The time is near (v. 3; see also 22:10)! Even though nearly 2000 years have passed since this prophecy was written, God says it’s going to happen soon. This is known as the principle of imminence, meaning Jesus could have returned at any time after his ascension. Paul calls it "the blessed hope" (Titus 2:13). The fact of imminence motivated first century believers, as it should motivate us, to live their lives in such a way that they would not be embarrassed if Jesus came immediately (Mark 13:34-37, 2 Peter 3:11-12). But why has it been so long? 2 Peter 3:8-9 tells us that Jesus is waiting for people to repent, but of course, he won’t wait forever.

It should be noted that where the Bible says "soon" it may in fact mean "suddenly". Jesus’ return would be like a thief, whose arrival is never announced beforehand nor expected. Thieves do their work suddenly and quickly, coming and going unseen.

In verse 8 Jesus introduces himself as the "alpha and omega" and as the one who "was, is, and is to come". These terms show him to be eternal, living, and returning. He then tells John to write down what he is about to see and send it to seven churches.

According to two different commentaries, the 7 spirits (or sevenfold spirit) refer to the Holy Spirit, since 7 is the number of perfection and completeness. The number 7 is found 54 times in the book of Revelation! The lamp stands could signify two things: the great difference in brightness between a lamp and the unapproachable brightness of Jesus, and the fact that there was nothing between the lamps and Jesus, meaning there is no hierarchy between the churches and Jesus. No one comments on why angels are represented by stars.

Ephesus:
Who were the Nicolaitans? According to Dave Breese, "Nicolaitans" means "the subjugation of the people" and refers to legalistic religious systems that seek to control outward behavior. Others say it means Balaamites, so they were believers who compromised their faith in order to enjoy some of the sinful practices of Ephesian society. Whichever they were, Jesus hates their deeds. What Jesus wants this church (and all but two of the others) to do is repent.

Smyrna:
This is one of the two churches for which Jesus had no criticism. The second death is eternal separation from God, which is "spiritual death" (of course, spirits don’t "die", so this is just a descriptive term).

Pergamum:
Verses 14-15 make a distinction between Baalamites and Nicolaitans, which is why I lean toward Dave Breese’s definition of Nicolaitans in the letter to Ephesus.

Thyatira:
This church is criticized for tolerating someone who leads people into sin. Church discipline must be carried out, even if it will cause turmoil in the church. Churches today are too willing to look the other way.

Sardis:
I believe this church is descriptive of churches today, because so few Christians are really expecting Jesus to return physically, "like a thief". Although there are individual exceptions, Jesus has nothing good to say to this church.

Philadelphia:
This is the only other church for which Jesus had no criticism. Verse 10 is a good one to use when defending the pre-Tribulation rapture view, because it shows that the church will not suffer God’s wrath.

Laodicea:
According to Dave Breese, "Laodicea" means "the voice of the people" and can denote a "democratic" church where the focus is on individual rights. Like the church at Sardis, Jesus had nothing good to say to them. But notice verse 19: Some people today say that if you are a true Christian you will not have any problems or lack anything, but this verse denies that (see also Hebrews 12:8).

Although these were all real, historical churches, they could also signify stages of church history, stages of an individual church, or the characteristics of most churches just before the Rapture. They could signify all three.