seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 2:1 “To the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.
12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’[b]—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
a. Revelation 2:1 Or messenger; also in verses 8, 12 and 18
b. Revelation 2:27 Psalm 2:9
Well I learned a lot from the easy English site this morning.
The Lord told John to write the first letter to the church in Ephesus. Ephesus was the chief city in the region called Asia Minor. It was a major city for commerce and trade. Three great trade routes came through Ephesus. In it, there were temples to the Roman kings. But the great temple was to the female god called Diana or Artemis. It was one of the greatest buildings in the ancient world.
Much of the trouble came from people who tried to join the church. Some of these people were false teachers. They said that they were apostles. They tried to persuade the church to believe them. But the church tested what they said. If anything did not agree with the word of God, the church refused it. The church at Ephesus believed that the word of God is the truth. The church at Ephesus refused those who proved to be false.
These Christians did not love as they used to. They did not love God as much as when they first became Christians. Their love for each other was not as strong as it had been. But a hot object becomes cool. And their love for God and for other people had become less.
There was a group of people called the Nicolaitans. We do not know much about this group. But they did things that were not right for the Christians. They ate the food that people gave to false gods. And their ideas about sex were not what Christians should believe.
The Lord was pleased that the Christians at Ephesus hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans. He also hated what they did. There are many such strange groups. Christians must be careful to obey what the Bible teaches. They must refuse the actions of those who teach against the truth. They should hate all that is false.
On the route north from Ephesus, the next city was Smyrna. Its modern name is Izmir. It is about 35 miles from Ephesus. It is on the sea and it had a good, safe harbour. In trade, it was second only to Ephesus.
They were poor. But Jesus said that they were rich. They did not have much of this world’s wealth. But they were rich toward God. They knew the Lord and he appreciated them.
There was a large number of Jews in Smyrna. These hated the church. They caused a lot of trouble. They spoke lies and said evil things about the Christians. They turned the rulers of the city against the church.
Jesus said that these Jews were not real Jews. A real Jew is not just one who has Jewish parents. A real Jew is one who trusts God. A real Jew would not be against Christ or his church. These Jews served Satan and not God. Perhaps they thought that they were serving God. But by their actions, they were against God. They caused trouble for God’s people.
The church in Smyrna would soon have a terrible time. They would suffer much. The Lord says that these troubles would last for ten (10) days. Ten is a whole number. ‘Ten days’ probably means a period of years but with a definite end.
The Roman rulers would put many of them in prison. Some would die because of their trust in Jesus. In all of this, they must remain strong. They must continue to trust in Jesus through it all. They must not deny Jesus. The Lord allowed such troubles in order to test them, to prove their trust.
However, the Lord says, ‘Do not be afraid.’ Jesus told his friends not to be afraid of those who could kill the body. They cannot kill the person’s spirit, which lives in the body. Rather we should be afraid of God who can punish the whole person, both body and spirit (Matthew 10:28).
There is a second death. We all live and die. The Lord will raise all people from that death (John 5:28-29). Then he will be the judge of all people. He will decide their fate by what they have done. The second death is the punishment for all who do not trust in the Lord (20:13-15). But those who overcome will not die a second time.
The road north from Smyrna follows the coast for about 40 miles. Then it turns away from the sea up a river valley. Ten miles from the sea is the capital city, called Pergamum. Here they had a large and famous library.
The city was on a hill. At the top, there was a special place for the worship of Zeus. Zeus was their chief god. The people in Pergamum had four main gods that they served. These were Zeus, Athene (a special female god), Dionysos and Asklepios. There was also a temple in Pergamum for the worship of the king of Rome.
The local rulers had the power of life and death. They could arrest and kill any person. But Jesus has the sharp sword. His sword cuts with both edges. The power of life and death belongs to Jesus and not to the rulers. They can only kill the body. But Jesus has the power of life and death of the whole person.
Jesus spoke to them. ‘I know where you live.’ He called Pergamum the place where Satan rules. There were so many false gods. People did so many evil things in that town. It was very hard to be a Christian there. The Christians lived in constant danger. However, the church there remained true to Jesus. They refused to worship the king or the gods of the people.
Antipas had been loyal to the Lord. He had refused to worship the king or the false gods. But he had spoken to the people about the Lord. They killed Antipas because he trusted in Jesus. Even then, the church did not deny Jesus. They were brave. They were even willing to die for Jesus.
This was a very good church. The Lord was happy with them. But there was something wrong in the church. Some members did not live as they should.
Some people there did what Balaam taught Balak. The story of Balaam and Balak is in Numbers chapters 22 to 24. To make the Israelites weak, Balaam told Balak to tempt them with women (Numbers 31:16). The women would attract the men of Israel to worship their own false gods. This is how Balak tried to tempt the people of Israel.
These members did not want to be different from the other people in Pergamum. They were happy to eat the food of false gods. Perhaps they went to the temples of the false gods to eat. They did the same things as other people. They even had sex with those who did not trust in Jesus. They may have had sex with more than one partner. This is against what Jesus taught. It is sin.
Some also followed what the Nicolaitans taught. Perhaps they belonged to the same group because they did the same things.
The Lord also promises them a white stone. On that stone, there is a name. It is a new name and nobody else knows it.
In the law courts, a white stone meant a ‘not guilty’ decision. Jesus died for all people. He forgives all those who trust him. God is the judge and he will declare them ‘not guilty’.
This is the longest letter and it is the most difficult. We know less about Thyatira than the other cities. It is south and east of Pergamum at a distance of 40 miles. It was famous for its trade. There were many trade unions in Thyatira. Each one of these was for a particular trade. These trade unions had a relationship with the worship of the gods. This caused real problems for the Christians. They had to belong to the union in order to get work in their trade.
They had not lost their love. It had not grown weak as it had in Ephesus. Their love for the Lord Jesus seems to have grown. They believed in him. They trusted him completely. They served God and not the local gods. There was progress in this church. They were doing more now than they did before.
In the church, there was a woman who called herself a prophet. The Lord calls her Jezebel. And the church allowed her to stay and teach.
The Lord uses the name Jezebel for this wicked woman in Thyatira too. This woman was probably very clever. She was able to convince people that she was right. She said that she had special knowledge from God. She taught the Christians to live as the people in Thyatira did. She said that it was right to join the trade unions. This meant that Christians would join the worship of the false gods. They would eat meals in the temples. They would even think that it was not wrong to have sex with different partners.
The Lord would soon punish her. The bed here is a place of illness and pain. She will suffer much for the evil things that she had done.
The Lord searches the hearts and minds of all people. He sees all that we do. He knows all about us. He will be the judge of every person. He will punish or reward them. They will get what they deserve. We know that none of us deserves a reward. We all deserve death. But those who trust in the Lord will have life. However, he will be the judge of what Christians do. And he will give rewards to some Christians.
Jezebel argued that Christians should join in the things of the false gods. She probably said that the false gods were not really bad. Therefore, there would be no problem for the Christians. They would know the secret things of Satan. What she taught was false.
Enduringword.com has a couple of paragraphs about the Nicolaitans.But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate: Jesus – probably so the Ephesians would not be overly discouraged – gave this church another compliment. They were complimented because they hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans – but who were the Nicolaitans and what were their deeds? The doctrine of the Nicolaitans is also condemned in Revelation 2:15, and in that passage it is related to immorality and idolatry.
Irenaeus (writing in the late second century) described what he knew of the Nicolaitans: “The Nicolaitanes are the followers of that Nicolas who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the apostles. They lead lives of unrestrained indulgence. The character of these men is plainly pointed out in the Apocalypse of John, as teaching that it is a matter of indifference to practice adultery, and to eat things sacrifice to idols.” (Against Heresies, book 1, chapter 26. From the Ante Nicean Fathers Volume 1, page 352)
Hippolytus, a student of Irenaeus (writing in the early third century) associated the Nicolaitans with the Gnostics: “There are, however, among the Gnostics diversities of opinion… But Nicolaus has been a cause of the wide-spread combination of these wicked men. [He] departed from correct doctrine, and was in the habit of inculcating indifferency of both life and food.” (Refutation of all Heresies, book 7, chapter 24; ANF volume 5, page 115)
Others have emphasized the root meanings of the words that make up the name Nicolaitans. Nikao-laos means literally “to conquer the people.” Based on this, some point to presumptuous claims of apostolic authority and to the heart that sets up hierarchies and separates the “clergy” from the “laity.” Perhaps the Nicolaitans fulfilled all these aspects, being both an idolatrous immorality and a presumptuous, hierarchical, “hidden mysteries” system typical of Gnosticism.
The Nicolaitans, like all deceivers that come from the body of Christ, claimed “not that they were destroying Christianity, but that they were presenting an improved and modernized version of it.” (Barclay)
Gotta admit.... if I hadn't just finished the letters written by Paul, Peter, James, Jude and John.... I would probably be very lost.John is on a rocky deserted island. The world is in turmoil.... there are earthquakes, wars, and the Christians are hated and murdered in the streets. He's having a vision.... Jesus is shining in front of him.... just as He did on the Mount of Transfiguration.... and an angel has been assigned to John... who is supposed to interpret any signs Jesus uses. There's a lot in this chapter... the general theme though.... is the church has gone way off track..... and each church here is an example of what happened.
The first church ran out of steam. I've been to a few churches like that.... they got so good at feeding the less fortunate, healing the sick, and caring for the widows and orphans.... they got so good at repeating the Gospel.... word for word... not changing a word..... they got bored.... they got mundane... and that would open the door for complacency.... and they fell away from Love.
In the second church, the members got a lot of grief because they were not bound by the circumcision laws and food preparation of the Jewish traditions. Jesus told that church there were lots of men in the church who claimed to be great Jews because they followed all the Jewish traditions. Jesus reminded them He was of Jewish decent.... Jesus was a great great great grandson of Seth, Noah's son.... Jacob [whom God renamed Israel]. It was Jews who had Jesus hung on the Cross. Jesus told the church.... they are all the adopted family of God now.... not just Jews and Gentiles.... Brothers and Sisters.... not beholding to earthly traditions.
In the third church... had to deal with pagans in order to earn a living. In this church... one of the men assigned by the Apostles.... started the notion that since the Christians were saved... their sins were forgiven and now their job was to enjoy everything..... live life to the fullest. I bet the preacher in that church said the members "deserved to be rich".... or they "had to be rich because that's an example of the richness of God"..... I bet they even said "being poor reflects poorly on your Christian example". Of course these are wrong.... but theses perversions were probably introduced slowly.... so the membership didn't know what they were getting into.
Apparently by the time Jesus came.... monogamy had taken it's place in society. Apparently the days of having 300 wives and 700 concubines had passed and the "couple" had become the norm. When a man took a wife... he was supposed to stay faithful to her. Of course women were still second class.... a male slave could be an Elder in the church while women were only there to help. It seems that there was more than one church that met in a brothel. The church in Thyatira had a female profit who was encouraging "free love". I bet she quoted Jesus when He told the Pharisees that there was not marriage in Heaven.... so they should play while they were on earth.
Jesus told everyone He would be returning. He told the disciples to continue His work until He got back. A lot of the men sharpened their swords so they could go to war. They probably left the church to join the Jewish Revolution that caused the total destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Roman army. Others just gave up and went back to the old ways.... slaughtering sheep and oxen.... and worrying about everything. These three churches did their best to hang in there.... but each had a particular temptation.... and not many of the church members were up to the task.
They got bored.... they went back to comfortable traditions.... they gave in to lust.....
