Letters

Did Jesus leave anything in writing? Although we possess no document written by His own hand, Revelation records seven messages He commanded John to write and send to the churches of Asia. Letters begins with that distinction: John held the pen, but the words and authority were Christ’s.

John L. Wheeler examines the letters to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea as communications to actual congregations in actual cities. Each letter is considered in its historical setting, with attention to the church’s circumstances, Christ’s description of Himself, His commendation and rebuke, His commands, His warnings, and His promises.

The study asks readers to hear what Christ intended His original hearers to understand before considering what those messages say to churches today. It does not require a timetable assigning each congregation to a successive period of church history. The letters already speak to conditions Christians have encountered across generations: suffering, compromise, diminishing love, spiritual deadness, faithfulness, and self-satisfied prosperity.

At the center stands the risen Christ among the lampstands. He knows His churches completely and calls them to listen. Written for readers seeking to examine these messages carefully, Letters invites the church to receive Christ’s comfort, correction, and promises with the seriousness His words deserve.