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When interpreting the Book of Revelation, we should ask three questions:
- What does it mean to me?
- How is it relevant today in my church/culture?
- What does this say about the future?
In chapters two and three, the Apostle John writes to seven churches in Asia (modern-day Turkey). His first letter is “To the angel in the church in Ephesus,” followed by six other greetings, “To the angel of the Church in Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea…”
What does the message of the letters mean to us today?
I’ve heard many sermons on the phrases of: lost your first love (letter to the Ephesian church), you are impoverished but rich (Smyrna), you dwell where Satan’s throne is (Pergamum), you tolerate the woman Jezebel (Thyatira), the one who conquers will be clothed in white garments (Sardis), you have kept My word and I will keep you in the upcoming hour of trial (Philadelphia), and because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth (Laodicea).
Each of these messages relates to us individually with lessons to be learned as Jesus concludes each letter with the phrase, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Amen, let’s listen.
How are letters relevant in our culture today?
Reading these letters, note that a pattern emerges: churches 1 and 7 (Ephesus and Laodicea) are in grave danger; churches 2 and 6 (Smyrna and Philadelphia) are in excellent shape; churches 3, 4, and 5 (Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis) are mediocre, neither too bad nor too good.
Is our church excellent, okay, or in trouble? Read the descriptions of these churches and allow the Spirit to give you wisdom about the church that you attend and the churches in the U.S.A. — and don’t become a bitter critic, but pray. Jesus promised Laodicea, one of the worst churches, “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne.”
Hope exists no matter what our situation.
What is the prophetic message for the future?
Some scholars teach that each church in the list has a hidden meaning of describing the seven great ages of the church. One commentary reads…
Ephesus represents the first century, Smyrna the period of persecution, Pergamum the age of Constantine, Thyatira the Middle Ages, Sardis the Reformation era, Philadelphia the time of the modern missionary movement, and Laodicea the apostasy of the last days.
I’ve thought about the “seven ages” theory and see the uniqueness. I’m not sure that I agree, but I appreciate consideration of the deeper meanings often hidden in Scripture, and I’m alarmed that, if the “seven ages” thinking is true, we are in the Laodicean phase of apostasy.
A question, “Is Laodicea the church today?”
As we continue our Saturday’s Revelations on Revelation series during the next weeks (or years), I will continually ask these questions, as they help us understand what the Spirit says to us now.
- What does it mean to me?
- How is it relevant today in my culture?
- What does this say about the future?