Letters to the
Seven Churches

Jesus

 

These letters are found in
Revelation 2:1 - 3:22
  Also, it is clear that the churches are not a democracy. The members do not get to pick and chose their leaders as they will. The churches belong to Jesus and He decides which 'angel' to send.

Another truth that emerges is that there is only one church in a city or location and the seven lampstands are thought of as one church, even though they each have different needs and strengths. There is a truth here about the body of Christ that has been lost to the modern day church because it has succumbed to a spirit of division as Paul warned against in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. This spirit of division has greatly weakened the church in our day, but I believe the Holy Spirit will address this problem in the days to come. One thing needs to be understood, not all who call themselves Christian are part of the church of Jesus Christ. You don't get into His church by being baptized into a man-made organization but only by being baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Jesus Christ.

"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body ..." - 1 Corinthians 12:13
These letters were written by John to the seven churches which were in Asia as Jesus dictated them. John was told to write in a book all that he saw and send it to these churches. Jesus also dictated a specific message to each of these seven churches. It reminds us that while the plan of God is universal, He always applies it to us individually.

Many have hypothesized what these churches represent, but, I choose to simply look at the messages and apply them to the church today. I do this because it is obvious that the Lord's intent was that the entire book of Revelation is meant for Christians of all time, and the specific letters are a part of the book.

The first part of the message to the churches is a reminder that Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead. His is the ultimate authority over the kings of the earth and He is coming again. He has the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Also, He loves us, washed us from our sins in His own blood and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father.

The letters begin with a mystery being revealed. Seven stars are in the Lord's right hand and He is standing in the midst of seven golden lampstands.

 
 The Lord reveals that the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and that the seven lampstands are the seven churches. The word translated 'angel' also has the meaning of 'messenger', so some have thought this refers to the pastor of the church. Whether it refers to a supernatural being or to a man appointed to be pastor, it is obvious they are appointed by Jesus Christ to their office and they are responsible to deliver the truth of Christ to their church. The Seven Churches (click to select)