In speaking to the church in Smyrna He says that He is “the First and the Last, who became dead, and lived again” (2:8). The fact that He is the First and the Last means that He never changes. Regardless of how much persecution or what kind of martyrdom the saints suffer, He is the First and He is the Last. Nothing can change Him. You may put Him to death, yet He lives again. This title is seemingly simple, but it implies the creation, the First, and the completion, the Last. This also implies the Lord’s incarnation. If He had not been incarnated, He could never have been killed. This also implies His living on this earth. He was incarnated, He lived on this earth, and then He was crucified and He became dead. Then He lived again. Such a declaration implies the creation, the completion, the incarnation, the human living, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. This is a declaration to strengthen the suffering church in Smyrna. The church in Smyrna was experiencing and suffering martyrdom, and the only thing that can support the saints in their martyrdom is to see such a One who created and will complete the entire universe, who became incarnated, who lived on this earth, and who was crucified and resurrected. Such a vision sustains the martyrs to stand in their sufferings.
The third speaking is to the church in Pergamos, a fallen and worldly church. In this Epistle the speaking One has a sharp two-edged sword (2:12) proceeding out of His mouth (1:16). This sword out of the Lord’s mouth is to cut, to judge, to discern, to kill, and to slay. To the degraded and worldly church, He is the One who has such a slaying and judging tongue. If you know Him as such a One, you cannot be worldly.
The One who speaks to the church in Thyatira is as the Son of God who has eyes as a flame of fire and feet like shining brass. The church in Thyatira is a figure of the Babylonian church. In this speaking the Lord declared Himself to be the Son of God because this church says He is the son of Mary. He has eyes like a flaming fire for searching and burning and He has feet like shining brass for judging. All the people in the Babylonian church should see this vision of such a One.
The One who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars speaks to the church in Sardis (Rev. 3:1). The stars are the messengers, which means that the messengers should shine as the stars. In order to shine they must be full of the intensified Spirit, the seven Spirits. He has the seven stars and the seven Spirits as the supply to the stars so that the stars can shine.
The sixth speaking is to the best of the seven churches, the church in Philadelphia. He speaks to the church in Philadelphia as the holy One, the true One, who has the key of David, and who opens and no one shall shut, and shuts and no one shall open (3:7). To the church of brotherly love, the Lord is the holy One, the true One, by whom and with whom the recovered church can be holy, separated from the world, and true, faithful, to God. Also, to the recovered church, the Lord is the One who has the key of David, the key of the kingdom, with authority to open and to shut. Regardless of how much opposition there is, no one can shut the door. The key is not in the hand of the opposers, but in the hand of the One we serve and the One in whom we trust. We have to know Him and see the vision concerning Him. Regardless of how much opposition there is, the doors are increasingly open and the key is in His hand. Hallelujah for this divine fact!
The seventh speaking is to the church in Laodicea where the Lord is revealed as the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the creation of God (3:14). The final speaking to the churches is done by the Amen. Amen means “that’s it.” Whatever He says, that’s it. The Lord is also the firm, steadfast, and trustworthy One. Hence, He is the faithful and true Witness. Furthermore, He is the beginning of the creation of God. This means that the entire universe as God’s creation began from Him. The Lord is the unchanging and ever-existing source of God’s work. He was the beginning of God’s entire creation. Without Him nothing could happen because He was the beginning.
As the Amen He is the ending. In His address to the church in Laodicea the Lord declares Himself to be the Amen first, the faithful and true Witness second, and the Beginning last. These expressions in such an order show us that He is One that we cannot explain. The order of these titles is not according to our human logic. He is the Beginning of the entire universe, the Witness to keep the things going, and the Amen, the very ending. Whatever God intended to do, this will be. Amen! God wants a New Jerusalem—amen! God wants a church in Irving—amen! God wants you to be an overcomer—amen! Just say amen; do not say you cannot make it. God wants you to be holy—amen! God wants you to be a co-king of Christ—amen! God wants to have many churches in America—amen! God wants every church to be an overcoming church—amen! To all of God’s promises and to all that God desires to do He is the Amen. We should not forget that He declares Himself to be the Amen not in the first epistle but in the last epistle. He is the Amen! He is everything and He is amen to everything. We all have to see and know Him to such an extent. He is the One who is all-inclusive, excellent, marvelous, mysterious, and wonderful.