Sin always causes problems in the Church. And there is nothing new about it! John, the apostle, was commanded to write 7 letters to the 7 churches in Asia Minor. What we read in Chapters 2 and 3 are like the X-ray reports of the 7 churches- Ephesus, Symrna, Pergamos, Thytira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. We are seeing what our Lord sees and, seeing in black and white, what looks good and what looks bad. Jesus says, “Here’s the good you are doing and here’s the bad stuff you’re doing.” It’s as though Jesus is going over the results of the X-rays with us. But then, like a good doctor Jesus doesn’t just diagnose the problem, He also tells us what we need to do to treat the problem. Just as it is with our physical bodies, an early diagnosis leads to a good prognosis!
1. Ephesus was a large city, an influential city. It was known as the first city of Asia Minor. It was a very beautiful city in its architecture. It was very fully pagan thought, from temple prostitutes to false prophets to complete people that didn’t believe in God at all. Ephesus was known for its bizarre religious worship of the fertility goddess “Diana,” or, in the Greek, “Artemis.” There was a huge temple built and dedicated to Diana. This temple was one of the seven wonders of the Ancient world, three times the size of the Parthenon in Athens, 377 feet long, 180 feet wide, with 127 pillars 60 feet high. But despite all its beauty, there was only darkness! The light of God was only in the Bible- believing church and Bible-preaching church! Paul ministered in this church for three years and even John pastored this church.
2. Smyrna was a patriotic city and was very rich. The word “Smyrna” is the Greek word for myrrh. When the wise men from the east came to worship the newborn baby Jesus, they brought Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. A mixture of vinegar and myrrh was offered to Jesus on the cross. And when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus wrapped the body of Jesus they used myrrh in His burial. This church was considered poor in the eyes of the world. It had no big buildings or lofty cathedrals, they were probably not very large in size, yet they were commended by Christ.
3. Pergamum was the capital city of Asia Minor and lots of royal government officials were there. It was covered with Pagan Temples and there was the Temple of Octavius Caesar too. There was also the Altar of Zeus, mentioned as Satan’s Throne (2:13).
4. Thyatira was a very small city, but a busy commercial centre. It was on a major road of the Roman Empire, and, because of this, many trade unions had settled in this city. There were carpenters, dyers, sellers of goods, tent makers, etc. In the church at Philippi, which the Apostle Paul began, there was a woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, who came from Thyatira.
5. Sardis was the Capital of Ancient Lydia. This city was divided into two parts. One part was a fortress on top of a magnificent mountain and the other was the sprawling community where most of the people lived that existed about 1500 feet below in a very fertile valley. With regard to religion, the people of Sardis were devoted primarily to the worship of the mother goddess Sybil, also known as Artemis or Diana.
6. Philadelphia was founded in 140 BC by Atalus II and he chose to name it Philadelphia, which means brotherly love, in honor of his brother Eumenes II whom he loved. There were lots of volcanoes in the area, a lot of volcanic activity. And, of course, this posed a constant threat to those who lived in that region. In AD 17 the worst earthquake recorded in history up to that time absolutely devastated 12 cities in the Lydian Valley including Philadelphia and Sardis.
7. Laodicea was founded by Antiochus II around 250 BC and he named the city after his dear wife Laodice whom he divorced a few years later. It was part of a tri city grouping consisting of Colosse—which was about 10 miles to the east and Hierapolis, six miles to the north. Hierapolis was famous for its hot springs whereas Colosse boasted fresh, cold, life giving water. Unfortunately, Laodicea’s primary water source was from underground aqueducts that were neither hot nor cold, but only lukewarm and disgusting to the taste.
God Bless!
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