Letters from Jesus

Near the end of his life, the Apostle John was exiled on an island. Jesus appeared to him in a vision and instructed him to write down letters for seven churches. These letters are as relevant today as they were then.

John had seen and heard Jesus more times than he could count. So why did he fall on his face in fear when Jesus appeared to him during his old age? Joining David Wollen is Dr. Joe Stowell. On this episode they discuss how Jesus appeared to John on the island of Patmos and why, for John, the vision was so startling.

Ephesus looms large in God’s Word, and the Apostle John pastored this ancient church for decades. However, Jesus had a concern and a warning for them that still applies today. Dr. Joe Stowell joins David Wollen for a discussion about the letter from Jesus to the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7.

Jesus makes it clear to the church in Smyrna: Some of them would be imprisoned and some would face death for their faith. But Jesus is equally clear — DO. NOT. FEAR.

Some cities mentioned in the Bible are familiar— like Jerusalem or Ephesus. But what about Pergamum. Jesus wrote a letter to this church and said, they were living where Satan had his throne. What did he mean? In this episode, Dr. Joe Stowell and David Wollen open up Revelation 2:12-17 and the letter from Jesus to Pergamum.

Thyatira was a bustling center of business. The church was not experiencing direct persecution, but Jesus was about to send trouble their way. Why? Just one word …tolerance.

When it comes to spiritual maturity, there’s a difference between reputation and reality. We often cannot discern between the two, but Jesus does. In Revelation he says, “I know your works.” On this episode, David Wollen directs our attention to the church in Sardis in Revelation 3:1-6.

Jesus told an ancient church that he held a special key in his hand and that there was a door only he could open. What did he mean by this? In this episode David Wollen brings us into the second to last letter from Jesus to the ancient churches of Asia Minor in Revelation 3:7-13.

They were wealthy, successful, and completely unaware that Jesus was no longer among them. In his final letter to the churches, Jesus calls the believers in Laodicea to repent of their lukewarm faith and open the door to true fellowship with him. Today, David Wollen and Dr. Joe Stowell explore this sobering yet hope-filled message from Revelation.

What’s Revelation primarily about? Is it the future, the end of the world, the Antichrist? A closer read invites us to put our focus somewhere far better—the Lord Jesus Christ. On this final conclusion to the series, Executive Producer Troy Lamberth joins David Wollen to reflect on the impact and significance of the seven letters from Jesus to the ancient churches of Asia Minor.