Rev, 7 letters of
"Hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
The message to the seven churches, or ecclesias:
- is direct from Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
- is urgent, as it deals
with things soon to take place.
- points to specific church activities and
attitudes which need to be changed before Christ's second coming, which is
repeatedly said to be "soon".
- is clearly relevant and immediately applicable
to believers in modern times, around the world.
- has power to save: to save
us from ourselves, and to save us from the big troubles that are coming on this
world.
Many disciples are reluctant to read, much less study, the
book of Revelation (sometimes called the Apocalypse, from the Greek word meaning
"that which is unveiled, or revealed"). Some potential readers are simply
daunted -- they feel completely inadequate to understand all those symbols and
prophetic sayings. Some have the impression they need an encyclopedic knowledge
of history in order to properly interpret the text -- and they have no
inclination to become historians. Some have heard several different expositions
of the book and find themselves totally discouraged -- if different
interpretations are going to cause turmoil, the best thing is to avoid getting
into the fray. Finally, some rightly perceive that effort is required to come to
a reasonable understanding of the book -- and they basically don't like
studying.
Yet see the blessings missed by such reluctant
students:
"Blessed is he who reads the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who
hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near" (Rev
1:3).
Because the book itself promises a blessing to the reader, and
a double blessing to those hearers who keep (do) what is written (taught) in the
Revelation, we encourage everyone to read and study the Bible text for
him/herself. You will find the effort immediately rewarding. You will discover
that the text often explains itself. You will perceive that the general struggle
between the "good guys" (eg, the Lamb and his followers) and the "bad guys" (eg,
the Beast and its followers) is similar to what the rest of the Bible talks
about. Finally, you will be pleased to learn that at least the first three and
last two chapters of the book (that's almost 25%) are relatively easy to
understand, and certainly quite relevant to your life of discipleship. So make
the effort.
Take an initial or another first-hand look at the words, and
absorb the teaching of the message.
Your reading of Revelation 2 and 3 is to begin the three-step
process stated in the verse cited earlier:
"Blessed is...
- he who reads the words of the prophecy, and
- blessed are those who hear, and
- who keep what is written therein; for the time
is near."
Reading is the easy part. Hearing is more difficult; it
implies that you are paying close attention to what the words actually say, with
the intention to do something about them once they are understood. Keeping is
the most difficult, since it means living out the teaching of Scripture in our
daily lives. The daily doing of God's commandments is the test of whether we
truly love God (cf 1Jo 5:2,3), but it is made possible only by the help of God
Himself.
The basic message of the Revelation is crystal clear: Jesus,
the Lamb of God, has defeated Sin in his first coming, and will score the final
victory over Sin (and the world of wickedness) in his second coming.
If you are one of the faithful, hang in there!
If you are one of the wayward, REPENT, and then hang in there!
If you are one of the opposition, you are not only going to
lose, you are going to be destroyed -- maybe you should think about switching
sides?
So make sure you keep/get on Christ's side before it's too
late!
Interpretation is generally straightforward. Take the first
few verses in Rev 1. The opening verse tells us that it is "the revelation of
Jesus Christ...". Although the verse goes on to say that God gave it to Jesus,
the emphasis seems to be on the glorified Christ, and how he has been
commissioned by God "to show to his servants what must soon take place". Thus
Jesus "made it known by sending his angel to his servant John..."
When this angel speaks, it is like Jesus himself speaking. So
the voice in Rev 1:10,12, and Rev 1:17 onwards, comes from a representative
angel who is depicted as a glorified high priest (Rev 1:13-16) and asserts that
he is the resurrected Lord (Rev 1:17,18). With this authority, the Jesus-angel
claims to hold the seven churches in his right hand (Rev 1:20), to walk in their
midst (Rev 1:13; 2:1), and to bring a specific message for each of the seven
churches (Rev 1:11). So when the phrase "He who has an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit says to the churches" is repeated seven times (Rev 2:7,11,17,29;
3:6,13,22), this is a matter that demands our attention!
Study, analyze, outline, and draw your own conclusions. The
point is that anyone and everyone can do this kind of study and will profit from
the work. If you are still doubting whether or not to make the effort, consider
this: a disciple cannot "keep" the words of the book unless he/she first
understands them. God's blessing only comes to those who "keep the words of the
prophecy of this book" (Rev 22:7).
You can bet your life on the trustworthiness of these words.
They are certain. They come directly from the Lord. And they are urgent. Read
them for yourself:
"These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God
of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what
must soon take place. And behold, I am coming soon" (Rev 22:6,7).
General characteristics of the seven letters
- Each letter begins with "To the angel of the church in ______ write: The
words of him..."
- Each introduces Christ by some description from Rev 1
appropriate to the particular church, and ends with a promise which agrees with
this description.
- Each has "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
says to the churches".
- Each opens with "I know your works" or its
equivalent.
- Five churches are told to repent. The other two are promised a
crown.
- A coming of the Lord is referred to in five of the letters; "Satan"
is mentioned in four.
- Each church is unique, and despite serious sin in
their midst, all still belong to Christ.
*****
Two interesting points that tie the letters together with the
rest of the Book:
First, "These are the words of him who..." always introduces
an aspect of the great One Like the Son of Man in Rev 1, or Christ:
- Rev 2:1: Seven stars, seven lampstands: see Rev
1:13,16.
- Rev 2:8: first and last: see Rev
1:8.
- Rev 2:12: sharp, 2-edged sword: see Rev
1:16.
- Rev 2:18: eyes of fire, feet of bronze: see
Rev 1:14,15.
- Rev 3:1: Seven stars: Rev
1:16,20.
- Rev 3:7: The key of David, to open...:
Rev 1:18.
- Rev 3:14: Amen, the faithful and true
witness: Rev 1:5.
Secondly, "To him who overcomes, I will give/do..." always
introduces a promise which has been developed in more detail in the body of the
Book of Revelation, later...
- Rev 2:7: tree of life, in paradise of God: Rev
22:1,2.
- Rev 2:11: not hurt of second death: Rev
20:6,14; 21:8.
- Rev 2:17: hidden manna, white
stone, new name: Rev 3:12.
- Rev 2:29: morning
star: Rev 22:16.
- Rev 3:5: book of life: Rev 13:8;
17:8; etc.
- Rev 3:12: New Jerusalem: Rev
21:2.
- Rev 3:21: to sit on my throne...: Rev
5:6-8; 7:17.
Thus the message to the seven churches unifies the whole of
Revelation... because in these messages the identity of the speaker AND the
promises of God are tied together.
