The Seven Churches of Revelation

By Larry B. Patton TH.D

The theme of the book of Revelation is derived from its opening sentence: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” John, the beloved disciple, is the recipient of this revelation; but Jesus Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, is its author. The major corpus of this letter to the seven churches of Asia Minor has Jesus Christ as its principal subject.

Christ’s message to the seven churches of the Apocalypse (Revelation) transcends the barriers of time and space. Whatever criticisms and commendations were pronounced upon the churches of Asia Minor, the same are applicable to all churches which presently dispense similar attitudes and characteristics.

The message of the Apocalypse, while couched in visions and symbols and numbers, is simply this: the final judgment of God will be pronounced upon Satan and sin, and his redeemed children will be victorious over the power and dominion of Satan.

It is my hope that you will be challenged to read and study about the seven churches in the book of Revelation. Utilize the bibliography as a guide to additional resources on the subject.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984565624

Book preview

Copyright © 2018 by Larry B. Patton, Th.D.

ISBN:                  Hardcover                     978-1-9845-6564-8

                            Softcover                       978-1-9845-6563-1

                            eBook                            978-1-9845-6562-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

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Rev. date: 11/12/2018

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Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1     Prologue

CHAPTER 2     John’s Salutation to the Seven Churches

CHAPTER 3     John: Banished—Seeing—Commissioned

CHAPTER 4     Ephesus: The Loveless Church

CHAPTER 5     Smyrna: The Poor, Rich Church

CHAPTER 6     Pergamum: The Worldly Church

CHAPTER 7     Thyatira: Jezebel’s Church

CHAPTER 8     Sardis: The Living, Dead Church

CHAPTER 9     Philadelphia: The Church of the Open Door

CHAPTER 10   Laodicea: The Lukewarm Church

SYNOPSIS

EPILOGUE

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NOTES

PREFACE

The theme of the book of Revelation is derived from its opening sentence: The Revelation of Jesus Christ.    John, the beloved disciple, is the recipient of this revelation; but Jesus Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, is its author.    The major corpus of this letter to the seven churches of Asia Minor has Jesus Christ as its principal subject.

Christ’s message to the seven churches of the Apocalypse (Revelation)transcends the barriers of time and space.    Whatever criticisms and commendations were pronounced upon the churches of Asia Minor, the same are applicable to all churches which presently dispense similar attitudes and characteristics.

The message of the Apocalypse, while couched in visions and symbols and numbers, is simply this: the final judgment of God will be pronounced upon Satan and sin, and His redeemed children will be victorious over the power and dominion of Satan.

It is my hope that you will be challenged to read and study about the seven churches in the book of Revelation.    Utilize the bibliography as a guide to additional resources on the subject.

DEDICATION

Affectionately dedicated to my daughter, Barbara Rachelle

CHAPTER 1

Prologue

TRANSLATION OF THE TEXT

Revelation 1:1-3

This is a revelation given by Jesus Christ, which God gave him to make known to his servants what must shortly come to pass; and he communicated it by sending it through his messenger to his servant John, who bore witness to the word given by God and to the testimony from Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and observe the thingswhich have been written in it; for the time is near (Author’s translation).

The message of the book of Revelation is couched in a maze of bewildering visions, extraordinary symbols, and symbolic numbers.

This makes the Apocalypse (Revelation)one of the most mysterious books in the New Testament.    As such, it has become the playground of misinterpretation and fanatical ignorance for those who insist on making spectacular predictions for the exact date of Christ’s second coming.    [If Christians will read and study the text—along with commentaries and other authoritative books on the subject—they can counter such biblical illiteracy.]

The New Testament’s account of Jesus Christ would have been incomplete without the book of Revelation.    No other New Testament book offers such a comprehensive treatment of the meaning and significance of His second coming, as does Revelation.

The primary thrust of the Apocalypse is that the work and ministry of our Lord did not end at the cross.    To be certain, Christ paid the ultimate price at Calvary for the redemption of man.    From the cradle to the grave, His first terrestrial visit was as Savior of the world.    The resurrection of Christ further substantiated and validated this claim.

Even though the writers of the four Gospels described very adequately the events in the life of our Lord, very little was recorded about the meaning and significance of his second terrestrial visitation.    The Apocalypse serves this distinct purpose. This reason alone is sufficient to warrant a concerted effort for present- day churches to receive the words of Christ in the book of Revelation.

The word revelation may be defined as God’s reaching down to man for the specific purpose of revealing His redemptive love through actual historical events.1 This means that all genuine revelation has its origin in God.    The initiative for unveiling the truth always resides with Him, and the whole process of the transmission of Scripture would have been impossible without divine revelation.

In the fullness of time, God’s supreme disclosure for the redemption of mankind culminated in Jesus Christ, the one through whom divine revelation comes, and the one in whom it centers.    God has imparted upon Him the name above all names.    He is at once the object of worship and the subject of confession.

Jesus was directly responsible for the writing of the Apocalypse.    Having received the Revelation from the Father, the Son then was entrusted the privilege of showing God’s servants the anticipated events of the immediate future.    Jesus directed this prophetic disclosure to the Apostle John on the isle of Patmos—by way of a heavenly messenger.

People who are inclined to dismiss the book of Revelation from the canon of Scripture—as the fictitious creation of a lunatic—should not overlook the role which Christ played in its transmission.

The initial recipients of the Apocalypse were the servants of God.    The word servant, as found in the Greek text, refers to one who renders service in obedience to his master.    It was used in the first century to indicate a possessive relationship between the slave and his lord, a relationship which lasted for life.    As the word slave was adapted into the Christian vocabulary, it became the dominant expression in the New Testament for the relationship between the believer and Christ.2

The theological implications of this spiritual relationship are very evident.    First, the Christian must no longer be a slave to sin.    His loyalty to Christ should take precedence over manifold desires and evil pleasures.    Second, the Christian becomes a servant of Jesus Christ through the experience of the new birth.    The paradox of Christian freedom is the surrendering of self in obedience and loyalty to the will of God.

As a prophetic composition, the book of Revelation offered hope to the besieged and persecuted Christians during the darkest hour of Christendom.    It also promises victory to God’s Church during the last days.

The early Christians overcame insurmountable odds.    If the churches of the 21st century are to continue in this same tradition, they must possess the key to understanding and receiving Christ’s glorious promises: committed and dedicated lives.

The promises of Christ to the seven churches in the Apocalypse were conditional.    If they remained faithful, He would do exactly as He said.    The Christians at Ephesus were promised eternal life in the Paradise of God for overcoming evil, temptation and persecution.    The believers at Smyrna were given the divine assurance that they would receive a crown of life, while having no part in the second death.

The faithful ones at Pergamum were promised hidden manna and a white stone with the name of Christ inscribed upon it.    The Christians at Thyatira were promised authority over the nations, while those at Sardis were assured of having their names inscribed indelibly into the Book of Life.    The faithful Christians at Philadelphia were assured the eternal security of becoming a pillar in God’s Temple.    The believers at Laodicea were told that they would sit with Christ on his throne (Rev. 2:1-3:22).

What is the meaning of these promises to the seven churches of Asia Minor?    The message was unequivocally a summons to faithfulness.    It is the opinion of this writer that what we have here is one promise expressed in seven different ways, with the end result being eternal life.

The prophetic predictions in the book of Revelation deal with impending