The Seven Churches

By Elmer L. Towns, D.Min., D.D.
Dean, School of Religion, Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia

When Jesus appeared to John on the Isle of Patmos, the first part of His revelation was seven letters to the messengers of seven churches in Asia with which John was familiar, for much of his ministry had been conducted throughout that area of Asia: Revelation 2 – 3. There were more than seven churches in that region, but only seven were chosen by Christ to receive messages.

The order in which the messages are presented is not likely to be the order in which these churches would be visited by a traveler. Many dispensational scholars believe Christ selected these seven churches in this particular order to prophetically suggest the major trends in church history, but this is not a universal belief. A study of history reveals the church has gone through seven basic periods or stages:

Ephesus – apostolic church, Pentecost - 100
Smyrna – persecuted church, 100 – 316
Pergamos – world church, 316 – 800
Thyatira – medieval church, 800 – 1517
Sardis – rise of the state church, 1517 – 1750
Philadelphia – missionary church, 1750 – 1900
Laodicea – apostate church, 1900 - ?

Both the Kingdom parables in Matthew 13 and church epistles in Revelation Two and Three describe the course of this present age, suggesting a relationship between these two sections of Scripture:

The Parable of the Sower - the Ephesus church - represent the age of the apostles and portray the failure of leaving one’s first love.
The Parable of the Evil Seed - the Smyrna Church - show the full persecution by the enemy.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed - the Pergamos Church - reflect the professing church becoming a state institution under Constantine the Great; the unclean birds or nations find shelter there.
The Parable of the Leaven - the Thyatira Church - the medieval church, her abominations are a reflection of the woman Jezebel, the harlot, who corresponds to the woman in the Parable of the Leaven.
The Parable of the Hid Treasure - the Sardis Church - having a reputation of being alive, but dead, reflect the age of the state church where the church belongs to the One Who has purchased the field.
The Parable of the Pearl - the Philadelphia Church - show the ideal church and the one pearl being the ideal body of Christ.
The Parable of the Dragnet - the Laodicea Church - reflect the judgment of God to come.

One could argue some parables or epistles may overlap, but the major themes illustrate the course of this present age. As one surveys the history of the last two millennia, it is possible to see how these prophetic allusions may have been fulfilled. One sign of Christ’s soon return is the fact we are at the end of the age according to these two passages. The rapture of the Church and God’s final judgment are the only prophetic events which remain to be fulfilled in this age.

A practical application of the message to the seven churches can be made on an individual basis. We can readily see these seven churches comprise seven methods of attack by Satan on the church or on individual Christians within the church. In whatever age the Christian may live, he should take unto himself “the whole armor of God,” Ephesians 6.10-18, and “resist the devil,” James 4.7 and 1 Peter 5.9.