WTM SERI

ESONTHESEVENCHURCHES

I
NTRODUCTI
ON

Youarewelcomet
oInsi
ghtsfr
om God'
sWord,aBi
bleStudyPr
ogr
ammet
hati
scommi
tt
edt
o
shar
ingGod'sWor
dbyall
owingtheBi
blet
ospeakf
oritsel
f.

Fr
iends,
wegr
eety
oui
nthenameofourLor
dandSav
iour
,JesusChr
ist
.

I
nt hi
sst udy
,webringyouthei
ntr
oduct
iont
oourseri
esonthesev
enchurchesofthebookof
Revel
ation.I
ntheintr
oduct
ionoft
hebookofRevel
ati
on,
theapost
leJohnoffer
sthefol
l
owing
greet
ingt ot
hepeopleofGod:

"1:
4Johnt otheSEVENCHURCHESWHICHAREINASI
A:Gracebeuntoy
ou,andpeace,f
rom
him whichi
s,andwhichwas,
andwhi
chi
stocome;
andfr
om thesev
enSpir
it
swhicharebefor
e
histhr
one;

1:5Andfrom JesusChri
st,whoi
sthefai
thf
ulwit
ness,andt
hefi
rstbegot
tenoft
hedead,and
thepri
nceofthekingsoftheear
th.Unt
ohimthatlov
edus,andwashedusfrom oursi
nsi
nhis
ownblood,

1:6Andhat
hmadeuskingsandpr
iest
sunt
oGodandhi
sFat
her
;tohi
m begl
oryanddomi
nion
forev
erandev
er.Amen.

1:
7Behol
d,hecomethwit
hclouds;andeveryey
eshall
seehi
m,andt
heyal
sowhi
chpi
ercedhi
m:
andal
lki
ndr
edsoftheear
thshallwail
becauseofhi
m.Evenso,
Amen.

1:
8Iam Al
phaandOmega,
thebegi
nni
ngandt
heendi
ng,
sai
tht
heLor
d,whi
chi
s,andwhi
ch
was,
andwhichi
stocome,
theAlmi
ght
y."

1
(
Rev
elat
ion1:
4-8;
Capi
tal
Emphasi
sAdded)

From thisdi vinegreeti

ngwecomet ounder standt hatthemessageofRev elationwaspr imaril
y
gi
v entosev enlit
eralchurchest hatex i
stedi nAsi aMi nor(present-dayTur key).Thisfacthelps
ust oappr eciatethehistori
calappl i
cationoft hebook, andthuswhatwecanl ear nfr
om t hese
earlyChristiancongr egati
ons.Thesesev enchur chesEphesus, Smy r
na, Pergamos, Thyat i
ra,
Sardis,PhiladelphiaandLaodeci anamedf ortheirgeogr aphicallocations,werest r
ategicall
y
positi
onedal ongamaj orRomanr oaddur i
ngt hef i
rstcenturyA.D.Fr om theEngl ishStandar d
Version(ESV)St udyBi bl
e,wel earnthatt heor deroft hesecitiesinpr esent-
dayTur key
correspondst otherout ealongwhi chacour ierfrom Patmos  [wher eJohnr eceivedthev isi
on]
woul dhav ecar ri
edthescr oll(
ESVSt udyBi bl
e, Revelati
on2: 11).

Beloved,ev enthoughtherewer emor et hansevenchur chesi ntheprovinceofAsi ami nor,Christ

choset osendl ett
erstoonlysev enoft hesechurches.Thedi ver
sesy mbolism oft henumber
sevenint hebookofRev el
ati
onsuggest sapropheticsignifi
canceoft hemessagest hatChrist
senttothesev enchurchesinthepr ovi
nceofAsi ami nor.From t hi
sperspecti
v e,i
ti scl
earthat
eventhought hemessageofRev elati
onwaspr imaril
ygi vent othesevenchur chesofAsi ami nor
,
i
talsohadapr ophet
icappli
cationont hespiri
tualcondi t
ionoft heChristi
anchur chf r
om the
ti
meoft heapost l
esuntotheremnantchur chthatwi l
lliv
ei nthef i
naldaysofear th'shist
ory.
Thus,themessagest hatweregi ventot hesevenchur chesi nthebookofRev elati
onwer et o
guidethef eetofGod'speoplewhowi llbeliv
inginthev ariousst agesofthechur ch'shist
ory.

Besidesthehi storicalandpr ophet

icappl i
cat i
on,itisclearthatthemessagest othesev en
churchesinAsi ami noralsohav eauni versalapplicati
on.Themessagest hatChristsentt othe
sevenlit
eralchur chescont aineter
nal lessonst hatareappl icabl
etoChr i
sti
ansofev eryageor
ti
me.Fori nstance, event houghthepr ophet i
cchar acteri
sticoftheChrist
ianchurcht odayi s
Laodecian,manyofGod' speopl etodaymaybegoi ngthroughexperiencesthatparallelthe
Chri
stianswhol i
v eddur i
ngt heti
meofEphesus, Smy r
na, Pergamos,Thyati
ra,Sardisor
Phil
adelphia.Thisuni versalappli
cationiscl ear
lyseenf r
om t hi
sphrasethatischronicledi n
eachoft heletterst othesev enchurches: "Het hathathanear ,l
ethi
m hearwhatt heSpi ritsai
th
untothechur ches" .

Fri
ends,iti
sworthnoti
ngthatintheint
roductor
yremarksofthebook,
theapostl
eJohnhel
psus
tounderstandt
hatthebookofRev el
ati
onwasgi vent
oGod' speopl
eatati
met hatmanyof
them werefaci
ngextr
emeper secuti
on.Wer eadthef
oll
owingmessageconcerni
ngJohn'
sown

2
experienceinregardtothi
sper secuti
on: "
IJohn,whoalsoam y ourbrot
her,andcompani onin
tri
bulati
on,andinthekingdom andpat i
enceofJesusChr i
st,wasintheislethatiscall
ed
Patmos, forthewordofGod, andf orthetesti
monyofJesusChr i
st"(
Revelati
on1: 9)
.The
belovedapost l
eofJesusChr isthadbeenexi l
edbyt heRomanEmper orDomi ti
anuntotherocky
i
sleofPat mosf orhisfi
rm beliefinthegospel ofJesusChrist(
seeFoxe'sBookofMar tyr
s,
OnlineChr i
sti
anLibrar
y,p.4).Ont heisl
eofPat mos,aplacewher ehardlabourwast heorderof
thedayf ormanyoft henotoriouscr iminalsoftheRomanEmpi r
e,EmperorDomi t
ianfi
rmly
beli
ev edthattheoldapostl
ewi l
lnotsur vi
ve.

Inthisdi
scour
agingcondit
ion,t
heapostleJohnbegant orecei
vediv
inerev
elat
ionsforthe
churchthatwerefi
l
ledwithcomf or
t,r
ebuke,warni
ngandhopemessagest hatweretoprepar
e
thepeopleofGodev enastheylookedforwardtothesoonsecondcomingofJesusi nthe
cloudsofheaven(r
ev i
ewRev el
ati
on1:7).Fr
om Revelat
ion1,wereadthefi
rstvi
sionar
y
encounterbet
weenJohnandhi sbelovedMast er
:

"1:
9IJohn,whoalsoam yourbrother
,andcompanioni
ntri
bul
ati
on,andi
ntheki
ngdom and
pati
enceofJesusChri
st,
wasi ntheisl
ethati
scal
ledPatmos,f
orthewordofGod,
andforthe
test
imonyofJesusChri
st.

1:
10Iwasi
ntheSpi
ri
tont
heLor
d'sday
,andhear
dbehi
ndmeagr
eatv
oice,
asofat
rumpet
,

1:
11Saying,Iam Al
phaandOmega, thefi
rstandt
hel ast
:and,
Whatthouseest
,wr
itei
nabook,
andsendituntothesev
enchurcheswhichareinAsia;unt
oEphesus,
anduntoSmyrna,
and
unt
oPergamos, anduntoThy
atir
a,anduntoSardi
s,anduntoPhil
adel
phi
a,andunt
oLaodicea.

1:12AndItur
nedt
oseet
hev
oicet
hatspakewi
thme.Andbei
ngt
urned,
Isawsev
engol
den
candl
esti
cks;

1:
13Andinthemi
dstoft
hesevencandl
est
icksonel
i
keunt
ot heSonofman,
clot
hedwi
tha
gar
mentdowntot
hefoot
,andgir
taboutt
hepapswit
hagoldengir
dle.

1:
14Hisheadandhi
shai
rswer
ewhi
tel
i
kewool
,aswhi
teassnow;
andhi
sey
eswer
easaf
lame
off
ir
e;

3
1:
15Andhisfeetl
i
keunt
ofi
nebr
ass,
asi
ftheybur
nedi
naf
urnace;
andhi
svoi
ceast
hesound
ofmanywater
s.

1:
16Andhehadinhi
srighthandsev
enstars:
andoutofhismout
hwentashar
ptwoedged
swor
d:andhi
scount
enancewasast hesunshinet
hinhi
sstr
engt
h.

1:
17AndwhenIsawhim, If
ell
athi
sf eetasdead.Andhel
aidhi
sri
ghthanduponme,
say
ing
unt
ome,Fearnot
;Iam t
hefir
standthelast:

1:18Iam hethatl
i
vet
h,andwasdead;
and,
behol
d,Iam al
i
vef
orev
ermor
e,Amen;
andhav
ethe
keysofhell
andofdeath.

1:
19Writ
ethethi
ngswhi
cht
houhastseen,
andt
het
hingswhi
char
e,andt
het
hingswhi
chshal
l
beher
eaft
er;

1:20Themy st
eryoft
hesevenstar
swhicht
housawesti
nmyrighthand,
andthesev
engolden
candl
esticks.Thesev
enstarsar
etheangel
soft
hesevenchur
ches:andthesev
encandl
esti
cks
whichthousawestarethesevenchur
ches.
"

(
Rev
elat
ion1:
9-20)

Fri
endsi nt hisv i
sion, t
heapost l
eJohnwasgi v
enconcr et
eev i
dencet hatev enthought he
churchwassuf feringsev ereper secuti
onundert heRomanEmpi r
e,theLor dJesusst il
lwal ked
amongt hem ( seeLev i
ticus26:12) .Johnbehel dthatasHi ghPr iestnowi nt heheav enly
sanct uary,
Chr istensur edt hatthecandl esticksofHi sper secutedchur cheswer est il
ltr
immed,
andr efil
l
edwi thfreshoi lsot heycanr emai nl i
ghtedt obeart hemessageoft heev erl
asting
gospel toaper i
shi ngwor ld.Inthesy mbol icprocessoft r
immi ngt hesev encandl esti
cksi n
heaven, Christpr ov i
deduni quemessagest oHi s"sev enchur ches"onear t
h.Christ'
smessages
tothesev enchur chesar erecordedi nRev elati
on2and3.Thesemessageswer especi al
ly
designedi nawayt hatconsideredagr eeti
ngt hathadaspeci f
icattri
buteofChr ist(whichcan
begl eanedf rom t hesy mbol i
sm i nthepr ecedingv i
sionofRev elati
on1:12- 20),
acommendat i
on,

4
arebuke,
aprescr
ipt
ion,
anappeal
toheart
heSpi
ri
t'
smessage,
andf
inal
l
yapr
omi
set
othe
ov
ercomer.

Thesesev enl et
ter
st othesevenchurcheshav ebeengener all
yconsi deredasChr ist'
slove
l
et t
erst oHi schurchesthroughoutthevari
ousperiodsofhi story.I
neachper iod,theuni queway
i
nwhi chChr istaddressesthechurchtell
sofHisomni pot entabi l
it
ytomeett heirspeci f
icneeds
andst ruggles.AsGod' speoplewhol i
veduringthefinalday sofear th'shistory,weal sohav e
variousneedsandf acemanyst r
uggles.I
nthisseri
esf rom t hebookofRev el
ation, wewi l
l
discov erthatJesus' l
ovelett
erstothesevenchurchesal soaddr essouri ndivi
dual needsand
strugglesaswel l
.Theent i
reseri
esisdubbed:TheSev enChur ches.Thet opicsint hisSpecial
BiblePr ophecySer i
esar easfoll
ows:

1)TheChur
chofEphesus

2)TheChur
chofSmy
rna

3)TheChur
chofPer
gamos

4)TheChur
chofThy
ati
ra

5)TheChur
chofSar
dis

6)TheChur
chofPhi
l
adel
phi
a

7)TheChur
chofLaodeci
a

Belov
ed, webeli
evethatthis7-PartStudySeri
esisgoingt
obear ealblessi
nginyourl
ife.
Thesest udi
eswil
lal
sobehi ghli
ght
edwithbeauti
ful
sli
desthatwil
lenableyoutohaveadeeper
understandi
ngoftheissuest hatar
ebeingdi
scussed.Wewi l
lwanttoencourageyoutof oll
ow
thestudiescl
osel
yonel essonatat i
mesoy oucanf ul
l
yunderst
andandappr eci
atethi
sst udy

5
ser
ies.Mor
eov
er,wealsowanttoencour
ageyout
osharethest
udi
eswi
thyourf
ri
endssot
hey
canalsoex
per
iencet
herichbl
essi
ngsthatcomef
rom st
udyi
ngGodsWord.

OurnextBiblestudyi
scapti
oned:TheChurchofEphesus.TheBibl
estudyref
erencef
orthi
s
studyi
s Revelat
ion2:
1-7.Pl
easedowellt
ogot hr
oughthispassagebefor
eournextstudyi
s
rel
eased.

Wewi
shy
out
her
ichbl
essi
ngsofGodandencour
agey
out
okeepshi
ningf
orKi
ngJesus.

Mar
anat
ha!

Power
edbyWhi
teThr
oneMi
nist
ri
es