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Note that the seven cities of the churches in Revelation 2 and 3 make a semi-circle, with Ephesus on the coast, not far from Patmos an island off the coast. The seven churches are listed in the book in order that the messages would be delivered.

John was really kind to his messenger, giving the order of churches in the order of his route.

Seven Letters

 

Letters were written upon scrolls like this, and then delivered by messenger. It was read by the messenger to the one receiving it, because literacy was pretty sketchy in the ancient world.

Seven Letters As A Literary Unit

The seven letters to the seven churches make up a single piece of literature, in connection with the first chapter of Revelation. In the first chapter is the basic description of the glorified, powerful Jesus, which the seven letters refer to throughout.

The seven letters themselves make a chaistic pattern, where the first letter is connected to the last, the second letter connected to the second to last, and so on. The chaistic pattern can be seen as following:

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

Thus, Revelation 1:10 through the end of chapter 3 make a separate literary unit and can be read as such. However, they also fit within the larger pattern of Revelation as a whole, as these letters throw many hints of the troubles and judgments to come.

In a sense, these seven letters are the heart of the Book of Revelation, the action that is required due to the coming judgment to come. It is encouragement to stay strong in the mist of persecution, to resist the corruption of the world, so the church does not end up on the wrong side of the judgment in the eschaton to come.

Seven Letters for Seven Churches

Revelation 2 and 3 are a literary unit, containing seven letters directly from Jesus himself to the churches He rules. The letters follow this general outline (exceptions noted):

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

Each letter is meant to be encouragement to the church it is communicating to. Not a comfort, necessarily, but to build up courage to do what is right before Christ. For the church at Philadelphia, the letter encourages the church to keep up what it is doing and it is a promise of reward. However, for Laodikia, the letter is a severe condemnation and a promise of punishment unless they repent.

Is Revelation Strictly Jewish?

It is a common interpretation of Revelation to focus on the Jewish influence, with only a small amount of Christian influence on it. In fact in the Anchor Bible Commentary on Revelation, it is claimed that the book was written by John the Baptist, who only had a marginal idea of who Jesus was. And Revelation certainly has a strong Jewish influence, just like all the other New Testament books, having approximately 2000 references or allusions to the Hebrew Scriptures.

However, Revelation also is strongly influenced by Jesus teaching, as seen in the gospels. It reflects the same theological themes as Jesus, and even borrows from the gospels wholesale at times. For instance, both Jesus and John the prophet focus on persecution in a way that the Hebrew Scriptures do not. They both have a salvation by martyrdom theology, which can only be found in Deutero-Isaiah. Both reflect a dependence on God for vengeance, rather than taking up the sword oneself—a clearly Christian theme. And, more telling, the central part of the book of Revelation—seals, trumpets and bowls—reflect in its subject a borrowing from Jesus’ apocalypse, in the same order as Jesus. Thus, Revelation, while clearly Jewish, is strongly influenced by Jesus.