The Seven Churches of Revelation Pt. 11 by Chris White

The remains of the marketplace in Laodicea

“ Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.  He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”   ---Rev. 3:20-22

We come now to the last of the Seven Churches of Revelation with Laodicea.  The Christians of Laodicea faced much of the same type of temptations that Christians in America have today.  Laodicea was prosperous, was a shopping mecca, and placed a huge value on sports and entertainment.  It wasn’t enough for Laodicea to have one sports arena or amphitheatre, they had two of each and massive public baths as well.  Jesus pointed to Laodicea’s aqueduct system that didn’t work quite right, and said like their water, they were lukewarm Christians instead of hot or cold.  Like the minerals which corroded the pipes, the Laodicean brothers and sisters had become less effective because they were so distracted with their many opportunities.  Laodicea was also known for it’s great tolerance because it hosted people from every walk of life and nation who came there for the treatment of eye problems.  There was a mineral product they made called Phrygian Powder which was made into a balm for the eyes and sold for a high price.  Needless to say, the Laodiceans had seen everything and were quite comfortable even to the point of indifference.  In Britain today, a person possessing general indifference about philosophical and social issues is often called a “Laodicean” in the matter.  Perhaps the Lord saw his people had grown too comfortable and tolerant of sin and was wanting them to take such things with a greater seriousness than they were exhibiting.  Many years ago Holman Hunt painted a picture based on Jesus’ words to the Laodicean church “behold I stand at the door and knock”.  In the picture Christ stands at a door of a house without a doorknob on the outside (meaning it can only be opened on the inside by the owner) and waits for the occupant to answer his call.  In the city of Laodicea, the Roman emperor Domitia  But like Holman Hunt’s picture, this door could only be answered from the inside.  Jesus was crucified and died for our sins outside the city and there the Lord waits until we truly invite him in and let him rule our hearts.  The problem so many of us have is that we don’t hear the knock on the door because our minds are overly occupied with all the good things around us instead of setting our minds on the things above.  We need to dial those disctractions back that we can better hear and respond to the Lord’s call upon our lives.  The Lord is not to be an outsider or stranger to any of our lives!

n had erected a huge door that opened up to the city.

With you on the journey,

 Chris

The Churches of Revelation Pt. 10 by Chris White

Pillars are all that remain in Philadelphia

 “ Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.  I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.  He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.  He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”              --Rev. 3:10-13

Jesus had no correction for the church in Philadelphia, His word to them was carry on and persevere even in persecution and he would give them a permanent place of dwelling and safety in the kingdom.  What makes this interesting is that those who lived in Philadelphia suffered under the continual pressure of earthquakes for many centuries.  At one point earthquakes happened so often that the residents gave up building homes out of stone and went to stick and mud dwellings because they were so much easier to rebuild.  During the New Testament era, the Philadelphians came up with an idea that worked at least for a while to preserve their city.  They would add pillars to buildings as a means of strengthening the walls after they repaired them.  Although imperfect, much of what stood in Philadelphia did so because of pillars.  As a pillar in the church you would be more than an ornament, you would be an essential part that could be depended upon even when the church was being shaken with persecution.  It is a wonderful accident of history that the only remnants of that church in Turkey are the huge pillars that once held up sanctuary ceiling near the altar.  No matter where you attend church, endeavor to be a pillar for that congregation.  Support its ministries with your time, prayer, finances, and participation.  Stand with your church in its good times and hard times.  This is pleasing to the Lord and brings with it His reward.  Of all the churches of Revelation, Philadelphia lasted the longest and remained the very last of all these cities to be a Christian witness even when Asia Minor was being overrun by the Muslims.  Philadelphia was eventually conquered but only when it was betrayed by fellow Christians in Constantinople who were jealous of their prestige and strength.  Instead of brotherly love, it was the love that Cain had for Abel, the one that betrays and murders.  But that happened 1000 years after the writing of this letter and that is a pretty long record for any church hold.

With you on the journey,

 Chris

The Seven Churches of Revelation Pt. 7 by Chris White

Remains of Pergamum today

‘ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’   --Rev. 2:17

Next on our tour of the Seven Churches of Revelation in Pergamum, the city on a hill.  Pergamum was a center of learning, healing, and great idolatry, but also a place where the gospel was planted and had begun to take root.  Pergamum was virtually an impregnable fortress built on a very steep hill.  It’s walls may have been impervious to invaders, but it was unable to keep the gospel out.  This is why missionaries no longer speak of closed countries but call them ‘creative access countries”.  The Lord is stronger than any of man’s fortresses and his plan is bigger than any of man’s efforts to stop him.  Many things could be said about the gross idolatry that Christians living in this city would have encountered and endured.  There was a gigantic altar to Zeus cut into the hillside that looked like a gigantic throne that could be seen for miles.  Burnt offerings were made on this throne day and night.  There was also a temple to the Egyptian god Serapis there that was known as place where people could be healed of vision problems and blindness.  The irony here is that while Serapis might heal your eyes, the idolatry you practiced in the process causes a deeper spiritual blindness.  The Christians there also had to deal with Trajan’s temple.  The Roman emperor Trajan required all citizens to burn a pinch of incense on the altar of his temple and take a loyalty oath which included the declaration that he was their Lord.  When a citizen did this he was given a certificate called a Libellus stating he has done so.  To not participate in this act would exclude you from participating in the economic life (buying and selling) of Pergamum.  This put great pressure on Christians to compromise or lose their livelihood.  To this the Lord Jesus says, if you resist I will give to you hidden manna.  Manna was God’s food supply to Israel when they lived in the wilderness and couldn’t possibly feed themselves on what was available.  We are being reminded here that God is not limited to economics as a means of meeting our needs and that he can be trusted for help if loyalty to Him means the end of our income.  Notice Jesus also promises he will give them a white stone with a new name written on it.  This too has local and universal significance.  The most striking thing about Pergamum is the huge amount of white rock lying around.  In Pergamum, when a romantic relationship grew serious, lovers would exchange small necklaces made from their white rocks as a token of belonging to one another.  I don’t think it too far a stretch to say that the Lord is telling us our loyalty to Him amidst trials and temptations is a demonstration of our deep love and devotion to Him even as He is devoted to us.  Last of all a “new name” is given to the recipient believer by the Lord.  Names in the ancient world were not given because they were popular or sounded good, they spoke of your person and character.  In a city that claimed their local god could heal blindness, Jesus says to the church, I see you more clearly than you see yourself, and in following Me, you will know who you really are and what you are destined to be.

With you on the journey,

 Chris

The Seven Churches of Revelation Pt. 1 by Chris White

The author with statue of Domitian in Ephesus

Many Christians will go to the Holy Land at least once in their lifetime, but did you know there is another place called “The Second Holy Land”?  The modern nation of Turkey is known to readers of the New Testament as Asia Minor.  The Apostles Peter, Paul, John and Phillip are all known to have lived, ministered, and addressed letters to Christian congregations there.  Beyond the pages of the Bible, Asia Minor was actually the stage of many events in Christian history of great importance including several of the early church councils which gave us the many creeds which unite Christians the world over.  But probably most significant is the fact that Jesus Christ Himself actually dictated through the Apostle John seven letters to seven specific congregations there.  The message of these letters applies to all of us today, but to really appreciate them they need to be understood in their original context which was an exhortation to a specific congregation living at a specific time and place and spiritual environment.  In this series I am more than a researcher, for I have visited these sites personally.  And in so doing am able to offer both historic and eyewitness insights that I hope with be both enlightening and spiritually enriching.  Please follow along with me in this series over the next few weeks as we look one by one at the Seven Churches of Revelation.

Your fellow traveler in the Journey,

 Christopher