Revelation 2

To the Church in Ephesus

1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.

2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

6 But you have this in your favour: you hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

John’s Reflection Concerning His Time

and/or All Lifetimes at Ephesus

J D Douglas, Editor New Bible Dictionary has in-depth descriptions of the locations of the seven churches at John’s time. This author gives brief comments on the main points subject to Jesus’ concerns. The aim is to keep it simple. The Book of Revelation was written for each Christian’s lifetime of faithfulness, obedience and perseverance to the end of earthly life.

2:1 Jesus holds seven stars – right hand, signifying strength in Jesus’ right hand – church leaders – golden lampstands – seven churches in Asia.

2:2 Jesus knows their hard work and perseverance – their testing – their rejection of wickedness – the Nicolaitans. Jesus has words against them. First love forsaken. From zeal to formality? Like liberalism, traditionalism in some churches today? A great danger.

2:5 Remove lampstand – Jesus leaves through faithlessness.

2:7 Overcomes – eat from tree of life.

The temple of Artemis was in this ‘free’ city – a Roman ‘free’ city. Near the temple was a tree of asylum for criminals. They congregated there to ensure freedom. Jesus encourages them to remember true freedom only in Him (John 8:32, 36) and to remember the ‘tree of life’ in Glory and be faithful and obedient. (Genesis 2:9; Revelation 22:2, 14, 19). life. To glorify Jesus and enjoy Him forever.

Each letter is to “the angel” – the messenger in each church. In each church respectively there are “words” from Jesus, the Living Word

To the Church in Smyrna

8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.

9 I know your afflictions and your poverty – yet you are rich: I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you; the devil will put some of you in prison to test you and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.

11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

John’s Reflection Concerning His Time

and/or All Lifetimes at Smyrna

2:8 First and last – died and rose.

2:9 Jesus knows their afflictions. Jesus has nothing against them. He knows it is a free Roman city – a city of beautiful planning and architecture. A rich city, a maritime hub for commerce. It had temples to Apollo, Asclepios, Aphrodite and Cybele cults. Jesus knew of Jewish stand towards Christians – from synagogue of Satan!

In their lifetime they were to suffer. The Jews had protected status with Rome and paid special temple taxes, and did not have to worship the Emperor. Thus, Christians were vulnerable and were slandered. Bishop Polycarp was burnt there.

2:10 Jesus says be faithful to death and receive the ‘crown of life’. The emblem for Smyrna was a crown. There is no fear from the second death for the elect (1 Corinthians 9:25).

To the Church in Pergamum

11 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.

13 I know where you live – where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city – where Satan lives.

14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.

15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

John’s Reflection Concerning His Time

and/or All Lifetimes at Pergamum

2:12 “the sharp, double-edged sword”. Jesus used this term as this city was the capital of Asia at the time and the Roman governor resided there. It was the seat of power – thus a religious centre – temples to Zeus, Athena, Dionysus and Asclepios were there. In 29BC Augustus approved of a temple to himself there. The Roman gladiator sword was not equivalent to the eternal power of Jesus. They all had to answer to Jesus for judgement for eternity!

2:13 “true to my Name” The joy of trusting and obeying Jesus through dreadful persecution, tribulation, even to death. But then eternal life with Jesus.

2:14 “against you some hold to teachings of Balaam.” Return to paganism. Same for immorality of Nicolaitans.

2:16f “. Repent.” or reject the “hidden manna” – Jesus who is unseen to the pagan world (Romans 3:10-12) but who is the bread of life in each generation of the elect – each lifetime. Revelation is about the ‘now’ – each day in our journey with Jesus. A white stone – personally engraved and known by Jesus and the owner – an individual admission to Glory. “. sword of my mouth.” – simply the word of Jesus – the Living Word (John 1:1; Revelation 5:5-6, 19:21).

To the Church in Thyatira

18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God; whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.

21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.

22 I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.

23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you,

25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’

26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations – 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron sceptre and will dash them to pieces like pottery’ – just as I have received authority from my Father.

28 I will also give that one the morning star.

29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

John’s Reflection Concerning His Time

and/or All Lifetimes at Thyatira

Founded by Seleucus I (311-280BC) – military outpost – many trade guilds (home of Lydia (Acts 16:14)).

2:18 “eyes blazing feet burnished bronze.” In Daniel 10:4-6 a vision of the reality of Revelation 1:12-16 – the Eternal Second Person of Yahweh – Jesus. Lord of eternity.

2:19 Jesus commends service and perseverance. No mention of severe persecution but being a member of a guild may have required involvement in Emperor cult worship.

2:20 Jezebel, a teacher of Balaam, was leading the church astray, likened to Jezebel (1 Kings 16:31).

2:24 Secret rites worshipping Satan, Jesus knows our heart (Mark 2:8)

2:28 “Morning Star” – mentioned by original Balaam who mentioned this in an oracle (Numbers 24:17). This is Jesus (2 Peter 1:9; Revelation 22:26).

From Daniel 7:18 printed earlier – please reference context, and Revelation 2:26 we note the following. It is Jesus who is speaking and in reality in Jesus’ eternity this has already happened.  All the elect, the saints in Jesus are at the end of our history (Phil 1:23) and Jesus’ authority is real.  We will see this reality when we discuss Revelation 5:5-6 later. Ruling with an iron scepter simply means shepherding with strength.

As we move to the focus of Daniel 8:10 and the significance of the Book of Revelation from now to the end of human history we move to Revelation 4, but first remember:

Daniel 7:8-14

8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

9 “As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.

10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.

11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.

12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.

14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

The verse in question again is Daniel 7:9 in relation to Revelation 4:2. The time between each vision is about 555 years.

Heaven an Open Door, a Throne and What Takes Place

In the seven letters to the seven churches we saw Jesus who knows our hearts, who is the first and the last, with all eternal authority, who overcame and is with the Father in heaven. And now we come to a vision of Heaven – from John’s history ‘then’, and our history in our time ‘now’. A glimpse through this open door – a door open to the elect in each lifetime – through the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus. A glimpse of true reality at the end of our lifetime -the end of our history in Jesus’ eternity.

This is the real hope mentioned earlier – a hope already ours. Being in Jesus we are in the real ‘now’, victorious in Jesus and through the Holy Spirit seeing ourselves safe in the ‘not yet’. In Revelation 4 we see clearly what is our eternal future. Remember this ‘future’ could be today, tomorrow or in ‘n’ years’ time. The cross is the victory.  We are victorious in Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:54-57; Galatians 2:20; 1 John 5:5). How important it is to read Holy Scripture.