MESSAGE TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES

 

MESSAGE TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES

The second and third chapters of Revelation consist of messages from Christ to the seven churches in the Roman province of Asia Minor, all located within the modern nation of Turkey.  Jesus has the apostle John write to the “angel” of each of them, a term used most likely for the presiding bishop.  We ought to consider these messages carefully, for they reveal a lot about how Christ relates to his followers on earth.  I think at different times all of us can be found in one or more of these congregations.  Each message is distinct, but I notice four major themes: 

1-     God’s approval:  Five of the seven churches are praised for their willingness to suffer for the faith.  I find it moving that Christ readily admits the difficulty of their situations.  He says to the Christians in Pergamum, “I know that you live where Satan’s throne is, and yet you hold fast to my name.”  To the church in Ephesus, “You have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary.”  God is aware of our trials and admires our perseverance.

2-     Room for improvement:  Some churches are praised but also warned about how they need to improve.  The Ephesians are called back to their first love: “Realize how far you have fallen.  Repent, and do the works you did at first.”  To Pergamum he says, “Yet I have a few things against you” and to Thyatira “Yet I hold this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel.”  They are admonished for allowing themselves to be influenced by pagan practices.  They must not compromise their religious devotion or their moral conduct.  Today, we also need to be vigilant against prevailing cultural values which would cause us to compromise our faith and moral purity.

3-    Do not be afraid:  To the two churches that are spared any criticism, Christ says: “Do not be afraid of anything that you are going to suffer” (to Smyrna) and “Because you have kept my message of endurance, I will keep you safe in the time of trial that is going to come to the whole world” (to Philadelphia).  When our sense of well-being is threatened, whatever may be the cause, let us remember that Christ calls us to be brave, and reminds us that he is with us in every situation. 

4-    Repent or else:  There are stern warnings for some of the churches: “I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, if you do not repent.” “I will cast her on a sick bed and plunge those who commit adultery with her into intense suffering unless they repent of their works.”  The one for the church in Laodicea is a doozy: “Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth”! Christ’s warnings are given out of charity, for the sake of deeper conversion: “Those whom I love I reprove and chastise.  Be earnest, therefore, and repent.”  

5-    Promised of reward:  The message for each church ends with a promise.  “To the victor I will give the right to eat from the tree of life.”  “The victor shall not be harmed by the second death.”  “To the victor I shall give some of the hidden manna; I shall also give a white amulet upon which is inscribed a new name…” “To the victor I will give authority over the nations…And to him I will give the morning star.”  “I will never erase his name from the book of life.”  “The victor I will make a pillar in the temple of my God.” 

The praise, correction and promises spoken to the churches of Asia Minor continue to be spoken to the Church universal today, for they are the words of God.  For this reason, the sacred author concludes the messages with words addressed to all his readers: “Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

            Last week I wrote about the Book of Revelation, also known as the Apocalypse, and how there are different ways that can be helpful in interpreting its message, which is a challenge due to its use of fantastic imagery.  This imagery is called apocalyptic, a word from Greek which means “disclosure,” “unveiling,” or “revelation.”  Apocalyptic literature is presented in the form of visions and often uses imagery which is literally out of this world.  These images are strange and unfamiliar even to the visionary, and they cannot be formed by the human mind into an orderly and coherent depiction.  Apocalyptic expression is found in the writings of some of the prophets of the Old Testament and in the New Testament encompasses a large section of the Book of Revelation.  It is also found in non-biblical writings of the Ancient Near East dated before and after the Birth of Christ.

            The fact that we are unable to fully grasp the imagery does not mean that we should ignore it and quickly pass on to something more intelligible.  In fact, the Book of Revelation has had a great impact on the liturgy of the Church, on the spirituality of her children, and on her teaching about the end times.  Saving the other subjects for the future (excuse the pun!)