The Signs of Apostasy: The Seven Churches in Asia

Their Prophetic Significance

Chapters 2 and 3 in the Book of Revelation contain letters from Christ to seven churches in Asia Minor. A leading traditional view of the seven churches is that in addition to representing actual first-century churches, they also stand for seven periods of church history. Accordingly, the letter to the first church, Ephesus, surveys the Apostolic period. The letter to the last church, Laodicea, surveys the modern period. And the other five letters deal chronologically with the intervening period of almost two thousand years.

The great difficulty in this view is that Christ speaks to the churches in Asia as if they will exist at the time of His coming. The only exceptions are the first two churches, Ephesus and Smyrna. To show which of the seven will have an end-time presence, we will review the contents of each letter.

1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:1-7

This letter makes no mention whatever of Christ's coming. Instead, we find an ominous warning. If the people in Ephesus fail to repent, Christ will remove their candlestick, or lamp stand, out of its place (v. 5). In other words, if they refuse to rekindle their first love, He will extinguish their witness, and their church will cease to exist.

Smyrna is the second of the seven churches of Asia.

8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Revelation 2:8-11

Here, likewise, we find no mention of the return of Christ. The reason, apparently, is that Smyrna will not survive until that event.

But in the letter to each remaining church, we find intimations that the church will last to the end of church history. For example, in the letter to Pergamos, the third church, Jesus says,

Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

Revelation 2:16

"Quickly" means that He will come sooner than they expect. He plainly warns this church that unless they repent and cast out evildoers, He Himself will take up the fight against them when He returns. Thus, He must believe that the church of Pergamos will still exist.

In the letter to the church of Thyatira, Jesus says,

But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

Revelation 2:25

Thus, He clearly envisions this church continuing until the Rapture. He says, moreover,

Behold, I will cast her [Jezebel, the false prophetess who led many in Thyatira astray] into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

Revelation 2:22

This appears to be a warning of what will befall the wicked in Thyatira after He comes. Whereas the righteous will be snatched away to a place of safety, the children of Jezebel will be left on earth to undergo the agonies of the Tribulation.

Beginning with the letter to the fifth church, Sardis, the references to Christ's coming become more explicit.

Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Revelation 3:3

Here, the Lord takes for granted that Sardis will exist at His return. The only doubt is whether Sardis will be ready. He warns them that if they fail to watch, He will come like a thief and catch them unawares. Yet He expects that He will find some in Sardis who are worthy to be taken into His presence, where they will "walk . . . in white" (Rev. 3:4).

The prognosis is much better for Philadelphia.

Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Revelation 3:10

He issues no warning of chastisement or rebuke when He returns, but only the promise that He will remove Philadelphia before the world enters its "hour of temptation." Obviously, then, one of the churches remaining in the world at Christ's coming will be Philadelphia.

The last letter, the letter to Laodicea, contains only a veiled reference to Christ's return.

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Revelation 3:19

He seems to be announcing measures that He will undertake after His coming. Among the complacent Laodiceans will be some that the Lord, in His grace and mercy, will love. Upon these He will bring a stern hand of discipline, designed to produce repentance unto salvation.

It is now evident what the seven churches in Asia truly represent. That each stands for something beyond itself is undeniable, for all seven disappeared long ago, yet Christ treats them as though they would endure through the centuries. That the Book of Revelation seeks to give a comprehensive picture of the future is undeniable as well. So, we may suppose that the seven churches in Asia represent the entire spectrum of churches that would emerge during the Church Age. The Lord apparently conceives of the whole church as divided sevenfold into distinct branches or streams or types. Perhaps not all seven have always existed. Yet at any given time in church history, every true work of God belongs to one of the seven.

We may further suppose that Christ presents the seven letters chronologically, to show the order in which the seven churches would attain prominence. First to appear would be Ephesus. Then Smyrna would arise as an important type of church. Next would come Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and, lastly, Laodicea. So, the view seeing these churches as ages of church history has a kernel of truth in it.

The Identity of Each Church

Ephesus is the prototype of all churches that adhere closely to the Pauline model: orthodox in doctrine, separated in practice, independent in polity, and evangelistic in priority. Most churches during the Apostolic era remained within the fold of Ephesus. In modern times, Ephesus takes in all churches that may be properly designated as fundamental and independent. We noted earlier that Christ threatens to remove the candlestick of Ephesus. He is intimating that the church most vigilant in opposing error will disappear in the days when leaven pervades the lump.

Smyrna represents all churches under intense persecution. Such churches tend to develop certain features that set them apart as a distinct type. Denominational lines may become blurred. Organizational structures may weaken or disappear. Ordinary rites and observances may be neglected. Believers may gather in private homes or secluded places out-of-doors rather than in church buildings. Although churches like Smyrna became common early in church history, apparently they will disappear before Christ returns. We infer that as the Last Days draw to a close, all governments will, to some extent, tolerate the private exercise of religion. Yet to be a genuine Christian will not necessarily be easy. Public opinion may be hostile to Christianity. Christians may be targets of hate crimes. Many governments may seek to curtail the right of Christians to conduct evangelism and to rear children apart from state supervision.

Pergamos is the forerunner of all churches that cultivate sensational religious experience, while they downgrade the authority of the Scriptures. The first major proliferation of these churches occurred as a result of the Montanist movement in the early third century. Modern allies of Pergamos include the charismatics and Pentecostals.

Thyatira stands for all churches that possess an episcopalian form of government. These began to flourish after Christianity won the patronage of the Roman Emperor. Modern offshoots of Thyatira include the Anglican Church, the Orthodox churches, the Lutheran churches, and the Methodist churches. The Roman Catholic Church is "that woman Jezebel" (Rev. 2:20). (Please understand that this interpretation does not support hatred of Catholics. We should love Catholics no less than we love others. Christ censures not the people in Catholic churches, but the religious system that enthralls them and keeps them from Biblical truth.)

Sardis is Christ's name for all Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Since these have an excessive respect for human learning and human tradition, they readily become intellectual, cold, and worldly. Also, they are characteristically blind to any new and fuller illumination of prophecy. Some Baptist denominations reside in this group.

Philadelphia, which signifies "brotherly love," is embodied in the various Moravian and Brethren churches, especially in the assemblies of the Plymouth Brethren. These churches are characterized by a leveling of leaders and laity. Since Philadelphia is now reduced to an anemic remnant that hardly merits the praise we find in Revelation 3:7-13, we infer that there will be a great revival in Philadelphia.

Laodicea embraces all churches in which power is concentrated in a single pastor. This form of government, allowing the pastor to pursue his own vision with virtually no internal review or external oversight, is conducive to the building of prosperous churches. The many large, independent, evangelical (or neoevangelical, or neofundamentalist) churches we see about us today fit the pattern of Laodicea.

Christ's message to each church deals with certain strengths and weaknesses that have been typical down through history. Yet His concern is less for each church as it existed in the past than for each church as it will exist on the eve of His return. The seven letters are His counsel to the seven churches in the forms they will assume in the Last Days.

Each letter has four parts: a salutation designed to remedy some deficiency in the Christology of that church, an acknowledgment of the service which that church has performed, an exhortation pointing out good things that should be shored up and bad things that should be eliminated, and a promise designed to satisfy the particular aspirations of that church. The exhortation has one or more of the following elements: criticism, warning, prediction, commendation, and assurance. When examined in detail, the contents of each letter demonstrate that we have correctly identified the intended recipient.

The Message to Each Church

Ephesus/New Testament Churches

Message Element	Message	Relevance to This Church
Salutation	Christ walks in the midst of the seven candlesticks.	This church has always tended to think of itself as the only true church. Christ reminds Ephesus that He is Lord of the other churches also.
Acknowledgment	He notices seven instances of work, patience, and discernment.	In its achievements, this church is superior to all the others. One excellence peculiar to this church is its ability to distinguish truth from error.
Exhortation Criticism	They have lost their first love.	In the latter twentieth century, the remnant of New Testament churches rapidly lost their zeal for service and their devotion to Christ.
Warning	He may remove their candlestick.	Ephesus will not survive until Christ's return.
Commendation	They have rejected the Nicolaitanes.	The Nicolaitanes, which means "conquering of the people," probably represent those in the church who seek to master the souls of men. In the modern world, the Nicolaitanes are the ecumenists who wish to put men under the bondage of a single church organization.
Promise	Overcomers will eat the tree of life in the midst of paradise.	The members of this church, so dedicated to work and separated living, have a suppressed desire for pleasure. Christ reminds them that the hope of the faithful is to live forever in a place where pleasure abounds.

Message Element	Message	Relevance to This Church
Salutation	Christ is the ever-living One who rose from the dead.	As those facing death, the members of this church need to understand that Christ has conquered death.
Acknowledgment	He notices their works, tribulation, poverty, and persecution by false believers.	The chief persecutor of true religion has always been false religion.
Exhortation Prediction	They will be cast into prison and will suffer tribulation ten days.	Although this church will disappear before Christ returns for the church, it will reappear later during the Tribulation, when intense persecution breaks out anew (Matt. 24:9-10).
Assurance	If they are faithful unto death, they will receive a crown of life.	They must understand that death is merely a bridge to an exalted life.
Promise	Overcomers will escape the second death.	One motive driving them to accept death as the penalty for faith is fear of the second death. Christ promises them that the second death will not touch them.

Message Element	Message	Relevance to This Church
Salutation	Christ bears the sharp two-edged sword.	This sword is the Word of God, which they have dishonored by giving greater authority to experience.
Acknowledgment	He notices their works, and their faithfulness under persecution.	This church has never shrunk from persecution. Under the Communists, for example, the Pentecostals maintained a good testimony for Christ.
Exhortation Criticism	They tolerate those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, and they tolerate also the Nicolaitanes.	No church is more infested with crass profiteering, blatant immorality, and unashamed worldliness than modern Pergamos. Modern Pergamos has also been friendly to ecumenism.
Warning	If they do not repent, He will catch them by surprise and fight against the unruly with the sword of His mouth.	When Christ returns, the leaders of this church will face judgment according to the strict measure of Scripture. The evildoers will be punished severely (Matt. 24:48-51).
Promise	Overcomers will receive the hidden manna and the stone with secret writing.	To answer the craving of this church for private revelation, God will share wonderful secrets with every overcomer.

Message Element	Message	Relevance to This Church
Salutation	Christ is a glorious Being with eyes of fire and feet of brass.	The true picture of Christ is a corrective to the idols that this church has condoned.
Acknowledgment	He notices six instances of works, charity, service, faith, patience, and works again, the last better than the first.	This church has produced many people who have devoted their lives to religious and charitable work. This church has also founded countless charitable institutions and has been at the forefront of many crusades against social evils. The works of this church have been more outstanding in modern times than before.
Exhortation Criticism	They have Jezebel in their midst.	Jezebel is the papal church. The papal church has promoted fornication by imposing celibacy on those who pursue a religious vocation. The sin of eating "things sacrificed unto idols" is a reference to the mass.
Warning	Because she has had opportunity to repent, He will bring great trouble upon her and upon her lovers, and He will kill her children.	The Tribulation will fall especially hard on Roman Catholic countries as well as on other countries with ecumenical state churches.
Assurance	Upon the rest in Thyatira, He will put no other burden than to hold fast what they have already.	So long as the rest in Thyatira stay clear of Rome, Christ in His mercy will overlook their many faults.
Promise	Overcomers will receive power over the nations. Also, they will receive the morning star.	The leaders of Thyatira have sought power and splendor. Christ offers Thyatira true power and true splendor.

Message Element	Message	Relevance to This Church
Salutation	Christ has the seven spirits and the seven stars.	Sardis has a carnal pride in its superiority to the other churches, thinking that to be Reformed is to be absolutely right. Christ reminds them that He is not so parochial.
Acknowledgment	He notices their works, which are deficient. Their true condition does not match their good reputation.	Though once alive, this church is now almost dead. Indeed, little vital Christianity remains in Switzerland, Holland, Scotland, New England, and other former strongholds of the Reformed church. This church has never been outstanding in works, because most of its people have centered their lives on family and business. By the time Christ returns, Sardis will retain little interest in charitable and evangelistic endeavors.
Exhortation Warning	They must remember their traditions, hold fast, and repent. If they do not watch, He will come upon them as a thief, when they are not expecting Him.	This church has stubbornly resisted new insights on prophecy, instead holding to false systems of interpretation congenial to covenant theology. In consequence, Sardis is blind to signs of the times, and the coming of Christ will take it by surprise.
Commendation	A few names in Sardis are worthy to walk with Him in white.	Still today, some in Reformed circles strive for personal holiness and for personal devotion to Christ.
Promise	He will not reject overcomers. Rather, He will give them white raiment and confess them before the Father.	The people of this church have never had much spiritual ambition beyond a desire to be known as good Christians. Christ promises overcomers the public standing they seek.