Who is the true focus of Revelation? In this bonus segment covering chapters 1-3, we explore the glorious vision of the risen Christ and His urgent message to His people. Steve Gallagher explains why the 7 letters from Jesus to the churches aren't just merely ancient history - all of them can be seen in the global church TODAY. Are we asleep like Sardis or enduring like Smyrna? These warnings are vital for believers in the last days. Listen now to hear what Jesus is saying to you.

Host: Steve, as we continue our series in the Book of Revelation, we want to look again at chapter one, which we did in our last show. What is the primary focus of this first chapter?

Steve: There is no question that the primary focus of the first chapter is Jesus Christ. He is mentioned in almost every single verse in this chapter. Just as an example, look at verses 5 & 6 in Revelation 1. It begins by offering three characteristics of Christ and then it goes right into four things He has done for us. When it's talking about Him as a person, He is identified as the faithful witness and that's that word “martyr.” He was the first martyr, but it means more than that. It’s referring to the testimony of our lives.
       He is the perfectly faithful witness and the first born of the dead. This can have a couple of different meanings, but primarily it's just describing His relationship to the Father. Also, He is the ruler of the kings of the earth. And let me tell you, for those first century believers who heard this revelation and for the end time Christians who will go through the tyrannical government of the antichrist, that is very good news to know that Jesus Christ reigns sovereignly over the rulers of the earth.
       So, this description is given about Him immediately and then it starts to talk about what He's done for us. He has loved us. He's redeemed us. He has made us into a kingdom. That of course is what this book is all about. It's all about the creation and the inauguration of His Kingdom on earth. He's also made us to be priests to His God and Father putting us in that tremendous role of representing man to God and God to man. What an awesome thing that Jesus has done for us.

Host: Yeah. Amen. There is a really dramatic image of Jesus portrayed in the last part of Chapter. Describe that and tell us what the significance is of that image.

Steve: There is a vivid and startling image of Jesus Christ that John saw and wrote down in the latter part of the first chapter. And that is a direct throwback to what John experienced on the mount of transfiguration when he saw Jesus 's face shining like the sun and His robes white as light. That was a powerful revelation that Peter, James and John had of Jesus way back some sixty years before this. This vision that John has of Jesus here in Revelation 1 is very reminiscent of that one except that this one has much more detail involved. Since this description was given, artists have awkwardly tried to paint pictures of Jesus with a sword coming out of His mouth. That isn't the right way to see it. These are symbols that are describing different aspects of Jesus Christ, and those details will work themselves out throughout the rest of the book. That's why this image of Jesus is so significant to this book.

Host: Steve, how does the presentation of this image of Jesus relate to the seven letters that are coming to the churches?

Steve: John is in an ecstatic trance. He has come into the Spirit, and he has seen Jesus Christ glorified. Now Jesus tells him to write down what he hears. So he begins writing out these seven different letters to these different congregations, all of which John is very familiar with. And that's what is found in Chapters 2 and 3.

Host: You know, I can't put myself in John's place but based on the description that we have here of Jesus, it's like, man, these letters must be pretty important. Look who they're coming from. And He's telling John, “I AM is telling you to write these letters out.” We need to pay attention to what's in these letters. I've heard a lot about these 7 letters. I've heard a lot of people talk about them. I've heard that they represent different periods of church history. I’ve heard that the Laodicean Church best represents the Church of today. As you were looking at this, what became real to you about these 7 letters?

Steve: Well, it is true that dispensationalists have viewed these seven churches as representing various periods of church history. Personally, I don't hold to that view. I'll tell you what, if you look at the characteristics of these seven churches, you will find that every one of them are alive and well right now in the postmodern church. And when you think in terms of who this revelation is primarily aimed at, the end time believer who will go through the things described in this unfolding story, then you see the significance of these different letters being first written for those churches at the time, but then even more importantly to the body of Christ as a whole that will be alive during the end times.
       For instance, the Church of Ephesus were doing many things right. They were standing for truth, but they had lost their first love. Smyrna is a Church that was being persecuted. Today, much of the body of Christ is enduring terrible persecution in Muslim lands and in communist countries. You look at some of the other churches like Pergamum and Thyatira talking about the false teachers of their day and they are in abundance right now in the Church. Sardis has a reputation of being alive and thriving, but the spiritual reality that Jesus Christ saw about them was that they were spiritually dead. And then Laodicea, yes, absolutely would be a perfect example of the American Church. But you have to look at the whole global Church. You can't just focus on the American experience and try to confine it to that.

Host: Steve, how do these letters then speak to me as an individual, as opposed to a body of professing believers?

Steve: I think that every professing Christian will find himself somewhere in these seven letters. For some, it would be a matter of lost love. For others, they would have an undue tolerance for false teachers. They need a strong warning about that. For others who are facing persecution, they need a word of encouragement that a sovereign God is on the throne. So yes, these are messages meant for individuals who will be living through these difficult days ahead.

Host: As you've gone through the book of Revelation, have you found that God is really speaking to you as an individual? I mean, we can look at, “Okay, what are the worldwide events going to be? What's happening in the Kingdom of Heaven?” But really God is speaking to us individually. Those who desire to know Him and are longing for Him, He has a message for you and that completely changes the way that you read it. It must.

Steve: It's an excellent point you're bringing up, because what is being painted is a worldwide scene of epic proportions and yet, at the same time, a call is going out to you and me individually to walk through faithfully and consistently with the Lord.

Host: When you look at it that way, that just adds tremendous impetus to get into this book. Yes, it can be discouraging at times. It can be frustrating. It can be confusing. But Jesus, the one who was so gloriously described in this first chapter has something to say to me individually. So, no matter how difficult it may be, I need to get in this book and read what Jesus has to say to me. Especially in these last days.