“To the messenger of the assembly in Sardis, write:

These are the words of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

I know what you have done. You have a name for being alive, and you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what is left, which is on the point of dying — because I have not found your work finished in the sight of my God. So remember what you received and heard. Hold on to it, and change your mind. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I come to you.

But you have a few people in Sardis who have not stained their clothes, and they will walk with me in white, because they deserve to. The one who comes through it will be dressed like that, in white clothes, and I will never wipe his name out of the book of life. I will say his name out loud in front of my Father and in front of his messengers.

If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the assemblies.”

“To the messenger of the assembly in Philadelphia, write:

These are the words of the holy one, the true one, who holds the key of David — who opens and nobody will shut, who shuts and nobody opens.

I know what you have done. Look — I have put an open door in front of you that nobody is able to shut. You have only a little strength, and you kept my word, and you did not deny my name. Look — I am handing over some from the gathering that belongs to the accuser, the ones who call themselves Jews and are not, but are lying. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and know that I have loved you. Because you kept my instruction to hold out, I will also keep you through the hour of testing that is coming on the whole inhabited world, to test everyone living on the earth.

I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that nobody takes your crown. The one who comes through it — I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never go outside again. And I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God — the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of the sky from my God — and my own new name.

If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the assemblies.”

“To the messenger of the assembly in Laodicea, write:

These are the words of the Amen, the trustworthy and true witness, the source of God’s creation.

I know what you have done: you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

You say, ‘I am rich, I have made it, I need nothing’ — and you do not realise that you are the wretched one, the pitiful one: poor, blind and naked. My advice is that you buy from me gold refined in fire, so you can actually be rich; and white clothes to put on, so the shame of your nakedness does not show; and ointment to rub on your eyes, so you can actually see.

I correct and train everyone I love. So take it seriously, and change your mind. Look — I am standing at the door and knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and eat with him, and he with me.

To the one who comes through it, I will give the right to sit down with me on my throne, just as I came through it myself and sat down with my Father on his throne. If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the assemblies.”