Introductory Remarks:
These next two chapters is the section addressed to the church. The word 'church' is ecclesia meaning 'assembly.' It was applied to the congregation of the children of Israel, "This is he [Moses] that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him in Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received the living oracles to give unto us" [Acts 7:38]. "The original meaning of ecclesia was a gathering out of citizens in a public place for deliberation. The Septuagint used it to signify the congregation of Israel. Here in Acts it is employed in its most general sense of a called-out meeting. In most instances in the N.T. the term indicates the body of believers, the church local or universal" (C. I. Scofield). The term was transferred to the Christian body, of which the congregation of Israel was a figure, the Church, (1 Cor. 12:28; Col. 12:18) a local portion of the Church, a local church, (Rom. 16:1); a Christian congregation, (1 Cor. 14:4) [Analytical Greek Lexicon]. Never, is the term Church referred to as the building, only the assembly of believers. The church is the Body of Christ strictly speaking. Today the word 'church' is used in such a general way that it is impossible to comprehend what most people are talking about when they use the term. In reality, the Church is not a place to bring unbelievers, because the Church is an assembly of believers who gather to fellowship in the Word of God as a family. To bring in outsiders is to ruin family fellowship. The 'Church' is also not something to exploit for filthy lucre or approbation lust.
"The seven open letters or pastorals (in the modern and ecclesiastical sense of the term) are appeals for vigor and vigilance [caution] which reflect a mind in which imaginative, even mystic fervor [dedication] was accompanied by shrewd penetration into the existing state of morals and religion in the Asiatic communities. Their disorders and difficulties do not escape the notice of the prophet. He will neither spare nor despair of the churches. He speaks in the name of a Lord who knows not only who are His, but what they are, One who is keenly alive to their plight and struggles alike against inward corruption and the external pressure of the Empire, one to whom their obscure provincial [local] conflict is a matter of infinite moment" (The Expositor's Greek Testament).
I. The message sent to Ephesus (verses 1-7). II. To Smyrna (verses 8-11). III. To Pergamos (verses 12-17). IV. To Thyatira (verses 18-29).
The Message to Ephesus
Verse 1, "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write: These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks."
LGT "To the messenger in the Ephesian assembly write: These things says the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who is walking around in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks."
"Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write:"
It has already been established that the 'angel' angelos is the 'messenger' or 'minister' by definition, and not an angel from heaven. John is commanded to write unto the teacher of the assembly meeting in Ephesus. Vincent has a wonderful background description of Ephesus:
"Ephesus was built near the sea, in the valley of the Cayster, under the shadows of Coressus and Prion. In the time of Paul it was the metropolis [capitol] of the province of Asia. It was styled by Pliny The Light of Asia. Its harbor, though partly filled up, was crowded with vessels, and it lay at the junction of roads, which gave it access to the whole interior continent. Its markets were the Vanity Fair of Asia. Herodotus says: 'The Ionians of Asia have built their cities in a region where the air and climate are the most beautiful in the whole world; for no other region is equally blessed with Ionia. For in other countries, either the climate is over-cold and damp, or else the heat and drought are sorely oppressive.'
In Paul's time it was residence of the Roman proconsul; and the degenerate inhabitants descended to every species of flattery in order to maintain the favor of Rome. The civilization of the city was mingled Greek and Oriental. It was the headquarters of the magical art, and various superstitions were represented by different priestly bodies. The great temple of Diana, the Oriental, not the Greek divinity, was ranked among the Seven Wonders of the World, and Ephesus called herself its sacristan [a person in charge of the ceremonial equipment] (see on Acts 19:27). To it attached the right of asylum. Legend related that when the temple was finished, Mithridates stood on its summit and declared that the right of asylum should extend in a circle round it, as far as he could shoot an arrow; and the arrow miraculously flew a furlong [220 yards]. This fact encouraged contagion [contamination]. The temple is thus described by Canon Farrar: 'It had been built with ungrudging magnificence out of contributions furnished by all Asia - the very women contributing to it their jewels, as the Jewish women had done of old for the Tabernacle of the Wilderness. To avoid the danger of earthquakes, its foundations were built at vast cost on artificial foundations of skin and charcoal laid over the marsh. It gleamed far off with a star-like radiance. Its peristyle [a colonnade surrounding a building] consisted of one hundred and twenty pillars of the Ionic order, hewn out of Parian marble. Its doors of carved cypress-wood were surmounted by transoms [a crossbar] so vast and solid that the aid of miracles was invoked to account for their elevation. The staircase, which led to the roof, was said to have been cut out of a single vine of Cyprus. Some of the pillars were carved with designs of exquisite beauty. Within were the masterpieces of Praxiteles and Phidias and Scopas and Polycletus. Paintings by the greatest of Greek artists, of which one - the likeness of Alexander the Great by Apelles - had been bought for a sum equal to 5,000 pounds of modern money, adorned the inner walls. The roof of the temple itself was of cedar wood, supported by columns of Jasper on bases of Parian marble. On these pillars hung gifts of priceless value, the votive offerings of grateful superstition. At the end of it stood the great altar adorned by the bas-relief of Praxiteles, behind which fell the vast folds of a purple curtain. Behind this curtain was the dark and awful shrine in which stood the most sacred idol of classic heathendom; and again, behind the shrine, was the room which, inviolable [sacred] under divine protection, was regarded as the wealthiest and securest bank in the ancient world' (Life and Work of St. Paul, 2:12).
Next to Rome, Ephesus was the principal seat of Paul's labors. He devoted three years to that city. The commonly received tradition represents John as closing his apostolic career there [which, by the way, ended all apostolic activity - there is no such thing taught in the Word as 'apostolic succession]. Nothing in early Church history is better attested than his residence and work in Ephesus, the center of the circle of churches established by Paul in Ionia and Phrygia" (Word Studies in the New Testament - Marvin R, Vincent).
For those who believe that John was not on the Isle of Patmos when he wrote the visions of the Revelation, and that he was teaching in the church at Ephesus, why would he be sending a letter to the church he was physically ministering to?
"These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand,"
Jesus Christ is the one who gives the orders and He is also the one who holds the church in His grasp, a more secure position there could never be in this world. "If Christ didn't support these stars, they would be falling stars" (Matthew Henry).
"Who walketh in the midst of the seven candlesticks."
This phrase describes Christ's activity as He walks around amongst His Church. "This intimates His relation to His churches, as the other His relation to His ministers. Christ in an intimate manner present and conversant [familiar] with His churches; He knows and observes their state; He takes pleasure in them, as a man does to walk in His garden. Though Christ is in heaven, He walks in the midst of His churches on earth, observing what is amiss in them and what it is that they want [need]. This is a great encouragement to those who have the care of the churches, that the Lord Jesus has graven them on the palms of His hands" (Matthew Henry).
Verse 2, "I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:"
LGT "I have known and still know your works and your exhausting labor and patient endurance, and that you are not able to bear evil, and tried the ones calling themselves apostles and are not and have found them to be liars,"
"I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience,"
'I know' is a perfect aorist oida meaning I have known in the past and continue knowing in the future. These works are the result of their relationship with Christ, for Christ is addressing believers only, and are therefore called good works and will be rewarded. These are not the superficial works that men regard as good, but only qualify as human good. Nothing escapes the watchful eye of our Lord, as He is always present with each one of us. In regards to this assembly at Ephesus, we will see that the Lord will also bring to their attention their faults. But here in this first phrase Christ is commending them for their exhausting labor and patient endurance. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit.
"And how thou canst not bear them which are evil:"
The evil false prophets were very burdensome to the Ephesians, just as the Gnostics were burdensome to John and his followers that which he wrote to in his Epistles. There is something drastically wrong with a Christian who can be relaxed amongst the evildoers, unbelievers. I can speak from experience, socializing with the world is dangerous to your health, both spiritually and physically. The Ephesians could not bear evil men.
"And thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars."
The Ephesians tested every so-called prophet who came to town, asking them if they had been eyewitnesses to the resurrected Christ; if not, they would show them the door. Today, contemporary religion tells us to be tolerant of evil, and that we should accept the sinner but not the sin. This is a very evil and dangerous concept, for the Word of God condemns sin and the sinner, He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him [John 3:36]. The only message we have for the unbeliever from God's Word is, For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16]. I have met believers that have claimed to be prophets, but when I ask them if they witnessed the resurrection of Christ, they come up wanting; I have found them to be liars. I say that they are believers, because I must take them at their word, but there is One who will question them, and is questioning them, but only He knows if they are believers or just liars. Patience toward the family is sign of strength, but patience toward unbelief is a sign of weakness.
Verse 3, "And hast borne, and hast patience, and for My name's sake hast labored, and hast not fainted."
LGT "And you have borne and endured patiently because of My name and have not grown weary."
"And hast borne, and hast patience,"
The assembly at Ephesus had received sound doctrine from the Apostle Paul and was well equipped to bear patiently whatever Satan could throw at them. It is only Bible doctrine that can deliver a believer from this world's woes.
"And for My names sake hast labored, and hast not fainted."
This phrase is in the perfect tense and should read, because of My name and not grown weary. You see, the believers were studying doctrine, hast labored, that is have not grown weary; the perfect tense signifies that they were studying and are still studying. "The Ephesian church can bear anything except the presence of impostors in her membership" (Moffatt).
Verse 4, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love."
LGT "But I have against you that you did leave your first love."
The word 'somewhat' is not in the best manuscripts. The important thing is that the believers were in the process of straying away from the application of the doctrines Paul had set down for them. They were leaving their first love, that is, they were forgetting their spiritual relationship as joint heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ. They were leaving the principles that Paul had taught them about their love relationship to one another. They were doctrinally sound, but they were not living according to sound doctrine. Paul taught that love was to recognize that they were all related to Jesus Christ, and as joint heirs with Christ, they were to love one another as joint heirs. We see the same thing in the contemporary church. The ministers are teaching a social gospel, that is, that we should make pledges and promises to get along with one another; with our wives and husbands; with our kids; with our fellow workers; with our fellow believers; and last but not least, with the Lord. McGee says, "The world has intruded into the church to such an extent that it is hard for us to conceive of the intense, enthusiastic devotion the early church gave to the person of Christ. The early church first went off the track not in their doctrine but in their personal relationship [fellowship] to Jesus Christ. Ephesus was a great city, and it had many attractions that were beginning to draw believers away from their first love for Jesus Christ."
Verse 5, "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."
LGT "Remember therefore whence you have fallen, and repent and do the first works: but if not, I will come to you and move your candlestick out of its place, except you should repent.
"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen,"
This church is reminded to look up from where they have fallen, that is from the motivation of their first love. "Those that have lost their first love must remember whence they have fallen; they must compare their present with their former state, and consider how much better it was with them than now, how much peace, strength, purity, and pleasure they have lost, by leaving their first love, - how much more comfortably they could lie down and sleep at night, - how much more cheerfully they could awake in the morning, - how much better they could bear afflictions, and how much more becomingly they could enjoy the favors of providence [divine intervention], - how much easier the thoughts of death were to them, and how much stronger their desires and hopes of heaven" (Matthew Henry).
"And repent, and do the first works;"
'And do' gr. kai poison a first active imperative meaning 'Do at once' (Robertson). The 'first works' are included in the 'first love.' Love does not stand by itself for it always includes action. We can say we love our brother, but what do we do when that brother is in need; do we act, or do we sit on our hands, and tell him we will pray for him. Repent means to change your mind; so Christ is telling them to turn around and go back to where they were before they fell into this state of complacency. This church was out of fellowship so they must repent and confess their shame in the sight of God; they must look at their condition from God's perspective and name it to him for restoration.
"Or else I will come unto thee quickly,"
Literally, I will come to you. The word quickly is not in the better manuscripts. The essence is, if you do not turn around, confess your sin, and begin a new, Christ will come unto them with divine discipline.
"And will remove thy candlestick out of his place,"
Jesus said 'For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them' [Matt. 18:20]. A church is the gathering together of fellow believers in Christ's name, that is, around the Word of God. He is always present. When a group strays away from this divine purpose, and begin organizing and growing their church as some profit-making organization, you can be sure, Christ is not present. This world is full of Church organizations and denominations, and they sport beautiful sanctuaries, but they are as cold as a well diggers shovel. I have better fellowship when I am studying with my children and grandchildren, then when I try and go to some organized church and listen to some contemporary preacher putting on a show in the name of Jesus. Ok, Ok, I know, no commentary.
"Except thou repent."
This is the only sure fire remedy to be restored to fellowship; they must change their mind, and confess their sin [1 John 1:9].
Verse 6, "But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."
LGT "But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
This verse can only be interpreted historically for there would not have been any other reason that Christ would have used this name. The assembly at Ephesus lost their first love, but they still knew enough to hate evil heresy.
"From nikan to conquer, and laos the people. There are two principal explanations of the term. The first and better one historical. A sect springing, according to credible tradition, from Nicholas a proselyte of Antioch, one of the seven deacons of Jerusalem (Acts 6:5), who apostatized from the truth, and became the founder of an Antinomian Gnostic sect. They appear to have been characterized by sensuality, seducing Christians to participate in the idolatrous feats of pagans, and to unchastity. Hence they are denoted by the names of Balaam and Jezebel, two leading agents of moral contamination under the Old Testament dispensation. Balaam enticed the Israelites, through the daughters of Moab and Midian, to idolatry and fornication (Num. 25; 31:16). Jezebel murdered the Lord's prophets, and set up idolatry in Israel. The Nicolaitans taught that, in order to master sensuality, one must know the whole range of it by experience; and that he should therefore abandon himself without reserve to the lusts of the body, since they concerned the body and did not touch the spirit. These heretics were hated and expelled by the Church of Ephesus (Apoc. 2:6), but were tolerated by the Church of Pergamum (Apoc. 2:15). The other view regards the name as symbolic, and Nicholas as the Greek rendering of Balaam, whose name signifies destroyer or corrupter of the people. This view is adopted by Trench who says: 'The Nicolaitans are the Balamites; no sect bearing the one name or the other; but those who, in the new dispensation, repeated the sin of Balaam in the old, and sought to overcome or destroy the people of God by the same temptations whereby Balaam had sought to overcome them before.' The names, however, are by no means parallel: conqueror of the people not being the same as corrupter of the people. Besides, in ver. 14, the Balaamites are evidently distinguished from the Nicolaitans.
Alford remarks: 'There is no sort of reason for interpreting the name otherwise than historically. It occurs in a passage indicating simple matters of historical fact, just as the name Antipas does in ver. 13" (Vincent).
Verse 7, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God,"
LGT "The one who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the assemblies. To him who is victorious I will give to him to eat out of the tree of life, which is in the Celestial Paradise of God."
"He that hath an ear, let him hear"
Christ says that what He is saying is open to all as long as they will hear. Every normal man has ears, so no one has an excuse not to listen and hear. Jesus said in the gospels, And hearing they hear not [Matt. 13:13]. Jesus uses this phrase He that hath an ear to hear, repeatedly in the synoptic gospels [Matthew, Mark and Luke]. "The phrase is not found in John's Gospel. It is used always of radical [fundamental] truths, great principles and promises" (Vincent). What follows is that Christ speaks to those with spiritual discernment [judgment]. Remember, these believers hated the teaching of the false prophets, and they could do this because they were born again, and were able to judge teaching by the Holy Spirit.
"What the Spirit saith unto the churches;"
"Both Christ and the Holy Spirit deliver this message, 'The Spirit of Christ in the prophet is the interpreter of Christ's voice' [Swete].
"A stringent [strict] demand for attention [Clement of Alexandria] to the utterances of prophets who were inspired by the Spirit. These as usual are ejaculatory, positive and brief - ecclesia - [churches] scattered local communities, and not a Catholic organization, being the conception of the Apocalypse; it is for use in public worship that this book is written (Rev. 1:3). It is a subordinate and literary question whether the seer means in such phrases as this to designate himself liturgically as the speaker, or whether (as the synoptic parallels suggest) they form an integral part of the whole ménage [domestic establishment]. In any case the prophet represents himself simply as the medium for receiving and recording (Rev. 1:19) these oracles of the Spirit (Rev. 14:13; 19:9; 20:17)" (The Expositors Greek Testament).
"(1) What is written in the Scriptures is spoken by the Spirit of God. (2) What is said to one church concerns all the churches, in every place and age. (3) We can never employ our faculty of hearing better than in hearkening to the Word of God: and we deserve to lose it if we do not employ it to this purpose. Those who will not hear the call of God now will wish at length they had never had a capacity of hearing any thing at all" (Matthew Henry).
"To him that overcometh"
To overcome is literally to be victorious. Everyone who accepts Christ is victorious by the 'Blood' Christ shed on the Cross. Overcoming is not living a perfect life, for this is impossible. "This verb to overcome is used absolutely without any object expressed" (Vincent). Jesus was victorious over Satan and his cosmic system for us. We are overcomers in Christ Jesus our Lord. Forget this idea that we overcome the world by the effort of the flesh. We are already victorious; therefore, we should walk in the Light as He is in the light of fellowship. We must let the Word of God be a Lamp for our walk. John uses the term 'overcome' in his first Epistle explaining the meaning of the term, For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" [1 John 5:4, 5] Here in his first Epistle John describes 'to overcome' with an object 'the world'. In I John 2:13, 14 John also expresses an object 'the evil or evil one.' John explains that this is a positional truth that all believers are overcomers, but not all Christians will receive rewards in heaven. I believe that there is not equality in heaven, just as there is not equality here on earth. Joseph Dillow in his book The Reign of the Servant Kings teaches that only the overcomers will be rewarded; this may be so, but at the present time, I can't see this connection, based on John's use of the term overcomer; however, as you kids know, I am not a D.D. or a TH.D.
"Will I give to eat of the tree of life,"
"The tree of life was placed in the midst of 'Paradise' was lost by the fall of Adam and Eve, and restored by the Redeemer" (Fausset). The symbolical significance of the 'Tree of Life' is power over the second death. D. L. Moody said, "He who is born once will die twice; he who is born twice will die once."
"Which is in the midst of the paradise of God"
"Paradise passes through a series of meanings, each one higher than the last. From any garden of delight, which is its first meaning, it comes to be predominately applied to the garden of Eden, then to the resting-place of separate souls in joy and felicity, and lastly to the very heaven itself; and we see eminently in it, what we see indeed in so many words, how revealed religion assumes them into her service, and makes them vehicles of far higher truth than any which they knew at first, transforming and transfiguring them, as in the case, from glory to glory" (Trench).
The Message to Smyrna
Verse 8, "And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive."
LGT "And to the messenger of the Smyrna assembly write: These things says the first and the last, who became dead and lived."
"And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write:"
"North of Ephesus, on a gulf of the Aegean, one of the great cities of Asia (province), a seat of emperor-worship with temple to Tiberius, with many Jews hostile to Christianity who later join in the martyrdom of Polycarp, poor church (rich in grace) which receives only praise from Christ, scene of the recent massacre of Greeks by the Turks. Ramsey (op. cit., p. 251) terms Smyrna 'The city of Life.' Christianity has held on here better than in any city in Asia" (A.T. Robertson).
"Smyrna, lying a little north of Ephesus, on a gulf of the same name. The original city was destroyed about B.C. 627, and was deserted and in ruins for four hundred years. Alexander the Great contemplated its restoration, and his design was carried out after his death. The new city was built a short distance south of the ancient one, and became the finest in Asia Minor, being known as the glory of Asia. It was one of the cities, which claimed the honor of being Homer's birthplace. A splendid temple was erected by the Smyrnaeans to his memory, and a cave in the neighborhood of the city was shown where he was said to have composed his poems. Smyrna's fine harbor made it a commercial center; but it was also distinguished for its schools of rhetoric [oratory] and philosophy. Polycarp was the first bishop of its church, which suffered much from persecution, and was said to have suffered martyrdom in the stadium of the city, A.D. 166. It is argued with some plausibility that Polycarp was bishop of Smyrna at the time of the composition of the Apocalypse, and was the person addressed here. This question, however, is bound up with that of the date of composition. The city was a seat of the worship of Cybele the Mother of the gods, and Dionysus or Bacchus" (Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament).
"These things saith the first and the last,"
There was nothing before Christ and there will be nothing to follow Him, for He is eternal.
"It is but a little scantling of time that is allowed to us in this world, but our Redeemer is the first and the last. He is the first, for by Him all things were made, and He was before all things with God and was God Himself. He is the last, for all things are made for Him, and He will be the judge of all. This surely is the title of God, from everlasting to everlasting, and it is the title of One that is an unchangeable Mediator between God and man. Jesus the same yesterday, today, and forever. He was the first, for by Him the foundation of the church was laid in the patriarchal state; and He is the last, for by Him the top-stone will be brought forth and laid in the end of time" (Matthew Henry).
"Which was dead, and is alive."
This phrase is literally; I became dead and lived again. This emphasis on His resurrection is designed here to give these believers an incredible encouragement.
Verse 9, "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."
LGT "I know your affliction [or pressure] and the poverty, but you are rich, and the blasphemy of the ones who are saying they are Jews themselves and are not but a synagogue of Satan."
"I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty,"
The best manuscripts leave out thy works. The word 'tribulation' is thlipsin an accusative from thlibo meaning to squeeze, or press, to press upon, encumber, throng, crowd, to distress or afflict. Notice in my LGT both affliction and poverty have an article the. "Separate articles of same gender, emphasizing each item. The tribulation was probably persecution, which helped intensify the poverty of the Christians (James 2:5; 1 Cor. 1:26; 2 Cor. 6:10; 8:2). This assembly at Smyrna was very poor in contrast with the assembly at Laodicea (3:17)" (Robertson). McGee adds: "Poverty denotes the lack of material possessions. The early church was made up largely of the poorer classes. When the wealthy believed in Christ, their property was confiscated because of their faith." John was exiled to this Isle of Patmos because he was teaching God's Word. How very different are the so-called churches today. The contemporary churches put the stress on the sanctuary and the large numbers that attend, and not the exposition of God's Word. The modern-day religion is a mockery of what God had intended it to be; it was intended on being an assembly of believers meeting as a family to learn Bible Doctrine together, and not some formal service where a seminary graduate stands up and spouts psycho-babble for thirty minutes, or so, that leaves the people going away feeling good about themselves. The music has also been corrupted beyond belief; many of the churches have bands and they play noise and sing little ditties that have no doctrine in them, and if they have even an ounce of doctrine the sound is so horrible one misses whatever it might be. They also promote what they call, Christian Rapp and Christian Rock. The spiritual morons that promote this trash with the alibi that it is for the purpose of reaching the lost, that is, if, we want to reach them, we must be like them.' The church was never to be organized as it was from the third century to the present. The church is an assembly of individual Christians meeting for Bible study, no more, no less.
"But thou art rich"
This church is poor in material things, but rich in spiritual blessings. The contrast of the church of Laodicea is contrasted in that that church was rich materially, but destitute of grace. "This church at Smyrna was a rich poor church, but the church at Laodicea was a poor rich church" (Robertson).
"And I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not,"
Judaism presented one of the biggest obstacles to the early church in that the Jews considered themselves to be the chosen people. Now comes the young upstart new religion claiming there is no difference in the sight of God between Jews and Gentiles, that because of Christ all believers are counted as the children of Abraham. This really did stick in the craw of these self-righteous Jews. They crucified the Lord and now they want to crucify His followers. These Judaizers detested this new sect of believers, denying that they had any part with their God.
"Jews, literally, not Christians, as in Phil. 3:3; Rom. 2:28, 29. Actually Jews by birth, but not spiritually. The title is not given them by the Spirit, nor by the seer [John], but by themselves; and none would use that title except such, as were Jews by birth and by religion. The enmity of the Jews against Christians is a familiar fact to all readers of the book of Acts; and it is a matter of history that their malignity was especially displayed toward the Church of Smyrna. In the circular letter addressed by the Church of Smyrna to the churches in the Christian world, it is related that Jews joined with heathen in clamoring [screeching] that Polycarp [a disciple of John] should be cast to the lions or burned alive, and were foremost in bringing logs for the pile, and in the endeavor to prevent the remains of the martyr from being delivered to his Christian associates for burial" (Vincent).
"But are the synagogue of Satan."
"The word 'synagogue' sunagoge is an assembled group of worshippers or members of such a group - assembly or congregation" (Luow & Nida). The Jews were reviling against God when they were reviling against His Church. The Jews were arrogantly claiming God for themselves, when God had already given them up. The Jews were blinded by their own stupid rejection of Christ as Lord. The Jewish people are strangers in a strange land and will remain so until Christ comes back to earth and sets up His Kingdom; then, and only then, will the Jews finally accept Christ as their Messiah and will be saved, individually and nationally. The Jew today is going through the motions of religion while their heart is far from God.
"As Christ has a church in the world, the spiritual Israel of God, so the devil has his synagogue. Those assemblies which are set up in opposition to the truths of the gospel, and which promote and propagate damnable errors, - those which are set up in opposition to the purity and spirituality of gospel worship, and which promote and propagate the vain inventions of men and rites and ceremonies which never entered into the thoughts of God, - these are all synagogues of Satan: he presides over them, he works in them, his interests are served by them, and he receives a horrid homage and honor from them. For the synagogue of Satan to give themselves out to be the church or Israel of God is no less than blasphemy. God is greatly dishonored when His name is made to promote and patronize the interests of Satan; and he has a high resentment of this blasphemy, and will take a just revenge on those who persist in it. He foreknows the future trials of His people, and forewarns them of them, and fore-arms them against them" (Matthew Henry).
Verse 10, "Fear none of those things which thou shall suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried: and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
LGT "Fear nothing which you are about to suffer. Behold the devil is about to cast some of you into prison that you may be tried and you will be having affliction of ten days. You keep on becoming faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of the life."
"Fear none of those things which thou shall suffer:"
In the midst of great persecution the Lord encourages His Church to have courage in what they are about to experience. John is writing from a prison on the rocky Isle of Patmos. The churches know John and I am sure he is a comfort by experience. It is always more comforting to hear from someone who has experienced suffering, than from someone who has not. I believe that is why we are exhorted throughout the Word to seek council from those older Christians that have gone through much more. It is like someone who has never been married giving advice to a young couple on how to raise their children. Christ suffered on the Cross as no other human has suffered; Jesus is saying in this verse 'keep on becoming faithful' in your trials, for there is much awaiting you in the end.
"Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried;"
Literally the devil is about to cast some of you into prison. I am sure these trials are designed for the perfect good of the Christian. "The persecution of the Christians is thus traced to the direct agency of Satan, and not the offended passions or prejudices of men. Trench observes: 'There is nothing more remarkable in the records which have come down to us of the early persecutions, than the sense which the confessors and martyrs and those who afterwards narrate their sufferings and their triumphs entertain and utter, that these great fights of affliction through which they were called to pass, were the immediate work of the Devil.' (Vincent)."
I believe what happened to the early Church is isolated from what is happening in this age of grace. I do not believe that we in this age are experiencing the same persecution, nor do I believe we will suffer the same; what I believe is that we are tempted and tried to perfect us unto the day of Jesus Christ. Our temptations come in the form of 'conformity to the world, a desire for fame and fortune, a desire to be independent of God, that is, not having to depend on God for everything, and most important of all, not having to study God's Word to be spiritual winners.' The persecution of the first Church was designed for its growth in persecution; the more the Church experienced persecution the faster it grew.
"And ye shall have tribulation ten days:"
Literally, persecution of ten days. Robertson says, "It is unwise to seek a literal meaning for ten days. Even ten days of suffering might seem an eternity while they lasted." The ten days then, seems to speak of the short duration for the suffering and that it would not be everlasting; also as we learn from this verse, the suffering is not going to be on all the Church, some of you are about to be cast into prison. It would be unfair to conclude that only some were brave enough to suffer; what is meant is that God is working omnisciently to see the Church grow in grace. McGee, Thieme and others see the Ten Days as epochs of persecution from Nero to Diocletian, that is, from 64 A.D. to 313 A.D. The reason I believe that the Lord uses hemeron deka 'of Ten Days' is emphasizing the shortness of the duration of the suffering for the purpose of consoling them. To broaden the ten days to include the persecutions down to A.D. 360 - 'The Edict of Milan' - as do many brilliant teachers, I am afraid is too broad for me. The reason I say this, is I don't think it really concerned the Christians assembled at Smyrna; I believe they were concerned with the purpose of the trial. If this seems too cynical it is because of my own personality, and I do not want it to get in the way of good Bible exposition. To hold the 'Ten Era' theory, would be for me too speculative.
"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
Just as Jesus was 'faithful unto death', He is encouraging this assembly to do the same. He is saying to them to literally keep becoming faithful unto death. Now I must make this point; these were all believers the Lord was having John write to, so He is not saying for them to be faithful unto death for salvation, because they already possessed that, He was encouraging them to endure for there own benefit of a crown.
The crown of life was given as a diadem for victory, which included eternal life.
"The full phrase is the crown of the life: i.e., the crown which consists in life eternal. The image is not taken from the Greek games, although Smyrna contained a temple of Olympian Jupiter, and Olympian games were celebrated there. It is the diadem of royalty rather than the garland of victory, though more commonly used in the latter sense. It is not likely that John would use an image from the games, since there was the most prejudice against them on the part of Jewish Christians; a prejudice, which, on occasions of their celebrations, provoked the special ferocity of the pagans against what, they regarded as the unpatriotic and unsocial character of Christ's disciples. It was at the demand of the people assembled in the stadium that Polycarp was given up to death. Moreover, it is doubtful whether any symbol in the Apocalypse is taken from heathenism. The imagery is Jewish" (Vincent).
Verse 11, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death."
LGT "The one who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the assemblies. The one who is victorious will never be injured of the death, the second one."
This seems ant-climactic after the last verse. Here it seems that the lord is assuring the assembled believers that they have no fear of the second death, which is the 'Lake of Fire,' because of His Word. He said it, so it is. The Lord uses this term 'second death' in relation to those that have been martyred, and those who will be martyred, they have no fear of eternal punishment. Those who put them to death certainly have to fear this second death, which is the lake of fire. In these last comforting words from the Savior, is the consolation that the all who are numbered among the believers will never have to be concerned with the second death. The term 'second death' has the article so it particularizes it as that 'Lake of Fire' death. The word 'overcome' is victorious, and it includes everyone who accepts Christ; the ones, who overcome by being martyred, are not victorious because they were martyred, they are victorious in their martyrdom. These martyrs were secure for all eternity before they were martyred, their martyrdom would only seal their crown. All the believers in the churches were by faith victorious by the 'Blood of the Lamb', and should have no fear of the second death. It was very important for the believers to get the doctrine of eternal security into their souls, for it would be the armor they needed for the upcoming persecution. Anyone who has studied Church History at length, knows that there were Christians who ran to be martyred because they thought this would make them worthy before the Lord. The only thing that makes us worthy before the Lord is the Blood of Christ. If a Christian does not have 'Eternal Security' cemented in their soul, they will be tossed about by strange doctrines of men.
The Message to Pergamum
"The proper form of the name is Pergamum. It was situated in Teuthrania in Mysia, in a district watered by three rivers, by one of which it communicated with the sea. The original city was built on a lofty hill, which afterward became the citadel [fortress] as houses sprang up around its base. The local legends attached a sacred character to the place, which, together with its natural strength, made it a place of deposit for royal treasure. The city was mainly indebted to Eumenes II. (B.C. 197-159) for its embellishment and extension. In addition to walks and public buildings, he founded the library, which contained two-hundred-thousand volumes, and was second only to that of Alexandria. The kingdom of Pergamum became a Roman province B.C. 130; but the city continued to flourish, so that Pliny styled it by far the most illustrious of Asia. All the main roads of Western Asia converged there. Pergamum was celebrated for the manufacture of ointments, pottery, tapestries, and parchment, which derives its name (charta pergamena) from the city. It contained a celebrated and much-frequented temple of Aesculapias, who was worshipped in the form of a living serpent fed in the temple. Hence Aesculapius was called the god of Pergamum, and on the coins struck by the town he often appears with a rod encircled by a serpent. The great glory of the city was the Nicephorium, a grove of great beauty containing an assemblage of temples. The city has been described as a sort of union of a pagan cathedral-city, a university-town, and a royal residence, embellished during a succession of years by kings who all had a passion for expenditure (they were probably all Democrats) and ample means of gratifying it. The streams, which embraced the town, irrigated the groves of Nicephorium and Aesculapius, in which flourished the licentious rites of pagan antiquity. The sacred character of the city appears in coins and inscriptions which described the Pergamenes by the title claimed by the worshippers of Diana at Ephesus, neokoroi temple-sweepers or sacristans" (Word Studies in the NT - Vincent).
Verse 12, "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith He which hath the sharp sword with two edges."
LGT "And to the messenger of the assembly in Pergamos write: These things says the One who has the sword, the two mouthed [edged], the sharp one."
"And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write;"
John now writes to the teacher in Pergamum. Robertson adds what I think is crucial to understanding the background of the church situated there: "Pergamum was the first city in Asia (A.D. 29) with a temple for the worship of Augustus (Octavius Caesar). Hence in the Apocalypse Pergamum is a very center of emperor-worship where Satan dwells (2:13). Hence also the Nicolaitans flourished (2:15) as in Ephesus (2:6) and in Thyatira (2:20 f.). Like Ephesus this city is called (neokoros) for the gods."
"These things saith He which hath the sharp sword with two edges."
This term 'sword with two edges' is literally, the sword, the two mouthed [edged], the sharp one. This is repeated from 1:16 in exactly the same order, with each description having the article, which specifies its specific qualities. We know from our earlier studies, and from Hebrews 4:12, For the Word of God is [living], and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Pergamum was a city that was overrun with religion, but what it needed, was not another religion, but the Word of God.
Verse 13, "I know thy works and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast My name, and hast not denied My faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth."
LGT "I know where you dwell, where the throne of Satan [is], and you keep holding fast [adhering] to My name and you did not deny your faith in Me, even in the days of Antipas My witness [martyr] My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells."
"I know thy works and where thou dwellest,"
"I know thy works" is omitted in the better manuscripts. The Lord is saying I know where you are dwelling, and I know the difficulties you face. All we have to do is read the introduction about Pergamos to understand what a difficult place this assembly was situated.
"Even where Satan's seat is:"
Pergamos was the throne of Satan with all its religion. McGee went on a trip to Asia Minor and gives a very interesting account in his 'Thru The Bible Commentary.' I believe it would be good to relate it in full:
"The reason our Lord said that Satan's throne was in Pergamum was because of the heathen temples there. Of course, all of this is in ruins today. There are markers and some reconstruction going on there now. But in John's day it was Satan's throne. As you enter the gate of the city, you see that the first temple to your right is the imposing temple of Athena. Directly above it is the great library. You would see the great temple of Caesar Augustus and Hadrian's great temple, which covers quite a bit of territory. There are other things that are quite interesting. There is the great altar to Zeus with an idol on it near the palace of the king. It is a very impressive spot, and some folk believe that it was the throne of Satan. Well, I think it is included but that Satan's throne is a combination of all of these.
There are two other areas, which are especially outstanding. One of them is the temple of Dionysius. I crawled down the side of that mountain to get pictures of the ruins of the temple of Dionysius, which is beside the ruins of the theater there. Some folk asked me why I did that. Well, Dionysius is the same as Bacchus, god of wine, the goat-god. He is depicted with horns, but with his upper part as a man and his lower part as a goat, with cloven feet and a tail. In our day that is the modern idea of Satan, but the notion that Satan has horns, cloven feet, and a forked tail did not come from the Bible. Where did it come from? Well, it came from the temple of Dionysius, the god Bacchus, the god of wine.
Then the other outstanding temple was of the god Asklepios. Down from the great promontory was the greatest hospital of the ancient world. It was the Mayo Clinic of that day. It was, first of all, a temple to Asklepios. If you are looking at the Greek god Asklepios, it is a man, but when you see the Anatolian or Oriental Asklepios, it is a serpent. There in Pergamum it was a serpent. I have pictures, which I took of that great marble pillar which stands like an obelisk [pyramid-shape] now apparently was a pillar in the temple of Asklepios. The construction of the temple was unusual in that it was round. There they used every means of healing imaginable. They used both medicine and psychology - and about everything else.
Put yourself in this situation: you go down long tunnels, and above are holes that look like air holes for ventilation but are not. As you walk along these tunnels, sexy voices come down through the holes, saying to you, 'You are going to get well. You are going to feel better. You are going to be healed.' (Does that have a modern ring?) You go down to the hot baths where you are given a message. There is a little theater there where they give plays of healing. If they haven't healed you by now, as a last resort they put you in that temple at night and turn loose the non-poisonous snakes, which crawl over you. (That is known as the shock treatment in our day!) If they don't heal you, they will drive you crazy, that's for sure. They have a back door where they take out the dead. They don't mention the ones they don't heal (just like Benny Hinn); they speak only of those who recover.
Caesar Augustus loved to go there. He wasn't exactly sick; he was an alcoholic. They just dried him out every year when he would come over. This was a great place, and for seven hundred years it was a hospital that people came to from all over the world. May I say to you, healing was satanic in those days. There is no question about the fact that there were good men there who used medicine, but basically, it was satanic. It was where Satan's throne was. That is important to see" (T. T. B. J. Vernon McGee).
"And thou holdest fast My name,"
"This church refused to say Kurios Kaisar 'Lord Caesar' and continued to say Kurios Iesous 'Lord Jesus' (1 Cor. 12:3)" (Robertson). The first commendation from the Lord to this assembly was that even though they lived where the throne of Satan was, they were believers. Another commendation was that they refuse to call the emperor 'lord', that is, pay homage to him.
"And hast not denied My faith,"
This phrase 'My faith' is, as Robertson points out, an objective genitive, and is literally, did not deny your faith in Me. To have faith in Christ, one must also have faith in His Word, that is, Bible doctrine.
"Even in those days wherein Antipas was My faithful martyr,"
The original meaning of a 'martyr' was at this time a witness. It wasn't until the third century that it took on its modern connotation of being sacrificed for the name of the Lord. There are no records of Antipas; all we know is that he was martyred in Pergamos, maybe the first of a long line of martyrs.
"Who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth."
The Word of God is all we have concerning Antipas. "Who this person was, and whether there be anything mysterious in his name, we have no certain account. He was a faithful disciple of Christ, he suffered martyrdom for it, and sealed his faith and fidelity with his blood in the place where Satan dwelt; and the rest of the believers there knew this, and saw it, yet they were not discouraged nor drawn away from their steadfastness: this is mentioned as an addition to their honor" (Matthew Henry).
Verse 14, "But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication."
LGT "But I have a few things against you because you have there [those] holding the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a trap in the sight of the sons of Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication."
Up to this point the Lord has nothing but positive things to say to this church, but now He turns to the negative.
"But I have a few things against thee,"
The few things that the Lord is referring to is the teachings of Balaam and the teachings of the Nicolaitans.
"Because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam,"
There were those in the assembly that were adhering to the false teachers of Balaam. "The doctrine of Balaam is different from the error of Balaam (see Jude 11), which revealed that Balaam thought that God would curse Israel because they were sinners. It is also different from the way of Balaam (see 2 Peter 2:15), which was covetousness. But here in the verse before us, it is the doctrine or teaching of Balaam. He taught Balac the way to corrupt Israel by intermarriage with the Moabite women. This introduced into the nation of Israel both idolatry and fornication. And during the historical period which the church at Pergamum represents, the unconverted world came into the church" (McGee). "See Numbers Chapter 22-25 for more on Balaam. King Balak hired Balaam to curse Israel. But, Balaam could not curse Israel so he got them to go into the Phallic Cult and fornicate and worship idols - bringing the anger of God. 24,000 Israelites bit, and God through Moses ordered them executed" (R. B. Thieme Jr.).
"Who taught Balaac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel,"
This stumbling block is literally a trap or an offense. "Balaam showed Balak how to set a trap for the Israelites by beguiling them into the double sin of idolatry and fornication, which often went together (and still do)" (Robertson).
"To eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication."
"The eating of idol meats, which was no temptation to the Jewish Christian, was quite otherwise to the Gentiles. The act of sacrifice, among all ancient nations, was a social no less than a religious act. Commonly only a part of the victim was consumed as an offering, and the rest became the portion of the priests, was given to the poor, or sold again in the markets. Hence sacrifice and feast were identified.
Thus, for the Gentile, refusal to partake of the idol-meats involved absence from public and private festivity, a withdrawal, in great part, from the social life of his time. The subject is discussed by Paul in Rom. 14:2-21, and 1 Cor. 8:1-11:1. The council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) forbade the eating of meat offered to idols, not as esteeming it forbidden by the Mosaic Law, but as becoming a possible occasion of sin to weak Christians. In his letter to the Corinthians, among whom the Jewish and more scrupulous party was the weaker, Paul, in arguing with the stronger and more independent party, never alludes to the decree of the Jerusalem council, but discusses the matter from the standpoint of the rights of conscience. While he admits the possibility of a blameless participation in a banquet, even in the idol-temple, he dissuades from it on the ground of its dangerous consequences to weak consciences, and as involving a formal recognition of the false worship, which they had renounced at their baptism. 'In the Epistle to the Romans we see the excess to which the scruples of the weaker brethren were carried, even to the pitch of abstaining altogether from animal food; as, in the Nicolaitans of the Apocalyptic churches, we see the excess of the indifferent party, who plunged without restraint into all the pollutions, moral as well as ceremonial, with which the heathen rites were accompanied' (Stanley). 'It may be noted as accounting for the stronger and more vehement language of the Apocalypse, considered even as a simply human book, that the conditions of the case had altered. Christians and heathen were no longer dwelling together, as at Corinth, with comparatively slight interruption to their intercourse, but were divided by a sharp line of demarcation. The eating of things sacrificed to idols was more and more a crucial test, involving a cowardly shrinking from the open confession of a Christian's faith. Disciples who sat at meat in the idol's temple were making merry with those whose hands were red with the blood of their fellow-worshippers, and whose lips had uttered blaspheming scoffs against the Holy Name' (Plumptre).
In times of persecution, tasting the wine of the libations or eating meat offered to idols, was understood to signify recantation of Christianity" (Vincent).
"There were some who taught that it was lawful to eat things sacrificed to idols, and that simple fornication was no sin; they, by an impure worship, drew men into impure practices, as Balaam did the Israelites. Observe (1.) The filthiness of the spirit and the filthiness of the flesh often go together. Corrupt doctrines and a corrupt worship often lead to a corrupt conversation. (2.) It is very lawful to fix the name of the leaders of any heresy upon those who follow them. It is the shortest way of telling whom we mean. (3.) To continue in communion with persons of corrupt principles and practices is displeasing to God, draws a guilt and blemish upon the whole society: they become partakers of other men's sin. Though the church, as such, has no power to punish the persons of men, either for heresy or immorality, with corporal penalties, yet it has power to exclude them from its communion: and, if it do not so, Christ, the Head and Lawgiver of the church, will be displeased with it" (Matthew Henry).
Verse 15, "So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate."
LGT "So you also have those holding the teaching [of the] Nicolaitans likewise."
What the Lord is saying in this verse is, likewise, you are also following the teachings of the Nicolaitans. The last phrase, which I hate, is omitted in the better manuscripts. Theime notes: "which thing I hate from the context would probably be accurate, but it is not part of the original text, so it is omitted. (But, see also verse 2:6, where Jesus does say this). The Nicolaitans were the intellectuals. They combined intellectualism (Gnosticism) and the phallic cult. So it was the lasciviousness crowd." "The use of homoios (likewise) here shows they followed Balaam in not obeying the decision of the Conference at Jerusalem (Acts 15:20, 29) about idolatry and fornication, with the result that they encouraged a return to pagan laxity of morals (Swete)" (Robertson).
Verse, 16, "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth."
LGT "Repent therefore: and if not, I am coming to you quickly and will wage war with them with the sword of My mouth."
"Repent;"
Literally, repent therefore; "the particle therefore is inserted in the original text as a sense of urgency for their sin" (Robertson). The word 'repent' means to change your mind. 1 John 1:9 if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, is the principle that is being stressed in this verse.
"Or else I will come unto the quickly, and will fight against them"
Literally, and if not, I am coming to you quickly to wage war with them. "The words war and make war occur oftener in the Apocalypse than in any other book of the New Testament" (Vincent). "An eternal roll of thunder from the throne" (Renan). The thought here is that the church must get rid of, that is, not offer the right hand of fellowship to the ones who are teaching error, if they do not repent. If the church does not have them leave, the Lord will remove them. The false doctrine of the Nicolaitans was probably a sect of the Gnostic cult that denied the deity of Christ, among other errors.
"With the sword of My mouth."
"If they would not repent, the Lord said He would fight against them with the sword of His mouth, which is the Word of God. What a mistake we make if we think that the church has the authority to decide what is right and what is wrong. The true church is made up of believers in Jesus Christ, and they form what Scripture calls the body of Christ. They are to be lights in the world. And if we are going to be lights in this dark world, we need to be careful to identify with the person of Jesus Christ and to recognize, not the church, but the Word of God as our authority" (McGee).
Verse 17, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth."
LGT "The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the assemblies. The one who is overcoming I will give to him the manna the hidden one, and I will give to him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written which no one is knowing except the one who receives it."
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;"
The Word of God is how the Holy Spirit spoke then, and it is how He speaks now to the assemblies. Anyone who has ears, and that is almost everyone, they can hear and live, or they can refuse to listen and perish. The ones who hear and receive the Word of God Bible Doctrine) are the overcomers, and the ones, who refuse to listen (To Bible Doctrine), and accept the errors, are the ones who will be destroyed with the brightness of His coming, and the Sword of His mouth, that is, the Word of God.
"To him that overcometh"
"To him that overcometh is the definition of a genuine Christian. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb. Never are we overcomers, but we overcome by the shed blood. We know that the victory was won by Christ and not by ourselves" (McGee). In 1 John 5:4, 5) we read, For whatever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God.
"Will I give to eat of the hidden manna,"
All the symbols that John uses are taken from the Old Testament; John was very familiar with the Old Testament, so he knew what these symbols Christ used meant. Remember that the Manna that God provided for the Children of Israel in the wilderness wanderings was hidden in the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. Christ is represented in the Manna as the Bread from heaven given to everyone who will believe. The Manna was hidden in the Ark of the Covenant behind the curtain in the Holy of Holies until Christ shed His blood on the Cross for all who would believe, and then the curtain was torn asunder from the top to the bottom giving access to all believers to the throne of grace, and symbolic of eating the 'Bred of Heaven', which represents Christ. Vincent has a very good article in his book from Milligan's lectures I believe would be good to quote in full:
"The allusion hidden Manna may be partly to the pot of manna which was laid in the ark in the sanctuary. See Exodus 16:32-34; compare Heb. 9:4. That the imagery of the ark was familiar to John appears from 11:19. This allusion however is indirect, for the manna laid up in the ark was not for food, but was a memorial of food once enjoyed. Two ideas seem to be combined in the figure:
1.Christ as the bread from heaven, the nourishment of the life of believers, the manna, of which those who eat shall never die (John 6:31-33; 48-51); hidden, in that He is withdrawn from sight, and the Christian's life is hid with Him in God (Col. 3:3). 2. The satisfaction of the believer's desire when Christ shall be revealed. The hidden manna shall not remain forever hidden. We shall see Christ as He is, and be like Him (1 John 3:2). Christ gives the manna in giving Himself. 'The seeing of Christ as He is, and, through this beatific [pure] vision, being made like Him, is identical with the eating of the hidden manna, which shall, as it were, be then brought forth from the sanctuary, the holy of holies of God's immediate presence where it was withdrawn from sight so long, that all may partake of it; the glory of Christ, now shrouded and concealed, being then revealed to His people' (Trench).
This is one of numerous illustrations of the dependence of the Apocalypse upon Old Testament history and prophecy. 'To such an extent is this the case,' says Professor Milligan, 'that it may be doubted whether it contains a single figure not drawn from the Old Testament, or a single complete sentence not more or less built of materials brought from the same source.' See, for instance, Balaam (2:14); Jezebel (2:20); Michael (12:7, compare Dan. 10:13; 12:1); Abaddon (9:11); Jerusalem, Mt. Zion, Babylon, the Euphrates, Sodom, Egypt (21:2; 14:1; 16:19; 9:14; 11:8); Gog and Magog (20:8, compare Ezek. 38, 39). Similarly, the tree of life, the scepter of iron, the potter's vessels, the morning-star (2:7, 17, 27, 28). Heaven is described under the figure of the tabernacle in the wilderness (11:1, 19; 6:9; 8:3; 11:19; 4:6). The song of the redeemed is the song of Moses (15:3). The plagues of Egypt appear in the blood, fire, thunder, darkness and locusts (ch. 8). 'The great earthquake of ch. 6 is taken from Haggai; the sun becoming black as sackcloth of hair and the moon becoming blood (ch. 8) from Joel: the stars of heaven falling, the fig-tree casting her untimely figs, the heavens departing as a scroll (ch. 8) from Isaiah: the scorpions of ch. 9 from Ezekiel: the gathering of the vine of the earth (ch. 14) from Joel, and the treading of the winepress in the same chapter from Isaiah.' So too the details of a single vision are gathered out of different prophets or different parts of the same prophet. For instance, the vision of the glorified Redeemer (1:12-20). The golden candlesticks are from Exodus and Zechariah; the garment down to the foot from Exodus and Daniel; the golden girdle and the hairs like wool from Isaiah and Daniel; the feet like burnished brass, and the voice like the sound of many waters, from Ezekiel; the two-edged sword from Isaiah and Psalms; the countenance like the sun from Exodus; the falling of the seer as dead from Exodus, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel; the laying of Jesus' right hand on the seer from Daniel.
'Not indeed that the writer binds himself to the Old Testament in a slavish spirit. He rather uses it with great freedom and independence, extending, intensifying, or transfiguring its description at his pleasure. Yet the main source of his emblems cannot be mistaken. The sacred books of his people had been more familiar to him. They had penetrated his whole being. They had lived within him as a germinating seed, capable of shooting up not only in the old forms, but in new forms of life and beauty. In the whole extent of sacred and religious literature there is to be found nowhere else such a perfect fusion of the revelation given to Israel with the mind of one who would either express Israel's ideas, or give utterance, by means of the symbols supplied by Israel's history, to the present and most elevated thoughts of the Christian faith" (this note is condensed from Professor Milligan's Baird Lectures on the Revelation of St. John)" (Word Studies in the New Testament - Vincent).
"And will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it."
There are many views that have been offered by commentators, but the one I have chosen seems to be the most logical with reference to the 'new name.' It is the one that seems to present to us our new position as adopted members of the family of God. "This white stone is absolution from guilt of sin, alluding to the ancient custom of giving a white stone to those acquitted on trial and a black stone to those condemned. The new name is the name of adoption: adopted persons took the name of the family into which they were adopted. None can read the evidence of a man's adoption but himself; he cannot always read it, [but by being adopted] he will have both the evidence of son ship and the inheritance" (Matthew Henry - brackets added).
The Message to Thyatira
"Thyatira was situated on the confines [boundaries] of Mysia and Ionia. According to Pliny it was known in earlier times as Pelopia and Euhippia. Its prosperity received a new impulse under the Roman Emperor Vespasian. The city contained a number of corporate guilds, as potters, tanners, weavers, robe-makers, and dyers. It was from Thyatira that Lydia the purple-seller of Philippi came, Paul's first European convert. The numerous streams of the adjacent country were full of leeches. The principal deity of the city was Apollo, worshipped as the Sun god under the surname Tyrimnas. A shrine outside the walls was dedicated to Sambatha, a sibyl [mystic]. The place was never of paramount political importance" (Vincent).
Verse 18, "And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath His eyes like unto a flame of fire, and His feet are like fine brass."
LGT "And to the messenger of the assembly in Thyatira write: These things says the Son of God, the One having His eyes as flaming fire and His feet like fine brass."
"And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write;"
Literally, And to the messenger [the teacher] of the assembly in Thyatira write:" "This city became prosperous under the sponsorship of Vespasian, the Roman emperor. It was the center of the dying industry. This is where the labor unions must have originated! Lydia, the seller of purple, who in Philippi became Paul's first convert in Europe, came from here (see Acts 16:14). That purple color spoken of is what we know today as Turkey red - and I mean that color is red. The dye was taken from a plant that grows in that area. Apollo, the sun god, was worshipped here as Tyrimnos" (McGee)
"These things saith the Son of God,"
This title Son of God the Lord uses for Himself in that He is equal in deity and subordinate in His manner of subsistence [continuing co-existence] with God the Father. Jesus uses this title, along with Son of Man in the Apocalypse.
"Who hath His eyes like unto a flame of fire,"
"That His eyes are like a flame of fire, signifying His piercing, penetrating, perfect knowledge, a thorough insight into all persons and all things, One who searches the hearts and tries the reins of the children of men (vs. 23), and will make all the churches to know He does so" (Matthew Henry).
"And His feet are like fine brass."
As noted before this speaks of His judgment, in that all His ways are perfect, and His judgments are pure.
Verse 19, "I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first."
LGT "I know your works and the love, and the faith, and the service, and your patient endurance, and your works the last more than the first."
"I know thy works,"
These works that the Lord is about to mention are the Christian accomplishments of the members motivated by Bible doctrine.
"And charity,"
This phrase is literally, and the love. The word 'charity' is in the Greek agapan, which is divine love, and only a believer is capable of this agape love. This means that this love can only be directed toward the Godhead or the family of the Godhead. Many have been led astray in this regards by the use of the KJV use 'charity.' Many teach that we are to love all of mankind equally, and this is never taught in the Scripture. We are to love the unbeliever based on our personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and we are to treat our fellow believer based on both of our relationships with the Lord Jesus Christ. We must treat one another as joint heirs with our Savior.
"And service"
Serving one another by edifying each other with the comfort of the Word of God - Bible doctrine.
"And faith"
Each one of these works has the article, which particularizes the type of work. Here 'the faith' is their Christian faithfulness or as Theime says, their application of the faith rest technique. Whenever a problem arises these Christians would go to the Word of God for direction.
"And thy patience"
This is literally patient endurance through persecution.
"And thy works; and the last to be more than the first."
Their works were progressive, that is, they grew more and more, and their last works excelled their first. The Holy Spirit produces all of the works, that is, they are the fruits of the Spirit. What I love the most about the doctrine of the 'fruits of the Spirit' is that what the Holy Spirit produces in our lives is what we get rewarded for at the 'Bema Seat of Christ.' Is this grace, or what?
Verse 20, "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants to commit fornication, and to eat things offered unto idols."
LGT "But I have [this fact] against you because you permitted the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and to teach and seduce My servants to fornicate and to eat things offered to idols."
"Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee,"
This phrase is literally, but I have against you, 'a few things' is omitted. I added [this fact] from RBT's translation, because it makes good sense.
"Because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel,"
The word 'sufferest' is in Greek apheis, which means to permit or tolerate.
"Jezebel, used symbolically, but with reference to the notorious historical Jezebel. She was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon (1 Kings 15:31), formerly of Astarte, and who had made his way to the throne by the murder of his predecessor Pheles. Ahab's marriage with her was the first instance of a marriage with a heathen princess of a king of the northern kingdom of Israel. This alliance was a turning-point in the moral history of the kingdom. From the times of David and Solomon many treaties had been concluded between Phoenicia and Israel; but it was at the same time the special business of the kingdom of the ten tribes to restore the ancient rigidness of the nationality of Israel. Jezebel looked down with perverse pride upon a people whose religion she neither understood nor respected. Though the ten tribes had yielded to idolatry in the worship of calves, the true God was still worshipped and the law of Moses acknowledged. From the time of Ahab's marriage the apostasy of Israel became more decided and deadly. She was 'a woman in whom, with the reckless and licentious habits of an Oriental queen, were united the fiercest and sternest qualities inherent in the old Semitic race. Her husband, in whom generous and gentle feelings were not wanting, was yet of a weak and yielding character which soon made a tool in her hands . . . The wild license of her life and the magical fascination of her arts or her character became a proverb in the nation. Round her and from her, in different degrees of nearness, is evolved the awful drama of the most eventful crisis of this portion of the Israelite history' (Stanley - The Jewish Church). She sought to exterminate the prophets of Jehovah (1 Kings 18:13), and inaugurated the worship of Baal the Sun god on a magnificent scale. Two sanctuaries were established, one for each of the great Phoenician deities, at each of the two new capitals of the kingdom, Samaria and Jezreel. The sanctuary of Astarte or Ashtaroth (the Phoenician Venus) at Jezreel was under Jezebel's special sanction, and there is reason to suppose that she ministered as a priestess in that licentious worship. Four hundred priests or prophets were attached to this sanctuary and were supported at her table. The sanctuary to Baal at Samaria was large enough to contain all the worshippers of the northern kingdom. Its staff consisted of four hundred and fifty priests, and the interior contained representations of the Sun god on small pillars, while a large statue of the same deity was set up in front. At these sanctuaries Ahab in person offered sacrifices.
Expositions are divided as to the symbolic import of the name in this passage, some referring it to a single person - 'some single wicked woman in the church of Thyatira inheriting this name of infamy in the Church of God,' giving herself out as a prophetess, and seducing the servants of Christ to commit fornication and to eat things offered to idols. Others interpret the name as designating an influential heretical party in the Church; but, as Alford remarks, the real solution must lie hidden until all that is hidden shall be known.' It is clear, at any rate, that Thyatira, like the Church of old, had sinned by her alliance with a corrupt faith and practice" (Vincent).
"Which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols."
"This woman was not a real prophetess, but a false one with loud claims and loose living. One is puzzled to know how such a woman had so much shrewdness and sex-appeal as to lead astray the servants of God in that church. The church tolerated the Nicolaitans and this leader whose primary objective was sexual immorality and became too much involved with her to handle the heresy" (Robertson).
Verse 21, "And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not."
LGT "And I gave her time that she should repent, and she wills not to repent of her fornication [adultery]."
"And I gave her space"
Literally, gr. chronon, that is, I gave her time.
"To repent,"
That is I gave her time to change her mind. The word repent gr. metenoesei means to change ones mind or direction. Real confession always involves a change of attitude or the direction one is headed. If we confess our sins, that is, look at them from a divine perspective, we will want to change our attitude about our sins; otherwise it is not a real confession. The word confess, gr. homologeo means to call our sin what God calls our sin, or to put it simply, to view our sins from God's divine perspective. The Lord gave her plenty of time to change.
"Of her fornication; and she repented not."
The Greek word for 'fornication' is porneia meaning 'adultery' here. From this Greek word porneia we get our English word 'pornography.' This Jezebel would not change her mind about her adultery. This assembly was guilty by association, that is, by allowing this despicable behavior, they became partakers in the sin. RBT notes a principal: grace always goes before judgment. Without using rebound [confession of sin], she is going into deep reversionism [backsliding] and is heading for the sin unto death. This is a lesson for all believers, God will always deal with us first in grace, and then discipline; if the discipline does not work, He will take the believer home, in order that they don't damage themselves further, and because He will not lose any of His Elect.
"The immorality was flagrant; more flagrant still was the obstinate persistence in it, despite admonitions and forbearance. This allusion to an abuse of God's patience and to a warning given is left indefinite; it was probably familiar enough to the first readers of the book. Interests and old associations had proved too strong for this prophetic counsel to be followed. Membership of a trade guild, although it necessarily involved the recognition of some pagan deity and often led to orgies, 'was a most important matter for every tradesman or artisan; it aided his business, and brought, him many advantages socially' [Ramsay]" (The Expositor's Greek Testament).
Verse 22, "Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds."
LGT "Behold, I will cast her into a bed and the ones who are committing adultery with her into great tribulation [suffering], except they repent out of her works."
"Behold, I will cast her into a bed,"
"The scene of the crime is also the scene of the punishment, I will cast her into a bed of punishment" (Vincent). "A bed of sickness instead of a bed of adultery" (Robertson). First comes grace, that is time for confession, and then comes judgment to the unbeliever, and discipline to the believer.
"And them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation,"
The Greek word for 'tribulation' is thlipsen meaning, 'distressing circumstance, great pressure, affliction, and trouble. 'Commit adultery with her' means those who share in her adulteries. "I will cast her into a bed, into a bed of pain, not pleasure, into a bed of flames; and those who have sinned with her shall suffer with her; but this may yet be prevented by their repentance" (Matthew Henry).
"Except they repent of their deeds."
Literally, except they repent of her works. Jezebel was chiefly responsible. They are guilty for following her in her works. The Lord is still offering them an out through repentance. All they had to do was to change their minds about her deeds, and not to continue following. Again, they are to take the divine viewpoint, and see this horrible woman for what she is.
Verse 23, "And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give every one of you according to your works."
LGT "And I will kill her children by death. And all the assemblies will come to know that I am the One who searches the reins and hearts, and I will give every one of you according to your works."
"And I will kill her children with death;"
Her children refer to those who have followed her. The context here seems to be the second death as many commentators relate. "Literally, let them be put to death with death, a reference to the second death" (Vincent).
"And the churches shall know"
By the divine action the Lord takes toward this assembly, the other assemblies will come to know that God does not tolerate heresy. The 'churches' is reference to all the churches throughout the world.
"That I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts:"
The reins refer to the deep feelings and desires, while the heart refers to the decision making, where the thoughts are sorted out and categorized, and then put into action. You see, it is not by emotions that the decisions are made if we are to get it right, but it must be transferred from the point of emotion and desire into the intellect of logic when good decisions are then made. We must never make decisions when in a state of emotional duress.
"And I will give unto every one of you according to your works."
"The Lord says here that He will administer divine discipline according to their works (human good, sin and evil)" (RBT).
Verse 24, "But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden."
LGT "But to you I say to the rest the ones who are in Thyatira, as many as are not having this teaching, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say: I will not cast upon you another burden."
"As many as have not this doctrine,"
Literally, as many as are not holding to the teaching of this Jezebel. "Did not come to know by experience" (Robertson). "I am speaking to those of you spiritual believers that have not adhered to this satanic cult" (RBT).
"And which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak;"
They did not know the deep things of Satan.
"The Ophites (worshippers of the serpent) and other later Gnostics (Cainites, Carpocrations, Naassenes) boasted of their knowledge of the deep things, some claiming this very language about Satan (the serpent) as Paul did of God (1 Cor. 2:10). It is not clear whether the words here quoted are a boast of the Nicolaitans or a reproach on the other Christians for not knowing the depths of sin. Some even claimed that they could indulge in immorality without sinning (1 John 1:10; 3:10). Perhaps both ideas are involved, As they speak, is probably referring to the heretics who ridicule the piety of the other Christians" (Robertson).
I will put upon you none other burden."
The Lord only mentions these two heinous sins, idol worship, and fornication [adultery], for He says that He will not burden them with any more weight.
Verse 25, "But that which ye have already hold fast till I come."
LGT "Howbeit, what you have hold fast till I will come."
The Lord is now beginning to encourage the assemblies with the truth that he is coming again to take the church out of the world.
Verse 26, "And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations."
LGT "And the one who overcomes and the one who keeps My works until the end, I will give to him authority over the nations."
"And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end,"
As has been noted in the previous exposition, the only way a person can overcome is by the Blood of the Lamb. To overcome is a work of the Holy Spirit and not a work of the flesh. "The works of Christ are in contrast to the works of Jezebel. The works of Christ are wrought by the Holy Spirit. We overcome by faith and not by effort" (McGee).
"To him will I give power over the nations."
Paul teaches that the saints will judge the world; Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matter (1Cor. 6:2). I am making two points by using this verse from Paul: (1) the saints will be judging the world with Christ during the Millennium, and (2) Paul is addressing the entire Corinthian assembly, not just a chosen few. You know that there will be a Bema Seat where Christ will judge His body [the church], and mete out rewards and loss of rewards, but I believe it is a stretch of exegesis to use these verses in Revelation concerning the 'overcomer' as referring to only the victorious Christian. I find too many problems with the meaning of 'to overcome' to limit it to a few. There are a lot of good men who take the opposite viewpoint than I, so I could be wrong; it just seems to me that the context is stressing the power of the Lord Jesus Christ over the impotency of the harlot, Jezebel.
Verse 27, "And He shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of My Father."
LGT "And He will shepherd them with a staff of iron, as vessels of pottery are broken in pieces,"
The Lord is picturing His Millennial rule with perfect justice. The staff of iron represents a rule of perfect justice. Jesus always uses grace first and then discipline. The ones who do not respond to the Lord's justice will be dashed to pieces as potter's broken pieces of pottery.
Verse 28, "And I will give him the morning star."
LGT "And as I also have received from My Father, and I will give to him the star, the morning one."
The only difference here from the KJV is that the last phrase of verse 27 is the first phrase of verse 28. Christ received all His authority from the Father. Christ is the bright and morning star and the victor has Christ. "The star was the ancient emblem of sovereignty. See Num 24:17; Matt. 2:2. 'It was the symbol of sovereignty on its brighter side, and was therefore the fitting and necessary complement of the dread attributes that had gone before. The king came not only to judge and punish, but also to illumine and cheer' [Plumptre]. Compare 2 peter 1:19" (Vincent).
Verse 29, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
LGT "The one having ears let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the assemblies."
The children of the Lord will hear, but Jezebel's children refuse to hear.
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