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Who and what were the Assemblies of Asia Minor in John's letter of Revelation?
Who are the Assemblies/Churches spoken of by the Lord Jesus Christ? Or, what do these churches represent in the context of Revelation?
The candlesticks were symbolic of each of the churches/Assemblies in Asia Minor referred to in the following text. The candlestick is an instrument which bears light. There was a golden candlestick in the Tabernacle and in the Temple, originally made by Moses in the wilderness. But instead of one candlestick, here we see seven. The Light symbolized the Holy Spirit, who is the only One who can give Light to the soul. The candlestick in the Tabernacle and the Temple had seven bowls with seven lamps.
And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. (Revelation 4:6b)
Israel was intended to be a bearer of God’s Light and Truth to the world under the Old Covenant, and at times, they were during the time of David and Solomon (at the beginning), and a few of the kings after them, and after their return from exile in Persia. But by the time Jesus began preaching during his ministry, Old Covenant Israel had become corrupt and evil, and the “Light” had become very dim; and in 70 AD, the Roman army under Titus came and “put out” the candlestick of Israel for a very long time. When Jesus returns, the candlestick of Israel will be “relit”, and once again it will be the bearer of God’s Light and Truth to the world.
During this Dispensation between the First and Second comings of Christ, it is the churches of God which are the bearers of God’s Light and Truth to the world.
CI Scofield said:
“The messages to the seven churches have a fourfold application:
(1) Local, to the churches actually addressed;
(2) admonitory, to all churches in all time as tests by which they may discern their true spiritual state in the sight of God;
(3) personal, in the exhortations to him “that hath an ear,” and in the promise “to him that overcometh”;
(4) prophetic, as disclosing seven phases of the spiritual history of the church from, say, A.D. 96 to the end. It is incredible that in a prophecy covering the church period, there should be no such foreview. These messages must contain that foreview if it is in the book at all, for the church does not appear after Revelation 3:22. Again, these messages by their very terms go beyond the local assemblies mentioned. Most conclusively of all, these messages do present an exact foreview of the spiritual history of the church, and in this precise order. Ephesus gives the general state at the date of the writing; Smyrna, the period of the great persecutions; Pergamos, the church settled down in the world, “where Satan’s throne is,” after the conversion of Constantine, say A.D. 316. Thyatira is the Papacy, developed out of the Pergamos state: Balaamism (worldliness) and Nicolaitanism (priestly assumption) having conquered. As Jezebel brought idolatry into Israel, so Romanism weds Christian doctrine to pagan ceremonies. Sardis is the Protestant Reformation, whose works were not “fulfilled.” Philadelphia is whatever bears clear testimony to the Word and the Name in the time of self-satisfied profession represented by Laodicea.” (C.I. Scofield’s Notes on Revelation 1)
C.I. Scofield was exactly right about the meaning of the letters of Christ to the churches in this Chapter. Many Protestants have hated Scofield for saying this, but the Golden Ratio design of the Bible proves him right, at least on this one point. Protestants don’t like being identified as children of a whore, but in fact that is exactly what Protestantism is. This is proven even more correct by the fact that today many so-called Protestants are returning to their Great Harlot “mother church” in Rome.
When Martin Luther, John Calvin, and to a lesser extent, the Wesley brothers, left the Catholic religion (or rather, were forced out), they reformed the core doctrines of salvation and redemption (e.g. how to be saved, which was a good thing), but to a large extent they kept intact most of the doctrines and practices of Roman Catholicism: infant baptism, a powerful priesthood with many rituals, a highly centralized church system with little independence for individual congregations to make their own decisions, and even mini state-church religions in areas that they controlled (e.g. the Anglican church, the German church (Lutheran), the churches of Norway, Sweden, and etc).
After Martin Luther was saved, Baptists urged him to follow the Bible practice of Baptism only of Believers and not infants, but after some consideration, Luther refused. The reasons are most likely due to the great fear of the power of the Pope of Rome in those days, when the pope commonly gave orders to the kings to make war with those with whom he disagreed, especially Bible-believing Christians or anyone who dared to trust in the Bible rather than the pope. “Heretics” (as the pope defined them) were burned at the stake for merely possessing a copy of the Bible. A good study of the history of those times is found in “Fox’s Book of Martyrs”, which is available on Amazon and many other places.
So Luther made an alliance with powerful princes of his day as protection from the armies of other princes and kings who were allied with the pope of Rome. Many princes wanted to break away from the pope, but needed a religious reason to do so. Martin Luther gave them that reason, with an alternative State Church to the State Church of Rome. But in order to have a State Church, you must have infant baptism, in which the entire population of the State is also a member of the State Church. The only way you can do that is by baptizing all infants who are born in that State into the State Church when they are born.
But Baptists are “the fly in their ointment”, because the Bible teaches that only Believers should be baptized:
And he said to them, “Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature; he that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:15-16).
“Believes AND is baptized”: an infant cannot believe, and therefore is not a proper subject for baptism.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority was given to me in Heaven and upon earth. Therefore go, and train disciples out of all nations; baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Jesus commanded the Apostles (his first Assembly or church) to baptize DISCIPLES or students, who could listen and understand the teachings of Christ. Clearly, infants cannot listen and understand much of anything, especially the Bible; therefore infants are not a proper subject for baptism.
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, so that grace may abound? Certainly not; how shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer in it? Do you not know, that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized as a sign of his death? Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of Life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall also walk in the likeness of his resurrection.” (Romans 6:1-5)
This passage comes after Paul’s teachings on how and why we are sinners (Romans 1:1-2:16), how we are saved and justified by faith alone in Jesus (Romans 3:1-5:21). The Chapter that begins with Romans 6:1-5 and ends with 8:39 tells us how we can have victory over sin after we are saved. The next Chapter (9:1-11:36) explains why God elected to blind Israel and send the Gospel to the Gentiles. And the final Chapter in Romans (12:1-16:27), explains how we should behave now based upon all of the truths that Paul had explained before that. So the progress of the subject matter in Romans clearly shows that water baptism comes only after believing in Christ, not before; and you have to be old enough to believe or you would not be a proper subject for water baptism. Do you see the problem for Protestants who baptize infants? The Bible clearly teaches that baptism is only for Believers in Jesus Christ, not for an infant. And if you don’t have infant baptism, you can’t have a State “Church” in the model of the apostate Roman Catholic religion. Thus, Baptists were persecuted and killed by the Protestants of Europe as much as they were persecuted and killed by the apostate Roman Catholic religion of Rome.
So if you want to baptize infants, you have to find some support other than the Bible to justify this practice. Many infant-baptizers will point to the long history of the practice that goes back to the earliest days of the 2nd century. But we can also point to other false teachings with even longer histories such as Gnosticism. The Apostle Paul wrote the letter of Colossians as an antidote to the gnostic heresy that was found even in the churches that he had founded! So an appeal to the mere fact that something has a long history is no reason to follow it or adopt it. It must have a Biblical foundation or you are building your doctrine on sand!
The dividing line between Baptists and Protestants (those who came out of apostate Catholicism) is baptism: believers only vs believers and infants. There are many other doctrines that we can talk about that divide one group of Baptists from another, but that is the basic dividing line between Baptists and Protestants; and it is hugely important. It is not a “side-issue” that we can safely ignore for the sake of “brotherly love”.
That doesn’t mean that all Baptists are automatically right with God if they are right on this one issue; it just means that it is a starting point for obedience to the Word of God. If you don’t get Baptism right, you aren’t going to get much else right either, because if you refuse to obey God with Baptism by immersion after you are saved, then you are walking in disobedience to God and cannot enjoy his full fellowship and blessing upon your life. If you want God’s blessing on your life in Christ, obey the command of Christ to be baptized after you have trusted Jesus as your Savior; and that means in deep water, not sprinkling (Romans 6:1-5).
I have spoken to many who believe they are “christians” merely because they were baptized as infants; when in fact there was no evidence at all in their lives that they knew Jesus Christ as their Savior. Infant baptism is an evil teaching that gives sinners a false hope of Heaven, because water cannot wash away sins. Our repentance and faith in the shed Blood of Jesus Christ on the cross is the only way that our sins can be washed away.
I tell you, no; but, unless you repent, you shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:3)
But as many as received him, to them gave he authority to become the children of God, even to them that believe on his Name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)
Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:23-25)
...for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him: for it is written, “whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:12-13)
In America, the Constitution forbids such powerful church relationships with the state and federal governments (thankfully), so many Christians are unaware of the great similarities of their Protestant churches to the apostate Roman Catholic religion, which are very obvious in their European church cousins.
In light of the history of the Reformation in which the Protestants refused to follow the Bible’s teaching on infant baptism and a non-state religion model for churches, the words of our Lord Jesus become very clear and powerful.
“And to the messenger of the Assembly in Thyatira write: ‘These things says the Son of God, who has his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet like fine bronze: ‘I know your works, and selfless love, and service, and faith, and your patience, and your works; and the last is more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel (who calls herself a prophetess) to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, but she did not repent. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the Assemblies shall know that I am he who searches the reins and hearts; and I will give judgment to every one of you according to your works.” (Revelation 2:18-23)
The “children” of Rome (Thyatira) are the great Protestant denominations, who are even now flocking back to their harlot “mother church” in Rome. These great denominations are now by and large completely apostate and dead, just as Jesus said. They forsook the Word of God almost wholesale starting at the end of the 19th century with their acceptance of evolutionary ideas and rejection of the inerrancy of the Bible. Now all but a remnant of them have accepted Sodomites and women to lead their churches, in blatant rejection of the Word of God (I Timothy 3:1ff), and they can expect nothing less than the fierce Judgment of God in return.
There are still a few saved, born-again Believers in these churches even in the midst of the apostasy of their denominations. They would do well to abandon the apostasy of their denominations for Bible-preaching, Bible-obedient, Spirit-filled churches.
Chapter 2.1 of Revelation covers the Interregnum period between the First and Second Coming of Christ, at least up to the Rapture of the Saints at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, which is figuratively shown by the very next passage in 4:1.