Series: The Revelation of Jesus Christ

For many people, the idea of apocalyptic literature is misunderstood.  Our mind have become inundated with zombie apocalypse, dystopian futures, and loyal bands of survivors trying to make it amidst cinematically cataclysmic events.  For biblical literature, however, the idea of apocalyptic literature comes form the idea of unveiling or revealing.  Thus, the imagery of nuclear winter, war, or end of days type scenarios, while they may be part of what will be to come, are not the purpose.  The main point of Revelation is to reveal the nature of God’s Sovereign rule throughout all human history through the empowerment of the church to minister to the world.  

John hears the voice of God calling first, and turns to see who stands behind him.  The voice is described as a loud trumpet, heralding His coming.  There is a strength and power behind its timbre.  Jesus tells John to write down what he is encountering and to spread it to the churches.  This is the God given word to be delivered to all the churches.  Furthermore, Jesus amidst the seven lampstands, holding the seven stars.  He is intimately involves in the details of the live of the church. 

The church is Ephesus was surrounded by a pluralistic society in which many gods were given temples and places for people to worship.  As a major trade center, various different religions found a home in Ephesus with no one god being elevated above the other.  Then there was the issue of the Nicolatians.  The Nicolatians were marked by their flagrant indulgence of the self.  They would engage in adulterous worship and commonly participated in religious services to other gods.  They abandoned their witness and the church is Ephesus stood out as a major opponent of the Nicolatians. Yet, for all of the theological fervor of the church in Ephesus, they had grown increasingly cynical at the world rather than embodying what a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ looks like.  

The Church is Smyrna was no stranger to suffering.  The church was in the midsts of profound religious persecution for those who sought to follow Jesus Christ.  Christians would not following the synagogues who denied the divinity of Jesus Christ and even approved of the martyrdom of some of the earliest church fathers (Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna being the first recorded martyr outside of the bible). Nor would the Christians engage in the type of worship of Caesar that would have been mandatory for Roman worship.  Beyond that, there was the profound misunderstanding of Christian doctrines.  As they talked about the body and blood of Jesus Christ, people assumed they were cannibals.  This is just one of the misunderstandings.

The Church in Pergamum was in a bad neighborhood, but in a spiritual sense.  The area of Pergamum was surprisingly a well off area housing temples to Caesar as the Lord.  Pergamum remained dedicated to the worship of the Roman Empire as the primary incarnation of divinity that mankind would see.  Furthermore, the people of Pergamum lived their life in celebration of the influence of Rome and chasing after their personal wants and desires, following a hedonistic bent.  This presented the church in Pergamum with unique challenges and opportunities to represent Christ in the world but also to withstand the influence of the outside world.  

The Church in Pergamum was in a bad neighborhood, but in a spiritual sense.  The area of Pergamum was surprisingly a well off area housing temples to Caesar as the Lord.  Pergamum remained dedicated to the worship of the Roman Empire as the primary incarnation of divinity that mankind would see.  Furthermore, the people of Pergamum lived their life in celebration of the influence of Rome and chasing after their personal wants and desires, following a hedonistic bent.  This presented the church in Pergamum with unique challenges and opportunities to represent Christ in the world but also to withstand the influence of the outside world.  

As this letter to the church in Sardis starts, we are reminded of the nature of God.  He is all knowing and sovereign overall.  He holds the sevenfold Spirit and reigns from the throne of God.  We see similar things in the church Ephesus whom had lost their love and passion.  Yet, the condition of Sardis is much more grim.  The church remained dead though the world saw them as alive.  There is more to their faith than merely going through the motions but an in-depth relationship with Jesus Christ and the expression of the presence of God in every aspect of their lives.

The church in Philadelphia, by human standards, would not have been successful.  While they were in a large city, this city was loyal to Rome and resistant to any Christian influence. They did not present a great deal of wealth or influence.  They city had been ravages by volcanic activity and earthquakes having to be rebuilt in the image of the Rome. Yet, for everything stacked against this church, it is mentioned by name by Jesus Christ in Revelation.  Furthermore, like the church in Smyrna, Christ brings nothing against the church but rather exhorts them to continue in the faith.

The city of Laodicea was known for a few things that allowed them to be financial self-sufficient. First, the minerals that had built up around the area allowed them to become the center of ophthalmology, producing various eye salves which people came from all around to be treater. Then there was the fine wool they produced fine clothing with in order to produce elegant clothing.  Finally, with their centralized location along major trade routes, Laodicea had riches beyond understanding.  Likewise, the church profited from their surroundings, becoming supposedly self sufficient in the process.  Yet, for all of it’s riches, the water of that particular area was borderline undrinkable, causing people to often vomit.  Thus, with a set of dual aqueducts, water traveled from two cities to be used in the town.  The Hieropolis became known for their hot springs which acted as a medical mineral baths.  Colosse, on the other hand, had a cold water spring that seemed to continually produce cool and refreshing water.  By the time the water reached Laodicea, it too had become lukewarm and disgusting, becoming known for people causing people to vomit.  

The letter to the church in Laodicea ends with Jesus knocking asking to come in.  Yet, for John, the door is wide open for his invitation to the throne room of God.  In chapters 2 and 3, we see the explicit commands for the church on how they should be the church.  Starting in chapter 4, John describes the visions God gives to him.  It seeks to answer not the how but the why. Thus, John is caught up in the Spirit and given an image of the Throne room of God consistent with other biblical depictions of the Throne Room of God in Isaiah and in Daniel. From the specifics of the gems, the nature of the angelic presence, and various other details, John’s vision aligns with previous apocalyptic literature.  This should not lead a person to feel that the work was plagiarized or simply a parroting, but rather speaks to the internal consistency of John’s vision with the rest of scripture.