The Sermons to the Seven Churches of Revelation: A Commentary and Guide.

by Jeffrey A.D. Weima

A top New Testament scholar, preacher, and tour guide to the lands of the New Testament offers an informed commentary on this challenging portion of Scripture with an eye toward preaching the text. Jeffrey Weima explains the meaning of the seven "sermons" of Revelation 2-3 and provides sample sermons that show how these ancient messages, despite their subtle Old Testament allusions and perplexing images, are relevant for the church today. The book includes photos, maps, and charts and is of interest to preachers, students, teachers, and Bible study groups.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies

304 pages, Paperback

Published July 20, 2021

About the author

Jeffrey A. D. Weima (PhD, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto) is professor of New Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he has taught for more than twenty years. He has taught courses all over the world and is the author of several books and articles.

Reviews

[Zach Hollifield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, really good.

[Steve Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. I loved Weima’s book on Paul’s letters, and I enjoyed this book on the sermons in Revelation to the seven churches just as much!

Related interviews:
- https://thetwotestaments.substack.com...
- https://youtu.be/UHANo2eBWE8?feature=...

[Ryan Storch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is profoundly beneficial in helping to understand an often misunderstood book of scripture. Much ink has been spilled on the book of Revelation. Weima offers a helpful volume for pastors, scholars, and teachers to engage with the text faithfully.

Weima points out that these sections of scripture, often referred to as seven letters, should probably be more accurately seen as prophetic exhortations. Much of his work is in the content of ancient letters. He also points out the common elements of these sermons.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding resource when preaching on the seven churches of Revelation 2-3. Weima is not pre-millennial but his work is such a pleasure to read read as he lays out options and arguments from the most recent commentaries in such a helpful way.

Regardless of where you land on the interpretation of Revelation and eschatology in general, this book is a must read for those preaching on the seven churches. Highly recommended for expositors!

"Weima has again written a detailed study of a New Testament text that is both comprehensive and a pleasure to read, both historically informed and theologically focused. He explains the truth of the gospel and assists pastors in their task of preaching the word of God. This is the best commentary on the messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 written in a long time."

—Eckhard J. Schnabel, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

[Nathan Marone]

This book has two main sections, both of which you can see in the subtitle: commentary and guide.

Commentary 5/5 - I found the commentary sections of Weima's book very helpful. He takes the time to break down each of the seven sermons (or letters, depending on whether or not you agree with his conclusions in the introduction) at the level of grammar, symbol, and history. He does a fantastic job of connecting the letters to each other and to the rest of the book of Revelation. He also interacts with a number of other commentators and their conclusions. You can read this commentary and get a really good idea of how biblical scholarship has approached these two chapters in Revelation over the years.

Guide 2/5 - The guide section of the book is a set of sample sermons that correspond to each of the letters/sermons in Revelation. They are designed to help pastors understand how to preach these chapters. I found the sermons a little bit redundant after the depth of the commentary, and therefore useless. Even if I were preaching these sections from a pulpit, I don't think I'd like to have his structures and applications right in front of me. I'd prefer to work those things out on my own.

[Sanjuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

In many ways, this book is very similar to Weima's previous book on Paul's letter writing conventions. Both books focus on genre and form as a method of analysis. Jesus' addresses regarding the seven churches in Revelation 2-3 are often referred to as the seven "letters" to the churches, but Weima, following his analysis of letter conventions in his previous book, argues that such conventions are completely missing from these Revelation addresses, so therefore they should not be regarded as "letters." Weima is reasonable to instead call them "sermons."

The introduction to the book deals with genre, form, and structure, and helpfully describes the "occasional" details in the sermons that are specific to each church. The successive chapters then serve as extremely detailed commentaries on each of the seven sections. The book is, in my opinion, most helpful to scholars working on the text in detailed fashion, and pastors preaching through Revelation. Especially helpful for pastors is the section at the end of each chapter on contemporary significance. A very helpful study.

[Jeffrey Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was preparing a study on the seven letters to the seven churches (Revelation 2-3), one of the books I used as research was "The Sermons to the Seven Churches" by Jeffrey A. D. Weima. It didn't take me long to figure out this was probably my strongest source.

Weima takes an interesting view that the messages to the churches are more sermons than letters. Each chapter starts off with a thorough and detailed commentary, followed by "The Contemporary Significance," which is essentially a sermon on this section.

One thing I like is that when there is a difference of opinion, he states each major opinion with their strengths and weaknesses before dealing with what he considers the strongest option. One case is with the Nicolatians, where he points out that there is so little written about them (only mentions in Scripture are in Revelation 2; only mentions in church history goes back to Revelation as opposed to an active group) that we cannot make a dogmatic interpretation.

I highly recommend this book if you're studying chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation.

[Brad Sarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very thorough and insightful commentary on Revelation 2–3, offering rich perspective on the seven churches. I had initially planned to preach all seven churches in one sermon, but felt prompted to slow down and take time with each one—and I’m so glad I did. Every commendation and correction from Jesus spoke deeply to me and to our church community. Weima brings strong historical context to each passage, yet he also shows discernment by avoiding the overhyped “recent discoveries” that some modern preachers lean on. His work strikes a helpful balance between academic depth and practical application. Most importantly, he highlights the grace and love of Jesus, even in his most challenging rebukes. Well done, Weima!

[Logan S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic resource on Revelation 2-3. Weima is a sharp commentator and pulls together vast amounts of data that helps understand the seven letters, excuse me, sermons*. Anyone preaching these letters needs this resource. It made me wish Weima would do a larger work on the entire book of Revelation! I first came across Weima in the Baker Exegetical series for 1-2 Thessalonians and found him to be a trustworthy exegete; this book only furthered that belief. Get this book!

[Jeffrey S. Harley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must Read For Everyone!!

I loved the practical, relevant, and applicability of the book. We I'm a makes the sermons to the seven churches in Revelation easy to understand.

This book helped me, and continues to help me, worship, cherish, and passionately serve my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

This is a must read for believers and nonbelievers!

[Guohui Zhang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to read. The author first digs into the background of the cities before explaining the theological aspects of the sermons. And after the explanation of each sermon, the author shares the contemporary significance of the sermon. A very rewarding experience I've just had.

[Jon Scott Birch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb. The most noteworthy commentary on Jesus' messages to the seven churches in Revelation and thus to the overall church Body throughout history. A powerful takeaway is discerning the difference between interpretation and application of Holy Scripture, particularly prophetic literature.

[Philip Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astoundingly good. Insightful and challenging.