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NASB | Revelation 1:4 ¶ John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Revelation 1:4 ¶ John, to the seven churches that are in [the province of] Asia: Grace [be granted] to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being], from Him Who is [existing forever] and Who was [continually existing in the past] and Who is to come, and from the seven Spirits that are before His throne, [Is 11:2] |
Bible Question:
The seven Churches that were in Asia, received warning. Did they change, do they still exist? Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea. These Churches were important enough, to be mentioned in Revelation, and also important enough, to get direct warning from Jesus. (WHY) How do they fit into the picture, of the Church, as it is today? If they did not survive, what happened to them, and when? |
Bible Answer: According to the New Testament, Ephesus became an important center for early Christianity from the 50s AD. Paul used it as a base and spent there more than two years on his third missionary journey (Acts 19:8, 19:10, 20:31). He became embroiled in a dispute with artisans, whose livelihood depended on selling the statuettes of Artemis in the Temple of Artemis (Acts 19:23–41). He wrote between 53 and 57 A.D. the letter 1 Corinthians from Ephesus (possibly from the "Paul tower" close to the harbour, where he was imprisoned for a short time). Later Paul wrote to the Christian community at Ephesus, according to tradition, while he was in prison in Rome (around 62 A.D.) The Apostle John lived in Asia Minor (Anatolia) in the last decades of the first century and from Ephesus had guided the Churches of that province. After Domitian's death the Apostle returned to Ephesus during the reign of Trajan, and at Ephesus he died about 100 AD at a great age. Ephesus was one of the seven cities addressed in Revelation (2:1–7), indicating that the church at Ephesus was still strong. Two decades later, the church at Ephesus there was still important enough to be addressed by a letter written by Bishop Ignatius of Antioch to the Ephesians in the early 2nd century AD, that begins with, "Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which is at Ephesus, in Asia, deservedly most happy, being blessed in the greatness and fullness of God the Father, and predestinated before the beginning of time, that it should be always for an enduring and unchangeable glory" (Letter to the Ephesians). The church at Ephesus had given their support for Ignatius, who was taken to Rome for execution. Smyrna...Christianity was preached to the inhabitants at an early date. As early as the year 93, there existed a Christian community directed by a bishop for whom St. John in the Apocalypse (i, II; ii, 8-11) has only words of praise…There were other Christians in the vicinity of the city and dependent on it to whom St. Polycarp wrote letters (Eusebius, "Hist. Eccl.", V, xxiv). When Polycarp was martyred…the Church of Smyrna sent an encyclical concerning his death to the Church of Philomelium and others (Vailhe’ S. Transcribed by Lucia Tobin. Smyrna. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIV. Copyright c 1912 by Robert Appleton Company. Online Edition Copyright c 2003 by Kevin Knight. Nihil Obstat, July 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York). Pergamum - I googled the church of Pergamum to death and found very little about the history of this church. Pergamum, also known as Pergamos, had a colorful history as a major city of Asia Minor. It was steeped in pagan idolatry, serpent worship, and Caesar worship. See Satan's Throne at Pergamum for a description of the influence of ancient Babylonian mysteries on the city. Pergamum means "thoroughly married." It represents the period of church history when the church became married to the world. Constantine, the Emperor of the Roman Empire probably meant well when he issued a decree that all his subjects should become Christians, but it actually did much damage to the church. The majority of people became Christian in name only, bringing their pagan practices and lifestyles into a compromised church. This merger of the church and state took place with the Edict of Milan in AD 313. This period lasted until about AD 500. During this time the Bishop of Rome assumed the title, Pontifex Maximus. |