Message to the 7 Churches
Revelation 1:4-8
(4)John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him
who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his
throne, (5)and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the
firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who
loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, (6)and has
made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory
and power for ever and ever! Amen. (7)“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on
earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen. (8)“I am the Alpha and the
Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the
Almighty.” (NIV)
John wrote
to the seven churches that were in Asia during the time of this revelation.
This is not to say that there were only seven churches because the gospel had
been spread throughout the world as Jesus had instructed them to do. Matthew 28:18-20
(18)Then
Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to me. (19)Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20)and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age.” (NIV)
The instruction to give the message to these churches seem to have been given
because they represent the body of Christ at large in its “completion” due to
what the number 7 represents in the Bible. We will go into more details about
these seven churches and how we can learn from them concerning God’s desire for
His children.
The salutation: “Grace and peace to
you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come,” lets us know that God’s
existence has always been and will never cease. Job
38:4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s
foundation? Tell me, if you understand.” (NIV)
God’s response to Job lets us know that He was from the beginning of time. He
is ever present and always will be. You can also understand this by His
response to Moses when asked who he should tell the Children of Israel sent
him. Exodus
3:13-14 (13)Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say
to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What
is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” (14)God said to Moses,
“I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent
me to you.’ ” (NIV)
The
seven spirits found in this text represent those found in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah
11:2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on
him — the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of
might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— (NIV) Let’s breakdown the Holy Spirit, which embodies these seven
Spirits rolled into one.
1.)
Spirit
of Rest – John 16:7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your
good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you;
but if I go, I will send him to you. (NIV) Jesus had to go away for the Holy
Spirit to come and rest upon those in the upper room to do the work of God.
Jesus had been sent by his Father to die in order to save mankind from eternal
damnation, but once his earthly work was over, the Holy Spirit had to come to
reside in all those who believed and accepted the Good News about the Gospel of
Christ. This Spirit of Rest was essential for all who were willing to allow Him
to reign in their lives in order to be a witness to others.
2.)
Spirit
of Wisdom – Ephesians 1:17 I keep asking that
the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit
of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. (NIV) God wants His children to be wise in all things. Therefore,
when we ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom, this is one of the gifts that He gives
generously to His children. In order to defeat the enemy and stay steadfast in
the will of God, one must have wisdom given from the Holy Spirit and not upon
our own accord.
3.) Spirit of Understanding – John 14:26 But
the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach
you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (NIV)
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to teach all things given from the Father
above. During this process, He grants us wisdom and understanding to be able to
whole-heartedly receive it and will bring it back to your memory when
recollection is needed. There’s a term that many people use, “educated idiot.”
This refers to those who have acquired book knowledge, but do not have the
understanding and wisdom to use it. God wants His children to understand what
He is saying to the church, so that when the enemy comes like a flood, they
will know how to use the knowledge that they learned.
4.) Spirit of Counsel – John 16:8-11
(8)When
he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and
righteousness and judgment: (9)about
sin, because people do not believe in me; (10)about
righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no
longer; (11)and
about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. (NIV)
Many in the world have been deceived by the enemy; the Holy Spirit, however, is
the One who convicts and gives counsel as to the things of Christ in order that
we may be saved through Jesus’ Salvation. This counsel is not forced upon
anyone, but it is there to be received by all. It is only through humility that
one would be willing to accept the counsel that the Holy Spirit has to offer.
Pride has no room with God. A humble heart opens the pathway to God in all
areas of our lives.
5.) Spirit
of Power – Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to
the ends of the earth.” (NIV) No one can do the Lord’s work correctly
without the Power given through the Holy Spirit. The devil is like a roaring
lion and seeks to destroy all who will be a witness for God. Therefore, the
Power of God, given through the Holy Spirit, will defeat the enemy at his own
game of evil, destruction and deceit. It is just like a car, which needs a
jump. The Lord is the juice who gives the electrical surge for the Power that
we need by way of cables from the Holy Spirit. Once the jump has been given,
you are then ready to drive.
6.) Spirit
of Knowledge – 1 Corinthians 12:8 To one there is given through the Spirit a
message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same
Spirit. (NIV) Once again, we see that the Holy Spirit gives wisdom and
then knowledge upon the believer and the true follower of Christ. This
knowledge, led by the Holy Spirit, is given and received through the Word of
God. It is not just enough to have acquired knowledge without knowing when and
how to use it. The Holy Spirit uses this balance to the believer.
7.)
The Spirit of Fear (Reverence) – 2
Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us
power, love and self-discipline. (NIV) This work of the Spirit is not
one that makes us afraid as in the natural. This fear is one of humility and
reverence for the things concerning God and for God himself. Psalms
111:10 The fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good
understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. (NIV) The Holy Spirit allows us to acknowledge that God is
Greater than we are and therefore we must present ourselves in full submission
to our Creator and Lord.
Jesus is described
in this text as being a faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and ruler
of kings. Jesus was sent down to earth in the form of a baby and witnessed all
the things that man goes through here on earth. Not only was he rejected and
abused, he suffered even unto death for the Salvation of mankind. Nevertheless,
he was buried but rose again on the third day. Therefore, He is our Priest,
King, Lord and Savior with all Power given from the Father in His hands. Hebrews
4:14-16 (14)Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has
ascended into heaven. Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we
profess. (15)For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every
way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. (16)Let us then approach
God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find
grace to help us in our time of need. (NIV)
Therefore, we have been chosen
and handpicked by God to be part of His royal family. We have been made worthy
by the Blood of the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. We are no longer
our own, but are servants of the Most High God and we are to be a light for
others to see. 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you
may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light. (NIV)
Jesus is coming again! Every eye is
going to see Him. The Bible says that even those who pierced Him will see Him
coming in the clouds with Glory. Some will mourn because they will not be able
to stand the sight of His appearance, while those who have been found worthy
will cry out for joy at the Coming of the Lord. Luke 23:30 Then “ ‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to
the hills, “Cover us!” ’ (NIV)
Only those who are not in right standing with the Lord will try to flee from
His presence. Sin cannot stand in the presence of the Lord.
Why was John on the Isle of Patmos?
Revelation 1:9-10 (9)I,
John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient
endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the
word of God and the testimony of Jesus. (10)On
the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a
trumpet. (NIV) All the disciples
died as martyrs according to historical reports with the exception of John who
had been banished to the Island of Patmos for preaching the Gospel. He is
recorded by early Christians as having been boiled in oil as he continued to
preach, while in the pot. However, God still had work for him to do and this
attempt to kill him proved to be unsuccessful.
The religious rulers, Rome, and
other governments did not want the message of Jesus, having died and rose
again, being spread throughout their land. The apostles had been ordered to
stop preaching in the name of Jesus. Nevertheless, they defied the law and continued
their message. As a result of their stance, they were martyred. The Bible only
records the death of one, not to include Judas Iscariot because he killed
himself, but the early Christians are said to have kept records concerning the
deaths of the other apostles.
Deaths of the Apostles
Simon (Peter) –
Died around 68 A.D. by crucifixion upside down at his request.
James the son of
Zebedee – Executed by Herod Agrippa I approximately 11 years after the death
and resurrection of Jesus. Acts 12:1-2 (1)It
was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church,
intending to persecute them. (2)He
had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. (NIV)
Andrew – (Date unknown)
Recorded as having been crucified in Patrae in Achaia.
Matthew (Levi) –
(Date unknown) Recorded as being killed by a sword wound in Ethiopia.
James (Alpheus) –
(Date unknown) Recorded as being stoned to death.
Simon the Zealot –
(Date unknown) Recorded as having died by crucifixion or hacked to death.
Jude (Thaddeus) –
(Date unknown) Recoded as having died with Simon the zealot by crucifixion or
hacked to death.
Judas (not
Iscariot) – (Date unknown) Recorded as having died from stoning.
Mark – (Date
unknown) Recorded as having died by being dragged by horses through the street.
John – (Date
unknown) Recorded as having died from old age.
Tomorrow, we will dig further into the Book of Revelation and see more of what God has to say. You can purchase the complete set of this series, "Revelation: Removing the Prophetic Veil" by K L Rich on Amazon.com.
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