Ii. The Letters To The Churches (2:1 - 3:22)
II. THE LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES (2:1 - 3:22)
Some interpreters (e.g. Kiddle) take the seven letters to the churches as purely a literary device. They see the message as addressed to the church at large, with the division into seven as purely artificial. Others take the churches to stand for periods in history, Ephesus representing the first century, Smyrna the period of persecution, Pergamum the age of Constantine, Thyatira the Middle Ages, Sardis the Reformation era, Philadelphia the time of the modern missionary movement, and Laodicea the apostasy of the last days (see Smith). Such views are unlikely. It seems much more probable that the letters are letters to real churches, all the more so since each of the messages has relevance to what we know of conditions in the city named. This does not mean that the letters originally circulated as individual units (though Charles takes this view). None is a complete letter. They were probably in this book from the first, and were intended to be read by others than members of the churches named. John has addressed himself to the needs of the little churches, but has dealt with topics which have relevance to God’s people at all times and in all places. He is writing to the churches, but he is also addressing the church as a whole.
There is a general pattern to the letters which we may set out as follows:
1. A greeting: ‘To the angel of the church in...’.
2. . A title of the risen Christ, usually taken from the description in chapter 1.
3. . A section headed ‘I know’ introducing praise for what is good in the church’s record (not in the case of Laodicea).
4. . A criticism of the church (not in the case of Smyrna nor Philadelphia).
5. A warning.
6. An exhortation beginning, ‘He who has an ear ...’.
7. A promise beginning with something like ‘To him who overcomes I will give ...’. In the last four letters the order of 6 and 7 is reversed.
A further pattern is to be discerned in the sevenfold arrangement. Churches 1 and 7 are in grave danger, churches 2 and 6 are in excellent shape, churches 3, 4 and 5 are middling, neither very good nor very bad.