1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send [it] unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

Commentary:

Saying I am Alpha and Omega

These words have been omitted from other translations for apparently they are not in the original. The Revised Standard Version has "Write what you see in a book and send it to the Seven Churches..."

What thou seest, write in a book

John is about to see the first of many remarkable visions, the like of which no man has ever witnessed, and he is told to make sure it is carefully recorded so that others may be able to share these wonderful things.

And send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia

The order in which the churches are listed here in this verse and in chapters 2 and 3 represent the geographical sequence in which a messenger carrying a letter from Patmos, would reach these seven cities in the province of Asia. 'Acts of the Apostles', p. 585 says "The names of the seven churches are symbolic of the church in different periods of the Christian era. The number seven indicates completeness, and is symbolic of the fact that the messages extend to the end of time, while the symbols used reveal the condition of the church at different periods in the history of the world."

Unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Sardis, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

The seven churches are the first in a series of sevens in the Revelation. As applied to the seven churches, this number has a specific purpose. There were more than seven churches in the province of Asia but the Lord evidently chose the seven churches here named because they are typical of the condition of the church as a whole.

[link to bibleinsong.com]