Whoever reads, and hears, and keeps the words of this prophecy are blessed.
It is a mistake to view the book as a revelation (apocalypse) “by” or “from Jesus” and not “of Jesus.” The NIV and NLT poorly translate it as from Jesus Christ. The book is a revelation of Jesus–Grammatically, Jesus is being revealed and is communicated by an Angel to John.
Seven is the number of perfection.
Questions:
Are the Angels of the seven churches the Pastors?
Are these letters to the Seven Churches futuristic?
Are they seven Jewish assemblies in the Tribulation and not historical or present-day churches?
Here are some principles of Interpretation in Revelation:
- The only sure interpretation is the one given by the text itself, or in an exact use of the term in other Scriptures.
- Meanings drawn from implication may or may not be true, and must be treated as conjecture.
- If a meaning seems to be correct but is not clearly defined, then ask.
– Is there a need to determine meaning?
– Is the conjectured meaning correct the first time the word or phrase appears in Scripture?
– Is the conjectured meaning ever contradicted in Scripture?
Enjoy!
