which means “desired”
• Might represent Apostolic Church, from A.D.30 to A.D.100
• About the time of the death of John
• “He who holds the seven stars in His right hand…”
• Commended for condemning false teachers, vv. 2-3
• Commended for hating the work of the Nicolaitans, v. 6
• Condemned for losing their first love
• Urged to remember their first love, repent and turn to it
• Failure will result in the removal of their candlestick, or their witness
• Promised privilege of eating of the fruit of the Tree of Life

– Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11)

• Destination: Smyrna which means “myrrh”
• Could represents the Roman persecution resulting in death“the First and the Last…”
• Commended for having patience in sufferings
• Commended for enduring the blasphemy of those who claim to be Jews, but are of the synagogue of Satan
• Jesus has nothing against this church – no condemnation
• Urged not to fear what they are about to suffer
• Warns them that they are about to suffer persecution for a period of ten days (likely a literal ten day period, not ten periods of time)
• Exhorted to not fear death
• They will not die a second time (2nd death)

 – Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17)

• Destination: Pergamum which means “thoroughly married”
• Church was married to the State – official religion of Rome
• Resulted in spiritual fornication and idolatry
• Satan’s throne is – Temple of Esculapius, Serpent-Son
• “has the sharp two-edged sword” – judgment
• Commended for not denying the faith
• Condemned for allowing some to hold to teachings of Balaam (Numbers 22-24; encouragement of corruption by intermarriage resulting in fornication and idolatry)
• Condemned for permitting the teachings of Nicolaitans
• Exhorted to repent, clean up church, or be judged
• One who overcomes will be given manna; white stone; given new name

– Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29)

• Destination: Thyatira which means “perpetual sacrifice”
• Roman Catholic doctrine of continual sacrifice through Mass
• “Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire…” judgment
• Commended for their works of love, faith, ministry, patience
• Characterized by their good works
• Condemned for tolerating Jezebel
  • Phoenician name; Phoenicians had disappeared by this time as a separate ethnic identity
  • Thyatira was not located in Phoenicia, but Asia Minor
  • Possibly not a real woman; may represent a religious entity
• Jezebel of the OT introduced pagan religion to Israel (I Kings 16:29-33)
• Surpassed all previous sins of idolatry in Northern Kingdom
• Idolatry began with Jeroboam I
  • Corrupted true religion
  • Morality still present
• Jezebel introduced a whole new god and system or worship
  • Involved sexual immorality
  • Became a picture of church during Dark Ages
• During Dark Ages, church introduced:
  • Justification by works – not grace through faith
  • Baptismal regeneration – person saved by baptism
  • Worship of images
  • Celibacy – forbidding to marry
  • Confessionalism – sins confessed; priests declares absolution
  • Purgatory – where one is refined prior to Heaven
  • Transubstantiation – continual sacrifice of Jesus
  • Indulgences – pay your way out of Purgatory
  • Penance – torment of one’s body to reduce time in Purgatory
  • Mariolatry – worship of virgin Mary, elevation as mother of God, declaration of her deity
• Verse 22 indicates the “woman” to be thrown into Great Tribulation
• Exhorted to hold fast to that which is pure, who are not already part of Satan’s counterfeit (Roman Catholicism)
• Promised to have a part in the Messianic Kingdom and will have the Morning Star (refers to Jesus Himself (Rev. 22:16)

– Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6)

• Destination: Sardis which means “those escaping”
• “He that has the seven Spirits of God…”
• Condemned because they have a name that lives, but are dead
• Valid description of the church in the Reformation
  • Doctrinal correction and good creeds
  • Did not rectify the problem of church married to state
  • No spiritual vitality
  • Churches that broke away from Roman Catholicism all became state churches
• Exhorted to resurrect that which is about to die – go back to spiritual life as well as sound doctrinal creeds
• Commended because they exercised faith
• Promised to have white garments (salvation) and their names not blotted out (eternal security) and names will be confessed before the angels

– Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13)

• Destination: Philadelphia which means “brotherly love”
• “He that has the key of David…”
• Commended for making use of the open door
• During the period of 1700-1900 there was virtually no place where a missionary could not go – not so today
• Promised fruit from those who claim to be Jews or people of God and are not
  • Could reference those cults who claim to be true Jews:
    • Mormons
    • Jehovah’s Witnesses
  • May mean will not go into the Great Tribulation period, v. 10
  • Cannot obviously be limited to the Church at Philadelphia
  • They will serve as a pillar in the Temple of God
  • They will have three new names: name of God, name of Jerusalem, new name of Jesus
  • Exhorted to continue doing well

– Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22)

• Destination: Laodicea which means “people ruling”
• “the faithful and true Witness…”
• The only Church with NO commendation
• Condemned for being lukewarm
  • “hot” are truly saved
  • “cold” not believers and do not claim to be
  • “lukewarm” are those who claim to be believers but aren’t
  • v.17, characterized as richness in worldly goods, self-deceived because they are spiritually poor, blind and naked
  • Apostasy is the departure from the truth that one professes to have. Does not mean they actually possessed the truth
  • A departure from a truth they professed to have because of an affiliation with a particular church
  • Characterizes the church of the 20th & 21st century

This is referencing Poon India.