The seven churches addressed in Revelation are named in the sequence of the ages, or time periods, they represent. These periods can vary in length a great deal, from a couple of centuries to over a thousand years, so they are not defined by the amount of time but by the main spiritual conditions of each period.

      The meaning of each name is also prophetic of that period. So, it may seem logical that all of the other “sevens” named in Revelation would fall into the same sequence and relate to these same church ages, but that...

“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" (see Revelation 1:11).

      Not long after John was given this revelation, these churches began to fade out of existence. So, why would the Lord’s message for the entire church age be sent to these seven churches? It was obviously not because of what these churches were or would become but because of how they prophetically foreshadowed the unfolding destiny of the whole church in this age....

       “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day” (see Revelation 1:10).        

      Last week, we covered a little about what it meant for John to be “in the Spirit.” This week, we will seek to understand what it meant that he did this on “the Lord’s day.” Because Sunday is now often referred to as “the Lord’s day” as the Christian Sabbath, it is understandable that many would think “the Lord’s day” was a Sunday. As we proceed through Revelation, it seems apparent that John was referring to much more than just one day of the week.

     ...

I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "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" (Revelation 1:10-11 NKJV).

      For John to be “in the Spirit” was for him to be in the spiritual realm. This is also sometimes referred to as the “kingdom of heaven.” This...

“I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and 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” (Revelation 1:9).

      John adds his perspective to this narrative by saying he was our brother and companion “in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus.” In this age, these are always found together with the true companions of the Lord. As we’re told in 2 Timothy 3:12, “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

      Being...