Number 5 In A Series of Studies on Revelation -

The Letters to the Seven Churches - Revelation 1:12-13a, 19-20

The book of Revelation contains it's own outline in Revelation 1:19.

1. "The things which thou hast seen," is in chapter 1. This was the vision John saw of Jesus Christ.

2. "The things which are," is in chapters 2 and 3. This was the insight and instruction Christ gave John to give to the seven churches of Asia.

3. "The things which shall be hereafter," starts in chapters 4 and concludes in chapter 22. This is the prophecy of the end of the age.

Far from being deeply mysterious, Revelation should be relatively easy to understand once we understand its settings and comprehend its symbols.

Revelation 2 and 3 gives the seven messages of Christ to the seven churches of Asia. After chapter 3 churches are conspicuous by their absence. Up to chapter 4 churches are mentioned 19 times. From chapter 4 through 20 (the Great White Throne Judgment) churches is not mentioned one single time. Not until Revelation 22:16 do churches reappear when it says, "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches..."

I want to begin by giving some basic information regarding the church - Church 101 - before getting into a study of the individual letters to the seven churches. Let's be very simple. "What is the church, anyway?" "Church" is a badly misused and misunderstood word! It has ome to mean something entirely different from what it meant to first-century Christians.

Some people improperly call a building the church. I remember returning the visit of a lady who attended a church I previously pastored. I asked her why she had visited our church, thinking maybe a member had invited her. She said, "Oh, I just love red brick buildings." She may have been a red brick short of a load! Really, she is like a lot of people who see a building with stained-glass windows and a steeple on top and say, "That is a pretty church."

That's not what the church is at all. Churches existed long before they ever had their own house or building. In doing some research on Colonial America it was interesting to read that they didn't call their building their church. They called the building a "meeting house."

Some people improperly think of the church as a denomination, an organization, a religion, or a group of churches.

Some people think of the church as a spiritual country club. In other words, the church is something you join for what you can get out of it, the way you join a club or a service organization. Its good for business. Its good for social contacts.

Some people improperly insist that all saved people are members of a "universal and invisible church." All of the truly saved do make up the family of God, but a universal, invisible church simply does not exist.

Here is a little equation: Wrong concept = Wrong conclusion.

If you start from an incorrect concept you will end up with an incorrect conclusion.

What is a church in the New Testament?

First, the church has a divine architect. Jesus Christ founded the first church during His own earthly ministry. The first mention of the word "church" in the Bible is Matthew 16:18. There are at least two promises in this verse concerning the church of Jesus Christ.

1. He would initiate it. "I will build my church..." The Holy Spirit did not start the church. The Apostles did not start the church. Jesus Christ Himself started His church while He was on this earth.

2. He would perpetuate it. "And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." For almost 2,000 years God has protected and perpetuated His churches. Since the ministry of Christ there have been true churches somewhere on the earth, even as there are now.

- Eph. 5:25 tells us Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it."

- Acts 20:28 informs us that the church was "purchased with His (Christ's) own blood."

Second, the church is also a human assembly. The Greek word translated church is "ekklesia," means "a called out assembly." The churches of the New Testament were both local and visible (1 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:22; Revelation 2 and 3). When one honestly weighs the evidence of the New Testament, the only correct conclusion is that there is no such thing in the Bible as a "universal, invisible" church.

Definition: The churches of the New Testament were organized assemblies of baptized believers meeting in a specific locality to carry out the great commission of Jesus Christ.

Without any question, belonging to one of our Lord's churches is fundamental to the faithful Christian life. After we are born into the family of God we are to be baptized into the church of God, Acts 2:41.

Third, the church has a heavenly authority, Matthew 28:16-18. No one can do what the church can do because only the church has heaven's authority. Jesus did not pass on His authority to do His work to the Apostles, as men. He passed on His authority to them as His church.

Fourth, the church has an earthly agenda, Matthew 28:19-20. I remember getting a call at a church I previously pastored from a man in a near by neighborhood. In no uncertain terms he told me he did not appreciate our church people knocking on his door and he demanded that I promise him we would never do it again. I quickly told him, "Sir, I could never make you that promise because we have been authorized by Jesus Christ to share His story with the world." When people tell you to mind your own business, you tell them that is what you are doing - are you minding God's business which told you to make His business your business - which is sharing the old, old story of Jesus and His love.

Write...Permanence.

Revelation 1:11 "What thou seest, write in a book, and sent it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea."

Revelation 1:19 "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter."

Revelation 2:1 "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write..." 2:8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14.

"Write" is the Greek word "grapho." God has given us a written record. Churches are not called to follow men's traditions or fables, nor yet visions, dreams, or personal prophecies. We are called to follow the written Word of God. We believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God. We believe the Bible is eternal. It transcends cultures, continents, and centuries. And we also believe God has preserved His Word for us today, as He has for all His people in all ages. Neither God's people, nor God's churches, nor God's Word has ever been lost in any age.

2. Churches...People.

Real people. In Revelation 2:13 "Antipas" was named as a church member in the Pergamos church. He was a real person with a real name who lived in a real city and was a member of a real church.

Redeemed people. New Testament churches are made up of God's people - saved, baptized, Spirit-filled, aggressive and united. Baptist churches believe in a regenerated church membership. Yet the truth is there are many people who have joined our ranks that probably are not truly born again. The typical Southern Baptist church has 233 members but the average Sunday morning worship attendance is only 70! Many Baptist people say they are going to heaven when they die, but they do not go to church while they are alive! The question to arises is, "Are many of those in church truly redeemed?"

3. Seven...Perfection.

There are seven individual churches mentioned. Why seven? It is the Bible number for perfection. In Revelation there are seven churches, seven spirits, seven seals, seven angels, seven trumpets, and seven vials. Seven is mentioned 44 times in Revelation.

These were individual churches. What does Revelation 1:13 says? It says Christ was seen "in the midst" or among the seven golden candlesticks. This was not one seven branch candlestick like in the menorah of the tabernacle or the temple. These were seven individual candlesticks. If there was just one candlestick Christ would have been seen walking around, but could not walk among.

Denominationalism is a man-made thing and continues to be a means of usurping the control of congregations away from Jesus Christ Himself. Instead of obeying Christ, they end up obeying their bishop. These congregations were local, visible, independent, fundamental, premillennial, missionary, Baptist congregations.

Why these seven? Certainly not because they were the only churches existing at that time. Certainly not because of their prominence. Jerusalem was the first church. Antioch was probably a greater missionary church than any of these.

Why these seven letters? They had a threefold interpretation and application.

- Historical...Contemporary. These seven letters had a direct message to seven real, local churches of the first century. Consult a map of the ancient world and you will find these seven cities.

- Practical...Composite. There is something that is applicable to all churches in all ages in each message to each individual church. These churches of John's day ideally, represented by the number seven, possessed distinct characteristics that have pervaded Christ's churches since its inception unto this very day. There is truth for all churches in all centuries. This is supported by the fact that only seven churches were selected out of the many that existed and flourished in John's time. Also, the statement at the close of each letter allows us to understand the message was for all of God's churches. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches..." (2:7, 11, 17, 29, 3:6, 13, 22). For example, when we read the message to the church at Ephesus, there is a message for our church generally and for each of us personally.

- Prophetical...Chronlogoical. It is very likely that a panoramic view of the church age is given in these seven churches from the time Jesus personally founded the church to the rapture of the saints. It is thought that these seven churches represent seven distinct periods of church history. The church of Ephesus, the Apostolic churches down to Laodicean church, the apostate churches, the final state of the churches. Remember, this is a book of prophecy, so prophecy about church-life is not out of the question.

4. Candlesticks...Purpose.

Revelation 1:12b-13a "And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man."

A candlestick or lampstand is not the light. It bears light. The light came from the oil that burned in the lamps on the stand.

Churches give light - they do not originate light. Churches are not to be holy huddles where people gather to escape the pressure and pollution of the world until Jesus returns. Churches are called to move forward, to bear the light of the truth in our dark world.

Individual Christian lights are to be placed on a congregational candlestick. "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shire before men, that they may see your good works, and glory our Father which is in heaven," Matthew 5:14-15.

It is God's will for every saved person to bring his individual light to one of God's candlesticks and put his light with other Christians in the church. How many know, collective lights burn brighter than individual lights?

5. Golden...Purity.

God's churches have their critics and their counterfeits. Both are to be expected. Some of the damage done to the Lord's churches have been done by its very own people. But what we need to see here is that when God wanted to describe what He thinks of His churches, how He sees them He says they are "golden." Don't undervalue God's churches. Gold is both precious and pure.

6. Stars and Angels...Pastors.

Revelation 1:16 "And he had in his right hand seven stars..."

Interpretation. Revelation 1:20 "The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches..."

Each of the seven church letter begins, "Unto the angel of the church..."

Angels (the Greek word angeloi) carries a primary meaning of "messenger." There are a couple of interpretations. Are these superhuman or human beings?

* Some say these are actually angels, that each church has an angel assigned to them by God for their protection and guidance. Hebrews 1:12 says of angels, "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"

"There is no hint that angelic beings bear any such relationship to or responsibility for the assemblies of God in this dispensation. Christ is the only Head and the Holy Spirit the only administrator of her affairs on earth." Source: William R. Newell, The Book of the Revelation, p. 33.

* Others, like myself, believe this refers to the church's messenger, the pastor. This same word is translated "messenger" in Luke 7:24 and 27 referring to John the Baptist and two of his disciples. Each of these seven churches had their own pastor. I've been called a lot of things, so it is kind of nice to hear pastors called angels. It has a nice ring, "Angel Jerry." I don't think that will catch on. Seriously, these were seen by God as God's messengers to the church - their preacher. And Charles Ryrie says, "As such, they share in the blessings and blame of congregations."

God addressed his letter to the pastors and they were assigned the job of reading them carefully and faithfully to their congregations. God places pastors . . .

"in" churches, Acts 20:28.

"for" churches to feed.

"over" churches to lead, Hebrews 13:7, 17; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; 1 Timothy 5:17.

One night I was preaching a revival at a church encouraging the church to love the pastor, pray for the pastor, follow the pastor. As people were leaving the building a man said to me in front of his pastor and others who were standing by, "I don't guess you believe the Holy Spirit leads the congregation." I immediately answered,"Yes, sir, I do. I believe the Holy Spirit leads the congregation to follow the pastor.

Ephesus, The Careless Church, 2:1-7.

Smyrna, The Crowned Church, 2:8-11.

Pergamos, The Compromising Church, 2:12-17.

Thyatira, The Corrupted Church, 2:18-29.

Sardis, The Cold Church, 3:1-6.

Philadelphia, The Champion Church, 3:7-13.

Laodicea, The Closed Church, 3:14-22.

Prepared and delivered by
Dr. Jerry D. Locke
Lake Worth Baptist Church
4445 Hodgkins Road
Fort Worth, TX 76135-2136