Revelation 2:
Letters to the seven churches, part one.

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            In this chapter are short "letters" of instruction and warning to four of the seven churches of Asia Minor that were listed in chapter one. These "letters" all follow a set format:
1. The address to the "angel" of each church.
2. A description of the Lord.
3. Commendation what they were doing right.
4. Condemnation and warning what they were doing wrong, and what will happen if they continue to sin.
5. Exhortation to do or continue doing what is right.
6. The admonition: "He who has an ear, let him hear. . ."
7. A promise of reward or punishment.

A NOTE:
Much has been made about the special circumstances of each of these seven cities and how their particular economic or social or geographic positions influenced what happened in the churches in those cities. We will not go into that very much, because most of it is unecessary. The church in any particular city may be very different from the city in which it is found. That is part of the nature of being the "called out." In those particular situations where it is relevant to the text we will mention pertinent points about the cities.

Verses 1 - 7: Concerning the church in Ephesus.
Verse 1: Again, we are not positive what the "angel" of the church at Ephesus is, but whatever it is, the message is addressed to "it." Jesus' description of himself is tied to John's vision in chapter one. (1: 16)
Some thoughts on these "angels.
Rather than being a supernatural being, the "angel" might very well have been one in each church assigned to do public readings. In this regard, he would be the messenger or "angel" of the church. (Remember that angel literally means "messenger," not just a spiritual being.) Since almost all today can read and write, we have no need for such a position in the church.

Verses 2, 3: What are the Ephesians doing RIGHT? (See also verse 6.)
1. They toiled with patient endurance.
2. They cannot bear evil men.
3. That have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not.
4. They have not grown weary.
5. They do not tolerate false teachers.
How did the Ephesians probably test the men who said they were apostles? (See Acts 1: 21, 22) They inquired whether they had been with Jesus from the beginning of his ministry.

Verse 4: What were the Ephesians doing WRONG? They had abandoned their first love.
What does this mean? They were no longer energetic for Christ. They were obeying out of habit more than desire.

Verse 5: Jesus tells them to repent or what will happen? He will remove their lampstand from its place.
What exactly does this mean? He will make them cease to be a church.

Verse 6: The Nicolaitans: Who were they?
1. Irenaeus and others say that the Nicolaitans were followers of Nicolas of Antioch (Acts 6: 5) who was said to allow all manner of fleshly indulgence, but I like what Smith's Bible Dictionary says:
"There is no reason except for the similarity of name for identifying Nicolas with the sect of Nicolaitans which our Lord denounces, for the traditions on the subject are of no value."
In other words, Irenaeus and Tertullian repeated unverified stories they had heard.
2. There is a better explanation. Nicolaos is Greek for "destroyer or conqueror of the people." The Hebrew equivalent is Baalam (Belang-am) which means the same thing. Therefore this name Nicolaos (and Balaam) became synonymous with the heresy practiced by some who called themselves Christians; namely, that they could commit any sin in the body without affecting the soul, for they were no longer fleshly creatures, but spiritual ones. (See II Cor. 5: 10.) This heresy is still alive and well. These "Nicolaitans" shared wives, committed all kinds of sins, and freely ate meat offered to idols, against the recommendation of the Jerusalem council. (See Acts 15: 19, 20.)
Notice that Jesus does NOT say that the Nicolaitans were actually part of the church in Ephesus. Apparently they had tried to get a foothold, but were rebuffed by these people who "cannot bear evil men. . ." All this talk of the Nicolaitans seems to be an exhortation to Ephesus saying, in effect, "You did right in driving the Nicolaitans out."

Verse 7: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
This, of course, includes us. Even though we are not directly addressed by these "letters," we better heed their messages!
What does this very poetic promise of eating of the tree of life actually mean, in simple terms? Salvation - eternal life with God.
What kind of church that we see today is represented by the Ephesian church? The struggling, legalistic church. A church which is interested in what is right and wrong, but has no "fire in the belly" to serve Christ to their full potential.


Verses 8 - 11: Concerning the church in Smyrna.
Verse 8: Notice again how the description of Christ matches John's vision in chapter one. The one who died but is now alive forevermore. (1: 18)

Verse 9: What two things characterized the church in Smyrna? Their tribulation (struggles against persecution) and their poverty.
Who was persecuting the church here? The Jews.
NOTE: This is surely a textual proof which supports the early-date authorship of the book. For all intents and purposes, Jewish persecution of the church stopped in 70 AD, when one-third or more of all Jews then living were killed and Jerusalem was utterly destroyed.

Verse 10: Some from Smyrna were about to be thrown in prison (most likely at the instigation of the Jews) but would not be there long (10 days, not months or years, as in later passages). Twice tribulation is mentioned and it has nothing to do with end-times prophecies. What are synonyms for tribulation? Trouble or affliction.
"Be faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life." What is being promised here? Salvation. In Epesus it was the tree of life. Here it is the crown of life: the same promise represented by different figures.

Verse 11: What is the "second death?" Damnation. Eternal separation from God. (See Rev. 21: 8.)
So, what kind of church is represented by the church at Smyrna? The poor but faithful church. We often judge how successful a church is by how many members it has. God does not judge that way, for he is able to save, "whether by many or by few." (See I Samuel 14: 6.)


Verses 12 - 17: Concerning the church in Pergamum.
NOTE: Parchment, made from sheepskin, and used for paper for almost 2000 years, was invented at Pergamum.

Verse 12: Again we see Christ's description matching John's vision of the first chapter: "The one who has the sharp two-edged sword." (1: 16)

Verse 13: ". . .you dwell where Satan's throne is. . ."
There was a great golden throne built on the hill above Pergamum which was dedicated to the Greek god Zeus, on it was inscribed, "Zeus the Savior." Here also, in Pergamum, began the cult of Caesar worship, and apparently some disciple named Antipas (Antipater) was martyred there for his faith.
Where does Satan dwell? In the hearts of sinful men.(See Luke 22: 3; Acts 5: 3)
What did the church at Pergamum do right? They held up Jesus' name and did not deny him even in the face of severe persecution.

Verses 14, 15: What did the Christians at Pergamum do wrong? They tolerate the teachings of Balaam and the Nicholaitans in their midst.
NOTE: The story of Balaam and Balak, king of the Midianites, is in Numbers 22 - 31. The story where his donkey talks to him is in Numbers 22. Apparently, after listening to God, Balaam later went back to Baal worship and led the people of Israel to do the same, as in Numbers 25: 1 - 3. In Numbers 31: 1 - 10, we are told that God directed Israel to slay the Midianites for this outrage. One of those slain was Balaam himself (verse 8).
So, what was the "teaching of Balaam?" To encourage (or at least allow) people to worship false gods.
What was the teaching of the Nicolaitans? (See under verse six above.)
How is Pergamum's treatment of the Nicolaitans different than that of the Ephesians? Pergamum tolerated them. Ephesus would not.

Verse 16: Repent! To repent, what must the church of Pergamum do? Stop tolerating false teachers and drive the infidels from their midst, just as Ephesus had done.
You should know that the phrase "I will come" is actually "I am coming." This is not a conditional phrase, "do this or else," but an unconditional one: "Do this, but EVEN IF YOU DON'T, I am coming soon, anyway."
What does it mean to "wage war against them with the sword of my mouth?" To use the scriptures (the sharp two-edged sword) to confute the false teachers.

Verse 17: The same admonition: "He who has ears to hear. . ." Then the promise. Again this is a very figurative way to say what? They will be saved.
Contrast the manna with the meat offered to idols. Note all the Old Testament references in this verse.
So, what kind of church is represented by the church at Pergamum? The modern, tolerant church which has a faithful core of believers, but which foolishly tolerates teachings which cannot be supported by the scriptures.


Verses 18 - 29: Concerning the church in Thyatira.
Verse 18: Again we see the description of Christ matches the vision of John in chapter 1. Eyes like fire and legs (feet) like burnished bronze. (Verses 14, 15)

Verse 19: What did Thyatira do right?
1. They had love.
2. They had faith.
3. They were growing in service.
4. They endured persecutions patiently
What does Jesus mean when he says "your latter works exceed your first? They were growing in their service and good works.
Who is the obvious comparison with? With Ephesus, who was not growing. (See verse 4.)

Verse 20: What did the church at Thyatira do wrong? They tolerate the woman Jezebel. Do you see a pattern here yet?
NOTE: The original Jezebel was the wife of Ahab, king of ancient Israel (875 - 850 BC). She was a worshiper of Baal and Ashtaroth, and led the Jews in the same. She had 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Ashtaroth under her command. These pagan religions involved the grossest kinds of sexual sins.
So here, we see a symbol: JEZEBEL, who stands for those who preached moral licence in the church. This is what the Nicolaitans also preached. We see that at the very earliest times, paganism was creeping into the church and affecting its teachings. Does this happen today? If you don't think so, consider the basely pagan origins behind Easter, Halloween, Christmas, etc.

Verse 21: God gave her time to repent but she would not. Unfortunately, God does not give sinners forever to repent.

Verses 22, 23: Since these teachings involve sexual sin, doesn't it seem likely that some venereal disease is the "tribulation" spoken of here? (See I Cor. 6: 18. )
"I will give to each as your works deserve." Now there's a thought to chill the blood! Lord give us not what we deserve, but what your mercy makes possible!

Verses 24, 25: Not all at Thyatira were under the sway of this "Jezebel."
NOTE: Already Christianity was being turned into a "mystery religion." Mystery religion is the type of religion the cults always preach. Unless you are part of the "holy circle" you cannot know the "mystery of the faith" and therefore cannot be saved. This is the teaching of the "holiness movement" that founded the Methodist church. It is the teaching of such groups as the Mormons and the Branch Davidians and the Jehovah's Witnesses. Here Christ equates such "deep knowledge of spiritual things" as being the "deep things of Satan!"
Please be aware that "until I come" does NOT generally refer to the so-called "Second Coming." We will speak more of this later.

Verses 26, 27: Those who remain faithful would have power over the nations. Remember at Pentecost that "Jews from all nations" were converted. (See also Psalm 2: 6 - 8.) Be aware that "the nations" is also a synonym for "gentiles."
"Power"; can also mean "influence or authority."
"Rule" means literally, "to tend as a shepherd."
"Rod" means "a scepter or staff."
So, the image here is not an autocratic ruler wielding an iron cudgel, but rather a shepherd with his staff shepherding his flock -- not a breakable wooden staff, however, but an enduring iron staff. A shepherd who wields the unbendable and enduring power of God to influence the nations will help "break in pieces" their stubborn, pagan wills and petty nationalistic allegiances. Surely this is exactly what we have seen happen with the church, namely, the spread of the gospel has brought all peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations into the true kingdom of God. The faithful at Thyatira, a city which in almost all other respects completely disappeared from the earth, would, after overcoming the evil Jezebel and her followers, help to spread the gospel to all the world and make God's kingdom a world-wide faith consisting of citizens of all nations under heaven.

Verse 28: "I will give him the morning star." Jesus IS the morning star.(Rev. 22: 16) Isn't this what Jesus promised us in Matthew 28: 20?

Verse 29: We end with the same admonition: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches." This, of course, includes ALL who hear (or read) these words, even those not part of these seven literal churches.
What is the significance of having this admonition repeated so often? We MUST pay close attention to what is being said.
So, what kind of church does Thyatira represent? So-called Dynamic Churches, many of which have a fatal flaw: they tolerate false teaching.
Do we see such churches today? What do you think?

-- end of chapter two --


PROCEED TO CHAPTER THREE

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