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Revelation 2:1-7. Christ’s Message to Ephesus . Seven Churches of Revelation: Ephesus. Church at Ephesus : The Loveless Church (Rev 2:1-7). Background A thriving commercial city, the largest city in Asia Minor
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Revelation 2:1-7 Christ’s Message to Ephesus
Church at Ephesus :The Loveless Church (Rev 2:1-7) • Background • A thriving commercial city, the largest city in Asia Minor • Its religious life centered around the worship of the Greek goddess Artemis (cf. Acts 19:23ff); her temple was considered one of the seven wonders of the world. • After the church was established, the gospel flourished here under the ministries of both the Apostle Paul and the Apostle John, as well as Apollos and then later, Timothy. (see Acts 19-20; book of Ephesians)
General Pattern of Each Letter • A description of Jesus Christ, taken from John’s vision of the glorified Christ in chapter 1 • A claim of complete knowledge of the people addressed (“I know …”) • A description of the state of the church, whether by commendation, concern and/ or command • A universal counsel to hear what has been spoken • A word of comfort to the overcomer, which looks forward to Christ’s future reign
Revelation 2:8-11 Christ’s Message to Smyrna
Church at Smyrna :The Suffering Church (Rev 2:8-11) • Background • Smyrna means, “Bitter”. • A thriving commercial city, 2nd largest city in Asia • Known for its beauty, it was called the Crown of Asia. Smyrna was a center for science & medicine. • Its religious life centered around emperor-worship which resulted in a strong loyalty to Rome. Additionally, there were several temples to Greek gods & goddesses. • Smyrna had a large Jewish community that engaged in the persecution of Christians, making this a very dangerous place for believers to live.
General Pattern of Each Letter • A description of Jesus Christ, taken from John’s vision of the glorified Christ in chapter 1 • A claim of complete knowledge of the people addressed (“I know …”) • A description of the state of the church, whether by commendation, concern and/ or command • A universal counsel to hear what has been spoken • A word of comfort to the overcomer, which looks forward to Christ’s future reign
Revelation 2:12-17 Christ’s Message to Pergamum
Church at Pergamum :The Compromising Church (Rev 2:12-17) • Background • Pergamum means, “height,” or “elevation”. • The political centre of Asia Minor • Known for incredible library of over 200,000 volumes! • Its religious life centered around emperor-worship, and several temples to Greek gods, including Asklepios & an enormous altar Zeus! • Pergamum was a very dangerous place for believers to live.
General Pattern of Each Letter • A call to write to a church • A description of Jesus Christ, taken from John’s vision of the glorified Christ in chapter 1 • A claim of complete knowledge of the people addressed (“I know …”) • A description of the state of the church, whether by commendation, concern and/ or command • A universal counsel to hear what has been spoken • A word of comfort to the overcomer, which looks forward to Christ’s future reign
Revelation 2:18-29 Christ’s Message to Thyatira
Church at Thyatira:The Sin Tolerating Church (Rev 2:18-29) • Background • Smallest of the 7 cities. . . but received the longest message! • Positioned in a fertile valley, it was rich agriculturally, but lacked the geographical features to protect itself from invasion. Thyatira served primarily as a protection for the capital city of Pergamum by being in the pathway of invaders. Thus it was overrun numerous times. • Thyatira was a centre of commerce, which in turn produced a multitude of workers’ guilds (like labour unions); examples include linen workers, wool workers, dyers, leather workers, people who made outer garments, potters, bakers, and bronze smiths. Membership in a guild was compulsory if one wanted job security. • Emperor worship was not so much a factor here. However, guild members were expected to attend the guild festivals, to eat the food that had been offered to one of the gods, and participate in grossly immoral activities that would follow these feasts. The primary god of worship was Apollos, also known by the title, “son of god”!
