Letter #7

A Letter to the Church in Laodicea

“To the messenger of the church in Laodicea, write:

The amen, the witness who is faithful and true, the source of God’s creation, says: I know what you have done, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. But since you are lukewarm and not hot or cold, I’m going to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I’m rich. I’m wealthy. I don’t need anything.’ Yet, you do not realize that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you: Buy gold purified in fire from me so that you may be rich. Buy white clothes from me. Wear them so that you may keep your shameful, naked body from showing. Buy ointment to put on your eyes so that you may see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. Take this seriously, and change the way you think and act. Look, I’m standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I’ll come in and we’ll eat together.

I will allow everyone who wins the victory to sit with me on my throne, as I have won the victory and have sat down with my Father on his throne. Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:14-22


The last of the seven letters is sent to the church in Laodicea, which is also in modern day Turkey.

What is interesting about this church is that it was mentioned several times in Colossians, Paul's epistle to the church in the city of Colossae. In it, Paul even mentions a letter to the Laodicean church, which is not included in the bible (some argue that it could be a letter from the Laodicean church). Anyway, this letter is either lost, yet to be discovered or is known but has been renamed.

Lukewarm

Neither hot or cold spirituality is the central point of this letter. As well as an attitude of being well off, not to be needing God.

Which by the way is an attitude and a condition common today, particularly in Western cultures.

Today it is also not uncommon to see huge or even mega churches, many of which are nothing more than country club style establishments. Some have teachings which cater to what their members want to listen to and as far away as from what the Lord wants to tell His people.

Anyway, bible scholars say that the seven letters of Revelations are representations of churches through the passage of time and that the last one, this letter to Laodicea represents the church right before the second coming of Christ.

I read the Word for what it is or for what is in the text than cater to whatever human interpretation is provided, but some interpretations are divinely inspired, so with the guidance of the Holy Spirit these can lead to Godly wisdom and fresh revelation, we believers need in our day and time.

So yes, let those who have ears, listen to what the Spirit of the Lord is saying. He is knocking at the door of your heart. Open it.

John 16:13

"When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into the full truth. He won’t speak on his own. He will speak what he hears and will tell you about things to come."

Letter #6

A Letter to the Church in Philadelphia

“To the messenger of the church in Philadelphia, write:

The one who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens a door that no one can shut, and who shuts a door that no one can open, says: I know what you have done. See, I have opened a door in front of you that no one can shut. You only have a little strength, but you have paid attention to my word and have not denied my name. I will make those who are in Satan’s synagogue come and bow at your feet and realize that I have loved you. They claim that they are Jewish, but they are lying. Because you have obeyed my command to endure, I will keep you safe during the time of testing which is coming to the whole world to test those living on earth. I am coming soon! Hold on to what you have so that no one takes your crown.

I will make everyone who wins the victory a pillar in the temple of my God. They will never leave it again. I will write on them the name of my God, the name of the city of my God (the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from my God), and my new name. Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelations 3:7-13

This second to the last letter, addressed to one of the seven churches was for the church in the ancient city of Philadelphia, today modern day Alashehir.

Again it is a letter of encouragement and blessing. But compared to the other letters, it contains no warnings. Meaning, the members of this church were doing the right thing.

One out of the seven churches is not a high percentage, but it does say that it can be done and that the Lord will reward those who follow his teaching.

This should be an encouragement to those who follow Christ and to claim that promise given to those who do.

Letter #5

A Letter to the Church in Sardis

“To the messenger of the church in Sardis, write:

The one who has God’s seven spirits and the seven stars says: I know what you have done. You are known for being alive, but you are dead. Be alert, and strengthen the things that are left which are about to die. I have found that what you are doing has not been completed in the sight of my God. So remember what you received and heard. Obey, and change the way you think and act. If you’re not alert, I’ll come like a thief. You don’t know when I will come. But you have a few people in Sardis who have kept their clothes clean. They will walk with me in white clothes because they deserve it.

Everyone who wins the victory this way will wear white clothes. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life. I will acknowledge them in the presence of my Father and his angels. Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelations 3:1-6

The fifth letter in this series is addressed to the church in the city of Sardis, modern day city of Sart (or Sartmahmut) Turkey.

Again, this was a short and straight forward letter, with its warnings, instructions and blessings.

It talks about being dead, as opposed to being alive. Alive meaning having new life, a life that is lived living in the power of and walking with the spirit of God.

Throughout my 50+ years of living on earth, I know of being alive and also of thinking of being alive but being dead -- physically alive but spiritually dead.

I have also been to different churches of many different denominations, and I have known, felt and seen dead churches, alive churches and those in various degrees in between.

Most churches though have embers of the fire of the Holy Spirit in them, and fire in individual believers, and this was a reason for this letter, as again it is not only applicable to Sardis, at that day and time. This is once again, a timeless letter without borders.

The letter says to strengthen those things which are still alive (so as not to totally die), to change the way we think and act and that the Lord will come back like a thief, not knowing when.

Alive vs Dead

Now in case we are still ignorant, to the Lord what is important is our intentions and our motives.

He is not interested in Pharisee style righteousness. In fact, He hates that.

So we could be doing all the "right" things and think we are alive but might not be.

The Lord does not look at these outward actions or appearances but instead looks at the heart. He is looking as to why we are really doing the things we are doing.

I know, we can fool people some of the time, but are we really such a fool as to think that we can outwit our Father in heaven even one time?

Again, if we have ears, we need to listen. Jesus is calling. The Holy Spirit is tugging at our hearts. And our Father has been patiently waiting...


Luke 15:24 "My son was dead and has come back to life. He was lost but has been found.' Then they began to celebrate." [They celebrated not before, but after he had come back to life].

Letter #4

A Letter to the Church in Thyatira

“To the messenger of the church in Thyatira, write:

The Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire and whose feet are like glowing bronze, says: I know what you do. I know your love, faith, service, and endurance. I also know that what you are doing now is greater than what you did at first. But I have something against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. She teaches and misleads my servants to sin sexually and to eat food sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to turn to me and change the way she thinks and acts, but she refuses to turn away from her sexual sins. Watch me! I’m going to throw her into a sickbed. Those who commit sexual sins with her will also suffer a lot, unless they turn away from what she is doing. I will kill her children. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches hearts and minds. I will reward each of you for what you have done. But the rest of you in Thyatira—all who don’t hold on to Jezebel’s teaching, who haven’t learned what are called the deep things of Satan—I won’t burden you with anything else. Just hold on to what you have until I come.

I have received authority from my Father. I will give authority over the nations to everyone who wins the victory and continues to do what I want until the end. Those people will rule the nations with iron scepters and shatter them like pottery. I will also give them the morning star. Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelation 2:18-29


The fourth letter in this series is to the church in the city of Thyatira, at the present it is the bustling city of Akhisar.

Although this letter warns against a prophetess named Jezebel, who was misleading the members of this church, it basically serves up the same warning as with the previous letter that was addressed to the church in Pergamum.

That letter also warns against sexual sin and eating food sacrificed to idols.

The most notable difference being the church members being mislead are being fooled by a female, possibly a member of this church and having a position or title, and ministers at this city.

This same kind of thing happened every where else and sadly still occurs today, regardless of location.

This just goes to show that the tactics of the enemy have been tried and tested throughout time, and because it still works, it is still in play up til now.

As in everything else, ignorance is no excuse. That is why it is important to expose these old tricks of the enemy so as to not be played.

Again, let those who have ears, listen to these warnings. Apostle Paul also warned against this in his epistles.


1 Corinthians 10:11-12

"These things happened to make them an example for others. These things were written down as a warning for us who are living in the closing days of history. So, people who think they are standing firmly should be careful that they don’t fall."

Letter #3

A Letter to the Church in Pergamum

“To the messenger of the church in Pergamum, write:

The one who holds the sharp two-edged sword says: I know where you live. Satan’s throne is there. You hold on to my name and have not denied your belief in me, even in the days of Antipas. He was my faithful witness who was killed in your presence, where Satan lives. But I have a few things against you: You have among you those who follow what Balaam taught Balak. Balak trapped the people of Israel by encouraging them to eat food sacrificed to idols and to sin sexually. You also have some who follow what the Nicolaitans teach. So return to me and change the way you think and act, or I will come to you quickly and wage war against them with the sword from my mouth.

Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give some of the hidden manna to everyone who wins the victory. I will also give each person a white stone with a new name written on it, a name that is known only to the person who receives it." Revelations 2:12-17

Continuing with the third letter, we read that this was for the church in the city called Pergamum, which is today in present day Bergama, Turkey.

Once again, this letter although intended for a specific church in a time and place that is so much different than ours is applicable to actually any church, past, present and future and a must read for all believers.

Food Sacrificed to Idols

In 1 Corinthians 8:4-13, Paul gave his take regarding this seemingly controversial first century issue of not partaking of food that has been sacrificed to idols. And so as far as a believer is free from the legalism of following this decree, it does fall on the point Paul was making when he said, everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Meaning as a believer, if what you do is causing others to stumble or fall away, then why continue doing so when you can abstain from doing so and be a good witness.

Sexual Immorality

The letter also warns about sexual sin, which have crept into the lifestyle of the members of this church. And again it is not hard to see why. Temptations are commonplace and once one gives in, it could become a habit. Thus the warning.

The letter mentions Balak and the teachings of the Nicolaitans, both of which taught carefree living such as eating food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality, without regard to any consequences. But again believers are held to a higher level and are light and salt. They should be aware that whether they know it or not, people look to them, scrutinizing how they live their lives. And the things they do and say affect others either positively or negatively.

For the third time, the letter admonishes to let the hearer listen to and to heed the promptings of the Holy Spirit and be blessed for doing so.


James 1:22-25

"But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it."

Letter #2

A Letter to the Church in Smyrna

“To the messenger of the church in Smyrna, write:

The first and the last, who was dead and became alive, says: I know how you are suffering, how poor you are—but you are rich. I also know that those who claim to be Jews slander you. They are the synagogue of Satan. Don’t be afraid of what you are going to suffer. The devil is going to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested. Your suffering will go on for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Everyone who wins the victory will never be hurt by the second death." Revelations 2:8-11

Continuing with the second letter, we read that this was for the church in the city called Smyrna, which is today modern day Izmir, Turkey.

From what we have read, this church was undergoing tremendous hardship for being believers living among those who aren't or among those who were different than them.

As with the other letters to the other churches, this applies to many churches anywhere in the world -- past, present and future.

Once again, this is a letter of instruction and advice -- "don’t be afraid".

This is a letter about what is happening and what is yet coming, so as to be a warning.

This is also a letter of encouragement -- "everyone who wins the victory will never be hurt by the second death".

And this is a letter of blessing -- "I will give you the crown of life".

So like the rest of the other letters, it is recommended reading, and not only that, it should also be reread as often as needed.


Matthew 24:9-13

"Then they will hand you over to those who will torture and kill you. All nations will hate you because you are committed to me. Then many will lose faith. They will betray and hate each other. Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. And because there will be more and more lawlessness, most people’s love will grow cold. But the person who endures to the end will be saved."

Letter #1

A Letter to the Church in Ephesus

“To the messenger of the church in Ephesus, write:

The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lamp stands, says: I know what you have done—how hard you have worked and how you have endured. I also know that you cannot tolerate wicked people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not apostles. You have discovered that they are liars. You have endured, suffered trouble because of my name, and have not grown weary. However, I have this against you: The love you had at first is gone. Remember how far you have fallen. Return to me and change the way you think and act, and do what you did at first. I will come to you and take your lamp stand from its place if you don’t change. But you have this in your favor—you hate what the Nicolaitans are doing. I also hate what they’re doing.

“Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the privilege of eating from the tree of life, which stands in the paradise of God, to everyone who wins the victory." Revelations 2:1-7

The last book of the New Testament is aptly named because it is a book of revelations. It is a book of prophesies -- some of which some have already come to pass, some happening in our present time and the rest are soon to be expected.

This book though starts with short letters written to seven churches in Asia, which in that time was in the land called Asia Minor, now modern day Turkey.

So much like Paul's epistles, John wrote these mini-epistles, which are letters of instructions, warnings, blessings and encouragement. Interestingly Paul also wrote to the church in Ephesus (in the book Ephesians).

And like Paul's epistle, this letter can also apply to churches anywhere in the world, past, present and future.

From time to time, let us reread this short letter and the other letters to the other six churches, to be reminded how easy it is for any of us to miss the mark, and how to get back on track. As well as to be strengthened with words of encouragement and to look forward to the blessings of God for those who listen and obey His Word.