Notes on Letters in Revelation 2-3 Intro

Pattern of the letters—
Command to write to an angel of a church
Christ’s self description
Commendation of a church’s good works (Except Laodikia)
Accusation due to sin (Except Smyrna and Philadelphia)
Exhortation to repent with a warning of judgment/or an encouragement
“He who has an ear…”
Promise to the victors

Chistic formula:
Ephesus-- Condemned
Smyrna—Approved
Pergamum—Some condemned, some approved
Thyatira—Some condemned, some approved
Sardis—Some condemned, some approved
Philadelphia—Approved
Laodikia-- Condemned

Themes in all the letters:
Angel: The letters are sent to the angel of the church. While “angel” could mean a human messenger, the word is never used in Revelation in this sense. It is always intended as the spirit that represents a particular entity. So the letters are sent to the representative of each city church/Christian synagogue that stands before Christ.

Church as a unit: Although each city church is spoken to as a unit, each individual within the church is judged individually. Most of the churches are of one mind to such a degree that they are either condemned or approved of as a unit. But Thyatira, especially, is divided between those who listen to false teachers and those who do not. While the former are roundly condemned, the latter are completely approved of.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”—This phrase is used in every letter. It is a phrase used to call attention to the significance of each letter. It is based on Jesus’ commonly used phrase, “He who has an ear, let him hear.” This means if one has the ability to physically hear then that one should pay attention because this is important. The addition, “what the Spirit says to the churches” makes it clear that this is a prophecy that John is receiving from the Spirit and it is being given to Jesus’ churches.

“Church”—The word used is “ekklesia” which literally means a congregation, and in the OT is often used of the congregation of Israel, namely those who are able to enter the temple. These are speaking of Jesus synagogues (synagogue is a synonym of ekklesia in Semetic Koine). It could be translated as “congregation.”