By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou
Sunday, July 12th 2026
Sunday, July 12th 2026
As we said last Sunday, Christ appeared to the Evangelist John on Patmos, on the Lord’s Day, in His glory, in the midst of the lampstands, which are the Churches, holding in His right hand the seven stars, which are the Bishops of those Churches. This means that the local Churches are not human organizations, nor some human association, but are golden lampstands. They are golden because they hold fast to the Orthodox faith, and they are lampstands because they have the mercy and Light of Christ. The persons responsible for these Churches are the Bishops, who are stars because they are illumined by the Sun of Righteousness, Christ, and shine among Christians.
The Letters, which are sent to specific Churches of Asia Minor, are instructions and commandments which the Bishops must put into practice, and they also refer to matters that concerned these Churches. There is an interaction between the Bishops and the Churches. Thus, we have the God-man Christ, the Evangelist John, who knows the Churches of Asia Minor, and the Bishops of the Churches. This is the system of the administration and functioning of the Churches, as we see it in the first period of ecclesiastical life. In the course of time this received a particular structure, but its spiritual and theological content must remain, which means that the foundation is Christ in the Light; the Churches are golden (faith) and luminous (truth); and the Bishops are the angels who convey the truth, the faith, and the light to people.
Each Letter has common features and particular ones. In the sermons that follow, the particular features of each Letter will be analyzed, but here we shall look at the common features observed in all the Letters. In general, what we see is that the word of the Evangelist John from the beginning of the Book of Revelation applies to all the Letters: “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and who keep the things written in it; for the time is near” (Rev. 1:3).
Here those are called blessed who read and hear the prophecy, the word of God, and keep what is written in it; that is, those are called blessed who “read and hear through their actions,” which means that those are called blessed who hear and put into practice, as Christ said: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 13:9). The phrase “the time is near” means that the time of Christ’s coming is approaching, whether for each person individually through his death, or for everyone on the Day of Judgment. Following this initial observation, five common points appear in all seven Letters, showing that Christ has authority over the local Churches and watches over their life.
1. The first common point is that the recipients of the Letters are the “angels” of the Churches, who are the Bishops. It is written: “And to the angel … write.” Christ speaks with the Church through the angel-Bishop, since there is unity between the Bishops and the Churches. The Bishops are called angels because, just as the angels convey the will of God to human beings, so the Bishops convey the commandments of God to the members of the local Churches. Saint Dionysius the Areopagite also gives another interpretation: the Light of the Triune God comes into the world through the heavenly Hierarchy, through the ranks of angels, and the last rank is the angels. Thus, the first rank of the ecclesiastical Hierarchy, the Bishop, receives the Light from the angels and gives it to the other ranks of the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy; for this reason he is called an angel.
2. The second common point is the question of who the sender of the Letters is. It is written: “Thus says…” which indicates lordship and decisiveness. It is the word of the Prophets, when they heard a word from God and conveyed it to the people. Here, however, it is not some Prophet, but Christ Himself, the Lord of the Prophets, who gives commandments which must be kept by the Bishops and then by the members of the Churches.
This “thus says” is completed in each Letter in a different way, such as: “Thus says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands” (Rev. 2:1). “Thus says the First and the Last, who became dead and lived” (Rev. 2:8). “Thus says He who has the sharp two-edged sword” (Rev. 2:12). “Thus says the Son of God, who has His eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like burnished bronze” (Rev. 2:18). “Thus says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars” (Rev. 3:1). “Thus says the Holy One, the True One, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shuts, and who shuts and no one opens” (Rev. 3:7). “Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:14).
In all these expressions it is made absolutely clear that Christ directs the Churches, which are His own, and that He is the God-man, that is, God and man; He died, rose again, and lives throughout the ages; He has power and authority over the Churches, the Bishops, and the Christians. The Churches are no one’s property; everyone must obey Christ and everyone must keep His word.
3. The third common point is that Christ knows everything that takes place in the Churches, as well as the way in which each Bishop works. This is evident in the phrase “I know your works,” which at times has a positive and at times a negative meaning. Christ sees everything clearly with His eyes; He observes both the faith and the works, that is, it is not enough for someone merely to have faith, but he must live according to the content of that faith.
Christ did not establish the Church and then abandon it to His “representatives,” while Himself dwelling in the heavens; rather, He Himself observes and watches over everything, especially the works of the Bishops, who must express His will.
4. The fourth common point, found in almost all the Letters, is that the devil is present, warring against the Churches. In one place there is mention of the “synagogue of Satan” and that the devil will bring about persecutions; elsewhere there is mention of “the depths of Satan,” which the Christians have not learned; and elsewhere there is mention of the warfare which the Bishop and the Christians must wage against Satan and his instruments, but also against the passions and sins which come about through his instigation. This means that the warfare of the Bishops and the Churches against Satan must be continuous, through the power of Christ.
5. The fifth common point in all the Letters is the very important phrase: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches.” This phrase refers to all the members of the Church, and especially to those who have developed their spiritual senses in order to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.
This shows that the Holy Spirit speaks to human beings, just as the “mighty rushing wind” was heard on the day of Pentecost. Yet there must be people who possess a spiritual ear in order to hear His voice. Christ said: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 13:9). A spiritual ear is possessed by the spiritual person, the person who is “God-bearing,” the person who is “deified.”
From all this it becomes clear that the local Church is a spiritual “lampstand” that shines; Christ moves “in the midst of the lampstands”; the Bishops are the angels of the local Churches; but all the members of the Church, the Christians, must have spiritual ears in order to hear what the Spirit says to the Churches. In these five common points of the Letters it is clearly shown what the ecclesiastical polity is, what the Church is, what the ecclesiastical mind is, and also how the ecclesiastical and spiritual formation of the Churches takes place.
In our time, much is said about the Church and her work, about her pastoral activity, about dialogues among Christians, and about the social work of Bishops and Clergy. But all these things must be examined through the five basic points of the good organization of the Church. These are that the Bishops are angels; that we must keep the commandments of Christ; that we must have the faith that Christ knows everything about our life; and that we must be ready to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
