Shalom:
Indeed the Church of Smyrna and that of Philadelphia are the only two which the Lord did not chastize. The Church at Smyrna was the martyred church persecuted by the ten rulers of Rome during the first few centuries of the Christian era. The word 'smyrna' is derived from myrrh, the fragrant plant gum used for burial. They paid for their faith with their lives.
The Church of Philadelphia is the victorious church of the end-times. They are known for their love of God and of one another. It is they that found the pearl of great price. It is they that also did not deny the Name of the Lord, even under great persecution (yet to come?). This church lives side by side with the Laodician Church, the luke warm church. The Lord draws these in his 'net' to the shore, only to separate the good fish from the bad, casting the bad away.
So, there are 7 churches and 7 parables:
1. Ephesus = The Parable of the Sower
2. Smyrna = The Wheat and the Tares
3. Pergamum = The Parable of the Mustard Seed
4. Thyatira = The Parable of the Leaven
5. Sardis = The Buried Treasure
6. Philadelphia = The Pearl of Great Price
7. Laodicea = The Parable of the Large Net
There is an eight Parable, which is a summary of the previous 7, the
Parable of the Householder's Treasure.
So many levels of meaning on these parables and on the 7 churches. In my view we have 1. Contemporary churches of the time in which John wrote. 2. A matching of churches to the history of the Christian era. 3. A description of contemporary churches (we can find members of each today).
As a geographer, it is overwhelming to me when I discover the facts surrounding the geographic situation of each of these cities, their economies, and their histories. This is another story for another time. Suffice it to say that God's revelation of Jesus Christ is an amazing, living Word.
If you would like me to, I can post on each of the churches and how it relates to the parables, etc.
Shalom, Shalom
Lee |
