Letters to the Seven Churches

We are slightly more than halfway through the seven letters in chapters two and three of Revelation. These chapters are usually considered the least "sexy" portion of the book -- since they contain no visions of beasts or horsemen, I suppose. But they are full of great insights into the problems churches faced in the first century and continue to face today. Here are some tidbits from our discussion so far. Each mini-letter contains (with a couple of interesting exceptions) the same elements: a description of Christ, a commendation (except for Laodicea), a rebuke (except for Smyrna and Philadelphia), an exhortation, and a promise.

Ephesus -- familiar from Acts and Paul's letter, a major seaport, with the temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The Nicolaitans will reappear in the letter to Pergamum, where the church was a bit more accepting of their teachings than in Ephesus. The promise here involves a reference to the tree of life, mentioned both at the beginning of the Bible (Genesis 2) and at its end (Revelation 22).

Smyrna -- one of the two churches given no rebuke. The enigmatic "ten days" of extreme trial has caused many to speculate. We concluded that it probably referred to a period of time that was limited but not necessarily exactly ten days. The reward promised to Smyrna is a crown of life, one of several crowns mentioned in Revelation.

Pergamum -- an important city for several reasons. A paper was developed there that was named for the city, "pergamena" in Greek and Latin, from which we derive the English word "parchment." Pergamum was also a center for the cultic worship of the Roman emperor, and it contained a temple to Zeus. The false teachings here were related to Balaam of Numbers 22-24 and encouraged spiritual infidelity ("fornication"). The Nicolaitans were mentioned as well. The church at Pergamum tended to tolerate these teachings, and that forms their rebuke. The promise involves a new name written on a "white stone" -- quite a mystery. In class we mentioned how this promise involved an intimate, personal relationship to the Savior: details of the relationship were known only to the individual and Christ.

Thyatira -- mentioned obliquely in Acts 16, when one of Paul's Philippian converts was Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from Thyatira. It was a small city but an important commercial center. The description of Christ is taken directly from Daniel 10. Here the false teacher is called Jezebel (Elijah's nemesis from 1 Kings), and her false teachings are described in the same terms as those of the "Balaam" of Pergamum. Both cities are exhorted to "repent" -- that is, turn away from these teachings and toward the true gospel. The promise, from Psalm 2, is a share in Christ's rule.

We have tended to get through two letters in one session, although we will try to squeeze the final three into next week's class. In the meantime, I would love to hear insights from any of you about this section of the book.