Bible Gem 2220 – Bringing It All To A Conclusion (Revelation 2:1-3:22)

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:

I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality. Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.

But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations. They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!

Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

Revelation 2:18-29

In handling the investigation into the Letter to the Seven Churches I have led you through the background to each city and each local church in the context of Christ’s comments to each church. We have noted the particularity of His comments to each specific church. But in so doing we have seen the relationships between each church matched to their location. As I worked my way through each of the seven churches I noticed the peculiarity of each of Christ’s comments tailor-made for each church. I have commented already on the order in which the churches are presented. They simply follow the order of the circular road which links them all together, beginning with Ephesus on the coast, the closest to the Island of Patmos. Then moving through the circle northward to Pergamum and then down south again. Professor Ramsay suggests each of these seven churches were stepping off points to spread to Gospel further.

• Ephesus – along the coast and to the interior via the Cayster and Meander Valleys.
• Smyrna – along the Ionian coast and up the Hermus Valley.
• Pergamum – northward and into the north-east interior.
• Thyatira – to the northeast interior and east.
• Sardis – to the Upper Hermus Valley and the interior road through to Pisidian Antioch.
• Philadelphia – to the interior plateau and into Upper Lydia.
• Laodicea – through the Lycus Valley and into Central Phrygia and then through to the Cilician Gates.

I then spent some time looking at other cities which could have been chosen in the Roman Province of Asia, having realised just how many cities were in this land bridge between East and West. I then noticed the extra focus given to Thyatira, in terms of the length of the introduction for this city, which many view as the least important of the seven cities. So if that is the case why then was Thyatira chosen (Gem 2215). At that point I gathered a list of thirteen other cities which could have been selected and located them on the map for you. Added to that is the fact that Thyatira has the added line “Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve.” With Thyatira, the order of the repeated clauses is switched:

1. To everyone who is victorious . . . I will . . .
2. Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.

I can’t help but think that is important. At that point I wanted to check out two other churches to see how they measured up if I looked at their background for both the city and the church. So I added Berea and Thessalonica, thinking they ought to have a good report as a church. What happened to them historically? Why did I do that? Simply because the Seven cities were located close together in the Province of Asia. What would happen if I looked at Berea and Thessalonica in juxtaposition in Macedonia? Did the geographical area make a difference? I sensed your interest as readers dropped away at that point, due perhaps to the weariness of the number of churches. [I had thought to look at all the churches to which Paul wrote epistles. But thought that was overkill.] I am glad I looked at the two in Macedonia because there was a marked difference between the experience of Thessalonica and Berea compared with the other Seven. Did you notice that? I had expected to find the Thessalonian / Berea pattern with at least some of the Seven.

I had predicted (to myself) that I would find a more positive outcome; that Berea and Thessalonica would be in the same category as Smyrna and Philadelphia. Why? Because they are churches I expected would have a better outcome. I had wondered what would become of Ephesus and the Ephesian church, knowing that it ended in ruins. I half-expected a harsher treatment for the Province of Asia than for Macedonia, given the proximity to different invaders. I wonder too how the strategic nature of the location of land bridge between East and West would feature. I was also mindful of effect of the Dark Ages, the influence of the Church once it had been taken over by the State and the effect of the Gospel being closed to the common people as I outlined in Gem 2217.

Having added Berea and Thessalonica I noticed their time in captivity or the length of time they spent under oppression was shorter. There were not as many gaps in the time line of them being allowed to practice Christianity. But not only that, their oppressors were more willing to allow them to follow The Way. When they were not and tried to force them to become Muslim as happened after the rise of Islam, there were some savage periods of persecution but they were not as long as the cities in the Province of Asia. Not only that, but the Christians also grew more resolute in their unwillingness to embrace Islam and were determined to cling to their Christian faith which made them stronger. There were also numerous times when the invaders allowed them to continue as Christians, even assisting them to build churches with State money. As a result there were less times where they were without a bishop or a church leader. However I have to say that it is harder to determine whether the bishops and bishoprics were genuine in their faith or whether they were more typical of the faith of the Dark Ages, which was not really faith at all. During that time most expressions of true Christianity had gone “underground” like the church these days in China and Iran. [I haven’t addressed that feature at all; I can only include some of the detail, not all.]

In Gem 2216 I asked the question: How many of the Magnificent Seven survived? Now is the time to give more detail in answer to that question. One way to answer that question is to determine if there was a continuous line of churches from the New Testament period to the present day. I didn’t expect there would be. We have seen how hard it was to remain a Christian under the Roman Empire. Everything about life in those days worked against faith. Pax Romana, Roman Peace, was claimed for those early years. The approximate two hundred year period, between 27 BC (Augustus) and 180 AD (Marcus Aurelius), is called the height of Pax Romana. When the Empire was in its halcyon days which is claimed to be “a peaceful time of prosperity”. But that is not true! For wealthy, privileged Romans, maybe. But what about the conquered nations, the slaves and the women, both Roman and non-Roman? You know already, it was hard to be a Christian under the Roman Empire. No wonder Jesus encouraged the believers to hang on to the end. Ah, but when will it end?

You have seen by now with the background notes I given you, it didn’t get any easier. The fall of Rome in 476 AD opened the door to the invaders; invaders pillage, rob, kill and destroy empires. Not only that but they carry off subjects into a new periods of subjection. Since the Roman Empire had embraced Christianity, whether it was real or an imposter imposed under Roman rule, the reaction against it by those who had suffered Roman brutality was severe. Hence the nature of the background notes I have given you. What is surprising is the degree to which the Christians in some areas resolutely clung to their faith. Not only hung on, but in many areas made progress and won others to this new faith, despite the inadequacies of their priests and bishops. In a number of areas the Church made progress in winning souls and standing firm.

Another way of evaluating success is to ascertain whether the church still exists in these cities now. Well, let’s ask that question. How many of these cities we have investigated have churches in this day and age?

Ephesus:- went into decline after the Goths attacked. When the Kücükmenderes River silted up, Ephesus was completely abandoned. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453 Ephesus became a ruins and to this day is just a tourist attraction to remind us of the ruins.

Smyrna / Izmir:- The church thrived until the 13th Century and after the fall of Constantinople it continued as a Greek Orthodox bishopric. In the 17th and 18th Centuries a number of believers were martyred for refusing to become Muslims which curiously spurred others to hold on to their faith. Chrysostromos of Smyrna was the last martyr in 1922 at the hand of the Muslim Turks. St John’s Cathedral still exists in Smyrna, present day Izmir. In fact Sultan Abdülaziz donated 11,000 gold Turkish lira to rebuild the church in 1862. Missionaries from Smyrna took the Gospel to Lyon in France, and the people of Lyon contributed to the rebuilding of Katedrali Aziz Yuhana.

Pergamum / Bergama:- now Bergama was attacked in 1109 and 1113 and had shrunk considerably. When the Ottoman Empire took over, the inhabitants were incorporated into that regime. There are few known believers in present day Bergama and no churches.

Thyatira / Akhisar:- The believers and churches remained until the end of the Greco-Turkish war when all Greek Orthodox Christians were deported to Great Britain and Ireland. In 1951 the Metropolisan of Philadelphia joined them under the Metropolisan of Thyateira and Great Britain. Two churches remain in Akhisar today, on the site of the ancient city of Thyatira. The St Max Church and the Tiatira Church.

Sardis:- Sardis located on that impregnable promontory lasted for 3,500 years. But after it was sacked for the last time in 615 AD, it was absorbed by a series of Empires already outlined (Byzantine, Ottoman, Turkish). By the 19th century nothing remained but ruins.

Philadelphia / Alaşehir:– The domed Basillica of St John was built in 600 AD. In the 6th Century AD the city was named “Little Athens” because there were a number of churches. In the 14th Century it was given a Bishopric under the Greek Orthodox Church which it still holds. However it was burnt by the Turks in 1890 and 3,000 lives were lost. Nea Filadelfeia (New Philadelphia) was established as a suburb of Athens from the refugees from Alaşehir. It was part of a population exchange in 1923 between Greece and Turkey. There are four churches in the city: The Bulgarian Church, Metropolitan Hagioi Anargyroi (Evangelical), The Church of Zoodoxoy Pigi (Orthodox) and St Euphemia (Orthodox).

Laodicea / Denizli:- Laodicea last had a Roman Catholic Church in 1450. Since then it was given a Titular See under the Roman Catholic Church which may exist for services in Denizli but it is hard to tell if it’s an ancient-tourist-attraction-church or a functioning church today. During much of this time any church present still worshipped angels as noted back in New Testament times.

Having covered the Seven Churches which received the common letter, let’s now look at the other two I added.

Berea / Veria:- I told you was captured and returned to the Christian fold by Crusaders in the 4th Crusade in 1204 AD. But don’t place much importance on that. The Crusaders were blood thirsty mercenaries who looked for any opportunity to kill Saracens (Muslims). That did not necessarily ensure a return to Christianity. More importantly what happened after that? On two more recent occasions the citizens of Berea surrendered to the Ottomans without a fight and as a result they were treated well and given assistance to build churches. The city was known as ‘Small Jerusalem‘ because of the number of churches. There are currently 48 churches in Veria today, most are ancient churches preserved but there are 7 functioning churches in the city.

Thessalonica / Thessaloniki:- depending whether the city is under the Greeks (Thessaloniki) or others is what governs the name change. The city has experienced short periods of subjugation (but not as short as Berea). Each time they too have been treated well and given assistance. This city has had a continuous record of capture and recapture similar to Berea. There have been many times when Christianity was allowed to exist in the city alongside Islam. There are currently 13 churches in the city. Five of them are ancient-tourist-attraction-churches but there appear to be 7 functioning churches and one Monastery of Vlatadon.

I conclude the cities with the churches which remain match the churches which had a good reputation in New Testament times. The church which shocks me the most is that of Ephesus. What Jesus had to say about it appears to have been true. They had lost their first love and needed to repent. They need to note how far they had fallen and turn around or Christ would remove their lamp stand. Despite having had the best pastors it seems they did not repent. As David Pawson wrote when he took a tour group to Ephesus, he and the group could find no one in the area who knew anything about Paul, John, Apollos, Priscilla or Aquila. How sad! May we heed the warnings contained in these seven churches.

I believe I have one more Gem to write to sum it all up. And yes I will comment on what I think the message of the Seven combined, including Thyatira has to tell us. Phew, at last we are nearing the end of The Letter to the Seven Churches.

D L Moody was asked by a student after a message at a Student Conference by the sea:

“Mr Moody, what must I do to seek Jesus and be on fire for him like you?” Moody led him down to the water’s edge and out into deeper water. Suddenly he grabbed him and held him under for a short while. The student asked “Mr Moody, why did you do that?” Dwight Lyman Moody said, “When you seek Jesus like you sought for air then you will find Him and your passion.”

D L Moody

“But we must live.” said by the Christians of Thyatira to Tertullian when he told them not to compromise their faith in the Guilds of Thyatira. The Church Father responded, “Why must you live?” Gem 2202

Tertullian

Roman Peace was only available for wealthy, privileged Romans. Not for those inhabitants from the conquered nations, the slaves and the non-Roman women, nor even the Roman women.

Ian

Missionary Elisabeth Elliot found peace ministering to the Indian tribe who massacred her husband. She wrote, ‘Only in acceptance lies peace… not in resignation.’ There’s a big difference!

Elisabeth Elliot

Peace doesn’t come from finding a lake with no storms. It comes from having Jesus in the boat.

John Ortberg