Introduction
The letters are broken up into several levels. The first is that they were actual churches of their time, and archaeological findings have confirmed this. Since there were many much bigger churches during this time such as the church at Jerusalem, Corinth, and Rome, I would have to speculate that these seven Churches were a cross-cut representation of major issues that all churches may encounter. The second level are the warnings that Christ gives to the seven churches. Each of the letters has this very important phrase “Hear what the Spirit says to the churches”. Notice it is not singular “church” but plural “churches”, which tells us these messages were for every church in existence during John’s time. Also, once we understand these messages we can see seven very distinct profiles of Christianity. The next level is that these messages are for every Christian and church that has ever existed. Notice he says “He that hath an ear let him hear…” This tells us that anyone with an “ear” to “hear” should heed his admonishments to the seven churches. To put this in perspective, has anyone ever heard a message on a Sunday morning and say “Golly gee Ma, I wish so-and-so would have been here because she could have really needs that message”. I know I have, and this is where many of us get in trouble because they think the messages to the seven churches are for everyone else, and not ourselves. So as we go through these messages, I pray God will open our hearts so HE can speak to us. The next level is the prophetic level because if you study church history you will see that the church went through all the stages listed in Revelation 2-3. This kind of accuracy cannot be manmade, but can only be inspired by God. The final level are the promises, however the promises are not just handed out. Each time a promise is mentioned there is the condition of “He who overcometh…” Jesus said the same thing in Matthew 24:13 when he said “But he that endure unto THE END, the same shall be saved”. For us to obtain the end time promises then we must be faithful and overcome everything that comes our way, even if it means our very lives.
The next thing about the messages to the seven churches are the key elements of each message. The first thing we see is the name of the particular church, and the meaning of the name (along with the message) is very important because it will set the tone of the letter. The second element is how Jesus “titles” himself, because each title is chosen specifically for that church (and will give us more insight to that church). Next, we see how Jesus commends each church for what they are doing right. This is important, because we can learn a lot from this alone as parents, employers, and as Christians. The next time you decide rip someone apart, it would be a good to tell them what they have done right first. The fourth element are the “admonishments” that he gives each church. Note that not all churches received rebuke, so understanding why the ones who didn’t is just as important as understanding why certain churches did. Next, after rebuking (or in some cases not) we will see that Christ exhorts a good condition of the church. This helps to rebuild their confidence in what they are doing correctly. The sixth element in the messages is the promises to those who overcome (and this could be an eBook all in itself). Not only does Christ rebuild us after we are admonished, he gives us gifts if we do what he says!! What a GREAT GOD we serve. The final element is always “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches”. The hear is not just to hear it, but to give heed and go what it says. If I said I would give you a million dollars, but you never acted on it and came and got it, would you have a million dollars? Not a chance, and this is how we are to receive the messages to the seven churches.
Jesus said in Matthew 13:9 “who hath ears to hear, let him hear”, which tells me that hearing is crucial if we want to follow Christ, but hearing his words is not enough. “Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was