The race is on!
We left Athens this afternoon, and we are on our way to Turkey, a stretch of travel dubbed the “Revelation Race.” During the course of this multi-day competition, each team will visit three cities in Turkey that were home to the ancient churches to which Jesus commanded John to write letters in Revelation 2-3.
At present, we are on a ferry, crossing the sea, headed for the isle of Samos (where Paul touched down briefly on his way back to Jerusalem in Acts 20:15). From there, we will change ferries and continue on to the ancient church sites: Smyrna, Pergamum, and Ephesus. We have specific tasks to perform in each, all of which you will get to read about once we have completed our adventure. [Ed. – Actually thýs was
wrýtten on the ferry. It ýs beýng
posted at a bus statýon ýn Smyrna. In case you are ýnterested.]
And you are a part of the fun, dear reader! You see, one of the tasks that must be completed during the Revelation Race is to compose a post detailing our thoughts on the letters of Jesus to the seven churches that John records in Revelation 2-3. That’s what you’re reading right now.
So, grab your Bibles and follow along! Without further ado, here we go!
Each of the seven letters contains a few common attributes. First, Jesus praises the church for anything praiseworthy they are doing. Then, He confronts their sin with strong rebuke. And finally, He includes a promise for the future of “the one who overcomes.” We’ll point out what these are in each letter.
Letter One: The Church in Ephesus
Praised for: hard work, perseverance, not tolerating wicked men, discovering false apostles, endurance of hardships for the sake of Jesus’ Name.
Rebuked for: Forsaking their first love.
Promise to the one who overcomes: He will eat from the Tree of Life.
The Lord seems to have much for which to praise the Ephesian church. They had undergone hardships and difficulties, and yet they did not grow weary. They were not taken in by the false teachings of the Nicolaitans, as some of the other churches of Asia were. The Nicolaitans were a group of Christians that advocated taking advantage of our liberty in Christ to the point of licentiousness. Eating food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality were commonplace among them, in direct contradiction of the instruction of the apostles to Gentile believers in Acts 15:29. The Nicolaitans advocated these practices so that Christians in Asia could continue to take part in the pagan feasts and celebrations, thereby remaining a part of their secular community.
But the Ephesians realized that these were false teachings and hated the practices of the Nicolaitans, for which Jesus commends them.
However, the Ephesians had forsaken their first love. We don’t have much elaboration on what exactly they had forsaken, other than Jesus’ instruction to them to “repent and do the things you did at first.” This seems to suggest that they had lost their passion. Just as the flames of romance die down between man and wife after a few years of marriage, so too does the romance of the marriage between the church and Christ, if we are not mindful of it.
Let us remember the passion with which we prayed, and studied the Word, and served in the church when we first came to the Lord. And let us commit ourselves to doing so again.
Letter Two: The Church in Smyrna
This letter does not fit the pattern of praise and rebuke, but is rather a letter of warning.
Promise to the one who overcomes: He will not be hurt at all by the second death.
The persecution of the church at Smyrna was great. This was the church of Polycarp, John’s disciple who was martyred in 168 A.D. by the Jews, members of what the Lord here calls the “synagogue of Satan.”
Jesus sought to comfort the church and prepare them for what was ahead. He warned that they would undergo persecution for ten days, during which time some would be put in prison to test them. If they were faithful, even to the point of death, they would receive the crown of life. For undergoing a trial that only lasted a short time, they received an eternal reward.
Let us remember that our sufferings only last an instant, but our reward in heaven will last forever. In view of this truth, let us refrain from grumbling and instead rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that they pale in comparison with the glory that lies ahead of us.
Letter Three: The Church at Pergamum
Praised for: Remaining true to Christ in the midst of a sinful city.
Rebuked for: Following false teaching, eating food sacrificed to idols, licentiousness.
Promise to the one who overcomes: He will receive some of the hidden manna, and a white stone with a new name on it known only to him.
Pergamum was a city loaded with idols. So much sin went on there that Jesus referred to it as the place “where Satan has his throne.” This must have been a constant battle for believers in the city, yet they remained faithful to Christ.
Yet, there were some who accepted the false teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans, who allowed themselves to participate in sexual immorality in worship of false gods. Jesus demands their immediate repentance.
Though we may have not denied Christ, we may have sin in our lives that compromises our commitment to Him. Let us search ourselves and repent of anything that might be displeasing to the Savior.
Letter Four: The Church in Thyatira
Praised for: love, faith, service, perseverance.
Rebuked for: tolerating a false teacher who led many into sinful practices.
Promise to the one who overcomes: He will be given authority to rule over the nations, and he will be given the morning star.
This church had many faithful servants of Jesus among its ranks. They loved and served together. They demonstrated their faith with their deeds, which increased with time walking with the Lord, as they ought.
Rebuked for: tolerating a false teacher who led many into sinful practices.
Promise to the one who overcomes: He will be given authority to rule over the nations, and he will be given the morning star.
This church had many faithful servants of Jesus among its ranks. They loved and served together. They demonstrated their faith with their deeds, which increased with time walking with the Lord, as they ought.
This church had many faithful servants of Jesus among its ranks. They loved and served together. They demonstrated their faith with their deeds, which increased with time walking with the Lord, as they ought.
But the church in Thyatira also had a false prophetess named Jezebel who led many astray. She taught the believers to participate in eating food sacrificed to idols and in sexually sinful idol worship.
Jesus calls the sinful to repentance, and the faithful to continue in what they are doing.
Interestingly, the Lord says He had given Jezebel time to repent, but she refused to do so. This once again demonstrates the great patience of our God, who bears with us in our sins. Is God allowing you time to repent of something today?
Letter Five: The Church in Sardis
Praised for: Nothing
Rebuked for: Being spiritually dead, having incomplete deeds, being spiritually asleep.
Promise to the one who overcomes: He will wear white, and his name will never be blotted out of the Book of Life.
Only this church and the church in Laodicea are not praised for something. This is an indication of how dire their spiritual condition must have been. Thus, Jesus gives them a call to action. Wake up! Get moving! The little faith you have is about to die! Strengthen it before it is too late!
And yet there were a few people in Sardis who faithfully pursued Christ. They were not sleeping like the others, and like the righteous remnant spoken of in Old Testament prophecies, this group would not be forgotten. They would walk with Jesus, dressed in white. God does not forget the righteous because they live among the wicked. He knows each of them by name, and they will be rewarded.
Let us never blame the shortcomings of our walk with the Lord on the failure of the Christians around us. We must always run as to obtain the prize, even when it seems like no one else is.
Letter Six: The Church in Philadelphia
Praised for: Keeping His word, not denying His name, enduring patiently.
Rebuked for: Nothing
Promise to the one who overcomes: He will be made a pillar in the Temple of God.
The letter to the church in Philadelphia is not a letter of rebuke or correction, but one of praise and promise. This was a church as it was supposed to be: patiently enduring persecution, remaining faithful to the teaching of the apostles, pursuing the Lord, etc.
Promise to the one who overcomes: He will be made a pillar in the Temple of God.
The letter to the church in Philadelphia is not a letter of rebuke or correction, but one of praise and promise. This was a church as it was supposed to be: patiently enduring persecution, remaining faithful to the teaching of the apostles, pursuing the Lord, etc.
Rebuked for: Nothing
Promise to the one who overcomes: He will be made a pillar in the Temple of God.
The letter to the church in Philadelphia is not a letter of rebuke or correction, but one of praise and promise. This was a church as it was supposed to be: patiently enduring persecution, remaining faithful to the teaching of the apostles, pursuing the Lord, etc.
Promise to the one who overcomes: He will be made a pillar in the Temple of God.
The letter to the church in Philadelphia is not a letter of rebuke or correction, but one of praise and promise. This was a church as it was supposed to be: patiently enduring persecution, remaining faithful to the teaching of the apostles, pursuing the Lord, etc.
The letter to the church in Philadelphia is not a letter of rebuke or correction, but one of praise and promise. This was a church as it was supposed to be: patiently enduring persecution, remaining faithful to the teaching of the apostles, pursuing the Lord, etc.
And so, because of their faithfulness, Jesus promises to deliver to them some of the Jews who persecuted them. He says that some of the “synagogue of Satan” would fall down at their feet and acknowledge that theirs was the true God. This seems to suggest that these Jews would accept Christ and acknowledge Him as Lord. So, not only would this church endure persecution, but it would win over its persecutors. What a great victory!
Do you have people in your life you are patiently enduring? Do you know people who make it hard for you to be a Christian? Take heart, because if you remain faithful, God may bless you by allowing you to win those people for Him!
Letter Seven: The Church in Laodicea
Praised for: Nothing
Rebuked for: Being wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked, and not knowing it.
Promise to the one who overcomes: He will receive the right to sit with Jesus on His throne.
The people of Laodicea were very wealthy because of banking activities that went on in that city. Wealth, unfortunately, breeds spiritual apathy and false comfortableness. It makes one believe that one is blessed and spiritually healthy, even when this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Jesus says that the people of this church were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. They looked to their worldly wealth for their fulfillment, rather than looking to Christ and receiving from Him the true wealth that is not of this world.
I fear there are many churches in America that fit the description of Laodicea. Rich, comfortable, fat, and lazy. They think themselves blessed, when in reality they are wretched. And yet, just as it was for the Laodiceans, if God’s people will repent and look only to Him, He will open their spiritual eyes and clothe their spiritual nakedness.
Let us never grow so comfortable in our worldly wealth that we lose sight of our true spiritual condition.
So, there you have it. A few thoughts on each of the seven letters to the Revelation Churches. Thanks for reading the whole thing. I’m sure there’s some sort of blessing in store for the one who endures that.
We’ll leave you with the words of Jesus in Revelation 3:20, a timeless invitation to anyone who does not yet know the Lord.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
[Ed. – A full report on how we ran our race, ýncludýng pýctures, wýll be forthcomýng tomorrow upon offýcýal conclusýon of the race. So, stay tuned!]
