The voice said, “Write what you see on a scroll and send it to the seven churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
“Write this to the angel of the church in Sardis: These are the words of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and has the seven stars in his hand. ‘I know what you’ve been doing. You have a reputation for being alive, but you’re dead.
From John. To the seven churches in the province of Asia. May you receive grace and peace from the one who is, and who was, and who is to come; from the seven spirits that are in front of God’s throne;
“Write this to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: These are the words of the one who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. No one can shut what he opens, and no one can open what he shuts.
“Write this to the angel of the church in Thyatira: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze.
The one who was sitting on the throne said, “I’m making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down. You can trust these words, because they’re true.”
Then the angel told me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” Then he added, “These are the true words of God.”
Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die as believers in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, and they’ll be rewarded for what they’ve done.”
I was about to write down what they said when they spoke, but I heard a voice from heaven tell me, “Seal up what the seven thunders said, and don’t write it down.”
As I told you when I went into Macedonia, I want you to stay there in Ephesus. I need you to command certain people not to teach things that aren’t true and not to spend their time on made-up stories
If I fought wild animals in Ephesus with nothing more than human hopes, then what did I gain by that? If the dead aren’t raised, “Let us eat and drink, because tomorrow we’ll die.”
One of the women who listened to us was named Lydia. She was from the city of Thyatira, and she had a business selling purple cloth. She already believed in God, and the Lord opened her heart to accept Paul’s message.
The seven stars you saw in my right hand have a hidden meaning, and so do the seven golden lampstands. The stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the lampstands you saw are the seven churches.
“Write this to the angel of the church in Ephesus: These are the words of the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.