“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 3:22)
When Christ says, “He who has an ear to hear let him hear what the spirit says to the churches,” that is what the Greek literally says. But what it most closely approximates in the English is, “Now, think through what I have said.”
This phrase only appears a couple of other times in the Bible—three times in Mark and once in Luke. But it appears almost twice that many times in just two chapters of the book of Revelation. If God says something once, we need to pay attention to it. If He repeats it even one or two times more, then what He has to say, He is drawing attention to, and it is very important! But, IF HE SAYS IT SEVEN TIMES IN TWO CHAPTERS, THEN HE IS DEFINITELY TRYING TO GET OUR ATTENTION.
Revelation 2 and 3, when combined with Christ’s discourses in the Olivet Prophecy (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21) shows Christ’s concern regarding WHAT HIS PEOPLE SHOULD BE FOCUSING ON JUST PRIOR TO THE END. Christ’s vision of the times we live in was clear enough to foresee that we would have more distractions to pull away our attention than at any other time in the history of man. He could see that the ease and world-wide ability of communication would attract our senses, and it would be difficult for us to keep ourselves focused on our prime concern (we see people “glued” to their cell phones everywhere).
Not that it would be difficult for us to keep focused on the outworking of prophecy. The book of Revelation is devoted to prophecy, and just about every Christian seems to be concerned with it, as everybody wants to have insight into what is going to happen. We want to have advanced news because it stimulates our interest. Perhaps some vanity is involved because we want to know before somebody else does so that we might have the privilege of telling them what we understand about prophecy.
But this, giving us insight into the future, was probably not Christ’s primary reason for inspiring the book of Revelation. Something else is exceedingly more important, and most of it is contained in chapters 2 and 3, right at the beginning of the book. The most important part of Christ’s revelation is contained in the letters to the seven churches.
In this confusing world, what is difficult IS KEEPING OUR PERSONAL LIFE FOCUSED, yet it is a responsibility each one of us has before God. No one else can do it for us. Individually, WE MUST MAKE THE CHOICES ABOUT WHAT WE WILL DO WITH OUR TIME AND ENERGIES. This is what Revelation 2 and 3 is concerned with.
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other… Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat [fellowship] with that person, and they with me.” (Rev. 3:15, 20)
“…HOLD FAST WHAT YOU HAVE UNTIL I COME. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.” (Rev. 2:25-27)
Let’s open our ears and listen…Bill Stockham