Revelation 2

-8 1 3 2 -9 1 0 0 0 0 13 96 -9 2 0 0 2 0 1 RVStyle2 7 StyleNameNormal textFontNameArialUnicode Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaUnicode Size Standard StyleNameJumpFontNameTahomaStylefsUnderlineColorclBlue HoverColorclMaroonHoverEffects rvheUnderlineUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameHeading - Module name SizeDoubleFontNameTahomaColorclMaroonUnicode SizeStandard StyleName"Heading small - Module descriptionFontNameTahomaColorclMaroonUnicode Size Standard StyleNameHeading - LinkFontNameTahomaColorclNavy HoverColorclPurpleUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaStylefsUnderlineColorclBlueUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaColorclBlue HoverColorclMaroonNextStyleNoUnicode Jump Size -9 2 0 0 2 0 2 RVStyle2 jBiDiModervbdLeftToRightTabs StyleNameCentered Alignment rvaCenterTabsStandardTabs-9 2 0 0 2 0 4 RVStyle2 -9 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 47 2 8 0 0 2. Letters to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira) (2:1 29)) ) Outline (continued)) B. Seven Letters (2:1 3:22) ) 1. Ephesus (2:1 7) ) a. Commendation (2:1 3) ) b. Rebuke (2:4 5) ) c.

Promise (2:6 7) ) 2. Smyrna (2:8 11) ) 3. Pergamum (2:12 17) ) a. Violence (2:12 13) ) b. Rebuke (2:14 16) ) c. Promise (2:17) ) 4.

Thyatira (2:18 29) ) a. Address and Praise (2:18 19) ) b. Reproof and Command (2:20 25) ) c. Promise (2:26 29) ) ) B. Seven Letters) 2:1 3:22) 2 1 To the angel of the church at Ephesus write: The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands says this:) 2 I know your works and your toil and your patient endurance, and that you are not able to tolerate evildoers; and you have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and you have found them to be liars. 3 And you have endured and have tolerance because of my name and have not become weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Therefore, remember the place from which you have fallen, repent, and perform the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 However, you have this [in your favor], that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.) 7 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

To everyone who overcomes I will give permission to eat from the tree of life, which is in God s paradise. ) ) In various ways, chapter 1 is introductory to the seven letters sent to the churches in the province of Asia. Jesus addresses John at Patmos and tells him twice to write letters to the seven churches on the mainland (1:11, 19). He reveals himself as the one who is the First and the Last, who is the living one who suffered death but is alive, and who has ultimate authority over Death and Hades. Also every letter following the address to each church has an opening line that is taken from the description of Jesus that John has recorded, Each of the seven churches presents a different aspect of Jesus appearance, power, and authority.) Church Text Appearance of Jesus ) Ephesus 2:1 Seven stars in his right hand; the golden lampstands (1:16, 13) ) Smyrna 2:8 First and Last, who died and came to life again (1:17 18) ) Pergamum 2:12 The double-edged sword (1:16) ) Thyatira 2:18 Eyes as blazing fire; feet as burnished bronze (1:14 15) ) Sardis 3:1 Seven spirits and seven stars (1:4, 16) ) Philadelphia 3:7 Holding the key (1:18) ) Laodicea 3:14 Faithful witness (1:5) ) ) ) Also these seven letters reveal a parallelism that is unique: Some are longer, others are shorter in size, but each letter consists of seven parts:) ) 1. The address to each of the seven churches in Asia Minor.) 2. An aspect of the Lord s appearance to John at Patmos.) 3.

An evaluation of the spiritual health of the individual church.) 4. Words of praise or reproof.) 5. Words of exhortation.) 6. Promises to the overcomer.) 7. A command to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.) The first three churches (Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamum) close the individual letters with promises. The last four (Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea) conclude with the command to listen attentively to what the Spirit says to the churches.) Jesus commends and rebukes four congregations: Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira, and Sardis.

He praises two: Smyrna and Philadelphia. And he reprimands one: Laodicea. These seven are representative of the church universal; the seven letters are addressed to every place where God s people gather for worship, fellowship, and outreach.��1�� Therefore, the number seven should not be taken in an absolute sense but rather as a symbol that stands for completeness. Conversely, while in Ephesus for some time John intimately knew the churches in the surrounding area. They were all within traveling distance of two to four days on foot, because Ephesus was conveniently located in an oval-shaped circle of these seven churches.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.16|AUTODETECT|” Did John send seven letters, one to each individual church that was addressed? R. H. Charles argues that the seven letters were written on a date prior to the composition of the entire Apocalypse, sent to the individual churches, and with later adaptation made part of Revelation.��2�� But if we consider the evidence presented in the New Testament, we demur. First, even though Paul s letters were addressed to churches and individuals, the whole church shared them. Indeed, he instructed congregations to have his letters read by all others 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.16|AUTODETECT|” Col. 4:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=52.5.27|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=52.5.27|AUTODETECT|”

1. 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=52.5.27|AUTODETECT|” Thess. 5:27) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The epistles in the New Testament that are called Catholic are actually letters meant for the universal church. Next, Jesus revealed himself to John and then instructed him to write, whereby he indicated that chapter 1 forms an inseparable introduction to the seven letters. In fact, Jesus himself addresses the seven churches, as is evident from the repetitive use of the personal pronoun I, while John with full apostolic authority serves as the secondary author of these letters. Third, Jesus instructs John to write not merely the letters but a book on what he observed and then to send the entire Apocalypse to the churches (1:11).��3�� These letters were composed as part of the Revelation that Jesus intended to be read and heard by all the members in the churches (1:3). Last, the Apocalypse is a unit from beginning to end in which the seven letters form an integral part.��4�� Thus, Jesus promise to all believers is that the overcomer will be blessed (2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21); they all hear Jesus say, Look, I am coming soon.

And my reward is with me to give to each according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (22:12 13). They may see the tree of life in paradise and eat from it (2:7; 22:2). And they who have the name of God and his city, the new Jerusalem, written on them are allowed to enter (3:12; 21:27; 22:14).) 1 4 2 8 0 0 The seven churches faced dangers that were common to all of them. They had to endure opposition from forces outside and deception from movements inside the church. They were slandered by Jews (2:9); even Jesus faithful witness Antipas was killed in the city where Satan lives (2:13). The prophetess called Jezebel wanted the followers of Christ to participate in her idolatry, immorality, and indulgence (2:20 25). The false apostles, that is, the Nicolaitans, introduced deceptive doctrines (2:2, 6, 15). The temptations to compromise were real, and yielding to them would prove deadly to the believers faith.

Then there were the allurements to become lax in their Christian conduct and the enticement to rely on earthly riches (3:1, 17). But Jesus commanded the readers and hearers of these letters to be faithful to the end and to hold on to what they had. If they did, they would have the privilege of sitting with him on his throne (3:21).) 1. Ephesus) 2:1 7) The City) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.24|AUTODETECT|” The city of Ephesus had a varied history that went back centuries before this letter was addressed to the church that thrived within its walls. Riches gathered from commerce and religion enabled Ephesus to rebuild a temple destroyed by a fire. This temple was dedicated to the goddess Artemis (Diana for the Romans) and was served by countless priests and priestesses. It was considered one of the seven wonders of the world. The Ephesians constructed a theater that could seat an estimated twenty-four thousand people the city may have accommodated a population in excess of two hundred thousand. Ramsay called Ephesus a city of change, because the Ca�ster River along which it was located silted and eventually made its harbor useless.��5�� This proved to be a setback to the commercial interests of the city, where the traffic of the land met the traffic of the sea. But throughout the first century after Christ, Ephesus continued to be an immense trading center, especially of religious artifacts, and to a degree an administrative center for the Roman government 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.24|AUTODETECT|” Acts 19:24) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.31|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.31|AUTODETECT|” 31) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.38|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.38|AUTODETECT|” 38) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.12.3|AUTODETECT|” In addition, Ephesus had a temple built to further the imperial religion of Rome. The city dedicated the temple of the Sebastoi (the family of Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian) in a.d. 89 90, and, as was customary, it appointed temple wardens for the worship of the emperor.��6�� In Ephesus the relationship between the worship of Artemis and the state religion of Rome was close. Further, Roman prefects forced the people to worship the emperor Domitian and to utter the statement Caesar is Lord. Christians were unwilling to place Caesar above Christ, for they uttered the motto Jesus is Lord 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.12.3|AUTODETECT|” 1 Cor. 12:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). As a result they suffered persecution.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.14.6|AUTODETECT|” Christianity is exclusive, for it allows no compromise with other religions 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.14.6|AUTODETECT|” John 14:6) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.4.12|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.4.12|AUTODETECT|” Acts 4:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). In the latter part of the first century, it was on a collision course with Rome, which at first had allowed the Christians protection under the umbrella of the Jewish religion. But when the Roman authorities realized that Christianity was different from Judaism and would not deviate from the teachings of Christ, they were no longer tolerant of the Christians. They could not understand that these people separated themselves from the world to be a completely dissimilar society. Indeed they so abhorred the absolutism of this new religion that they sought to eliminate it by demanding observance of emperor worship. But the Christians rejected even a token obedience to the state religion, because they accepted no rival to Jesus Christ.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 Numerous sources reveal that for centuries the temple of Artemis was declared a place of refuge for anyone who had committed a crime. Even parts of the city were at one time given the status of asylum. For instance, the area abutting the temple grounds even gave impunity to the criminal. At the time John wrote the Apocalypse in a.d. 95, the inner parts of Artemis s temple were a safe haven for any thief, robber, slave trader, and plunderer of a temple.��7��) The level of morality among the city s population was notoriously low. The people were licentious, superstitious, vile, and violent. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus, a resident of Ephesus, purportedly commented that the morals of the temple were worse than the morals of beasts, for even promiscuous dogs do not mutilate each other. ��8��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.18.19-44.18.21|AUTODETECT|” The Jewish residents in the city seemed to be numerous, rich, and influential.��9�� They had established a Jewish community whose residents may have enjoyed the privilege of Roman citizenship. They had built their synagogue with legal protection from Rome to observe their own religion, including the keeping of the Sabbath. Although when Paul first came to Ephesus they welcomed the teaching of Christ 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.18.19-44.18.21|AUTODETECT|” Acts 18:19 21) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.23-44.19.41|AUTODETECT|” ), they soon rejected it and in time became virulently hostile to Christianity 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.23-44.19.41|AUTODETECT|” Acts 19:23 41) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.17-44.19.20|AUTODETECT|” , especially 33). Yet Paul labored there for three years with positive results among both Jews and Greeks 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.17-44.19.20|AUTODETECT|” Acts 19:17 20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.21|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.21|AUTODETECT|” 20:21) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=54.1.2-54.1.3|AUTODETECT|” ). He sent an epistle to the church in Ephesus, probably in a.d. 62 during his Roman imprisonment. After this release he visited Ephesus, where Timothy had become the pastor 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=54.1.2-54.1.3|AUTODETECT|” 1 Tim. 1:2 3) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Also John took up residence there and proved to be an influential force. But during the concluding years of Emperor Domitian s reign (the first half of the 90s), the pressure on the church increased because of emperor worship, with the result that John was banished to Patmos.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 a. Commendation) 2:1 3) 1. To the angel of the church at Ephesus write: The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands says this. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.2.9|AUTODETECT|” a. To the angel of the church at Ephesus write. Jesus instructed John to write a short letter addressed to the pastor of the church in Ephesus. This church could be called the mother church in the province of Asia. Perhaps the God-fearing Jews from this province who returned home from their Pentecost visit to Jerusalem 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.2.9|AUTODETECT|” Acts 2:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.1|AUTODETECT|” ) may have been the first believers 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.1|AUTODETECT|” Acts 19:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.9|AUTODETECT|” ) in Ephesus. Paul and his associates came there to preach and teach the doctrines of Christ. And from Paul s rented quarters of the Tyrannus hall 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.9|AUTODETECT|” Acts 19:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), students of the Word went forth to many cities in that area to further the spread of the gospel. In the early church, people considered Ephesus a leader in the province of Asia, and hence it was the first among the seven churches to receive a letter.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.10.29|AUTODETECT|” b. The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand. The first identification of Jesus Christ given to the church is significant (1:16). Even though the church at Ephesus is first among the seven, her pastor is placed on the same level as the other six. Jesus says that he holds all of them in his protective hand, for he is not only their commissioner but also their guardian. The verb to hold means that Jesus has ultimate power and authority to safeguard his servants 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.10.29|AUTODETECT|” John 10:29) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Actually all his people are in his hand, for no harm shall come to any of them without his will.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.18.20|AUTODETECT|” c. And [he who] walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands says this. The golden lampstands are the members of the churches, on whom Jesus eye constantly rests (1:12 13, 20). They represent the bride who awaits the coming of the bridegroom, and the bridegroom expects his bride to remain faithful, true, and pure. The symbolism of the text shows that Jesus wants the churches to let their light shine in the darkness where he has placed them. To give added meaning to the task of the churches, he tells them that he is walking among them. For where two or three are assembled in my name, there am I in the midst of them 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.18.20|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 18:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The light they spread passes from Jesus Christ to his servants who proclaim his Word. And pastors are not merely light bearers but like stars are light givers. They pass on the light to the members of the churches, who in turn dispel the darkness that surrounds them.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.10.14|AUTODETECT|” Jesus addresses the messengers of the local congregations, for they are responsible for bringing the message to the people. If they fail to do so, they shut out the light of the gospel and keep the members of the church in the dark. And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.10.14|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 10:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Jesus speaks with authority and expects his servants of the word to be his ambassadors.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 2. I know your works and your toil and your patient endurance, and that you are not able to tolerate evildoers; and you have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and you have found them to be liars. ) a. I know your works and your toil and your patient endurance. Jesus does not say that he is merely familiar with their works; he states that he has a detailed knowledge of everything they are doing, because nothing escapes his attention. He praises the Ephesians, as is evident from the three nouns works, toil, and patient endurance. Also the possessive pronoun your is significant and because of its repetition emphasizes their labor and attitude.

This pronoun, however, is in the singular, which unfortunately English is unable to express. The use of the singular means that the pastor whom Jesus addresses is responsible for the spiritual well-being of the church. But also with this singular Jesus speaks to each individual church member.) The noun works is all-inclusive and can be interpreted to mean both good deeds and misdeeds. Here the stress is more on the positive than the negative aspect of the term.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.6.10|AUTODETECT|” Good works consist of toil on the one hand and patient endurance on the other. Toil includes physical and mental work both of which are usually taxing and exhausting 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.6.10|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 6:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.10.32-58.10.34|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.10.32-58.10.34|AUTODETECT|” 10:32 34) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Opposing wicked men, false apostles, and Nicolaitans in the community undoubtedly exhausted the members of the Ephesian church. Their attitude was one of patient endurance and steadfastness in the face of spiritual conflict. Incidentally, the Greek word hypomon, which I have translated as patient endurance, occurs seven times in Revelation and every time refers to the perseverance of the saints (1:9; 2:2, 3, 19; 3:10; 13:10; 14:12). What is patient endurance? It is an inner quality that is expressed in waiting for Jesus, in whose absence the believer steadfastly witnesses for him even to the point of suffering death through persecution.��10��) 1 2 2 8 0 0 b. And that you are not able to tolerate evildoers. A Christian who performs good works through external toil and internal patience is unable to put up with the deeds of evil people among them. The Greek verb dyn here translated as are able is singular in number. That is, the individual whose heart is truly devoted to serve the Lord cannot yield place to evil and to those who purposely perpetrate it. The maxim that God loves the sinner but hates sin is valid and applies in this passage.

But a follower of Christ cannot tolerate evildoers who refuse to repent but persist in doing evil.) Who are these evildoers? If we observe typical Hebraic parallelism that is used to stress or clarify a point, then we see the answer in the second part of this verse, namely, the false apostles. John does not convey the idea of two different types of evildoers, but of one. The liars are the evildoers.��11��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.13|AUTODETECT|” c. And you have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and you have found them to be liars. The Ephesian Christians had to confront itinerant missionaries who entered the church and brazenly called themselves apostles. But the followers of Christ tested them and found them to be counterfeit. These so-called apostles preached a gospel that was not a gospel of Christ; they were not appointed by Jesus; and they lacked authority to serve the entire church 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.13|AUTODETECT|” 2 Cor. 11:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.3.1|AUTODETECT|” ).��12�� In Paul s days, false apostles came with fraudulent recommendations, and they demanded that he demonstrate his apostleship with an endorsement 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.3.1|AUTODETECT|” 2 Cor. 3:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.4|AUTODETECT|” ). However, Paul laid down the marks of an apostle, namely, to preach Jesus and his gospel; to perform signs, wonders, and miracles; and to do them with perseverance 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.4|AUTODETECT|” 2 Cor. 11:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.12.12|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.12.12|AUTODETECT|” 12:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The Ephesians tested the doctrine and the works of these apostles and discovered that these people were imposters.) 1 4 2 8 0 0 Because Jesus mentions the Nicolaitans by name (v. 6) and records their presence also in the church of Pergamum (2:15), the suggestion that these people were the false apostles is not at all unrealistic. Nevertheless we have no certainty that they originated in Palestine or were sent by Judaizers. Coming with pretense and fanfare, they met outright rejection from the Ephesians, who hated their practices. They were called liars.) 3. And you have endured and have tolerance because of my name and have not become weary. ) a. Stylistic composition.

Although much more so in Greek, even in translation the repetition of the same words is striking. Notice the terms have endured and tolerance in this verse; they also occurred in the preceding verse in the translation patient endurance and tolerate. At the end of this verse John writes the phrase have not become weary, which has the same connotation as the noun toil (v. 2).) b. Praise. Jesus commended the church in Ephesus for their deeds, hard work, endurance, testing false doctrine, and calling intruding teachers liars. Now he summarizes their stance by praising them for their perseverance to endure hardship for his name.

These words should be understood as a reference to the disciplinary action the church took with reference to the intruders. They banned them from entering the church and they set an example to the other churches to do likewise. Yet the congregations in Pergamum and Thyatira failed to dismiss the interlopers (2:15).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.9.4|AUTODETECT|” c. Name. Not the witness for Jesus by a Christian is meant as much as the person of Christ. The name Christian implies that one belongs to and fully identifies with Christ. This means that if someone attacks a Christian, he attacks Christ himself 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.9.4|AUTODETECT|” Acts 9:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.4.14|AUTODETECT|” ). The converse is also true: when someone assaults Christ, he offends the Christian. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.4.14|AUTODETECT|” 1 Pet. 4:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.20.7|AUTODETECT|” ).��13�� If people reject the preaching of the gospel, they harden their hearts against Christ. When they attack his name, they besmirch his honor and they sin against the command not to use the Lord s name in vain 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.20.7|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 20:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.5.11|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.5.11|AUTODETECT|” Deut. 5:11) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Also, the Christian who fails to defend Jesus name is equally guilty in the sight of the Lord. The believers in Ephesus were zealous of that name and were tireless in promoting his honor. Over against the motto Caesar is Lord, they boldly stated that Jesus is Lord. By honoring Christ s name and readily enduring persecution and hardship, the Ephesians demonstrated that they had not become weary in their spiritual life.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 b. Rebuke) 2:4 5) 4. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.20-44.20.21|AUTODETECT|” Instead of continuing his words of praise for the leading church in the province of Asia, Jesus chastised and admonished the Ephesian Christians. Notwithstanding their ceaseless efforts to oppose evil men who entered the church and subverted its members, to persevere tirelessly, and to endure hardship for the sake of Christ s name, something was amiss in Ephesus. They no longer demonstrated the love for Christ they had in the early years of their history. Those were the days when Paul preached that which was helpful to them and taught publicly from house to house for a period of three years 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.20-44.20.21|AUTODETECT|” Acts 20:20 21) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.31|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.31|AUTODETECT|” 31) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=54.1.4-54.1.6|AUTODETECT|” About a decade later, Paul wrote to Timothy, who was pastor in Ephesus, and told him that love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith is the goal of God s work among them. He remarked that some false teachers in the congregation devoted themselves to myths and endless genealogies instead of the requirements of love 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=54.1.4-54.1.6|AUTODETECT|” 1 Tim. 1:4 6) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.22.37-40.22.40|AUTODETECT|” Is this love for each other in the Ephesian church or is it the Christian s love for the Lord? Jesus himself gives the answer in summarizing the Decalogue by saying, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.22.37-40.22.40|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 22:37 40) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). With respect to the Decalogue, God is first and then his people, and the same thing is true regarding the Lord s Prayer. Genuine love for God instinctively leads to expressing love for the neighbor, while loving the neighbor is an expressing of love for God.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 When Jesus says that the Ephesians have lost their first love, he does not mean to say that the Ephesians live and work without love for God or their neighbors. He stresses the adjective first. In effect a literal translation reads, You have left your love, the first [love]. The lush green color of springtime in the congregation has disappeared, and the fading shades that characterize an early autumn are now prevalent. To put it differently, the church that Jesus addressed no longer consisted of first-generation believers but of second-and third-generation Christians. These people lacked the enthusiasm their parents and grandparents had demonstrated.

They functioned not as propagators of the faith but as caretakers and custodians. There was an obvious deficiency in evangelistic outreach as a result of a status-quo mode of thought. They loved the Lord but no longer with heart, soul, and mind.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.20|AUTODETECT|” The first generation exerted extraordinary effort so that in Ephesus the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.19.20|AUTODETECT|” Acts 19:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.1.15|AUTODETECT|” ). In later years Paul addressed an epistle to them and praised them for their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for fellow Christians 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.1.15|AUTODETECT|” Eph. 1:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The children and grandchildren of these people opposed heresy and demonstrated persistence in fulfilling the needs of the church, but they fell short of genuine enthusiasm for the Lord.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 5. Therefore, remember the place from which you have fallen, repent, and perform the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and I will remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. ) a. Grammar. The Greek verb tenses in this verse stand out from one another to emphasize the successive actions of the Ephesians. First, there is the command to remember, which is given in the present tense as keep on remembering.

Then, the verb you have fallen in the perfect tense indicates that considerable time has elapsed since the decline began. In passing, the tense seems to support not the early but the late dating for the Apocalypse. Next, the command to repent is in the aorist tense, signifying a single action that is to last once for all. Fourth, the same thing holds true for the command to perform the works the people did at first; their repentance must keep pace with their decision to work just as enthusiastically as their predecessors. Fifth, the threat I will come, although translated as a future, is actually in the present tense to indicate immediate action. Sixth, the verb I will remove in the future indicative connotes that the threat is not a possibility but a certainty if they fail to repent.

And last, the verb to repent, in the second sentence, is given as an escape clause.) b. Command. The Lord does not only point to their shortcomings; he also shows them how to correct them. After negatively criticizing their spiritual status, he positively commands them to restore it. They must constantly recall their former position by reviewing their own ecclesiastical history and recollecting what their forebears did in the church forty years earlier; and as they recall their history, they must acknowledge that they have changed for the worse. The radiance of their spiritual ardor has vanished.

Indeed their lackluster performance has caused them to forfeit a place of prominence among the churches. They have fallen from their former height and lost their moral standing.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.21.15|AUTODETECT|” When Jesus says, Perform the works you did at first, he has in mind not the works the Ephesians have been doing all along but rather the works of love for Christ. The emphasis falls not on the word works but on the term at first. Just as he asked Peter on the shores of the lake of Galilee, Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these? 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.21.15|AUTODETECT|” John 21:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), so he is asking the members of the church in Ephesus for their undivided devotion. They must change their lifestyle and conduct, that is, they must repent and turn a complete 180 degrees to do so.) 1 6 2 8 0 0 c. Threat. However, if they fail to respond to Jesus repeated call to repentance, the Lord will take drastic measures. He is coming and is already on the way to visit them; he will not wait until his coming at the consummation. And even before his final coming, the Ephesians will no longer be a church.��14�� Jesus will remove the lampstand from its place, which means that as a congregation they will experience a complete spiritual blackout. A church ceases to be a church when it no longer serves its Master with genuine love and dedication.

There is hard evidence that nominal Christianity dies a natural death within a generation or two and consequently disappears completely from the scene.��15�� The members may still come together, but they meet for social and not spiritual purposes.) A decade after John wrote the Apocalypse, Ignatius penned a letter to the church at Ephesus in which he praised the local Christians for their patient endurance and their resistance to deceit. He notes that some people from Syria had passed through Ephesus with evil teachings but that the Ephesians had refused to listen. He commends them for being of one mind with the apostles in the power of Jesus Christ.��16�� Apparently, the people had taken seriously the words of Jesus.) c. Promise) 2:6 7) 6. However, you have this [in your favor], that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ) The Ephesians had not wavered on doctrinal issues, for they remained true to the teachings of God s Word. Even though Jesus rebuked the members of the church at Ephesus, he pastorally lifts them up by commending them for their faithfulness to his Word.

They opposed the false apostles and had sent these wicked men from their midst (v. 2).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.5.32|AUTODETECT|” Now Jesus inserts that the believers in Ephesus hated the works of the Nicolaitans, and he adds that he also hates these works. Note that hatred is directed toward works, not persons. Jesus hates sin but extends his love toward the sinner. While sin is an affront to his holiness, Jesus mission is to bring sinners to repentance 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.5.32|AUTODETECT|” Luke 5:32) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.6.5|AUTODETECT|” Who were the Nicolaitans? Three opinions on this matter remain conjectural because the details in Revelation are scanty. First, in the early church Irenaeus taught that the Nicolaitans were followers of Nicolaus, the convert to Judaism who was appointed a deacon 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.6.5|AUTODETECT|” Acts 6:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��17�� Next, others see these people as a Gnostic sect that sought to infiltrate the churches.��18�� Last, on the basis of exegesis, still others aver that the Nicolaitans were the people who followed the teachings of the false apostles and of Balaam. This assumption has merit, for in typical Hebraic style John writes parallelism to stress a point. The false apostles sought to capture the minds of the people with their deceptive doctrines, the followers of Balaam attempted to conquer the people through deceit, and the Greek name Nikolaos means he conquers the people. By comparing what is said about the followers of Balaam (2:14) and the Nicolaitans (2:6, 15), we assume that these deceivers belong to the same group.��19�� Yet I admit that there is no certainty on this point.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 In view of the lack of information in the letters to the churches of Ephesus and Pergamum, we can only assume that the lifestyle of the Nicolaitans was characterized by immorality, participation in eating food offered to idols, and perversion of truth (2:14 16).) The Christians in Pergamum and Thyatira struggled with the same deceptive doctrines and lifestyles (2:14 16, 20 24). Yet in these churches many succumbed to the allurements of the intruders and subsequently received words of rebuke for their failure to follow Jesus.) 7. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To everyone who overcomes I will give permission to eat from the tree of life, which is in God s paradise. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.14.26|AUTODETECT|” a. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The formula Let anyone who has an ear listen comes from the lips of Jesus during his earthly ministry.��20�� Here an extended version appears with the words what the Spirit says to the churches, occurring in every one of the seven letters (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). This saying precedes a promise in 2:7, 11, and 17 and follows a promise in 2:29; 3:6, 13, 22. The first part of this sentence is an idiomatic expression and refers to the capability of a person to hear and an accompanying willingness to listen. The second part is a command to listen attentively and obediently to the words of the Holy Spirit. Jesus speaks through the Spirit, as is evident in other passages of Scripture 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.14.26|AUTODETECT|” John 14:26) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.15.26|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.15.26|AUTODETECT|” 15:26) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.16.13-43.16.14|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.16.13-43.16.14|AUTODETECT|” 16:13 14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.2.33|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.2.33|AUTODETECT|” Acts 2:33) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 2 2 8 0 0 The message is directed not only to the congregation in Ephesus, but to all the churches. In other words, the message is for the universal church of all ages and places. Here then is further proof that the letter to Ephesus was not sent separately but together with the other letters was delivered to the entire church.) b. To everyone who overcomes I will give permission to eat from the tree of life, which is in God s paradise. ��21�� A key word in this sentence is the expression overcome, which in the Greek is the present participle the overcoming one. This is not a past or perfect tense as a completed action but current and continuous performance. That is, the conflict and the trials of the present life in the world and in the churches are not final.

The church s anticipated victory has its foundations laid in the victory already won by Jesus. ��22�� Christ won the battle, but the war is not over yet. Not only the martyrs but every believer is personally engaged in this war against Satan and his cohorts. Therefore, every follower of Christ receives the promise of eternal life and all the other promises that he grants the believer (2:10, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). All these promises are given to the overcomer, namely, every true believer.��23��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.2.9|AUTODETECT|” Jesus promises the overcomer the right to eat from the tree of life. By referring to the tree of life, he effectively brings the reader back to the beginning of human history. After Adam and Eve sinned, God drove them out of the Garden of Eden and placed an angel with a flaming sword there to guard the tree of life 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.2.9|AUTODETECT|” Gen. 2:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.22|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.22|AUTODETECT|” 3:22) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.24|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.24|AUTODETECT|” 24) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.2|AUTODETECT|” ). By guarding that tree, God prevented our forebears from eating the fruit of the tree of life and thus living eternally in the unredeemable state in which the fallen angels exist. The redemption of his people, which Jesus Christ brings to completion at the consummation, includes the promise that everyone who overcomes will eat from the tree of life in paradise 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.2|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 22:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.14|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.14|AUTODETECT|” 14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.19|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.19|AUTODETECT|” 19) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.23.43|AUTODETECT|” The Greek term for paradise occurs only three times in Scripture 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.23.43|AUTODETECT|” Luke 23:43) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.12.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.12.4|AUTODETECT|” 2) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.12.4|AUTODETECT|” Cor. 12:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.2.7|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.2.7|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 2:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). In Genesis the expression Garden of Eden appears, which in the Greek translation of the Old Testament becomes paradise. Derived from Old Persian, this word depicts a walled park as a place of bliss. In the Old Testament it connotes a delightful place, unmarred by sin. It occurs at the beginning and the end of Scripture.��24�� The word describes the blissful life that believers will have with Christ in a new heaven and a new earth. The paradise of God is similar to, but also much different from, the Garden of Eden God created for Adam and Eve.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 ) Additional Note on 2:1 7) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.4.7-62.4.12|AUTODETECT|” The church at Ephesus had been blessed with excellent pastors, of whom Paul and John were apostles of Jesus and Timothy an apostolic helper. We know that Paul was in Ephesus for three years (a.d. 52 55) and Timothy ministered there during the sixties. We surmise that John left Jerusalem in the late sixties and took up residence in Ephesus where he spent the rest of his days, except for his brief stay on the island of Patmos. Even though the believers were molded spiritually by three men, they began to decline in their love for Christ. And even though John as the apostle of love told the people to love one another 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.4.7-62.4.12|AUTODETECT|” 1 John 4:7 12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.2.25|AUTODETECT|” ), not he but Jesus addresses the Ephesians and rebukes them for departing from their first love. Jesus as the Chief Shepherd and Overseer of his flock 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.2.25|AUTODETECT|” 1 Pet. 2:25) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.5.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=60.5.4|AUTODETECT|” 5:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) is walking in the midst of his church (2:1).) 1 8 2 8 0 0 The body of Jesus Christ is the church and not a society; it is an organism and not an organization; it is a living being and not a formal entity. Whereas membership in a society or an organization can be terminated because of failure to pay dues or fulfill duties, the members of Christ s body are no longer a church when they cease to spread the light of the gospel. The word church in English (Kirche in German, kerk in Dutch) derives from the Greek term kyriak, which means belonging to the Lord. Romance languages use derivatives from the Greek ekklsia, which signifies God s people called out of the world (�glise in French, iglesia in Spanish, igreja in Portuguese, and chiesa in Italian). Hence, those people who make up the living body of Jesus Christ are the church, for they belong to him.) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 2:3 7) Verse 3) The verb tenses in this verse are significant: you have [����] patience is present; you have tolerated [��������] is aorist; and you have not become weary [����������] is perfect. The aorist may be interpreted as constative, so that all three tenses show duration.) Verse 5) This verse features seven verbs of which only two have the same tense and mood.

The first word in a Greek sentence always receives emphasis: ��������� remember! This is the imperative in the present tense to denote continued action. The second is ��������, which is in the perfect to imply that the fall of the Ephesians began in the past and continues to the present. The third and fourth verbs are in the aorist imperative and convey the command to obey once for all: ���������� (repent!) and ������� (do!). The fifth verb, which is in the present tense ������ (I am coming) but denotes a future action, is followed by ������ (I will remove), which conveys the idea of certainty. The seventh verb, which stands last in the sentence for emphasis, is repetitious in a way (����������, repent) but is given in the aorist subjunctive.) Verse 7) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.2.9|AUTODETECT|” ��� ����� ��� ���� the tree of life. This phrase has been taken from the Septuagint version of ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.2.9|AUTODETECT|” Genesis 2:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.22|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.22|AUTODETECT|” 3:22) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.24|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.24|AUTODETECT|” 24) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.2|AUTODETECT|” . It should be understood as an eschatological phrase 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.2|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 22:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.14|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.14|AUTODETECT|” 14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.19|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.19|AUTODETECT|” 19) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.47.12|AUTODETECT|” ; compare ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.47.12|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 47:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). A play on the cross of Christ is not yet evident in these passages in Revelation. ��25��) 1 9 2 8 0 0 ) 2. Smyrna) 2:8 11) 8 And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The First and the Last, who was dead and is alive, says this: 9 I know your tribulation, your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy from the ones who call themselves Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 10 And do not be afraid of anything you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.) 11 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Everyone who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death. ) ) The City) Smyrna (modern Izmir), located on the west coast of Asia Minor, has a sheltered harbor that faces a bay whose breezes cool the city during the hot summer months and provide a pleasant climate. The harbor stimulated trade and commerce that developed the city of Smyrna into a commercial metropolis.

An estimate of its population in Paul s day reaches 250,000 inhabitants, which in modern times can be nearly doubled. It was a thriving city at the end of a major highway that cut through the fertile fields of the Hermus valley.) Politically the city sided with the Romans and became their faithful ally. Already in 195 b.c. it built a temple for Dea Roma, the goddess of Rome. In a.d. 26 it dedicated a temple to Emperor Tiberius and boasted to be first in emperor worship. This boast gratified Roman administrators, who fostered the peace and unity that characterized the spirit of Rome throughout the empire. William Barclay writes that to make the spirit of Rome tangible the Romans presented the emperor as its embodiment, and thus worship of the emperor arose.

Although some of the first emperors disparaged this worship, the population energized it to the point that the emperor was considered to be divine.��26��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.2.11|AUTODETECT|” Writers in the ancient past extolled Smyrna as the city most beautiful in respect to its buildings, temples of Zeus and Cybele, and the layout of its streets. It was known as the crown of Smyrna. The name originated from the city s buildings, whose symmetrical appearance was likened to a crown.��27�� But in addition to the buildings and the design of the city, nature also contributed to the beauty of Smyrna. The city was blessed with many groves of trees, among them trees whose resin produced a brown to reddish or yellowish brown aromatic gum called myrrh. The word myrrh (Greek smyrna) appears in the New Testament as one of the precious gifts that the wise men from the East brought to Jesus and as an embalming ingredient Nicodemus brought for Jesus burial 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.2.11|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 2:11) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.19.39|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.19.39|AUTODETECT|” John 19:39) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.30.23|AUTODETECT|” ; see also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.30.23|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 30:23) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.45.8|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.45.8|AUTODETECT|” Ps. 45:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=22.5.5|AUTODETECT|” ; Song of ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=22.5.5|AUTODETECT|” Songs 5:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=22.5.13|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=22.5.13|AUTODETECT|” 13) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 2 2 8 0 0 The Jewish population in Smyrna was sizable, for they are mentioned as a force that was hostile to the local church. They slandered the early Christians, called themselves Jews but really belonged to the synagogue of Satan, and abetted the persecution of Christ s followers (vv. 9 10). Why they were so adamantly set against the church cannot be answered. Whereas the members of the Smyrna church were poverty stricken the Jews were wealthy. For instance, according to an inscription from the second century, Jews at one time donated the sum of ten thousand denarii for a project to beautify the city of Smyrna.��28��) Their opposition to Christianity is on record in connection with the martyrdom of Polycarp, who on February 23, 155, was killed for his refusal to deny the name of Jesus. He had been the bishop of Smyrna for many years.

As an elderly saint, he responded to the proconsul who gave him the choice of cursing Jesus name and living or confessing his name and dying: Eighty-six years have I served Christ, and he has never done me wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me? ��29�� Thereupon the proconsul sentenced him to die at the stake. The record indicates that the Jews were foremost in gathering wood for the fire. Even though it was the Sabbath, they deliberately carried burdens of wood and transgressed the law.��30��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.2.9|AUTODETECT|” A date for the founding of the Smyrna church cannot be firmly established. Devout Jews from the province of Asia were at the Pentecost feast in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit was poured out 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.2.9|AUTODETECT|” Acts 2:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), and some of these may have come from Smyrna and taken the gospel back to their hometown. Alternatively, when Paul came to Ephesus in the early fifties, he or his associates may have instituted the church at Smyrna. Polycarp s letter to the church at Philippi may indicate that the knowledge of Christ had not yet come to Smyrna when Paul in 62 wrote his letter to the Philippians: for we did not yet know him [Christ]. ��31�� Ignatius, bishop at Antioch in Syria, was brought to Rome as a martyr in 110. On his way, he stopped at Smyrna where he wrote four letters to the various churches; and afterward when he rested at Troas, he wrote another three letters; one of these was addressed to the church in Smyrna.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 The Letter) 8. And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The First and the Last, who was dead and is alive, says this. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.44.6|AUTODETECT|” Jesus commands John to write a letter to the pastor of the Smyrna church and identifies himself as the First and the Last (1:17; 22:13). This phrase is the self-identification of God who addresses Israel, This is what the Lord says Israel s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.44.6|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 44:6) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.48.12|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.48.12|AUTODETECT|” 48:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.1.12|AUTODETECT|” ; see also 41:4). With the expression the First and the Last, Jesus defines his divinity as equal in power and authority to that of God. (Incidentally, apart from the words for ten days in verse 10, which are an echo of ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.1.12|AUTODETECT|” Daniel 1:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 and 14, there are no other allusions to the Old Testament in the letter to Smyrna.)) 1 2 2 8 0 0 However, Jesus adds to his self-identification the clause who was dead and is alive (1:18). He is the one who died on Calvary s cross, conquered death, and is alive. Throughout the Apocalypse, the contrast between God and Satan, Christ and the Antichrist is spelled out. So the Antichrist, appearing as the beast coming up out of the sea, had a fatal wound and yet lived (13:3, 12, and 14). This description of the Antichrist reveals his insidious imitation of Christ s death and resurrection.��32�� The difference between Christ and the Antichrist is that Christ conquered death, has the keys of Death and Hades, and as the living one gives life to his people. The beast, that is, the Antichrist, wounded by the sword is thrown alive with the false prophet into the lake of fire and burning sulfur (13:14; 19:20).) 9. I know your tribulation, your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy from the ones who call themselves Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.8.2|AUTODETECT|” a. I know your tribulation, your poverty (but you are rich). Jesus addresses the individual believer by using the singular possessive pronoun your, that is, he is fully aware of the tribulation and poverty each Christian in Smyrna has to endure for the name of Christ. The word tribulation actually means living in oppression, in narrow straits. Also, the one leads to the other: oppression results in poverty when work and resources are cut off because of one s testimony for Christ. The believers in Smyrna may have experienced the confiscation of their earthly belongings, for the expression poverty is the translation of the Greek term ptMcheia, which refers to the abject poverty of a beggar. Paul writes about this condition to the Corinthians when he notes that Jesus Christ, though he was rich, yet for your sakes became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.8.2|AUTODETECT|” 2 Cor. 8:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.8.9|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.8.9|AUTODETECT|” 9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.5.11-40.5.12|AUTODETECT|” ). Jesus underscores these words by telling his people in Smynra that they are spiritually rich. This does not mean that believers should invite persecution and hardships in order to become rich in spiritual possessions; rather, Jesus wants them to be faithful to him and his word even when they go through hardship and abuse, for then they will be blessed spiritually 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.5.11-40.5.12|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 5:11 12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=59.2.5|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=59.2.5|AUTODETECT|” James 2:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.12.22-40.12.32|AUTODETECT|” b. And the blasphemy from the ones who call themselves Jews and are not. Jesus spoke about blasphemy against himself and the Holy Spirit in the context of casting out a demon in a person who was blind and mute 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.12.22-40.12.32|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 12:22 32) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.29.18|AUTODETECT|” ). When the man could see, hear, and speak, the people asked their spiritual leaders whether Jesus could be the Son of David (the Messiah). But the Pharisees and teachers of the law told the crowd that this fellow (Jesus) was casting out demons in the name of Beelzebub (Satan). The clergy in Israel should have been the first to recognize the Messiah when Jesus healed a blind person. Isaiah repeatedly prophesied about the Messiah by saying that at his coming he would open the eyes of the blind 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.29.18|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 29:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.32.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.32.3|AUTODETECT|” 32:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.35.5|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.35.5|AUTODETECT|” 35:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.42.7|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.42.7|AUTODETECT|” 42:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.11.5|AUTODETECT|” ; compare ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.11.5|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 11:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.3.2|AUTODETECT|” ). Further, to the Jews were entrusted the very words of God 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.3.2|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 3:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), so that they would see the messianic promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Instead they became, and many still are, vehemently opposed to him and his teachings. Knowing the truth about God and intentionally denying it is blasphemy.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 Jews schooled in the rabbinic tradition knew the meaning of blasphemy: The Holy One, blessed be he, pardons everything else, but on profanation of the Name [i.e., blasphemy] he takes vengeance immediately. ��33�� They circumvented uttering God s name by calling him Lord (Adonai). But Jesus as the Messiah enjoyed divinity and authority equal to God, so that anyone consciously rejecting him would be guilty of blasphemy. The Jews in Smyrna refused to acknowledge Jesus as their Messiah and cursed him and his followers. Jesus no longer called these people Jews, that is, spiritual sons of Abraham. Christians were now called sons and daughters of Abraham in their place, and Jews who rejected Jesus were in league with the devil.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.2.1|AUTODETECT|” c. But [they] are the synagogue of Satan (see 3:9). The Romans had granted the Jews in Israel and the dispersion exemption from Roman religious practices. They had given them the right to observe their own religion, which was known as a religio licita (an allowed religion). When Christianity came into being at Pentecost 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.2.1|AUTODETECT|” Acts 2:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), Christians were safe under this Roman umbrella given to the Jews until the destruction of the temple in a.d. 70. From then on the Jews were among the first to accuse Christians to the Romans; they said that the Christians honored Jesus and not Caesar as Lord. Consequently, Christians no longer enjoyed civil protection but were slandered, persecuted, and often killed. Those Jews who falsely accused the followers of Christ to the Romans and purposely oppressed them were indeed agents of Satan, who had become the ruler of their synagogue. This is not to say that all Jews rejected Jesus and that Satan ruled all synagogues. In the province of Asia, Jesus portrayed Smyrna and Philadelphia as places where Satan instigated blasphemy and lying in the local synagogues (2:9; 3:9).

Also in those two cities were churches that Jesus praised without uttering a word of reproof or correction. Truly in the darkest places the light shines brightest.) 1 6 2 8 0 0 10. And do not be afraid of anything you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. ) a. And do not be afraid of anything you are about to suffer, Once again Jesus utters the words do not fear (1:17). Now addressing each individual believer, he expands the saying to don t be afraid of anything.

He who is in full control of every situation knows what lies ahead of his people; he reveals that they are about to enter a period of suffering.) b. Look, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison that you may be tested. The Christians in Smyrna must be fully aware that they are fighting a spiritual war in which they confront the devil. Hence, they are told to be alert, for the devil will incite the authorities so that some people of the congregation will be imprisoned with the distinct possibility of being put to death. This will strike fear into the hearts of the believers, who can expect to endure confiscation of property and good, extreme poverty, and slander. But incarceration, at times without trial, may result in death.

Jesus says that this threat to their lives is to test their faith in him.) Imprisonment may be a measure to subdue a rebellious person, an arrest while the guilty person is awaiting trial, or a prelude to his execution. The context of verse 10, be faithful unto death, implies that incarceration of the Christian will be an interim period of suffering in anticipation of martyrdom. ��34��) c. And you will have tribulation for ten days. This is the second time that the term tribulation occurs (v. 9). But here its duration is specified: for a ten-day period. In Revelation, the number ten conveys the meaning of fullness in the decimal system.

It is a symbolical number to express the completeness of the period of suffering, which is neither long nor short but full, for its termination is sure.��35��) d. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. Throughout the history of Smyrna her citizens had been faithful first to the Greeks and then to the Romans. Faithfulness to Rome was a well-known characteristic of the people in Smyrna, but now Jesus calls these followers to be faithful to him. Jesus is called the faithful one (1:5; 3:14; 19:11) and so is Antipas, the martyr in Pergamum (2:13). Now the saints in Smyrna are asked to pay the sacrifice to be faithful to death.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=59.1.12|AUTODETECT|” In view of Smyrna s city layout, commentators have no problem seeing a connection between the crown of the city and the crown promised to the faithful followers of Christ. But the words of Jesus are the crown of life, which make them different and meaningful. The phrase probably was idiomatic it occurs also in ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=59.1.12|AUTODETECT|” James 1:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 and can be translated the crown, that is, fullness of life. It is emblematic of the highest joy and gladness and of glory and immortality. ��36�� If the saints in Smyrna pay with their life for the testimony of Jesus, they will receive imperishable life in eternal glory.) 1 24 2 8 0 0 11. Let anyone who has an ear listen to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Everyone who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death. ) The repetition of the first sentence once more stresses the work of the Holy Spirit in conveying Christ s message to the churches. Notice that this letter is not addressed only to the congregation at Smyrna but to all the churches, so that the letter with the others is a universal message.) And once again the verb to overcome appears in a promise. The overcomer is given the promise of being unaffected by the second death. The first death pertains to one s physical demise, the second death to being cut off forever from God (see 20:6, 14; 21:8).

The saints may suffer physical death at the hand of persecutors, but they will never be separated from God. By contrast, unbelievers will be cast into the lake of fire (20:14) and suffer eternal death. This means that they will experience not annihilation but never-ending punishment.) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 2:9 11) Verse 9) �p ��� ��� the Majority Text has added these words in conformity with 2:2, 19; 3:1, 8. 15. Their insertion, however, is easier to explain than their omission. Following the rule that the harder reading is likely the original, I have opted for their exclusion.) ��� the possessive pronoun controls the nouns tribulation and poverty. Preceding them, it gives added emphasis to these nouns: your tribulation and your poverty.) Verse 10) ����� some manuscripts have the reading ��, but this undoubtedly is a revision based on similar wording in 1:17.) 0��� this aorist middle imperative, because of its frequent usage in Koine Greek, has become a demonstrative particle that calls the hearer or reader to pay attention: Look!

It occurs twenty-six times in Revelation alone and most frequently in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke.) ���� there are variants that have the present tense either in the indicative ���� or the subjunctive ����. The original reading is difficult to determine, for a good case can be made for each of the variants.) �x� �������� ��� ���� the genitive may express quality or apposition. Of the two, the latter is preferred: the crown, namely, life. ) Verse 11) � with the verb to be hurt the preposition has a casual meaning.) ) 3. Pergamum) 2:12 17) The City) 12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: He who holds the sharp double-edged sword says this: 13 I know where you live, where Satan s throne is. Yet you are holding on to my name, and you did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed among you where Satan lives, 14 However, I have a few things against you in that you have there those who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the Israelites to make them eat food offered to an idol and commit fornication. 15 So even you have those who similarly hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent, therefore. If not, I will come to you quickly and make war against them with the sword of my mouth. ) 17 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

To everyone who overcomes, I will give hidden manna, and I will give a white stone; and on the stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it ) ) Some sixty-five miles to the north of Smyrna and fifteen miles from the Aegean Sea lay the city of Pergamum (modern Bergama). Its name has been perpetuated in the English term parchment (French parchemin; Dutch perkament; Spanish pergamino). The expression illustrates the industry of ancient Pergamum, where due to a trade embargo its people, unable to buy paper products (made from Egyptian papyrus leaves), prepared animal skins for writing purposes. The city not only marketed these skins but also opened a library that eventually housed some two hundred thousand scrolls. It became a learning center where knowledge was accumulated, applied, and disseminated.) Located at an elevation of about one thousand feet, Pergamum served as a citadel that dominated the countryside. It was a city of prominence in the centuries before the Romans invaded and made it a capital.

Pergamum was known as a religious center, with temples for Zeus SMtr, Athena Nicephorus, Dionysos Cathegemon, and Asclepius SMtr. Constructed on a ledge in front of the temple of Athena was the altar of Zeus. It was the most splendid of religious monuments because of its height some forty feet. Asclepius was the god of healing and attracted the interest of countless people suffering physical ills. His symbol was the snake, which still decorates medical emblems today. After the Romans conquered Pergamum, they built a temple in 129 b.c.

Later they dedicated the temple to Augustus and Rome,��37�� and introduced the worship of Caesar. Temples dedicated to Trajan and Severus were constructed much later. Emperor worship had its center in Pergamum, and for some time the city rivaled Smyrna and Ephesus, for it was given the privilege of appointing a temple warden or temple sweeper (neokoros). It was also the first Roman administrative center in the province of Asia.��38�� The proconsul who had his residence here held the power of the sword to determine whether a person should live or die.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.3.16|AUTODETECT|” Notice that the Greek word sMtr applied to both Zeus and Ascelepius means savior. In view of their Savior Jesus Christ it was impossible for Christians to acknowledge these gods as saviors. In addition, they could never utter the motto Caesar is Lord, because for them the title Lord was reserved for Jesus only. Instead of the two hundred thousand or more volumes in the Pergamum library, they came only with the Scriptures. In place of numerous temples, they had no temple and said that their Christian fellowship and even their physical bodies served as the temple of the Holy Spirit 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.3.16|AUTODETECT|” I Cor. 3:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.6.19|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.6.19|AUTODETECT|” 6:19) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). And in lieu of Asclepius s healing, the Christians taught than Jesus was their Great Physician. In brief, for Christians life in Pergamum was made nearly unbearable.) 1 6 2 8 0 0 For their refusal to compromise, Christians were mocked by Romans and others who called them christiani and by Jews who labeled them Nazarenes. They were charged with infidelity to Rome, scorned, accused of sedition, persecuted, and killed. In spite of persecution and even because of it, the Christian church continued to flourish and increase in number.) In Pergamum, Christians daily faced the pressures of a pagan society. If they refused to accept an invitation to attend a feast in honor of a pagan deity, they would not only be shunned, but they would lose their jobs or businesses. People would call them outcasts not fit to live on this earth. But for faithful believers there is no one higher than their Lord, no human law that takes precedence over God s law, and no teaching that supplants the gospel.) a.

Violence) 2:12 13) 12. And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: He who holds the sharp double-edged sword says this: 13. I know where you live, where Satan s throne is. Yet you are holding on to my name, and you did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed among you where Satan lives. ) Except for the address, the introductory formula is the same as in all the letters to the churches in the province of Asia. Jesus self-identification is a throwback to the description of his appearance (1:16). Even though the same words the sharp double-edged sword appear, the Greek has them in a sequence with definite articles for emphasis.

Literally, the clause reads, the one who has the sword, the double-edged one, the sharp one. It was not the Roman proconsul or the governor who decided on matters of life and death, but it was Jesus, with the sharp, double-edged sword of his word proceeding from his mouth. Jesus will indeed fight with this sword against his enemies (v. 16; 19:15, 21).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.1.1|AUTODETECT|” a. I know where you live, where Satan s throne is. Fully aware of the situation in Pergamum, Jesus said to the local Christians, I know where you live. He addressed not strangers, transients, or travelers 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.1.1|AUTODETECT|” 1 Pet. 1:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), but permanent residents who were born and raised in Pergamum and had their roots in that city. God had called them out of their pagan environment to be his people.) 1 7 2 8 0 0 Jesus explicates the clause where Satan s throne is with the words where Satan lives. The verb lives signifies that his dwelling is permanent just as the local Christians are permanent inhabitants, but they are two opposing forces. Satan seems to have the upper hand until we realize that the Apocalypse contrasts God and Satan. Jesus sits on his Father s glorious throne in heaven (3:21) and Satan rules his kingdom in darkness (16:10). The word throne appears forty-two times in Revelation: forty refer to God s throne and two to the throne of Satan and the beast (2:13; 16:10). In other words, not Satan but God is in control.) What is the meaning of Satan s throne? There are at least five interpretations:��39��) " Pergamum was a center of pagan religion.) " To a traveler coming from the east, the acropolis had the appearance of a throne.) " The altar of Zeus SMtr seemed to be a throne.) " Asclepius SMtr was identified with the serpent.) " Pergamum was the center of emperor worship.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.17.16|AUTODETECT|” First, no doubt Pergamum was a religious center devoted to pagan idols. But the cities in the province of Asia were no different from Athens, for idol worship ruled the day in the pagan world of the first century. According to Paul, Athens was a city filled with idols and its people were very religious 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.17.16|AUTODETECT|” Acts 17:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.17.22|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.17.22|AUTODETECT|” 22) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 0 The second interpretation closely follows the first and differs from it only in the appearance of the city, which was located on an elevated plateau. Even though the symbolism of its external appearance is striking, the internal dominance of Satan s rule in the lives of the people takes priority.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.14.12|AUTODETECT|” Third, Zeus s altar prominently placed above everything else is imposing.��40�� But Zeus as chief god was worshiped everywhere in Greece, Macedonia, and Asia Minor he was called Jupiter by the Romans 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.14.12|AUTODETECT|” Acts 14:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 KJV).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.1|AUTODETECT|” The fourth explanation has merit, because the symbol of Asclepius is a serpent and in Scripture Satan is typified by the serpent symbol 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.1|AUTODETECT|” Gen. 3:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.12.9|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.12.9|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 12:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.20.2|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.20.2|AUTODETECT|” 20:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Personified in the god Asclepius, Satan proves to be the great deceiver as the healer of the sick and the savior of the people.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 The fifth explanation is incisive. While the fourth interpretation calls attention to Satan s deception, the fifth stresses Satan s destructive power in persecuting God s people. Christians who refused to acknowledge Caesar as Lord and God (dominus et deus) faced confiscation of their property, exile, or death.��41�� If we consider that Antipas was killed and John was exiled because of Jesus testimony, then this fifth explanation fits the overall context.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.2.21|AUTODETECT|” b. Yet you are holding on to my name, and you did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed among you where Satan lives. Despite the hardships that the Christians in Pergamum endured, they remained faithful to their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They are commended for holding on to the name of Jesus. This action involves more than confessing his name: it includes living in harmony with the Scriptures and walking in Jesus footsteps 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.2.21|AUTODETECT|” 1 Pet. 2:21) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). By making the Roman authorities enforce emperor worship and its subsequent oppression, Satan sought to exploit the weaknesses in the church of those members who might be tempted to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. The believers, however, stood their ground and continued their loyalty to their Master.��42��) 1 1 2 8 0 0 Persecution resulting in death was real, as is evident in the case of Antipas. We know very little about the man. His Greek name can either mean against all or be an abbreviated form of the name Antipater, but this has nothing to do with his life and death. His life is characterized by the designation my faithful witness, which is the same ascription by which Jesus is known (1:5; compare 3:14). His death took place some time before the writing of the Apocalypse, and Antipas may have been representative of many others.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.17.14-43.17.18|AUTODETECT|” c. Who was killed among you where Satan lives. These two clauses together evoke fear in the hearts of God s people. Living near the residence of Satan, followers of Jesus Christ can expect to endure both persecution and death. Their habitation and that of Satan happen to be the same, so that the evil one is always present. But Jesus told his disciples that they are in the world but not of the world 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.17.14-43.17.18|AUTODETECT|” John 17:14 18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.16.33|AUTODETECT|” ). He assigns his people to take the redemptive message of salvation everywhere on this troubled earth. He as the Victor has said, But take heart! I have overcome the world 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.16.33|AUTODETECT|” John 16:33) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.55.11|AUTODETECT|” ). This victorious Jesus shares his victory with his followers, who go forth into the world with the knowledge that God s word never returns void, for that word is never bound 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.55.11|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 55:11) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=55.2.9|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=55.2.9|AUTODETECT|” 2) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=55.2.9|AUTODETECT|” Tim. 2:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 4 2 8 0 0 b. Rebuke) 2:14 16) 14. However, I have a few things against you in that you have there those who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the Israelites to make them eat food offered to an idol and commit fornification. 15. So even you have those who similarly hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ) a. However, I have a few things against you in that you have there those who hold the teaching of Balaam. We would have expected words of encouragement from the lips of Jesus; instead we hear words of rebuke.

Jesus reproves the Christians in Pergamum because of some weaknesses they displayed. The few things are not necessarily of little importance even though few in number. Jesus does not enumerate these things but mentions only one, namely, the lack of resistance to false teaching and conduct within the congregation. The believers have tolerated teachers who have spread their insidious doctrine and lifestyle, and they have failed to expel them from the church. Their influence is spreading like cancer cells in a healthy body; and radical measures must be taken before it is too late. While the church in Ephesus exercised discipline (2:2), the church in Pergamum did not.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.2.15|AUTODETECT|” Satan s servants entered the local congregation and sought to influence the members deceitfully with a lifestyle incompatible with those who follow Jesus. We have no information about the identity of the perpetrators. The words you have there those can mean that they had entered the church and had been accepted as bona fide members or that they were influenced by people from outside the church 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.2.15|AUTODETECT|” 2 Pet. 2:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=65.1.11|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=65.1.11|AUTODETECT|” Jude 11) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Jesus calls to mind the story of Balaam and Balak recorded in Numbers 22 25. We assume that the second- and third-generation Christians in Pergamum were sufficiently acquainted with the account of Israel s history that the writer did not need to spell it out in detail.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.31.16|AUTODETECT|” b. [Balaam] taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the Israelites to make them eat food offered to an idol and commit fornication. We learn by inference that after Balaam s triple failure to curse the Israelites, he lured them into committing adultery with Midianite women, eating meat offered to idols, and worshiping pagan gods 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.31.16|AUTODETECT|” Num. 31:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.25.0|AUTODETECT|” in the context of ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.25.0|AUTODETECT|” Num. 25) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.25.1-4.25.3|AUTODETECT|” ). The teachings of Balaam were not so much doctrine as practice: indulging in sexual immorality with Moabite women, the eating of food sacrificed to idols, and the worship of these idols 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.25.1-4.25.3|AUTODETECT|” Num. 25:1 3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.106.28|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.106.28|AUTODETECT|” Ps. 106:28) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). This was the stumbling block that Balak, following Balaam s advice, placed before the people of Israel to make them fall into sin.��43��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.25.9|AUTODETECT|” The Israelites were invited to participate in the pagan fertility rites of the Moabite people, whose women enticed the Israelite men to engage in sexually immoral acts. This stumbling block was similar to a trap commonly used for catching birds. The trap had a movable stick, so that a bird touching the stick would cause the trap to snap shut, with the result that the bird was caught and killed. This stumbling block brought about death for the Israelites: a plague struck and killed some twenty-four thousand of them 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.25.9|AUTODETECT|” Num. 25:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.10.8|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.10.8|AUTODETECT|”

1. 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.10.8|AUTODETECT|” Cor. 10:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��44��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.10.25|AUTODETECT|” In Pergamum, people who followed the teachings of Balaam set a trap for the followers of Christ to seek personal safety by participating in the practices of those who assembled for emperor worship. First, they suggested that it was perfectly acceptable for Christians to eat meat that they knew had been sacrificed to idols. The believers knew that they should not question the origin of meat for sale at the meat market 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.10.25|AUTODETECT|” 1 Cor. 10:25) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.10.19-46.10.22|AUTODETECT|” ), but that their consciences should not allow them to participate in a feast dedicated to an idol if the meat was eaten in one of the rooms of the temple 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.10.19-46.10.22|AUTODETECT|” 1 Cor. 10:19 22) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Next, the Nicolaitans suggested that Christians engage in sexual immorality. However, the Christians knew that the law of God barred them from entering into any extramarital sexual relationships. They were fully aware of the numerous prostitutes in the temple precincts luring them under religious pretexts. And last, the followers of Balaam urged the Christians to sacrifice an animal in the worship of Caesar. This sacrifice, they said, would entail only the burning of an insignificant part of the animal and would leave the rest for a feast to be enjoyed by the Christians with family and friends. Again, the followers of Christ knew that they could not worship both Christ and Caesar.��45��) 1 2 2 8 0 0 We know from Jesus letter to the Ephesians (see my comments on 2:6) that the teachings and practices of the Nicolaitans were an abomination to Jesus. Even though the information concerning these people is scant, we assume that the lifestyle of the Nicolaitans was characterized by the sins of sexual immorality, eating food offered to idols, and perverting apostolic teachings (2:14 16). Stressing Christian liberty, they apparently taught that physical activities pertaining to sex and food were not sinful. In God s sight, however, engaging in sexual acts with temple prostitutes and entering pagan temples to eat food consecrated to a pagan god were violations of the Decalogue. God said:) ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.20.3|AUTODETECT|” " You shall have no other gods before me 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.20.3|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 20:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.20.5|AUTODETECT|” " You shall not bow down to them or worship them 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.20.5|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 20:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.20.14|AUTODETECT|” " You shall not commit adultery 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.20.14|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 20:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.6.13|AUTODETECT|” Likewise Paul warned the Corinthians that the body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord; and he admonished God s people not to participate in sacrifices offered to an idol 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.6.13|AUTODETECT|” 1 Cor. 6:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.10.20|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.10.20|AUTODETECT|” 10:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.11.44-3.11.45|AUTODETECT|” ). As God is holy, so his people must strive for holy conduct 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.11.44-3.11.45|AUTODETECT|” Lev. 11:44 45) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.1.15|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=60.1.15|AUTODETECT|”
2. 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=60.1.15|AUTODETECT|” Pet. 1:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 4 2 8 0 0 c. So even you have those who similarly hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Once again (v. 6), Jesus mentions the Nicolaitans. Here he notes that the Pergamenes who practiced the sins of idolatry and sexual immorality were similar to the Nicolaitans who advocated them. Are the followers of Balaam and the Nicolaitans the same? We must see Satan at work as the great deceiver, because the intentions of Balaam and his followers and that of the Nicolaitans are identical: Balaam intended to defeat the Israelites with a deceptive lifestyle, and the Nicolaitans entered the church with deceptive teachings and practices.

Moreover, those who hold the teaching of Balaam (2:14) are probably the same people as those who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ��46��) We have no knowledge of the extent of the Nicolaitans influence on the church, but we do know that the church was lax in discipline and permitted these antagonists to the Christian faith to be in their midst to the spiritual detriment of the believers. For this laxity, the church was reprimanded and told to repent. The Nicolaitans and those who had adopted their harmful teaching and practices had to face Jesus, who would come with the sword of the Spirit, that is, the word of God.) 16. Repent, therefore. If not, I will come to you quickly and make war against them with the sword of my mouth. ) The verb to repent occurs twelve times in Revelation.��47�� Eight of them are addressed to the churches in Ephesus, Pergamum, Sardis, and Laodicea as commands to repent; the other four are in the past tense and refer to unbelievers who refused to do so. The Christians of Pergamum had to repent of their failure to expel the Nicolaitans and their followers from among them.

They had to see the error of their way, for if Jesus hated the works of the Nicolaitans (2:6) so should his people. So he called the Christians to turn their laxity into watchfulness, to enforce spiritual discipline, and to expel from among them the Nicolaitans and their adherents.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.31.1-4.31.8|AUTODETECT|” If the addressees refuse to obey, Jesus will come quickly (the Greek has the verb to come in the present tense; see v. 5). Christ s coming refers not to the Second Coming but to his imminent judgment that is swift and certain. The Nicolaitans would not have to wait until the Second Coming for Jesus to execute his threat.��48�� As the Midianites and Balaam experienced God s judgment in their lifetime, so the Nicolaitans would soon encounter Jesus as warrior in their life span. During the battle that Israel fought against the Midianites at God s command, the Israelites killed Balaam 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.31.1-4.31.8|AUTODETECT|” Num. 31:1 8) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=6.13.22|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=6.13.22|AUTODETECT|” Josh. 13:22) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��49��) 1 1 2 8 0 0 Notice that the Lord calls the church to repentance but declares war on the Nicolaitans. He will fight them with the double-edged sword that proceeds from his mouth (see v. 12), and with this sword he slays the wicked. And that includes the Nicolaitans and their adherents. Those who are serving Satan and are bent on destroying the church meet the sword of her warrior and her victorious Lord.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.8.28|AUTODETECT|” The good news is that God works out all things for good to those who love and serve him 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.8.28|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 8:28) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=14.15.2|AUTODETECT|” ). All those who turn to the Lord and repent experience his love, grace, and mercy. By contrast, he forsakes all those who have forsaken him 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=14.15.2|AUTODETECT|” 2 Chron. 15:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.1.28|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.1.28|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 1:28) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.65.11-23.65.12|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.65.11-23.65.12|AUTODETECT|” 65:11 12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��50��) 1 5 2 8 0 0 The Lord honors his promises and cancels his threats to the repentant sinner. But when there is no repentance, he fulfills his threats.) c. Promise) 2:17) 17. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To everyone who overcomes, I will give hidden manna, and I will give a white stone; and on the stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it. ) After the repetitive exhortation to listen to what the Spirit says to the churches, the overcomer receives the promise of receiving hidden manna and a white stone. What does the wording of these two gifts mean?) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.16.32-2.16.34|AUTODETECT|” For forty years, manna was Israel s food in the wilderness until the people crossed the Jordan and entered Canaan. God instructed Moses to place a jar of manna in the ark of the covenant, and thus it was hidden from sight 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.16.32-2.16.34|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 16:32 34) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.9.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.9.4|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 9:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). According to the writer of 2 Maccabees 2:4 7, at the destruction of Solomon s temple Jeremiah hid the tabernacle with the ark and altar of incense in a cave of Mount Nebo and sealed its entrance.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.6.48-43.6.49|AUTODETECT|” The Jews looked for the coming of the messianic age when they would eat the hidden manna.��51�� The Christians, however, acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah who ushered in the messianic age. Ever since the coming of Jesus, his followers have eaten the hidden manna and enjoyed his blessings. Jesus called himself the bread of life and contrasted it with the manna that the Israelites ate in the desert 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.6.48-43.6.49|AUTODETECT|” John 6:48 49) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.11.25|AUTODETECT|” ). This life-giving bread is indeed the Christian s spiritual food and the hidden manna. It is hidden from view for the unbeliever but is available to all those who put their faith in Christ 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.11.25|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 11:25) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.2.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.2.3|AUTODETECT|” Col. 2:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.3.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.3.3|AUTODETECT|” 3:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 6 2 8 0 0 The meaning of the white stone remains a mystery, which commentators have tried to solve in numerous ways:) " Precious stones fell from heaven along with manna. But this is only a legend.) " White stones were cast in courts of justice to signify exoneration of the accused and black stones to condemn him. On the Judgment Day, a white stone would mark the Christian s acquittal. But the text does not say that the overcomer casts a white stone but that he receives a white stone. Also, the stones cast in a court case had no names inscribed on them.) " A white object made of steel, wood, or stone called tessera granted its possessor certain privileges in society. The durability of these substances is questionable, however.) " A white stone could be used as an amulet or charm.

But this custom belongs to the practice of sorcery, not to the doctrine of salvation.) " Buildings in Pergamum in John s day were made out of dark brown stone. Inscriptions in these edifices were cut into blocks of white marble. Hemer observes, Honorific decrees of the city repeatedly stipulate that the record of its benefactors shall be engraved on [white stone]. ��52�� The objection is that the Greek word psphos in the text means pebble, not stone. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.28.21|AUTODETECT|” " The breastplate of the high priest had twelve stones, each of which had the name of a tribe written on it 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.28.21|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 28:21) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Similarly, a white stone with the name of the individual believer written on it is always in God s presence.) 1 7 2 8 0 0 " The stone may be a translucent precious stone like a diamond on which the name of Christ is written. The name of Christ is written on the foreheads of the saints (3:12; 14:1; 22:4).��53��) The last two interpretations are the most helpful. In the context of Revelation, the last one seems the strongest and receives support from other passages. The name of Christ means that the saints belong to him. Already on this earth, believers are known as Christians, that is, followers of Jesus Christ, in whose footsteps they walk.) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 2:13 16) Verse 13) �6�� the Majority Text inserts the phrase �p ��� ��� ��� (your works and), which appears to be borrowed from a preceding text (v. 2). It is harder to explain the omission than the addition of this phrase and, therefore, it was probably not in the original text.) ��������� the preposition ���� preceding the verb �0��� denotes permanence in a dwelling place, whereas the preposition ���� prefixed to that same verb denotes living somewhere temporarily.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.28.15|AUTODETECT|” ���� Q��� in this context the preposition means among 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.28.15|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 28:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.1.0|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.1.0|AUTODETECT|”

1. 1 1 -1 9 0 0 Clem. 1.3).��54��) 1 3 2 8 0 0 Verse 14) ���������� the present participle lacks the definite article and thus does not refer to a specific group or category but to some who hold. It expresses an indefinite idea.) �������� the imperfect tense signifies repeated action on the part of Balaam. Notice that names in these two verses are indeclinable: Antipas, Balaam, Balak, Israel.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.25.0|AUTODETECT|” ��������� to commit sexual immorality. Although this verb can be interpreted to refer to spiritual apostasy, the context of ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.25.0|AUTODETECT|” Numbers 25) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 and the overtones in this letter point first to sexual immorality and then to idolatry.) 1 12 2 8 0 0 Verse 15) ��v �� here is the ascensive use of the conjunction, even you. The pronoun is in the singular to address the individual members of the church.) Verse 16) �������� ���� in this context the preposition ���� means not with but against. The phrase should be translated I will make war against them. ��55�� This construction occurs four times (2:16; 12:7; 13:4; and 17:14) and only in the Apocalypse; it is a Hebraism peculiar to Revelation.) ) 4. Thyatira) 2:18 29) The City) 18 To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are like exquisite brass, says this: 19 I know your works, your love and faith and service and endurance; and [I know that] your last works are greater than your first. 20 However, I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, the one who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and deceives my servants to commit fornication and to eat food offered to an idol. 21 And I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent from her fornication. 22 Look, I will cast her on a bed [of suffering] and [I am casting] those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with disease. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches the minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your works. 24 And I am speaking to the rest of you who are in Thyatira, as many as hold not this teaching and who have not known the so-called depths of Satan. I place no other burden on you. 25 In any case, what you have, hold fast until I come.) 26 To everyone who overcomes and keeps my works until the end, I will give authority over the nations, 27 to rule them with an iron rod as earthen vessels that are broken to pieces. 28 And as I have received authority from my Father, I will give to every overcomer the morning star. 29 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. ) ) Thyatira (modern Akhisar) was a fortified city located some forty miles southeast of Pergamum in a broad valley that leads to the Hermus River.

It was near the border of the provinces Mysia and Lydia and was claimed by both. In 190 b.c. the Romans entered the valley and conquered the city, which, because of its location in the flat valley, had little protection against superior forces. Thyatira was situated along the trade route from Pergamum to Sardis; from Smyrna a leading artery led through the valley to this city. Hence, the location of Thyatira was along major trade routes that stimulated its economic growth. In addition, the local artisans produced a variety of merchandise, for they were bakers, painters, tanners, tailors, potters, and workers in wool, linen, and metal (chiefly copper); and there were slave dealers.��56�� Thyatira was an industrial center controlled by guilds, that is, trade unions. These guilds paid homage to the pagan gods Apollo and Artemis (also known as Tyrimnos), and they worshiped at the shrine of Sabbathe.

Members of the guild were obligated to attend festivals in honor of these gods, to eat meals in their temples, and to indulge in sexual promiscuity. Noncompliance with these rules meant expulsion from the trade union, lack of employment, and poverty. Christians who refused to honor pagan gods, eat meat sacrificed to an idol, and engage in sexual immorality jeopardized their material necessities. They were regarded as outcasts of society.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.16.14|AUTODETECT|” Lydia, a seller of purple, was a native of Thyatira but had moved to Philippi. Paul met her at worship and the Lord opened her heart as she heard the gospel 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.16.14|AUTODETECT|” Acts 16:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). We assume that she became a God-fearer in Macedonia, and when Paul came to Philippi, she became a Christian.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 a. Address and Praise) 2:18 19) 18. To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are like exquisite brass. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.1.1-58.1.3|AUTODETECT|” The expression Son of God may mean that Jesus addresses Jews in Thyatira who rejected his divinity 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.1.1-58.1.3|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 1:1 3) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Although the letter gives no indication of a Jewish presence in this city, we cannot rule out their influence. The expression also is relevant to the pagan society of that day which regarded both Caesar and Apollo as sons of gods. But Jesus is the one and only Son of God, who is above all other gods. With eyes of flaming fire nothing escapes him, as he himself states that he searches the hearts and minds (v. 23). Into Jesus holy presence nothing sinful can enter or be hidden. With his eyes of flaming fire he dispels the darkness and burns away impurities.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 Jesus takes a stand in the city of Thyatira with feet like exquisite brass.��57�� This alloy is durable, stable, and firm. The gleam of the metal attracts attention, so that the population takes note of Jesus presence. As he takes up permanent residency in the city, so should his followers remain there without fear.) 19. I know your works, your love and faith and service and endurance; and [I know that] your last works are greater than your first. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.22.37-40.22.40|AUTODETECT|” In at least four other letters (to the churches in Ephesus, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea), Jesus says that he knows their deeds.��58�� He is thoroughly acquainted with the labors of love the believers in Thyatira have shown to God and to their neighbors. Their works include love and faith as internal qualities that come to expression in the external qualities of service and endurance. Note that Jesus summarized the Law in two commandments: to love the Lord God with heart, soul, and mind; and to love the neighbor as oneself 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.22.37-40.22.40|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 22:37 40) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.13.9|AUTODETECT|” ). Paul makes the second of these the primary rule 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.13.9|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 13:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=59.2.8|AUTODETECT|” ) and James calls it the royal law 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=59.2.8|AUTODETECT|” James 2:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The Christians in Thyatira visibly demonstrated love to their neighbors and faith and trust in God. Their service to others and their quiet endurance were exemplary in the face of hardship and opposition.) 1 5 2 8 0 0 The church could receive no greater praise than that given in the words your last works are greater than your first. This means that their works of love, faith, service, and endurance were constantly increasing. With respect to love, Thyatira received words of commendation, while Ephesus received words of condemnation. Jesus said to the Christians in Ephesus: But I have this against you, that you have left your first love (2:4).) b. Reproof and Command) 2:20 25) 20. However, I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, the one who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and deceives my servants to commit fornication and to eat food offered to an idol. ) The switch from praise to rebuke is sudden and abrupt.

Even though the believers had put forth a considerable effort to help needy people materially and trust God spiritually, they had tolerated a pernicious influence in the church. This influence was spreading like cancer so that in time the spiritual health of the congregation would be seriously jeopardized. The church at Ephesus hated the works of the Nicolaitans (2:6); the church at Pergamum allowed the Nicolaitans to live among them (2:15); the church at Thyatira tolerated deceptive teaching within the congregation.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=11.16.31-11.16.33|AUTODETECT|” The name Jezebel refers to the wife of King Ahab, who had married a princess from Sidon. Jezebel urged Ahab to worship the pagan god Baal and the goddess Asherah, and to construct a temple and a sacred pole 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=11.16.31-11.16.33|AUTODETECT|” 1 Kings 16:31 33) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=11.21.25|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=11.21.25|AUTODETECT|” 21:25) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=12.9.30-12.9.37|AUTODETECT|” ; see also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=12.9.30-12.9.37|AUTODETECT|” 2 Kings 9:30 37) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.2.36|AUTODETECT|” ). The woman in Thyatira is referred to by the name of the wife of King Ahab and called herself a prophetess.��59�� The New Testament reveals that women prophesied 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.2.36|AUTODETECT|” Luke 2:36) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.21.9|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.21.9|AUTODETECT|” Acts 21:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.11.5|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.11.5|AUTODETECT|”

1. 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.11.5|AUTODETECT|” Cor. 11:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). This woman held an influential post in the church because she was a teacher, but her instruction was deceptive. She persuaded the church to engage in illicit sexual relations at the pagan temples and there to eat the food that had been offered to an idol. No wonder that this woman is given the name Jezebel, because her namesake in the Old Testament persuaded Israel to worship Baal, the god of fertility, and Asherah, the goddess of fertility.��60�� Under the guise of religion, the people fell into the sin of sexual immorality with all its dire consequences and into the sin of apostasy by eating food in pagan temples. Notice that the order of committing fornication and eating food offered to an idol is the reverse of the sequence in the letter to Pergamum (2:14).) 1 1 2 8 0 0 We are unable to identify this Jezebel in Thyatira. She could hardly have been Lydia, the seller of purple, who was one of the first converts to the Christian faith in Philippi. Lydia became a Christian in 50 and Jezebel taught in Thyatira in the mid-nineties. Identifying the two women is pure speculation, for the New Testament and other literature provide no information. Undoubtedly, Lydia before her conversion was a guild member and had to resolve the problem of choosing for Christ or the guild. The woman called Jezebel may have had a business interest in Thyatira.��61��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.6.24|AUTODETECT|” The intent of the followers of Balaam (v. 14), the Nicolaitans (vv. 6, 15), and Jezebel is the same: to deceive God s people by persuading them to adopt a lifestyle that would allow them to be accepted in the world and to continue membership in the church. By accommodating themselves to the lifestyle that a guild required, the church members no longer had to fear being ostracized. But the Lord says, No one can serve two masters 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.6.24|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 6:24) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.16.13|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.16.13|AUTODETECT|” Luke 16:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=59.4.4|AUTODETECT|” ). To which James adds, Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=59.4.4|AUTODETECT|” James 4:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 0

21. And I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to repent from her fornication. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.3.9|AUTODETECT|” The verbs in this verse (gave and does not want) and in the preceding one (teaches and deceives, v. 20) suggest that some time had passed since Jezebel entered the church. In other words, faithful servants of the Lord had warned her. John may very well have been one of the pastors who had counseled her. He knew that the Lord is not slow concerning his promise but exercises patience 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.3.9|AUTODETECT|” 2 Pet. 3:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.18.30-26.18.32|AUTODETECT|” ) and always gives a sinner timely warnings and opportunity to repent. No one can say that God is acting hastily. The Scriptures teach repeatedly that God is a God mercy who does not want the death of anyone. He wants the people to repent and live 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.18.30-26.18.32|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 18:30 32) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). But when sinners refuse his pleas and warnings, they choose death. The woman called Jezebel was one of them.) 1 6 2 8 0 0
22. Look, I will cast her on a bed [of suffering] and [I am casting] those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.) 23. And I will kill her children with disease. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches the minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your works. ) The Greek text is given in abbreviated form and needs the additional wording within brackets to obtain a smooth translation. Behind this form we may detect Hebraic parallelism, which in its simple structure must be read as short clauses that repeat and reinforce one another.) " Look, I will cast her on a bed [of suffering].) " [I cast] adulterers into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.) " [If not] I will kill her children with disease.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.11.29-46.11.30|AUTODETECT|” We see the parallel of the seducing woman and those seduced by her, the bed on which she suffers and the great distress her followers suffer.��62�� The bed that Jesus has in mind is not a couch alongside a dining-room table that was customary in oriental homes of that day. Nor is it a bed for resting from one s daily labors. By implication, it is a bed for patients stricken by illness as the result of a licentious lifestyle. The woman Jezebel was reaping what she had sown: she was cast onto a bed of suffering that led to her eventual death 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.11.29-46.11.30|AUTODETECT|” 1 Cor. 11:29 30) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.33.27|AUTODETECT|” ).��63�� She was not given another opportunity to repent because she refused to listen. However, her followers who committed adultery and practiced idolatry in a pagan temple are given time to repent from their erring ways. As the agent who seduced them, the woman receives the primary blame, while her followers are given time to repent. If they listen to Jesus, he will revoke his threat. But if they fail to heed his warning, he will strike them with disease and they will die. The parallelism in this passage suggests that we interpret the term children not literally but figuratively, for the children are the woman s followers. I have translated the Greek words that literally read kill with death as kill with disease to indicate the cause of death 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.33.27|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 33:27) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 , will die of a plague ).��64��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.7.9|AUTODETECT|” All the churches (the seven and the universal church) will hear about the great distress with which these sinners are afflicted. They know that Jesus is the one who searches the hearts and minds of all people, for nothing in a human being is hidden from his sight. The Greek text literally reads, he searches kidneys and hearts, which is a Hebrew idiom appearing in numerous passages 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.7.9|AUTODETECT|” Ps. 7:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.11.20|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.11.20|AUTODETECT|” Jer. 11:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.17.10|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.17.10|AUTODETECT|” 17:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The kidney and heart used synonymously referred to a person s innermost being that conceals one s morals, feelings, and thoughts. The English idiom, however, is minds and hearts. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.5.10|AUTODETECT|” Jesus metes out both punishments and rewards 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.5.10|AUTODETECT|” 2 Cor. 5:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Here the judgment on Jezebel and her followers is swift, for the punishment is in accordance with sins of fornication, adultery, and idolatry. Because all the churches know about the judgment and its execution, the conclusion may be drawn that this text does not primarily refer to the final judgment.��65��) 1 2 2 8 0 0
23. And I am speaking to the rest of you who are in Thyatira, as many as hold not this teaching and who have not known the so-called depths of Satan. I place no other burden on you. 25. In any case, what you have, hold fast until I come. ) The faithful followers of Christ now hear Jesus addressing them. They steadfastly rejected the teachings and lifestyle of the prophetess Jezebel and adhered to the teachings of the Scriptures. Her instructions and practices differed little from what the Nicolaitans taught and did in the churches of Ephesus and Pergamum (vv. 6, 15), so that this name may be applied to her followers.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.2.10|AUTODETECT|” What is the meaning of the phrase the so-called depths [or, the deep things] of Satan ? Whose phraseology is this? Some suggest that the writer is scornfully accusing the erring members of the church of having fallen into the trap of knowing and practicing the deep things of Satan.��66�� Others think that they are the deceitful words spoken by Jezebel and repeated by her adherents who say to the rest of the congregation, You must know the depths of Satan. The pagan word in that era worshiped a serpent as the symbol of Satan; also Gnostics said that they knew the deep things and were the initiated ones. This is the opposite of Paul s teaching that the Spirit searches the deep things of God 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.2.10|AUTODETECT|” 1 Cor. 2:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Knowing this, the faithful Christians in Thyatira would hardly be enticed by the bold invitation to know the depths of Satan. It remains difficult to determine the origin of these words.��67��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.15.29|AUTODETECT|” Jesus says, I place no other burden on you. The apostolic decree formulated by the Jerusalem Council stipulated that Gentile Christians should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.15.29|AUTODETECT|” Acts 15:29) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Of these four stipulations, the Christians in Thyatira are asked to observe two: to abstain from food sacrificed to idols and from sexual immorality.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.3.2|AUTODETECT|” The above-mentioned sentence, however, stands more or less by itself. Some translators have placed it in parentheses (NIV et al.), but then the first word in the next sentence must be deleted and that ought not to be. Beckwith presents a commendable translation of this and the next sentence, I put upon you none other weighty admonition than this: Hold fast what you have. ��68��And what do they have? The sum total of the Christian faith as deposited in the holy Scriptures, of which the apostolic decree was a part. With the inclusion of the Apocalypse, these people received the complete canon of the Old and New Testaments. They were the recipients of the full text of God s written Revelation 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.3.2|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 3:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The promise until I come points to Christ s Second Coming.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 c. Promise) 2:26 29) 26. To everyone who overcomes and keeps my works until the end, I will give authority over the nations, 27. to rule them with an iron rod as earthen vessels that are broken to pieces. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.14.12|AUTODETECT|” As in all the letters to the seven churches, Jesus here speaks of the overcomer who is faithful to the end in doing the works of Christ 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.14.12|AUTODETECT|” John 14:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The juxtaposition of Jezebel s works (v. 22) and Jesus works is striking. Doing the will of God as revealed in his Word is keeping Jesus works to the end of cosmic time. That is Jesus charge, given to the entire church.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 Christ will not withhold his blessing from the one to whom he gives his promise: I will give him authority over the nations. Only in this letter and in the one to Pergamum does Jesus give a twofold promise, which he introduces with the verb I give: he gives authority and the morning star (v. 28).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.28.18|AUTODETECT|” The authority that Jesus delegates to his followers is the same word used by Jesus before he ascended to heaven, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.28.18|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 28:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Jesus rules on the face of this earth as King of kings and Lord of lords, for his name is known in every country of the world and his gospel is proclaimed in countless languages. We look at the growth of the church from our perspective. But from the perspective of the church in Thyatira, Jesus words demanded faith that would triumph over opposition, deceit, and temptation.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.2.8|AUTODETECT|” The first promise to the overcomer is buttressed by an allusion and a citation from a messianic psalm: the allusion to exercising authority over the nations comes from ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.2.8|AUTODETECT|” Psalms 2:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.2.9|AUTODETECT|” , I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession ; the quotation derives from the succeeding verse. The wording and meaning of this psalm citation are troublesome. It is a free rendition of the Hebrew text of ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.2.9|AUTODETECT|” Psalms 2:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 , You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery. The shift from the second to the third person aside, the Septuagint text of the first clause has the Greek verb poimaneis, which John has adopted and which could be translated you will shepherd. But it is translated you will rule because the context suggests that the verb has a negative connotation.��69�� The task of the shepherd is to care for his sheep and that includes protecting them from harm. Thus, he uses his rod made of oaken wood that is as hard as iron. With it he attacks anyone and anything bent on hurting his sheep.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.6.2|AUTODETECT|” The parallelism in the second part of the psalm quotations as earthen vessels that are broken to pieces strengthens the concept of ruling forcefully. Forces opposing the advancing gospel of Jesus will be dealt blows with the hard-as-iron rod in the hand of Christ. They will be dashed to pieces like pottery. The wording taken from this messianic psalm pictures a royal scepter of Christ that symbolizes his authority to rule, to exercise discipline, and to mete out judgment. With Christ the believer who overcomes will have the authority to rule, to discipline, and to judge 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.6.2|AUTODETECT|” 1 Cor. 6:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 0
24. And as I have received authority from my Father, I will give to every overcomer the morning star. 29. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.2.8-19.2.9|AUTODETECT|” The second promise to the overcomer is the gift of the morning star. This term appears once more in the Apocalypse, where Jesus applies it to himself, I am the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star (22:16). How does Christ present this star to his faithful follower? There is a subtle connection between the reference to ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.2.8-19.2.9|AUTODETECT|” Psalms 2:8 9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.24.17|AUTODETECT|” and an allusion to ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.24.17|AUTODETECT|” Numbers 24:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 , where Balaam prophesies, A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. The symbol of the scepter led to that of the star, for both are symbols of royalty that the believer shares. The saints rule with Christ and shine brightly as morning stars.��70��) 1 30 2 8 0 0 The letter closes with the familiar call admonishing all the churches to listen carefully to the message the Holy Spirit is communicating.) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 2:20 25) Verse 20) �t� ������� to insert the possessive pronoun ��� following the noun ������� lacks strong textual witnesses and appears to be the result of scribal confusion arising from the presence of several instances of ��� in verses 19 and 20. ��71��) ! ������� the case should have been in the accusative in apposition to �������, but the change to the nominative is common in writers with a Hebraic background.) Verse 22) ������ a bed. Variants have the readings prison, oven, and sickness. Some Latin manuscripts read luctum, sorrow or affliction. All these readings are poorly attested and are glosses that are meant to exacerbate Jezebel s chastisement.) ���� �P��� the TR adopts the reading �P��� in harmony with the plural subject of the verb to repent. The reading �P��� has strong support from leading manuscripts.) Verse 23) ������� � ������ I will kill with death appears to be a tautology, but this may refer to a slow but sure physical demise. The translation disease or pestilence for ������ is appropriate.) Verse 24) �������� as some say is used in general as an indefinite plural.

The present tense is aoristtc.��72��) Verse 25) �������� the aorist imperative: Hold fast! Grammarians debate whether the aorist is constative, complexive, or terminative.��73�� I prefer the constative, which comprises the entire range of action from beginning to end. The verbs to have and to hold are in the second person plural, while similar wording in 3:11 is in the singular.) ) ) ) ) 1 The Muratorian Canon, dating from the last part of the second century, lists Revelation as follows: John also, though he wrote the Apocalypse to seven churches, nevertheless speaks to them all. Refer to David E. Aune Revelation 1 5, WBC 52A (Dallas: Word, 1997), p. 130. In the early years of the second century, Ignatius wrote seven letters on his way to Rome.

Among these are letters to the churches at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Philadelphia.) 2 See R. H. Charles, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St. John, ICC (Edinburgh: Clark, 1920), 1:37.) 3 William M. Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia and Their Place in the Plan of the Apocalypse (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1904; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), p. 37.) 4 Compare G. R.

Beasley-Murray, The Book of Revelation, NCB (London: Oliphants, 1974), p. 71.) 5 Ramsay, Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 210 36.) 6 S. Friesen, The Cult of the Roman Emperors in Ephesos: Temple Wardens, City Titles, and the Interpretation of the Revelation of John, in Ephesos, Metropolis of Asia: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Its Archaeology, Religion, and Culture, ed. H. Koester, Harvard Theological Studies 41 (Valley Forge, Pa.: Trinity Press International, 1995), p. 236.) 7 For references consult Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting, JSNTSup 11 (Sheffield: JSOT, 1986), pp. 48 50.) 8 See William Barclay, Letters to the Seven Churches (London: SCM, 1957), p. 18.) 9 Josephus Antiquities 14.7.2 ��112 13; Against Apion 2.4 �39.) 10 Refer to Friedrich Hauck, TDNT, 4:588.) 11 The intolerance here commended is of evil-doers who claimed to be apostles, according to Charles, Revelation, 1:50; see also Henry Barclay Swete, Commentary on Revelation (1911; reprint, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1977), p. 25; Alan F. Johnson, Revelation, in The Expositor s Bible Commentary, ed.

Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 12:433; William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors (reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1982), p. 62.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.13|AUTODETECT|” 12 Consult Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, NTC (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997), p. 376; C. K. Barrett. �������������� 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.13|AUTODETECT|” 2 Cor. 11.13) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), in Essays on Paul (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1982), p. 92.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.66.5|AUTODETECT|” 13 Compare also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.66.5|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 66:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.5.11|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.5.11|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 5:11) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.10.22|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.10.22|AUTODETECT|” 10:22) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.24.9|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.24.9|AUTODETECT|” 24:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.6.22|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.6.22|AUTODETECT|” Luke 6:22) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.5.41|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.5.41|AUTODETECT|” Acts 5:41) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 2 2 8 0 0 14 Gregory K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, NIGTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), p. 232.) 15 In his own characteristic way, Martin Luther observed, Hin ist hin, jetzt haben sie den T�rken (Gone completely, and now they have the Turks [that is, the Muslims of the sixteenth century]). Certainly today this prophetic observation is relevant and can be translated, When the church disappeared, Islam took its place. With thanks to R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John s Revelation (Columbus: Wartburg, 1943), p. 89.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.3.1|AUTODETECT|” 16 Ignatius ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.3.1|AUTODETECT|” Ephesians 3.1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.6.2|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.6.2|AUTODETECT|” 6.2) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ; 8.1; 9.1; 11.2. Consult Ramsay, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 241.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 17 Irenaeus Against Heresies 1.26.3; and 3.11.1; see also Hippolytus Refutation of All Heresies 7.24.) 18 Elisabeth Sch�ssler Fiorenza, The Book of Revelation: Justice and Judgment (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985), pp. 116 17; Homer Hailey, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), pp. 123 24; Johnson, Revelation, p. 435. Other suggestions are made by R. Heiligenthal, Wer waren die Nikolaiten ? Ein Beitrag zur Theologiegeschichte des fr�hen Christentums, ZNW 82 (1991): 133 37; W. M. Mackay, Another Look at the Nicolaitans, EvQ 45 (1973): 111 15.) 19 Charles, Revelation, 1:52 53; Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, The Book of the Revelation: A Commentary (Leicester: Inter-Varsity; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), p. 37; Hemer, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 89; Richard Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of Revelation, New Testament Theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993), p. 124.

Compare Terence L. Donaldson, Nicolaitans, ISBE, 3:534. Others demur. See Isbon T. Beckwith, The Apocalypse of John (1919; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), p. 460; also the commentaries of Lenski, p. 90; Swete, p. 28; Thomas, 1:149. Aune observes, Balaam is a pejorative name, while Nicolaus is a name of honor.

See his Revelation 1 5 p. 149.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.11.15|AUTODETECT|” 20 ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.11.15|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 11:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.13.9|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.13.9|AUTODETECT|” 13:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.13.43|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.13.43|AUTODETECT|” 43) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=41.4.9|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=41.4.9|AUTODETECT|” Mark 4:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=41.4.23|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=41.4.23|AUTODETECT|” 23) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.8.8|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.8.8|AUTODETECT|” Luke 8:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.14.35|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.14.35|AUTODETECT|” 14:35) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.13.9|AUTODETECT|” ; see also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.13.9|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 13:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 3 2 8 0 0 21 Charles, who conjectures that the individual letters were sent at an earlier date to the seven churches, states that this sentence was added probably by our author when he edited the visions as a whole. See his Revelation, 1:53. Conjectures are worthy of consideration only when all solutions to a crux have failed. Here, however, we have not even a crux. See also S. Greijdanus, De Openbaring des Heeren aan Johannes, KNT (Amsterdam: Van Bottenburg, 1925), p. 62.) 22 Walther G�nther, NIDNTT, 1:651.) 23 Refer to Beasley-Murray, Book of Revelation, p. 78; Stephen L. Homcy, To Him Who Overcomes : A Fresh Look at What Victory Means for the Believer according to the Book of Revelation, JETS 38 (1995): 193 201.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.2.15-1.2.16|AUTODETECT|” 24 See also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.2.15-1.2.16|AUTODETECT|” Gen. 2:15 16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.3|AUTODETECT|” 3:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.8|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.8|AUTODETECT|” 8) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.10|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.10|AUTODETECT|” 10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.24|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.3.24|AUTODETECT|” 24) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.13.10|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.13.10|AUTODETECT|” 13:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.28.13|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.28.13|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 28:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.31.8-26.31.9|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.31.8-26.31.9|AUTODETECT|” 31:8 9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=29.2.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=29.2.3|AUTODETECT|” Joel 2:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 8 2 8 0 0 25 Heinz-Wolfgang Kuhn, EDNT, 2:487. Hemer (Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 43 44) is not hostile to placing the Cross in the Paradise of God. ) 26 Barclay, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 32. Compare Edward M. Blaiklock, Smyrna, ZPEB, 5:462.) 27 Hemer, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 60; Ramsay, Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 256 57.) 28 Ramsay, Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 272, 444 n. 3; William Barclay, The Revelation of John, 2d ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), 1:92.) 29 Eusebius Eccl. Hist. 4.15.25.) 30 Martyrdom of Polycarp (compare 8.1 with 13.1).) 31 Polycarp To the Philippians 11.3.) 32 Consult Richard Bauckham, The Climax of Prophecy: Studies on the Book of Revelation (Edinburgh: Clark, 1993), pp. 432 33.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.32.28|AUTODETECT|” 33 Sifre on ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.32.28|AUTODETECT|” Deut. 32:28) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 (end); William L. Lane, The Gospel according to Mark, NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), p. 145; Hans W�hrish and Colin Brown, NIDNTT, 3:344.) 1 9 2 8 0 0 34 Hemer, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 68; see also Ramsay, Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 273 74.) 35 Refer to the commentaries of Beckwith (pp. 254, 454); Greijdanus (p. 69); Hailey (p. 127); Hendriksen (p. 65), among others.) 36 Richard C. Trench, Synonyms of the New Testament, ed. Robert G. Hoerber (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1989), p. 94 95.) 37 Tacitus Annals 3.37.) 38 For references see Barclay, Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 46 53; and Revelation of John, 1:106 11; Charles, Revelation, 1:60 61; Ramsay, Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 281 90; Swete, Revelation, pp. 34 35.) 39 Hemer, Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 84 85.) 40 See Adolf Deissmann, Light from the Ancient East, trans. Lionel R. M.

Strachan (reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1978), p. 281 n. 3.) KJV King James Version (Authorized Version)) 41 Consult Ray Summers, Worthy Is the Lamb: An Interpretation of Revelation (Nashville: Broadman, 1951), p. 93. Aune (Revelation 1 5, p. 183) asserts that there is no explicit evidence in 2:12 17 (or in Rev. 2 3) to suggest that the imperial cult was a major problem for the Christians of Asia. However, implicitly the problem was real for the early Christians. See S. R. F.

Price, Rituals and Power: The Roman Imperial Cult in Asia Minor (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1984), pp. 155 65, 221 22; Beale, Revelation, pp. 246 47.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.*?id=66.2.13|AUTODETECT|”

42 See D. S. Deer, Whose Faith/Loyalty in ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=66.2.13|AUTODETECT|”

Revelation 2.13) 1 1 -1 9 0 0

and 14.12? BibTrans 38 (1987): 328 30.) 1 2 2 8 0 0

43 Refer to Philo Life of Moses 1.54 ��295 97; Josephus Antiquities 4.6.6 ��126 28.) 44 For the difference in total numbers (24,000 and 23,000), see Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, NTC (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993), p. 330.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.*?id=44.15.29|AUTODETECT|”

45 The Jerusalem Council exhorted Gentile Christians to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=44.15.29|AUTODETECT|”

Acts 15:29) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=46.8.1-46.8.10|AUTODETECT|”

). Paul devoted the greater part of two chapters in his Corinthian correspondence to the question of eating food sacrificed to idols 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=46.8.1-46.8.10|AUTODETECT|”

1 Cor. 8:1 10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=46.10.14-46.10.33|AUTODETECT|”

; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=46.10.14-46.10.33|AUTODETECT|”

10:14 33) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=66.2.14|AUTODETECT|”

). Paul opposed Jewish legalism on the one hand and pagan practices on the other. See also Panayotis Coutsoumpos, The Social Implication of Idolatry in ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=66.2.14|AUTODETECT|”

Revelation 2:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0

Christ or Caesar? BTB 27 (1997): 23 27.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 46 Sch�ssler Fiorenza, Book of Revelation, p. 116.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.2.5|AUTODETECT|” 47 ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.2.5|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 2:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 (twice), 16, 21 (twice), 22; 3:3, 19; 9:20, 21; 16:9, 11.) 1 22 2 8 0 0 48 Lenski observes (Revelation, p. 108), As in v 5, this refers to a preliminary judgment and not merely the final one. See also G. B. Caird, A Commentary on the Revelation of St. John the Divine (London: Black, 1966), p. 41.) 49 Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 90a, 105a. See also SB, 3:793.) 50 Compare Greijdanus, Openbaring, p. 76.) 51 SB, 3:793.) 52 Hemer Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 244 n. 108.) 53 Consult Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors, pp. 69 71.) 54 A.

T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (Nashville: Broadman, 1934), p. 614.) 55 Refer to C. F. D. Moule, An Idiom-Book of New Testament Greek, 2d ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1960), p. 61.) 56 Ramsay, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 325; Hemer, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 246 n. 10.) 57 Hemer (Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 116, 250 n. 44) conjectures that the material was an alloy, a copulative-compound, which he renders as copper-zinc.) 58 On the variant reading of 2:9, see the relevant section on Greek words, phrases, and constructions.) 59 Some commentators adopt the variant reading your wife [or, the woman] Jezebel. See, e.g., Henry Alford, James-Revelation, vol. 4, part 2 of Alford s Greek Testament (1875; reprint, Grand Rapids: Guardian, 1976), p. 573) 60 Refer to Kurt Gerhard Jung, Asherah, ISBE, 1:317 18; and Baal, ISBE, 1:377 79.) 61 Hemer, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 121.) 62 In the Apocalypse the writer uses the Greek word megas eighty times.

It is variously translated as great, loud, huge, and intense. Here the word depicts the intensity of the punishment these adulterers will experience.) 63 Interpretations of the Greek klin are many: bed, dining couch, pallet, stretcher, funeral bier (Bauer, p. 436).) 64 Gerhard A. Krodel, Revelation, ACNT (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1989), p. 126. Beale (Revelation, p. 264) calls attention to God s judgment in Ezekiel, where the phrase and they [you] will know that I am the Lord (LXX) occurs some fifty times.) 65 Consult Charles, Revelation, 2:392 93 n. 7.) 66 Compare, among others, John P. M. Sweet, Revelation, WPC (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1979), p. 95.) 67 Leon Morris, Revelation, rev. ed., TNTC (Leicester: Inter-Varsity; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), p. 72.) NIV New International Version) 68 Beckwith, Apocalypse, p. 470.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=33.5.5|AUTODETECT|” 69 Aune, Revelation 1 5, p. 210. The translators of the Septuagint misunderstood the vowel pointing in the Hebrew word trM�m (you will break them) and read it as tir�m (you will rule them) The Septuagint verb poimainein (to shepherd, rule) can also mean to destroy, with an occurrence in ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=33.5.5|AUTODETECT|” Micah 5:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 (=5:6 English). Bauer (p. 683) comments, The activity as shepherd has destructive results. Hemer (Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 124 25) sees the rod of iron to be synonymous with the sword at Pergamum (v. 12). The Micah passage also mentions a sword.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.14.12|AUTODETECT|” 70 See Hemer, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 126; and the commentaries of Alford (p. 578), Caird (p. 46), Hendriksen (p. 73), Hughes (pp. 52 53), and Sweet (p. 97). Others interpret it as referring to Lucifer 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.14.12|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 14:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), but this does not fit the context; to the planet Venus, which was the symbol of Roman sovereignty, but this view clashes with Christ, who is the morning star; to the millennial reign of Christ on earth, but then the recipients of the letter receive no comfort and encouragement in their daily struggles.) 1 4 2 8 0 0 71 Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2d ed. (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1994), p. 664.) TR The Textus Receptus: The Greek New Testament according to the Majority Text) 72 Robertson, Grammar, pp. 406, 866.) 73 Consult Friedrich Blass and Albert Debrunner, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament, trans. and rev. Robert Funk (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961), �337.1.)