«And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you» (John 14,16-17).

Through the Holy Spirit, God became experienceable for all people.

John 16:8: “And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”

Although Pergamum was a centre of imperial cult and Greek god worship, the followers of Jesus hold on to their faith even after Antipas was killed for it.

But there were also people in the community who were looking for compromises.

In Pergamon and in Thyatira, some mixed religion with eroticism, although God always explicitly separates these two areas.

Instead of meat sacrificed to idols, the Pergamum believers should focus on the hidden manna.

Those who do not give up and hold on to Jesus receive heavenly bread (manna) and a new suitable name.

Revelation 2:17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.”

The first letter from heaven (Revelation 2:1-7) goes to the church of Ephesus.

The Ephesians lacked not faith but love. That made everything else questionable.

Jesus invites the church to return to devotional first love. The “first love” is a deep desire for fellowship with Jesus. The church is to return to this longing for Jesus.

The Nicolaitans mentioned tolerated sexual promiscuity, participation in sacrifices to idols and in the cult of the emperor.

Anyone who wants to win people over to the church with “worldly offers” loses spiritual nourishment.

Jesus promises the fruits of the tree of life to those who overcome (victors).

In Jesus people of all nations choose spiritual nourishment. A life of trust and dependence on Jesus and not on human strategies. A life shaped by a deep love for Jesus.

This is the conversion story of a Muslim, the son of a well-known Muslim politician family. His father was a minister, and his grandfather was the chief minister of an Islamic Southeast Asian state.

Jesus as the high priestly king is in the midst of his congregations.

I saw “in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest (Revelation 1:13).

Christ gives us his closeness. We live by the mystery of his immediate presence. This is the hidden strength in all our powerlessness.

The term “Son of Man” (Revelation 1:13) means “as a human being.” It is Jesus’ own designation in the Gospel of John, chapter 1.

He refers to Daniel 7:13-14 “With the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, … to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve (Heb. also worship) him”.

John writes in Revelation 1:4-5, “Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne and from Jesus Christ”.

John speaks of the Father, the Holy Spirit and Jesus. The goal of their revelation is: grace and divine peace.

The seven spirits or: “the sevenfold spirit” remind of Isaiah 11:2: “And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”

The spirit has seven names: the spirit of Yahweh, of wisdom, of understanding, of counsel, of might, of knowledge, and of the fear of God.

Seven again means a full whole. The Holy Spirit in all its fullness.

It is important to John that we first see that the Revelation is about divine grace and peace. God is trying to win back lost human beings for a life with him.

The clue of the Revelation is that John does not philosophize but writes what he sees and hears.

When our ears open and we begin to hear and understand what God wants to say to us, a great change is starting in our lives.

We get a new perspective. We recognize that God loves us and have good thoughts about us. Whoever reads the revelation with this view discovers in her a God who fights for people. Who wants to move them to repentance and insight in every conceivable way.

The book is to be read in the congregation (Revelation 1:3) so that people on the Jesus path receive comfort and confidence and focus on Jesus.

The last book of the Bible is not proposed for developing entire end-time concepts from individual statements, but for reading and hearing the whole context.

Nor is the Revelation written for everyone. In chapter 1:11 it says: ” Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches“.

It is written to people who want to get involved with God. People who align themselves with God and want to understand the Bible.

Seven communities are named. There were also other communities in the area such as Hierapolis or Colossae. The number seven is not restrictive, but stands for a completed, fulfilled whole. A book for all churches of all times.

John sees pictures, visions of things that will happen in the future. Therefore, he also uses expressions that appear in other prophetic books. If we would see the same vision today, we might would use different words. Sometimes he uses symbolic descriptions or synonyms, which again we need to break down. But then he also hears messages that were said to him.

John was silenced by the Romans with banishment to the island of Patmos.

From God’s perspective, however, this is a time that will bless future generations by write him a book (Revelation 1:11,19).

Jesus reveals to the disciple John what is about to happen (Revelation 1:1). The Greek word for soon can also mean quickly or suddenly. So when everything gets rolling, it’s going to happen in quick succession. It is important that we do not lose heart, because the message is:

I have everything under control and will fulfill and complete everything.