7 Churches
Jesus had John write letters to seven churches. Jesus went over what was good and bad about the church. Some of these churches are told to repent from their deeds. One church is promised an escape from the tribulation. Another church is told it will be thrown into the tribulation. These letters will help us evaluate ourselves and our church. Jesus will pull his true bride out of the earth prior to the tribulation. I believe those who are Christian in name only will be left behind. Celebrating Christmas, Easter and knowing Jesus exists, does not make you a Christian. It’s a personal one on one relationship with him that causes him to take you as his bride back to his Father’s house.
I’m only pulling out some of the verses from each church to review. If you would like to read more, all the letters to the 7 churches can be found in Revelation 2 3.
To the church in Ephesus
2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place, unless you repent.
This church is not putting up with a false gospel. They test what people are saying against the Bible. This church has a knowledge of the Word, but they are lacking the love for Jesus that they once had. We are the light of the world and that light is about to be put out in this church because they have left their first love and are just going through the motions. Jesus
To the church in Smyrna
9 ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Jesus is encouraging this church. They are going to go through some hard times, but he is saying they will be rewarded in heaven.
To the church in Pergamum
13 ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
This church lives in a place where there is a lot of sin and they haven’t denied Jesus. The problem is that those that hold the teachings of Balaam water down the gospel to allow for sin. They twist the gospel of grace, and the church looks just like the world. This causes people to fall. People don’t want to join a church when the members are just as big of a sinner as them. God is telling them to repent of their sins and follow him. They need to make a decision on whom they are going to serve. Luke 11:23, Whoever, is not with me is against me.
The church of Thyatira
19 “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works.
Jesus is saying this church has lots of love and good deeds. Then Jesus rebukes them because they have allowed idolatry to enter into the church’s teachings. God calls idolatry sexual immorality (Ezekiel 23:37). When you idolize or someone or something more than God, he looks at that as if you have cheated on him. Jesus said this idolatry is seducing his people away. Idolatry is not just worshiping an idol. It’s a love of money or a job (Psalm 115:4 135:15). It’s those who consult the dead or trust in mediums (Leviticus 20:6). You should never go to psychics or pray to the dead. I see a lot of Catholics praying to dead saints. They will pray to Mary or as they like to say, ask Mary to pray for them. Mary and the saints are not Omni-present like God. They cannot hear you when you pray. If you get a response, it’s because a demon that is here would be more than happy to respond. It is to their benefit to keep you seeking after someone other than God. The church holds Mary in high esteem and some even consider her a sinless co-redeemer.
Deuteronomy 5:8-9, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God… The Catholic church has statues of Mary and people will bow down in-front of her image. I’ve seen it happen at weddings and at other times.
The Catholic church is not the only church that has tolerated idolatry (Jezebel). You can’t hold onto Jesus and idols. Jesus is telling the people in this church to repent, or they will not be raptured and will have to endure the tribulation. If you continue reading after verse 22 Jesus does say there are some in the church who have not embraced the false teachings and they will rule and reign with him.
The church of Sardis
‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.
Jesus basically says this church looks alive, but they are dead. Churches that seem good can be spiritually dead. Jesus is not telling the church they are not saved because they don’t have enough works. What I believe he is trying to communicate is that their works are not coming from a place of faith. James 2:18, But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. Jesus said he will come like a thief and they will not know when He will come. The thief reference is a reference to the rapture (Matthew 24:42-44, Revelation 16:15 1 Thessalonians 5:2). When Jesus takes his bride the true believers, the majority of this church will not be among those raptured.
To the church in Philadelphia
‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.
When Jesus said I will open a door for you and keep you from the hour of trial that is coming upon the whole earth. He is saying this church will be raptured and kept from the tribulation. Jesus says hold fast, so no one may seize your crown. These crowns can be lost so don’t let anyone tempt you away. Keep his word and don’t deny Jesus.
The church of Laodicea
15 ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
This group of people are not hot or cold. They are lukewarm, and God will spit them out of his mouth. I would not want God to spit me out. I believe God is saying they don’t love Him or hate Him. They are indifferent. This is probably someone who has one foot in heaven and one foot on earth. They believe in Jesus but are attached to the world. They need to make a decision on whom they will serve. We can see God creating a stark difference between good and evil in this world. The political climate is becoming polar opposites. He is trying to knock people off the fence and get them to make a clear decision on whom they will serve.
God blessed this church and they prospered, but they became ungrateful. This church is under God’s discipline and they are being told to get their garments ready. This means they need to put on salvation and righteousness (Isaiah 61:10 Revelation 19:8).
Jesus says to the 7th and last church of Laodicea, I love you and want you to repent. I stand at the door and knock asking you to let me in and to eat with me. If Jesus is knocking on the door of the church, it means he is not inside the church. He is on the outside asking to be let in.
God needs to be your 1st love!
Matthew 22:37-40, 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
