The Seven Churches of The Book of Revelation

The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:20)

Ephesus  means to ‘let go’ and ‘relax’.  This was the church at the end of the apostolic age. Jesus said about it: “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” (Rev 2:4) 70 - 170 AD.

Smyrna means ‘myrr’, a bitter herb. This was the martyred church. Jesus told them, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” (Rev 2:10) 170-312 AD.

Pergamos means ‘much marraige’, as it married church with state. This was the time of Constantine, who introduced the doctrine of Balaam   (Numbers chapters 22-25) and the Nicolaitans. (“Which things I hate.” -Rev. 2:15) ‘Niko’ means ‘to conquer’ and ‘Laos’ means ‘the people’. 312-606 AD.

Thyatira was during the Dark Ages. Jesus accused them of submitting to the spirit of Jezebel, “which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.” (Rev 2:20) 606-1520 AD.  

Sardis means to ‘escape’. It had become a dead church and very ritualistic. Like the other churches, there was a believing remnant, in this case starting  the reformation. (ex. Martin Luther) “…and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy” (Rev 3:4) 1520-1750 AD. 

Philadelphia means ‘brotherly love’. This was the revived church, whith which Jesus was pleased. It was during this time that the King James Bible was exalted. “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Rev 3:10) This is the only church of the seven that has survived. 1750-1900 AD.

Laodicea means ‘justice of the people’. It was (is) a lukewarm church, and is ’all about me’. It’s riches, Jesus warned, will cause a serious self-deception. “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” (Rev 3:17) This church represented the final stage of apostacy of which we are currently living in. Always faithful, he promises: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Rev 3:20) 1900 AD - NOW.

The Seven Covenants in the Bible

COVENANT

transitive verb

:  to promise by a covenant :  pledge

intransitive verb

:  to enter into a covenant :  contract

Covenants are binding, and there is no one else I would rather be bound to than God.  Over the course of humanity, God made seven covenants to either the nation of Israel or to all of mankind. I do have a favorite - the one that binds me to Jesus Christ, the New Covenant!  

The Adamic Covenant carried four elements.  (Grace - Genesis 3:16-19) It pronounced judgment on #1 - Adam,  #2 - Eve, and the #3 - Serpent but included, (and here is the covenant part),  #4 - the promise that God seed would bruise the head of the serpent.  In other words, God entered into a covenant with man to fix what Adam ruined and in doing so the woman would have a seed, whose heel would be bruised by the seed of the serpent but in turn, the woman’s seed would bruise the head of the serpent.  Man’s labour, woman’s multiple conceptions, weeds and thorns are all part of this covenant.  This covenant was unconditional in that the promises made as well as the judgments given were not based on any response from man. (Genesis 3:15).

The Noahic Covenant was an unconditional covenant between God and Noah (and all of humanity). After the Flood, God promised that He would never again destroy all life on earth with a Flood (see Genesis chapter 9).  God also established human government with this covenant.  Man’s life was to be treated as sacred because he had been made in the image of God and any government that has not held up to this covenant has been judged by God.  America is soon to know the judgment of this covenant.

The Abrahamic Covenant promised many things to Abraham: God would make Abraham’s name great (Genesis 12:2), he would have numerous physical descendants (Genesis 13:16), and be the father of a multitude of nations (Genesis 17:4-5). God also made promises regarding Israel and it’s geographical boundaries. Another provision in the Abrahamic Covenant is that the all families of the earth will be blessed through the physical line of Abraham, a reference to Jesus Christ, who would come from the line of Abraham.

The Mosaic Covenant was a conditional covenant that either brought God's direct blessing for obedience or God's direct cursing for disobedience upon the nation of Israel. Part of the Mosaic Covenant was the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) and the rest of the Law, which contained over 600 commands—roughly 300 positive and 300 negative.  The covenant dealt with the requirements for Israel being blessed and remaining in the land of promise.  The Bible teaches us that in the process of time, they broke this covenant and thus were removed from the Land.

The Palestinian Covenant establishes a covenant for return to the land of promise.  Just as the Mosaic covenant dealt with them remaining gin the land or being removed, the Palestinian covenant gave the hope of returning to the land. (Deuteronomy 30) 

The Davidic Covenant amplifies the “seed” aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant. God promised that the throne of David’s kingdom would be established forever in “his seed”.  (2 Samuel 7:8-16) Obviously, the Davidic throne has not been in place at all times. The promise refers to a future time known as the Millennial Reign in which Jesus Christ, which was of the seed of David will reign forever. 

The New Covenant is a covenant made first with the nation of Israel, and ultimately with all mankind. In the New Covenant, God promises to forgive sin, and there will be a universal knowledge of the Lord. (Jer. 31:31) Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and create a new covenant between God and His people. Now that we are under the New Covenant, both Jews and Gentiles can be freed from the penalty of the Law, and are given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift! (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Please remember, BIBLE BAIT is written by a novice Bible study student, not a Bible scholar. If something doesn't look quite right to you, dig into God's word. The one thing I promise you is that you won't get bored!