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Home The Dispensation of the ChurchProf. J. S. MalanThe Seven Churches of Revelation chapters 2 & 3
IntroductionSeven letters of encouragement and admonition
were sent by Christ to the church of the New
Testament. At a time when more than a hundred
congregations had been established, He selected
seven that reflected No hidden reason therefore exists why most of the congregations did not receive letters. Each church, as well as every individual Christian, can identify with one or more of these congregations and take the message therein to heart. Revelation 2 and 3 furnish a vertical as well as
a horizontal perspective of the Christian church.
Should a vertical 'cutting' be made of the Christian
church at any stage. It would reveal seven different
layers. Such were the characteristics of the early
church when these letters were written, and the same
seven categories remain the distinguishing marks of
the end-time church as well. As will be evident from the discussion that follows, there is a great difference between the Church of Christ and the Christian church. The former includes those who sincerely belong to Christ because they have been washed in His blood of their sins. The latter includes all those who belong to Christian churches - also the nominal Christians who are not yet saved. In the spiritually degraded situation that is rife in all the large churches, most of the members are nominal Christians who have a mere form of godliness. It is with them in mind that the Lord sends messages of repentance to five of the seven churches. 1. Ephesus - The backslidden churchIn the year 95 when John received these messages,
there was already an indication of backsliding
within the Christian church. The fervent
congregations about which we read in the book of
Acts, had waned and their zeal had reverted to a
form of godliness in which Christ was no longer the
central figure. Most church activities were The Lord calls the church to repent from the
situation into which it has fallen.
Humanly-motivated works done for the church by its
members are not acceptable to God. A buoyant church
is one in which the members serve God under the
inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The
congregation is called to return to its first works. As an organisation controlled by human beings
they could continue to survive, but they would no
longer be a mouthpiece for Christ. He will transfer
His lampstand to another church that will be
prepared to serve Him in What is the true nature of your Christian experience? Do you serve the Lord under moral or social pressure and with your own effort, or does the Holy Spirit urge you to proclaim the excellence of your Redeemer? Let your light therefore so shine that all may see it andin this way be drawn closer to Him. A positive aspect of the members of this church is that, in spite of their spiritual relapse, they didn't open the door to the sects. They strongly denounced the Nicolaitans1 who were hateful in the eyes of the Lord. The Nicolatians aspired to power and prestige in society, but they were very carnal and known for their loose moral practices. They endeavoured to establish an order of priests in line with the Old Testament division of the people into priests with special privileges, and lay people without any religious standing. Instead of mere shepherds an exalted order of holy men ruled the church. This principle is reflected in the name Nicolaitians, which is derived from niko (to subject) and laos (the laity or people). This sharp division is foreign to the New Testament practice since it would restrict the spiritual growth of the believers. Ordinary members of the congregation would be inhibited and discouraged in their calling as witnesses of Christ. Under such circumstances the church can not effectively evangelise the world. The condition in Ephesus is characteristic of the early Christian church until around the year 100. It applies as much to their initial love for their Lord as to their subsequent spiritual deterioration. 2. Smyrna - the persecuted churchSmyrna means bitterness, and is indicative of the
ruthless The Lord cherishes an intense sympathy for these martyrs because He, too, walked the path of suffering and drank the bitter cup of persecution to the last drop. To this church He introduces Himself as the One who was dead but is now alive. He urges them to take a firm stand in the midst of suffering, because they will be rewarded with the incorruptible resurrection life if they remain faithful. In Revelation 2:10. He says to the martyred church: "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." The ten days probably refer to the persecution of Christians during the rule of ten successive Roman emperors - from Nero in 64 AD, until Diocletian In the year 305. With the commencement of the Smyrna period the persecution had already started, and it would take its course for the next two centuries. The last two years under Diocletian were the bloodiest. This tyrant, like most of his predecessors, deified himself. He even took a step further and expected people to fall on their knees at the sight of him, to kiss the seam of his garment and exclaim: Dominus et Deus! (My Lord and my God!). In the year 305 he proclaimed an edict by which Christians should all be divested of their possessions and civil rights. and in terms of which all Christian churches were to be closed. The accompanying persecution is considered the bloodiest of all Christian persecutions. After the abdication of Diocletian in 305, the campaign to eradicate Christianity continued until the year 312. 3. Pergamos - the compromising churchAn important turn of events occurred in 312 AD when Emperor Constantine made an end to the persecution of Christians by recognising and accepting the Christian faith. It is believed that while on one of his wars of conquest he saw a cross in the sky, as well as the following words: In hoc signo vinces (In this sign you will find victory). After this experience he obtained significant military success, and because of it he adopted the Christian faith. Through the Edict of Milan in 313 he
granted equal rights to Christianity on the same
level as all other religions. However, his personal
involvement with Christianity raises doubts because
he did not condemn the heathen religions, and was
baptised only shortly before his death. At any rate,
the change in the religious sphere was enormous.
Suddenly the persecuted church had to fling open its
doors to high-ranking officers and prominent
citizens, including the emperor. All of them were
prompted to become 'Christians'. The requirements of
the gospel were scaled down to make the message more
popular and acceptable with the new audiences. Large
sums of money were voted to the clergy by the
emperor, and with the generous financial aid they At the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, a body of bishops obtained control over the church. This opened the way for the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, harking back to the church at Ephesus, to be introduced. The initiative for ordinary members to operate independently was gradually suppressed, and in due course everyone had to conduct himself according to the directions and rules laid down by the bishops and priests. In this way the church encroached upon the authority of the Word of God and on the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. The compromise that the church made with the secular world has inevitably given rise to disloyalty and infidelity among members. The emergence of this situation is also reflected
in the name Pergamos, which means marriage. During
the reign of Constantine the church and state
contracted a marriage, but in the eyes of God an
attachment of this nature amounts to spiritual
adultery: "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you
not know that the friendship The Lord refers to this compromise as "the doctrine of Balaam who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality" (Rev. 2:14). According to Numbers 22 to 24, Balsam was hired by Balak, king of the Moabites, to pronounce a curse upon Israel. However, Balaam refused to do so and persuaded Balak not to resort to curses and military confrontation, but to tempt Israel by means of compromise to partake in the feasts of Baal. This strategy brought success, and we read in Numbers 25 that Israel accepted an invitation to attend a feast for Baal in Moab. Passion prevailed and soon this new 'friendship induced the Israeli men to commit sexual immorality' with the daughters of Moab, and to pay homage to their idols. This provoked the Lord's anger against Israel and He caused a plague to come over them in which 24,000 people died. Balak exulted over this tragedy since he had succeeded in bringing the wrath of God upon Israel. Afterwards Moses expressed his resentment against Israel's discarding of principles through their permissiveness. In Numbers 31 he said: "Have you kept all the women alive? Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD" (Num. 31:1-16). In modern times, the same change in strategy by the enemies of God has also wreaked havoc among believers. By substituting the strategy of confrontation and persecution with that of compromise, large sectors of the Christian church have been lured into various practices of fornication with the non-Christian religions, and with the world. Severe persecution couldn't destroy the Christian church in Communist countries. However, in the Western world Christian churches had, with a few exceptions, apostatised and became so worldly-minded that they have largely forfeited the favour of the Lord. Instead of spiritual blessings, they are bringing the wrath of God upon themselves because of their fornication and compromise with an evil world. The warning to the church of Pergamos not to
resort to friendship with worldly concerns, should
be viewed in a very serious light. Their city was so
wicked that the Lord referred to it as the place
where Satan had his throne. (Rev. 2:13). The city
housed a library with 200,000 books, which contained
many volumes with a strong impact of Greek
philosophy; Pantheism was promoted, as well as
Plato's metaphysics, that lead to a belief in
various kinds of supernatural powers. The city also
had several temples, among others the temple of
Asclepius, a heathen god of healing symbolised by a
snake. Them were also images of the deified emperor
in the city, and people were to bow in reverence
before it. In ancient times during the fall of
Babylon, the Chaldean priest- king and his followers
took refuge in Pergamos. Because Babylon was The unbiblical tradition of the affording of
political status and domination to religious
leaders, thus became established in the city.
Prompted by the Babylonian institution of an order
of priests headed by a priest-king, a priestly
hierarchy of men who also aspired to secular
leadership, was introduced to the Christian church.
Besides this, the Babylonian tradition of homage to
the sun-god and the queen of heaven with her darling
son, exercised their influence upon Christian
circles. It eventually led to the veneration of the
Madonna and her Child and the deification of Mary,
mother of Jesus. Antipas means against everything. In the godless city of Pergamos, Antipas had little choice but to denounce just about everything. 4. Thyatira - the apostate churchAccording to Alexander Hislop (The Two Babylons) the headquarters of the Babylonian priestly order moved from Pergamos to Rome - and with it the throne of Satan with its pagan religious system. In the year 606 Bonniface III was crowned as universal bishop. This occasion introduced a long period of Roman Catholic domination. During the dark Middle Ages the church was ruled by a power-hungry hierarchy of Priest, bishops, archbishops, cardinals and popes. The authority of the church was elevated above that of the Bible, and the rule of infallibility was applied to the Pope's ex cathedra pronouncements. The position of Christ as Mediator was phased out as a result of this reform, and eventually people were forced to confess their sins to the priests. As a result of the Babylonian influences conveyed to the Roman Catholic Church through a number of avenues, serious theological divergences and compromise with pagan customs occurred. Among these is the worship of Mary, which is merely a Christian replica of the Babylonian queen of heaven, Semiramis. Mary was deified in the year 381, based on the assertion that she had ascended to heaven. This view is still maintained by the Catholic Church, and the present pope declared the period from 17 July 1987 to 15 August 1988 as a special year for the veneration of the Madonna. She is called the sinless Mother of God as well as the heavenly Mother of the Church. In the letter to Thyatira the Lord compares this type of infidelity with another woman, Jezebel, who seduced the people of Israel to the service of Baal, and to adultery. In the introduction to this letter, Jesus reminds the church that He is the Son of God. To them He is merely the son of Joseph and Mary, but at the same time they wrongly assign divinity to Mary. To the faithful believers who would become victims of the power-hungry and tyrannical Roman Catholic church during the holy warn, the Lord had a special word of encouragement in the letter to Thyatira: "But to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they call them; I will put on you no other burden. But hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations - He shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the potter's vessels shall be broken to pieces - as I also have received from My Father. And I will give him the morning star" (Rev. 2:24-28). A multitude of martyrs have found encouragement in these promises through the ages. If they remained faithful and did not deny their faith in Christ, they will reign with Him in His millennial kingdom. In this government no disorderliness, corruption and double standards will prevail, as justice and righteousness will be the only rules adhered to. The morning star is the promise of the Lord Jesus about a new day that will dawn upon this dark world. The Thyatira period continued throughout the Middle Ages up to the Protestant Reformation. 5. Sardis - the dead churchTo refer to the church of the Reformation in the prophetic application of this letter as a dead church, is apparently a paradox. Yet, the Lord says: "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead" (Rev. 3:1). During this period only a sector of the church was theologically reformed1 as Roman Catholic errors were exposed and the concept of grace was reinstated. However, despite these necessary changes real godliness still lacked in the church at large. The reform movement did not reach out to all the levels of church activities since dynamic, growing churches that could evangelise heathenism in the areas around them, had not been established. The Lord reproaches them for their indifference about this serious matter: "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die; for I have not found your works perfect before God" (Rev. 3:2). Christ Introduces Himself to this church as the One who has the seven Spirits of God. This attribute of the Lord has a direct bearing on their problem as they did not display the zeal for evangelisation that may be expected from a Spirit-filled church. They made a good start, but they still needed the experience of full surrender to the Holy Spirit to get the power and motivation to fulfil the mission of the New Testament church. History confirms that during the 200 years of its existence, the church of the Reformation did less evangelistic work than was undertaken within a mere 20 years in the succeeding Philadelphia period. This lack can be attributed to theological formalism without the required devotion and commitment to the One who has sent His Spirit to endue the church with power from on high. There were, however, also the exceptions. Many of
the reformers faced tremendous personal threats, and
they were prepared to defend the stand they had
taken by stating their convictions in public. To
them the assurance is given: you have a few names
even in Sardis who 6. Philadelphia - The evangelising churchPhiladelphia means brotherly love, and this was indeed the force behind the revival meetings and global missionary endeavours that were undertaken between 1750 and 1900. Filled with the Holy Spirit, men of faith became pioneers in carrying the light of the gospel to the unknown regions of Asia, Africa, South America and the islands of the sea. Badly equipped and often in danger of their lives owing to hostile heathen, tropical diseases and wild animals, these missionaries accepted the difficult challenge that faced them. Indigenous languages were learned with the greatest devotion. Translations of the Bible were made, schools warn started and medical services rendered with the very meagre means acquired from congregations and missionary friends in their countries of origin. In the face of all these problems the work progressed because the Lord was in it. This is what the Lord has to say to His faithful ambassadors: "See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name" (Rev. 3:8). Among the heroes of faith who in their time set the world on fire with the message of Christ, were names like George Whitefield, John Wesley, Charles Finney, D.L. Moody, Hudson Taylor, William Carey, Andrew Murray and many others. The Lord encourages His servants who labour under difficult circumstances to endure and not to become weary along the way: "Behold, I come quickly Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown" (Rev. 3:11; also refer to Heb. 11 :24-26). It is worthy to note that only the evangelising church of Philadelphia and the martyrs church of Smyrna did not get any reproof from the Lord because of apostasy in their congregations. The true calling of the church of Christ is fulfilled in faithfulness and self-denial under the most difficult conditions that may prevail on earth. 7. Laodicea - the materialistic churchThe smug and lukewarm church of Laodicea is
typical of the church in the twentieth century, and
as such it reflects the last period of church
history. As in the previous periods, some elements
of all seven churches can be recognised, but the
dominant type is that of Laodicea. An alarming
situation prevails in most of the modern The wealth that features so prominently in Laodicean churches, amounts to more than mere material possessions. It also refers to the intellectual achievements of modern man, and his aptitude for political solutions to his problems. Enchanted with his complacency and self-righteousness, he is reluctant to acknowledge his dependence upon God, and he is also too proud and unwilling to bow before Him. Laodicea means human rights and deafly reflects the humanistic nature of this church. As an institution, the church is now controlled by man and is utilised as an instrument for the creation of a more humanistic (man-centred) society. The result is that the whole institution reflects a mere form of religion. Man becomes his own god, and he preaches a man-made prosperity gospel based on the accumulation of secular wealth and humanistic achievements. Laodicea portrays the image of rational man without faith.He argues everything with his mind. Consequently, his religion is limited to an intellectual knowledge of the Bible. The real experience of faith, involving the acceptance of God's promise of a rebirth, is foreign to him. With his allegorical and relativistic interpretation of the Bible he can bypass these basic spiritual demands and teach his followers to do the same. This approach leads to the establishment of a nominal Christianity and churches that evaluate themselves solely according to human standards. In terms of their academic parameters they regard themselves as exceptionally good. Self-deception of this nature has very serious consequences. People with self-imposed righteousness without a spiritual rebirth, do not belong to the Lord. Should they suspect that there may be some shortcoming, they either rationalise about their faith or take their refuge to some church ritual such as baptism or Holy Communion. Such acts are also erroneous since these rites have been instituted to strengthen or confirm the already existing faith of a believer. It doesn't generate faith. A true commitment to a life of faith is done in a sincere prayer and received as a gift from God. We read in Revelation 3:20 that, although the Lord Jesus disassociates Himself from the hollow Laodicean worship, He is much concerned about these deceived people and earnestly calls them to repentance. It is for this reason that He stands at the door of the twentieth century church and knocks, that those people inside may realise their spiritual hunger and accept His invitation to a life giving feast: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Except for some churches and congregations that can certainty not be classified as Laodicean, it is a fact that most of the leading churches are compromising with the world. They are engaged in concerted efforts to seek solutions for the deepening political, economical and social problems of our time. The theological decline and shallow spiritual values that accompany this process of secularisation, will continue until the Lord appears to take the faithful ones away. Because of its self-centred attitude and heavy involvement with secular affairs, the church of the end-time is spiritually bankrupt and prophetically without vision. The rapture of the true believers will therefore come as a tremendous shock to theologians, ministers and church members alike. It will be a supernatural event that will defy rational explanation and force people to make an honest evaluation of fundamental Biblical facts. Blessed are those who turn to the Bible for answers, and are reconciled with the Saviour. The others will continue on the path of deception and become members of the false world church of the Antichrist. Have you given heed to these personal letters from the Lord Jesus to His church on earth? If so, your own spiritual weaknesses will have been identified and the correct solutions offered. In the light of these facts you will know if you are on the right way. If so, you need not have any fear for the future. If you are unsaved or spiritually in a lukewarm state, and have not yet taken the Lord's admonitions and calls to repentance seriously, you are heading for a tremendous spiritual disillusionment. Whether you realise it or not, condemnation and eternal darkness are awaiting you. The dispensation of the church is drawing to a close and soon we will all have to give account of our faith, or lack of faith. Rather follow Isaiah's advice In times like these: "Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near" (Isaiah 55:6).
From "REVELATION for the
1990's" by Prof. J. S. Malan
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