Preparing for Parousia: The Seven Churches- Part 1
Angels who attended the Master’s ascension promised that the One
they loved more than any earthly friend would return someday never to
leave them again (see Acts 1:9-11).
Each one must have gazed up into the Savior’s fading eyes hoping He would come back in their lifetime. But the years passed, and one by one they all died as martyrs for their Lord . . . all
except one.
The apostle John was exiled to the island of Patmos for his faith. The last
living of the 12, he must have spent many a contemplative hour wondering
what the future would hold for the people of Jesus in this world. Little did
John know that heaven had already chosen him as a medium through which
the remaining history of the church and the world would be revealed.
Jesus Our High Priest
It all happened one Sabbath day as John was engaged in meditation
and worship. Suddenly the aged apostle realized that he was not alone. He
heard a voice like a trumpet behind him. The identity of the supernatural
Person was unmistakable. “I am Alpha and Omega,” the Presence announced.
It was the Lord Jesus Christ. (You can read the amazing account
in Revelation 1:10-20.)
John was “overwhelmed.” So much so that he fell before the glorified Christ as a dead man.
He gives us a very detailed description of the One he saw.
Jesus appeared to John clothed in the familiar garments of a High Priest (compare Revelation 1:13 with Exodus 28:3-6). Not only was Jesus dressed like the High Priest of the Old Testament sanctuary service, but He also revealed Himself with imagery that depicted the sanctuary itself.
The sanctuary was divided into three basic parts: (1) the courtyard, (2) the
Holy Place, and (3) the Most Holy Place. In the courtyard was the altar of fine
brass on which the fires of sacrifice were kindled. In the Holy Place there was
the seven-branched candlestick, as well as the table of shewbread and the altar
of incense. And in the Most Holy Place was the chest-like ark containing the
Ten Commandment law, over which resided the visible presence of God in
the form of a brilliant light called the Shekinah Glory.
When John saw Jesus, He had “feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned
in a furnace” (Revelation 1:15). Place the feet of Jesus in
the courtyard of the sanctuary at the altar of brass. John says, “He had
in His right hand seven stars”. Place the right hand of Jesus in the Holy
Place at the seven-branched candlestick. Then he says, “His countenance was
as the sun shineth in his strength” (Revelation 1:16). Picture the radiant face
of Jesus in the Most Holy Place. By transposing the physical appearance of
Jesus, as John saw Him, over a layout of the sanctuary, we quickly see that
the images correspond perfectly.
Jesus wants us to become familiar with Him in the light of the
Old Testament sanctuary. The reason why is clear. The sanctuary was God’s
symbolic lesson book of the plan of salvation. From beginning to end, the
temple and its service were a representation of the coming Messiah and His
ministry for our salvation. As the altar of sacrifice was situated in the outer
court of the temple, so Jesus came from heaven to this earth to lay down His
life as a sacrifice for our sins. The lamb sacrificed on the Old Testament altar
was a symbol of the cross of Calvary. Throughout the book of Revelation,
Jesus is referred to as the Lamb of God.
The courtyard was not all there was to the Old Testament sanctuary.
And the cross, as significant as it is, does not complete the ministry of Jesus
as our Savior. In the old symbolic sanctuary service, once the sacrifice had
been made, the High Priest took the blood and ministered in the temple itself.
Daily, his ministry extended as far as the Holy Place. Then, once
each year, on the Day of Atonement, he entered the Most Holy Place to
perform the final phase of the service.
The implication is obvious. After Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected
on the third day, He later ascended into heaven to occupy His role as our
High Priest. This is why John saw Him dressed in the garments of the High
Priest. As our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary, we can expect Jesus to
accomplish all that was symbolized in the Old Testament sanctuary service. In
fact, this is precisely what the whole book of Revelation is about. It explains
how Jesus will make reality out of what that system only foreshadowed.
Jesus Among the Seven Golden Candlesticks
In John’s first vision he saw Jesus in the Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary,
“in the midst of the seven candlesticks.” Later, Jesus told John that
“the seven candlesticks” represent “the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20).
In the Old Testament sanctuary service, the candlesticks were to be kept burning
continually. It was one of the responsibilities of the priest to keep the seven
lamps on the candlestick trimmed and burning brightly (see Leviticus 24:4, NIV).
Following this theme, Jesus gave seven messages of encouragement, reproof
and counsel for the churches. Since Jesus said the candlesticks represent the
seven churches, the message is clear. Jesus intends that His church be radiant with the light of God’s glory. “Ye are the light of the world,” He once said,
“A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do men light a candle and put it
under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the
house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).
The picture of Jesus walking among the seven candlesticks represents
His ministry on behalf of the church to keep the light of its witness burning
brightly in this dark world. The messages to the churches are designed to
accomplish that purpose.
The Seven Churches as Prophecy
In the early church, there were seven local churches situated in the seven cities listed
in Revelation 1:11. While the messages were first delivered to those individual
congregations, in a prophetic sense they map out the history of the church from
the time of Christ until the end of the world. The dates given are approximate:
- Ephesus—the apostolic church, from Christ to about A.D. 100.
- Smyrna—the persecuted church, 100 to 313.
- Pergamos—the exalted church, 313 to 538.
- Thyatira—the church in the wilderness, 538 to the 1560s.
- Sardis—the church of the Reformation, from the 1560s to the 1790s.
- Philadelphia—the judgment-hour church, from the 1790s to the 1840s.
- Laodicea—the lukewarm, end-time church, from the 1840s to the
second coming of Christ.
The Personal Application
The messages to the seven churches also compose the most comprehensive
counsel given in Scripture to protect and guide the individual Christian
and the local congregation. Such a wide range of heart-searching evaluation
and wise admonition is here given that virtually every trap of the devil is
exposed and every spiritual remedy is prescribed. All Christians and every
church may find in these seven messages correction and counsel applicable to
their various cases.
Let’s explore the message to the first church. We will look at the remaining
six in the next two studies of this series.
Ephesus
“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith He that
holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walketh amid the seven
golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labor, 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: and hast borne,
and hast patience, and for My name’s sake hast labored, and hast not fainted.
Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
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. But this thou hast, that you hate the deeds
of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches; to him that overcomes will I give to eat of the
tree of life, which is amid the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:1-7).
The word Ephesus means “desirable” or “attractive.” What a fitting way
to describe the early apostolic church, and the new Christian. The Christianity
of the apostles was, indeed, attractive. The beautiful gospel of Jesus
Christ made it so.
The apostles had experienced firsthand the love of Christ. It had penetrated
and broken their hearts. They had witnessed in Jesus a picture of the
character of God that etched an indelible impression upon their minds. They
had watched Him draw close to the outcast and feed the hungry. They witnessed
His tender love for those who had fallen in sin. They were there when
He took the children up in His arms and blessed them. As He healed the sick
and raised the dead and forgave sinners, they realized more and more deeply
the goodness of God. Finally, they were faced with His death on the cross.
Through the pain they realized that Calvary was the ultimate expression of
His love for them and every member of the human family. Like an unquenchable
fire, the gospel burned in their hearts. In a short time they had “turned the
world upside down” with their preaching (Acts 17:6).
The success of the early church was in their focus on the cross of Jesus Christ.
Theirs was a faith that worked or operated by love (see Galatians 5:6). Under the
influence of their teaching, people “gladly received the word” and “were baptized.”
On one occasion three thousand were baptized in a day (see Acts 2:41).
You Have Lost Your First Love
Gradually, with the dying of the apostles, the glory of that early apostolic
faith began to fade. Love had been their power, but now Jesus warned them in
the Ephesus message, “thou hast left thy first love” (Revelation 1:4). Strangely
enough, while they had lost their first love, the message indicates that they
were very active in work and labor. It seems that they had lost sight of the
love of Christ while at the same time diligently laboring for His cause.
There are many Christians today who need to learn the vital message of
Christ to the church of Ephesus. Yes, Jesus wants us to labor in witness for
Him, but first and foremost He wants us to maintain the early fervor of our
first love for Him. Even church work and religious endeavors should not be
allowed to crowd out the intimate moments that we all need with Jesus to
maintain our relationship with Him.
The apostle Paul warns that good works without love profit nothing (see
1 Corinthians 13:3). The apostle John enlightens us as to the real essence of
Christianity when he says, “God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth
in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). Apart from God’s love in our hearts
and manifested in our lives, our religion is worthless. It is mere formalism
without power (see 2 Timothy 3:5). Like diligent Martha, we are in danger
of working so hard for Jesus that we neglect to sit at His feet like Mary and
cultivate our love for Him (see Luke 10:38-42).
Jesus had very specific counsel for the church of Ephesus. His counsel is
helpful for anyone who has once known Christ and lost their first-love experience.
He gave a threefold remedy:
- Remember the place from which you have fallen. Recollect what your
early Christian experience was like. Remember how you loved Me.
- Repent. Turn from your present experience back to the first love experience
you once had. Do whatever it takes to regain your love for Me.
- Do the first work. The work you are presently doing lack the quality
of your work at the beginning of your faith in Me. Originally
you served Me out of the deep sense of love; now it’s a matter of
mere habitual duty. Cultivate love-motivated work again.
The Deeds of the Nicolaitans
Jesus commends the church of Ephesus for their serious disapproval of
the deeds of the Nicolaitans. Historic accounts tell us that the Nicolaitans believed that immoral practices were not incompatible with Christianity.
After all, they reasoned, the gospel saves us by grace and frees us from the
law. Jesus says He hates religion that seeks to cover the willful commission
of sin under a cloak of grace.
While it is true that we are saved by grace through faith alone, it is equally
true that faith without works is dead (see Ephesians 2:8-10 and James 2:19-26).
There are many today, like the Nicolaitans, who profess to be Christians
and yet follow the immoral practices of the world. One major contributing
factor to this unfortunate situation is the teaching that Jesus abolished the Ten
Commandment law by His death. A surprisingly large number of professed
Christians today actually believe that Jesus came to this world and died as
our Savior to cast aside the Ten Commandment law of God. You
will hear them say that the law has been nailed to the cross, abolished. Or
you might hear them say, “We’re not under the law, but under grace,” the
implication being that we are not under any obligation to live in obedience to
God’s law because of His grace. This is very much the same kind of thinking
that the Nicolaitans promoted. Jesus says that He hates such theology.
So, what does the Bible teach concerning the relationship between
salvation by grace and obedience to God’s law?
To support the idea that God’s grace does away with His law, certain
Scriptures are lifted from their context and given a meaning that the Bible itself
does not intend to convey. Probably the most misused Scripture on
this point is Romans 6:14. One phrase from the verse is quoted: “Ye are not
under the law, but under grace.” At first glance this Scripture may appear to make
law and grace opposed to one another. But when the context is read, Paul’s meaning
becomes clear.
Notice some of the immediate context of chapter 6:
“Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall
we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? . . . walk in newness of life . . .
we should not serve sin . . . Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead
indeed, unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin
therefore, reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:
but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your
members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have
dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then?
shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants
ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto
righteousness?” (Romans 6:1-2, 4, 6, 11-16).
Whatever Paul means by his statement that we are not under the law but
under grace, he clearly does not mean that we are at liberty to sin, which
is transgression of God’s law (see 1 John 3:4). He plainly teaches that “we
should not serve sin” as Christians who are saved by grace.
So, what does Paul mean when he says we are not under the law but under
grace?
Moving back in the book of Romans to the context that builds up to
chapter 6, we notice the same exact term— “under the law”—that we find in
chapter 6. Notice the wording in Romans 3:19:
“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who
are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may
become guilty before God.”
Here Paul explains what he means by the term “under the law.” To be
under the law means to be under its condemnation because we are guilty
of breaking it. So, as sinners saved by grace, we are no longer under the
condemnation of the law, but under the forgiving influence of divine grace.
Because God freely forgives our transgression of His law, we are no longer
regarded by Him as guilty for our sins.
Further down in chapter 3, we see the proper function of the law and the
means by which we are saved:
“Therefore, by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in
His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness
of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the
prophets: even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ
unto all and upon all of them that believe for there is no difference: for all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:20-24).
Paul is clear. We are not saved by obedience to God’s law.
The law has one function—to give us a knowledge of our sin. We cannot make up for our
wrongdoings by future obedience. There is nothing we can do from this point
forward to change the fact of our guilty past. There is only one solution to our
problem—we must receive the full and free forgiveness of God, which cannot
be earned by obedience.
Do we conclude then that we should live disobedient lives because God has
been so gracious as to freely forgive us? Paul poses the same question and gives
us the answer in verse 31 of the same chapter: “Do we then make void the law
through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” God’s grace
ought to be the most powerful motivating factor to prompt us in the direction of
obedience to His law, not to earn salvation, but out of a heart overflowing
with love for the One who has regarded us with such tender compassion.
The Promise to the Overcomer
Each of the messages to the seven churches closes with a special promise to
the ones who overcome. To overcome simply means to be victorious, to be triumphant,
to win. For the church of Ephesus there is need to overcome the loss of
their first love, as is the case with many today. Each church is faced with temptations
and circumstances that are liable to thwart their faith unless they overcome it.
Ultimately, we are all individually called upon by the Lord to overcome in our
personal battles with Satan, with the world, and with our own sinful selves. The
following two Scriptures point out how we are to be overcomers:
1 John 5:4-5: “For whatsoever is born of God over-cometh the world: and
this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that
overcomes the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?”
Revelation 12:11: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb,
and by the word of their testimony. . . .”
We do not overcome in our own strength. If left to ourselves, we are
hopeless victims of the devil and his temptations. Our only hope of victory
is to put our confidence in Jesus Christ as our Savior, to exercise faith in His
blood, and to bear testimony of Him as our Savior.
All of this implies that victory is obtained by focusing our heart’s attention
upon the Lord Jesus Christ. It tells us that we are not to focus on our own
personal strength or weakness. As we keep our eyes on Jesus, we will find
ourselves strong to do battle with the temptations and trials we encounter.
The reward for overcoming is so very wonderful. Jesus promises that we
will eat the fruit of the tree of life. We will have eternal life. While we are
saved wholly by grace, the Lord rewards us as though we had done something great. Jesus is so gracious and kind.
