Category: Scripture

Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. Thsi is the message from the One who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive:

“I know about your suffering and your poverty – but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.”

“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death. (vv. 8-11, NLT)

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven gold lampstands.”

“I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles, but they are not. You have discovered that they are liars. You have patiently suffered for Me without quitting.”

“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love Me or each other than you did at first. Look how far you have fallen” Turn back to Me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds o the Nicolaitans, just as I do.”

“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.” (vv. 2-7, NLT)

I, John am your brother and partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus. It was the Lord’s Day. I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said,”Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodiea.”

When I tuned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe and a gold sash across his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And His eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And His face was like the sun in all its brilliance.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if it were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one, I died, but look-I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”

“Write down what you have seen-both the things that are now happening and the thins that will happen. This is the meaning of the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and seven gold lampstands. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” (vv 9-20, NLT)

This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia.

Grace and peace to you from the One who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before His throne, and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the of the world.

All glory to Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding His blood for us. He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to Him for ever! Amen.

Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. Ans everyone will see Him – even And those who pierced Him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for Him. Yes! Amen!

“I am the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end, ” says the Lord God. “I am the One who is, who always was, and who is still to come – the Almighty One.” (vv. 1-8, NLT)

This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants the events that must soon take place. He sent an angel to represent this revelation to His servant John, who faithfully reported everything he saw. This is his report of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and He blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near. (vv 1-3, NLT)

But you, my dear friends, must remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said. They told you that in the last times there would be scoffers whose purpose in life is to satisfy their ungodly desires. These people are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They follow their natural instincts because they do not have God’s Spirit in them.

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.

And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do do with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives.

Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into His glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to Him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are His before all time, and in the present, and beyond time! Amen. (vv. 17-25, NLT)

Enoch who lived in the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about these people. He said, “Listen! The Lord is coming with countless thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment on the people of the world. He will convict every person of all the ungodly things they have done and for all the insults that ungodly sinners have ever spoken against Him.”

These people are grumblers and complainers, living only to satisfy their desires. They brag loudly about themselves, and they flatter others to get what they want. (vv. 14-16, NLT)

In the same way, these people-who claim authority from their dreams-live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings. But even. Michael, one of the mightiest of angels, did not dare accuse the devil of blasphemy, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (This took place when Michael was arguing with the devil about Moses’ body). But these people scoff at things they do not understand. Like unthinking animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and bring about their own destruction. What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.

When people eat with you in your fellowship meals commemorating the Lord’s love, they are like dangerous reefs that can shipwreck you. They are like shameless shepherds who care only for themselves. They are like clouds blowing over the land without giving any rain. They are like trees in autumn that are doubly dead, for they bear no fruit and have been pulled up by the roots. They are like wild waves of the sea, churning up the foam of their shameful deeds. They are like wandering stars, doomed forever to the blackest darkness. (vv. 8-13, NLT)

Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to His holy people. I say this because some ungodly people hav wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

So I want to remind you, though you already know these things, that Jesus first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later He destroyed those who did not remain faithful. And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. And don’t forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were , destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God’s judgment. (vv 1-7, NLT)

Dear friend (Gaius), you are being faithful to God when you care for traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you. They had told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God. For they are traveling for the Lord, and they accept nothing from people who are not believers. So we ourselves should support them to that we can be their partners as they teach the truth. (vv. 5-8, NLT)

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