| The Seven Churches | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ephesus | Smyrna | Pergamos | Thyatira | Sardis | Philadelphia | Laodicea |
There is a common format to the
message
given to each church.
Previous verse Next verse1"To the messenger of the church in Ephesus, write:
Previous verse Next verse2I know what you have done--how hard you have worked and how you have endured. I also know that you cannot tolerate wicked people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not apostles. You have discovered that they are liars.
* how hard you have worked and how you have endured
Endurance results in God's compassion and mercy.
According to Proverbs 8:13, if you fear the Lord, then you hate evil. Ephesus did not put up with these wicked people.
Previous verse Next verse3 You have endured, suffered trouble because of my name, and have not grown weary.
What did the church endure for Christ's sake? Acts 5:37-42 describes the beatings and reprimands to be silent.
The church had not grown weary of holding forth the word in Christ's
name NOT in the names of "transient apostles".
4 However, I have this against you: The love you had at first is gone.
It is not clear what was meant by "LOVE you had at FIRST". It may have referred to the original love the members at the church at Ephesus had for each other. Organization and "church" activities probably had replaced the "first love" as the church had grown.
On the other hand, the "love you had at first" may have referred to their "inner devotion" to Christ. Again "things" had become more important.
The apostle Paul retained his first love. In fact, it became stronger, broader, richer, deeper, and truer - Philippians 3:7-11.
"LOVE you had a FIRST" isIf you have "lost your first love", He, Jesus Christ, has "somewhat against you." If you never have had that "first love", now is the time to get that first love.
* exclusive - It excludes the world and the flesh and
resists the devil.
* makes Jesus Christ preeminent - Keep seeking the things
above, where Christ is.
Colossians 3:1-4.
* very active - It seeks to please the Lord Jesus Christ
by keeping His words. John 14:21-24.
Previous verse Next verse5 Remember how far you have fallen. Return to me and change the way you think and act, and do what you did at first. I will come to you and take your lamp stand from its place if you don't change.
There is a parallel incident recorded in the Old Testament in 2 Chronicles 12:1-14 where King Rehoboam "forsook the law of the Lord". As a result, God allowed the King of Egypt to conquer Rehoboam and plunder the treasures of the house of the Lord, the temple.
Rehoboam never did the deeds he did at first. In fact, he did evil because he did not set his heart to seek the Lord (v. 14).
if you don't CHANGE.
Previous verse Next verse6 But you have this in your favor--you hate what the Nicolaitans are doing. I also hate what they're doing.
John, the author, warns about these in 1 John 4:1-3. Furthermore, John indicates that deception is the great trademark of the Devil - 2 John 6-10. The church at Ephesus was aware of these false prophets and had "hated their deeds" but not the people themselves.
Previous verse Next verse7 "Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the privilege of eating from the tree of life, which stands in the paradise of God, to everyone who wins the victory.
Even at the end, this TREE OF LIFE is shown as straddling the river of life flowing from the throne (Revelation 22:2). Lastly, anyone who takes away from the words of this Revelation prophesy will have their part in the tree of life removed (Revelation 22:18-19).
The TREE OF LIFE is symbolically the source of our eternal life. This place of fellowship and sustenance for the victor is no longer forbidden or hidden.
Previous verse Next verse8"To the messenger of the church in Smyrna, write:
Recalling that Smyrna is derived from "myrrh" or sweet fragrance,
Paul
uses that expression of fragrance in 2
Corinthians 2:14-16. We, as believers, are a fragrance in this
world
(especially among the stench of death).
Previous verse Next verse9 I know how you are suffering, how poor you are--but you are rich. I also know that those who claim to be Jews slander you. They are the synagogue of Satan.
`I knowTribulation can take many forms. Paul in Hebrews 10:32-39 talks about public reproach and seizure of property. Many of us Christians have not experienced tribulation like that -- are we ashamed of the gospel of Christ?
(a) how you are SUFFERING,
(b) how POOR you are -- but you are rich.The world may consider us physically POOR, but we have riches which they cannot understand. As John puts it in 1 John 2:15-17, if we don't love the world, earthly wealth just doesn't matter. Furthermore, Isaiah says that God revives the lowly (poor) in spirit in Isaiah 57:14-15. In fact, this is a condition that God really seeks as explained in Isaiah 66:1-2.
Consider that even while Christ had/has all the riches of heaven, He took on the form of man (what a step down to poverty!) just for us - 2 Corinthians 8:9. That is why he could say in Matthew 10:37-39 that one finds life after they lose it for Christ's sake. You, too, can find your life.
(c) I also know that those who claim to be Jews SLANDER you.Ephesus had apostles who weren't apostles, and Smyrna had Jews who really were not.
They are the SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN.
The SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN shows for the first time in Revelation who the real perpertrator of persecution is. There is an equivalence shown here:
False prophets = ministers of SatanThese "Judaizers" believed in salvation by works. That will never do as they find out in the message to the church at Philadelphia.
False Jews = synagogue of Satan.
Previous verse Next verse10 Don't be afraid of what you are going to suffer. The devil is going to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested. Your suffering will go on for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
On the human physical level, the Christian is expected to suffer for their beliefs - 1 Peter 1:3-9. Suffering purifies and reveals the true metal of the believer. If that suffering includes death, a special martyr's grace is given at that time.
It is a mystery that the One with all power and control PERMITS the devil to test some Christians in this way. It is as though God gives the devil his best shot at trying to bring us down.
It is interesting that tribulation usually brings about the spread of the Gospel. That is, when Christians suffer trials, they move to get away. Yet God uses them in their new location to witness for Him.
It is not clear what is the signifigance of the ten days. It may be equated to the 10 periods of tribulation or 10 years of trials under Diocletian. Or it may be symbolic to mean a "short time", relatively speaking, to a God to whom time does not have much meaning because He is the great "I AM".
Daniel and his friends requested a different diet than the king's choice food. They wanted vegetables and water as their diet. So a test was run for 10 days to see what effect Daniel's diet would have on him and his friends. The results can be found in Daniel 1:8-16. The testing of the members of the Smyrna church may be a test similar to Daniel's.
The crown is just one of the rewards (1
Corinthians 3:12-17) the Christian will receive. See Revelation
2:13 for one, Antipas, who received this crown.
Previous verse Next verse11 Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Everyone who wins the victory will never be hurt by the second death.
This, again, is the Holy Spirit speaking to all the churches.... If they hear and overcome they will bypass the second death. The first death, our physical death, is the result of Adam's and Eve's sin, Genesis 2:16-17. Likewise the second one is spiritual death. But as one act of sin brought death, so too, one act of grace brings life, Romans 5:12-21.
What is the second death?
It is the lake of fire. See Revelation 20:14-15 and Revelation 21:8.
While physical death was a real possibility, the second death for
the
overcomers at Smyrna was not a reality.
Previous verse Next verse12"To the messenger of the church in Pergamum, write:
This verse may allude to the fact that Pergamum under Roman control
was given the rare power of capital punishment (ius gladii). This power
is symbolized by the sword.
Previous verse Next verse13 I know where you live. Satan's throne is there. You hold on to my name and have not denied your belief in me, even in the days of Antipas. He was my faithful witness who was killed in your presence, where Satan lives.
Satan, as a created being, does not have the qualities of God. He is NOT
The spirit told the Smyrna church that the "faithful until death"
would
be given the crown of life - Revelation 2:10.
Previous verse Next verse14 But I have a few things against you: You have among you those who follow what Balaam taught Balak. Balak trapped the people of Israel by {encouraging} them to eat food sacrificed to idols and to sin sexually.
The teachings of Balaam was that it was alright to intermarry with heathen and compromise over idolatrous worship. One can see this in Numbers chapters 22 through 25.
It is so easy to follow the advise of "friends" or because "they are
doing it..." makes the immorality OK. Not so. John tells us earlier in
his life, 1 John 5:18-21, that we
are to guard ourselves from idols.
Previous verse Next verse15 You also have some who follow what the Nicolaitans teach,
The Pergamum church had them in the congregation expousing their cultic teachings. It is not known who these Nicolaitans were but God certainly hated them.
It is interesting to note that Satan tried to put pressure on the churches of Smyrna and Pergamum from the outside through persecution and martyrdom respectively. He didn't succeed. BUT using internal deception via the Balaamites and Nicolaitans, he made considerable inroads.
How easy it is to criticize "outside" faults of churches when, in
fact,
the devil may be inside already. Pastors (shepherds) have an awesome
responsibility
to keep the "wolves out of the sheep".
Previous verse Next verse16 So return to me and change the way you think and act, or I will come to you quickly and wage war against them with the sword from my mouth.
The Balaamite or Nicolaitan practioners needed to change their practices.
Curiously, the Old Testament diviner, Balaam, also died by the
sword,
Numbers
31:8 and Joshua 13:22. Recalling
that
the cultic practices involved sex, the only way to eradicate this from
the congregation is to use drastic measures - Numbers
31:16-18.
Previous verse Next verse17 Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give some of the hidden manna to everyone who wins the victory. I will also give each person a white stone with a new name written on it, a name that is known only to the person who receives it.
We, too, have manna. Even as Paul explains in Hebrews 9:1-28 that Jesus Christ is now entering into the heavenly "holy of holies" (where the ark is) and is performing High Priestly functions on our behalf. Jesus early on in His ministry said He is the bread of life - John 6:48-58.
In apocalyptic Jewish teaching, however, the messianic era will see the restoration of the hidden wilderness manna as written in 2 Baruch 29:8 and Sibylline Oracles 7:149.
For the Pergamos overcomers, it was much better to "eat" of Christ and have eternal life than to eat the food offered to idols. So, too, you can have eternal life.
Now the victorious ones will each have their own white stone of purity. This may be a side reference to the pagan practice of needing an engraved stone to attend one of their banquets. If this is so, then this phrase would be a striking contrast to the Pergamus member.
In the Old Testament, names, such as Abraham, Israel, etc., were chosen according to the character and calling of the person. Likewise, your new name should reflect your calling. You will be identified by your works someday - 1 Corinthians 3:12-17.
Lastly, this name probably is the one recorded in 'the books' (Revelation
20:15). Is your name written in the book of LIFE? See Malachi
3:16-18.
Previous verse Next verse18"To the messenger of the church in Thyatira, write:
One of the trades at Thyatira was brassmaking. So this view of the speaker may have had a special impact. Furthermore the members at Thyatira are shown that the speaker knows and sees what is going on with Jezebel in their midst.
You can't hide from God!
Previous verse Next verse19I know what you do. I know your love, faith, service, and endurance. I also know that what you are doing now is greater than what you did at first.
How does one truly worship God? John 4:19-24 says in two ways:
Previous verse Next verse20 But I have something against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. She teaches and misleads my servants to sin sexually and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
The Old Testament Jezebel did a good number on King Ahab and caused terrible trouble for true prophets like Elijah.
Previous verse Next verse21 I gave her time to turn to me and change the way she thinks and acts, but she refuses to turn away from her sexual sins.
Previous verse Next verse22 Watch me! I'm going to throw her into a sickbed. Those who commit sexual sins with her will also suffer a lot, unless they turn away from what she is doing.
Symbolically, "Jezebel" is left among the church members to test if they will be true to the Lord or if they will commit spiritual fornication. You can tell this Jezebelian behavior when the church members are able to flirt with the Devil and enjoy his pleasures and yet remain "pious church members". However, so many of these pleasures soon become evident (even among "pious church members") such as alcoholism, AIDS, drugs, gluttony and so on.
This will happen
Repent ..... a recurring theme in
Revelation!!!
Previous verse Next verse23 I will kill her children. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches hearts and minds. I will reward each of you for what you have done.
Previous verse Next verse24 But the rest of you in Thyatira--all who don't hold on to Jezebel's teaching, who haven't learned what are called the deep things of Satan--I won't burden you with anything else.
Furthermore, our body (sexual favors was a part of Jezebel's teachings) must follow our Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:15-20).
Her logic may have gone something like this: The only effective way
to confront Satan is to enter his strongholds and experience the real
nature
of sin. Then when you accept Christ, you will really appreciate the act
of grace that His death and resurrection was. Sad to say, like the
Thyatirans,
many Christians live a life-style in the "deep things" of Satan while
expecting
God to share His "deep things" with them. God doesn't share "His deep
things"
with "sinful deep things"!!!!
Previous verse Next verse25 Just hold on to what you have until I come.
In this verse, we have the first explicit reference to Christ's second coming. 'Holding fast' is part of the 'watch and wait' we in the Church Age are going through.
Infiltration into the true church by a Jezebelian type of person is a common problem among churches today. Sometimes it is the pastor; sometimes a well respected elder or deacon. On a much larger scale, many "old time" scholars (Walter Scott, H.A. Ironsides, J.A. Seiss, A.C. Gaebelein, and James Gray) have believed Jezebel was equated with the papacy. More recent scholars, equate her to the entire imitation church Satan is setting up. This imitation church (recently called the 'New Age Movement') will be religious only and its adherents will be "Christians" in name only.
The command is still "YOU FOLLOW ME!" - John
21:20-23.
Previous verse Next verse26I have received authority from my Father. I will give authority over the nations to everyone who wins the victory and continues to do what I want until the end.
So to the overcomers, the coming reign of the Messiah will be shared with true believers under the authority from the Father. See Revelation 1:6, Revelation 3:21, Revelation 20:6, and 1 Corinthians 6:1-3.
This phrase is found in verse 8 of the great Messianic Psalm 2. The people at Thyatira who have staying power until the end will have power over the nations plus the rest of the promise in the next verse.
Previous verse Next verse27 Those people will rule the nations with iron scepters and shatter them like pottery.
The strong rule with a rod of iron also comes from the Messianic
Psalm
2. The image of a broken pottery is equated to rejection of the
word
of God several times in the Old Testament. Isaiah uses it in Isaiah
30:12-15. Jeremiah shows this act as a symbol of comdemnation of
this
rejection in Jeremiah 19:10-13
where
not only the rejection is bad but the people worshipped other gods!
Previous verse Next verse28 I will also give them the morning star.
Previous verse Next verse29 Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
These four churches also contain references to the soon return of Christ. Thus these four churches may represent types of churches which will be active at the return of Christ.
If that is the case, then the admonition to "LISTEN to what the
SPIRIT
says" may be more needed than the promised blessing.