SEVEN CHURCHES OF REVELATION

Among several cities in Asia Minor with Christian communities The Faithful Witness, Jesus Christ, chooses seven cities, or seven churches, to which he addresses. It is interesting to note that these cities are located on the royal road and that they are reached in the order in which they are listed.

EPHESUS

When we look at the map we immediately notice Ephesus located at the sea side. Its gulf is broad and there is an open sea before it. If we recall that in Revelation 17.15 waters symbolize peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues, then we can say that the period represented by the Church of Ephesus was characterized by the broad openness and zeal of first-century Christians for all people and all nations.
In their work of preaching the Gospel Jesus' words fulfilled that they "shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1.8 Thanks to the power of the Holy spirit, which they received upon Pentecost day, they received a special gift: "And they were all filled with the Holy ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Acts 2.4

SMYRNA

Smyrna is the next city, to whom the Faithful Witness, Jesus Christ, relates in the book of Revelation. It is also located at the sea side, but its gulf is much narrower. It does not possess a broad open sea before itself. If the take into consideration the history of the church in the 2nd and 3rd century, we are going to notices the similarities here. Just as the Gulf of Smyrna was squeezed out by land, so too did the Christians of the Smyrna period suffer persecution and opposition, surrounded by superstition and imposed pagan customs.

PERGAMOS

The third city from Revelation is Pergamos. We do not find it at sea side. It is located about 10 miles (16 kilometres) into the region. During the Church of Pergamos (from 4th till 6th century) Christianity moved away from the necessities of people. It nearly has nothing to offer to "people, multitudes, nations, and tongues". The city of Pergamos was an imperial city, which was handed to Rome by king Attalus in 133 B.C. In like manner, the Pegame period will also be the period of dominance of the Roman emperor over Christianity, which at that time becomes the state religion. After three hundred years of existence, Christianity truly rose high with the conversion of Emperor Constantine, but unfortunately it was not a spiritual rise.

THYATIRA

Thyatira is city deep into the land, which will mean, according to this way of thinking that this church has gone far away from people, far away that it cannot even be a witness and light for Christ anymore. This is thought of the period that Thyatira represents, and that is Dark Middle Ages.

In difference to Pergamos which was located up on a hill, Thyatira is found in the valley. The church of the Middle Ages was also at the lowest level in spiritual terms. The lengthy valley in which Thyatira was located corresponds the long period of christianity in the Middle Ages.

Valley has multiple meaning in the Bible. It is a place where wars are led, for instance war of kings in the valley of Siddim (Genesis 14.8,9). For psalmist it is a valley of death (Psalm 23.4). At the time of prophet Jeremiah the apostate sons of Judah offered human sacrifices at the valley of the son of Hinnom. (Jeremiah 7.31). The "valley" of the Dark Middle Ages had all these characteristics: Christian kings fought among themselves or imposed Christianity on non-believers through war; the Roman Church and the Inquisition took their bloody toll every day; the stakes were not extinguished.

SARDIS

Sardis was a city up on a top hill, which rose above the valley. Considering that this city represents period of Reformation, this sudden ascending is imposing upon us the picture of what has the Christian world experiences in 16th century. The fact this city is deep into the land, proves that the Reformation was not complete.

As can be seen on the map, it brought "Sardis" closer to "Ephesus" in a certain sense, that is, it restored to some extent the purity of the first-century Christian church, but in a double sense it remained far away. On one hand where the reformation took place it was not rooted, while on the other far greater part of Christianity remained unreformed.

PHILADELPHIA

Philadelphia was next city. Not so far from Sardis, but indeed far from Thyatira. Philadelphia means brotherly love. The period which symbolizes (up to 40's of 19th century) is the period of missionary spreading of christianity, i.e. spreading of brotherly love and bible societies. Philadelphia was located at the broad top hill between two fruitful valleys. First valley was coming from the side of Sardis, while the other was leading towards Laodicea. Finally the christianity had all conditions to become fruitful, to bring the fruits of the Holy spirit, "but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Galatians 5.22,23

LAODICEA

Laodicea is the seventh that is the last city. It is too far from Thyatira, but unfortunately is also far from Ephesus, where the circle of Christian era must end once for all. In other sence, if Laodicea is in spiritual sense christianity which is far from the Dark Middle Ages, it still requires a lot of travel and effort to reach the purity of Ephesus, namely the purity of the first-century Christian church.