Seven Letters to Seven Churches: Introduction

The book of Revelation has earned a reputation for being difficult to understand. This is partly due to the symbolic language used and the fierce visions it conjures up.

We’re starting a new series based on the seven letters to the seven churches of Revelation.

The First Vision of Revelation: The Seven Churches

While parts of it may be difficult, there are passages that are not. Early in the book, the glorified Jesus is giving John the Apostle a vision to write down in a book. The first things Jesus wants John to write are seven letters to seven major churches of that day. There were other churches, but these seven were selected.

The churches were:

• Ephesus
• Smyrna
• Pergamum
• Thyatira
• Sardis
• Philadelphia
• Laodicea

Jesus calls the churches “the seven lampstands.” He calls the pastors of each of these churches “the seven stars,” and says of them “the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:20).

Regarding the term “angel”, the word in Greek is “ἄγγελος” or “aggelos” which means “a messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel, a messenger from God.” It’s not a big stretch to liken these to the role of the pastor. As we move forward, we’ll see that this translation fits perfectly.

It’s interesting to see how the church is described always as being a light of some sort. Remember how Jesus described the believer:

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” –Matthew 5:14-15.

Key in on the difference between the lamp and the lampstand. There is a subtle difference and Jesus makes note of it. The believer is the lamp that is placed on the lampstand. In other words, the dark world looks to the church for light. Are we letting our light shine or are we hiding our light under a basket?

The Threefold Application

There are three applications for the seven letters of Revelation.

1. Contemporary
2. Composite
3. Chronological

When John penned Revelation on the island of Patmos in ca. 90 A.D., these seven letters had contemporary application. They were direct messages from Jesus to each of the seven churches, specifically. Can you imagine Jesus writing a letter directly to your church? What would He say?

Each letter is also a composite picture of the church as a whole even today. In essence, what Jesus is writing to the church in Sardis, for example, there is a message for your church and you even now.

Lastly, the letters are also meant to be a chronological and panoramic history of the church from the Day of Pentecost to the Rapture! There are seven, distinct periods of church history found in these seven letters. Ephesus, the first letter, is the apostolic church. Laodicea, the seventh letter, is the apostate church. It’s both sad and scary that Laodicea is the final letter.

The Structure of the Letters

Each letter has a specific form it follows.

1. Each letter is addressed to the angel (pastor) of each church.
2. Jesus begins each letter by stating “I know your deeds.”
3. Jesus commends the church, then gives a word of condemnation. But there are a couple of notable exceptions. There is no condemnation for Smyrna nor Philadelphia. Why? Well, Smyrna was the martyr church and Philadelphia was the missional church. Jesus would not condemn either of these. Then, there is no word of commendation for Laodicea, the apostate church.
4. Jesus concludes each letter with a warning, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

We’ll look at the first letter, to the church of Ephesus, in the next post.

May He Increase!