No 20

(Ephesus, Smyrna)

In Revelation 2 & 3, Jesus Christ gave the Apostle John messages to deliver to seven churches that were in Asia Minor at the time; today, this area is modern Turkey. Sir William Ramsay, the great archaeologist, discovered that these churches were in a circular postal route. To some churches, the Lord had commendations and to others He had condemnations. These churches amazingly portray the various stages of Church history from John’s day to the rapture. The dominant characteristic of each church parallels the dominant characteristic of each successive Church period. However, they also reflect the fact that churches in all ages have experienced these same characteristics at one time or another.

Ephesus “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write….I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil…. that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate….Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.” (Rev 2:1,6,4). The dominant characteristic of this church is very familiar “You have forsaken your first love.” It is compared to the Apostolic Age of the Church from 30 – 100 AD. This church was doctrinally solid but it had forgotten about Jesus Christ, every Christian’s “first love” and they risked losing their “lamp stand” (ch 2:5) if they did not repent. When a church loses its lamp stand, it loses its effectiveness to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost; this has happened to churches all through the ages.

Smyrna “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: I know your afflictions and your poverty ….do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer….. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (ch 2: 8, 9, 10b). This church is in comparison to the Persecuted Church Age from 100 – 313 AD. In modern-day Christianity, there are churches in the Third World that are persecuted to a much greater level than others say for instance, in North America; persecution is not unknown to churches of all the ages. We will look at the others in later studies.