In the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation we find that Jesus (God’s “Angel”) has appeared to the Apostle John to deliver messages from God the Father to and about the seven churches that had sprung up along a Roman mail route in Asia. Note that He calls them “churches,” meaning that they are His churches. Note in 1:11 that what He is about to tell John about EACH OF THE CHURCHES, John is to write in A BOOK which would be sent to ALL OF THE CHURCHES. Beginning with the church in Ephesus, each of the churches would then be able to read what God had written to each of the other churches. This is in keeping with His description of Himself as being not a respecter of persons. Each church needed to know the good and the bad about the other churches in order to know what to do and what not to do. Revelation is a book of warning to all churches functioning between the Day of Pentecost, 31 A.D. and the return of Jesus Christ. At no time has its message been more needed than today.

In 1:8,11 Jesus introduces Himself as the Alpha (beginning) and the Omega (ending), the One Who was, is and ever will be–the Almighty Who walks in the midst of the seven churches. By saying that He “walks” in their midst shows that He is actively involved in the lives of these churches. Bear in mind that God calls His Son “the WORD” in John 1:1-4,14. Therefore, His “walk” in the churches means that they were responsible for speaking and living His WORD. In 1:9 John introduces himself as a fellow traveler on the path to salvation who has been exiled to the island prison called Patmos for PREACHING THE WORD OF GOD, which he calls THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS CHRIST. The Bible is His written testimony about the Way and Will of God. Jesus was that Way (Jn. 14:6) in human form. He was and is the Truth of God that leads to eternal Life if believed and obeyed. God’s messages to the seven churches had one central theme–HIS WORD and their obedience to or disobedience of it. He makes it clear that when a church obeyed His Word His praise would be forthcoming, and when He was disobeyed, condemnation could be expected. His message to everyone who calls himself by His name has not changed.

In 1:10 John describes the time frame in which the heavenly visitation was taking place, saying that he was “in the Spirit in the Lord’s Day.” John was having an out-of-body experience in which Jesus had spiritually (“in the Spirit”) taken him far into the future to a time He refers to as “the Day of the Lord,” “the Lord’s Day,” “the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord” several times in the Scriptures. This “Day” refers to the final year of the Great Tribulation, a time when the Lord will pour out His wrath on sinning, rebellious mankind.

The Lord’s first message was to the Church of Ephesus (2:1-7). Located on the western border of what is today called the nation of Turkey, Ephesus was one of the most evil environments in which to speak and live the Word of the Lord. Ephesus was know for its various types of entertainment, such as forcing men to do battle with various types of creatures. In 1 Corinthians 15:32 Paul tells of having to fight wild beasts at Ephesus, probably in an arena setting with thousands of Christian-hating fans looking on. Ephesus was also a hotbed of idolatry. Her citizens had built a shrine to Diana/Artemas, the goddess of fertility known throughout the Western world today as Easter. It was in Ephesus that Paul and his companions stirred up the whole city by preaching about the Lord. Just to visit there was hazardous for Christians. To have survived there for any length of time took great faith and stamina. God’s message to the church at Ephesus reflected that fact. To be continued.  L.J.