Various: Revelation 2v10–11
‘Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.’ REVELATION 2:10–11
How do we make sense of world events? How can we have hope in a world at war, surrounded by injustice, persecution, and suffering? What is God’s plan to intervene? The book of Revelation is essential reading for all Christians as we seek to understand the world around us and our place in God’s salvation history.
Towards the end of the first century, on the small Mediterranean island of Patmos, John received a vision from Jesus that’s full of powerful imagery and symbolism and rich in meaning. Over the four weeks of July, we’ll explore the main sections of this heavenly revelation, starting with Jesus’ words to the seven churches in Asia Minor (modern day western Turkey).
The seven letters contain a pattern of praise, warnings, and promises. The seven churches, representing the whole of God’s church, are praised for their perseverance, faithful witness, and hard work. Jesus warns them against apathy, affluence, and immorality. His promise to the faithful is an eternity in his presence – they will receive ‘the morning star’ (2:28), Christ himself.
The cultural context of these letters is distinct and important to understand. The Roman Empire required its subjects to worship the emperor; from the metropolis of Ephesus to the financial centre of Laodicea, Christians were facing suffering and persecution for their faith; the temples to Apollo in Thyatira and to Zeus in Pergamum symbolised the strong culture of idol worship.
It was into this context that Jesus reveals the truth to the seven churches, calling them to faithfulness and warning them against compromise.
Our context is different, but the condition of the human heart is the same. We may not be persecuted for our faith or face pressure to worship a political leader, but our relative comfort can quickly lead to apathy and compromise.
What are the areas of compromise that you face at work or in your key relationships in your life? Take two minutes to pray, asking God to grow his church in faithfulness as we live distinctively for Christ.
David Walker