Epaggelia

“a door open in Heaven”, v1, Be thankful it is open, Jesus said, he was the door of the sheep, John 10:9. Later as John’s focus in the vision goes past the door, it’s meaning will be portrayed by the Lamb, 5:6. The open door is open access to the power and privileges of Him who is on the throne. The Throne which rules our life is not in Italy, Israel or anywhere else on earth, but now Christ rules from the sanctified human heart enthroned.

“the first voice…like a trumpet” Compared to the thunderous volume of a huge waterfall, this is alarming, “I will show you what must take place after these things”, Now that John has written the 7 letters to 7 churches dictated by Jesus the Son of Man, he now has the privilege of seeing what is about to happen in the lifetime of the churches he just wrote to. The Trumpet voice is reminiscent of being called to arms, Ex. 19:5-21.

“Immediately I was in the Spirit and behold a throne”, v2, This throne is mentioned 38 times in the Revelation. The purpose is to make sure persecuted Christians are assured of who is in control, and that will not change, no matter how bad the pain is. Paul tells Christians that we are citizens of Heaven, we are placed in Christ in the Heavenly places and our life now is in Christ, who sits at the right hand of the Throne, Col. 3;1-3, Eph. 2:6 & Php. 3:20. There is an aspect where a Christians life should be lived in Heaven right now, Rev. 13:6. The Throne in Revelation stands for the reign of God in our heart, Luke 17:21. God’s throne in the Old Testament is established in the Temple, Ezk. 43:1-7. In the new covenant it is to be established in the Christians heart, 1^st Cor. 6:19. In the Revelation we see the Throne amongst the new Jerusalem, Rev. 21:22-22:1 Are you there?

“Jasper, Sardius, and a Rainbow” v3. jasper was on the High Priests Ephod. The word for this gem means in Hebrew, “glittering” it is found in various colors but it is also known to be the clearest of the quartz family of stones. In Revelation 21:11, it’s “clear as crystal”, and emblematic of the holy glory of God. Sardius or Carnelian is only found red in color and obviously signifies loving sacrifice which gives blood. The rainbow with an emerald appearance signifies an effect of God on the Thorne, LIFE. This rainbow is not a physical one, but a spiritual circular one. This means even though your physical life seems to be disappearing, at the same time your spiritual life is renewed and gaining strength for deliverance! BTW, in collegiate artwork there are 7 main shades of green, Chartreuse, Sage, Lime, Olive, Emerald, Pear, Shamrock.

“24 Elders” v4, They are royal winners, their crowns are signifying victory after winning a race. Their white garments are indicative of their righteous deeds, Rev. 19:8. What makes them royal? There were Jewish priests from the Babylonian captivity which were crowned in Zech. 6:9-15, which was a sure indication of a royal priesthood in God’s heart, a shadow of our reality in the church. Why 24? There are 24 orders of Priests in the Old Testament, 1^st Chronicles 24:7-18. Therefore this is representative of the Saints ourself. We are in His presence and we are more than conquerors, Romans 8:37. We are the royal priests in 1^st Peter 2:9 & Revelation 4:4. The crowns and torches would highlight yellow, the sea in v6 would highlight blue, the One on the throne would highlight red, the rainbow would highlight green, now try to envision the spectrum of color in this vision.

“Seven Lamps…Seven Spirits” v5, These lamps are torches in the Greek language from Rev. 1:4 and are different from the Lampstands representing the Churches in 1:20. The closeness in symbols shows us clearly that we are to be supporting the light from the Spirit of Christ in our daily lifestyle. The very essence of worship is to live like the One your praising. There are two possible interpretations on the 7 Spirits, it could be the perfect work of the Spirit, or it could be the perfect presence of the Spirit, or maybe both?

“Four Living Creatures” v6 The angelic Cherubim are guarding judges of all who enter or come near the presence of God. Ezekiel envisions God using these creatures as a form of transporting his judgment and glory in Ezk 1:& 10. On the subject of God’s transport, the Psalmist speaks clearly, God rides on the Cherubs, Psalm 18:10. There is a lion (fierce predatory), a bull-calf or ox (powerful fury) an eagle (precise justice), a man (wise intellect) which are all ready to deliver God’s wrath if anything threatens His holiness.

“Worthy Are You” v11, Everything around the throne finds Him upon it, as worthy of praise, defense and sacrifice. Do we feel like God is worth defending and making sacrifices for? Do we only praise Him on Sunday?

Laodicea – “discernment” v14, originally this town was named after Laodice the wife of King Antiochus II in 261BC, and through the centuries it became the regions banking center with many wealthy people living there. It also had a well known school of medicine which made ointments, which Jesus most likely refers to in v18. This is the only congregation of the seven which has no commendations from Christ, only criticisms.

“spew you out of my mouth” v16, This is God’s way of saying that his disappointment with them was awful. But he still loved them, v19. Their “works” were “lukewarm” which means they were apathetic to the core, about living the gospel, laboring to share the gospel was something they didn’t “need” to do, but would do it if it fit into their “rich” lifestyle.

“buy from me gold….white garments…eye-salve” v18, If they are going to repent, it will involve a sacrificial investment because of their poverty, nakedness & blindness. They totally forgot the first beatitude, Mat. 5:3. The church as a whole in the USA today is physically the richest in the history of Christianity, but do we take our spiritual riches seriously? It seems like the Laodicean congregation were all foolish virgins who didn’t invest in what was most important, Matthew 25:9. Solomon said “buy truth, wisdom & instruction and sell it not!” Prov. 23:23. How much have we invested in physical collections, and how much have we invested in spiritual collections?

“if anyone hears…and opens” v20, This congregation seems to have shut Christ out of it’s heart and needed to let him back in! If they were to become overcomers, they must put Christ at the center of their affections, Luke 9:23, DAILY.

Summary of the Seven Congregations:

Ephesus, a hard-working congregation that had let their love for Jesus wane.

Smyrna, this congregation shined with perseverance and endured opposition.

Pergamum, most of the congregation endured temptation, but some were sexually immoral.

Thyatira, this congregation seemed to be tolerating false-teaching, but some remained loving & faithful.

Sardis, they had a few who lived in purity, but most of the congregation were lazy.

Philadelphia, a bright congregation, loving, obedient and steadfast facing persecution.

Laodicea, the only congregation Christ had nothing good to speak of, they suffered from hypocrisy.

Three Facts all the Churches have in Common.

1. Christ wants them to know who He is & that He knows who they are. Knowing your Savior is essential to being saved! John 1:10 & 8:32 & 10:14-15 & 21:24, this also defeats gnosticism.
2. Christ wants all Christians to know they can Overcome & be Rewarded, 2^nd Peter 3:9.
3. Each congregation is unique, but also an example for others. Individually a Christian is a living letter, and the congregation is a type of letter as well, 2^nd Corinthians 3:1-4 & 1^st Peter 4:8

Descriptions of Christ:

2:1, who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands

2:8, the first and the last, who died and came to life

2:12, him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

2:18, the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

3:1, who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

3:7, the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David

3:14, the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation

Christ speaking to the churches in Chapter 2-3 is the same Christ revealed to John in Chapter 1, with the addition of the “key”, in order to keep the church healthy enough to proclaim the Kingdom, you must have the one who possesses the Key, What is true for the apostleship, is true for the church, Matthew 16:9

Sardis – “the remains” v1, The Roman historian & senator Tacitus records that in 17AD Sardis was hit hard by an earthquake, he writes, “…fires blazed out amid the ruins. The calamity fell most fatally on the people of Sardis, and it attracted to them the largest share of sympathy”. While it used to be the ancient capital of Lydia, and had it’s own Temple of Artemis, it was very likely still fresh in the memory of the older Christians that remained during the time the congregation received the Revelation appx 95AD. It had an established Jewish Synagogue

“a name of being alive” v1, it seems most of the congregation were Christians in name only. “not found your works complete” v2, How few can say with the Master, “I have finished the work” 2nd Tim. 4:7 and of whom can it be said, like Paul, “He fulfilled his course”! Acts 12:25.

“white clothes” v4, This may suggest the Transfiguration,  Mat. 17:2, On the holy mount, the plain garments of Jesus shone with light; and so the inner purity of the living Christian shines through and glorifies our simplest acts. The holiness we love in this life will be rewarded by the white robes.

“confess his name before my Father”, v5, reminiscent of the promise Jesus made to his first disciples, Matthew 10:29-33 and so through the centuries we can take this personally, if we are overcomers feeding our faith and sharing His message of love & justice. The “Book of Life” had already been revealed to the church in Philippi by Paul, (Php. 4:3) and John has now mentioned it to those in the context of being a threat of being blotted out of it, it is also entitled the Lambs Book of Life in Rev. 21:27, and in 13:8 the SLAIN Lamb’s book. It leads us to wonder if our names were written by Jesus himself, the author of Life, which the Jews had killed, Acts 3:15. What kind of name will be written in this book? Is yours in it?

Philadelphia – “brotherly love” v7, The city had both ancient and current connections with Kings, it’s name came from King Eumenes giving its name in honor of the love he had for brother Attalus since 189BC, and during the church’s lifetime it had been granted riches from the Emperors Caligula 39AD and Vespasian 71AD, the citizens of which, were free from paying taxes!

“has the key of David” v7, This is a quote from Isaiah 22:22 and Jesus has already referred to it in Matthew 16:19. These Christians knew the King of kings and his authority was in their hearts and minds, which affects not only our thinking, but also our actions!

“an open door” v8, later in Revelation 21:24-27 the gate of the new Jerusalem is declared permanently open with access for the Kings of the earth to bring in their glory, and only purity enters. This is only the second church which has no criticisms listed by Christ, and he explicitly states his love for them, v9. It is interesting that the only other church with nothing but praise from Christ, is the one in Smryna, and both of them have won a victory over being infiltrated by the “synagogue of Satan” In some way Christ will make his approval obvious to the sinful Jews of Philadelphia, so much so, that they will be forced to show them adoration. 1^st John 1:6 was literally true for their Jewish neighbors.

“that no man take your crown” v11, Paul didn’t want Timothy to lose his crown, 2^nd Timothy 4:8, and neither does Jesus want anyone in Philadelphia to lose their crown – gk – “stephanos”, the victors wreath as a crown. An obvious allusion to winning a race wherein you exhibit both strength & skill. Why? Because we are in Christ who has removed barriers and distractions, it is his victory that he gives us who persevere, v10.

“make him a pillar in my temple…my own new name” v12, Columns or pillars in the ancient world were obviously supportive, but they were also renown for being ornamental, and being for a Temple had the clear idea of the beauty of holiness, see 2^nd Chronicles 20:21 & Psalm 96:9. Paul instructed Timothy that the whole church was a type of pillar, 1^st Timothy 3:15. Are you supportive of the truth, or simply feeding on it?

Pergamum – “citadel” It is claimed to be the place of discovery for parchment, and also had a large library, with a large section dedicated to medicine. The city boasted it’s governor was given the power of the sword from Rome to exact life or death sentences. It also had two Temples, at the top of the city was the Temple of Serapis, granting worshipers health & fertility, the Greco-Egyptian deity Serapis combining aspects of Osiris & Apis in a humanized form that was accepted by Greeks of Alexandria. At the base of the city was the Temple of Askelpios, granting worshipers who were sick, healing and even promising resurrection. The rod of Askelpios is where we get the icon of a snake intertwined on a rod on many medical treatment centers and ambulances today.

“two-edged sword”, v12, see 1:16, this represents the word of God, Ephesians 6:17. The Bible can be used to convict our enemies, which martyred “Antipas”. We are engaged in a spiritual war, even when the world fights us physically. Always remember that we are handling his sword, not our own.

“Satan’s throne”, v13, It is likely how God would describe the Askelpion at the base of the acropolis. Here sick people would let non-venomous snakes crawl amongst patients and use products from snakes as medicine. It was not coincidental that both Christians & Jews would be reminded of a certain snake in the Garden of Eden seducing people to sin, and be ruling within their city. Tradition claims that Antipas was appointed an Elder by the Apostle John and was martyred in 92AD, if this is true, it puts the traditional date of 94-98AD on Revelation.

“Balaam teaching Balak” v14-15, “Nicolaitans” here is really the only hint we have about the false doctrine that affected the church. In Numbers 22-25 is the story of King Balak and the prophet Balaam, interacting in the high worship places of the idol baal, while blessing Israel from high places where baal was idolized. Balak took advantage of this fellowship and his women seduced the people of Israel into harlotry, Numbers 25:1-3 & 31:16. Therefore Nicolaitans might be teaching that Christians can entertain idolatry while trying to support God’s word, assuming God would bless them in His grace by Christ.

“Overcomers”, v17, will receive hidden manna, John 4:32-34 and a hidden meaning of a new name on a white stone. This is the comfort of eternal intimacy with God and holy strength from food that is spiritually nourishing to make us strong in righteousness, in contrast to immorality.

Thyatira – “sacrifice” In comparison this was a smaller town than most of the other six cities mentioned, but they were famous for their Guild of Dyers, making purple colored dyes. Lydia was from Thyatira, Acts 16:14, she was a worshiper of God before she met Paul, so many people believe there was a synagogue in Thyatira. Apollo-Tyrimnos was the patron god of the city as well as the supreme god of all the various trade guilds. Being a son of Zeus, he was often called “son of god” and was represented figuratively by rays of light and brass feet. To the church of Thyatira, Christ introduced himself in verse 18 as the Son of God, who hath eyes like unto a flame of fire, and … feet … like fine brass. This description penetrated to the heart of the matter right away, forcing the church to consider who the Lord of their economy really is. The choice was simple: either Tyrimnos or Christ.

“sexual immorality” v20 was leading servants of Christ astray because “Jezebel” was being tolerated by the congregation. Whoever “Jezebel” was in the church at Thyatira she taught the servants of God to get in bed with pagan idols, making them believe that they were somehow serving God by doing so. In spite of this sin, the Lord had given her more than ample opportunity to turn from her evil, v21, but, “she repented not”. The church had to trust and remember Psalm 103:8, The Lord is merciful & gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy, but Jezebel scorned the Lord’s goodness. For this, Thyatira receives the longest critical rebuke from the Lord than any of the other congregations, v20-23.

“rest in Thyatira” v24, these who were faithful, needed to stay faithful even unto death just as the innocent of Smyrna, 2:10 and Philadelphia, 3:11,which Christ was pleased with, both were given and if we are faithful, never be satisfied, always press on to the goal till you see glory, Philippians 3:12-14. If we run away from a congregation because of sinners within, we should not be church-hopping but rather standing fast!

“Overcomers”, v25-28, to be given authority rule with a rod of iron and also the morning star. Sharing in the same rule promised to the Christ/Messiah in Psalm 2:9. When all is finished and glory comes, His glory and power is ours, even as it was King David’s, Rev. 22:16. Peter knew the power of this promise, 2^nd Pet. 1:19

Ephesus – “desire”, some of the congregations are in towns with a name that has a meaning and/or cultural significance which is linked to the message of Christ’s letter to the congregation. This should alert Christians to the necessity of being able to enlighten the community we worship within. The real desire of the church should be to praise & glorify God in Christ. However, Christians in Ephesus (desire) had the Temple of Artemis (Diana) polluting their desire. Pliny tells us that the Temple took 120 years to build but is now represented only by one inconspicuous column. Over four centuries later, an inscription at Ephesus suggests why so little remains at the site “Destroying the image of the demon Artemis, Demeas has erected this symbol of Truth, the God that drives away idols, and the Cross of priests, deathless and victorious sign of Christ.” The assertion that the Ephesians thought that their cult image had fallen from the sky, is known at Ephesus from Acts 19:35.

“Who walks among the seven golden lampstands” v1, this scene must be comforting, intimacy with God, known only by Adam & Eve, remember Genesis 3:8. For the Christians in Ephesus, they may consider this, their second letter, which closes with a view of the tree of life God once walked amongst but had to remove. Their first letter was from Paul, instructing them on speaking the truth in love and walking in love, Ephesians 4:15 & 5:1, but now their love faded and hadn’t been fed.

“I know your works, labor, endurance… and you have not grown weary” v2-3, A Christian’s strength may not be dependant on love, but love is dependant on being nurtured and fed on the truth. It seems they had found a new love in their efforts and had become more satisfied with their performance in doctrine, rather than the One they should praise. Testing to prove what is right & wrong, can lead to knowledge that “puffs up”, 1^st Corinthians 8:1.

“first love”, v4  – Protos Agape. It is curious how Jesus uses the word Protos to describe the robe which the Father gives the prodigal son upon his repentant return, Luke 15:22.

“first works”, v5  – Protos Ergon, every new bride treats her groom differently than most Moms treat Dads. This may seem to be an almost blasphemous way to compare the church as a bride with Christ, but we must fully realize what the first works of a Christian are, and never neglect them. Real faith, works! See James 2:17-18

“hate” & “overcomes”, v6-7, Every one of the seven churches are told of a reward if they “overcome”. Each church, no matter their predicament, problem or position, have challenges in front of them to overcome. Learning to love what God loves, and hate what God hates, is the key to experiencing the victory, wherein we taste the glory of being more than a conqueror, Romans 8:37 & John 16:33.

Smyrna – “myrrh” An ancient Greek myth derived the name from an Amazon named Smyrna. Smyrna’s chief export in ancient times was myrrh, but little is known about myrrh from Smyrna of the 1^st century. It was densely populated and it’s economy relied on the Port to the Aegean Sea. Amazons were said to have founded the city and temple of Smyrna, and it’s possibly the home of Homer, author of the Iliad & the Odyssey. For a certainty, the city had a large Jewish Synagogue. In AD155, Polycarp, a student of the apostle John, was martyred at Smyrna.

“Slander”, v8-9, Christ encourages the congregation to be brave in the face of imminent persecution from the Jews. Many of the apostles had personal experience in this, 2^nd Corinthians 11:26. Slander is often the precursor of physical persecution for God’s children, Psalm 31:13 & Proverbs 10:18.

“Synagogue of Satan…tribulation for ten days”, 10-11, Christ has no charge against the Christians in Smyrna, but expects them to remain faithful unto death, wherein they will not be injured. We should learn that when the church is healthy, Christ expects us to fight the good fight! 1^st Timothy 6:12.

“I saw seven golden lampstands”, v12, these are precious and give stability & strength to the light itself. Each church is a lampstand, not the light itself. Jesus said He is the light of the world, Jn. 8:12. Paul tells us that the church is the pillar & ground of the truth, 1^st Tim. 3:15. It is an honor to be called a golden lampstand, remember in the Temple the Jews had a “menorah”, destroyed in 70AD.

“Like the Son of Man”, v13, This is Daniel’s prophecy seen in all it’s glorious detail by John’s eyes. The God-man Jesus shown as a human but with phenomenal attributes amongst His Church, the 7 lampstands. The vision is a flashback from Daniel’s days, prophesying that the Kingdom would come and immediately destroy all other earthly kingdoms, establishing an eternal spiritual Kingdom, Dan. 7:13-14. John the Immersionist proclaimed the Kingdom was coming in his day, Mark 1:14-15, and now John the Apostle was seeing the glorious fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy in the context of what Jesus finished and his cousin John started. Jesus is Ruler of kings of the earth, in all his power as the Son of Man. This had strength for Christians, being asked to call Caesar Lord, but now Jesus was Lord. The Jews had no aspirations to rule the world, they just wanted to rule their own land, but since the Romans forced Christians to call Ceasar, Lord, instead of Jesus, the Romans ended up losing their world domination. While the Romans were persecuting Christians, they were being given the assurance of victory, which many of them never saw until they became martyrs. John is in the tribulation when he receives the revelation, v9, so there is no reason for us to doubt that God will not give us strength to endure tribulations for the sake of living like Christ and spreading the gospel. Php. 4:4-7, 2^nd Cor. 4:16-18.

“a golden sash”, v13, this is clearly a priestly attire, reflecting his holiness and compassion which a priest should reflect, Exodus 28:8. Also, “hairs of his head were white…eyes were like a flame of fire”, v14, But this is not stressing tenderness. This priest is our High Priest and he lavishes mercy upon us but compassion is not the sole reason he is showing himself to John. Consider His “feet as burnished brass”, v15, The destructive power of the Cherubim comes from 1^st Chronicles 28:18, having the same type feet. Christ is ready to destroy our enemies, and as the war wages on, He will one day submit everything to the Father one day, 1^st Cor. 15:24-26. “His Voice” is surely what John turned to see in v10, it is also what we will hear pealing as a trumpet, upon His return to Judge the world, 1^st Thess. 4:16.

“He held seven stars”, v16, which are the angels of the seven churches, v20. These angels are not figurative, they are real, the word simply means “messenger”. Both Abraham & Lot received people as messengers, and then later was blessed to learn that the messengers were actually angels from Heaven. A similar incident happened with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, where Jesus hid his identity, and then later blessed them by revealing his Heavenly identity. The Hebrew writer confirms that this can happen to Christians, and is one reason why we should all be careful to be hospitable to strangers, Hebrews 13:2. We are not promised to have an immediate revelation of the stranger’s heavenly identity, but we are going to meet “his angels” on the Day of Judgment. Jesus taught us that our charity on earth is rewarded in Heaven, and that our good deeds to strangers are actually done to Himself, Mat. 25:34-40. The seven stars Jesus holds, are his angels for the church as a whole, whose face is before the Father to this day, Mat. 18:10. Christians first receiving this knowledge of the seven stars would hold it as a true source of strength, looking for a way to entertain the stranger in the church as they evangelized, serving Jesus, knowing God would be fully aware of it and rewarding them.

“The Keys of death & hades”, v18, Even if the worst happens and we become martyrs, we win in Jesus, because He has the keys! Our suffering is not locked away in death, but freed into life and strength for evermore.

Do we have Christ reigning in our heart? In order to face trials & tribulations as a Christian, we must have a strength within us, larger than our self, because temptation is larger than our own strength. The human spirit is strong, but Christ’s Spirit is greater, 1^st John 4:4.

Angels have a big role in Revelation, v1 & 10:1, 12:7. It is a large letter from God’s messenger for the churches (servants) then and now. They still serve us, Heb. 1:14, Mat. 18:10. Christ Jesus is both the origin and theme of all 22 chapters. The apostle John personally saw & wrote down the visions from an angel. The logistics of delivery are most likely the way in which Daniel’s encounter with angels & dreams revealed pictures to Nebuchadnezzar or his own, Daniel 2:28-29.

John’s beatitude in v3 is for anyone who hears and obeys what the Revelation teaches.  Happiness is the purpose of God in giving this to us, not fear. God is the God of all comfort, 2Cor. 1:3-7. The phrase “7 Spirits” in v4 shouldn’t confuse us because Christ’s presence is for each of the seven churches. Seven often signifies perfect completion, which is the kind of presence we need, He is omnipresent. Jesus is entitled Faithful Witness, Firstborn of the Dead, Ruler of earthly kings, The Alpha & Omega and The Almighty because his blood freed us and proved his love for us. He’s qualified to make us a Royal Priesthood (1^st Peter 2:9) and he will come again to show the entirety of humanity, his victoriously scarred body resurrected and ruling. The effect of his coming will be mournful and will make every knee to bow and tongue to confess Him as Lord, Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10 & Isaiah 45:22-25.  So we should confess him now before it is forever too late, Matthew 10:32. No one knows the day nor hour…

v9, In The Kingdom…On Patmos. Since Jesus is the Ruler of the kings of the Earth, we know that it doesn’t matter where we are or what circumstance we are in, He rules because of The Kingdom, see Colossians 1:13, 1^st Peter 2:9.  Despite the pain John suffered he still believed Christ was ruling, this is possible for every Christian because we are all called to suffer, 1^st Peter 3:9-17. By enduring in this faith, we are winning the war of overcoming evil with good and bringing the deceptive kingdom of Satan in the world to a downfall, it is a real ‘wrestling’ match, see Ephesians 6:12.

v10, In The Spirit on The Lord’s Day. Jesus was raised from the dead on the 1^st day of the week (Mat. 28:1) and it became the day which superseded the 7^th day of the week (Sabbath) for worship amongst God’s faithful children. Nehemiah 8:18 mentions an 8^th day (Neh. 8:18), and it seems prophetic that it became the Lord’s Day, Sunday.  It is interesting to note that in the 1905 edition of Sgt. Burrell’s 1760 Diary of New England Shipping, the day is spelt with an “O”, not u.  The 2^nd century writings (Didache 14:1 and Ignatius’ letter to the Magnesians 9:1) both use the term “Lord’s Day” for the 1^st day of the week Christians worshiped on, as was instituted by the Apostles, Acts 20:7.   Are we living in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, or should we make preparations to make an encounter? See Jude v20, Eph. 6:18 and Philippians 3:3.

v11, The Seven Churches. Each one of the cities lay on the same road and in the order they are written, in Asia Minor. Proving that God knows our exact location when living in The Spirit. Our position in Christ guarantees our spiritual safety no matter how dangerous being a Christian is. John would send them what he wrote from a trumpet sounding voice and several symbolic visions. It was written while John was in the Spirit and it should be read as we are in The Spirit, 1^st Cor. 2:12-15. How much do we value the presence of His Spirit in our life as we face temptation & trials?