Introduction to the
Seven Letters
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Welcome to this new chapter of Bible prophecy! Let's pray together:
Father,
We heartily thank You for allowing us to study more deeply the prophetic book of
Revelation.
May Your Spirit guide us, He who inspired the content of this book to Your servant John.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Revelation 1:1,3
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to
show His servants - things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by
His angel to His servant John (...).
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those
things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Right from the first verse of Revelation, we discover the purpose of this
prophetic work: to reveal to us the «things which must shortly take
place».
Moreover, a special blessing is granted to those who study this book.
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Revelation 1:4,5
John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to
you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits
who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from
the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.
From the island of Patmos (near the coast of Turkey) where he was exiled, the
apostle John entrusted the revelation he received to the seven major churches of Asia,
where he had previously worked as a pastor.
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Revelation 1:9-11
I, John, both your brother and companion in tribulation,
and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos
for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a
trumpet, saying, (...)
«What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to
Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.»
On the orders of a powerful-voiced being, John sent a letter to each one of the
seven churches of Asia.
Let's take a moment to locate those seven churches on the map.
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Revelation 1:12,13
Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me.
And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands
One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the
chest with a golden band.
Then, John saw the One who instructed him to send the letters to the seven
churches.
Walking in the midst of the lampstands, this being is described in a gripping way.
We can already guess who He is; indeed, His identity will soon be confirmed by His
words...
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Revelation 1:17,18
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid
His right hand on me, saying to me,
«Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and
behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.»
Romans 6:9
Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more.
Death no longer has dominion over Him.
So, the powerful being is Jesus Christ Himself.
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Revelation 1:12,13,20
I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the
seven lampstands One like the Son of Man (...).
The seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.
Matthew 28:20
[Jesus said]: «And lo, I am with you always, even to the
end of the age.»
By letting the prophecy interpret itself, we learn that the lampstands
symbolize the churches.
Standing in the midst of these lampstands, Jesus gives us the message that He will always
be with us, until the end of the world, faithful to the promise He has made.
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Revelation 1:12,13
I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the
seven lampstands One like the Son of Man.
Matthew 24:30
All the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see
the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven.
Daniel 7:13
Behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds
of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.
By using the expression «Son of Man», John
brings out the human nature of Jesus Christ, just as Daniel and Matthew did before.
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Revelation 1:14
His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as
snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire.
Daniel 7:9
The Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as
snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame.
But, by using the description of the Ancient of Days, who is God the Father,
John also brings out the divine nature of Jesus Christ.
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Revelation 1:17,18
He laid His right hand on me, saying to me,
«Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and
behold, I am alive forevermore.»
Isaiah 44:6
Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer,
the Lord of hosts:
«I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.»
A little farther on, John affirms once again the divinity of Jesus, quoting His
expression «the First and the Last», attributed to God
only.
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Revelation 1:16
Out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword.
Ephesians 6:17
And take (...) the sword of the Spirit, which is the word
of God.
Hebrews 4:12
The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than
any two-edged sword.
Jesus, who is called «the Word» (John 1:1,14),
appears with the Word of God in His mouth, ready to test our thoughts, words, and deeds.
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«What you see, write in a book and send it to the
seven churches.» (Revelation 1:11)
Now, let's look at the seven letters.
Each one follows an almost identical pattern. Here is their general outline, in five
points:
1. Portrait of Jesus, according to
the spiritual state of the church.
2. Praise, acknowledgement of the
positive points.
3. Condemnation, identification of
the negative points.
4. Correction, counsels to restore
the situation.
5. Promise, encouragement to
persevere.
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Revelation 1:10,11
I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying,
«(...) What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia:
to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to
Laodicea.»
We have just seen that the message of Jesus was addressed to the seven churches
of Asia listed in these verses.
However, Jesus' message is not only intended for those specific churches: its range is
much more extended, not only in space, but also in time.
Let's read the following verses.
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Revelation 1:19
Write the things which you have seen, and the things
which are, and the things which will take place after this.
Daniel 2:39,40
After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours;
then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And the
fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron.
Jesus shows that the letters to the churches also have a prophetic value.
Following the pattern of Daniel's prophecies, they will describe the seven stages of
Church history, from the days of John until the end of the world.
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Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to
the churches.
«To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life.»
Besides describing the situation of the seven local churches, as well as the
seven stages of Christian Church history between the first and the second coming of Jesus,
these seven letters are personally addressed to each one of us: «He
who has an ear, let him hear.»
They picture seven spiritual states that each Christian can experience throughout his
life, and then they give us the appropriate advice and encouragements.
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Revelation 1:1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to
show His servants - things which must shortly take place.
In fact, the very first verse of Revelation clearly shows that this book is
addressed to each one of us («to show His servants»), and
that it also has a prophetic range («things which must shortly take
place»).
So we shouldn't be surprised that the seven letters also show this double application,
both personal and prophetic.
May the study of these letters help us to grow in our Christian life.
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Let's pray:
Lord,
We thank you for having given us the book of Revelation, especially the seven letters that
You addressed to Your church.
Through their prophetic value, they will strengthen our confidence in Your inspired Word.
Also, through their personal application, they will be a source of advice and
encouragement for us, whatever our spiritual state may be.
May Your Holy Spirit guide us, as we study each one of these seven letters. In Jesus
Christ we pray.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
Screen 1: In: «Photo Gallery 25,000» by Media Graphics
International, CD #2, AC090.JPG. Screen 2: HARLAN, Russell. In: «Votre
Bible et Vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Press Publishing Association, p.286. Screen
3: In: «La Révélation - le grand dénouement est proche», New York, Watch
Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1988, p.7. Screen 4: BURGKMAIR, Hans.
«Saint John the Evangelist on Patmos» (1518), Alte Pinakothek, Munich. In: «Revelation
- Art of the Revelation» (GRUBB, Nancy), Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.11.
Screen 5: In: «Revelation Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #17
(«Prophètes et Visions Modernes»), p.1. Table of Screen 5: In: PORTER,
J.R., «The Illustrated Guide to the Bible», New York, Oxford University Press, 1995,
p.254. Screen 6: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred
History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM240.BMP. Screen 7: In: «The
Bible Story, volume 10» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1957,
p.170. Screen 8: HUTCHINSON, William. In: «The Bible Story, volume 10»
(MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1957, p.172,173.
Screen 9: STEEL, John. In: «La Sentinelle» magazine (April 1993), Pacific Press
Publishing Association, p.10. Screen 10: PROVONSHA, Clyde. In: «God
Cares, volume 2» (MAXWELL, C. Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1985, p.88.
Screen 11: HARLAN, Russell. In: «The Bible Story, volume 5» (MAXWELL, Arthur
S.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1955, p.151. Screen 12: MANISCALCO,
Joe. In: «Images from the Bible and Sacred History CD», Chosen Works, MLI Software,
JM231.BMP. Screen 13: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: «Revelation Seminars»,
Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #5 («Sept Messages Particuliers de Jésus»), p.1.
Screen 14: MEMLING, Hans. «Saint John the Evangelist on Patmos» (1474-79),
Memling Museum, Belgium. In: «Revelation - Art of the Revelation» (GRUBB, Nancy),
Abeville Press Publishers, 1997, p.9. Table of Screen 14: In:
«Revelation Seminars», Seminars Unlimited, 1986, lesson #2 («L'Etoile du drame de
l'Revelation»), p.1. Screen 15: In: «Revelation Seminars», Seminars
Unlimited, 1986, lesson #1 («Une Aventure Avec la Prophétie»), p.1. Screen 16: RUDEEN,
Herbert. In: «Uncle Arthur's Bible Book» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Review and Herald
Publishing Association, 1968, p.273. Picure edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen
17: In: «The Watchtower» magazine (February 1, 1991), New York, Watch Tower
Bible and Tract Society, p.1. Screen 18: OTTO. «The Ascension». In:
«Beautiful Bible Stories» (MARTIN, Patricia Summerlin), Southwestern Company, 1964,
p.450-h. Screen 19: In: «Photo Gallery 25,000» by Media Graphics
International, CD #2, AG115.JPG.
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The test of Lesson 21 is waiting for you!