Bible Study of Revelation
Chapter 2
In our last study of the book of Revelation we covered chapter 1 and we learned that the seven candlesticks are the seven churches listed here in chapter 2 and 3. His walking in the midst of these seven candlesticks or churches and His holding them in His right hand indicates His ownership, presence and protection of the churches. These seven churches comprise and are symbolic or are indicative of all churches from the time of the Apostles until the present time. They represent seven different and distinct periods of church history. While all the problems, warnings and commendations can be found in every church age or period, they are most prevalent in these particular time periods, or may have been the beginning of those particular church problems. Most of my resources have different time periods, but are usually within twenty years or so of each other. It should be pointed out, that not all Bible scholars agree that these seven churches are indicative of the seven churches period.
The seven stars are the seven angels or messengers, no doubt the pastors of those churches and by prophetic examples, the pastors of local churches throughout the church age. These letters although written to the pastors, are to be read to the congregations, and therefore meant for all the churches, then and now. What was spoken to the pastors is meant for all people of all times. Therefore, it is essential for us to understand the implications of these observations, warnings, and instructions.
The Church at Ephesus (Verses1-7].
1. The Church at Ephesus. Ephesus means “desirable” or “maiden of choice.” This no doubt comes from the idolatry of worshipping the goddess Diana. We find the account of the worship of Diana in the book of Acts19:23-41. Verse 35 is the central thought to the scripture text. It reads “And when the town clerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter?
2. The time period of this church period of the Ephesian church period, is from the year 70-170 A.D. This was an important time in the church age. It was a time of great evangelistic activity led by the Apostle Paul and his three missionary journeys. All the Apostles were involved in missionary work and the church grew at a tremendous rate.
But the churches were also in a very vulnerable position. While the Apostles began the Churches, and spent considerable time developing these churches, they eventually had to appoint leaders to replace them after they left and moved on to new missionary fields. This opened the doors to false teachers and false doctrines. Most every epistle written by these early Apostles contained warnings against these false teachers. This church at Ephesus was no different. We do not know who planted this church, but we do know that the first mention of Ephesus is in Acts 18:24-28 where we find a Jew by the name of Apollos came and preached in that city. It says that he knew only the baptism of John, and that two disciples by the name of Aquila and Priscilla took him aside and expounded to him the way of God more perfectly. Who led these two to the Lord or how they knew “the way of God more perfectly” we do not know. Later in chapter 19 we find the Apostle Paul coming and preaching there for three years. It is my understanding that he left young Timothy there as pastor (Acts 19:22, 1 Timothy.1:3).
3. Jesus identifies Himself as the One that “holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks (verse.1); this shows His ownership and presence and protection among the churches.
4.The commendation: (verses 2-3) “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: and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast labored and hast not fainted.”
Notice that Jesus commends them for five reasons:
[A]. Their labors and works. This church at Ephesus was no doubt an active church. They were busy with many labors and works for the Lord. Jesus saw and recognized that. Here is a principle that we need to remember, that Jesus sees our labors and works for His cause. Not only does it not go un-noticed but it will not go un-rewarded.
1 Corinthians15:58 tells us this “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
Hebrews 6:10 also tells us “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints and do minister,”
[B]. Their patience. First their patience showed in their suffering persecution. Even though they were facing much adversity, they continued to work and labor for the Lord. Second, their patience was noted because they had labored and worked hard and it takes a great deal of patience to see results. The right kind of church growth doesn’t just happen overnight. We need to remember to be patient here at Temple Baptist Church. God is doing some really good things and it will prove the right things.
[C]. They could not bear them which were evil, and had put those people to the test that had called themselves apostles, and the result of the testing was these false apostles were found to be liars. This was happening in most of those early churches, and can be found in most of the epistles. We can also see many false prophets in the world today. They may not claim apostleship but they may call themselves pastors, bishops, etc. But if they are teaching false doctrine they are false prophets.
[D]. They had labored and not fainted. It is so easy to get tired of laboring in the work of the Lord. I like what Pastor James says, “Many hands make light work.” However, it seems that in most churches today few hands make laborious work. If we could have the mindset of the people in the time of Nehemiah who were in hard labor in rebuilding the wall around the city of Jerusalem. It says in Nehemiah 4:6 that “The people had a mind to work.” So, the wall was completed in times of great difficulty.
[E]. They hated the deeds of the Nicolaitanes (verse 6). Here and in verse15 are the only places we find these people mentioned. Commentaries and Bible dictionaries were not helpful. A quick word study showed that the name comes from two different Greek words; nicko which means to conquer; overthrow; vanquish; or subdue. The second word is the word lait or laos. Which means the non-clergy. So, putting these two words together we can understand that in the early church there was beginning a movement to organize the church into two separate groups, the clergy and the non-clergy. It refers to the development of a priestly caste (clergy) in the church that throws aside the common believers. While there must be pastoral leadership in the church, there must not be a distinct “clergy” and “laity” in which the former lords it over the latter.
Alexander Hislop in his book “The Two Babylons” agrees that this was the Catholic doctrine in its infancy. He says that it was to give the clergy “dominion over the faith of the people; a dominion directly disclaimed by apostolic men” (2 Corinthians. 1:24).
This was done by subduing the non-clergy into the understanding that only the clergy would be qualified to read, interpret, teach and preach the word of God. This practice later became a practice of the Catholic Church. Jesus said He hated this movement. This early movement by these Nicolaitans was opposed by the early church fathers. Most people believe that this movement was trying to mold the church after the Old Testament priesthood, however, that order was ordained by God. This was actually patterned after a Babylonish order of priesthood that God hated.
5. The condemnation: but, not all was well in this church at Ephesus. Jesus said there was something He held against this church. It had left its first love. We must note that it doesn’t say they had “lost their first love” but that they had left it. This word here gives the idea that they had “let down” in their first love.
Most of the Ephesian Christians were now second-generation believers, and though they had retained purity of doctrine and life and had maintained a high level of service, they were lacking in deep devotion to Christ. How the church today needs to heed this same warning, that orthodoxy and service are not enough. Christ wants believers’ hearts as well as their hands and heads.
Warren Wiersbe says this about this portion of scripture: “The local church is espoused to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2), but there is always the danger of that love growing cold. Like Martha, we can be so busy working for Christ that we have no time to love Him (Luke 10:38–42). Christ is more concerned about what we do with Him than for Him. Labor is no substitute for love. To the public, the Ephesian church was successful; to Christ, it had fallen.
6. The Recommendation or the Counsel. (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.”
If the church does not get its heart back in the right condition, the lampstand will be removed. The local church is to shine as a light in the world. Without true love for Christ, its light will go out.
In calling the Ephesian believers to repentance, Christ was asking them to change their attitude as well as their affections. They were to continue their service not simply because it was right but because they loved Christ. He warned them that if they did not respond, the light of their witness in Ephesus would be extinguished: I will . . . remove your lampstand from its place. The church responded with repentance and continued for a few hundred years. It wasn’t until the 1300’s that both the church and the city practically vanished.
Here is the question for us today; Do we confuse works for the Savior with love for Him?
Can we get so busy with Christian work that we neglect our love for our Savior? Are the churches becoming “Martha Churches” encumbered with so much work we neglect our time with the Lord?
Many husbands have been guilty of working long hours and weeks in order to provide the better things in life, that they neglect spending time with their wife. Love in those instances have been not lost or even left, but misplaced. That is something the Lord is warning us against.
The Church at Smyrna (verses 8-11)
1. The name Smyrna comes from the word “myrrh.” Myrrh was made from a fragrant and bitter resin from a thorny tree. It was first drawn as sap, much like we get maple sap, or it was taken from the limbs by crushing and squeezing the sap out. It is most associated with death.
2.The time period of this church age is from the year 170-312. In the meaning of the name of Smyrna, we get a prophetic picture of what that church would go through. It would be a time of great persecution from the Roman Government. There were ten great persecutions during this time period of the Smyrna Church beginning with Nero in 64 A.D., until that of Diocletian in A.D.310. The church would experience seven of them. It probably referred more specifically to the worst of these years: the last ten years of Diocletian
3. Jesus identifies Himself as “The first and the last, which was dead and is alive.” This no doubt was an encouragement to many of those who would face martyrdom. The famous Polycarp who was Bishop of the church at Smyrna was one of them.
4. The commendation. Christ knew their “works, and tribulation, and poverty” (verse 9). Politically, they suffered persecution from the Romans Empire. Physically, they were fed to lions or set upon by wild dogs, crucified, tarred, burned at the stake, and boiled in oil. The famous Polycarp mentioned earlier, was burned at the stake in the arena at Rome around 155A.D.
According to Fox’s Book of Christian Martyrs here is what happened. He was brought to his execution site and the proconsul then urged him, saying, "Swear, and I will release thee; reproach Christ."
Polycarp answered, "Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, who hath saved me?" They then lit the fire and he was engulfed in flame.
Economically, they suffered abject poverty as a result of their uncompromising commitment to Christ. They were most likely denied employment. Christian shop owners were boycotted and their homes robbed and vandalized. The Lord could easily relate to their poverty. Yet they were rich in Christ’s love, scriptural encouragement spiritual blessings, and the fruit of the Spirit. Paul’s testimony provides a good summary of what the Christians in Smyrna were experiencing: “as poor, yet making many rich: as having nothing and yet possessing all things.” (2 Corinthians 6:10).
Religiously, many in the Jewish community were being used by Satan to blaspheme this church and the Lord. Christ said, “I know the blasphemy of them who say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan” [v.9]. These people were Jews by birth, but not by faith, they were motivated by Satan to persecute and slander the Church.
5. The commendation; None.
6.The recommendation: “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer …..be thou faithful unto death” (verse.10). The reward. “I will give thee a crown of life (verse10) He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death (verse11). This crown is no doubt the “martyrs crown.” The statement of “He that overcometh” is no doubt referring to overcoming the threats and fear of those things that ‘thou shalt suffer’ and being faithful unto death; much as Polycarp did.
The Church at Pergamos verses12-17.
1. Pergamos, according to the Greek, comes from the root word “gamos” which means “marriage.”
2 This time period is from 312-606. This was the time of the greatest test of the Christian faith. It would be a time when the “false church” and the State would become wed.
3. Jesus identifies Himself as “He which hath the sharp sword with two edges. (verse12).
4. The commendation: There were three:
[a] They were holding fast to His name (verse13). There was a remnant of believers who loved the Lord and remained loyal to Him in the shadow of Satan’s throne.
[b] They had not “denied His faith” (verse13), but were willing to confess explicit faith in Him as the only true God. In so doing, they put their lives on the line in a society controlled by Satan.
[c] Christ recognized Antipas, referring to him as “my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth” (verse 13]. The name Anitipas means “against all” He died standing faithful to the name and doctrine of Christ, which was being opposed by satanically inspired people.
5. The condemnation: Verses 14-15 “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication, So,hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.”
We have already looked at the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes in the church of Ephesians. It was the beginning of the dominion of the faith of the clergy over the laity. Jesus said He hated it.
we look at another doctrine that was and is repulsive to Jesus: The doctrine of Balaam.
The entire church was not guilty of being followers of this doctrine; however, it says that “thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam.” They had infiltrated the church, and had been unchecked. What is this doctrine of Balaam? Balaam was a gifted prophet who prostituted his gift for financial gain and worldly honor. He was hired by Balak, king of Moab, to pronounce a curse on the nation of Israel. Balaam tried to curse Israel but failed on three occasions, because of the restraining power of God. Unable to curse Israel, whom God had blessed, Balaam conceived a plan to have the men of Israel enter into mixed marriages with Moabite women, thus producing spiritual compromise. The whole story can be found in Numbers 22-31. The doctrine of Balaam found here in the church of Pergamos is quite interesting. Remember that the name Pergamos means marriage. It was during this time period of church history that there were people in this church that wanted to see the church, which Christ was over and used the Apostles to bring into existence, married to the state of Rome. These people that held this doctrine of Balaam, later separated themselves and allowed themselves to become wed to the state of Rome. Emperor Constantine wanting to be not only emperor of Rome, but also head of the church, embraced these apostate people, who in all probability were never born-again Christians, and became head of their apostate church. Like the marriages of Israel with the Moabite women, this began a history of compromise. The true church was never a part of that ungodly marriage. They opposed it from the beginning and were persecuted unmercifully.
6. The recommendation. (verse16). “Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them (those that hold that doctrine) with the sword of my mouth (which we will find He will do later in this book of Revelation). He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches
7. The reward “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 it.” The hidden manna takes us back to another Old Testament story. As the children of Israel were wandering in the wilderness, they ran short of food. They began to complain, so God fed them manna from heaven. When the manna fell, Moses told Aaron to collect a pot full and hide it in the ark as a reminder to future generations that God had met their needs. Since we cannot see Jesus, he is our hidden manna. He promises that we will never hunger spiritually because He is always with us.
The white stone is a reference to the way votes were cast at the courts of justice in John’s day. When a case was tried, the jurors voted by dropping stones into an urn: black for guilty, or white for innocent. Jesus promises that overcomers will be found innocent when God judges all things. Because of the shed blood of Jesus, overcomers are set free from the penalty of sin.
The new name that no one knows has many interpretations, but the most common seems to be that overcomers will receive a white stone bearing a secret name of Jesus. It will symbolize that each one of us has a special, intimate relationship with Him. We will know Him by a very personal name that no one else knows. Think about it. We will be innocent, never hunger and have a personal relationship with Jesus. Jesus promises to take care of His people and provide for their future. Overcomers will enter God’s glory with many rewards from a Lord who loves each one of us.
The Church at Thyatira 2:18-29.
Thyatira was the smallest city of the seven, yet it received the longest letter. This church represents the church age beginning in 606-1520.
Verse18 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; Jesus identifies Himself as the “Son of God.” This may seem a little strange seeing as everyone should know that Jesus is the Son of God. However, it is not the knowledge of the fact, but it is the acknowledging of that fact that made it necessary for Jesus to identify Himself in this way.
We need to remember that when John wrote these letters, they were prophetic as well as current. In other words, the current situations expressed, were prophetic in the sense that they would grow into the more serious situations. While the church at Rome was not yet established in the time of John, many of the criticisms of Jesus were already in practice and would grow into the many heresies that would later form the Church of Rome. Today in the Church of Rome, Jesus is portrayed and referred to as the “Son of Mary.”
Jesus also identified Himself as the one “who hath His eyes like unto a flame of fire” meaning that His eyes are penetrating and are eyes of judgment; “And His feet as are like fine brass.”
The fine brass shows His indignation and judgment.
Jesus had six commendations for this church (verse19); “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.”
1. Their works: We need to remember why we are saved. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that we are not saved by our good works, but verse 10 tells us that we are saved “unto good works that God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” These early Christians of this church at Thyatira were only fulfilling the mission that God had ordained for them. They were indeed working and not sitting idle in their pews. They were busy for the Lord both in their church and in their communities witnessing for the Lord. That ought to tell us something today.
2. Their love for Christ, which was not mentioned in any other letter to the churches. The ones not following the prophetess Jezebel were truly in love with Jesus. They were the ones that were commended in the rest of the following ways. Their love showed in their devotions to the Lord as well as their works.
3. Their service. The Greek word for service here is the word “diakonian” and it is better understood as “ministry.” God, by the Holy Spirit has given every Christian at least one Spiritual gift (1Corinthians12:7-11). In the 12th. chapter of 1 Corinthians it tells us plainly that the gifts are to be used to profit the whole body called the church. Seeing that this is so, then each one of us has a ministry. Jesus said that he “knows their works, love, and their ministry.” Of course, this is more than mere knowledge, it means that He honors their commitment to their ministry. The same thing goes for us today. Each one of us has received a spiritual gift and we are expected to use it in a ministry.
4. Their faith. The bible has much to say about faith. It is the same Greek word as believe (pistis). The two words are inter-changeable. It means a complete trust, reliance on or assurance in. We know that the bible tells us that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” These early Christians had that deep abiding faith that allowed them to work, love, and administer their spiritual gifts.
5. Their patience. Then Jesus said He knew their patience. Along with patience, this Greek word (upomonan) also means endurance and perseverance. It is used here by the Lord to show his acknowledging their patience, endurance and perseverance during times of sever persecution. Many were being put to death for their witness. John Huss, the one spoken about last night came from this time period, I believe.
6. Their spiritual growth. Their last works were more than their first works. They had increased their work, love, ministry, faith and patience. They had grown spiritually.
7. The condemnation (verse 20). They had permitted a woman to teach that called herself a prophetess.
“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 sacrificed unto idols.”
Whether her name was actually Jezebel or not isn’t known. She may have been called Jezebel because of what she was teaching. Note that this false prophetess in the church was using false teaching to seduce (deceive) God’s people. She gave them license to sin. Her story can be found in 1 Kings from chapter 16 through 2 Kings chapter 9. If it was her real name she was living up to her namesake. It is said here in verse 20 that she had seduce the servants of Jesus to commit fornication. She had come from a pagan society, much like her namesake, and believed fornication an innocent thing. She didn’t see anything wrong with fornication and eating food sacrificed to idols. Many in our society today do not think it wrong to commit fornication. It is accepted as normal and is promoted by our idolatry of the entertainment industry.
Verses 21-23 The judgment of Jesus on this woman: “ And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. 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 unto every one of you according to your works.”
Evidently this woman had been warned by someone that she was on thin ice and that she needed to repent. However, the warning went unheeded. Judgment was on its way, not only for her but also for all those that she had seduced by her false teaching unless they repent. 1 Peter 4:17 tells us this; “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.”
For all those that had not been her disciples the future was quite different (verse 24). They were told to remain faithful (verse 25). The overcomers would have a special reward (verse 26).
This idea of being an overcomer has nothing to do with our salvation. Jesus is the one who overcame for our salvation. However, the overcomers here in this verse are the ones who allow Jesus to control their lives to the point that this world holds no attraction. By the power of God, they have overcome the flesh, the world and the demonic world. Jesus doesn’t promise anything more than salvation for those nominal Christians that succumb to the lure of this life.
The promise given to those that do overcome in this life; (verses 26-27]. The warning to all of us: (verse 29) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”