This seems a bit odd. Since when do human beings write letters to angels? And why would Jesus tell John to write letters to angels?
One possible solution to this mystery lies in the Greek word angelos. Like its Hebrew counterpart, malak, this word gets translated as 'angel' into English. This word's semantic field is, however, much larger that the domain of possible meanings for the English word 'angel' which represents it in our translations.
The primary meaning of angelos and malak is 'messenger' and can also be understood as one who has been deputized, dispatched, or sent as an ambassador.
Angels are included as referents of this word, not because they are supernatural or non-human, but rather because they are sent by God. In the text, the word malak is often used to refer to humans who have been tasked with carrying a message (cf. Genesis 32:3 and Joshua 7:22), and angelos is used in the same way (cf. Luke 7:24 and James 2:25).
So we may well understand the letters dictated to John as being addressed, not to supernatural angels, but to messengers, i.e., to the leaders of the seven churches. Richard Lenski writes that angelos
means "messenger"; so the prophets mentioned in Hag. 1:13, and the priests mentioned in Mal. 2:7 are called angels (messengers) of the Lord. While the seven stars match the seven pedestal lamps, and the singular "angel" is used in chapters 2 and 3, we need not think of only one pastor for each church; each may have had several "elders," who are collectively called a star and a messenger (angel), or one of the elders may have been the chief or the president. Although some regard this as an argument for the date of Revelation, the time being the turn of the first century, we are willing to let this pass. When each church began to have but one pastor is a question.
In each of the seven letters, Jesus gives Himself a different title. Each of the seven titles is derived from the vision which John sees in chapter one. An eighth title, faithful witness, is given to Jesus in chapter one. The title given Jesus at the beginning of each letter connects in some way with the content in that letter.
The titles are "him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lamp-stands," in the first letter; "the first and the last, who died and came to life," in the letter to Smyrna; "him who has the sharp two-edged sword," in the letter to Pergamum; "the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze," in the letter to Thyatira; "him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars," in the letter to Sardis; "the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens," in the letter to Philadelphia; and "the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation," in the letter to Laodicea.
The seven cities, in order they are mentioned, roughly bound an area which approximates the Roman province of Asia. This province would correspond to the western end of Turkey, i.e., to Ionia plus a bit of the inland territory to east. The modern reader may not in any way think of this as 'Asia' in the sense of 21st-century English usage. Richard Lenski continues:
The order in which the letters are dictated is that found in 1:11; it is geographical and has nothing to do with a prophetic, chronological succession of churches and church conditions to the end of time. The seven churches and their varying conditions existed simultaneously when Jesus dictated these letters in the year 95. They are typical of the conditions obtaining in the churches of all time irrespective of the number that at any time may belong to the one type or to another.
In each letter, Jesus makes one or more observations about the church in question. The observations may be complimentary or rebuking, or a mixture of the two. The letters are addressed to the leaders of the congregation, but by implication, also to the entire church. When the observations are complementary, we must not allow them to be understood as implying that the church has earned approval, but rather that the Holy Spirit has been at work in this church. When the observations are critical, we may not allow them to be understood as a call to human effort, which is futile and displeasing to God, but rather as announcement of what the Holy Spirit will reform among the congregants if they refrain from preventing it. Lenski notes that more than one congregation may constitute a church:
Ephesus lies nearest to Patmos and is thus made the first in the series. The church in Ephesus may include more than one congregation of this large city. So the angelos may include the entire eldership although many think of only one pastor, the head pastor or bishop. This is true with regard to each of the seven churches: Jesus dictates the letters; John takes the dictation and writes as the dictation proceeds.
The criticisms and complements vary from church to church: Sardis and Laodicea receive sterner criticisms than the others. There is no attempt to be artificially even-handed, and thereby keep the level of criticism roughly the same from letter to letter. The criticisms are quite specific to the concrete situations of the churches, and yet general spiritual lessons can be extracted from them. The churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia receive sympathetic appraisals. Thus we see, while the form is very similar, the content varies substantially. Lenski describes the form:
The seven letters are alike in having a form of their own. The same command to John to write precedes each one. They do not have the common epistolary form; there is no greeting in the nominative, followed by a dative, etc.
Following the observations, instructions are given to each congregation. These imperatives may be seen, at least in part, as correctives to any negative observations which that church may have received. The instructions, penultimate in the letter, are an extension of the beginning of the letter, which is dictated as a command. At the start of each letter, the command to write is given,
and a name for him who "declares theses things." This is stated in the third person.
Following the command to take dictation, and an identification of the recipient of the letter, that third-person title is followed by the first-person observations. The use of the verb 'know' in these observations reminds us of the Scriptural sense of 'knowledge' - both a Kennen and a Wissen, both experiential and factual: Jesus knows His people well, and He knows all about them. Lenski notes:
"I know," in the first person, followed by a statement of the condition of the church, after which come promises, threatening warnings, etc. At or near the end appears the refrain: "The one having an ear, let him hear," etc., and the promise to "the one conquering."
A promised blessing constitutes the end of each letter. We may not think of the blessing as earned or merited by the churches, but rather as freely given by the Holy Spirit. It is incumbent upon the churches not to resist the Spirit's work among them, but that does not constitute earning. A refrain at the end of each letter is "he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." This refrain can be taken as a hint that these messages are relevant not only to the year 95 A.D. and not only to the seven churches listed, but rather to the Body Christ throughout time and space. The principles are general, while the applications are specific:
In the case of each letter the Lord designates himself in terms that are taken from chapter 1, and each of the designations is different. Each designation has its individual bearing on the individual church addressed. The reference to the seven stars (1:16) appears also in 3:1.
There are several things which the exegete must ever bear in mind. One of them is that John's Revelation was given to comfort the followers of Jesus. The promises at the end of each letter can do this only if they are not strictly conditional on human effort. It does not comfort people to tell them what they must do to earn God's love; it comforts them to tell them that God already loves them, and His Spirit will work gratitude in their hearts, and will cause them to act in god-pleasing ways out of gratitude. Legalism, and the notion that one must perform works in order to gain or merit God's favor, do not comfort. Grace comforts. Freely-given forgiveness comforts. Unearned favor comforts. God gives gifts generously: this fact comforts.
