Seven Churches
When we hear News reporting stories that surround the seven cities mentioned in the Bible, it is time for churches to get busy about the Lords commandments.
“Antonin Scalia’s funeral will reflect a life of faith” (Robert Barnes, The Washington Post, Saturday, February 20, 2016).
Supreme Court Justice Scalia was known to believe in textualism.
Justice Scalia born in 1936. He served the Supreme Court from 1986 until his death last week. Justice Scalia would always consider the opposite views of liberal experts before he made a decision based on his more conservative opinions. At the television coverage of Justice Scalia’s funeral, the announcer quoted Antonin Scalia as saying “I am a Textist. What the founders wrote in the Constitution, they meant what it said.” With Scalia’s death goes the oldest conservative mind in the Supreme Court.
Why are Scalia’s views significant for this blog?
Scalia’s concern in the case of Church of the Holy Trinity vs. US (1892)
Constitution Interpretation
“There is another related question here about the role of the judge in a legal system (which, incidentally, the Constitution says nothing about). If judges are permitted to interpret law in terms of perceived intent, we should expect that the intent they will read into the law just happens to coincide with their particular political/ethical views. If this is the case, we lose out on another desideratum of the law: impartiality/objectivity. Judges, interpreting based on intent, will be inclined to interpret laws as what they think they ought to mean rather than what the text means” (http://missiontotransition.blogspot.com/2012/04/constitutional-interpretation.html).
The same is true concerning the Word of God, especially the prophecy in Jude 1:4. Jude warns us that in the last days, Scripture interpretation will be done by people who do not have God’s Holy Spirit guiding their conclusions.
4 I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (Jud 1:4 NLT)
The message will produce teachers of acceptance and grace, without telling people that God has a plan for developing faith.
24 Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. (Jud 1:24 NLT)
When a non-believer surrenders to Christ, the Lord comes alongside that new believer on his faith journey toward victorious living. The great thing about serving Christ is that He takes joy in restoring His children, but He also empowers them to become better. Obedience in doing the Word and not just hearing the Word becomes their life-long desires.
13 For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. (Rom 2:13 NLT).
I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
With whom will the Lord Jesus Christ fight against in those days? The Bible cautions: Judgement shall fall upon those who teach deceptive doctrines, and even those who tolerate such anti-God rhetoric.
14 “But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.
15 In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching.
16 Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
(Rev 2:13-16 NLT)
The Lord placed special emphases on a time when the seven churches will come under great testing. Were there only seven Christian churches in Asia Minor? or was the number seven symbolic of persecution events? When we hear News reporting stories that surround the seven cities mentioned in the Bible, it is time for churches to get busy about the Lords commandments. We should be particularly attentive to news about Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, which are all located in the nation of Turkey (Rev 1:11).
Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, three kilometers southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. The city flourished after it came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.
Smyrna was an Ancient Greek city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. This place is known today as İzmir, Turkey. Today, the ancient city is within the boundaries of Izmir.
In a two-part series, Gordon Robertson took an in-depth look at the ancient Greco-Roman city, Pergamum – called “the dwelling place of The Seat of Satan”. It was from this city that all of the rulings were made that affected Asia Minor.
Thyatira was the name of the modern Turkish city of Akhisar. It lies in the far west of Turkey, south of Istanbul and almost due east of Athens. It is about 50 miles from the Mediterranean.
Laodicea is a city of Phrygia located on the river, Lycus which is not far from Colossae.
Sardis or Sardes was an ancient city at the location of modern Sart in Turkey’s Manisa Province. Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, one of the important cities of the Persian Empire, the seat of a proconsul under the Roman Empire and the metropolis of the province Lydia in later Roman and Byzantine times.
A severe earthquake that occurred in 17CE is recorded in history. Sardis fared worse from the initial quake, but Philadelphia shook more frequently from aftershocks. By the third century, paganism had held on in the face of a Christianizing Empir traumatizing the population. Strabo noted the city was “ever subject to quakes”.
Early Church history reveals that Ignatius made a visit to the city on his way to his martyrdom in Rome and sent a letter to the church there.
All seven churches pointed out by Christ are in the news today. News reports about the persecution of Christians in Turkey continues. Also, on the news we hear that ISIS is beheading Christians and destroying Biblical historical artifacts. Those ancient artifacts were proof that Christ visited the area.
6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done.
7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers.
8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness.
9 There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil– for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.
10 But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good– for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. (Rom 2:6-10 NLT)
13 For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.
14 Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it.
15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.
16 And this is the message I proclaim– that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life. (Rom 2:13-16 NLT)
Seven Churches