| 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 angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:
Previous verse Next verse2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
Patience 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 evil people.
Earlier in John's life, he wrote that we should test the spirits
-
1
John 4:1-3, if they are true or false. What
is the test to be an APOSTLE?
Previous verse Next verse3You have persevered and have endured hardships for 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".
Previous verse Next verse4. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
It is not clear what was meant by "FIRST LOVE". 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 "first love" 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.
"FIRST LOVE" 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 the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
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).
What is that FIRST LOVE? 1
Corinthians 13:1-13 tells us exactly what that love is. The
question
before you then becomes: Do you fake your LOVE or is it the real FIRST
LOVE?
Previous verse Next verse6. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
What a negative complement!!! BUT when the love (even first love)
is gone, the only thing left is hatred.
The meaning of the word Nicolaitans is "consume or conquer the people". The Nicolaitans may have been a devisive sect of that day about whom we have no record. Or it may refer to church leaders who consumed or conquered (controlled) the people. In other words, these probably were false prophets/teachers/apostles.
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. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
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 'overcomer' is no longer
forbidden
or hidden.
Previous verse Next verse8"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
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 your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
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.
The SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN shows for the first time in Revelation who the real perpertrator of persecution is. There is an equivalence shown here:
These "Judaizers" believed in salvation by works. That will never
do as they find out in the message to the church at Philadelphia.
Previous verse Next verse10. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of 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 persecution 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.
What a glorious promise....but we need these crowns to be able to
cast them at His feet (Revelation 4:10).
The members of the church at Philadelphia are told to hold on to what
they
have so they would not lose their crown (Revelation
3:11).
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. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.
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 angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.
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--where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city--where Satan lives.
Satan, as a created being, does not have the qualities of God. He is NOT
Being "faithful" is used with Jesus Christ right at the beginning
of Revelation in Revelation 1:5. Later in
Revelation, there are two witnesses of the Messiah who are "faithful"
in
Revelation
11:3 so that all the Jews may know.
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. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.
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. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
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. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
The Balaamite or Nicolaitan practioners needed to repent and give up 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. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him 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 overcomers 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 angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
"To the angel 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 your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
How does one truly worship God? John 4:19-24 says in two ways:
Previous verse Next verse20. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of 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 verse21I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.
Previous verse Next verse22So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.
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.
However this will happen
Repent ..... a recurring theme in
Revelation!!!
Previous verse Next verse23I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
Previous verse Next verse24. Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you):
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 secrets" of Satan while
expecting God to share His "deep secrets" with them. God doesn't share
"His deep secrets" with "sinful deep secrets"!!!!
Previous verse Next verse25Only hold on to what you have until I come.
In this verse, we have the first explicit reference to Christ's second coming. 'Holding on' 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 verse26To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations--
Previous verse Next verse27'He will rule them with an iron scepter;
just as I have received authority from my Father.
28I will also give him the morning star.
29He who has an ear, let him
hear
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 "Hear what the Spirit
says"
may be more needed than the promised blessing.