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It Is Written

The Seven Churches

John Bradshaw

The Seven Churches of Revelation: Ephesus

Coming up next, please stay tuned for It Is Written, presented by Pastor John Bradshaw.

People have been living here longer than almost anywhere else on the planet.

It's played an important role throughout history.

Alexander the Great conquered a large part of what was then called Anatolia in 334 AD on his way to conquering the Medo-Persian Empire.

And after Greece moved off center stage, the Roman Empire governed this part of the world.

It borders 8 different nations, spans 2 continents, Europe and Asia, and sits between the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean.

But its importance isn't just limited to world history.

Turkey has an extraordinarily rich Christian history.

The Book of Colossians was written to believers in Turkey.

Antioch, where believers were first called Christians, was here.

It was also home to 7 of the most important churches in the history of Christianity.

The 7 churches of the Book of Revelation.

What you see, write in a book and send it to the 7 churches which are in Asia, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea." The letters to the 7 churches are all brief.

The letter to Thyatira is only 12 verses, less than 300 words.

And they were placed in the last book of the Bible with good reason.

And the reason I say they are among the most important churches ever is because Jesus addressed these churches personally, prompting the Apostle John to write letters to the churches in behalf of Jesus Himself.

Letters which speak to us today, as we are going to learn.

Each of the letters to the 7 churches contain several things in common.

To each of them there is an introduction of Jesus.

For example, to the church of Smyrna, He's the 1 who was the first and the last, who was dead and is alive.

To Sardis, Jesus is the 1 who has the 7 spirits of God and the 7 stars.

To all of the churches, Jesus says, I know your works.

To most of them, there's a rebuke or a reproof.

And then to all of them, there's a promise.

For example, to the church at Philadelphia, Jesus says, I will make you to be a pillar in the temple of my God.

To Laodicea, he says, I will grant you to sit with me in my throne." Now, the first of the 7 churches is 1 that's very well known, Ephesus.

Back in John's time, Ephesus was 1 of the largest cities in the Roman province of Asia Minor and it was a bustling center of pagan worship.

Originally located on the shores of the Aegean Sea, 2, 000 years of war, earthquakes, and the harbor being clogged with silt has left the site of old Ephesus 3 miles inland from the sea.

However, the ruins that remain clue us in on how incredible this city once was.

Here's how a poet from the 2nd century BC described the grandeur of the Ephesian temples and monuments.

I have set eyes on the wall of lofty Babylon on which is a road for chariots, and the statue of Zeus by the Alpheus, and the hanging gardens, and the Colossus of the Sun, and the huge labour of the high pyramids, and the vast tomb of Mausolus.

But when I saw the house of Artemis that mounted to the clouds, Those other marvels lost their brilliancy.

And I said, lo, apart from Olympus, the sun never looked on Ort so grand.

When you're standing in the old city, it's easy to understand what the poet was talking about.

There are some absolutely remarkable ruins here.

There's the temple built by Domitian, a Roman emperor in the first century.

The third largest library in the Roman Empire, where thousands of scrolls were held.

Ruins of gymnasiums close to 2, 000 years old.

A relief of the goddess Nike, the goddess of victory.

The Nymphaeum, an impressive building constructed to honor nature spirits, called Nymphs.

Ephesus hosted gladiator fights and wild animal fights during the 3rd and 4th centuries, long after the time of John.

Many historians say Christians were persecuted in this place.

Of course, this isn't the only time the Church of Ephesus appears in the New Testament.

The Apostle Paul wrote an epistle, that's a letter to the church here about 20 years before Revelation was written.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians of conversion, of how God changes the life.

It was to the Ephesians that he explained that people are saved by grace through faith, the inference being, by grace alone through faith alone.

He wrote to the Ephesians of righteousness by faith, of being strengthened inwardly by the Holy Spirit, of Christ dwelling in the heart by faith, of knowing the love of Christ and being filled with the fullness of God.

He wrote to them about baptism and spiritual gifts and manifesting the character of Christ.

And it was to the Ephesians that he wrote about the armor of God, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, which he said was the Word of God.

When Port wrote to the Ephesians, he specifically addressed both slaves and slave owners, as Ephesus was a very significant slave trading center.

Years later, when John wrote to the Church of Ephesus back in Revelation chapter 2, he had this to say, He had this to say, "'To the angel of the church of Ephesus, write, "'These things says he who holds the 7 stars "'in his right hand, "'who walks in the midst of the 7 golden lampstands.'" Notice this letter starts with an assurance.

This comes to you from the 1 who holds the 7 stars in His right hand.

We're told in chapter 1 that those stars represent the angels or the messengers of the 7 churches.

Then, This is from the 1 who walks in the midst of the 7 golden lampstands, which chapter 1 said, are the 7 churches.

Jesus says he's intimately acquainted with them and with what they're going through.

I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil.

And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them He goes on, That's good, isn't it?

But there was something missing, something serious missing.

We'll find out what that was, and we'll go to the site of a riot that almost cost the Apostle Paul his life in just a moment.

♪♪♪ Travel back in time and visit the historic sites of Revelation's ancient churches where Christianity grew against all odds and learn how messages shared by Jesus 2000 years ago are also messages from heaven for today.

Call now for your free copy of The 7 Churches of Revelation, Messages for Today.

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Paul didn't have everything his own way while he was here.

In fact, he wrote to the church at Corinth and told them that when he was in Ephesus, he fought with beasts.

That was the bitter opposition he was met with while he was here.

In Acts 19 it states that Paul disputed here daily in the school of 1 Tyrannus.

In an auditorium near the library of Celsus, Inscriptions have been found mentioning the name of Tyrannus.

Now in that same chapter, Paul meets certain believers, he baptizes them with the Holy Spirit, and they have the miraculous ability to speak in other languages.

It was in Acts 19 that people would bring handkerchiefs and so forth that had touched Paul's body and then go and place them on sick people and they would miraculously recover from their illnesses or have demons cast out of them.

It was here that the 7 sons of Sevil were overcome by evil spirits.

It was also here that people burned their occult books.

But it was also here that a silversmith named Demetrius realized that Paul's preaching against idolatry was costing him and a lot of people like him a lot of money.

If people weren't worshipping idols, then they weren't buying his idols and shrines.

He said, "...this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands." He feared the Temple of Artemis, or Diana as the Ephesians called her, might be despised, and her magnificence destroyed.

And he mentioned that all Asia and the world worshipped her.

In Acts chapter 19, there's a story that discusses the Temple of Artemis.

The Seven Churches of Revelation: Smyrna

Izmir is a beautiful, bustling coastal city of more than 3 million people.

It's a port city and it's a tourist destination, especially as it's only 35 miles from Ephesus.

But while Izmir is a modern city with excellent shopping and restaurants, it's a fascinating blend of the new and the old.

It was home to the second of the 7 churches addressed by Jesus in the book of Revelation.

The name Smyrna comes from the word myrrh, which was used as a perfume, a fragrance, and is mentioned throughout the Bible.

Back in Genesis 37, when Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery, He was taken to Egypt by a group transporting spices and balm and myrrh.

The woman in the Song of Solomon described her beloved as a bundle of myrrh.

Myrrh of course featured in the life of Jesus.

The wise men brought Mary and Joseph gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Myrrh featured in the suffering of Jesus.

While he was on the cross they brought him something to drink that was mixed with myrrh that was to dull the pain he was experiencing.

And when he died, myrrh was used to embalm Jesus' body.

An interesting thing about myrrh, It's derived from trees, trees which grow in Africa and the Middle East.

It begins as a resin that the tree produces when it's stressed or wounded more to the point.

Harvesters will make cuts in the trees and the trees will then bleed the resin, which can then be utilized in a variety of ways.

When John wrote the book of Revelation, Smyrna had developed into an important city.

Geography alone helps explain why Smyrna would have been important to early Christians.

Its location meant that travelers from Greece and other places would have come here, and Christians could easily be sent from here either internationally or deep into the heart of Asia Minor.

This area, the Agora, which means an open place, was the center of life in ancient Smyrna.

This part of the city was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 179 AD, but it was then rebuilt under the auspices of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

There was a huge altar to Zeus right here, Zeus being the Greek equivalent of the Roman god Jupiter.

There was a large Jewish community in Smyrna during the first century after Christ, and that may well be the reason that Christianity appears to have sprung up in the town really quite early.

Perhaps the most famous Christian from Smyrna was the Bishop Polycarp, who would suffer martyrdom for his faith in 153 AD.

Ignatius of Antioch, another famous Christian martyr, is said to have visited Smyrna and written letters to Polycarp.

Irenaeus, perhaps the most prominent Christian theologian of the second century AD, was probably a native of Smyrna.

The message Jesus gave to this church encompasses a period of intense trial, suffering, and persecution for the Christian community.

In the words of Jesus, and to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, These things says the first and the last, who was dead and came to life.

I know your works, tribulation and poverty, but you are rich.

And I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Do not fear any of those things you are about to suffer.

Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation 10 days.

Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death." Considering the theme of this letter, let's look at how Jesus described himself.

He called himself the First and the Last, basically repeating what he said in Revelation chapter 1, where he called himself the Alpha and the Omega.

Now Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.

I was here before you got here, and I'll be here long after you're gone.

He wanted them to know, especially in their extremity, that they were being guided and watched by the divine Son of God.

Jesus referred to himself as 1 who was dead and came to life.

You can see why he'd say that to this church.

Smyrna, the church that would be bled, injured, but who through That injury would produce a sweet fragrance and would honor God.

In a moment, some of the secrets of ancient Smyrna, including an insight into the number 666.

Travel back in time and visit the historic sites of Revelation's ancient churches where Christianity grew against all odds and learn how messages shared by Jesus 2, 000 years ago are also messages from Heaven for today.

We're in Izmir, Turkey, a busy, modern city and the location of the ancient biblical city of Smyrna.

Jesus addresses the church of Smyrna in the book of Revelation and says, I know your works, tribulation, and poverty, but you are rich.

As with each of the letters to the 7 churches, Jesus says, I know your works.

He's saying, I know more about you than just your profession.

I know what's really going on in your life.

Now that's not ominous, that's reassuring.

Jesus is saying, whatever you're facing, whatever challenges you've got going on in your life right now, he knows and he cares.

The focus of the message to Smyrna is the forecast of serious trouble ahead.

Tribulation, poverty, suffering, and prison.

This is why the Church of Smyrna is so often called the persecuted church.

If the time period covered by the Church of Ephesus is that of the first century after Christ, The period of Smyrna covers the following 2 centuries, when the Roman Empire subjected Christianity to fierce, even brutal, persecution.

It's important to remember that the early Christians were not persecuted by the Roman authorities because they worshipped Jesus.

All the various peoples of the empire had their own religious beliefs, gods and practices.

But what made the Christians different was their refusal to add to their religious devotion the worship of the Roman Emperor.

Stephen Williams, a British historian and the author of a biography of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, makes this statement, It was scarcely enough for Bishop Dionysius to protest that Christians were loyal citizens who prayed for the health of the emperors.

What could the most reasonable magistrate reply except to ask why, In that case, they could not demonstrate their loyalty in the proper way like everyone else.

Rome was tolerant, but it was not a modern, secular, liberal state which demands very little of its citizens beyond passive compliance with the law.

Genuine loyalty could hardly be divorced from worship of the genius of the emperor in the way that was laid down.

We're going to come back to Emperor Diocletian because the persecution that took place during his reign was actually predicted by Jesus in His message to the church at Smyrna.

But that statement by Stephen Williams, it reminds us of a Bible story, a story found in Daniel chapter 3 about 3 young Hebrew men.

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had assembled rulers and people from every province of his empire to the plain of Dura to bow down and worship a golden image made to symbolize the glory and power of His person and His kingdom.

The 3 young men, officials of His court, refused to bow and were condemned to death as a result.

In the end, God delivered them from the flames.

And Nebuchadnezzar was forced to acknowledge God's power over that of the gods he worshipped.

But what made Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego different from the others in that assembly was that the others were willing to worship the golden image in addition to the gods they already had.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, by contrast, refused to worship any god but the 1 found in the Bible, whose first commandment declares, "...you shall have no other gods before me." This commandment is what got Christians in trouble with the Roman Empire.

No other gods, except the God of Scripture.

And it made no difference at all to the Romans if the act of worship of the Emperor was forced.

What mattered to gods and men was not a person's belief, but its expression in acts, not as private silent vows, but as public oaths and commitments.

Jupiter saw your actions, not your thoughts.

But God, on the other hand, says, For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." Pagan worship focuses on the exterior, what a person does publicly.

But the God of Heaven looks on the heart.

Forced worship doesn't cut it with God, but with Satan and false religion, force and manipulation are common.

Here at the Agora in Smyrna is something fascinating that echoes in the book of Revelation.

On the walls here are a number of graffiti, not in the vandalism sense, but in the original sense where graffiti were inscriptions or figure drawings.

Along with pictures, there are isopsophisms, in which the numerical values of the letters of a phrase add up to a certain sum.

1 example here is, I love the girl whose number is 1, 308, which may be the name of Tyche.

Now Tyche was a goddess to the people of Smyrna, called the Protectress of the City.

The most well-known isopsophism is found in Revelation 13.18, where it says, Here is wisdom.

Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.

His number is 666, the number of the beast, or the Antichrist, of earth's last days." Like the church at Ephesus, the first of the 7 churches, it seems that the church of Smyrna included false believers.

Now Jesus doesn't elaborate on how the believers in Smyrna were dealing with the problem, but His words make it clear that He was very aware the problem existed.

When Christ spoke of those who say they are Jews and are not, we should keep in mind that according to the New Testament, He is a Jew who is 1 inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart.

In the book of Galatians we read, and if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.

So when Jesus speaks of those who say they are Jews and are not, he isn't talking about an ethnic identity, but a spiritual identity.

The Seven Churches of Revelation: Pergamos

Thousands of years ago, nestled among these mountains was an ancient city.

A rich and powerful city, filled with palaces and temples, monuments and theatres.

But while most of the city's wonder and majesty has been lost to time, we're exploring something that lasts Longer, much longer.

Pergamos, also known as Pergamum or Pergamon, is located in western Turkey just north of the modern-day city of Bergamoth.

Unlike the cities of Ephesus and Smyrna, Pergamon was not a seaport but was located 16 miles from the coast of the Aegean Sea.

Its major buildings, temples and so forth, were constructed on Pergamon's Acropolis, Acropolis being a Greek word meaning the summit of the city.

This city became 1 of the greatest cultural centers of the Hellenistic world in the decades following the death of Alexander the Great.

Only massive cities like Athens in Greece and Alexandria in Egypt rivaled its cultural significance.

1 of the city's most famous exports was parchment made from animal skin.

While the Egyptians used papyrus, 550 miles away here in Pergamon, parchment exploded in popularity.

In fact, the word parchment is derived from the name of the city.

It was the writing material often used in many Mediterranean countries during ancient times, and was especially popular owing to the major library here.

Pergamon's library contained 200, 000 volumes and was second only to the library at Alexandria.

Pergamon was at the height of its political and cultural powers in the 2nd century BC.

City leaders planned to build a second Athens here.

The idea was that the Acropolis here would rival the famous Acropolis in the Greek capital.

The theater in Pergamon, reminiscent of the 1 in Ephesus, was 1 of the greatest theaters of the ancient world.

It's known to be the steepest theater to have been preserved since antiquity.

And keep in mind, there were no microphones used in theaters like these.

Whose idea was it to build this theater so steep?

1 of its most famous landmarks is the Altar of Pergamon, a large monument of worship, decorated with depictions of ancient Greek leaders, legends and gods.

While it no longer stands in its native country, it was reconstructed at the famous Pergamon Museum in Berlin, where you can see it today.

This altar was the center of much of the worship that was conducted in the city.

The worship of pagan gods and emperors was a major part of life and culture in this town.

In addition to its magnificent library, Pergamon was home to many other ancient Greek structures.

Prominent temples were dedicated to Zeus, Dionysus, and Demeter.

Another temple in Pergamon was devoted to Asclepius, a Greek god whose symbol was a serpent.

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