I,
John... was on the island called Patmos, because of the word
of God and the testimony of Jesus. I was in the Spirit on
the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the
sound of a trumpet, saying, “Write in a book what you see,
and send it to the Seven Churches.” Rev. 1:9-11
The Seven Churches mentioned by St. John in the Book of
Revelations (The Apocalypse) are all found in Turkey and
each was a founding community of Christianity.
In the book of Revelation of the Bible are written messages
to seven of the most prominent churches of the Roman
Province of Asia, which are located in western Turkey. When
we use the word “church” we mean a group of Christians, not
a building.
Therefore, on a tour of the Seven Churches, we are not
looking for remnants of church structures. However, a visit
to the impressive excavations of the sites of the ancient
Roman cities where these seven churches existed can be quite
fascinating, informative and moving. These sites show marks
of the passing empires and cultures of the Greeks, Romans,
Byzantines, Selcuk Turks, Ottomans and the modem Turkish
Republic. A visitor to these ancient places finds remains of
massive pagan temples, beautiful Muslim mosques, as well as
many Christian church buildings, which were of course built
much later in history.
The seven cities mentioned in Revelation form what the Rev.
John Stott calls “an irregular circle”, and “are listed in
the order in which a messenger might visit them if
commissioned to deliver the letters”. Sailing from the
island of Patmos, to which John had been banished, he would
arrive at Ephesus. He would then travel north to Smyrna and
Pergamum, southeast to Thyatira, Sardis and Philadelphia,
and finish his journey at Laodicea. He would need only to
keep to what Professor William Ramsey calls “the great
circular road that bound together the most populous, wealthy
and influential part of the Province, the west-central
region.”
Though the book of Revelation was penned by the hand of the
Apostle John, it is claimed that these letters emanate
directly from the lips of the ascended and glorified Jesus
Christ. Stott notes that “in them, by praise and censure,
warning and exhortation, He makes plain much of His will for
His people. The seven churches of Asia, though historical,
represent the local churches of all ages and of all lands”.
The onslaught on the Church was physical through a
persecuting emperor and his deputies, intellectual through
false cults, and moral through sub-Christian ethical
standards. As we look around the world today, the same
pressures are harassing different churches and the messages
in these letters are also for the Church in the world. Stott
says “it’s a call to Christians to endure tribulation, to
hold fast to the truth, to resist the deceptions of the
devil and to obey the commandments of God.” In each of the
seven letters, which follow, the risen Christ lays emphasis,
either in rebuke or in commendation, of one particular
characteristic of an ideal church. Put together, these
characteristics constitute the seven marks of a true and
living church.
The Letter to Ephesus urges Christians to return to a love
for Christ (Rev. 2:3-4 “You have left your first love”). The
Apostle Paul spent two and a half years here on his 3rd
missionary journey, and in Acts 19, a riot broke out over
the drop in sales of the silver models of Diana’s temple.
According to an early tradition John replaced Timothy
towards the end of the first century as leader of the
Ephesian church, and probably wrote his first epistle for
them. The excavations done by Austrians are considered to be
the largest excavated ruins in the world.
The Letter to Smyrna encourages followers to have a
willingness to suffer for Christ (Rev. 2: 10 “Do not fear
what you are about to suffer”). Smyrna is now the modern
city of Izmir, known in history as the “Pearl of the
Aegean”, and is located about 35 miles north of Ephesus. If
the first mark of a true and living church is love, the
second is suffering, for a willingness to suffer proves the
genuineness of love. Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna in the
2nd century, proved his love when he was martyred here.
Izmir (Smyrna) is the only one of the seven that has had
continuous Christian congregations meeting within the city.
In the Letter to Pergamum, Christ commends the church in
regards to holding to the truth (Rev. 2:12-13 “You hold fast
My name, and did not deny My faith”), but then reproves them
for tolerating some false prophets. “The seat of Satan”
(2:13) may refer to this city being a strong center of
paganism with many temples on top of the fortified hill
known as an Acropolis. Because of the strong worship of
Asklepios, the god of healing, it became a center of
medicine. The modem excavations of these places are quite
impressive.
The Letter to Thyatira gives emphasis to a holiness of life
(Rev.2:19-20 “I have this against you, that you tolerate the
woman Jezebel “). It was the smallest of the seven cities
and was a garrison city used to deter enemies from reaching
Pergamum, 40 miles to the northwest. It was a prosperous
trading center and the writer knew of the bronze worker
guilds there when he wrote “These are the words of the Son
of God, whose feet are like burnished bronze” (2:18). Stott
tells us that “while the church manifested love and faith,
service and endurance, there was moral compromise, a lack of
righteousness of character”.
The Letter to Sardis emphasizes the need for inward reality
behind the church’s outward show (Rev. 3:1 “You have the
name of being alive, and you are dead”). Sardis was the
converging point of several inland roads situated in a
fertile valley at the foot of Mount Tmolus. However, its
ancient history was more distinguished than its modern. Once
a splendid and wealthy city, but after severe defeats, it
fell greatly. Its religious history, like its civil,
belonged to the past. The ruins unearthed give a glimpse of
the city’s beautiful past that is now dead.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.” Rev. 3:22
The Letter to Philadelphia reminds of the need for an
evangelistic outreach to others (Rev. 3:8 “Behold, I have
set before you an open door”). Like Sardis, it was in the
fertile region of the Lydian kingdom. The severe earthquake
of AD 17, which devastated Sardis almost completely,
demolished Philadelphia. According to Prof William Ramsey,
the intention of the city’s founder had been “to make it a
center of the Greco-Asiatic civilization, and a means to
spreading the Greek language and manners. It was a
missionary city from the beginning.”
The Letter to Laodicea emphasizes a wholeheartedness in
everything (Rev. 3:15-16 “You are lukewarm, and neither hot
nor cold”). About forty miles southeast of Philadelphia,
there are three famous cities clustered in a valley.
Hierapolis stood on the north of the river, while on the
south bank were Laodicea and Colossae.
Its beginnings and past are not clear but Christ sends to
this church the sternest of the seven letters. There’s no
mention of heretics or persecutions, simply that they were
“neither hot nor cold”. The hot springs of Hierapolis become
lukewarm by the time they reach Laodicea. Perhaps none of
the seven letters is more appropriate to the modern Church
than this one.
So as you can see, when a visitor comes to these remarkable
Roman ruins carrying his New Testament and reflects on what
happened in the past and meditates on the universal lessons
to be learned today, a trip to the Seven Churches of
Revelation in modem Turkey can be an unforgettable
experience. Turkey, with its thousands of ancient sites
reflecting its centuries of history and culture spanning
more than 5000 years combined with its modem beauty, sunny
beaches, crystal-clear waters, exotic bazaars,
world-renowned cuisine, and hospitable people, is a
destination guaranteed to be a life-changing trip.
