Home / Revelation: Verse by Verse / Revelation 2:1–17
The Letters to the Churches, Part 1
- Passage
- Revelation 2:1–17
- Taught
- March 9, 2025
Summary
The slides give the format of the seven letters: a description of Christ, a word of commendation (except to Laodicea), a word of rebuke (except to Smyrna and Philadelphia), an exhortation to a specific action, and a promise of reward for faithful obedience. They also review the titles of Jesus in chapter 1 and the five heavenly crowns.
The slides take the seven churches both as real congregations and as a picture of seven stages of church history, with Ephesus as the apostolic church, Smyrna as the persecuted church and Pergamum as the compromising church. Each letter is read in full, with its promise to the one who conquers: the tree of life for Ephesus, no harm from the second death for Smyrna, and hidden manna and a white stone for Pergamum.
Along the way the slides show the Asklepion site at Pergamum and explain the Chi-Rho symbol, a monogram of the first two Greek letters of “Christ.”
The three letters
The class read these letters:
- 2:1–7. Ephesus: commended for perseverance, called to return to its first love.
- 2:8–11. Smyrna: acknowledged in its suffering, told to be faithful unto death and receive the crown of life.
- 2:12–17. Pergamum: commended for holding fast, rebuked for tolerating false teaching.
The pattern of each letter
The slides summarize the first three letters this way:
- Ephesus: commendation for perseverance, a call to remember first love, and encouragement to stay faithful.
- Smyrna: acknowledgment of suffering, warning of imprisonment and persecution, and encouragement to stay faithful.
- Pergamum: commendation for faithfulness, rebuke for tolerating false teachings, and urgency of repentance.
Questions to talk about
- Have I kept the work of faith but let the love I had at first grow cold?Revelation 2:4–5.
- Jesus tells Smyrna not to fear what it is about to suffer. What do I fear most, and what does his promise say to it?Revelation 2:10–11.
- Where am I tempted to tolerate something I know Jesus hates?Revelation 2:14–16.