Revelation 1: 17-20

 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

“Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angelsof the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Jesus has instructions for John.

Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 

This verse provides a working outline of the book of Revelation. Chapter 1 includes what John has experienced (past). Chapters 2 and 3 discuss things that are (present). Chapters 4-22 describe things which will take place (future).

John is instructed to give messages to the seven churches discussed in verse 12: Ephesus; Smyrna; Pergamum; Thyatira; Sardis; Philadelphia; and Laodicea.”

The messages Jesus gives to the seven churches are applicable to us as well. We live in the same age of grace that the early church did. We face the same challenges, temptations, and trials.

Jesus wasn’t just speaking to the seven churches but to us as well. That’s one of the reasons John was told to write these things in a book—so they could be preserved for future generations of believers.

Next time, we’ll discuss the messages to the various churches