The "7" Churches

Revelation 2-3

Revelation 2

Ephesus

1-7 "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,

Jesus describes Himself

'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:

Jesus is walking in the middle of the church, the menorah that He gave His life to buy back with His blood. Jesus is in control of the messengers to His bride, the church, and He gives life to the church, the empowered church by His Holy Spirit. This description is the Ephesian problem and answer.

Jesus evaluates the church

"I know your works,
your labor,
your patience,
and that you cannot bear those who are evil.
And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary.

The clear actions of a church should be what Jesus credits Ephesus in doing. They use righteous judgment, they deal with the truth, and they are determined to do what is right.

The Problem

"Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

The word, "left" is the same word in the Greek for forgive. It shows a releasing, freely letting go. This one verse shows the importance of relationship! What the Ephesians had become was a legalistic church, one that had lost the mercy, the love, the spiritual relationship and turned it into a robotic dry and very lifeless situation that many churches and people today are in. To deny the problem or make less of the problem than what Jesus states is in existence is calling Yashua a liar which he is not.

How to fix the problem

"Remember therefore from where you have fallen;
repent and do the first works,

The legalistic, works-filled, robotic state was sinful. It was a fallen state as Jesus described it. The only thing that can be done for sin is repentance, period!! They had a position in relationship with the Lord, and they have fallen from that relationship. When one falls from anything, they no longer have what they had, and are in a dangerous position. They may still talk like that have something, the knowledge of what they had does not disappear, but what they had is well above their current position, and that is the problem that requires repentance because the fallen state is a sinful state.

The Potential results

or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent.

How clear can this be? The removal of life from the church means that hell is the eternal destination. There is no such thing as eternally secure! Sin in an individual life must be repented or the results will be disastrous as the person backslides and continues to reject the loving conviction of the Holy Spirit. Thus, we see here what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in his 2nd Epistle, Ch2, the "great falling away" or the apostasy that precedes His return!

To their credit despite their need to repent

"But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Affirmation of a behavior, and the Nicolaitans of whom we don't know anything about other than the name means conquering + laity (people)-showing a cultlike or cultic sect, is given to them by Jesus!

The Spirit says, "Hear," and a promise is given

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." '

This statement I believe to be different than times past when Jesus said, He that has ears to hear!" I see the singular to show the personal decision needed, the singular to show the individual accountability, and the singular to show the direct importance of eternal life that is in the Holy Spirit because that is how we are saved, by the regeneration of His Spirit. So the Holy Spirit is speaking directly at each of us as an individual, and we should be listening attentively to what He is saying!

Smyrna

8-11 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write,

Jesus describes Himself

'These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life:

Notice that Jesus' description of Himself to that church has importance to what that church has for a situation and their need in their situation. Here is the promise of eternal life from a Jesus who was persecuted and hung on a tree only to be resurrected from the dead and sitting at the Father's right hand.

Jesus evaluates the church

"I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich);
and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Jesus recognizes their trials and the opinion they have or at least the opinion that others have about them, and tells them that they are rich! We are not to listen to the hypocrites who may attend a church because they belong to the church of Satan! Jesus really knows how to say it bluntly!!

An exhortation

"Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer.
Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days.

Those who obey the Word will from the world and from the lukewarm church reap insults, persecution, and unfair treatment even tossed wrongfully into prison, but take heart because the Lord has set a specific time frame on the evil treatment. Compared to eternity with Him, the world has nothing to offer nor should the trials and tribulations that come deter us. Let's get the joy of Christ that should be our strength. The Greek word for the church in Smyrna literally means a plant that emits a fragrant smell that follows crushing it. Therefore the Lord knew exactly what He did when directing in His soveriegnty a church to be planted in Smyrna.

The Promise

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Compare 70 years to eternity! Most of us have someone give us a dirty look because we mention the name of Christ and we choose to call that persecution! How dare we!! Those who are in Russia in years gone by have faced persecution, those in China face persecution, those in the 3rd world countries face persecution, the people of Indonesia, India, and Christians in Moslem nations face persecution, but that dirty look is NOT persecution. Those in the industrialized nations like the US and England have a high rate of "escapism theology" stating the 6th church, Philadelphia "escapes" from the tribulation with a vast majority believing and being taught a pre-tribuilation rapture, yet Smyrna is very much a part of the church and they escaped nothing.

The Spirit says, "Hear," and a promise is given

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death." '

Look, once again the singular reference to the ear, the individual accountability. So let's listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying about persecution and patience during trials.

Pergamos

12-17 "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write,

Jesus describes Himself

'These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword:

As the Word, the whole Bible, Jesus will go on to describe the compromise that takes place of His Word, and the resulting problems that follow compromise. Following Jesus is not a 50% deal, but it is 100%! As we see in this clear usage of the Word that proceeds from the Lord's mouth, it is double edged and cuts both ways, going into the heart and leaving the heart.

Jesus evaluates the church

"I know your works,
and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is.
And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

The church is in the middle of sin where Satan has located his throne, yet this is a reality of life living in the real world means that Satan is located in the middle. However, the credit of holding onto His name is given to this church. Sometimes we can be a little too close to the edge, not the revelational edge of insight, but the edge of sin taking it to the point of dreaming it and thinking we are fine because we haven't physically done it! Even in this condition we are mesmerized by our own choice to not deny the Lord at other times. We somehow justify that we are fine by pointing to one time when we obeyed the Word, yet on the other hand we neglect all the times we denied the truth, the Lord , and the body of Christ.

The Problem

"But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.
"Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

Because of the reality of life, the church has many that hold to idolatrous doctrine and even condone evil actions of those in the church. This condoning for fear of being a judge is wrong! Judgment must begin in the house of God, and those who are compromising must not be coddled, made to feel welcome, and certainly not encouraged to stay in their sin, but on the contrary they should be shown the Word of God, the sword of Jesus Christ that proceeds from His mouth! Click here for an article on Balaam. Also a related article, click here for an article on Charismatic Witchcraft.

How to fix the problem

"Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

Notice the Word of God reveals the compromise of truth. This compromise is sin and must be repented or eternal damnation which the Word declares for the lost will also be for those compromisers who are in the church. Being in a church doesn't save anyone, it is Jesus in the person that saves!

The Spirit says, "Hear," and a promise is given

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat.
And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it." '

Once again the singular responsibility of the individual. We all make our own decisions, and our decisions will have bearing where we spend eternity. Hear what the Holy Spirit is saying!

Thyatira

18-29 "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write,

Jesus describes Himself

'These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass:

The eyes of fire reveal the Lord's purging that must take place, and He comes with brass feet that show His attitude of Judgment on the corruptness of the church. Read carefully about this church!

Jesus evaluates the church

"I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience;
and as for your works, the last are more than the first.

This is a very poor evaluation! This corrupt church has tossed out the Lord!

The Problem

"Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.

Wow, the church has grown so corrupt that it allows heretics and idolatrous people to step into pulpits and teach evil to the people. However, notice that the people allow their seduction and commit the harlotry!! For an article on Jezebel, click here!!

Jesus' Just Judgment

Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

The corrupt church has reached a point of no return unless they repent of their deeds! The insincere actions on the surface will not be good enough, but absolute repentance and repentance alone! Jesus makes clear that He will search the hearts and minds and give according to their evil. However, if they repent, He will wash away the sin stench and reward them for their works in Him.

An exhortation

"Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. But hold fast what you have till I come.

Amazingly to me, even in this corrupt church there are some that don't hold to evil, so Jesus simply encourages them to hold onto the Word, keep the truth, to walk in Him! Those who want an uncompromised life that is filled with His holiness and truth will be castigated and mocked as He was on Calvary when He stayed on the tree until death, but the rewards for obedience and the eternal life He has waiting for His can not be compared to anything this world has to offer.

The Spirit says, "Hear," and a promise is given

"And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations.

'He shall rule them with a rod of iron;
They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels' as I also have received from My Father;
and I will give him the morning star.

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." '

Let's stand up and take notice of what the Holy Spirit is saying! Let's be overcomers, and overcomers until the very end!

Revelation 3

Sardis

1-6 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write,

Jesus describes Himself

'These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars:

Wow, this is incredible! Jesus is speaking to a dead church, not compromising, not corrupt, but one that is dead! Jesus reveals that life can only be found in the Spirit, the seven Spirits of God, and protected by His messengers, the holy angels given responsibility for that individual church.

The seven Spirits of God:

Jesus evaluates the church

"I know your works,
that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.

What a commentary! Their name says they should have life, but they are dead, dead, dead! Sadly we have too many churches that have developed doctrine that allow their adherents to live their lives the way they desire without respect to God, others, and certainly not holiness. Some go so far as to state that what they believe is a matter of interpretation, a belief that they understand grace and all others do not, making them able to live in sin as the gnostics of the second and third century did. It is not coincidence that John who addressed the issue of gnosticism in his Epistles is also the one in this vision who records these wonderful truths of the churches and other end times events in Revelation. One vital point to see is the reality of each of these churches. They all existed, and they existed at the same time. It is irresponsible to think these churches are just in one "era" as dispensationalists attempt to twist Scripture to support their failed doctrine that supports the pre-tribulational rapture.

The Problem

"Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.

Their neglect for whatever reasons, perhaps they had given up, has also contributed to their death, and the result of their works was they are surely less than complete, far less than acceptable to a holy God!

How to fix the problem

"Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.
Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.

This church had no excuse as they had heard the truth to the point that they had received it! They are clearly a church that had turned their back on God! The fix is the same, REPENT!! The question may be asked if I believe one can be saved over and over again, and the answer is no. At this point the Lord has not removed their candlestick, yet if they continue without repentance, He will do just that as He has said.

An exhortation

"You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments;
and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.

Out of those despicable, traditional, mainline, dead churched people are some that are saved and will walk the streets of glory with Jesus! Please don't misunderstand me in this. I am not saying that cults etc. are saved, but only those who have a right relationship with our Lord and Savior are saved! As in Sardis, a dead church, there were a few who were white and undefiled, there are in some of those denominations and churches today.

The Spirit says, "Hear," and a promise is given

"He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." '

Let's be accountable, let's be responsible, let's listen to the Holy Spirit! A study on this passage is in order, one that I have done, but it isn't yet in an article form. The study of "blotting out a name" from the Book of Life reveals the character of Yashua as just and righteous as will be all those He gives eternal life, it will not be some "technical" postion based one one's profession absent of obedience that justifies as James tells us in his Epistle.

Philadelphia

7-13 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,

Jesus describes Himself

'These things says He who is holy, He who is true,
"He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens":

The focal point is now truth and the key of David; Jesus opens doors and closes doors, but when He does it, it is final and complete! The key when used metaphorically shows authority, and David does sit on the throne of authority with Yashua as Lord.

Jesus evaluates the church

"I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

Jesus told us in John 10 that He is the Door and the Good Shepherd, so keeping with this line of thought, this open door is the commission to preach and teach the Word of God, the commission, and the power of the Holy Spirit to confirm His Word with signs and wonders. This is the true church, the one who obeys the Word and is about the Father's business!

An exhortation

"Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.

Those hypocrites and gameplayers that attend the church building and have their names written on some role or roster will somehow know that Jesus loves His bride, and that they are not a part of His bride! How this happens is not clear, but the church of brotherly love is genuine and will be revealed as genuine to the world by the Lord. It seems from this church that what we believe is very important.

The Promise!! # 1

"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Now we come to a promise that is hotly debated between three sides of Christians. We have those who believe the Lord will rapture the church at the time of the beginning of the tribulation, those who believe the Lord will rapture the church just before the wrath judgments are poured out on the earth, and those who believe the Lord raptures the church after the tribulation. These three camps are in Christian forums all across the internet debating and proving their points. However, the Lord knows what He wrote and when He returns, and this verse can ONLY be interpreted one way. There's only one right answer, and believe it or not, I may be wrong. For an article related to John's usage of "ek", click here!! To choose this church, one of the seven, as the one that avoids all the trials makes little or no sense, and to make this choice without a directive places the choice into a speculative category which explains why the pre-tribulation rapture is so popular in the western world among the Christians. Why do not people choose the last church, the ones who are blind and wretched? In studying the usage of the preposition "ek", I found some understanding of this verse that I did not have when I read the Scriptures with the bias of pre-tribulation first. After all, I am not reading the Scriptures am I, I am reading my bias into them.

The Promise!! # 2

"Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

Clearly the encouragement here is comforting, but look at the implications. If we don't hold onto what we have in the Lord, someone can come along and take it away.

The Spirit says, "Hear," and a promise is given

"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." '

Overcomers will become pillars in the sanctuary, and the total identification with the Lord and His name will be completed! This must be heard as an individual, and the Holy Spirit must be heeded as He tells us this profound truth!

Laodiceans

14-22 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,

Jesus describes Himself

'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:

Notice the surety of who Jesus is! There can be no mistake in looking at the picture of Jesus, and each individual name reveals an important characteristic that is violated by the Laodiceans!

Jesus evaluates the church

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
"So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

I don't know how many times I have heard some eternal securitist tell me this was a mere loss of some pleasure, some substance of reward forfeited, but can that be true or seen in these verses? Jesus says, "I will vomit you out of My mouth." Now I don't think being puke is a mere loss of some rewards, but more clearly the devastating result of being lukewarm!

The Problem

"Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing' and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

How much clearer can it be? The denial of the true situation will produce a deception because of the sin of denial that gives the individual the ability to justify himself by what his obedience shows, and reject what his disobedience actually has produced. Thus we have the person's view of his life and the view that Jesus has for that same person. How much more different can these views be? For a related article, click here!!

How to fix the problem

"I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

look, the solution!! This is the same solution that has been given to the other churches, and the same solution that the Lord has given everyone of us! He says, "REPENT!" John the Baptist cam and preached repentance, Jesus came and preached repentance, Peter cam and preached repentance, Paul cam and preached repentance, and Jesus is telling John again the key to eternal life, REPENTANCE!!

The Spirit says, "Hear," and a promise is given

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

The Laodicean has Jesus on the outside. Just because they were in a church didn't mean they were saved! However negative the lukewarm church is and persecutes the Philadelphia church, the truth remains the same as Peter wrote in his Epistle. God's will is for all to come to repentance, even the lukewarm that He will vomit into eternal damnation. Jesus is knocking on the heart of the lukewarm and wants the door to be opened! Will He be allowed in? We can and will rule and reign with Him sitting on thrones during the 1000 years if we allow Him to bring us to victory the same way He overcame the world in victory and sat down by the Father!

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." ' "

One final time the call comes for accountability, for responsibility, for hearing what the Holy Spirit is saying!! Will we hear the Spirit or will we be dull of hearing like the lukewarm and reject the fact of our sin and our need to repent in order that we may be saved and enter eternal life with the One who died that we may have hope? I am deeply concerned for people who believe the rage of the time, the seductive wind that controls the world's view and has infiltrated it into the church world. In drastic times, people have been known to make drastic decisions. Click here!!