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| Chapter 2 |
| Bible Text | Notes and Thoughts |
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1 ¶ "Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write: ‘These things saith He that holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: 2 I know thy works and thy labour and thy patience, and how thou can not not bear them that are evil; and how thou hast tried them that say they are apostles and are not, and hast found them liars; 3 and hast borne, and hast patience, and for My name’s sake hast laboured and hast not fainted. 4 Nevertheless, I have something against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the works as at first; or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, unless thou repent. 6 But this thou hast: that thou hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.’ 8 ¶ "And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘These things saith the First and the Last, who was dead and is alive: 9 I know thy works and tribulation and poverty (but thou art rich), and I know the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. 10 Fear none of those things which thou shall suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of Life. 11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.’ 12 ¶ "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write: ‘These things saith He that hath the sharp sword with two edges: 13 I know thy works and where you dwell, even where Satan’s seat is; and that you hold fast My name and have not denied My faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 15 So thou also hast them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 16 Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. 17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written, which no man knows save he that received it.’ 18 ¶ "And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘These things saith the Son of God, who hath His eyes like unto a flame of fire, and His feet are like fine brass: 19 I know thy works, and charity and service, and faith and thy patience, and thy works, and the last to be more than the first. 20 Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee, because thou suffered that woman Jezebel, who called herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. 21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. 22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He that searches the souls and hearts; and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. 24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine and who have not known the depths of Satan (as they say) I will put upon you no other burden. 25 But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come. 26 And he that overcomes and keeps My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, 27 and "he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers"-- even as I have received from My Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches!’ |
This chapter contains the messages for the first four churches. God chose the seven churches to show the various conditions and stages of the Christian Church starting at the time of John until the end of the Gentile age and the return of Jesus. What is said about the churches can also apply to individuals, the situations reflect, like a mirror, the persons attitude to the Saviour. Note that only two of the churches escaped condemnation by Jesus. At various points we are told "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." v1 Ephesus. v1 Jesus is the speaker as He gives the message to the churches. v2,3 Ephesus is described as having worked very hard for the Lord, not giving up, having great patience. They did not permit any evil, examining those who had come claiming to be messengers from God and found them liars. They had been persecuted and opposed as they tried to spread the Gospel. Their attitude and efforts were pleasing to Jesus. v4 However, Jesus said that they had a serious problem, "they had left their first love." Their love was gone, they were distant and cold, even though they attended all the church activities, they no longer loved God as they did when they first found salvation. v5-7 If your church or you are like this then "Remember and return to your first love or I will need to remove your candlestick. Repent." The Ephesus church represents the very early church. v8 Smyrna. This city was one of the most successful and rich in Asia Minor. Many Jews lived in this area and were powerful. They were very much against the Christian. v9,10 Smyrna was suffering persecution and were financially poor. Jesus tells them that Satan will put you into prison but they were not to be afraid because He was the First and the Last, Lord of all situations. He also knows of those who are pretending to be Jews but really are followers of Satan. All these problems will last only a short period. The "Crown of Life" reminds them of the winner of the race, they will receive life as a prize. v11 Again the warning to listen to the message, if you do then you will receive salvation and not receive the second death in the lake of fire and brimstone, Rev 21:8. The Smyrna church represents the second and third century church, severe persecution was introduced by the Roman empire. v12 Pergamos. v12-17 Pergamos is surrounded by temples of idolatry, behind the town was a large hill covered in heathen temples, it was referred to by Jesus as "Satan’s seat" v13. The Devil tries to mix the world and the church. The church is very mixed, some very spiritual, even being faithful to being a martyr, but others are a problem following false and evil doctrines. The Doctrine of Balaam and Nicolaitanes believed that the body could be used for sin while the soul remains pure. This doctrine still exists and has led many away from Christ. v17 The reference to "white stones" might be referring to the habit at the time. Coloured stones were often used by jury’s during a trial to indicate, a"white one" was ‘not guilty,’ a "black one" indicated guilty. An alternative meaning was that winners were given a marked "white stone" which were then used as an entrance pass to public festivals. This may be the correct meaning as the passage refers to a stone "with a new name written." Pergamos represents the period in which Emperor Constantine showed favours on the Christian church. individual churches started to form into ecclesiastical systems. v18 Thyatira. Thyatira symbolizes the church from the 6th to 12th century. A Church which has been corrupted, symbolized by a woman called "Jezebel." She operates her system by fear, force and fraud. Thyatira was the smallest of the seven cities and did not have temples of worship in the area, they were not therefore exposed to the cults of the previous churches. Thyatira was an industrial and commercial city, this involved trade guilds or groups which controlled the sale of the goods. To make and sell goods needed membership of these guilds. Unfortunately the guilds had meetings and meals which used material previously offered in the pagan temples. For some Christians this caused problems. Paul explained that an idol had no power 1 Cor 8:4 but these meetings often involved immoral and sexual relations. This was openly encourage by the Nicolaitanes doctrine. v18 The eye’s and feet show judgment. Rev 1:14,15. v20 The woman who was teaching Nicolaitanes doctrine was given the name ‘Jezebel’ from the queen who tried to turn the Jews away from God 1 Kings 21:25; 2 Kings 9:22. In some translations the wording suggests it may have been the wife of a church leader. v21 The woman had been given a previous warning. v22,23 If she does not repent she and those who followed her will suffer greatly, some suggest, from original text, illness and death in the family and followers. Jesus shows that they will reap what they sowed. v24 "The deep things of Satan" reflects Nicolaitanes doctrine that you will know the mind of God. No one knows the mind of God. v26,27 You will win if you do not fall away from Jesus until He returns, then you will be rewarded. The word "rule" actually means "shepherd" but the text "with a rod of iron" and "broken to shivers" shows the power to destroy. v28 The "morning star" appears to be Christ Himself. v29 That final warning to take in what has been written. |
Easy English Translation
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