SQLite format 3@   ltl\5yindexidx_topics_rel_ordertopicsCREATE INDEX idx_topics_rel_order on topics(rel_order)BatableconfigconfigCREATE TABLE config(name text, value text)dtablecontentcontentCREATE TABLE content(topic_id integer primary key, data text, data2 blob) mtabletopicstopicsCREATE TABLE topics(id integer primary key, pid integer default 0, subject text, rel_order, content_type string) GsG*Q04. PROMISES TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES2a03-Condition of the Seven Churches in Asia;02-General Observations+01-Introduction700-Title and Contents>"! 1titleCarroll-Seven.topx)schema.version1user1type3 } {\*\generator Riched20 5.40.11.2210;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\nowidctlpar\qc\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\tx9360\tx10080\cf1\lang1033\f0\fs48 THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF ASIA\par \cf2\b\fs24 BY\par \par \cf3\b0\fs32 B. H. CARROLL\par \par TABLE OF CONTENTS\par \par \pard\nowidctlpar\fi-360\li360\qc\tx360\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\tx9360 1.\tab\cf1\ul\fs24 INTRODUCTION\cf2\ulnone\fs20\par \pard\nowidctlpar\qc\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\tx9360\tx10080\par \cf4\b\fs26 2. \cf1\ul GENERAL OBSERVATIONS\cf2\ulnone\b0\fs20\par \cf4\b\fs26\par 3. \cf1\ul CONDITION OF THE SEVEN CHURCHES IN ASIA\cf2\ulnone\b0\fs20\par \cf4\b\fs26\par 4. \cf1\ul PROMISES TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES\cf2\ulnone\b0\fs20\par \pard\nowidctlpar\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\tx9360\tx10080\cf0\par \pard\nowidctlpar\par } hidden.\par \par The source of the revelation, as you see from the text, is God the Father. The\par medium of the revelation is Jesus Christ. The agent employed in signifying it is an\par interpreting angel. The revelation is made to John the apostle for the people of God.\par Notice that the word "signify" is appropriately used, since the revelation is to be\par made known by signs or symbols. The angel, who signifies it, is the author of the\par great voice as of a trumpet in verse 10. We hear his voice again at the beginning of\par chapter 4, and he reappears on the scene in the last chapters of the book. Verse 2\par tells \i us which John \i0 received this revelation in these words: "Who \i bare \i0 witness of\par the word of God and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all things that he saw."\par It is quite important to know when John \i bare \i0 witness of the word of God. The tense\par is the "aorist" and usually, according to grammatical construction, refers to something\par in the completed past. Following this sense of the aorist we are bound to construe\par verse 2 as identifying the John to whom this revelation was made and the bearing\par witness would refer to the witness that he had already borne in his Gospel. This\par construction would conclusively establish the authorship of the book. It would prove\par that the author of the Gospel is also the author of this book, and that the Gospel was\par written first.\par \par The only escape from this conclusion is to make the witness bearing refer to what\par John now does concerning this revelation which he is receiving. Many great scholars\par insist on making this the meaning, and calling the tense the \i epistolary \i0 aorist. I see no\par necessity for adopting this latter construction. By reference to John's Gospel, and\par indeed to his first letter, we see that he there claims to have borne witness to the\par word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all things that he saw and\par heard.\par \ par In verse 3 we have the words: "\i Blessed is he \i0 that readeth and they that hear the\par words of this prophecy." We know that in later times the churches had readers who\par would read to them any communication received and explain the communication.\par The rest of the church would hear. We have already found that Paul gave directions\par that his letter to one church should be read to another church, and the letter to that\par church be also read to the first church named. So it is unnecessary to go to a later\par date to find the origin of a reader to the churches. The New Testament itself gives\par the origin.\par \par From \cf1\ul Rev_1:4-6\cf2\ulnone we have John's greeting \i to the seven churches of Asia.\par \i0 to whom the entire book is addressed. Not only all of chapters 2-3 are specifically\par devoted to special messages for the churches named, but at the end of the book,\par \cf1\ul Rev_22:16\cf2\ulnone , we have these words referring back to the whole book, "I,\par J esus, have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things for the churches."\par It is important to note in this connection our Lord's use of the word \i ecclesia. \i0 In\par Matthew 16, he says: "I will build my church," using the term to signify the institution.\par In Matthew 18, he says, "tell it to the church," referring to whatever particular\par congregation the decision of the case of discipline belongs. Many times in the book\par of Revelation he uses the word "church," and in every case the reference is to\par particular churches. Our Lord's usage of the word knows nothing of a now existing\par universal church, whether visible or invisible. He does not say to the church of Asia,\par but the seven churches of Asia. There is nothing in His use of the word to indicate\par the existence of church in any provincial, national, worldwide, or denominational\par sense. On the contrary, he seems to guard very carefully against such a use of the\par term. It is true that in chapter 12, withou t using the term "church," he does present\par the idea of the church as an institution under the symbol of the woman arrayed with\par the sun and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars,\par which woman later becomes, in chapter 19, the bride of Christ or the church in\par glory.\par \par We have a remarkable vision which is the key passage to the interpretation of the\par whole book of Revelation in verses 12-16. The elements of the vision are, first,\par seven golden candlesticks, and in the midst of the candlesticks a vision of Christ as\par the Sun of Righteousness. He holds in His right hand seven stars and out of His\par mouth proceeds a sharp two-edged sword. This vision He explains himself: The\par candlesticks represent the churches; the stars represent the messengers or pastors of\par the churches; the two-edged sword represents His word, or the gospel. The whole\par vision is one of light. The central light \f1\'be \f0 Christ, the Sun of Righteousness; t he lower\par lights \f1\'be \f0 the churches and the preachers; the instrumentality of dispensing the light \f1\'be\par \f0 the Word of God.\par \par In the next chapter we see. that while Christ is in the midst of the churches, He is not\par there in person, but through the other Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, who is His "alter\par ego," His vicar here upon earth. John in his Gospel had previously represented\par Christ as the light of the world, but since He ascended into heaven this light is\par reflected in the churches and preachers through the Spirit and by the Word. The\par object of the vision is to show that the whole world will be illumined by the churches\par and the preachers in the dispensation of the gospel, which dispensation is the\par dispensation of the Holy Spirit, for when Christ speaks to the churches He says: "If\par any man hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit sayeth to the churches."\par The doctrine of this vision is of incalculable importance. It teaches that the Spirit\par dispensation, or Word dispensation through the churches and the preachers, is to\par accomplish the whole work of the application of the salvation achieved by our\par Lord's vicarious death. We will find in every subsequent revelation this ruling\par thought; the world to be illumined by these light-bearers. There is no hint of any other\par source or medium or instrumentality of light. There is no hint that the churches will fail\par on the earth and that some other divine interposition must take place to finish the\par mystery of the kingdom of God. This is in accord with the Great Commission in\par \cf1\ul Mat_28:19-20\cf2\ulnone\par \par \cf3 "Go ye into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in\par the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them\par to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo! I will be\par with you all the days, even unto the end of the world."\cf0\fs20\par \pard\nowidctlpar\par } e of Asia -\par the southwestern part of Asia Minor. And on that map you must locate the seven\par churches. Commence at the southwestern coast of Asia Minor \f1\'be \f0 there you will find\par the first church, Ephesus, a seaport, or used to be, situated on a little river that flows\par into the Aegean Sea. Follow the coast line north until you come to Smyrna, another\par seaport. Still going north you come to Pergamum, or Pergamos (either is correct).\par That is not a seaport, but is close to the sea. The first three churches, then, are found\par by following up the coast going north. The other four churches are inland, and you\par will find them by commencing a little north of where Pergamos is located, and by\par following a line south you come to the other churches in the order named: Thyatira,\par Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea. Now, look a little off that coast from the\par southwestern part of Asia Minor, and you will find a little island, barely discernible\par on the map, called Patmos. That is where John was. So, my first observation is that\par the reader should locate on a map the province of Asia, the seven churches (noting\par which are seaports and which are inland) and Patmos.\par \par My next observation is based upon what we considered in the last chapter, that is,\par the key passage of the book (\cf1\ul Rev_1:12-16\cf2\ulnone ), representing Christ as the\par original light, the Sun of Righteousness, shining as the sun in its full strength, reflecting\par His light upon the churches, and through them here on earth His reflected light is to\par illuminate the world. The description of this glorified Christ shows Him in the garb of\par a high priest, and invested with kingly rule \f1\'be \f0 a royal priest. If that be the key\par passage, then the whole of this book up to \cf1\ul Rev_20:11\cf2\ulnone , where you strike the\par climax of the book - the whole of the book up to that point is what is called the\par Spirit's dispensation, or the dispensation of the churches, or the dispensation of the\par gospel preached. Everything up to \cf1\ul Rev_20:11\cf2\ulnone , where Christ comes to raise\par the dead and judge the world.\par \par Now take that key passage of Christ as the light of the world, and trace its\par connection through this section we are studying, chapters 2-3. In order that you may\par trace it, open your Bible and read the following verses \f1\'be \f0 the beginning of each letter\par to a church \f1\'be \cf1\ul\f0 Rev_2:1\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_2:8\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_2:12\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_2:18\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_3:1\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_3:7\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_3:14\cf2\ulnone . As you read these verses\par introducing what is said to each church, you will see that the titles or appellatives\par applying to Christ, through whom this light comes, are all citations or allusions to the\par first revelation. So all of this section shows that this key passage unlocks everything\par said to the churches. In the same way we may trace the key passages through the\par whole of the book unlocking the meaning of every vision. The connection, therefore,\par between this section and the first revelation is evident in these verses.\par \par To impress that on you perhaps you had better read these verses. Begin at chapter 2\par and read only the beginning of each letter to the churches: "To the angel of the\par church at Ephesus write, These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right\par hand, that walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks." Now that is a\par quotation from chapter 1, where the key passage is given; Christ is seen walking in\par the midst of the candlesticks; Christ is holding the seven stars in His right hand.\par \par \cf3 Verse 8: "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, These things saith\par the first and the last, who was dead and liveth again."\par \par \cf2 By reading the first chapter you will find these allusions to Christ: "The first and the\par last, who was dead but liveth again to die no more."\par \par \cf3 Verse 12: "To the angel of the church at Pergamos write, These things saith\par he that hath the sharp two-edged sword."\par \par \cf2 In that first revelation a two-edged sword is represented as issuing from His mouth,\par standing for His word of judgment.\par \par \cf3 Verse 18: "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write, These things saith the\par Son of God, who hath eyes like a flame of fire and feet like unto burnished\par brass."\par \par \cf2 That is the description of His eyes and feet as seen in the first revelation.\par \par \cf3 Now \cf1\ul Rev_3:1\cf2\ulnone \cf3 : "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write,\par These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars."\par \par \cf2 Evidently that is an allusion to the first revelation.\par \par \cf3 Verse 7: "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things\par saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that\par openeth and none can shut, and he that shutteth and none can open."\par \par \cf2 These things are alluded to in the first revelation.\par \par \cf3 Verse 14: "And to the angel of the church of Laodicea write, These things\par saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of\par God."\par \par \cf2 My third general observation is based upon Christ's own uses of the word "church"\par as found in Matthew and Revelation. There are twenty-three instances of Christ's\par using the Greek word \i ecclesia \f2\'be \i0\f0 church. In \cf1\ul Mat_16:18\cf2\ulnone , He says, "I will\par build my church." In \cf1\ul Mat_18:17\cf2\ulnone , He says, "Tell it to the church." The\par references in Revelation where he uses the term church or churches are the following:\par \cf1\ul Rev_1:4\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_1:11\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_1:20\cf2\ulnone , and again \cf1\ul Rev_2:1\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_2:7-8\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_2:11-12\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_2:17-18\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_2:23\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_2:29\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_3:1\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_3:6-7\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_3:13-14\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_3:22\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Rev_22:16\cf2\ulnone .\par \par Now here are twenty-three examples of the use of the word \i ecclesia - \i0 church - as\par spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself; and it is evident from a study of these\par twenty-three instances of the use of the word, that Christ never said anything about\par an invisible or universal church. His teaching is to the contrary; He does not say the\par church in Asia, but "the churches in Asia." He does not use the word church in any\par provincial sense, or state sense, or national sense, or denominational sense. This is a\par very convincing exhibit of the uses of the word, as coming from the lips of our Lord,\par rebuking the contention of many people of the present day who talk about a\par universal church here on earth, whether visible or invisible \f1\'be \f0 the New Testament\par does not know anything about either one. It is true that in \cf1\ul Rev_12:1\cf2\ulnone under\par the symbol of a woman, also in \cf1\ul Rev_17:3\cf2\ulnone , under the symbol of another\par woman, He presents first the church as an institution and then the apostate church as\par an institution, and it is equally true that in \cf1\ul Rev_9:7-8\cf2\ulnone He presents the church\par in glory, under the symbol of a bride, and in \cf1\ul Rev_21:9\cf2\ulnone , under the symbol of\par the heavenly Jerusalem, a city. So that we may say that Christ used the word to\par describe the time church as an institution, and to name the concrete example of this\par institution particular churches, and to foreshadow the coming glory church \f1\'be\par \f0 something which does not yet exist.\par \par My fifth general observation is the significance of Christ walking amid the\par candlesticks, knowing, revealing, rebuking, threatening, promising. The body of each\par letter will show their condition: "I know thy works," or "where thou dwellest" - and\par the rest of the terms to the churches telling the condition of each church. He tells the\par things favorable, and the things unfavorable, He rebukes, exhorts to amendment, and\par closes each with a precious promise. This unseen presence, this exercise of actual\par omniscience, this authority to rebuke or remove, this diversity and wealth of promise,\par tend to produce extraordinary results: it encourages the faithful that He knows and\par will reward; it stimulates the backslidden to revival and amendment; it alarms the\par unworthy and terrifies with certain and speedy judgment.\par \par My next general observation is that this presence of Christ in the churches is not \i a\par personal \i0 presence \f1\'be \f0 He is up in heaven, but He is present through the Spirit, His\par \i alter ego, \i0 the one that came down according to His promise to be His vicar, His\par vicegerent here on earth. Now, as proof that this is the meaning, read \cf1\ul Rev_2:7\cf2\ulnone : "Hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches"; verse 11: "Hear what the Spirit\par saith unto the churches"; verse 17: "Hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches";\par verse 29: "Hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches"; \cf1\ul Rev_3:6\cf2\ulnone : "Hear\par what the Spirit saith unto the churches"; verse 13: "Hear what the Spirit saith unto\par the churches"; verse 22: "Hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." So that every\par time He says anything to any of these churches, He closed by calling it "what the\par Spirit saith unto the churches."\par \par That teaches that Christ is present with His people here on earth, not in a personal\par sense, but through the Holy Spirit, whom He sent after He ascended into heaven. So\par in the Great Commission, "I am with you all the days, even unto the end of the\par world." He is not with us in person: we cannot see Him, touch Him, feel Him, but He\par is present in the Spirit. That also shows that this whole book comes in the Spirit\par dispensation, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit all through the book, up to\par \cf1\ul Rev_20:11\cf2\ulnone . Christ stays up in heaven until the time of restoration of all\par things. While He stays up there the Spirit represents Him down here. When He\par comes (\cf1\ul Rev_20:11\cf2\ulnone ), the Spirit dispensation is ended, the gospel\par dispensation is ended, the gospel preaching is ended.\par \par My seventh general observation is that the condition of no two of these churches is\par exactly the same. Look and see that the deficiency of one is not the deficiency of\par another. Ephesus is sound in doctrine, but deficient in love. Smyrna was poor but\par rich. Laodicea rich but poor. Pergamos was faithful in persecution, but wanting in\par discipline. In Ephesus the first works were greater than the last, while Thyatira the\par last works were greater than the first, and in Sardis none of its works, first or last,\par was perfect in God's sight. Smyrna was attaining to a crown of life, while Thyatira,\par having a name to live, was dead. Philadelphia glowed with fervor while Laodicea\par was lukewarm. I ask you to note this diversity of condition in the seven churches,\par that you may apply it to any seven churches in Texas. The same examination of the\par First Church in Fort Worth, in Dallas, Austin, Houston, San Antonio, Waxahachie,\par Galveston, or of the seven leading churches in any one city, would reveal similar\par diversity of conditions in God's sight. This application goes to confirm what is\par evident, namely, that these are real letters to seven contemporaneous churches.\par My eighth observation, that Christ's titles, and Christ's threats, and Christ's\par promises are adapted to meet the specific condition of each church as it comes up:\par He does not use the same threats, He does not use the same titles; He does not offer\par the same promises, but in every case there is an adaptation to the need, showing the\par infinite diversity in Christ so as to suit the diverse needs.\par \par My ninth observation is that you may gather up into one sentence the promises made\par to the faithful ones in all of the churches - make one sentence of it. A special\par succeeding chapter will expound these promises to you. Let us make up that\par sentence now (\cf1\ul Rev_2:7\cf2\ulnone ): "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the\par tree of life"; verse 11 (latter part): "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the\par second death"; verse 17: "To him that overcometh will I give of the hidden manna,\par and I will give him a white stone, and upon that stone a new name written which no\par one knoweth but he that receiveth it"; verse 26: "To him that overcometh and he that\par keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations, and he\par shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of the potter are broken to shivers;\par as I also received of my Father, and I will give him the morning star"; \cf1\ul Rev_3:5\cf2\ulnone : "He that overcometh shall be arrayed in white garments, and I will in no wise\par blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father\par and before his angels"; verse 12: "He that overcometh I will make a pillar in the\par temple of my God and he shall go out thence no more; and I will write upon him the\par name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is the new Jerusalem\par which cometh down out of the heaven from my God, and I will write upon him my\par new name"; verse 21: "To him that overcometh I will give to sit down with me in my\par throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father in his throne."\par Only by grouping all of these promises into one great sentence do we understand the\par riches of the heavenly reward to the faithful.\par \par My next observation is that a calm survey of the imperfect conditions of the churches\par and pastors makes it seem impossible that such instrumentality can bring about the\par glorious results set forth in \cf1\ul Rev_11:15\cf2\ulnone - "The kingdom of the world is\par become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ." There are, however, two\par elements of hope in the picture: Christ is walking in the midst of the churches, leading\par to repentance, and the Spirit is directing and enabling. I know the first time I very\par carefully studied the condition of the seven churches in Asia, and then applied the\par revelation to any seven churches around me, with their seven pastors, I found no\par perfect pastor and no perfect church. Every church had some fault or faults and\par every pastor had some weakness or faults. So I said in my heart: "How are\par preachers like these and churches like these to capture the world?" and I never got\par over that discouragement until I read chapters 4-5, when the heaven scene of the\par "things that are" revealed the throne of grace with agencies and activities helping the\par churches and preachers on earth.\par \par My next observation is: That the doctrine of this book of Revelation necessitates the\par perpetuity of the churches. The doctrine is just this: Christ will appoint no other\par instrumentality for the evangelization of the world; the world is to be lighted through\par these churches, and that when a candlestick is removed, another church is raised up,\par and that in every age of the world there will be some churches faithful to the Lord.\par That is the teaching of this book, and particularly do you find it when you come to\par that view of the church presented as an institution under the symbol of a woman, and\par the apostate church presented under the symbol of a woman. You will see the\par woman that represents the true church driven into the wilderness, where she is in\par hiding for a long time; just like Israel led out of Egypt wandered in the wilderness for\par thirty-eight years, and as historians would have a hard time tracing every day's steps\par of Israel in the wilderness, so a church historian now has a hard time in putting the\par surveyor's chain on the trace of the true churches in this wilderness period. There is\par no difficulty in tracing the New Testament history. Nor is there any difficulty from the\par Reformation period to the present. It is easy to prove that there are now churches\par similar in faith, doctrine, ordinances, officers, and purposes to the New Testament\par churches.\par \par My next general observation is, that a candlestick be removed \f1\'be \f0 that is, a particular\par church organization be dissolved \f1\'be \f0 has no bearing on the preservation of the true\par Christians who are members of that church. Sardis, as a church organizer, was\par declared to be "dead," but "thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their\par garments: and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy." The church was\par blotted out, but "I will in no wise blo t out their names from the book of life."\par My last general observation is this: Since Christ has appointed these churches for the\par evangelization and illumination of the world, what is the law on the preacher or the\par member that destroys one of these churches? Paul answers that question for us. He\par says to the church at Corinth: "Ye are God's building, ye are the temple of God, and\par him that destroys the temple of God will I destroy." And I tell you that is a very\par solemn thought for a preacher who so ministers that he destroys a church, or for any\par deacon, or deacons, who so act as to blot out a church of our Lord. The candlestick\par is indeed removed, but woe to him that causeth its removal. You would do a\par thousand times less harm to reach up and blot out the most brilliant planet in the sky\par than to blot out the feeblest little church here on earth which is trying to do good.\par Every pastor ought to bring this question up in his own heart: Is my ministry of this\par church building it or pulling it down; is it strengthening or destroying? What a solemn\par responsibility upon anybody who takes charge of a church. You may track some\par preachers by a trail of decayed, divided, or dissolved churches. You may track\par some other preachers by a trail of growing, illuminating churches - every one they\par labor with prospers.\par \par I put my hand on a man's shoulders, once, when he asked me to congratulate him on\par being called to a certain church. I said to him: "I will give you just six months to split\par it into shivers." He said, "What do you mean?" I said: "Is not that the result\par wherever, so far, you have preached? Go back over your ministry and name a\par church that you really built up." To my astonishment that man still thinks a great deal\par of me, and the last talk I had with him he promised that if he was ever a pastor again\par he would prove by his pastorate that he did not split things.\cf0\fs20\par \pard\nowidctlpar\par } 5yu{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deftab1134{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\froman\fprq2\fcharset2 Symbol;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green128\blue0;\red0\green0\blue0;\red0\green0\blue128;} {\*\generator Riched20 5.40.11.2210;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\nowidctlpar\fi-360\li360\tx360\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\tx9360\cf1\lang1033\f0\fs32 1.\tab INTRODUCTION\par \pard\nowidctlpar\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\tx9360\tx10080\par \cf2\fs24 The first word in this book, as in the Old Testament books, gives its name: Greek,\par \i Apocalupsis; \i0 Latin, \i Revelatio; Eng\i0 lish, \i Revelation. \i0 They all mean literally an\par upveiling of that which is @{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deftab1134{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green0\blue255;\red0\green0\blue0;\red0\green128\blue0;\red128\green0\blue0; (( {\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deftab1134{\fonttbl{\f0\froman\fprq2\fcharset0 Times New Roman;}{\f1\froman\fprq2\fcharset2 Symbol;}{\f2\fswiss\fprq2\fcharset0 Arial;}} {\colortbl ;\red0\green128\blue0;\red0\green0\blue0;\red0\green0\blue128;} {\*\generator Riched20 5.40.11.2210;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\nowidctlpar\tx720\tx1440\tx2160\tx2880\tx3600\tx4320\tx5040\tx5760\tx6480\tx7200\tx7920\tx8640\tx9360\tx10080\cf1\lang1033\f0\fs32 2. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS\par \cf2\fs24\par This chapter on the analysis is the second revelation, chapters 2-3, an earth scene of\par "the things that are." It consists of the letters to the seven churches, and is a\par revelation of their condition in God's sight. Now, upon these seven letters I wish to\par make some general observations.\par \par My first is that you should find a map \f1\'be \f0 generally the last map in your Bible \f1\'be \f0 of\par the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. That will show you the provinc$CHURCHES IN ASIA\par \cf2\fs24\par I will begin this chapter with some additional general observations.\par My first observation is that in each city of these seven churches there are three\par competing religions \f1\'be \f0 heathen, Jewish, Christian. In every part we see evidence of\par the conflict.\par \par My second general observation refers to the meaning of the term "angel" \f1\'be \f0 each\par letter commences: "to the angel." Some people have wrongly supposed that each\par church has a guardian angel. They fail to tell us how these guardian angels\par communicated these messages to the churches. There are quite a number of Greek\par words like "apostle," "deacon," "angel," that have both an etymological meaning and\par an official meaning. Officially, the term "angel" refers to these messengers from God\par \f1\'be \f0 from the upper world \f1\'be \f0 but the word means messengers or representatives, and\par in this book \f1\'be \f0 particularly in the cases of the angel in the ch%urches \f1\'be \f0 it means\par pastor who is the representative of the church. If I were to write a letter to the\par church at Austin, I would direct it to the pastor of the church, and through him as the\par representative it would be communicated to the church.\par \par My third general observation relates to the doctrine of Balaam, to which reference is\par made in the letters to two or three of the churches. You will remember the analogue\par in the Old Testament where Balaam was called upon to prophesy against Israel, by\par Balak, the king of the Moabites, and God would not let him. prophesy any evil, but\par he coveted the big pay that Balak offered him, and later suggested how Israel could\par be destroyed - by bringing about the alienation from God, telling Balak to introduce\par to the Israelites the most beautiful of the Moabitish women, and let them seduce the\par Israelites to partake of the festivals of the heathen religion as well as of the Jewish\par religion, and this open &communion with the heathen religion resulted in the worst form\par of immorality and idolatry that brought about the alienation between Israel and\par Jehovah. Now there were two men and women living in these churches, or in these\par cities, who taught that doctrine. They preached open communion between the\par Christian religion and the heathen religion: "You come to my festival and I will go to\par your festival: I will partake of your Lord's Supper with you if you will partake of the\par heathen feast with me." Paul had already said: "You cannot partake of the cup of the\par Lord and the cup of the devils; you cannot cat at the table of the Lord and at the\par table of devils." That was the teaching of Balaam as found in these churches - and\par very hurtful to several of them, as you will see in the exposition.\par \par My next general observation relates to the meaning of Nicolaitans, at least twice\par referred to in our letters to the churches. Some people suppose that Nicholas, who\pa'r was ordained one of the seven deacons in the Jerusalem church, mentioned in Acts\par 6, afterward founded the doctrine here referred to, and hence those who adopted\par the doctrine were called "Nicolaitans." There is no particle of evidence to connect\par Nicholas in Acts 6 with these Nicolaitans. There was a Nicholas, doubtless, who did\par teach the doctrine that is here mentioned, but what you want to know is not who\par started the doctrine, but what was the doctrine. It was a form of Antinomianism: If\par election be true, and you are saved by Christ and not by works, then it does not\par make any difference what sin you commit; you are all right. I have seen in Texas a\par preacher who was a Nicolaitan, who boldly taught in private that immorality\par committed by a Christian cannot possibly result in any harm to him, and based his\par seduction to evil upon that theory. But it is the doctrine of the devil, no matter if it be\par a preacher who holds it, or somebody else.\par \par M(y next general observation is to show Paul's connection with these seven churches\par of Asia. All of them were established either directly or indirectly by Paul. You will\par find the history in Acts 19, where he held his great meeting at Ephesus, in which all of\par the province of Asia heard the word of God. The next part of the history is in Acts\par 20, where Paul delivers his memorable address to the elders of the church at\par Ephesus. Then, during his first Roman imprisonment, he wrote to churches in this\par section concerning the Gnostic philosophy. These letters are to the Colossians and\par the Ephesians. Then to Philemon, who lived in this section, he wrote concerning\par Christianity's attitude toward slavery. Then, still in the first Roman imprisonment, he\par wrote to its Christian Jews \f1\'be \f0 the letter to the Hebrews. After he escaped from that\par Roman imprisonment, he wrote the first letter to Timothy, who had charge under\par Paul's direction of the church at Ephesus,) and when the second time he was\par imprisoned at Rome and had been condemned to death he wrote the second letter to\par Timothy, still at Ephesus. So that up to A. D. 68, when Paul was martyred, all these\par churches were under his apostolic jurisdiction.\par \par My next general observation is to show John's connection with these seven\par churches. You may see from uniform tradition that John moved to Ephesus as a last\par surviving apostle and had charge of all these churches at least by A. D. 80. While\par living at Ephesus he wrote his three letters, which we have considered. One of the\par fathers, Clement of Alexandria, expressly says that after the death of Domitian, John\par escaped from exile in Patmos, and returned to the city of Ephesus.\par Now we are ready to take up the churches in the order of their condition:\par First, Ephesus: this city was the metropolis of proconsular Asia, one of the greatest\par cities of ancient times, having in it one of the seven wonders of the wo*rld - the temple\par of Diana, whose religion, however, was not so much a Greek religion as Oriental,\par since the Diana of the Ephesians was represented by a wooden idol, a monstrous\par image that set forth the fruitfulness of nature \f1\'be \f0 a very different Diana from the Diana\par of the Greeks.\par \par "To the angel of the church at Ephesus." Who was he? Some claim that Timothy was\par the pastor at the time that John wrote this letter. There is no evidence of it, and it is\par very highly improbable from the fact that Timothy was not a pastor at all, but an\par evangelist, an apostolic delegate, and even in the second letter to him Paul is calling\par him from Ephesus to come to Rome. It is not at all probable that Timothy remained\par at Ephesus as pastor from A.D. 68 to 96, when this book was written. So we will\par say we do not know who this pastor was at Ephesus.\par \par What things were commended in this letter to the church at Ephesus? If I was\par teaching the book of R+evelation to a class in Greek, I would have much to say of the\par shades of meaning in the words employed. But confining myself to the English, I will\par say that the things commended are: "Thy works, thy toil of service, thy adherence to\par sound doctrine and the motive that prompted the work." All was done for Christ's\par sake. Another thing commended was the attitude of this church to false prophets.\par "Thou hast tried them that say they are apostles and are not" \f1\'be \f0 and just here we\par find an overwhelming argument in favor of the late date of the book of Revelation. If\par you turn to \cf1\ul 1Jn_4:1\cf2\ulnone , which he wrote from Ephesus, between A.D. 82 and 85,\par he gives his commandment to try the spirits, whether they be of God. Now, later, he\par says that Ephesus had obeyed that injunction: "Ye have tried them that say they are\par prophets, or apostles, and are not, and condemned them." We will find one of the\par seven churches that did not try them \f1\'be \f0 I, will tell you which one when we come to it.\par The attitude of that church to the Nicolaitan doctrine we have just discussed is also\par commended: "Thou hatest the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which also I hate." So\par these are the things commended in that church.\par \par The thing reprobated was just one thing: "Thou hast left thy first love." That means:\par "You do not now possess that fervor of love which filled your hearts when you\par professed to be Christians, when you were first converted." Whoever has abated in\par the love that he had in his heart when God converted him, that one needs a revival.\par That is a condition of the Ephesus church. Sound in doctrine, sound in discipline, but\par they had not the love which characterized their conversion.\par \par How would that affect you, brothers and sisters? It hits me sometimes \f1\'be \f0 not all the\par time. I can never forget the love in my heart for God and man when God converted\par me. At times it has abated, but charac-teristically it remains with me, and many a time\par has even gone beyond what it was when I was first converted.\par \par Let us look then, at the exhortation to this church: "Repent and do thy first works"\par \f1\'be \f0 that is to say, in the spirit of the love as you did at first. The threat: "If you do not,\par I will come and remove thy candlestick." We do know that the Ephesus candlestick\par was removed.\par \par The church at Smyrna: Smyrna for more than two thousand years had been a city \f1\'be\par \f0 it is a city now, as it has now a population of about 200,000, and three-fourths of the\par population today are nominally Christians: whether Greek Catholics, Roman\par Catholics, or Protestants. It is the seat of great commerce, situated as it is with such\par a splendid harbor on the Aegean Sea.\par \par "And to the angel of the church at Smyrna" \f1\'be \f0 who was that angel? I can tell you this\par time. In A.D. 168 a pastor of that church, Polycarp, was martyred under the r.ule of\par Marcus. Aurelius, the Roman emperor. As he was about to be executed he said to\par the proconsul who governed the province: "I have been a Christian eighty-six years."\par Subtract 86 from 168, and you find that he was converted in A. D. 82. Now we\par know that he was a pastor in A.D. 108, for Ignatius in his writings says he visited\par Polycarp, the pastor at Smyrna, that year. Tertullian, Ireneus, Eusebius, all say that\par Polycarp was made pastor at Smyrna under the administration of the apostle John,\par and if he was converted in A.D. 82 he would have been a Christian fourteen years\par when this letter was written. That is time enough for him to become pastor of the\par church. He was one of John's own converts. John went to Asia about A. D. 80, and\par in A. D. 82 Polycarp was converted, and when he became a preacher he was\par installed as pastor of the church at Smyrna.\par \par Now, what things are commended here? "I know thy tribulations and thy poverty,\par but thou/ art rich" \f1\'be \f0 while in this world's goods the members of the church were\par poor, in spiritual things they were rich. We will find, when we come to Laodicea, the\par exact reverse: they were rich in this world's goods, but in the sight of God they were\par miserable, poor, blind, and naked.\par \par We notice in this letter to the church at Smyrna the attitude of the Jewish religion to\par Christianity \f1\'be \f0 "the synagogue of Satan" \f1\'be \f0 those who say they are Jews and are\par not. That is, they claim to be Jews on account of fleshly descent from Abraham, but\par they are not the spiritual descendants of Abraham. So that the Jewish church existed\par there as the bitterest enemy of the Christian church. They are the people who\par accused Polycarp in A.D. 168, they brought the wood to burn him at the stake, and\par helped to pile the fagots on the fire as he was burning. You will notice that it makes\par no difference as to the mere form of organization, whether Christia0n or Jewish, it is\par the devil who is the real author of the evil, and hence it says here that "Satan shall\par cast many of you into prison." Satan can work just as well, or maybe a little better,\par through one who claims to be religious and is not, than through an outsider.\par There is no censure on the church at Smyrna. There is an exhortation to be faithful\par unto death. "They will put you to death, but I will give you the crown of life." As it is\par expressed in Christ's address to the apostles: "Fear not them who kill the body but\par are not able to kill the soul; rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and\par body in hell," and though they kill you in the body, which is the first death, I assure\par you, you will not be hurt by the second death.\par \par Pergamos: This is a city, at the present time, of about 30,000 inhabitants. One-tenth\par of them are professing Christians, either Greek Catholics, Roman Catholics, or\par Protestants of some kind. The heathen relig1ion in this city was the dominant force of\par evil, the patron deity was the demigod Esculapius - that is, the physician god - but\par there were also temples in the city to Jupiter, Minerva, Apollo, Venus, and Bacchus.\par Hence "I know where thou dwellest, where Satan's throne is" \f1\'be \f0 that is to say, the\par heathen religion in the city of Pergamos was the religion of state, and enforced tests\par of allegiance on pain of death.\par \par What is commended here? That they hold fast, notwithstanding the persecuting test,\par and do not deny Jesus Christ. Particularly was that so in the case of their illustrious\par pastor, Antipas, who is mentioned here. When the heathen authority demanded of\par him that he turn loose Christianity and avow the heathen religion, he held fast and did\par not deny, and suffered death.\par \par What is reprobated in this church? That it did not exercise gospel discipline; they\par retained in their members Balaamites and Nicolaitans. I doubt not that i2t was fear\par that prompted many of them, after the pastor was put to death, to say this: "I will\par submit to the government test, at least have open communion with the heathen; I will\par partake of their feasts and the things sacrificed to the idols." Some of them were\par following the doctrine of Nicholas, saying: "If you are a Christian it doesn't make any\par difference what you do." The exhortation calls on them to repent, or else judgment\par from the sword that issues from the mouth of Jesus Christ shall come upon them.\par The next church is Thyatira. This inland church is commended for the following\par things: love, faith, service, patience, and unlike the church at Ephesus, its last works\par were better than its first. In Ephesus the first works \i were \i0 the best, and the last works\par not up to the mark on account of having lost their love.\par \par What things are reprobated? They had not exercised discipline: "Thou hast that\par woman Jezebel, who claims to be a prophe3t." That demand in \cf1\ul 1Jn_4:1\cf2\ulnone to try\par them that say they are prophets and apostles was disregarded. In this case great\par trouble came to the church from a woman. When a woman is good she is better than\par a man, but when she is bad she is worse than a man. The woman has much to do\par with Christianity; she is for or against it, and the man who does not recognize the\par might of woman's influence is blind. That is why I rejoice to co-operate in every\par good work which the women undertake. I wish to assure you that Lydia, who is\par mentioned in Acts 16, as being a woman of Thyatira, is not the Jezebel who is\par mentioned here; it is a slander on Lydia. It is every way improbable that Lydia of\par A.D. 52 is the Jezebel of A.D. 96. I am more inclined to think she was the wife of\par the pastor. I do not know who the pastor was. You pastors, your wives will be\par mighty where you work \f1\'be \f0 mighty for good or mighty for evil. Anyhow, this Jezebel\par claimed to 4be a prophetess, and that this prophetic spirit told her that open\par communion with heathenism had no harm in it. Now comes the great text for the\par preacher: "I gave her space to repent, and she repented not." As a young preacher,\par in every revival meeting I preached on "the space to repent," emphasizing the fact\par that beyond that allotted time there was no hope of salvation. This woman crossed\par the boundary line, she sinned against the Holy Spirit and her sin, therefore, had never\par forgiveness, either in this world or in the next. There is such a boundary line and then\par no more space for repentance.\par \par There is reference in this letter to "the depths of Satan." It is a little difficult to\par translate the Greek so as to convey the right idea. It is quite probable that this is the\par thought: The Gnostic philosophers claimed that they had a new knowledge, later and\par better than any revelation, as if to say: "You know what Paul says, and you know\par what John sa5id, but we have the depths of a later and better knowledge." Our Lord\par admits the depths, but declares them "the depths of Satan."\par \par Sardis: This city is the capital of Croesus, said to be the richest man in the world in\par his day. You read how Cyrus captured him and destroyed his empire. Sardis, his\par capital, was always a city of great wealth. There is no commendation in this letter,\par except toward the last he says: "There are a few in Sardis" \f1\'be \f0 not many \f1\'be \f0 "who\par have not defiled their garments," but the church was absorbed in the acquisition of\par wealth and swallowed up in worldly mindedness. It is distinctly stated: "None of thy\par works are perfect." We have found heretofore something exceptionally good to\par commend \f1\'be \f0 especially in the case of Smyrna. But the church at Sardis had no\par excellence in any direction, whether in growth, fellowship, or mission work: "None of\par thy works is perfect," hence the exhortation to repent is acc6ompanied by this sharp\par threat: "Repent, or I will come like a thief in the night and visit you with my\par judgment." This is a coming of the Lord, but not His final advent. It is like that\par coming in His other great prophecy, concerning the evil servant who said in his heart,\par "My lord tarrieth," and began to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with\par drunken, to whom in an unsuspected hour the lord came, cut him asunder and\par appointed a portion with hypocrites (\cf1\ul Mat_24:48-51\cf2\ulnone ); or like the rich fool\par who heard the summons: "This night shall thy soul be required of thee."\par \par The sixth church is Philadelphia. This was the smallest and weakest, and apparently\par the most insignificant of the churches. Philadelphia was only a village situated on the\par top of a volcanic range of mountains; earthquakes destroyed the place two or three\par times. An open door is set before it. The persecuting Jews were to fall down before\par it and know that 7the Lord loved it. There is a sweeping promise: "I will keep thee\par from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole world to try them."\par It is difficult, in the light of subsequent history, to define precisely this "hour of trial."\par It may refer in part to the great apostasy which developed into the Roman hierarchy\par discussed in this book (chapter 17). Or in part to the rise of Mohammedanism, A.\par D. 600, and which by A. D. 1392 had conquered all the territory in which these\par churches were located. At any rate, Dr. Justin A. Smith, at this point, quotes from\par the infidel historian, Edward Gibbon, \i Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire,\par \i0 referring to this Turkish conquest: "in the loss of Ephesus the Christians deplored the\par fall of the first angel, the extinction of the first candlestick of the Revelation; the\par desolation is complete, and the Temple of Diana or the church of Mary will equally\par elude the search of the curious traveler. The ci8rcus and three stately theaters of\par Laodicea are now peopled with wolves and foxes; Sardis is reduced to a miserable\par village; the god of Mahomet, without a rival or a son, is invoked in the Mosques of\par Thyatira and Pergamos, and the populousness of Smyrna is supported by the foreign\par trade of the Franks and Armenians. Philadelphia alone has been saved by prophecy\par or by courage. At a distance from the sea, forgotten by the emperors, encompassed\par on all sides by the Turks, her valiant citizens defended their religion and freedom\par above fourscore years, and at length capitulated with the proudest of the Ottomans.\par Among the Greek colonies and churches of Asia, Philadelphia is still erect \f1\'be \f0 a\par column in the scene of ruins \f1\'be \f0 a pleasing example that the paths of honor and safety\par may sometimes be the same." So this church survived at least thirteen hundred years,\par long after the other six had passed away. Indeed, the "pillar" to which Gibbon refe9rs\par still stands, as if to accentuate the promise in verse 12, "I will make him a pillar in the\par temple of my God" \f1\'be \f0 what a glorious thing for that weak church. Paul once wrote\par about Ephesus: "I will tarry at Ephesus until the Pentecost, for a great door is opened\par unto me, and there are many adversaries," but the Ephesus door had been shut a\par long time with the Philadelphia door still open. There on the mountaintop the faithful\par pastor and the faithful little village church were leading the people to Christ. The\par "open door" connects suitably with the words of our Lord in the first revelation: "I\par have the keys of death and Hades," and with the beginning of this letter: "I have the\par key of David."\par \par We may also compare \cf1\ul Mat_16:19\cf2\ulnone , "I will give unto you the keys of the\par kingdom of heaven." But the "keys" of the three passages are not the same; the ideas\par are different:\par \par \cf3\b 1. \cf2\b0\i The keys of the kingdom :\i0 mean apostolic or church authority to declare the terms\par of entrance into or rejection from the kingdom of heaven, illustrated by the latter\par clause of \cf1\ul Mat_16:19\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Mat_18:18\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Joh_20:23\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Act_2:38\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Act_5:9\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Act_8:20-23\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Act_10:43\cf2\ulnone ; \cf1\ul Act_16:30-31\cf2\ulnone .\par \cf3\b\par 2. \cf2\b0\i The keys of death and Hades mean \i0 Christ's authority over the death of the\par body and to open the state or place of disembodies souls. As when He says: "The\par gates of Hades shall not prevail against the church," i.e., the death of disciples,\par sending their souls into the spirit world, shall never so prevail as to leave no surviving\par church on earth. Or when it is said: "Thou wilt not abandon my soul unto Hades"\par (\cf1\ul Act_2:27\cf2\ulnone ), i.e., my soul will not continue disembodied, for my body will be\par raised (\cf1\ul Act_2:31\cf2\ulnone ;). The same authority over the dead would not permit Lazarus to\par return to the earth to warn the brothers of the rich man, nor permit the prayers of the\par lost rich man to relieve his own condition, nor to intervene for his kindred on earth\par (\cf1\ul Luk_16:23-31\cf2\ulnone ). This authority exempted Enoch and Elijah from death as it will\par exempt living Christians at His final advent (\cf1\ul 1Co_15:55-56\cf2\ulnone ), brings back\par with him the souls of the saints in heaven when He returns (\cf1\ul 1Th_4:14\cf2\ulnone ),\par and causes both the grave to give up its dead bodies and Hades to give up its\par disembodied souls at the judgment (\cf1\ul Rev_20:13\cf2\ulnone ).\par \cf3\b\par 3. \cf2\b0\i The key of David \i0 means Christ's authority to confer great opportunities for\par saving men, as here in our passage, and in \cf1\ul 1Co_16:8-9\cf2\ulnone , i.e., of admitting\par them to the saving presence of the Lord. Compare \cf1\ul Isa_22:22\cf2\ulnone .\par The seventh church i