Brief Overview of the 7 Churches in Revelation

The Letter to Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7)

·       Commendation/Praise: Christ’s message to this church acknowledges their work, endurance, and hatred of evil. They have also used discernment to weed out the false claims of those who claimed to be apostles. This church had not grown weary even though they had been through many difficulties. They also hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans.

·       Complaint/Rebuke: Unfortunately, the church had been guilty of abandoning their first love. Their love for Christ is not what it once was. As Danny Akin said, “Jesus reminds them that labor is no substitute for love, purity is no substitute for passion, and deeds are no substitute for devotion.”[1]

·       Warning: Christ calls on them to both remember and repent. He wants them to remember how far they had fallen. It’s interesting that the idea of remembering is a “present imperative.” In other words, Christ admonishes them to “keep on remembering.”[2] He also calls on them to repent and return to their first works and love. If they do not do so Christ warns that their lampstand will be removed.

·       Promise: The victors will be privileged to eat from the tree of life in God’s paradise.

·       Review: Christ has both positive and negative things to say to the Church of Ephesus. He commends them for the things they are doing right and encourages them to continue their faithfulness, but He also wants them to refocus upon their first love, the Lord Jesus Christ.

·       Personal Application: The local church I pastor can learn a lot from the Church at Ephesus. While we must stay vigilant in rooting out false teachers and doctrines, we must stay even more intent on intimately knowing and loving Christ with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

The Letter to Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11)

·       Commendation/Praise: Christ praises them for the spiritual riches they possess despite the physical poverty and difficulty they’ve been through.

·       Complaint/Rebuke: I find no complaint or rebuke directed toward the Church at Smyrna.

·       Warning: Christ warns them that some will be thrown into prison by the devil and face affliction.

·       Promise: He reminds them that if they are faithful unto death they will receive a crown of life and never be harmed by the second death.

·       Review: It is comforting to know that regardless of what we may suffer in this world, we can be recipients of true riches that come from knowing and serving Christ.

·       Personal Application: Our church needs to be reminded that living for Christ and serving Him brings difficulties and problems, but the blessings and the eternal promise resulting from knowing Jesus far outweigh any temporary suffering and difficulties in this life.

The Letter to Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17)

·       Commendation/Praise: Despite brutal persecution, they held on to Christ’s name and did not deny their faith.

·       Complaint/Rebuke:  They had some in their midst who had believed in false doctrine. Evidently, the church was not dealing with this false belief, but tolerating it at best, and embracing it at worst.

·       Warning: He warns them to repent because Christ will come and deal with those embracing false doctrine if the church doesn’t deal with them.

·       Promise: Christ promises to give the victors some hidden manna along with a white stone with a new name inscribed.

·       Review: Once again we are reminded of the danger of false teachers, those embracing false doctrine, and the danger of not dealing with the “leaven that leavens the whole lump” (see Galatians 5:9).

·       Personal Application: Our church is not exempt from persecution. Jesus warned us of it, and it should be expected. Being non-confrontational of those who promote false doctrine doesn’t exempt us from persecution, but it does bring the displeasure of our Lord. We should guard against false doctrine, and root it out so that it doesn’t infect the body.

The Letter to Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29)

·       Commendation/Praise: Christ praises them for their love, faithfulness, service and endurance.

·       Complaint/Rebuke: Thyatira is another church that is tolerating false doctrine.

·       Warning: The false teaching that they have been tolerating, represented by Jezebel, will soon be destroyed. The church will soon realize who Christ really is when all the false teachings are destroyed and stripped away.

·       Promise: Those who hold on to Christ and His Word will enjoy authority over the nations and will be given the Morning Star.

·       Review: A reoccurring theme among these churches is their mistake of tolerating false teaching and teachers within their midst.

·       Personal Application: My local church must not tolerate false teaching and allow the enemy to sow seeds of falsehood among the truth. It is vitally important that that the truth that sets people free is proclaimed early and often.

The Letter to Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6)

·       Commendation/Praise: It is obvious from verse 2 that there are some things that remain “alive” in the church of Sardis because Christ tells them to strengthen those things. However, we are not told what those things are. A few in the church haven't soiled their garments and are seeking to live worthy of their Lord.

·       Complaint/Rebuke: They are a hypocritical church…they have a reputation of being alive, but in reality, they are dead.

·       Warning: Christ warned them to remember what they had received and heard and warned them to keep it. He also warned that if they did not repent He would come against them like a thief.

·       Promise: The victor will wear white clothes and never be removed from the Book of Life. They will be acknowledged before their Father in Heaven.

·       Review: God knows us better than we know ourselves. Even though our reputation may be one thing among others, God knows the truth about who we are. This passage also reminds us that just because the majority may not be doing what they should, a “few” of us can continue to pursue Christ and walk close to Him.

·       Personal Application: This is a powerful reminder to me that God’s knowledge of us is far more important than the community’s false opinion of us. The most important thing we must keep in perspective is to focus on honoring and pleasing our Savior because He knows our hearts.

The Letter to Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13)

·       Commendation/Praise: They have kept God’s Word and not denied Christ’s name, even though they had limited strength. They had endured the difficulties they had faced through Christ’s power.

·       Complaint/Rebuke: None that I could find.

·       Warning: Those who are of the synagogue of Satan will one day find themselves bowing at the feet of the true believers. However, I did not find a specific warning directed toward the church.

·       Promise: God will set before them a door that no one can shut, and God is going to shut doors that no one can open. He will keep them from facing the coming persecution that will test the entire world.

·       Review: The Philadelphia church is the only one out of the seven that Christ doesn’t rebuke. Even though they had faced enormous difficulty, they had remained faithful and had been and would continue to be incredibly blessed by the Lord.

·       Personal Application: Philadelphia should give every local church hope that no matter their circumstances, Christ will give them the strength and power they need to endure and succeed.

The Letter to Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22)

·       Commendation/Praise: None. This is the only church out of the seven that Christ doesn’t have something positive to say.

·       Complaint/Rebuke: Spiritually they are lukewarm. They are self-sufficient and have become blinded to their spiritual needs.

·       Warning: If they do not repent, Christ will expose them for what they really are. They can expect rebukes and discipline from the Savior who loves them.

·       Promise: Christ is on the outside looking in, but He promises them that if they will open the door and respond to His knocking, their fellowship can be fully restored. He will also give the victor the right to sit with Him on His throne.

·       Review: Once again we are reminded of Christ’s penetrating knowledge. He knew their spiritual temperature. He knew the reality of their spiritual poverty, even though they thought they were rich. He also informs them that He is rebuking them out of love and concern for them.

·       Personal Application: Our church must guard against becoming self-sufficient. We need to wake up to the reality of how desperately we need God and His Word to do even the simplest things for His glory. This take humility and becoming radically honest with God and with ourselves.

[1] Daniel L. Akin, Exalting Jesus in Revelation, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016), 38.

[2] Ibid.