b)  His seven letters to the churches (2:1-3:20)

Jesus reveals the holy mysteries that even angels longed to see, as he explained to John what these visions mean, to avoid misunderstanding and to ensure that idolatry does not infiltrate the church.  As we have seen during our study of the introduction of this study, the truth of Scripture is proven by the prophecies and the revelation of the gospel throughout the ages.

Daniel 12:9  He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.

Joel 2:28 'And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.'

Amos 3:7 Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.

Zechariah 12:10  "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son."

Matthew 11:25  At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."

Matthew 16:17  Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."

Jesus makes sure that we understand what the seven stars and the seven lampstands mean.  The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, but we may rightly ask, who are these seven angels?

Jesus' luminous appearance is reflected and miniaturized in the seven stars that he holds in his right hand. The key to their identity lies in the fact that each of the letters is addressed to the angel of the church that is in each city and not the church directly that is in each city.  We also know that the Greek word angelos can be applied to human messengers, as we see in the following passages,

Mark 1:2  It is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way"

Matthew 11:10 This is the one about whom it is written: 'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'

Luke 7:24  After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?

Luke 9:52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him.

One may infer that the messengers are seven people who will deliver copies of the book to the seven congregations, but the order in which the churches are listed and the geography of their locales rather indicates that one messenger will carry one original copy from city to city from Ephesus north along the coast through Smyrna to Pergamum, then inland to Thyatira and south through Sardis and Philadelphia in the interior to Laodicea.  The angels cannot be mere messengers either, because they had special connections with the churches since Jesus addresses his encouragements and rebukes to the angels rather than to the churches.

We can make the case that these angels are the churches' pastors whom Jesus holds responsible for the congregations' spiritual welfare.  But we have to carefully consider two aspects of this argument as Scripture reveals it to us, namely, angels elsewhere in Revelation are always God's superhuman messengers, which is consistent with the usual meaning in the rest of the New Testament, and, although Jesus usually addresses each angel in the letters as a single individual, he sometimes switches to plural forms of 'you' in addressing the angel of a church.

Let's look at some passages where angels are portrayed as superhuman beings:

Revelation 1:1  The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.

Revelation 5:2, 11 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" ¹¹Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.

Revelation 8:2 - 12 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets. ³Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. ⁴The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. ⁵Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake. ⁶Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to sound them. ⁷  The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up. ⁸The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood. ⁹A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. ¹⁰The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water-¹¹the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter. ¹²The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.

Speaking to the angels in these letters, they are sometimes addressed in the plural form of 'you' refering to subgroups within the congregation and at other times they refer to the congregation as a whole:

Revelation 2:10, 14 - 15, 20 - 22, 24 - 25 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. ¹⁴Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. ¹⁵Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ²⁰Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. ²¹I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. ²²So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. ²⁴Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): ²⁵Only hold on to what you have until I come.

Here are some passages in which they are addressed in the plural form of 'you' referring to the whole congregation:

Revelation 2:10, 13 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. ¹³I know where you live--where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city--where Satan lives.

We see here a different image of angels than we have in the rest of Scripture, as if Jesus wants to evoke in John's mind something that means more than just mere 'messenger.' They are also not distant from the congregations that they represent.  These images of stars being messengers are the objects of Jesus' message; they are not mere couriers thereof; they are charged with protecting the people of God and bringing his messages to them, such as guardian angels.  Let's look at a few passages where guardian angels are revealed to us in Scripture:

II Kings 6:16 - 17 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." ¹⁷And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

Psalm 91:11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Matthew 18:10  "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven."

We see in Daniel 10 these same human characteristics ascribed to angels, referred to as princes:

Daniel 10:11 - 13 He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. ¹²Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. ¹³But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia."

The angel was literally detained against his will until one of the chief princes came to help him.  Scripture reveals to us the existence of an angel realm in which good and wicked angels continuously do battle and that the wicked angels would be bound and imprisoned.

Isaiah 24:21, 22 In that day the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below. ²²They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days.

The 'kings on the earth below' represent wicked nations that will be punished with their 'powers in the heavens' indicating that wicked angels align themselves with wicked nations.

In Daniel 10:20 the angel promises Daniel that he will return to the king of Persia,

Daniel 10:20, 21  So he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come. ²¹But first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.)"

So, the wicked angel of Persia tried to prevent the angel Gabriel from announcing God's will to Daniel, and perhaps this wicked prince wanted Daniel to become impatient while fasting and mourning for three weeks as we read in Daniel 10:2, 3.

It is not the intention to give a complete exegesis of the Daniel passages here except to contrast the characteristics found in the angels sent to Daniel with those of the angels represented by the stars in Jesus' right hand. Even though the angel Gabriel and Michael fought with the wicked angels of the enemies of Israel, they were still merely conveying the message of God's will. The angels represented by the stars in Jesus' right hand are more than mere messengers in that they are directly involved and responsible for the congregations, charged with a duty for which they will be held accountable.

Both angels and demons are creatures and their powers, though greater than that of humans, are limited. 

Just briefly: it appears as if there could be doubt concerning the sovereign power of God when one reads these accounts of angels being detained and that it required other angels to intercede, but the fact that an evil spirit associated with the pagan kingdom of Persia obstructed this holy angel's mission does not compromise the comprehensive power of God to achieve his will.  Let's read what Nebuchadnezzar confesses after his sanity was restored:

Daniel 4:34 - 37 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. ³⁵All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" ³⁶At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. ³⁷Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

John's vision has a different motif than the accounts of angels in the Old Testament.  From what we have shown so far, the angel of each church is not literally an angel, that is, a distinct spiritual being. Rather each angel is the church, viewed from the perspective of Christ's control over his churches:  The stars are in his hand.

It is challenging to think of the stars symbolizing angels, who in turn, symbolize the churches from the standpoint of their control by the authoritative hand of Jesus. This two-layered symbolism is not unique in the book of Revelation:

John sees the woman labeled as 'Babylon'.

Revelation 17:4, 5 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. ⁵This title was written on her forehead: MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Then the woman is symbolized as a great city, which rests on seven mountains, clearly recognizable as Rome.

Revelation 17:18, 9 The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth. ⁹"This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits."

Moreover, the interpretation of the vision makes it clear that the city should not be viewed as a geographical site, with shops, homes, and other buildings, but as a center of political and economic power and influence.

Back to the stars and the angels.  It could also be problematic if one considers the letters as addressed literally to angels because the 'individual' addressed as 'you' in most letters consists of a mixture of faithfulness and sin.  Scripture nowhere gives us any reason to believe that holy angels are anything but holy in motive and action, so the flaws identified in the letters are flaws not found in holy angels but in human churches, as anyone instinctively recognizes. 

Stars and lampstands both speak of the churches as reflecting the light of their King, but the lampstands highlight his presence while the stars emphasize his protective possessiveness. The glorious Son of Man, who lives among his congregations and holds their lives in his hand, has specific instructions and promises for each of them.[1]

More time than usual was spent on the study of the stars in Jesus' hand, so that we may not imagine that they mean something that we cannot support and confirm from the rest of Scripture.  It clearly points to the ministers and pastors that work in each congregation, emphasizing the awesome responsibility of these offices, not to be held in contempt or with disrespect.  The congregations, also, have to show respect and reverence for those ministers and pastors who are worthy of the office of 'star' in Jesus' hand.  Those ministers and pastors who abuse this office, measured against the truth of the gospel, are to be considered counterfeits and imposters and reaching to grab that which they cannot have, namely, a firm place in the hand of Jesus Christ.

Pay particular attention to the admonitions in the passages below for the consistent warning to test what ministers and preachers teach and discern the message whether it is from God, and whether the preacher is a star in the hand of Jesus.

Matthew 13:23 But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

John 3:21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Acts 20:30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

Romans 16:18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

II Corinthians 2:17 Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.

Galatians 2:4  [This matter arose] because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.

Galatians 4:17  Those people are zealous to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you [from us], so that you may be zealous for them.

Philippians 1:15, 16  It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. ¹⁶The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.

Philippians 3:2  Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh.

Colossians 2:4, 8 I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. ⁸See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

I Timothy 1:4 - 7 Nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God's work--which is by faith. ⁵The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ⁶Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. ⁷They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

I Timothy 4:1, 2  The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. ²Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

I Timothy 6:3 - 5 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching. ⁴He is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicion ⁵and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

II Timothy 4:3, 4 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

II Peter 2:1 - 3 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. ²Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. ³In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

I John 4:1  Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

II John 1:7, 10, 11  Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. ¹⁰If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. ¹¹Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.

Jude 1:4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord

Incidentally, this is why we believe that the Presbyterian form of government is scripturally correct and that it provides for the proper oversight of all the offices in the congregation of Christ.  The mission of a pastor or minister is not to be a sovereign power ruling over the congregation, but to remain in the hand of Christ as a star, reflecting the light and power of Christ as an angel charged to shepherd those over whom Christ is the Chief Shepherd.

We have dealt with the lampstands earlier in verse 12 and 13. It is important to understand the symbolism of the lampstands as we follow it from the Old Testament through to Revelation.

Exodus 25:31, 33  "Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. ³²Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand--three on one side and three on the other. ³³hree cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand.

Numbers 8:4 This is how the lampstand was made: It was made of hammered gold--from its base to its blossoms. The lampstand was made exactly like the pattern the LORD had shown Moses.

II Chronicles 4:20 The lampstands of pure gold with their lamps, to burn in front of the inner sanctuary as prescribed.

Zechariah 4:3 - 6 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left. ⁴I asked the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?" ⁵He answered, "Do you not know what these are?" "No, my lord," I replied. ⁶So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty."

Revelation 2:5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

The lampstands were hammered out of pure gold, signifying the suffering of Jesus on the cross. Similar symbolism exists in the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper. The light-giving functions of the lampstands prefigure the Light that would later be sent into the world.  Here in Revelation it is then not surprising that Jesus would be among the lampstands in this vision to illustrate his intimate relationship with his congregation.

Jesus is among his congregations with the stars of the ministers firmly in his hand, they being charged with the duty to go to all the congregations and deliver the contents of the letters, which we will deal with in chapter 2.

The address of the recipient of this letter and the identification of the Author are contained in this verse.  Jesus is identified as the one 'who holds the seven stars in his right hand' to impress upon the congregation that the angel that goes before them as their pastor is what he is only by the grace of God.

In absolutely every sense does Jesus know the heart of the angel to whom this letter is addressed.  It also admonishes the congregation that their hearts are known too and this letter carries with it the image of the sword that comes from the mouth of Christ, indicating the double-edged character of Christ's association with his church: blessing and judgment.

The following passages show the concern that Christ has for his congregation, and the admonishment to retain the truth of the gospel. Pay particular attention to the words of this verse of Revelation 'I know your deeds' as it remains ever-present as the basis of these instructions.

Psalm 1:6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Matthew 7:23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Galatians 1:6 - 8 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - ⁷which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.

Ephesians 4:14  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

I Thessalonians 1:3 We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

II Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness."

Hebrews 6:10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

II Peter 2:1 - 3 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them--bringing swift destruction on themselves. ²Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. ³In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

I John 2:21, 22 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. ²²Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son.

I John 4:1  Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Acknowledgement is given to their hard work and perseverance, what they have done so far and what they endured under the pressure of resistance.  When we dealt with verse 1:9 we covered the suffering and patient endurance of the congregation when John was on the island of Patmos.

The following passages give us an insight into the struggle that the apostles endured in their ministry, which ties in with Revelation 2:2.

II Corinthians 6:1 - 10 As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. ²For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation. ³We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. ⁴Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; ⁵in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ⁶in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; ⁷in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; ⁸through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ⁹known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

The wicked men that John refers to here pertains to the preachers who worked to deceive the congregation, as we have seen when we studied the words 'I know your deeds' in this verse.

Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Acts 20:28 - 30 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. ²⁹I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

II Corinthians 11:13 - 15 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

These false apostles failed the very basic test that they preached a gospel other than the one proclaimed by Christ and announced by Scripture. It's truly a victory for sola scriptura!

The spiritual character of the pastor or minister is of such a nature that he cannot tolerate wicked men but are infinitely tolerant of the burdens of the cross.  The love of Christ for his congregation is reflected in the love and perseverance of the pastor or minister in the shepherding of the flock of Christ. The following is a collection of some passages that reflect that relationship of endurance of hardships and perseverance in Christ.

Psalm 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Psalm 69:7 For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face.

Luke 14:27, 21:19 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. ^21:19By standing firm you will gain life.

Romans 2:7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

Romans 5:3 - 5 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴Perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Romans 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

II Corinthians 4:1, 16  Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

II Corinthians 4:16  Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

II Corinthians 5:9 So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

Galatians 6:2, 9 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

II Thessalonians 3:13 And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.

I Timothy 5:17  The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

Hebrews 12:3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

James 1:3, 4 Because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

James 5:11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

 

 

and represent the ministers of the seven churches.