If you located the seven churches of Revelation chapters 2 and 3 on a map, they would form a rough geographical circle, starting at Ephesus and going clockwise to Laodicea. This is also the order a courier or messenger would likely have delivered the original copies of this book. The Roman province of Asia today is western Turkey. Sadly, these seven churches have mostly vanished, as this area is now largely Muslim. As we continue through the remainder of the seven letters, this fact is a warning to take their contents seriously.

The fifth letter is to the church in Sardis (vv. 1–6). The congregation’s high reputation is undeserved. They need to wake up and repent! Yet there is a faithful remnant, counted worthy to walk with Christ. The sixth letter is to the church in Philadelphia (vv. 7–13). This congregation is praised for their faithfulness and patient endurance. As with the church in Smyrna, no sins or weaknesses are pointed out. The seventh is to the church in Laodicea (vv. 14–22). Tragically, they receive no words of commendation from the Lord. They’re portrayed as lukewarm, complacent, and prideful. They need to accept God’s loving discipline and repent.

The rewards described in the letters are both specific and general. They’re specific in that they fit well with the strengths and admonitions in each letter. But they’re also general in that they’re available to all believers. This is because most of the rewards have to do with eternal life and our relationship with Christ. While the letters focus on “what is now” from the perspective of the original readers, there are timeless truths for us as well. The rest of the book will deal with “what will take place later” (Rev. 1:19), that is, end-times events that are still in our future.

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