what does the bible say?
In the book of Revelation, seven letters are written to seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea (Revelation 1:4; Revelation 2–3). These were the prominent seven churches in Asia minor during the time in which John wrote the book of Revelation. All of these cities were in modern-day Turkey, near the island of Patmos, where John was exiled. Paul’s letters indicate that there were also churches in cities like Corinth, Thessalonica, Philippi, Rome, and others. While we can't know exactly how many churches there were by AD 90, we know that there were many small communities of believers scattered throughout various regions. Yet only these seven were written to because they were prominent churches of the time, formed a circular route for communication, and what was written to them is applicable to all churches. These letters would have been given to each particular church and then likely circulated for other churches to learn from as well. In these letters, Jesus specifically reminded the churches of His character, acknowledged what each church was doing well, and individually warned them of their sins and need for repentance or challenged them to action. The letters to the seven churches in Revelation call us to make application to our own lives today by remaining steadfast, vigilant, and fully committed to Him.