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Revelation 1:4
“John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come: and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne.”
Revelation 1:4
John to the seven churches. A simple enough introduction. The apostle writes this letter to Christian churches in Asia. Why seven, and why the churches of Asia? First and foremost there were first Century churches in the cities that John names. He does not start with Jerusalem, likely because the city has been destroyed by the Romans. The churches of the future are now scattered throughout Asia. They are now the churches in the world. To choose only seven is not exclusive, in fact, the number is all-inclusive. It is a letter to the complete church of God, as the symbolism of seven would indicate.
A letter sent from Patmos to the mainland would set port first in Ephesus. A runner, carrying the epistle, would make the route on foot next to Smyrna then north to Pergamos. From there, southeast to Thyatira , then straight south to Sardis. Finally the mail carrier would follow the river east to Philadelphia and on to Laodicea. This is the route mentioned in verse 11. It is no coincidence that the traveler follows a direct path. It is symbolic of the road traveled in time, each city representing a particular period of church history from John until the Second Coming.
John extends the greeting from the eternal One, emphasizing the fact that He is fully present with the church through the ages; past, present, and future. The spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who gives the word to each church is represented also by the symbolic number seven. Why does John not refer to the work of the Holy Spirit under one terminology? Perhaps the seven spirits represent the distinct work that is applied to each setting. Even as the work of the Spirit during the time of Moses, as manifested by plagues, miracles of manna, and parting of the Red Sea, differed from the signs given to Elijah, so, also, were distinct messages given to each period of God's church in the OT: Israel. There is present truth given for different historical settings. The message of salvation may be unchanged since Eden, but the call to come out of Egypt is not the call to come out of Babylon, nor is it the call to rebuild the temple, nor the invitation of Jesus to wait in the upper room.
Just as the OT church of God carried forth truth represented by the symbols of the gospel found in the economy of Israel, so also in the NT there are symbols of truth and deception that unfold over time and are revealed by the words of Jesus in this book. These messages carry spiritual weight for all the churches, yet, as the next two chapters will designate, each setting has a particular prophetic meaning specific to its circumstances, and, without doubt, the Holy Spirit is at work in a specific way in every case. Home | About Us | Bible Study | Billerica Blog | Bible Commentary | Devotional | Online Giving | Ministries | Prayer | Media | Bookstore | News | Calendar | Contact Us | Sermons
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