A Revelation Invitation

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”(Revelation 1:10-11 ESV)

Before the days of telephones, emails and Zoom calls, as well as trains, planes and automobiles, imagine walking a letter from Providence, Rhode Island to Boston, Massachusetts by foot or even on horseback along the old Post Road. The brothers and sisters in Providence had received a letter that was also addressed to the church in Boston. From there the letter was delivered to the remainder of the addressees: the churches in Nashua, New Hampshire, Worcester and Springfield, Massachusetts, and Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut. This journey of about 280 miles is approximately the distance traveled to visit the the seven cities listed above.

John reports that he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, that is, on a Sunday. Even in exile John defiantly observed the day that Jesus had been raised from the dead, the ultimate act of defiance. As he worshiped and remembered, he heard a loud voice like a trumpet. This experience “in the Spirit” was not simply a private encounter meant only for his own edification. No, he was being commissioned to share. He was in the Spirit in the sense that he became hyper-aware of God’s presence, his holiness and his will. He realized that the Spirit was appointing him as a messenger to God’s people. They must be warned of the dangers ahead and of the ethical expectation needed to confront those dangers.

Seven cities. Seven churches. Seven, the number of completeness, indicating that these seven were representative of all of Christ’s churches everywhere and for all times. They are a mirror into which we must peer to examine ourselves. What dangers lie ahead? What expectations does Christ have for us? What assurances of victory does God make. The vision has just begun. We should continue reading.

Dear Lord, you have my attention. Speak to me through these churches. Speak to me through your encouragements and criticisms. Reveal your will to me so that I may be a witness to you in this world without become part of the world. Amen.