~~~ The Seven Churches of Asia ~~~
The Letters to the Seven Churches:

John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth... On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea." I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance... The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Revelation 1:4-5, 10-16 & 20

  1. To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
    • Admonishments:
      • I know your [good] deeds.
      • You cannot tolerate wicked people.
      • You have tested the claims of false apostles.
      • You have endured hardships for my name.
      • You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans.
    • Denouncements:
      • You have forsaken your first love.
      • Consider how far you have fallen!
    • Promise: To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
    • Mentions:
      • Ephesus: Paul visited here during his third missionary journey, established a church here, and later wrote the Epistle to the Ephesians.
      • Nicolaitans: First century, early Christian heretical sect known for advocating libertinism, idolatry, and sexual immorality. They argued that Christian grace freed them from moral constraints.

  2. To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
    • Admonishments:
      • I know your afflictions and your poverty, yet you are rich.
      • I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
      • Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.
      • The devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution.
      • Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
    • Denouncements:
      • None.
    • Promise: The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
    • Mentions:
      • Smyrna: There is no other mention of this city in the Bible.
      • Synagogue of Satan: Local opponents or Gentile legalists trying to force Jewish practices on Christians.

  3. To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.
    • Admonishments:
      • I know where you live - where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name.
      • You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city.
    • Denouncements:
      • There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam.
      • You also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
      • Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
    • Promise: To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
    • Mentions:
      • Pergamum: There is no other mention of this city in the Bible.
      • Balaam: Practiced divination.
      • Nicolaitans: First century, early Christian heretical sect known for advocating libertinism, idolatry, and sexual immorality. They argued that Christian grace freed them from moral constraints.

  4. To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
    • Admonishments:
      • I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance.
      • And that you are now doing more than you did at first.
      • I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
      • I say to the rest of you in Thyatira... hold on to what you have until I come.
    • Denouncements:
      • I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet.
      • I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.
    • Promise: To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations... I will also give that one the morning star.
    • Mentions:
      • Thyatira: This city was the home of Lydia, a woman whom Paul met at Philippi of Macedonia.
      • Jezebel: An evil, false prophetess, the foreign wife of King Ahab of Israel. She promoted Baal worship, immorality, and persecuted the prophets.
      • Satan's Deep Secrets: Heretical "hidden knowledge" in the early church that promoted immorality and idol worship under the guise of deep spiritual insight.

  5. To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
    • Admonishments:
      • Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die.
      • Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.
      • Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes.
      • They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
    • Denouncements:
      • I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
      • I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God.
    • Promise: The one who is victorious will be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.
    • Mentions:
      • Sardis: There is no other mention of this city in the Bible.

  6. To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
    • Admonishments:
      • I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.
      • I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.
      • I will make them (synagogue of Satan} come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.
      • Since you have kept my command..., I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world.
      • Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
    • Denouncements:
      • None
    • Promise: The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.
    • Mentions:
      • Philadelphia: There is no other mention of this city in the Bible.
      • Synagogue of Satan: Local opponents or Gentile legalists trying to force Jewish practices on Christians.

  7. To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation.
    • Admonishments:
      • I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
      • Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.
      • If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
    • Denouncements:
      • I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.
      • Because you are lukewarm... I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
      • You say, 'I am rich', but you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.
    • Promise: To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.
    • Mentions:
      • Laodicea:This city, 19 km west of Colossae, is mentioned four times in Paul's letter to the Colossians.
Unfolding the Seven Churches:
  1. The Number Seven: It is one of the most important numbers in the Bible. It symbolizes completion and perfection. A few examples from Revelation:
    • Seven Churches
    • Seven Spirits
    • Seven Golden Lampstands
    • Seven Stars
    • Seven Angels
    • Seven Seals
    • Seven Trumpets
    • Seven Plagues
    • Seven Heads w/o Crowns
  2. Regarding the seven churches, some eschatologists believe they represent seven distinct chronological periods of church history beginning in the first century AD, ending with the Second Advent.
  3. Since the number seven is symbolic of completion and not necessarily absolute, I tend to think the letters to the seven churches are most likely representative of the character of all professed Christians. It points out where they have backslidden and encourages them to "hold fast and repent', ending with a promise "To the one who is victorious."