Seven churches of Asia

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This article is about the seven churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation. For other uses of see Seven Churches (disambiguation).

The Seven Churches of Revelation, also known as The Seven Churches of the Apocalypse and The Seven Churches of Asia (referring to the province of Asia, not the continent), are seven major churches of early Christianity, as mentioned in the New Testament Book of Revelation. All the sites are in modern-day Turkey and no longer have significant Christian populations since they were emptied of Christians under the Treaty of Lausanne. In Revelation, Jesus Christ instructs his servant John to:

It should be understood that "churches" in this context refers to the community of Christians living in each city, and not merely to the building or buildings in which they gathered for worship.

The seven churches are located in:

Ephesus (also see Church of Mary)
Smyrna
Pergamum
Thyatira
Sardis (the See of Sardis)
Philadelphia
and Laodicea, near Denizli (see Laodicean Church)

Seven Messages

Chapters 2-3 of the Revelation had specific messages for each of these seven churches. These follow a common pattern: the speaker first addresses each church and identifies himself (2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14), then declares things that he knows about the church in question (2:2-3, 9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8, 15-17). After this a challenge or reproach is given (2:4-5, 10, 14-16, 20-25; 3:2-3, 9-11, 18-20), followed by a promise (2:7, 10-11, 17, 26-28; 3:4-5, 12, 20-21). In all seven cases the admonition is included, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22), although sometimes this comes before the promise and sometimes after.

Seven churches of Asia

Seven Messages

References

See also