Seven Churches Of Asia
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The Seven Churches of Revelation, also known as the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse and the Seven Churches of Asia, are seven major Churches of
Early Christianity Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewis ...
, as mentioned in the
New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...
Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of R ...
. All of them are located in
Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, present-day
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.


Description

According to Revelation 1:11, on the
Greek island Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227. The largest Greek island by a ...
of
Patmos Patmos ( el, Πάτμος, ) is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It is famous as the location where John of Patmos received the visions found in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament, and where the book was written. One of the northern ...
,
Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
instructs
John of Patmos John of Patmos (also called John the Revelator, John the Divine, John the Theologian) is the name traditionally given to the author of the Book of Revelation. The text of Revelation states that John was on Patmos, a Greek island where, accordin ...
to: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven Churches: to Ephesus, and to
Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
, and to
Pergamum Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; grc-gre, Πέργαμον), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Mysia. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on th ...
, and to
Thyatira Thyateira (also Thyatira) ( grc, Θυάτειρα) was the name of an ancient Greek city in Asia Minor, now the modern Turkish city of Akhisar ("white castle"). The name is probably Lydian. It lies in the far west of Turkey, south of Istanbu ...
, and to
Sardis Sardis () or Sardes (; Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard''; el, Σάρδεις ''Sardeis''; peo, Sparda; hbo, ספרד ''Sfarad'') was an ancient city at the location of modern ''Sart'' (Sartmahmut before 19 October 2005), near Salihli, ...
, and to
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, and to Laodicea." The churches in this context refers to the community or local congregations of Christians living in each city.


The seven churches

The seven churches are named for their locations. The Book of Revelation provides descriptions of each Church. * Ephesus (Revelation 2:1–7): known for having labored hard and not fainted, and separating themselves from the wicked; admonished for having forsaken its first love (2:4) *
Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
(Revelation 2:8–11): admired for its tribulation and poverty; forecast to suffer persecution (2:10) *
Pergamum Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; grc-gre, Πέργαμον), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Mysia. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on th ...
(Revelation 2:12–17): located where 'Satan's seat' is; needs to repent of allowing false teachers (2:16) *
Thyatira Thyateira (also Thyatira) ( grc, Θυάτειρα) was the name of an ancient Greek city in Asia Minor, now the modern Turkish city of Akhisar ("white castle"). The name is probably Lydian. It lies in the far west of Turkey, south of Istanbu ...
(Revelation 2:18–29): known for its charity, whose "latter works are greater than the former"; tolerates the teachings of a false prophetess (2:20) *
Sardis Sardis () or Sardes (; Lydian: 𐤳𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣 ''Sfard''; el, Σάρδεις ''Sardeis''; peo, Sparda; hbo, ספרד ''Sfarad'') was an ancient city at the location of modern ''Sart'' (Sartmahmut before 19 October 2005), near Salihli, ...
(Revelation 3:1–6): admonished for – in contrast to its good reputation – being dead; cautioned to fortify itself and return to God through repentance (3:2–3) *
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
(Revelation 3:7–13): known as steadfast in faith, keeping God's word and enduring patiently (3:10) * Laodicea, near Denizli (see
Laodicean Church The Laodicean Church was a Christian community established in the ancient city of Laodicea (on the river Lycus, in the Roman province of Asia, and one of the early centers of Christianity). The church was established in the Apostolic Age, the ear ...
) (Revelation 3:14–22): called lukewarm and insipid (3:16)


Seven messages

The letters follow a common pattern. For example: the Lord first addresses each church and identifies Himself, then defines things that He knows about the church in question. After this, a challenge or reproach is given, followed by a promise. In all seven cases the admonition is included, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches", although sometimes this comes before the promise and sometimes after. Although the letters differ in length in accord with the needs of each community, all conclude with an appeal to hold fast and to listen to what the
Spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...
is saying to the churches. Each church is promised that everyone who conquers will be rewarded by Christ. Some historicists typically interpret the seven churches as representing seven different periods in the history of the Western Church from the time of
Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
until the return of Jesus Christ. Scofield states that "these messages by their very terms go beyond the local assemblies mentioned." He is of the opinion that the letters have a
prophetic In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or pret ...
purpose disclosing the seven phases of the spiritual history of the Church. Other writers, such as
Clarence Larkin Clarence Larkin (1850–1924) was an American Baptist pastor, Bible teacher and author whose writings on Dispensationalism had a great impact on conservative Protestant visual culture in the 20th century. His intricate and influential charts provi ...
,
Henry Hampton Halley Henry Hampton Halley (April 10, 1874 – May 23, 1965) was an American Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) minister and religious writer. He was best known as author of ''Halley's Bible Handbook'', first published in 1924. History Halley was bo ...
,
Merrill Unger Merrill Frederick Unger (1909–1980) was an American Bible commentator, scholar, archaeologist, and theologian. He earned his A.B. and Ph.D. degrees at Johns Hopkins University, and his Th.M and Th.D degrees at Dallas Theological Seminary. He w ...
, and William M. Branham also have posited the view that the seven churches preview the history of the global Church. Historicism has been criticized by the
Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
Fr. Dimitri Cozby, who writes that historicists take a greatly oversimplified view of church history: "Since
dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a system that was formalized in its entirety by John Nelson Darby. Dispensationalism maintains that history is divided into multiple ages or "dispensations" in which God acts with humanity in different ways. Dispensationali ...
is
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
in origin its 'Church history' is strictly Western. The dispensations take into account almost nothing of Orthodox history after the period of the early councils which we share with the West."


Angels of the churches

Chapters 2–3 of the Revelation have specific messages for each of the seven angels of the seven churches. The message of each of the seven letters is directed to the angel of the particular church that is mentioned.
Origen Origen of Alexandria, ''Ōrigénēs''; Origen's Greek name ''Ōrigénēs'' () probably means "child of Horus" (from , "Horus", and , "born"). ( 185 – 253), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theo ...
explains that these "angels" are the
guardian angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role in A ...
s of the churches, a view upheld by Henry Alford. But Epiphanius explicitly rejects this view, and, in accordance with the imagery of the passage, explains it as the
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...
s. John sees a vision of the Son of man, who walks among seven lampstands and has seven stars in his right hand. states that "The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches." The comparison of a teacher to a star is
scriptural Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...
. Augustine of Hippo's reason for interpreting angels of the churches as the
prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...
s of the church is that St. John speaks of them as falling from their first charity, which is not true of the angels. Others would say that the falling away relates to the churches, not to the messengers, as each of the seven letters conclude with the words "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." The Amplified Bible states that Revelation 2:2 through to 3:18, "your" and "you" are in the singular, referring to the ''angel'' of each church. Much of what is said is rebuke and admonishment, so if the ''angels'' are heavenly beings, they may serve in some way as representatives of the sinful people in their churches. Jewish tradition maintained that every nation and individual has a guardian angel, and that when God is about to punish a nation, He first punishes its angel. There is even a story of Michael, the guardian angel of Israel, being rebuked by God for the sins committed in the time of Ezekiel. So the original readers of Revelation might have assumed that the angels here are the guardian angels of the individual churches, sharing responsibility for the actions of the members. In the New Testament, the Greek word for angels ('' άγγελος'') is not only used for heavenly angels, but also used for human messengers, such as
John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
(, , ) and God's prophets ()
C.I. Scofield Cyrus Ingerson Scofield (August 19, 1843 – July 24, 1921) was an American theologian, minister, and writer whose best-selling annotated Bible popularized futurism and dispensationalism among fundamentalist Christians. Biography Child ...
has noted that "The natural explanation of the 'messengers' is that they were men sent by the seven churches to ascertain the state of the aged apostle ... but they figure any who bear God's messages to a church."


''The Seven Churches of Asia'' by Alexander Svoboda

In 1869, the London publishing firm Sampson Low, Son, and Marston published Alexander Svoboda's ''The Seven Churches of Asia''. ''The Seven Churches of Asia'' is divided into three primary sections: an introduction written by English clergyman and Biblical scholar Reverend H. B. Tristram, Svoboda's personal travel account visiting the Seven Churches sites, and an itinerary detailing Svoboda's route. The book also includes twenty full-page photographs of the Seven Churches sites, photographed by Svoboda. These images are the first produced and published photographs of the Seven Churches. Photographs from Svoboda's Seven Churches project were exhibited in the rooms of the Arundel Society in London in 1868.


See also

*
Biblical numerology Biblical numerology is the use of numerology in the Bible to convey a meaning outside of the numerical value of the actual number being used. Numerological values in the Bible often relate to a wider usage in the Ancient Near East. Values *''Th ...
*
Book of Revelation The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of R ...
: chapter 1
, 2 The comma is a punctuation mark that appears in several variants in different languages. It has the same shape as an apostrophe or single closing quotation mark () in many typefaces, but it differs from them in being placed on the baseline ...
, and 3 * Christianity in Anatolia during Roman times *
Classical planet In classical antiquity, the seven classical planets or seven luminaries are the seven moving astronomical objects in the sky visible to the naked eye: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The word ''planet'' comes fro ...
* Early centers of Christianity * Eastern Christianity * Events of Revelation (Chapter 1) * List of Mesopotamian deities#Seven planetary deities *
Seven Archangels The concept of Seven Archangels is found in some works of early Jewish literature and in Christianity. In those texts, they are referenced as the angels who serve God directly. Bible The term ''archangel'' itself is not found in the Hebrew Bib ...
*
Seven Factors of Awakening In Buddhism, the Seven Factors of Awakening (Pali: ''satta bojjhagā'' or ''satta sambojjhagā''; Skt.: ''sapta bodhyanga'') are: * Mindfulness (''sati'', Sanskrit ''smrti''). To maintain awareness of reality, in particular the teachings (''d ...
*
Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome As the home of the Pope and the Catholic curia, as well as the locus of many sites and relics of veneration related to apostles, saints and Christian martyrs, Rome had long been a destination for pilgrims. The Via Francigena was an ancient pilgr ...
*
Seven Spirits of God In the Christian Bible, the term Seven Spirits of God appears four times in the Book of Revelation.''The Book of Revelation'' by Robert H. Mounce 1997 Eerdmans Pub. pp. 46–4/ref>''Revelation 1–11'' by John F. MacArthur (15 Apr 1999) pp. 108 ...
*
Summary of Christian eschatological differences Christian eschatology, a major branch of study within Christian theology, deals with "last things". Such eschatology – the word derives from two Greek roots meaning "last" () and "study" (-) – involves the study of "end things", whether ...


References


Further reading

* Halley, H. H., ''Halley's Bible Handbook'' (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1978), p684 * Scofield, C. I., ''The Scofield Reference Bible'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1967), p1332 * * * Hemer, Colin J. ''The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting'' (JSOT Press, 1989), p283
Clarance Larkin – The Book of Revelation Illustrated . A Study of the Last Prophetic Book of Holy Scripture (1919), P248


External links





see section titled "Spread of Christianity in Asia Minor"
Seven Churches of Revelation
* Branham, W. M.
''An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages''
Voice of God Recordings, Jeffersonville, Indiana, 1965.

by Pastor Rocky Veach
Seven Churches -Thoughts on the seven angels of Revelation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seven Churches Of Asia 1st-century Christianity Book of Revelation Christian terminology New Testament words and phrases Prophets in Christianity Seven in the Book of Revelation Churches in Turkey