Here we have a truly personal letter, written by John to one Gaius. Gaius was a common Roman name, and there is no reason to identify the recipient of this letter with any of the other three people by that name in the New Testament. Here we get a glimpse of what was going on behind the scenes in the first century.

The book of Revelation is a book that speaks to our times (Revelation 1-3) and to the times to come (Revelation 4-21). In the opening verses of Revelation the stage is set for all that will follow. In quick succession, John prefaces the prophecy with the following:

Title (v.1) – The title of the book is taken from the opening verse, “The revelation of Jesus Christ” (NIV).

God’s final Word, and the triumphant message that runs throughout Revelation is, “Behold I am alive forever and ever!” (v.18) (NIV).

Christ is the Saviour who died and rose again (past), is alive and working in His Church today (present), and will come again (future). He is “the first, the last” (v.17).

Chapters two and three contain love letters to the seven churches. These are personal letters from Christ to seven churches that existed in Asia Minor in the first century A.D. The appeal of the letters is personal, but the principles and practices addressed have a universal application.

Pergamum – the challenged church. Despite the fact that the Pergamum believers stayed true to Christ’s name, they’re condemned for idolatry, immorality and imperiousness (vv.14-15). There were two doctrinal errors in this church; the doctrine of Balaam (see Numbers 22-25) and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans.

Although he was a king, David was no stranger to trouble. From the time he defeated the giant Goliath as a young man, his list of enemies grew. Many had it in mind to destroy David, to force their own ill-gotten agendas into play. He was a man after God’s own heart, but many were after his life.

Here’s a strange thought. Imagine if Solomon could see just a few minutes’ worth of television commercials. Okay, it would blow his mind, but once he got past that, I wonder if he would key in on a theme that runs deeply through our consumer culture.

In today’s verses, he’s warning against envy and dissatisfaction.