Apocalipse 2
John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
Apocalipse 2
MacArthur says "the New Testament nowhere teaches that angels are involved in the leadership of the church. Angels do not sin and thus have no need to repent, as the messengers, along with the congregations they represented, are exhorted to do (cf. Rev 2:4–5, 14, 20; 3:1–3, 15, 17, 19)." (See Revelation Commentary) Furthermore, angels are never described as head of a local church anywhere in Scripture. Finally, angel (aggelos/angelos) is translated as "messenger" several times in the NT - Mark 1:2 has "I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU," and this refers to John the Baptist (cf other NT uses that mean "messenger" - Lk 7:24, Lk 9:52, Jas 2:25). In sum, this "angel" is probably a messenger of (from) the Church (but one cannot be dogmatic). Right Hand in the Revelation - Rev. 1:16; Rev. 1:17; Rev. 1:20; Rev. 2:1; Rev. 5:1; Rev. 5:7; Rev. 10:5; Rev. 13:16 In Ephesus - This is the "postal address" (so to speak) of this letter. Ephesus means desirable. See below for background on Ephesus to get a good sense of the social/cultural/historical context. Write (grapho) -The glorified Christ gives John this command to write (aorist imperative = do this now; don't delay; it is important), the same command He gives for each of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor (Rev. 2:1; Rev. 2:8; Rev. 2:12; Rev. 2:18; Rev. 3:1; Rev. 3:7; Rev. 3:14). John then records the words of the risen, ascended, glorified Christ (Rev 1:10-17+) sent and communicated by His angel (Rev 1:1). Recall that earlier Jesus had commanded John to "Write (aorist imperative) in a book what you see (present tense = what you are seeing), and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” (Rev 1:11+) To what does this writing refer? From the context this passage would indicate that John recorded the entire vision from Revelation 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 and that it was this scroll that was to be sent to each of the churches. The reason that this is almost surely the entire Revelation that was to be circulated and not the letters to each individual church is because each of those letters was not what HE SAW but what HE HEARD, in effect representing the "dictation" of Christ's letter to each individual church. GET A GRIP! JESUS HAS A GRIP! The One who holds (krateo) the seven (hepta) stars in His right hand (see note) - The One from the context is clearly the risen, ascended, glorified Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church, the Chief Shepherd (1Pe 5:4+). The verb holds is krateo which means to be strong, possess power and in the present tense pictures Jesus' continually having a firm grasp on all His churches. His right hand depicts the hand of power and authority (the churches belong to Jesus), indicating the churches are safely and securely in His grasp. Holds would also picture His close contact with His churches, His control of them and the frim foundation He provides for each of the churches. Finally, theuse of the verb krateo would also be another way to say He is sovereign over His Church, that He is Lord and Master over His Church. A Menorah The One who walks among the seven (hepta) golden lampstands (luchnia) - Comparing Scripture with Scripture (the seven lampstands are the seven churches Rev 1:20+), the seven golden lampstands are the seven churches. Walks is peripateo which literally pictures Jesus walking around and the present tense depicts Him continually walking around. He is always in the middle of all that goes on in His church. Nothing is hidden from Him. He is not distant from the life of the church. He IS the life of the church! This speaks of His omniscience, His authority, His headship, etc. 🙏 THOUGHT - Dear pastor or church goer, He is also walking around your church, with eyes aflame, perfectly assessing each person's heart. How does He see your heart...your church? Are you in danger of having the lampstand removed? Why are they referred to as lampstands? Literal lampstands were stands on which lamps were place to provide light the darkness. Spiritually speaking,each church was to provide spiritual light to the moral darkness of the lost world. The churches were to be the source of the proclamation of Jesus, the Light of the world (Jn 8:12+) and the "light of the Gospel." (2Co 4:4+, 1Ti 1:10+, 1Jn 2:8+, Eph 5:8+, 1Th 5:5-8+). Jesus charged those who would be His disciples "“Let your light shine (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) before men in such a way that they may see your (VISIBLE) good works, and glorify (GIVE A PROPER OPINION OF) your (INVISIBLE) Father Who is in heaven." (Mt 5:16+) Paul wrote "For God, Who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." (2 Cor 4:6+) And to the Philippians he wrote "Do (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey - which he had just described in Php 2:13+) all (HOW MANY?) things without grumbling or disputing; so that (PURPOSE CLAUSE) you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world." (Phil 2:14-15+) A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns, they just shine. -- D L Moody Angel (messenger)(32) aggelos/angelos [gg in Greek is pronounced ng] possibly from ago = to bring) literally means a messenger (one who bears a message - Lk 1:11, 2:9, etc or does an errand). Most of the NT uses refer to heavenly angels (messengers) who are supernatural, transcendent beings with power to carry out various tasks. All uses of aggelos that refer to angels are masculine gender (the feminine form of aggelos does not occur.) Vine writes that aggelos refer to "an order of created beings, superior to man, Heb 2:7; Ps. 8:5, belonging to Heaven, Mt. 24:36; Mark 12:25, and to God, Luke 12:8, and engaged in His service, Psa. 103:20. Angels are spirits, Heb. 1:14, i.e., they have not material bodies as men have; they are either human in form, or can assume the human form when necessary, cp. Luke 24:4, with Lk 24:23, Acts 10:3 with Acts 10:30." Aggelos in the Revelation 76x/72v (out of 172v in NT) - Rev. 1:1; Rev. 1:20; Rev. 2:1; Rev. 2:8; Rev. 2:12; Rev. 2:18; Rev. 3:1; Rev. 3:5; Rev. 3:7; Rev. 3:14; Rev. 5:2; Rev. 5:11; Rev. 7:1; Rev. 7:2; Rev. 7:11; Rev. 8:2; Rev. 8:3; Rev. 8:4; Rev. 8:5; Rev. 8:6; Rev. 8:8; Rev. 8:10; Rev. 8:12; Rev. 8:13; Rev. 9:1; Rev. 9:11; Rev. 9:13; Rev. 9:14; Rev. 9:15; Rev. 10:1; Rev. 10:5; Rev. 10:7; Rev. 10:8; Rev. 10:9; Rev. 10:10; Rev. 11:15; Rev. 12:7; Rev. 12:9; Rev. 14:6; Rev. 14:8; Rev. 14:9; Rev. 14:10; Rev. 14:15; Rev. 14:17; Rev. 14:18; Rev. 14:19; Rev. 15:1; Rev. 15:6; Rev. 15:7; Rev. 15:8; Rev. 16:1; Rev. 16:5; Rev. 17:1; Rev. 17:7; Rev. 18:1; Rev. 18:21; Rev. 19:17; Rev. 20:1; Rev. 21:9; Rev. 21:12; Rev. 21:17; Rev. 22:6; Rev. 22:8; Rev. 22:16 Seven (2033) hepta (For discussion of imagery of seven click here and gotquestions.org) is the indeclinable number 7 (a cardinal number) denotes sufficiency. In Jewish usage hepta often designated a round or complete number. W E Vine notes hepa- is found in "English words beginning with "hept," and corresponds to the Hebrew sheba' (which is akin to saba', signifying "to be full, abundant"), sometimes used as an expression of fullness, e.g., Ruth 4:15 ("better to you than seven sons"): it generally expresses completeness," See Tony Garland's comments on Seven: Perfection, Completeness. Hepta in the Revelation - Matt. 12:45; Matt. 15:34; Matt. 15:36; Matt. 15:37; Matt. 16:10; Matt. 18:22; Matt. 22:25; Matt. 22:26; Matt. 22:28; Mk. 8:5; Mk. 8:6; Mk. 8:8; Mk. 8:20; Mk. 12:20; Mk. 12:22; Mk. 12:23; Mk. 16:9; Lk. 2:36; Lk. 8:2; Lk. 11:26; Lk. 20:29; Lk. 20:31; Lk. 20:33; Acts 6:3; Acts 13:19; Acts 19:14; Acts 20:6; Acts 21:4; Acts 21:8; Acts 21:27; Acts 28:14; Heb. 11:30; Rev. 1:4; Rev. 1:11; Rev. 1:12; Rev. 1:16; Rev. 1:20; Rev. 2:1; Rev. 3:1; Rev. 4:5; Rev. 5:1; Rev. 5:5; Rev. 5:6; Rev. 6:1; Rev. 8:2; Rev. 8:6; Rev. 10:3; Rev. 10:4; Rev. 11:13; Rev. 12:3; Rev. 13:1; Rev. 15:1; Rev. 15:6; Rev. 15:7; Rev. 15:8; Rev. 16:1; Rev. 17:1; Rev. 17:3; Rev. 17:7; Rev. 17:9; Rev. 17:10; Rev. 17:11; Rev. 21:9 Lampstands (3087)(luchnia from luchnos a portable lamp fed with oil and not to a candle usually placed on a stand) is the ordinary word for the stand upon which a “lamp” (luchnos) was placed. Such a lampstand was elevated and thus helped to extend the light. The translation of luchnia as “candlestick” is highly unlikely since there is no evidence of a lamp that did not use oil in either the Old or New Testaments. The vital function of lamps and lampstands in the ancient world was taken for granted. It was in such a context that Jesus illustrated the role of His disciples in the world (Mt 5:15; Mk 4:21; Lk 8:16; 11:33). “The disciples are to have an illuminating effect upon their environment,” even as the lamp set on its stand lights up the darkness (Hahn, “light,” Colin Brown, 2:487). In Revelation (Rev 1:12,13,20; 2:1,5) the seven churches are spoken of as seven golden luchnia. Friberg - as a place for setting a lamp, other than a candlestick lampstand (Mt 5.15); metaphorically; (1) of a church as a place where people can learn things about God as they really are (Rev 1.20); (2) of a witness who tells things as they really are (Rev 11.4) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) Luchnia - Matt. 5:15; Mk. 4:21; Lk. 8:16; Lk. 11:33; Heb. 9:2; Rev. 1:12; Rev. 1:13; Rev. 1:20; Rev. 2:1; Rev. 2:5; Rev. 11:4 Write (1125)(grapho from root graph- = primarily means to scratch on or engrave as on an ornament, reports, letters, etc; English = graph, graphic, etc) means to engrave or inscribe with a pen or stylus characters or letters on a surface which can be wood, wax, metal, leather, stone, parchment, dirt (John ), paper, etc. Note that John is given 12 commands to write what he SAW (NOTE: THIS IS A VERY "VISUAL" BOOK!) - Rev 1:11, 19; 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14; 14:13; 19:9; 21:5) and one command to not write (Rev 10:4+). Grapho - 30x in 29v in Revelation - Rev. 1:3; Rev. 1:11; Rev. 1:19; Rev. 2:1; Rev. 2:8; Rev. 2:12; Rev. 2:17; Rev. 2:18; Rev. 3:1; Rev. 3:7; Rev. 3:12; Rev. 3:14; Rev. 5:1; Rev. 10:4; Rev. 13:8; Rev. 14:1; Rev. 14:13; Rev. 17:5; Rev. 17:8; Rev. 19:9; Rev. 19:12; Rev. 19:16; Rev. 20:12; Rev. 20:15; Rev. 21:5; Rev. 21:27; Rev. 22:18; Rev. 22:19 Church (1577) ekklesia/ecclesia from ek = out + klesis = a calling, verb = kaleo = to call) literally means called out (but see note by Louw-Nida below) and as commonly used in the Greco-Roman vernacular referred to citizens who were called out from their homes to be publicly assembled or gathered to discuss or carry out affairs of state.
Apocalipse 2
MacArthur - Four decades earlier Paul had commanded them not to “give the devil an opportunity” (Eph. 4:27+), and they were still reluctant to do so. (See Revelation Commentary)
Apocalipse 2
MacArthur - What Would Jesus Say About Your Church?) Perseverance(5281)(hupomone from hupo = under + meno = stay, remain, abide) literally means abiding under. The root idea of hupomone is to remain under some discipline, subjecting oneself to something which demands the submission of one's will to something against which one naturally would rebel. And so hupomone does not describe a grim resignation or a passive "grin and bear" attitude but a triumphant facing of difficult circumstances knowing that even out of evil God guarantees good. It is courageous gallantry which accepts suffering and hardship and turns them into grace and glory. For believers, it is a steadfastness, especially as God enables us to "remain under" (or endure) whatever challenges, trials, tests, afflictions, etc, He providentially allows in our life.
Apocalipse 2
MacArthur adds that kopiao "does not stress the amount of work, but rather the effort. A man’s reward from God is proportional to the excellence of his ministry and the effort he puts into it. Excellence combined with diligence mark a man worthy of the highest honor. (1Timothy Moody Press) Paul gave us the secret of how one can work like this and not become weary - "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored (kopiao) even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me." (1 Cor 15:10+). - See the "Paradoxical Principle of 100% Dependent and 100% Responsible" (100/100) Commended and Corrected Read: Revelation 2:1-7 You have persevered and have patience . . . . Nevertheless I have this against you. —Revelation 2:3-4 Imagine 8-year-old Danny coming to bat three times in a Little League game. He strikes out twice and singles once. After the game, a famous major league player approaches him. “Danny,” he says, “I liked the way you hit that single and hustled to first. You’re going to make a good ball-player someday.” Danny beams. He’s receptive and eager to improve. So he’s all ears when the pro adds, “But Danny, you tend to top the ball. You’ve got to change your stance and the way you hold the bat. Let me give you a few tips.” The advice is heeded because it combines commendation with correction. Many people view God as a stern disciplinarian who issues warnings and threats without praise. But that’s not the picture we get in today’s Scripture reading. The Ephesian church had left its first love (Rev. 2:4) and needed to renew the warm glow it once had or it would cease to exist (v.5). Jesus gave the Ephesians a stern warning, but in calling them to repent He also recognized all that was good in the church (Rev 2-3,6). For Further Study Read Revelation 2 and 3. Seven times Jesus said, “I know your works.” For what did He commend the seven churches? For what did He correct them? God’s commendation gives us encouragement; God’s correction gives us hope. Revelation 2:4 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. NET Revelation 2:4 But I have this against you: You have departed from your first love! NLT Revelation 2:4 "But I have this complaint against you. You don't love me or each other as you did at first! ESV Revelation 2:4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. NIV Revelation 2:4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. GNT Revelation 2:4 ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὅτι τὴν ἀγάπην σου τὴν πρώτην ἀφῆκες. KJV Revelation 2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. ASV Revelation 2:4 But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. CSB Revelation 2:4 But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. NKJ Revelation 2:4 "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. NRS Revelation 2:4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. YLT Revelation 2:4 'But I have against thee: That thy first love thou didst leave! I have: Rev 2:14,20 because: Rev 3:14-17 Jer 2:2-5 Mt 24:12,13 Php 1:9-11 3:13-16 1Th 4:9,10 2Th 1:3 Heb 6:10,11 Revelation 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Mark 12:28-33+ One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD ("THE SHEMA" - Dt 6:4+); 30 AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ 31 “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; 33 AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 1 John 5:1-3+ Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments (SPIRIT ENABLED OBEDIENCE SHOWS OUR LOVE IN ACTION NOT JUST WORDS - cf Jn 14:15+). 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments (NOTE REPETITION OF OBEDIENCE); and His commandments are not burdensome. 1 Peter 1:8+ and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 2 Thessalonians 3:5+ (A GREAT PRAYER TO PRAY FOR YOURSELF AND OTHERS IN THE BODY OF CHRIST IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE DRIFTING FROM YOUR FIRST LOVE OF JESUS) May the Lord direct (kateuthuno) your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness (hupomone) of Christ (cf Heb 12:2+ = "endured [hupomeno] the cross"). (GOD WILL ANSWER THIS - SEE 1Jn 5:14,15+) 1 Corinthians 13:1-7+ (DESCRIPTION OF LOVE OF EPHESIAN CHURCH IN VERSES 1-3) If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Better "First Love Left" CHRIST'S CORRECTION Ephesus had not LOST their first love, but left or abandoned it. If you lose something, you don't know where to find it. If you left something, you do know where to find it (cf first command to "Remember"). It is like a fire. The embers are not lost, and are still there but they are barely glowing. They need to be stirred up into full flame (cf 2Ti 1:6, Jer 20:9), renewed passion for Christ just like we experienced when we were first born again! D A Carson writes of the church at Ephesus - They still proclaim the truth, but no longer passionately love Him Who is the Truth. They still perform good deeds, but no longer out of love, brotherhood, and compassion. They preserve the truth and witness courageously, but forget that love is the great witness to truth (ED: cf Jn 13:35). It is not so much that their genuine virtues have squeezed love out, but that no amount of good works, wisdom, and discernment in matters of church discipline, patient endurance in hardship, hatred of sin, or disciplined doctrine, can ever make up for lovelessness. (From article The Church that Does All Things Right) But (alla) - This is one of the more dramatic terms of contrast in the Bible. This is abrupt "about face," a major spiritual "u turn!" What is Jesus contrasting? One would think all the positive things the Ephesian church had accomplished (total of 10 if you include Nicolaitans) would be enough "credit" (so to speak) to offset their debit (love). But love trumps everything else (1Cor 13:13+)! And their lack of love had consumed all of the credit stored up by their good deeds (so to speak)! But means all the good in the Ephesian church did not cancel out the bad Jesus is about to describe. Has the fire in our heart for Christ begun to smolder? Swindoll on but - Like an unexpected twist in the road during a pleasant drive through the countryside, Christ interrupted His commendation of the Ephesians with one abrupt word: “but” (Rev 2:4). The small Greek word alla indicates a sharp contrast, and in the case of Ephesus, it’s very significant: The church in Ephesus had everything but the greatest thing. The erosion of the love they had at the beginning didn’t happen overnight. No one suddenly wakes up one morning and says, “I don’t love Jesus anymore. I’m tired of Jesus and I’m finished with all this Christianity stuff.” It doesn’t happen like that. It happens over the years—after hardship, questions you can’t get answered, trials that don’t seem to have reason, loss of health, loss of hope, loss of a loved one. In the midst of the Ephesians’ hard work and endurance for Jesus, their love for Him began to wane. (See Insights on Revelation) COMMENT (see also Newell's comment) - While the picture above says "lost" that is probably not the best translation. In English LOST means to no longer be in the possession, care, or control of something, no longer in existence; vanished or spent. No longer known or practiced and clearly they had denied Christ. LEFT on the other hand means gone away from or abandoned. Clearly this love is not completely gone out of existence or else how could they return to it. It would seem a better picture is like a fire where blazing flame has died down and all that is left is the live coals. The coals have not completely lost their glow and therefore when blown on (as by a bellows) they can be made to flame up again. So too the love of a genuine believer has not been totally lost but is clearly at low ebb, with "coal" barely glowing, so to speak. When the wind of the Spirit (and the Word) come "blowing" on such a heart, the potential is there for spiritual renewal and revival. Jesus says the "steps" to "revival" are (1) remember (2) return and (3) re-do. The psalmist writes of a heart with barely glowing coals in Psalm 119:25+ "My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Your word." If the "coals" of your heart, your love for Jesus, has grown cold, obey the commands of Jesus and consider adding the prayer of the psalmist. Then wait on the Lord. It is in His will that you experience revival, for in that state He is most glorified. So wait on the Lord's timing for "those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength (literally exchange their strength for His strength); They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:31+) God is far more interesting in our BEING than in our DOING. If we are BEING, then out of that love relationship will flow Spirit directed and empowered "DOING." Ephesus had reversed the order, DOING but forgetting the critical importance of BEING. Some 35-40 years earlier Paul had described their love in his letter writing "For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints." (Eph. 1:15+) And then he added multiple references to love in his letter to the church at Ephesus (Love is mentioned 20x - see below! Contrast the letter to the Colossians which has a number of parallels with the letter to the Ephesians but not when it comes to the subject of love! Colossians has only 4 mentions of love compared to 20 mentions of love in Ephesians! What is the upshot? The Ephesians could not claim ignorance of this vital topic of LOVE! LOVE in the Letter to the Ephesians - Eph. 1:4; Eph. 1:15; Eph. 2:4; Eph. 3:17; Eph. 3:19; Eph. 4:2; Eph. 4:15; Eph. 4:16; Eph. 5:2; Eph. 5:25; Eph. 5:28; Eph. 5:33; Eph. 6:23; Eph. 6:24. Note especially the command the church seems to have forgotten some forty years later...this is part of what they needed to REMEMBER! - Therefore be (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) in love, just as (TERM OF COMPARISON) Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us (THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTIAN LOVE!), an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. (Eph 5:1-2+) Related Passage: (OT Example of Leaving First Love) Jeremiah 2:2-5 “Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, “I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, The love of your betrothals, Your following after Me in the wilderness, Through a land not sown. 3 “Israel was holy to the LORD, The first of His harvest. All who ate of it became guilty; Evil came upon them,” declares the LORD.’” 4 Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the LORD, “What injustice did your fathers find in Me, That they went far from Me And walked after emptiness and became empty? I have (present tense) this against you, that you have left (aphiemi) your first love - Note that Jesus does not say they have no love, for they had love, but their love had lost it's luster! The coals on the fire of their hearts were still live coals but they were not flaming up. There is an old secular song from 1965 "You've Lost that Loving Feeling" which is close but would be better titled "You've Left that Loving Feeling." That could have been the theme song of the church at Ephesus. The verb for left is aphiemi in the aorist tense (at a point in time in the past) and active voice signifying they volitionally or of their own volition/will left their first love. What is the "time sensitive" word? First (protos) means first in time or place, in any succession of things or persons, first in rank, influence, honour. First is not actually so much a time word in this context although there was a certain time in our lives when we first fell in love with Jesus. In this context it is better interpreted as foremost, supreme, paramount. This was not just about forgetting the honeymoon feelings (there is a component of that) but it is more about giving priority to Jesus in our hearts. What is leaving their first love? It is interesting that aphiemi is the very word God uses of forgiving our sins, but it is also the word used for sending one's wife away or divorce. Christ is our husband and the church is His bride. How sad when a bride drifts from loving her husband. How tragic is a loveless marriage! John
Apocalipse 2
MacArthur - That love could include love for God and Christ, love for each other, and love for the lost. It is love defined as obedience (2 John 6). They had sunk to the place where they were carrying out their Christian responsibilities with diminishing love for their Lord and others. (See Revelation Commentary) Adrian Rogers - Now, that doesn't mean they didn't love Jesus anymore. He was their first love, and they did love Him. But, they did not love Him as they used to love Him. The honeymoon—the spiritual honeymoon—was over. And, those of you who are married, do you remember your honeymoon? Do you remember how wonderful that first love was? Do you remember how sweet, how tender, how romantic those days were? I hope that you're still on your honeymoon. I hope your honeymoon is not over. But, if you don't love your wife more than you did when you first got married, the chances are you love her a whole lot less. Sometimes honeymoons don't last very long. Somebody has said, "The honeymoon is that period of time between 'I do' and 'you'd better.'" Now, I don't know whether you have come from "I do" to "you'd better," or not. I don't know whether your honeymoon is over, or not. Do you remember when you first got married, and you went off to work, and how she'd get up and fix you that marvelous breakfast, fix herself up before she'd let you see her in the morning, and then send you off with a big hug and a kiss? And now, she just kind of rolls over, and opens one eye, and says, "There's some coffee on, left over from last night; you can heat that up." I heard about one woman whose husband was the one who was neglecting her, and he just never seemed to be romantic anymore, never seemed to be tender anymore. And, a young married couple moved in next door, and they were so much in love—still on their honeymoon. And, she watched this young lady, as she would come to the door to send her husband off to work; and, before he'd go, he'd put his arms around her and give her a great big ol' kiss and a hug. She watched that for several mornings; then, she brought her husband to the window. She said, "I want you to watch that. You see that, over there? You see what he's doing? Why don't you do that?" He said, "I hardly know the woman." Well, dear friend, sometimes the honeymoon is over; sometimes that love that we had just grows cold and stale. And, there are a lot of men who love their wives, and there are a lot of wives who love their husbands—but you just don't love with the love that you first had—that reckless love, that abounding love, that enthusiastic love. Now, that was what was wrong with this church, right here. They had left their first love. It wasn't that they didn't love Jesus anymore; they just didn't love Jesus like they used to. They were still respectable; they were still active; they were still decent; they were still orthodox; they were still growing. But, they had lost the glow, and that's what we're talking about tonight. I wonder if you have lost the glow. I'm wondering if I'm speaking to someone here tonight who is orthodox; I'm wondering if I'm speaking to someone who is active; I'm wondering, tonight, if I'm speaking to someone here tonight who is patient, someone who is a church worker, and someone who labors for the Lord Jesus Christ—but your spiritual honeymoon is over. You don't love Jesus like you once loved the Lord Jesus Christ.....I'm not asking you, tonight, "Do you love the Lord Jesus?" If you're a Christian, I know you love the Lord Jesus. What I'm asking you tonight is, "Do you love Him with that first love?" Rod Mattoon - They maintained a spirit of sacrifice, steadfastness, separation, and keenness for detecting heresy, but they were guilty of sin that the average person could detect.... they lost their first love for the Lord. In the Greek it is rendered.... "your first love you have left." Jesus said that in the last days, the love of many would wax cold (Matthew 24:12). Here in this situation, the spiritual furnace was still there, but the coals no longer had a bright, red luster. They had lost their honeymoon love for Christ. The same can happen to a husband and wife. They can remain faithful to each other, yet, lose their first love for each other. A church member can be regular in attendance, tithe, be active, yet lose their first love. Like Martha, we can be occupied with doing for Christ and miss becoming like Christ. Some people can get so busy in the work of the Lord that they neglect the Lord of the work. For this reason it is vital you develop and maintain your relationship with Christ lest you become burned out in your service to Him. God wants us to spend time with Him. A little girl made some slippers for her father. For three months she was consumed with making them. The day came when she gave them to her father. Her Dad loved them, but tenderly said, "Next time honey, go buy some slippers. I want your fellowship and company." God also wants our fellowship. When our love declines for Him, we eventually drift away spiritually and our dedication and service dies. This is what eventually happened to the church at Ephesus. Consistency in dedication to Christ is maintained by intimacy with Him. If the relationship crumbles, eventually the service for the Lord crashes. For this reason, spend time studying the Word of God each day and have a time of prayer. If you are a pastor, you can't adequately feed your church if you don't feed yourself. Get into the Word! Rod Mattoon goes on to list 8 things that will cause a believer to lose their first love (See below "What a Christian Can Lose," beginning with #1 "First love and Fervency for the Lord and His Work." and on page 57 Hard Heartedness in the Bible - "We cannot avoid growing old, but we can avoid growing cold!). The fire of God in your heart will melt the lead in your feet! -- Rod Mattoon Henry
Apocalipse 2
MacArthur writes "The current generation was maintaining the doctrine handed down to them, but they had left their first love. That love could include love for God and Christ, love for each other, and love for the lost. It is love defined as obedience (2 John 6). They had sunk to the place where they were carrying out their Christian responsibilities with diminishing love for their Lord and others....As it had in Israel, the honeymoon had ended at Ephesus. The loss of a vital love relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ opened the doors to spiritual apathy, indifference to others, love for the world, compromise with evil, judgment, and, ultimately, the death of the church altogether. Despite its outwardly robust appearance, a deadly spiritual cancer was growing at the heart of the Ephesian church. (See Revelation Commentary) William Newell on left your first love - Note, the word is “leave,” not “lose.” To love lies in the power of the will, otherwise it would not be commanded. Now the love of Christ and the Church is that of bridegroom and bride. You cannot judge by what you see in the lukewarm churches today of the intense devotion to Christ’s Person into which such assemblies as Ephesus were brought by the Holy Ghost. You may see it in the martyr days, sometimes today on the mission field, and in supremely devoted souls like Samuel Rutherford, Fletcher of Madeley, Madame Guyon, Brainerd, Payson, McCheyne, and Cookman. We regard such cases of devotion as unusual; no, we should say they are normal. Christ has immeasurable love, and that continually, for every redeemed one; and love yearns for love. Consider newly-married people. Their life is one continuous story of affection—delight in one another. Service is not service, but gladness, for such a bride. Two New England girls worked in a textile factory. Mary went away on a visit of several months. Returning, and meeting her friend on the street, she asked her,“Maggie, are you working at the same old factory?” “I’m not working at all,” burst out Maggie: “I’m married!” Doubtless such a one was busier with her housework than ever she had been at the factory! But she toiled unconscious of the work as such—it was for him. She parted from him with an embrace as he went to work in the morning, and she prepared the evening meal ever looking out at door or window for his coming. As he neared home, she went to meet him. All her labor was a mere circumstance, swallowed up in her devotion to her husband. But days, weeks, months pass, and she becomes occupied with the details of her housekeeping, of her own life. She prepares just as good meals, keeps the house in as good, perhaps even better, order; but she has gradually changed her habit of watching for her husband at night, or going eagerly to meet him. She calls, “Goodbye” from somewhere upstairs in the morning, instead of holding him fast every moment she can. Now this was Ephesus; and this was the departure from first love: while Christ, the Bridegroom, has love in all its freshness, and will evermore have, for the Church. It was Ephesus, leaving that devoted pouring out of response to His love that grieved His very heart! This is the beginning of that decline which ends in Laodicea, and Laodicea’s awful state: “I have need of nothing,” yet loathsome, in poverty, wretchedness, misery, blindness, nakedness! Men that question the very virgin birth, and the deity of Christ, and His physical resurrection, are suffered today! The “Christian religion” has taken the place of personal devotion to the Bridegroom. (Commentary on the Revelation) Where is the blessedness I knew, When I first saw the Lord? Where is the soul refreshing view Of Jesus and His Word? What peaceful hours I once enjoyed! How sweet their memory still! But they have left an aching void The world can never fill. -- William Cowper As in every relationship, our love for Christ is not static but can ebb and flow in its intensity, not in its reality. The bond itself is unbreakable—anchored in His faithfulness, for “Who will separate us from the love of Christ?” and the answer resounds that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35, 39). Yet while the relationship cannot be severed, the warmth, nearness, and fervency of that love can diminish. There are seasons when devotion burns brightly—when Christ is the chief affection of the heart—and there are other times when that flame weakens, becoming little more than a quiet ember. In those moments, spiritual life can drift into habit: duties are maintained, truths are affirmed, and service continues, yet the inner fire of affection is no longer what it once was. This was the very condition of the church at Ephesus. By every outward measure they were exemplary—sound in doctrine, tireless in labor, and courageous in defending truth. Yet the Lord’s searching assessment exposed what lay beneath the surface: “I have this against you, that you have left your first love” (Revelation 2:4). They had not abandoned Christ altogether—such a thing is impossible for those held securely in Him—but they had drifted from the depth, tenderness, and priority of their original devotion. What was once a vibrant, consuming love had cooled into something more restrained and formal. Their hands were still active in service, their minds still engaged in truth, but their hearts were no longer captivated in the same way. The danger was not open rebellion, but subtle displacement—where activity for Christ gradually overshadowed intimacy with Christ. This passage exposes a timeless spiritual danger: it is possible to be deeply involved in Christian work and yet quietly neglect personal communion with the Lord. Service, though good and necessary, can become a substitute for relationship if it is no longer fueled by love. Over time, faith can shift from a living fellowship to a structured routine, where outward faithfulness masks inward decline. The question, then, is not merely whether we are active, but whether we are affectionate—whether Christ is still the supreme delight of the soul. Has your devotion remained vibrant and personal, or has it settled into something distant and mechanical? The Lord’s call is not merely to continue working, but to return—to rekindle that first love where He is not only served rightly, but treasured deeply. D Martyn Lloyd-Jones - The secret of the early Christians, the early Protestants, Puritans and Methodists was that they were taught about the love of Christ, and they became filled with a knowledge of it. Once a man has the love of Christ in his heart you need not train him to witness; he will do it. He will know the power, the constraint, the motive; everything is already there. It is a plain lie to suggest that people who regard this knowledge of the love of Christ as the supreme thing are useless, unhealthy mystics. The servants of God who have most adorned the life and the history of the Christian Church have always been men who have realized that this is the most important thing of all, and they have spent hours in prayer seeking His face and enjoying His love. The man who knows the love of Christ in his heart can do more in one hour than the busy type of man can do in a century. God forbid that we should ever make of activity an end in itself. Let us realize that the motive must come first, and that the motive must ever be the love of Christ. (The Unsearchable Riches of Christ) Rod Mattoon - What a Christian Can Lose 1. First Love & Fervency for the Lord and His Work. Revelation 2:4—Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. The fire of God in your heart will melt the lead in your feet. 2. The Fun & Festivity of God's Salvation. You can lose your joy. This is what happened to David when he sinned against God. Psalm 51:12—Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 3. Fellowship with God. 1 John 1:7—But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. Sin hurts our walk with God. 4. Fellowship with other Believers. Hebrews 10:25—Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Sin causes Christians to break fellowship with spiritual believers and get out of church. 5. Our Focus on the Lord and Future Spiritual Goals. Matthew 13:13a—Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; Proverbs 29:18—Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. 6. Our Formidableness and Power to Serve the Lord. Judges 16:20, 21—And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him. But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house. Deuteronomy 32:36—For the Lord shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left. 7. Our Force and Favor with Others. Lot lost his influence with his own family. Genesis 19:14—And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. 8. Our Final Breath. Sin in the life of the Christian can shorten the life of the Christian. 1 John 5:16—If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. 1 Corinthians 5:1-5—... It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. [2] And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. [3] For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, [4] In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, [5] To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 1 Corinthians 11:29, 30—For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 9. Future Reward. Believers can lose rewards from the Lord. 1 Corinthians 3:14, 15—If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 2 John 1:8—Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. 10. The Favor or blessing of the Lord. Jeremiah 5:25—Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you. Are you losing anything today? James Scudder - Stale Christianity Revelation 2:3-4 Have you ever reached for your favorite piece of candy, dreaming of its delightful tastes streaming down your throat? Then you open the wrapper, pop it on your tongue, only to discover that it is stale? Is there anything worse? Nobody enjoys eating food that has sat around too long. We prefer digging into freshly prepared meals. It is more satisfying when it comes directly out of the oven and onto our plate. Stale Christianity is also very unappealing. That was the problem with the church in Ephesus. According to Revelation, this congregation had stood firm on the Scriptures, resisted heresy, and had become mature in their faith. Yet, they had "lost their first love." The fire that burned so brightly became a smoldering coal. It is so easy to let our faith become mechanical and mundane. We get up at the same time every week and drive to church. We participate faithfully in the same ministries, year after year. But, we grow cold and cynical. We lose our excitement and the joy that we once possessed. When this happens, we should heed the warning signs and engage in serious soul-searching. We should spend long periods in the Scriptures and ask God to bring back our fiery passion for service. Have you fallen into the trap of stale Christianity? Has your faith been "sitting out" too long? Ask God to rejuvenate your soul today and give you a dose of fresh faith once again. A Christian is a person who makes it easy for others to believe in God. Robert M'Cheyene Joseph Stowell - OUR MAIN SQUEEZE DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD OR ANYTHING IN THE WORLD. IF ANYONE LOVES THE WORLD, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM.—1 John 2:15 On my way home from the office, I used to regularly pass a florist shop that had a large marquee on its roof advertising special flower deals. I’ll never forget passing by one evening and noticing that it said: “Take roses to your main squeeze.” I chuckled at the thought of Martie as my “main squeeze.” I hasten to add that there are no secondary squeezes! When it comes to getting things straight in our walk with Christ, the pivotal issue is who will be our “main squeeze.” “The Father” should be our eager response. After all, the first and greatest commandment is that we “love the Lord [our] God” (Matthew 22:37). Yet many of us are still in love with the world, living and sacrificing for all it offers. We too easily yield our careers, our cash, our children, and our chastity to the sizzle that this world offers. Loving the world means to yield to it, to make aspects of it our primary point of allegiance. Clearly, love for the Father is not in us when the world has its grip on our heads and hearts. We can say it, sing it, or even chant about our love for God, but if our choices consistently point to the cosmos rather than the kingdom, the world has stolen our “first love” (Revelation 2:4). Loving the world puts us at risk. When we are yielded to its allures, we embrace its lies and destructive power. In fact, our loving allegiance to its misinformation is epidemic. Ask the average Christian what success means, and you will hear answers about careers and lifestyle. Ask about life’s main pursuit, and you will often hear us answer, “Happiness.” Lovers of God, however, know the difference. For them, success is faithfulness, and the pursuit of life is not happiness but reflecting the glory of God in our lives. Loving Him means yielding to the sound of His voice and living by His Word. What is there in your life that reflects a love for this world? Deal with it by turning your heart toward Him. (Borrow Strength for the journey : day-by-day with Jesus) Rick Renner - Excerpt from Thou Hast Left Thy First Love It often happens that the first generation of Christians, during a move of God, experiences dramatic salvations as that segment of the Church is born in the power of the Spirit. However, the second generation, raised in a Christian environment, often doesn’t experience the same radical deliverance their parents did. Of course, it should be the goal of all believing parents to raise their children in a godly environment; however, they can never stop working diligently to keep the fires of spiritual passion burning. As each successive generation becomes more accustomed to a Christian environment — learning to speak the language of the church, sing the songs of the church, and act the way “church” people should act — it becomes easy for the younger generations to slip into a mindset of familiarity. Too often this can produce apathy in people’s hearts, ultimately leading them to take the redemptive work of Christ for granted (ED COMMENT - GREAT POINT AND ANOTHER REASON LORD'S SUPPER SHOULD BE CELEBRATED FREQUENTLY! cf FIRST CHURCH IN Acts 2:42+ = "breaking of bread" - repeated in Acts 2:46+!). Therefore, the potential for spiritual fires to die down and become a pile of smoldering embers increases dangerously with each new generation. The only way for each local body and its members to avoid that process is to become unrelenting in their commitment to retain their spiritual passion for Christ. There is no clearer example of this vital principle than the illustrious church of Ephesus, which was perhaps the finest congregation that existed in the First Century. Although only a few decades had passed since the birth of this church, the fervency that once gripped these believers’ hearts had waned. The spiritual fire that once blazed in their midst was gradually diminishing into a flickering flame, replaced instead by orthodoxy, creeds, and dogmas — a form of religion that lacked the power known by the earlier generation (see 2 Timothy 3:5). If this could happen to the church of Ephesus, it must be taken as a warning for the Church in every generation. We must regularly allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and reveal whether or not we are still on fire for the Lord as we once were. It may be a painful revelation to realize that we have become doctrinally sophisticated yet powerless. However, if we are willing to remember from whence we have fallen and then to repent, we can be spared the tragedy of becoming irrelevant to our generation. As I conclude today, my own heart is stirred. Oh, let each of us examine our own heart to see if we have let anything slip in our fervent pursuit of Jesus. And if we discover that we have left our first love in any way, let’s take every step necessary to fan the fire within until it blazes hot and high for Him the way it did when we first came to know Jesus Christ! The Murky Cloud "Thou hast left thy first love."—Rev. 2:4 Have you ever been out on a fine day in the brightness of the early summer? You have wandered over mountain and vale, perhaps, enjoying everything, when all of a sudden you have become conscious of a depressing influence; you do not know exactly what it is, you cannot tell why you do not feel so buoyant and cheerful as you did, and why everything is not so jubilant as it was just now. At last you begin to discover what is the matter. You look up, and you see that a thick murky cloud has come between you and the sun; nature seems to have stilled her joyful song of jubilee, and all beauty seems to have faded from the landscape; all is changed, changed almost imperceptibly, but oh, how changed! Just so is it with regard to our spiritual experience. The light is stolen from us, and we scarcely thought it was gone. There is some dark form of worldly care, or it may be of religious activity—something or other has crept in between us and God, and the whole heaven is darkened, the light is eclipsed, and the blessedness is gone. Already there is a voice sounding in our ears: "I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." Lost First Love - Pulpit Helps, May, 1992 1. When my delight in the Lord is no longer as great as my delight in someone else, I have lost my first love. 2. When my soul does not long for times of rich fellowship in God’s Word or in prayer, I have lost my first love. 3. When my thoughts during leisure moments do not reflect upon the Lord, I have lost my first love. 4. When I claim to be “only human” and easily give in to those things I know displease the Lord, I have lost my first love. 5. When I do not willingly and cheerfully give to God’s work or to the needs of others, I have lost my first love. 6. When I cease to treat every Christian brother as I would the Lord, I have lost my first love. 7. When I view the commands of Christ as restrictions to my happiness rather than expressions of His love, I have lost my first love. 8. When I inwardly strive for the acclaim of this world rather than the approval of the Lord, I have lost my first love. 9. When I fail to make Christ or His words known because I fear rejection, I have lost my first love. 10. When I refuse to give up an activity which I know is offending a weaker brother, I have lost my first love. 11. When I become complacent to sinful conditions around me, I have lost my first love. 12. When I am unable to forgive another for offending me, I have lost my first love. Here is a chart adapted from Precept Revelation Part 1 (highly recommended course) HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE LEFT MY FIRST LOVE? The Deed What It Was Like When I First Came to Know Him? What was my motivation then? Where I Am Now? What is my motivation now? A hunger to read God's Word, delighting to be in it, to discover truth, to see His promises. A desire to be with other Christians, to hear His Word taught, to have fellowship with others who love Him and are eager to serve Him. An awareness of God's presence and a desire to talk to Him, to know His will and do what pleases Him. A desire to share Whom and what I've found with others so they can know and experience the same. A desire to share material things with others. An eagerness to serve God in some way, seeking His direction, His purpose for my life. QUESTION - What does it mean to have left your first love (Revelation 2:4)? ANSWER - Revelation 2:1-7 contains Jesus’ message to the church in Ephesus, the first of seven exhortations to various churches in the Roman Empire. Ephesus had some unique challenges for a Christ-follower in that it was home to the Emperor’s cult and the worship of the Greek goddess Artemis (Acts 19:23-40). Because of these influences, the Ephesian believers had developed great discernment when it came to false teachers and heresy. Christ commended them for this discernment, but He faulted them for having lost their “first love.” The first love which characterized the Ephesians was the zeal and ardor with which they embraced their salvation as they realized they loved Christ because He first loved them (1 John 4:19) and that it was, in fact, His love for them that had made them “alive together with Christ.” So overwhelmed were they by the joy that came from understanding their former state—dead in trespasses and sins—and their new life in Christ, that they exhibited the fruit of that joy (Ephesians 2:1-5). Because of God’s great love for the Ephesians, they were “made alive in Christ” and that new life was exhibited in the passion of gratitude. That passion for the Savior spilled over onto one another and out to those in the culture they inhabited, corrupt as it was. (ED: Their "being" preceded their "doing", but that had changed and now they were "doing" but were not "being"). Jesus commends the Ephesians for their many good works and hard work. They tested teachers to see whether their professions were real; they endured hardship and persevered without growing weary. But they had lost their warmth and zeal for Christ, and when that happened, they began to “go through the motions” of good works, motivated not by the love of and for Christ, but by the works themselves. What was once a love relationship cooled into mere religion. Their passion for Him became little more than cold orthodoxy. Surrounded by paganism and false teachers, the Ephesian church would have had ample opportunity to correct false doctrine and confront heretical teachers. If they did so for any reason other than love for Christ and a passion for His truth, however, they would have lost their way. Instead of pursuing Christ with the devotion they once showed, much like a bride who follows her groom “through the desert” (Jeremiah 2:2), the Ephesians were in danger of falling away from Christ completely. This is why He warns those who have “ears to hear” to prove the reality of their salvation by returning to Him and rekindling the love that had begun to cool. No doubt there were among the Ephesians those whose profession was false and whose hearing had become dulled. He warns the rest not to follow them, but to repent and return to Him with the passion they once had for Him. We face the same challenges in the twenty-first century. There are few churches that aren’t subject to, and in danger of, a certain amount of false teaching. But Jesus calls us to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), and to not let the frustration of false teaching overpower the love of Christ in us (Ephesians 4:31-32). Our first love is the love Christ gives us for God and each other. We should be zealous for the truth, but that zeal should be tempered so that we are always “speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (Ephesians 4:15).GotQuestions.org Rod Mattoon - How do you know if you are losing your first love for the Lord? There are several red flags to watch out for that would indicate a problem. A. A Loss of Joy We find great joy in what we truly love. When we lose the joy in our relationship with someone, it's a sign that our love for that person has somehow diminished. A loss of joy in our relationship with God, is thus, one indicator that our first love has dimmed. David lost his joy after he committed adultery with Bathsheba. He described his anguish in Psalm 51 as he realized how far away from the Lord he had drifted. If he only could have seen what was at the end of this destructive path that he chose, he would have never started in the first place. * Psalm 51:12—Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. B. A Loss of Desire to Pray and Read God's Word (ED: BIBLE IS GOD'S "LOVE LETTER" - WHEN I FIRST COURTED MY WIFE I WOULD READ HER LETTERS OVER AND OVER, PARSING EVERY DETAIL AND LOOKING FOR EVERY NUANCE.) We want to spend time with those we love, talking and listening to what they have to say. When that desire is gone, there is an indication that love is waning or gone. If this describes your attitude or condition toward the Lord, you have lost your first love. C. A Discomfort in Being Around Other Christians When you lose your first love for the Lord, you are more reluctant to go to church or spend time with other Christians. You don't want to be around those who remind you of the One you want to forget. D. Your Priorities Get Misplaced The focus of your life shifts from Christ to something else when you cool off spiritually. Your focus will be upon that which is important to you or what you dearly treasure. * Matthew 6:21—"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." If we lose our love for God, other loves will fill His place in our hearts. Time once spent with God will be devoted to other pursuits that yield little or no spiritual fruit. Once we stop searching for the one pearl of great price, we will devote our time, energy, and money to the pursuit of other treasures. E. You Cover Up Your Sin Sin is covered to hide the shame that is attached to it. After their fall in the garden, Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with fig leaves (Gen. 3:7). When sin is covered, the result is it makes a person harder in their heart. Covering sin only leads to more complications and catastrophic decisions because the sin problem is not corrected in the person's life. This is why a person does not prosper. See Proverbs 28:13. He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. Psalm 32:5. David learned the hard way the trouble that comes from covering up your sin. He realized the best thing to do is to confess it to the Lord and get matters right with God. In the early stage of disobedience, we fool ourselves into thinking that somehow, God won't know what we've done as long as we don't admit it to anyone. That, however, is not true. Hiding sin from the Lord is useless. You are wasting time and not fooling the Lord at all. A CHRISTIAN’S GREATEST LOSS - J Dean Cameron Text: Revelation 2:4 Read: vs. 1–5 “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” INTRODUCTION: The meaning of “first love” as used here is obviously that feeling of dedication to God’s will as we, by faith, accept Christ as our Savior. I suppose that the best expression of this feeling of one’s first love is seen in Peter’s First Epistle: “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8). It is no secret that many alleged Christians seem to have outgrown a sense of vital relationship with Christ. Far too many regard— 1. The Bible as a kind of “moral inconsistency.” 2. Jesus’ command of “Take up your cross” as fanaticism. 3. “Ye shall be witnesses” as just “preacher talk.” 4. Prayer as a kind of “public embarrassment.” YES, WE HAVE RELIGION! BUT IT MAY BE DAMNING US! 1. Diotrephes had preeminent religion, 3 John 9. 2. Saul had “I … thought” religion, Acts 26:9. 3. The rich young ruler had “ten commandment” religion, Matt. 19:20. 4. The scribes and Pharisees had “public show” religion, Matt. 23:5. THE TRUE CHRISTIAN’S CHIEF CONCERN IS HIS— 1. First love for Christ as Savior, John 21:15. 2. First love for Christ’s will to be done, Acts 9:6. 3. Love for Christ’s “first love”—the church, Acts 20:28. FROM CHRIST’S MESSAGE TO EPHESUS WE LEARN THAT— 1. Jesus is in close contact with His people, v. 1. 2. The Bridegroom is “jealous” of His Bride, v. 4. 3. Broken vows cancel Christ’s plans for us, v. 7. 4. Christians can lose their first love, v. 4. 5. The remedy: “Repent, … do thy first works,” v. 5. 6. Jesus always warns us before He brings judgment, v. 4. 7. A Christian can lose nothing more vital for time and eternity than his first love, v. 5. 8. Christ always stands ready to forgive us, v. 7. Inward deterioration Does it not often happen in the Christian life that the soul retains earnestness, patience, truth, endurance, a hatred of evil, long after it has left its first love; that its religious service is continued, apparently unaltered, while the spirit that prompted that service is changed for the worse? But though love is altered, there may yet remain the sense of duty. None without can detect the difference. The soul itself is perhaps hardly conscious of it. Or if conscious of anything, it is that prayer is not so easy and pleasant as it used to be, that the thoughts are more wandering, that temptation is more attractive, and thanksgiving is irksome, unreal, and unblessed. The whole tendency of our being is to deteriorate. Most of us can remember a time at which we think we were more fit to die than we are now. Our self-examination has told us that we are not now what we were; and perhaps self-examination was hardly necessary for the acquirement of this knowledge. It is forced upon us continually throughout the day as we feel and act so coldly towards good, so readily and kindly towards evil. Now if it be really that we have fallen back only one step in faith and love, if we have left our first love, what must we do? We must struggle against the languor which threatens to benumb us. We must struggle with all our might, not giving up any one duty merely because it is irksome. This may not indeed be restoration, but it will at least maintain that communication with the Source of all strength by which restoration may be looked for. When we have realised what we once were, and reflect that by God’s grace we might have lived the rest of our lives according to that beginning, and neared the goal in the heavenward race, then we may be able to measure our decline, and, weeping over what we have lost, pray for grace to regain it. “And repent.” Yes I this must be, We will not trust in that which remains, in our hatred of the worst sins, in sympathy with Him, not in our works, or our labour, or our patience, our distrust of false teachers, our perseverance under trial. These are nothing without love. We will confess that other lords besides Him have had dominion over us. We will confess that we have left our first love, and implore Him to recover us, and turn our hearts. (W. Mitchell, M. A.) Leaving Your First Love is Tantamount to Idolatry! I suspect you have never thought of Rev 2:4 as an example of idolatry. After all they were still orthodox, still busy doing deeds, etc, but something had changed. I have been very convicted that I have been guilty of this subtle, but very real form of idolatry. It is for that reason I have added these notes. Perhaps you may not agree, which is fine. Leaving your “first love” in Book of Revelation 2:4 is not called idolatry explicitly, but it is functionally equivalent in principle, because it represents a displacement of Jesus from His rightful place in the heart. In Revelation 2:4–5 Jesus says, “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent…,” showing that this is not a minor issue but a serious spiritual decline that requires repentance. The “first love” refers to the original devotion, affection, and priority given to Christ, and to leave it is to allow something else, whether subtle or overt, to take that place. Scripture consistently defines idolatry not only as bowing to images but as giving the heart’s supreme allegiance to anything other than God, as seen in “Little children, guard yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21) and “you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9), indicating that true devotion belongs exclusively to Him. Thus, while the Ephesians were still active in service and orthodox in doctrine (Revelation 2:2–3), their love had cooled, meaning their relationship had shifted from devotion to duty, and that shift itself reflects the essence of idolatry—something else, even good works or self-reliance, had subtly replaced Christ as the supreme object of affection. In this sense, leaving one’s first love is a form of incipient or internal idolatry, because the heart has turned from wholehearted love for God to something less, echoing the pattern seen in Israel’s history where outward religion continued while the heart drifted (Jeremiah 2:2, “I remember… the devotion of your youth,” contrasted with later unfaithfulness). Therefore, leaving your first love is not merely emotional decline but a relational and spiritual displacement that, if continued, aligns with the very nature of idolatry, giving to another what belongs to God alone. Vance Havner - Ephesus: Lovelessness “... thou hast left thy first love.”—Revelation 2:4 - (Borrow book "Repent or Else" - page 18) EPHESUS IS THE only one of the seven churches of Revelation concerning which we have much scriptural information and that is recorded largely in Acts, chapters eighteen through twenty. Paul visited the city first with Priscilla and Aquila and left them there. Later the eloquent Apollos came to Ephesus preaching the baptism of John. Aquila and Priscilla heard him and of course they discovered that he had an incomplete and inadequate message. However, they did not stamp out of church in a huff and label him a modernist. They probably invited him to go home with them to a chicken dinner. (You can do a lot with a preacher after a chicken dinner!) Anyway, they straightened him out so that he began to preach the gospel. Later Paul returned to Ephesus and preached in the synagogue for three months. But soon opposition began. Paul wrote concerning Ephesus: “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9). Opportunity brings opposition and it took three forms in Ephesus. First, there was a hardening of heart among the listeners. The same sun that melts ice also hardens clay and the gospel either humbles or hardens the human heart, so a preacher should be prepared to expect both. Paul moved over to the school of Tyrannus where he taught for two years. He carried on a threefold work. For a living he made tents. He “reasoned,” that is, he was an apologist as well as an apostle; his message was “... repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). And he taught from house to house, warning everyone night and day with tears, so he was a pastor. Soon the opposition took a new form. This time it was an old trick of the devil, imitation—“If you can't beat them, join them.” Some Jews tried to cast out demons in the name of Jesus. But the demon said, “Jesus I know and Paul I know but who are ye?” The devil is probably saying that to a lot of modern exorcists who are trying to produce gospel results without gospel power. These imitators at Ephesus took a beating at the hands of the evil spirit instead of defeating him—and any man who tackles the Adversary without the power of God will fare no better. Out of all this there came a revival. All the elements of a true awakening are here (Acts 19:17-20). Fear fell on them all. The name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Many professed believers, who had been mixed up with these black arts, confessed and made a clean sweep of everything. Judgment began at the house of God. It would be about the same thing if some modern church members would own up to dabbling in seances and dark magic. Many of the spiritualists also came clean and about ten thousand dollars' worth of bad books were burned in public. A revival always produces a bonfire and if we really had such a revival in our churches it would take a forty-acre field to accommodate the tons of books, magazines and all other paraphernalia of the devil that would go up in smoke. No wonder we read next, “So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.” God’s word always prospers when an awakening like that hits town. Indeed, during this two-year ministry of Paul, all Proconsular Asia was evangelized. That included all the territory of the other six churches in Revelation, so everything began with this mighty work in Ephesus. The opposition took a third form. Ephesus was devoted to the worship of Diana and there was a big business of making silver shrines for this goddess. Paul preached the gospel and when the Ephesians became Christians, they had no further use for silver shrines for Diana. That stirred up Demetrius, the silversmith, who called all his fellow craftsmen together and threw the whole city into an uproar. We read that “there arose no small stir about that way.” Here was a spiritual awakening that stirred up the devil because it hurt the devil's business. I am afraid of any religious movement that does not arouse the bitter opposition of entrenched evil. You will remember that our Lord once cast the demons out of a man and the demons entered the hogs. The hogs committed suicide and the hog-owners asked Jesus to leave the country. When the power of God casts out the devil, all hog-owners whose business is affected will raise a protest. A real revival today would cause a commotion in the traffic of evil. The liquor business, for instance, would suffer. Of course the liquor business is not exactly hog business but it is swill business. I would remind you, however, that Paul did not shake Ephesus by lecturing about Diana. He preached Jesus Christ the Lord and when people came to know the Lord they had no further use for Diana. That principle still holds, although a lot of church members do not illustrate it very well these days. When Paul left Ephesus there was a growing missionary church there. Thirty-odd years later our Lord calls it to repentance. It was still a remarkable church but it needed a revival. Someone has said that the church today does not need efficiency so much as “Ephesiansy,” meaning the truth contained in Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians. But there is a Second Epistle to the Ephesians here in Revelation. By now Ephesus needs a revival and our Lord tells them three things. He tells them what is right in the church, what is wrong in the church, and what to do about it. He begins with commendation because He always commends where and when He can. He says, “I know thy works...”: Ephesus was a working church. “I know... thy labour...”: it was toilsome work. “... and thy patience...”: they did not go by fits and starts, but were persistent. “... and how thou canst not bear them which are evil...”: the church used discipline. Ephesus was a wicked city and they did not let bad men corrupt the church from the outside or the inside. They knew that they were as sheep among wolves (Matthew 10:16) but they were also on guard against wolves among the sheep (Matthew 7:15). Paul had warned the elders of Ephesus: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:28-30). He anticipated trouble from without and within so the church was forewarned and forearmed. “... and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars.” The church had dealt with evil doctrine and had refused to let false teachers poison the membership. The church has a right to screen out the bugs while it lets in the light. We do that in our houses and we should do it in the house of God. Again our Lord said, “And [thou] hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.” They had been faithful to the Lord in a hard situation and had not grown weary in well doing. A lady complained to her maid, “You are so slow. Don't you ever do anything fast?” “Yes'm,” she replied, “I gits tired fast.” We faint easily in the Lord’ work and say, “Behold, what a weariness is it!” What a church was Ephesus with all this to its credit! Could anything possibly be wrong? Yes, and after telling them what is right with them, our Lord tells them what is wrong: “... thou has left thy first love.” He had told His disciples, concerning the last days before He returns, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” (Matthew 24:12). Abounding lawlessness and abating love! What could describe better this present age! Lawlessness does not merely exist, it abounds. It is more extensive and more excessive. This generation loves everything but righteousness and fears everything but God. Juvenile delinquency, broken homes, crime waves, anarchy in art, music, literature, world-wide communism—if Paul could write long ago that “the mystery of lawlessness doth already work,” what would he say today! Only the restraining power of the Holy Spirit in God’s people keeps lawlessness from totally engulfing the world and, once the church is removed, you might as well try to dam up Niagara Falls with toothpicks as to hold back the floods of iniquity from completely submerging mankind. In the midst of abounding lawlessness, love abates. In fact He really says, “The love of most, of the majority, will grow cold.” And Ephesus, for all her works and toil and orthodoxy and discipline and perseverance, leaves her first love. He did not say, “Zeal shall wax cold.” Ephesus had plenty of zeal. A man may give his goods to feed the poor and his body to be burned and have no love. Our Lord did not say, “Doctrine shall grow unorthodox.” It has, but that was not the trouble at Ephesus. One may be as straight as a gun barrel theologically and as empty as a gun barrel spiritually. In fact, it may be that in their very opposition to evil men and false teachers these Ephesian saints had left their first love. Our Lord commended them for the stand they had taken against the deeds of the Nicolaitanes which He said He also hated. But so often it turns out that fundamental and orthodox Christians become so severe in condemning false doctrine, gnashing their teeth at every sniff of heresy, that they end up without love. One may do a right thing in a wrong way. The same Paul who wrote, “... though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel... let him be accursed,” also wrote the love chapter to the Corinthians. Unless we can get that combination we shall be theological Hawkshaws and doctrinal detectives, religious bloodhounds looking for heretics but with hot heads and cold hearts. Moreover, Ephesus proves that religious activity without love calls for repentance. I have wondered what would be left nowadays if we eliminated from our church work all that is not the spontaneous expression of our heart's love for Christ. Deacons and Sunday school teachers and choir singers should ask themselves, “Why do I do what I do in church? Because I ought to do it, because somebody has to do it, because I was chosen to do it?” If the love of Christ is not our compelling motive, God will not accept our service. And we preachers had better ask, “For all my labor and perseverance and orthodoxy and condemnation of evil, is it the love of Christ that constrains me?” If not, then all eloquence and prophecy and knowledge and faith and benevolence and even martyrdom are but so much dust in a windy street. What is this first love? It is the Christian's early love for Christ. The believer is married to Christ (Romans 7:4). Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “... I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ...”—that is Corinth or Ephesus or any other church at its beginning. Then he added: “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ”—there is Ephesus or any church without its first love. Nowadays the marriage relationship does not mean as much as it used to and neither does the Christian's relationship to his Lord, so the home and the church both suffer. There are Christians and churches that boast of being mature when really they are spiritually frostbitten. We have developed a prejudice against feeling and emotion until amens would be no scarcer if they cost a hundred dollars apiece—and the real truth is, we have left our first love. Our theme-song ought to be: Where is the blessedness I knew When first I saw the Lord? This accounts for a lot of church troubles. When we love the Lord we love the brethren. When we break up the fallow ground of our hearts we uncover roots of bitterness. Paul wrote, “Love thinketh no evil,” that is, love does not keep account, does not keep books, of every little slight and hurt and criticism. Some Christians grow ulcers and bring on nervous breakdowns and live at high tension, harboring resentments that fester and poison body, mind and spirit. They need to return to first love and have a book-burning like the one they had at Ephesus in the early days. But love for the brethren, love for the church, love for church work, all grow out of love for the Lord. We talk much about church loyalty while we beg and coax and almost bribe church members to come to church. People go where they want to go. Where their hearts are their heels will follow. Deeper than church loyalty there must be Christ loyalty and that must grow out of love to Christ. The Lord of the Lampstands, the Christ of the Candlesticks is asking, “Lovest thou me?” We are not ready to feed the sheep until we love Him. Hudson Taylor said the primary qualification for a missionary is not love for souls, as we so often hear, but love for Christ. There is a reckless enthusiasm about first love. It is not cold and calculating. A young lover buys his sweetheart a gift he cannot afford. When you were a young Christian you could not do too much for the Lord. Like the poor widow at the treasury, you wanted to put in everything. Mary of Bethany did not count the cost of that high-priced perfume. Only Judas grumbled about it. He would, for there was no love in his heart. There are church Scrooges who are always afraid they will overdo it, who never give a dollar without wanting to sing, “When we asunder part it gives us inward pain.” They complain that they cannot figure out their tithe. If it was coming their way, they'd figure it out! I am glad my mother didn't say, “I can't afford to sit up all night with this sick child. It might endanger my health!” I am glad my Lord did not say, “I cannot afford to go to the cross.” True love and first love are not stingy and when your heart is filled with it, nobody will have to beg you to serve God. So our Lord stands among the churches and what He wants most is our love. Without that, all our orthodoxy and church work can never satisfy Him. He stands now as He stood in that great church at Ephesus and He tells us, as He told them, what to do. Remember, repent and repeat. Let us remember how we loved Christ as young Christians when we were the happiest people in the world, before we met too many Bible scholars and saw too many church members! Remember our sweetheart love for the Lord before it degenerated into cold orthodoxy and mechanical church work. Let us repent, turn, confess, go back and ask God to fill our hearts with the love of God shed abroad by the Holy Spirit. Let us repeat, do again the first works as we used to do when our orthodoxy was the hot faith of a loving heart and our church work was a labor of love and not just labor. We preachers need to remember that all these messages of our Lord to the Asian churches were given first to the angel of the church, the messenger, the pastor. We need to recall our first love, when we were converted, called to preach, when we were in our first pastorate, before we had seen so much evil and had been disappointed in men we once respected and had the Spirit quenched in us until our consecration threatened to become cynicism. Many preachers do not need a new church or a new degree—we have more degrees now than we have temperature—so much as a refresher course in our Lord’ three R's. There is one more R: “Or else I will... remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” It is revival or removal. With every one of these five churches it is a matter of Repent or else—and the else is judgment. With Ephesus it meant removal and I have seen many a preacher, many a Christian, many a church disapproved, on the shelf, no longer usable. God help us to remember, repent and repeat, that there may be revival and not removal! (Borrow Vance Havner's book "Repent or Else" - page 18) Robert Neighbor - The Church at Ephesus "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love" (Rev. 2:4) When Paul visited Ephesus, he found a people who received the Truth into honest hearts. For three years he labored among them. When at last the time came for him to leave them he gave this solemn warning: "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them" (Acts 20:29, 30). Matters turned out quite as Paul prophesied. At the time the Apostle John addressed the seven Letters to the Churches of Asia, and carried forth the message of the Risen Christ to them, the Church at Ephesus was reckoned as a strong and healthy spiritual body. 1. Let us notice some of the good things that the Spirit of God was glad to emphasize concerning Ephesus. (1) "I KNOW THY WORKS, AND THY LABOUR, AND THY patience." What a sweep of commendation there is in these words." Not only was Ephesus full of works, but she was full of works that were laborious; undertakings that were difficult of accomplishment. Better still — is all of this, Ephesus had been patient. She had perhaps ofttimes been faint, but she had been "still pursuing." She had met obstacles but, she had persevered and overcome them. She had been of the class who "lap as they run" but who never stop to stoop and drink — she was worthy of being numbered in "Gideon's three hundred." (2) "I KNOW * * HOW THOU CANST NOT BEAR THEM which are evil; and thou hast tried, them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars." Ephesus as a Church stood against two phases of church-membership. — First, she disciplined the morally corrupt, and secondly, she disciplined those who were mentally corrupt. Neither bad deeds nor bad doctrine were permitted untried in her fellowship. In all of this Ephesus is a rebuke to the generality of churches of today. We have but little discipline any more. Church-members can live as they list, because as they list, and still hold places of honor in many of our churches and denominations. (3) "I KNOW * * THOU * * HAST BORNE, AND HAST patience, and for My name's sake hast labored, and hast not fainted." This is more than we found in (1), for this expresses a patient endurance and an unwearied continuance of labor. It brings in view how Ephesus, 'mid many trials within and without, had patiently pressed her way. She had not fainted under the most trying times. Persecution had not weakened her fidelity. 2. Let us notice the root of evil that the Spirit of God saw in Ephesus — "Thou hast left thy first LOVE." No casual observer, in fact, no close observer, would have detected this departure. However, it was not a light matter — "somewhat" is not in the original. The complaint does not read: "I have somewhat against thee," as though it was of small consequence. The Spirit wrote — "I have against thee that thou hast left thy first love." The matter was so serious that the Spirit cried out, "Remember from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works," or else "I will come upon thee and remove thy candlestick." Let this sink deeply into our hearts. A church may be ever so full of works and ever so true in life and in doctrine, and yet be far away from the One Who loved the church and bought it with His own Blood. A church may be busy for Him, and yet lose sight of Him. As we proceed in this study of the churches the way will grow darker and darker, but it will all prove to be the outgrowth of this first defection — "Thou hast left thy first love." Desert Of Diversion You have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen. —Revelation 2:4-5 Today's Scripture: Revelation 2:1-7 Muynak was once a thriving fishing port on the Aral Sea. But today Muynak sits on the edge of a bitter, salty desert. Sand dunes are strewn with the rusted, hollow hulls of a fishing fleet that once sailed high above on the surface of Central Asia’s fountain of life. Things began changing around 1960 when Soviet government planners began diverting the Aral’s water source to irrigate the world’s largest cotton belt. No one, however, envisioned the environmental disaster that would result. Weather has become more extreme, the growing season has been shortened by 2 months, and 80 percent of the region’s farmland has been ruined by salt storms that sweep in off the dry seabed. What happened at Muynak parallels the history of the church of Ephesus. Once a thriving spiritual community, the Ephesian believers diverted their attention from Christ to the works they were doing in His name (Revelation 2:2-4). They had lost sight of what was most important in their relationship with Christ—their love for Him. The works we do in Jesus' name And battles that are won Will not be pleasing to the Lord Unless in love they're done. —Sper To renew your love for Christ, review Christ's love for you. Revelation 2:5 'Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place--unless you repent. NET Revelation 2:5 Therefore, remember from what high state you have fallen and repent! Do the deeds you did at the first; if not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place– that is, if you do not repent. NLT Revelation 2:5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don't repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. ESV Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. NIV Revelation 2:5 Remember the height from which 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. GNT Revelation 2:5 μνημόνευε οὖν πόθεν πέπτωκας καὶ μετανόησον καὶ τὰ πρῶτα ἔργα ποίησον· εἰ δὲ μή, ἔρχομαί σοι καὶ κινήσω τὴν λυχνίαν σου ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτῆς, ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσῃς. KJV Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, (ONLY KJV) and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. ASV Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent. CSB Revelation 2:5 Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place-- unless you repent. NKJ Revelation 2:5 "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place-- unless you repent. NRS Revelation 2:5 Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. YLT Revelation 2:5 remember, then, whence thou hast fallen, and reform, and the first works do; and if not, I come to thee quickly, and will remove thy lamp-stand from its place -- if thou mayest not reform; Remember: Rev 3:3,19 Eze 16:61-63 20:43 36:31 2Pe 1:12,13 you have fallen: Isa 14:12 Ho 14:1 Ga 5:4 Jude 1:24 repent: Rev 2:16,21,22 3:3,19 9:20,21 16:9 Ac 17:30,31 do: Rev 2:19 3:2,3 Isa 1:26 Jer 2:2,3 Ho 9:10 Mal 3:4 4:6 Lu 1:17 else: Rev 2:16 3:3 Mt 21:41-43 24:48-51 Mk 12:9 Lu 12:45,46 20:16 Revelation 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries JESUS' FORMULA FOR PERSONAL REVIVAL Or this could also be subtitled "Falling in Love Again!" And note the loving heart of Jesus Who with the reproach, now offers the remedy (or repair). Therefore - This is a term of conclusion. What is Jesus concluding and what is His basis for making this conclusion? Remember (mnemoneuo) from where you have fallen (pipto - perfect tense = past event with abiding effect/result) -Notice the fact that they are to remember supports they did not lose the first love but left it. If they lost it Jesus would hardly command them to remember because when you lose something you do not know where you lost it. Remember is a COMMAND in the present imperative which can not be obeyed by relying solely on our strength or power. We must learn to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey. How important is it to obey Jesus' commands? Jesus tells us "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." (John 14:15) So even continually (present tense for we are a forgetful people) remembering is obedience and shows our love for Him. This must be Spirit enabled (not legalistic or duty bound) obedience to Jesus' command to remember. This "step" begins to demonstrate a rekindling of one's love for Jesus! Are you becoming as convicted as I am (I have been saved 38 years and am thinking back to those first days and months when it was difficult to control my enthusiasm for Jesus)? I would submit that one of the ways they could have remembered how they had fallen would have been to re-read the letter which Paul wrote to them in 60-61 AD. That letter is filled with descriptions of LOVE even including a prayer by Paul for them to know the love of Christ (Eph 3:16-19+!) and even a command to LOVE like Jesus loved, a command in the present imperative in Ephesians 5:1-2+ (see above), but sadly a command the church clearly had forgotten (thus the need to remember) and disobeyed! 🙏 THOUGHT - Even as the memory of the Ephesians could have been stirred up by re-reading Paul's letter to the Ephesians, our memory can also be stirred by re-reading the words of Scripture, because the Bible is God's love letter and His story of redemption which has the power to revive our love for Him Who first loved us (1Jn 4:19+). May the Spirit prompt us to pray the words of the psalmist - "My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive (a command that speaks of urgency and our great need) me according to Your Word." (Psalm 119:25+) Beloved, may be read God's love letter not out of duty, but out of delight, so that we might receive His promised blessing (cf Ps 1:1-3+). D A Carson - Memory is a tricky faculty that can be put to good or bad use. There is a place for "forgetting what is behind" as part of our "straining toward what is ahead" (Phil. 3: 13). But there is also a place for remembering what is I behind. Jesus is saying to the Ephesian church something like this: think back to earlier days in your walk in the Way, when the spontaneity of your love for Me and for each other knew no bounds. Remember the times when out of sheer I love for Me you gathered for prayer. Remember when you cheerfully took on another's problems not out of duty but out of love. And remember the devotion in your worship, when you poured out your love from hearts unsullied by the rigidity of mere duty, when your partnership with one another in the enterprise of the kingdom provided a basis for fellowship deep and true. Remember these things. Remember them constantly for such I is the force of the present imperative in the text). (From article The Church that Does All Things Right) Steven Lawson - Can you remember when you first fell in love with Christ? I can. After I graduated from college, I attended a dynamic church in Memphis, Tennessee. Every time they opened the church’s doors, I was sitting in the middle of the front row. Everything the preacher had to say was for me. I shed tears when the choir sang. The Holy Spirit tugged on my heart when people were saved. For some of us, such a time was only three months ago. For others, it was three years ago. For others, 10 years ago. The road back to Christ begins by, first, remembering. Remember the joy that was yours with Him. Get a good look at when you were on fire for Him. Can you remember the pit from which you were dug? That’s where revival begins—remember! (Falling in Love Again) MacArthur - Forgetfulness is frequently the initial cause of spiritual decline, and the Ephesians needed to recognize the seriousness of such a lapse. (See Revelation Commentary) Rod Mattoon - It is when we forget what God had done for us or decisions we have made for the Lord, that we begin to digress spiritually and fall flat on our face.
Apocalipse 2
MacArthur writes "Communion calls for self-examination and purging of sin, thus purifying the church. Nothing is more vital to the church’s ongoing, regular confrontation of sins in the lives of its people than the thoughtful expression of devotion to the remembrance of the cross." (See Acts Commentary ) And based on the "First Church of Jerusalem's" practice, regular communion is clearly integral to falling back (or staying) in love with Jesus! Why do I say that? Notice Jesus' own words (recorded by Paul) where He gives two commands... For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; DO (present imperative) this in remembrance of Me.” (AMPLIFIED = "Do this to call Me [affectionately] to remembrance." TLB = "Do this to remember Me." - cf Jesus' first command in Rev 2:5 = "Remember" also a present imperative) In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; DO (present imperative) this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”(1Cor 11:23-25+) 🙏 THOUGHT - When was the last time you took communion? How often does your church celebrate communion, every week or once a month (or even less often)? Can you see how frequently partaking of the Lord's Supper (not out of ritual or habit, but out of love to remember the One Who loved us) will help prevent you from leaving your first love? (Increasing love for Jesus will result in decreasing love for sin. See Expulsive Power of a New Affection) Note that the "First Church of Jerusalem" prayed. And two wonderful prayers to pray for the church so that she will not lose her first love are to frequently intercede in the Spirit for all the saints (Eph 6:18+) with Paul's prayers... And this I pray, that your love may abound (perisseuo - overflow, superabound - present tense) still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Php 1:9-11+) Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you; and may the Lord cause you to increase (pleonazo) and abound (perisseuo) in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. (1Th 3:11-13+) 🙏 THOUGHT - If you pray these prayers for each other in your family, your small group, your church, you can be assured God will answer affirmatively, for John writes "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. (1Jn 5:14-15+). I challenge you (as I did my fellowship group) to frequently pray Paul's prayers for abounding love for each other. Then watch and wait for what God will do!!! And to this prayer you could add the singing of the hymn More Love to Thee, by Elizabeth Prentiss (1856) (Song below sung by Fernando Ortega) More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee! Hear Thou the prayer I make On bended knee; This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to Thee! More love to Thee, More love to Thee! Once earthly joy I craved, Sought peace and rest; Now Thee alone I seek— Give what is best; This all my prayer shall be: More love, O Christ, to Thee! More love to Thee, More love to Thee! Then shall my latest breath Whisper Thy praise; This be the parting cry My heart shall raise; This still its prayer shall be: More love, O Christ, to Thee, More love to Thee, More love to Thee! One other thought about how to keep our love for Jesus at full flame is to regularly spend time with Him in the mornings, a practice we often call Quiet Time. Ps 5:3 says 'In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch." Ps 59:16 says "But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength (GET YOUR HYMN BOOK OUT IN THE MORNING AND SING A HYMN TO HIM!); Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning, For You have been my stronghold And a refuge in the day of my distress." Ps 88:13 "But I, O LORD, have cried out to You for help, And in the morning my prayer comes before You." Ps 90:14 "O satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness, That we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." Ps 143:8 "Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul." Ps 25:14 says "The secret (see this wonderful Hebrew word "sod") of the LORD is for those who fear Him, And He will make them know (yada - intimately know) His covenant." THOUGHT: How are your quiet times in the morning? Are they too quiet? Are they like the times you once spent with Him in the morning when you were first saved and could not wait to meet with Him (I'm looking in the mirror as I ask that question beloved!)? See Thoughts on the Quiet Time and Quiet Time: 7 Minutes With God. Now let's look at James 4:4+ which says "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship (philia) with the world (kosmos) is hostility (echthra) toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend (philos) of the world (kosmos) makes himself an enemy (echthros) of God." First, note that James is speaking of spiritual adultery, in effect describing one who is unfaithful to their vows to Jesus their Bridegroom (cf 2Co 11:2ff+, Rev 19:7-8+, 2Co 6:14-18+, 2Co 7:1+, Jn 17:15), which is manifests itself by going after other "lovers," specifically loving the things of the evil, godless world system. (See related topic - Israel, the Wife of Jehovah) His statement "do you not know..." means in effect they do know this truth. They know that if they get in bed with the world, they are acting in hostility toward God, are at enmity and war with the Almighty God! Woe! James is saying, “You can’t straddle the fence. You can’t have one foot in and one foot out. You can’t be a friend of the world and a friend of God at the same time. Choose which will it be. It’s either-or, not both-and.” Then James adds "therefore" using the word friend, which conveys the idea of mutual affection for others but here is directed to the anti-God world system. Whoever wishes to be a close confidant of the world, whoever wishes to be best friends with the world makes himself an enemy of God. 🙏 THOUGHT - Are there any areas of your life in which you have become too friendly with this evil world system which is run by Satan (1Jn 5:19+)? If so...then...Confess. Repent. Return to the Lord Jesus. Be revived by His Spirit. Jesus warned "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." (Mt 6:24+) Left - Circle marks ancient city with harbor 2 miles away! Right - Looking toward W to marshes & then ocean (hard to see) 🙏 THOUGHT - WATCH OUT FOR THE SLOW DRIFT - Ephesus had a great harbor on the CAYSTER RIVER (Wikipedia)- "The ancient city of Ephesus was once an important port on the river,[1] but over the centuries, sedimentation gradually filled in the inlet around the city." (See picture above - today harbor is 2 miles from ancient city!) Beloved, is this not what "LITTLE SINS" can do in our life over days, months, years? That's rhetorical of course! We all need to pray for God to "catch the little foxes" before they completely corrupt the vineyard of our heart (cf Song 2:15+) and we find ourselves far from our first love. What sin is laying down sediment so to speak in your (my) heart and impeding the flow of the rivers of living water from your innermost being (Jn 7:38-39+)? Sin is deceitful (Heb 3:13+) and convinces us these "LITTLE" sins will never take a BIG toll on our spiritual life! Wrong! Paul warns (commands) us not to continue to be deceived (by the deceitfulness of sin) "Do not be deceived (present imperative with a negative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey), God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows (even little sins), this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption (AKA "SEDIMENT" BUILDING UP IN THE RIVERS BLOCKING THE OUTFLOW FROM OUR HEART!), but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life (AND MIGHTY RUSHING RIVERS ENERGIZED BY THE SPIRIT)." (Gal 6:7-8+) By God's grace and for His glory, may the Spirit enable each of us to kill the "little foxes" (Ro 8:13+), that we might keep our first love for Jesus at full flame. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen. And if we need additional motivation to kill the "LITTLE" sins that are laying down sediment in the rivers flowing from our heart, the writer of Hebrews adds "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing your eyes on Jesus (Vertical Vision)." (Hebrews 12:1-2+) DEVOTIONAL RELATED TO THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS The church at Ephesus had drifted into “dry orthodoxy” just like the silt had slowly accumulated in the Cayster River ultimately cutting off the city’s commercial lifeblood, leaving what had once been the greatest harbor in Asia Minor stranded miles inland in a swampy reed bed. So too the Ephesian church had allowed the slow, almost imperceptible accumulation of loveless works to choke the spiritual vitality that once made it the gateway of the Gospel to Asia minor. The harbor did not collapse in a day; it died by degrees. And so did the first love of the Ephesian church. So what do we all need to guard against? That slow, subtle fade of our "first love" passion for Christ. The diagnostic question Jesus asked Ephesus and also asks us is not “are you busy for Me?” but “do you love Me?” It is the same question Jesus asked Peter three times by the charcoal fire in John 21:15, 16, 17+. Jesus is more interested in our BEING rather than our DOING! Ephesus had flipped the script and were DOING but not BEING! ACTIVITY had replaced INTIMACY! WORKS had replaced WORSHIP! DUTY had taken precedence over DEVOTION! An illustration of this vital principle is found in the short story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38–42+. Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word (BEING). 40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations (DOING); and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Relationship must always precede and energize service. Communion with Christ is the root. Service for Christ is the fruit! When the fruit is divorced from the root it eventually withers like the church at Ephesus — the lampstand was removed exactly as Christ had warned. All that remains today of Ephesus are stone ruins. The letter to the church at Ephesus is one of the most frightening warnings in all of Scripture to theologically, serious, doctrinally sound believers! "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) that he does not fall." (1Co 10:12+) Or else - Only two words but they are so terribly ominous and threatening (as they should be!) I am coming (erchomai) to you and will remove (kineo) your lampstand (luchnia) out of its place--unless you repent (metanoeo) - In a sense this is a prophetic warning. Note the second key to opening our heart and returning to our first love after remembering is to repent (repeated because of its importance!) So the key is not doing more works but repenting. It is not getting busy but getting broken. How do we know I am coming to you is not the Second Coming? Historically the church in Ephesus is in ruins because Jesus came and removed their light! Recall that Rev 1:20+ shows that the lampstand is a symbol for the church. I am coming (erchomai) - The futuristic present, [erchomai] is in the present tense: “I am coming.” In the present tense, the idea is that His impending arrival is imminent! It could occur at any time! We see this same futuristic present in 2Ti 4:1ESV where we read Paul's warning to Timothy that Jesus "is to judge the living and the dead" where the verb "is" means "is about to" and speaks of His imminent appearance (See notes ["Future Focus"] on the only sermon I have ever preached and it was on 2 Timothy 4:1-2). Will remove (2795)(kineo - gives us kinetic) means to move, put in motion, stir up, shake, remove, excite, wag (Mt 27:39, Mk 15:29). Speaks of general activity of humans (Acts 17:28). Of moving mountains (Rev 6:14). Removing a local church (Ephesus). Figuratively of exciting passions (Acts 21:30). Gilbrant - In classical Greek kineō means “to set something in motion, to propel forward.” When used figuratively of the mental or spiritual realm it means “to disturb, move, cause” (cf. Bauer). In matters of politics and law kineō usually means “to instigate” or “employ action against.” It is also a sign of contempt in the sense of “call into question.” In the Septuagint kineō frequently translates the Hebrew nûa‛ which means “to shake one’s head as a sign of derision or scorn” (Job 16:4; Lamentations 2:15). In the New Testament kineō expresses the hypocrisy of the Pharisees’ behavior in relationship to the Law. Jesus accused the Pharisees of putting heavy burdens on other men and yet they would not “move” even “one of their fingers” to help (Matthew 23:4). Luke used kineō when he recorded Paul’s address to the men of Athens; in a figurative sense it referred to the omnipresent spiritual realm of God in whom “we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Kineō also means “removal” or “rejection,” as in the case of the church at Ephesus whose punishment was removal of their lampstand if they did not repent (Revelation 2:5). It also means “to excite, to arouse passion, to incite to riot, to disturb,” or “to throw into commotion,” as was the case when the whole city of Jerusalem was set in motion against Paul (Acts 21:30). Finally, the New Testament also uses kineō to denote an expression of derision, revulsion, or contempt. When the people passed Jesus while He was on the cross, they “wagged” their heads, which was an expression of the contempt they felt for Him (Matthew 27:39). (Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary) Kineo - 8x in 8v - move(2), moved(1), provoked(1), remove(1), stirs(1), wagging(2). Matt. 23:4; Matt. 27:39; Mk. 15:29; Acts 17:28; Acts 21:30; Acts 24:5; Rev. 2:5; Rev. 6:14 Here is a sad woe... The church that loses its love will soon lose its light, no matter how doctrinally sound it may be! --- Warren Wiersbe William Newell - The words “I come to thee,” correspond to the judicial, personal visit of the Lord to Sodom ere its destruction (Genesis 18). These words do not signify operations by the Spirit, but an act of Christ, who is head over all things to the Church, and who is judging over each assembly. The fatal visit would not be recognized by the church, but it would definitely occur. After the Judge’s visit there would be no more assembly there in Christ’s eyes. The Spirit would be withdrawn, and darkness and desolation follow. So it happened at Ephesus, and, alas, to how many thousands of other careless “Christian” assemblies in the centuries since! No longer a lampstand! This “coming” is not His coming again at the rapture, to receive His own; but His special, necessary, judicial action toward an assembly persisting, after much light, and blessing, in neglect of Himself. Alas, the lampstand removed! The priceless privilege of setting forth such a Christ before a dying world, gone forever. I have before me a picture of the Ephesus of today—a ruined archway, a Moslem dwelling, and a forbidding castle, ’midst desolate hills. No lampstand for Christ where once Paul labored three years, night and day with tears! (Commentary on the Revelation) Ray Pritchard - How does a church know when its lampstand is removed? I suggest that the church itself would never know because in one sense nothing would change. God would take his hand off the church and everything would continue a usual. The preacher would preach. The choir would sing. The lights would shine. The sound system would work. The Sunday School would meet.....And God would not be there. It would be religion without reality, preaching without power, and church without Jesus. (Revelation 2:1-7 When Jesus Comes to Church) John
Apocalipse 2
MacArthur points out that churches is significant - The use of the plural noun churches signifies the universal nature of this invitation each time that it appears. This call cannot be limited just to a group of overcomers in a single church; it must apply to all churches. Every church needs to hear every message. All true believers are overcomers, who have by God’s grace and power overcome the damning power of the evil world system. -- John MacArthur To him who (present tense = continually) overcomes (nikao) - First note that this is not a reference to some spiritually elite believers ("super saints") but to all believers as John explains below. Second, note that overcomes is present tense signifying he or she continually has victory. In other words present tense indicates this is their lifestyle, their habitual practice (thus Lenski translates it "To the one conquering."). Thomas adds that the "thought is not that of victory finally achieved at the end of life, which would have been an aorist participle. It is rather the picture of a believer who from the beginning of his faith in Christ to the end of life stands victorious because he keeps on overcoming whatever the enemy has to offer." (Bolding added). 🙏 THOUGHT - Dear follower in the footsteps of Jesus (1Pe 2:21), if you are like me, there are times when I shudder at the thought of standing at the Bema Seat of Christ (2Co 5:10+) where eternal rewards are dispensed by Jesus according to our deeds. I shudder when I think of those times in my earthly life in which I have willfully sinned against His grace, His goodness and His holiness, wondering if I will end up "smelling like smoke" (so to speak), for Paul writes "If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." (1Cor 3:15+) In light of that thought, Jesus' promises at the end of each letter to the 7 churches (some 14 or so promises in these 7 letters) is incredibly encouraging, because all of these "rewards" are given to ALL OVERCOMERS! Be encouraged beloved. Your best is yet to come! I am also encouraged by 1Cor 4:5+ in which Paul writes "Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise (READ THAT AGAIN - EACH MAN AND WOMAN WILL RECEIVE PRAISE!!!) will come to him (or her) from God." These truths are what make grace so truly amazing! Thank You Father. Amen. In Rev 12:10-11 we read a descriptive definition (so to speak) of the overcomer, John writing "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren (SATAN) has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because (TERM OF EXPLANATION) of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony (TERM OF EXPLANATION), and they did not love their life even when faced with death." As Paige Patterson explains "The one who overcomes does so based on two things. First is the blood of Jesus Christ, which alone makes it possible for God to be both just and the justifier of them who are saved (Ro 3:24+). However, as Paul also says in Ro 10:9–10+, an appropriation of that atonement must be made in the life of the believer, and hence one must “confess with your mouth … and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,” which results in his salvation. Therefore, the second, appropriating basis for overcoming is the “word of their testimony.” (Revelation: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition) As noted above the verb overcomes is in the present tense which indicates we are continually victorious over the world, the flesh and the devil. Another way to say it is that this person perseveres to the end. His/her overcoming or persevering does not earn salvation but proves they possess genuine salvation and thus have the Spirit Who enables them to habitually overcome. Two points must be remembered - (1) We as followers of Christ are still living in bodies with a sin nature and so there are times when we will sin and in those times we do not "overcome" and to the contrary in effect are "overcome" by the power of sin, but that is not our dominant pattern of living. (2) Our dominant pattern of living is more about our direction than perfection (that will come with glorification!), and the way (the only way) it is possible for that to our dominant or habitual pattern is because Jesus has sent us His omnipotent Spirit Who lives in us (1Co 6:19+) and Who continually "energizes" us ("is at work [energeo]" = continually - present tense in Php 2:13) giving us the desire to overcome our mortal enemies, the world, the flesh and the devil, and the power to overcome them, so that we might walk in a manner that pleases our Father in Heaven (Php 2:13NLT+, cf Col 1:10+, Eph 4:1+, 1Th 2:12+). Only believers can "receive" and "understand" this spiritual truth. It is worth noting that the verb nikao is in the present tense indicating that this is their lifestyle, their habitual practice (thus Lenski translates it "To the one conquering."). Thomas adds that the "thought is not that of victory finally achieved at the end of life, which would have been an aorist participle. It is rather the picture of a believer who from the beginning of his faith in Christ to the end of life stands victorious because he keeps on overcoming whatever the enemy has to offer." (Bolding added). John explains who overcomers are writing "For whatever is born of God overcomes (nikao in present tense = in Christ we CONTINUALLY HAVE THE VICTORY OVER) the world; and this is the victory (nike = victory in battle, in the athletic games, over all opponents) that has overcome (nikao in present tense) the world–our faith. (NOT FAITH IN FAITH BUT AS HE EXPLAINS FAITH IN JESUS AS THE SON OF GOD) 5 Who is the one who overcomes (nikao) the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4-5+)
Apocalipse 2
MacArthur - The example of the Ephesian church warns that doctrinal orthodoxy and outward service cannot make up for a cold heart. Believers must carefully heed Solomon’s counsel: “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Pr 4:23+) (See Revelation Commentary) Charles Swindoll closes this section - Let me challenge you to do something concrete in light of the importance of maintaining your love. Would you consider memorizing 1 John 4:19–21+? Take time right now to commit this short passage to memory so you can always be reminded of the need for growing in love. (See Insights on Revelation) Herbert Lockyer - The Lord in heaven, and the Spirit on earth make the true Church their special subject of care. Each letter proves their present oversight of the Church, and ends with promises and rewards to those within the Church who overcome the world, flesh and the devil. Each promise could be studied in the light of the letter containing it. The first promise to the overcomer contains an evident allusion to the Garden of Eden, with the tree of life in its midst (Genesis 2). Walter Scott says, "Adam had not to overcome in the Garden, he had simply to obey and keep his innocence, and the test of an innocent creature's obedience was the prohibition against eating of the symbolical tree of knowledge of good and evil." For the Christian overcomer the scene presented is far more glorious than Eden. In the coming Paradise, expression of heaven's blessedness, there is the tree of life of which one may freely eat, and no tree of good and evil, the symbol of creative responsibility. For victors in the fight there is eternal life without alloy and without fear of failure. There, conquerors are to enjoy an everlasting feast. Overcoming false prophets and their evil teaching: Overcoming our own faintness of heart and tendency to decline from our first love, we have the promise of an unending walk with God in Paradise. (Borrow All the promises of the Bible) WHO IS AN OVERCOMER? WHAT IS OVERCOME? HOW IS IT OVERCOME? Rev 12:11+ Saints overcome Satan BECAUSE: (1) The blood of the Lamb (2) The word of their testimony (3) Not loving their life even to death! Rev 17:14+ Lamb overcomes kings and beast (antichrist) BECAUSE: He is Lord of lords and King of kings 1 Jn 2:14+ Young men overcome the evil one BECAUSE: (1) They are strong (2) Word of God abides in you 1 Jn 4:4+ Saints (little children) overcome the false prophets and spirit of antichrist BECAUSE: Greater is He (Spirit -1Jn 3:24) Who is 1 Jn 5:4-5+ Whoever is born of God overcomes the world BECAUSE: (1) Our faith overcomes the world (2) He who believes (as a lifestyle) that Jesus is the Son of God John 16:33 Saints overcome their tribulation in the world BECAUSE: (1) They are in Christ (2) Christ has overcome the world Promise to Overcomers in Ephesus - Lehman Strauss - The Promise to Ephesus (Rev 2:7) To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God (Rev 2:7). Only those who have eternal life may eat of the tree of life. Now the tree of life is not reserved for a preferential few chosen from among God's children; it is for all who possess eternal life. In Eden, which was man's paradise, there was the tree of life (Genesis 2:9; Ge 3:22). To eat of that tree was to become immortal, that is, incapable of dying. This right was forfeited by man when he sinned. The promise to the overcomer is that he shall be given perpetuity of life, complete conquest over further liability to die. Now is this promise made only to certain of the redeemed in Heaven? Certainly not! Jesus said, "Whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die" (John 11:26). Here He is not referring to a select number from among those who believe. Is Paul's inspired word to some—or to all—believers when he says, "This mortal must put on immortality" (1 Corinthians 15:53)? I do not know of one evangelical teacher of the Bible who would limit Paul's words to a mere part of Christ's true Church. Paradise lost in the Garden of Eden brought death. Paradise restored means the abolishment of death. The immortality of the Christian is not dependent upon his own faithfulness, but upon Him "Who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10). The paradise of God and the tree of life will be shared by all who are in Christ. It is the lot and portion of all the redeemed. Our Lord knew well that the entire local assembly as such would not inherit the promise, inasmuch as there were unbelievers among the believers. So the promise was made to each individual believer in the assembly, "to him that overcometh." Salvation is a personal and an individual matter. The gate into the Paradise of God is still open with its access to the tree of life. Each must decide for himself whether or not he will enter. Every soul who trusts Christ now may be assured that one day our blessed Lord will escort him to the tree of life where he shall eat and never die again. And remember, the right to the tree of life and immortality is not to those who struggle but to those who are saved. Dear Robert McCheyne must have been a great soul, judging from all that I have read about him, but I feel he missed our Lord's meaning in His promise to the overcomers at Ephesus. McCheyne wrote in his pamphlet, The Seven Churches of Asia, concerning Christ's promise in Revelation 2:7: "I know there are some of you who are struggling, struggling hard, and you are overcoming. Well, then, you shall eat of the tree of life." In this I cannot concur. Our right to the tree of life is not through our struggling but through Christ's suffering. That for which man was created will be reached at last, not because we struggled here on the battleground of human life, but because we have been redeemed through the sacrifice of God's dear Son. If you want to be an overcomer, then come to Christ. Unbelief and immortality cannot coexist in Heaven where God dwells. You need the salvation that God offers to you through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Come to Him at once and you shall overcome at last. (Borrow The Book of the Revelation: Outlined Studies) Hear (191) akouo primarily means physical hearing of sounds and the apprehension of the sounds with one's mind. Akouo gives us our English acoustics which is the science of designs that helps one hear (We need "spiritual acoustics" to help us hear spiritual truth!). Friberg summarizes akouo - listen to; (1) followed by the genitive to indicate sense perception hear (Acts 9.7); (2) followed by the accusative to indicate understanding of what was said hear (Acts 9.4); (3) as a legal technical term give a hearing, grant a court trial ( Jn 7.51); (4) of being informed about something learn or hear (of) (Mt 14.13); (5) impersonally avkou,etai it is reported ( 1Co 5.1); (6) of discipleship listen to, pay attention to, obey ( Lk 9.35); (7) of inner comprehension understand, be aware of, listen to (Gal 4.21) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) Akouo in the Revelation - Rev. 1:3; Rev. 1:10; Rev. 2:7; Rev. 2:11; Rev. 2:17; Rev. 2:29; Rev. 3:3; Rev. 3:6; Rev. 3:13; Rev. 3:20; Rev. 3:22; Rev. 4:1; Rev. 5:11; Rev. 5:13; Rev. 6:1; Rev. 6:3; Rev. 6:5; Rev. 6:6; Rev. 6:7; Rev. 7:4; Rev. 8:13; Rev. 9:13; Rev. 9:16; Rev. 9:20; Rev. 10:4; Rev. 10:8; Rev. 11:12; Rev. 12:10; Rev. 13:9; Rev. 14:2; Rev. 14:13; Rev. 16:1; Rev. 16:5; Rev. 16:7; Rev. 18:4; Rev. 18:22; Rev. 18:23; Rev. 19:1; Rev. 19:6; Rev. 21:3; Rev. 22:8; Rev. 22:17; Rev. 22:18 Overcomes (conquers) (3528)(nikao from nike = victory, conquest) means to conquer, to be the victor, to gain the victory, to be victorious or to prevail in the face of obstacles. Nikao is a military metaphor that connotes superiority and victory over a vanquished foe. Webster's 1828 dictionary says to overcome means "o conquer; to vanquish; to subdue; as, to overcome enemies in battle.To surmount; to get the better of) Overcome describes the quality of a true saint who may (will) stumble and fall but who God always picks up and he continues onward and upward in the power of the Spirit and in the motivation of the victory Christ has won for us on the Cross (cf 2Pe 1:10-11+). Metzer says "The word conquer is a military term. It suggests that the Christian life, so far from being a bed of roses, involves a struggle against anyone and anything that saps the Christian life of all that gives it strength and power.” As Jesus alerted His soon to be vigorously persecuted disciples "These things (Ed: Always ask "What things?" - forces you to read the preceding context - See Jn 14:1ff, esp Jn 14:23) I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage (present imperative see need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey); I have overcome (perfect tense pictures permanence of our Lord's victory over this evil world system and its evil ruler! Glory!) the world." (Jn 16:33) Nikao in NT - most uses in the Revelation - 25v - Lk. 11:22; Jn. 16:33; Ro. 3:4; Ro. 12:21; 1Jn. 2:13; 1Jn. 2:14; 1Jn. 4:4; 1Jn. 5:4; 1Jn. 5:5; Rev. 2:7; Rev. 2:11; Rev. 2:17; Rev. 2:26; Rev. 3:5; Rev. 3:12; Rev. 3:21; Rev. 5:5; Rev. 6:2; Rev. 11:7; Rev. 12:11; Rev. 13:7; Rev. 15:2; Rev. 17:14; Rev. 21:7. Luke 11:22 “But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. John 16:33 “These things (John 13-16 UPPER ROOM DISCOURSE) I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation (thlipsis), but take courage (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey); I have overcome (perfect tense = victory at Calvary which will endure eternally!) the world.” Romans 3:4 May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, “THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED.” Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) evil with good. 1 John 2:13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because (TERM OF EXPLANATION) you have overcome (perfect tense = when you became a believer with this effect enduring) the evil one (DEVIL AND HIS CHILDREN). I have written to you, children, because you know the Father. 1 John 2:14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome (perfect tense = when you became a believer with this effect enduring) the evil one (DEVIL AND HIS CHILDREN). 1 John 4:4 You are from God, little children, and have (perfect tense = when you became a believer with this effect enduring) them; because greater is He who is in you (Christ - Col 1:27, Spirit of Christ - 1Co 6:19) than he who is in the world (DEVIL AND HIS CHILDREN). 1 John 5:4 For whatever is born ((perfect tense = past completed act, enduring effect = cf "Eternal Security"!) of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith. 1 John 5:5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? Revelation 2:7 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who (present tense - continually) overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’ Revelation 2:11 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who (present tense - continually) overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’ Revelation 2:17 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who (present tense - continually) overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’ Revelation 2:26 ‘He who (present tense - continually) overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; Revelation 3:5 ‘He who (present tense - continually) overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Revelation 3:12 ‘He who (present tense - continually) overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. Revelation 3:21 ‘He who (present tense - continually) overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Revelation 5:5 and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” Revelation 6:2 I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. Revelation 11:7 When they (Rev 11:3) have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. Revelation 13:7 It was also given to him (ANTICHRIST) to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. Revelation 15:2 And I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who (present tense - continually) had been victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. Revelation 17:14 “These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful.” COMMENT - Note that at His first coming the Lamb was slain, conquering the enemy (Jn 16:33, cf Rev 3:21 = "as I also overcame") and at His second coming, He will conquer all who oppose His rule and authority (Rev 17:14). The Cross was the victory, the Second Coming is the crushing of His foes as described by Daniel when Christ "the Stone was cut out without hands, and...struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were crushed all at the same time and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found. But the Stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth (THE MESSIANIC KINGDOM). (Da 2:34-35+) Revelation 21:7 “He who (present tense - continually) overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. Tree (3586) xulon from xuo = to scrape) is literally wood and refers to anything made of wood, including a tree or other wooden article or substance. In Acts 5:30, 10:39, 13:29, 1Pe 2:24 and Gal 3:13 xulon refers to the old rugged Cross. The NT idea of xulon/xylon as a cross is related to Deuteronomy 21 which emphasizes the shame that befalls the one who is exposed and punished in such a way. If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree (Lxx = xulon) his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree (Lxx = xulon), but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance.(Deut. 21:22,23+) Paul in Galatians adds a "commentary" on the "tree" explaining that Christ became a "curse" in our place. In other words, Christ became a curse that we might be blessed! Hallelujah, O What a Savior! Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us–for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE (xulon, quoting Dt 21:23+)”– (Gal 3:13+) (What does it mean that we are redeemed from the curse of the law? | GotQuestions.org) TDNT use of xulon for the Cross. A distinctive use of xyÃlon in the NT is for the cross. The basis is Dt. 21:22, which stresses the shame of being exposed on a tree. Acts 5:30; 10:39, etc. make the point that crucifixion is the greatest possible insult to Jesus, but that God has displayed his majesty by raising him from the dead. Paul in Gal. 3:13 shows that Christ has redeemed us from the curse by being made a curse for us according to Dt. 21:22. A curse lies on those who break the law, but Christ, who has not broken the law, voluntarily and vicariously becomes accursed, as his death on the accursed wood makes plain. He thus releases us from the curse and from the death that it entails. 1 Pet. 2:24 is to the same effect when it says that Christ bore our sins in his own body on the “tree” (with a plain reference to Is. 53:4, 12). The vicarious element is prominent here. Human sins are laid on Christ, crucified in him, and thus set aside. Christ does not lay sins on a scapegoat, but takes them to himself and cancels them on the cross, so that sinners, dead to sin, may live to righteousness. (BORROW Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament : abridged in one volume) Xulon - 20x in 18v - clubs(5), cross(4), stocks(1), tree(7), wood(3). Mt 26:47; Mt 26:55; Mk. 14:43; Mk. 14:48; Lk. 22:52; Lk. 23:31; Acts 5:30; Acts 10:39; Acts 13:29; Acts 16:24; 1 Co. 3:12; Gal. 3:13; 1 Pet. 2:24; Rev. 2:7; Rev. 18:12; Rev. 22:2; Rev. 22:14; Rev. 22:19 Life (2222) zoe in Scripture is used (1) to refer to physical life (Ro 8:38+, 1Co 3:22, Php 1:20+, Jas 4:14, etc) but more often to (2) to supernatural life in contrast to a life subject to eternal death (Jn 3:36, see all 43 uses of "eternal life" below). This quality of life speaks of fullness of life which alone belongs to God the Giver of life and is available to His children now (Ro 6:4+, Ep 4:18+) as well as in eternity future (Mk 10:30, Titus 1:2+ on Eternal Life). Zoe uses in the Revelation - Rev. 2:7; Rev. 2:10; Rev. 3:5; Rev. 7:17; Rev. 11:11; Rev. 13:8; Rev. 16:3; Rev. 17:8; Rev. 20:12; Rev. 20:15; Rev. 21:6; Rev. 21:27; Rev. 22:1; Rev. 22:2; Rev. 22:14; Rev. 22:17; Rev. 22:19 Paradise (3857)(paradeisos) is a loan word from old Persian, where the pairi-daēza- (read pari-daiza- or -dēza-) of the Avesta denotes an enclosure, then the park surrounded by a wall. In Greek it occurs first in Xenophon for the parks of the Persian king and nobility. a nobleman's beautiful walled garden or park which may include animals and vegetation (cf Eccl 2:5). It is used only 3x in the NT but some 45x in the OT and most of the uses in the Septuagint are translated garden, and specifically of the Garden of Eden (Ge 2:8). It is ironic that man sinned in the first Garden but in the future "Garden" will be forever sinless because of the blood of the Lamb. In Isaiah 51:3 paradeisos is used to describe future of redeemed and restored Zion (and the nation) in the Messianic Kingdom as like the bliss of the Garden of Eden before sin entered writing "Indeed, the LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places. And her wilderness He will make like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in her, Thanksgiving and sound of a melody." Paradeisos - 3x in NT - Lk. 23:43; 2 Co. 12:4; Rev. 2:7 Paradeisos - 25x in the Septuagint - Gen. 2:8; Gen. 2:9; Gen. 2:10; Gen. 2:15; Gen. 2:16; Gen. 3:1; Gen. 3:2; Gen. 3:3; Gen. 3:8; Gen. 3:10; Gen. 3:23; Gen. 3:24; Gen. 13:10; Nu. 24:6; 2 Chr. 33:20; Neh. 2:8; Eccl. 2:5; Cant. 4:13; Isa. 1:30; Isa. 51:3; Jer. 29:5; Ezek. 28:13; Ezek. 31:8; Ezek. 31:9; Joel 2:3 Vance Havner - Are You Listening? Speak; for thy servant heareth. I Samuel 3:10. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 11:15. He that hath an ear, let him hear. Revelation 2:7. It is an oft-recurring word from our Lord, found throughout the Gospels—"He that hath ears to hear..." Some have ears—period! Samuel was listening—and God spoke. God has much to say today, but we have "ears to hear, and hear not" (Ezek. 12:2). Some stop their ears (Acts 7:57). Some turn their ears from the truth (2Ti 4:4). Some have itching ears (2Ti 4:3). Are you tuned in on God? It is said that John Burroughs, the naturalist, could walk along a noisy street and overhear a cricket in the hedge. His ear was tuned to the little voices of nature. You can make your way through the hubbub and still keep in touch with heaven. Samuel was listening. The boy who listens for God to speak will hear Him, for God is looking for such boys. God's men have been men of a double resolve: "I will hear what God the Lord will speak" (Ps. 85:8); and then, "What the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak" (1Ki 22:14). Related Resource: ARE YOU LISTENING? Sermon by Joseph Parker - "If any man have ears." What are some Bible verses about listening? | GotQuestions.org Vance Havner adds - A lot of Sunday-morning Christians, who want to sit with folded hands and listen to a mild discourse on the Teacher of Galilee, need to be aroused from their stupor by a vision of the flaming Christ of the Candlesticks. Eight times in these messages to the churches He says, "He that hath an ear, let him hear." Eight times in the Gospels He says, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Some of us have ears ... period. "Hearing we hear not." We sit at church looking but not listening. God grant us ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches! And eyes to behold the Lord of the Lampstands bidding us "Repent ... or else!" Vance Havner - Learn How to Listen We spend much time and money learning how to speak when we need to learn how to listen. "... hearing they hear not" (Matt. 13:13). "... if any man hear my words" (John 12:47). "He that hath ears, let him hear" (Mark 4:9). After all, we have two ears to hear with and only one mouth to speak with—thank the Lord! QUESTION - What did Jesus mean when He said, “He who has ears to hear”? ANSWER - In the Gospels, Jesus speaks of those who have “ears to hear” at the end of a difficult saying or parable (e.g., Matthew 11:15; Mark 4:9, 23). Who is “he who has ears to hear”? Better yet, who is “he who has ears”? Ears are a feature shared by all of humanity—to not have ears would be an unnatural occurrence. Therefore, when Jesus addresses those who have ears, He refers to all who have been given His words—no matter their age, ethnicity, language, or status. But there is a difference between having ears and having “ears to hear.” Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed contrasts types of hearers: those who let the Word of God pass straight through their ears and those who truly listen and seek understanding (Mark 4:13–20). Some hear the Word, yet they do not allow it to take root because the seduction of worldly pleasures and comfort overcomes them. Others end up rejecting the Word because of persecution or trials. Others hear the Word and open themselves to understand and accept it so that it transforms them. Those who have “ears to hear” allow the Word to bear fruit to the glory of God. It is up to the hearer to decide whether to take the Word seriously and pursue understanding; only a few are willing—the rest have ears, but they do not have “ears to hear” (Matthew 7:13–14, 24–27). Whenever Jesus says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear,” He is calling for people to pay careful heed. It’s another way of saying, “Listen up! Pay close attention!” Speaking in parables was one way in which Jesus sought to gain the attention of the crowds —people love stories, and the parables depicted events and characters with which they could readily relate. But unless they were willing to tune out other distractions and come to Jesus to understand the meaning of His preaching, His words would be only empty stories. They needed more than ears, however keen they were; they needed ears to hear. When asked by His disciples why He was speaking to the crowds in parables, Jesus refers to Isaiah 6, which speaks of people who have eyes and ears, yet who have hardened their hearts and chosen to ignore the Word of the Lord (Matthew 13:10–15; cf. Isaiah 6:8–10). Part of the judgment on those who refuse to believe is that they will eventually lose their opportunity to believe: “Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them” (Matthew 13:12; cf. Romans 1:18–32). A similar phrase is found in Revelation in each of the seven letters to the churches: “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). And in Revelation 13:9, immediately following a description of the Antichrist, we read, “Whoever has ears, let them hear.” The readers of Revelation are called upon to pay close attention and seek God’s wisdom concerning what’s written. Who is “he who has ears”? The simple answer: all people who have been or are being given the words of God. Like the parables’ original audience, we must also “Listen up! Pay close attention!” Jesus’ simple request is that we use our God-given faculties (eyes to see, ears to hear) to tune in to His words (John 10:27 –28; Mark 4:24; Revelation 3:20). “For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open” (Mark 4:22). Seeking God’s truth takes energy and focus; it takes a willingness to be challenged and changed. While the way of God’s truth is not the most convenient or fun path to take, we can be assured that it is the best one (John 1:4; 10:9; 14:6). And so He bids us, “Come” (Matthew 11:28 –30). Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. (Isaiah 55:1–3) GotQuestions.org Vance Havner - The Deaf Generation In Caesarea we saw an outdoor theatre, not an amphitheatre, but a semicircular stone auditorium. From the back row we could hear our leader speak in conversational tones from the platform. Moreover, he told us that a larger theatre in Ephesus that could hold twenty-four thousand was constructed centuries ago with the same marvelous acoustics. All this in a day when in my travels all over America I have had congregations of a hundred or so complain that they could not hear in a tiny church! Larger edifices wrestle continually with the problem. All our experts somehow cannot come up with the acoustics of antiquity! How many times have listeners in little auditoriums lamented that hearing was bad only a few yards from the pulpit! Could it be that we slaves of our own devices have become so accustomed to hearing aids of all sorts that we imagine we cannot hear without them? We limp on our crutches and if the amplifier does not work "hearing we hear not" (Matthew 13:13). Once I listened to the veteran evangelist, Gipsy Smith. He was a preacher of the old days and abhorred all new devices. I thought I could not hear him and when he asked if any of us were having trouble about it, I raised my hand. "You're not listening!" was his reply. Could it be that, conditioned as we are to mechanical aids, we just think we cannot hear the preacher? And of course those dear souls who come to church early to get a back seat could move up closer and fill that empty lumberyard of ten rows of seats right in front of the pulpit. But they never do, yet still insist that they cannot hear! "Ears that hear not." "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Mark 4:9). Ears to hear! All of us are equipped with ears but hearing is another matter. We hear and we do not hear. Our ears catch vocal sounds emanating from the pulpit, but the message escapes us. We hear (after a fashion) what the minister says but our Lord said, "Let him hear what the Spirit saith..." (Revelation 2:7). Of course sometimes the preacher is not saying what the Spirit says and if we listened ever so well there would be no word from God. Or the trouble, may be not with the transmitter but with our receiver! There is a preparation to hear the sermon as well as a preparation to deliver the sermon. We live now in an ear-splitting age of amplified dissonance and some think the next generation will have to be equipped with hearing aids. The more our eardrums are bombarded with demonic waves of music (which is not music but only an excuse for not being able to make music), the deafer our souls will be. Something has gone wrong with our hearing—both physically and spiritually. We are not going to correct it by clever devices. We must get at the cause. We need to do something about how we hear as well as what we hear. There is famine of the hearing of the Word of God—a famine because in some quarters it is not being preached and in others because our ears are not tuned and trained to hear it. God grant us more Samuels who can say, "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth" (1 Samuel 3:9)! Robert Neighbor - The Overcomers at Ephesus "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God" (Rev. 2:7) (1) THE MIND AT ONCE RUSHES BACK ACROSS THE INTERVENING AGES TO THE GARDEN OF GOD, CALLED EDEN. It was there that God placed the man whom He had created; it was there that God walked with man and talked with man. In Eden we have a vision of "our first love." What hallowed relationship was there? In Eden we have the Tree of Life, the central glory! What glorious food! The Tree of Life, the harbinger of life and joy and gladness was there. (2) THE MIND LEAVING EDEN WHICH ADAM LOST, PASSES THROUGH THE MILLENNIUMS PAST AND THEN THROUGH THE MILLENNIUM TO COME, AND PRESSES ITS WAY INTO PARADISE RESTORED. There the overcomer finds all that was lost — it is restored again." He who overcomes; he who, 'mid many works and labors and 'mid much contentions for the faith, keeps tryst with Christ, and forgets Him not, will walk with Him within the city walls. He will be restored to a union and a communion with God the Father and with God the Son such as only comes to those who overcome. He will walk with God as Adam walked, and he will have the Tree of Life. Question: What is the meaning of the tree of life? Answer: The tree of life, mentioned in the books of Genesis and Revelation, is a life-giving tree created to enhance and perpetually sustain the physical life of humanity. The tree was planted by God in the Garden of Eden: “The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9). The centrally located tree of life would have been easily accessible to Adam and Eve from any point in the garden. More details concerning the tree of life come after Adam and Eve’s sin: “The LORD God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever’” (Genesis 3:22+). In his disobedience, Adam lost his eternal life. The tree of life in Eden must have had some role to play in maintaining the life of Adam and Eve (and possibly the animals). Adam would “live forever,” even in his fallen condition, if he had eaten the tree of life after his sin. God placed a sword-wielding cherub at the entrance to the garden specifically “to guard the way to the tree of life” (Ge 3:24+). It seems access to the tree of life would have prolonged Adam’s physical life indefinitely, dooming him to an eternity in a cursed world. It was a mercy that God kept us from the tree of life. By barring access to the tree of life, God showed compassion in His omniscience. Knowing that, because of sin, earthly life would be filled with sorrow and toil, God graciously limited the number of years men would live. To live eternally in a sinful state would mean endless agony for humanity, with no hope of the relief that comes with death. By limiting our lifespan, God gives us enough time to come to know Him and His provision for eternal life through Christ but spares us the misery of an endless existence in a sinful condition. In His great love, God provided One who would redeem fallen mankind. Through one man, Adam, sin entered the world, but through another Man, Jesus Christ, redemption through the forgiveness of sin is available to all (Romans 5:17). Those who avail themselves of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross will be resurrected to see the tree of life again, for it stands in the middle of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, where it bears “twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). In the eternal state, the curse will be no more (verse 3), access to the tree of life will be reinstated, and darkness will be forever banished (Rev 22:5). Eden will be restored.(Source: GotQuestions.org) Related Resources: Easton's Bible Dictionary Tree of Life Holman Bible Dictionary Tree of Life - Plant in Garden of Eden symbolizing access to eternal life and metaphor used in Proverbs. For the biblical writer the tree of life was an important consideration only after Adam and Eve disobeyed. Sin interrupted the quality of life God intended for them. They were to obey God (Genesis 2:17 ) in a family setting (Genesis 2:18-25 ) and perform their assigned tasks (Genesis 2:15 ). The implication is that they had access to all the trees in the garden, including the tree of life, but God gave an explicit command not to eat of the tree of knowledge. Their relationship to God changed radically when they disobeyed that command. Chief among the radical changes was that they no longer had access to the tree of life (Genesis 3:22-24 ). The “tree of life” appears in Proverbs four times (Proverbs 3:18; Proverbs 11:30; Proverbs 13:12; Proverbs 15:4 ) and in Revelation 2:7; Revelation 22:2 ,Revelation 22:2,22:14 . To lay hold of wisdom is to lay hold on “a tree of life” (Proverbs 3:18 ). “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life” (Proverbs 11:30 NIV). Yet another proverb has this comparison: “a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” ( Proverbs 13:12 NIV). The author of another proverb wrote, “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life” ( Proverbs 15:4 NIV). None of these proverbs seems to refer to “the tree of life” mentioned in Genesis. All of the references in Revelation do. See Adam and Eve; Eden; Tree of Knowledge . Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Tree of Life International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Tree of Life McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Tree of Life The Jewish Encyclopedia Tree of Life Thompson Chain Reference Genesis 2:9 Genesis 3:22 Proverbs 3:18 Proverbs 11:30 Ezekiel 47:7 Ezekiel 47:12 Revelation 2:7 Revelation 22:2 Question: What is paradise? Is paradise a different place than Heaven? Answer: Paradise is a place of blessing where the righteous go after death. The word paradise is usually used as a synonym for “heaven” (Revelation 2:7). When Jesus was dying on the cross and one of the thieves being crucified with Him asked Him for mercy, Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43+). Jesus knew that His death was imminent and that He would soon be in heaven with His Father. Therefore, Jesus used “paradise” as a synonym for “heaven.” The apostle Paul wrote of someone (probably himself) who “was caught up to paradise” (2 Corinthians 12:4). In this context, paradise obviously refers to heaven. There has always been a separation of believers and unbelievers after death (Luke 16:19-31). The righteous have always gone to paradise; the wicked have always gone to hell. For right now, both paradise and hell are “temporary holding places” until the day when Jesus Christ comes back to judge the world based on whether or not individuals have believed in Him. The first resurrection is of believers who will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ to receive rewards based on meritorious service to Him (2Co 5:10). The second resurrection will be that of unbelievers who will stand before the Great White Throne Judgment of God. At that point, all will be sent to their eternal destination—the wicked to the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15), and the righteous to a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21-22). There are cases in which paradise can refer to the Garden of Eden, such in the Douay-Rheims translation of Genesis 3:8, which speaks of Adam and Eve hiding “amidst the trees of paradise.” The context of the word will determine whether it refers to heaven or Eden. (Source: GotQuestions.org) QUESTION - What did Jesus mean when He said, “Today you will be with me in paradise”? ANSWER - It is common knowledge that punctuation, including commas, was introduced into the biblical manuscripts centuries after the books were completed. Therefore, commas are not authoritative. However, the placement of commas can affect our understanding of a text. For example, in Luke 23, one of the thieves crucified next to Jesus says, “‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise’” (Lk 23:42-43). Commas help us keep the original phrasing intact. Was Jesus saying, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me . . .” (meaning that “today” is when the thief would be in paradise)? Or was He saying, “I tell you the truth today, you will be with me . . .” (meaning that “today” is when Jesus was speaking”)? First, we note that every major Bible translation inserts the comma before the word today. Thus, the KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV, ESV, and RSV all agree that Jesus was speaking of the time that the thief would enter paradise. The thief would be in paradise with Jesus on that very same day. Also, Jesus prefaced His response with the phrase, “I tell you the truth” (“Verily I say unto thee” in the KJV). Many scholars have noticed that Jesus uses this as a prefix phrase when He is about to say something that should be listened to with care. Seventy-six times in the New Testament, Jesus uses the phrase. Interestingly, no one but Jesus ever says it. When the Lord says “I tell you the truth,” He is affirming that what He is about to say is worthy of special attention. It was Jesus’ way of saying, “Listen up! What I’m about to say is very important and should be listened to carefully.” We’re too used to hearing the phrase to appreciate the astonishing authority it expresses and the often solemn nature of the announcement that follows. In every one of the 76 times Christ uses this introductory phrase, He simply says it and then makes a startling statement. It would be strange indeed if, in this one instance, Jesus departed from His normal way of making His signature statement by adding the word today to it. In every case where this sort of introductory phrase is used, Greek scholars add a punctuation break after the phrase in question and before the rest of the statement. So, the translators have it right. The comma in Luke 23:43 belongs where they put it. This brings us to another question. If Jesus was buried and rose after three days and then many days later ascended to heaven, how could He have been in paradise with the thief? After Christ died, it was His body that was buried in the tomb. However, Jesus’ spirit/soul was not in the tomb. Jesus’ spirit was in the Father’s presence (Luke 23:46; Ephesians 4:8). See more information in our article here. As Jesus was hanging on the cross, paying our penalty for sin, He made a promise to a dying, repentant thief. By the grace of God and the power of Christ, that promise was kept. The thief’s sins were washed away, and his death that day was his entrance to paradise.GotQuestions.org Related Resources: What does it mean that Paul went to the third heaven? | GotQuestions.org What happens after death? | GotQuestions.org Is “Paradise Lost” by John Milton biblical? | GotQuestions.org What did Jesus mean when He said, "Today you will be with me in paradise"? Baker Evangelical Dictionary Paradise Easton's Bible Dictionary Paradise Fausset Bible Dictionary Paradise Holman Bible Dictionary Paradise Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Paradise Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Paradise Paradise (2) King James Dictionary Paradise Vines' Expository Dictionary Paradise International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Paradise Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Paradise McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Paradise (2) Paradise (2) Paradise The Jewish Encyclopedia Paradise Revelation 2:8 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this: BGT Revelation 2:8 Καὶ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Σμύρνῃ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ πρῶτος καὶ ὁ ἔσχατος, ὃς ἐγένετο νεκρὸς καὶ ἔζησεν· KJV Revelation 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; NET Revelation 2:8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who is the first and the last, the one who was dead, but came to life: CSB Revelation 2:8 "Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: "The First and the Last, the One who was dead and came to life, says: ESV Revelation 2:8 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: 'The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. NIV Revelation 2:8 "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. NLT Revelation 2:8 "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who was dead but is now alive: NRS Revelation 2:8 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the first and the last, who was dead and came to life: NJB Revelation 2:8 'Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna and say, "Here is the message of the First and the Last, who was dead and has come to life again: NAB Revelation 2:8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna, write this: " 'The first and the last, who once died but came to life, says this: YLT Revelation 2:8 'And to the messenger of the assembly of the Smyrneans write: These things saith the First and the Last, who did become dead and did live; the angel: Rev 2:1 the first: Rev 1:8,11,17,18 (KJV has "first and last" in Rev 1:11KJV) Revelation 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Seaport of Smyrna THE FIRST AND LAST RISEN FROM THE DEAD Related Passages: Rev 1:17 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, Rev 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Isaiah 41:4 “Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He.’” Isaiah 44:6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me. Isaiah 48:12 “Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last. Commiphora myrrha tree This is the shortest of the seven letters and one of two churches without condemnation (the other is Philadelphia). And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: Similar introduction in all 7 letters - see Pattern. We have no record in the NT of the founding of this church in Smyrna but it may be related to Acts 19:10+ where Luke describes Paul's stay in Ephesus," with the result being "that all who lived in Asia (Smyrna is in Asia about 30-40 miles north of Ephesus) heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks." Beginning in Ephesus, the letters to the seven churches move clockwise with the next stop at Smyrna about 40 miles north of Ephesus. The messenger carrying this letter from John would have been like an ancient version of Paul Revere crying Jesus' final call to the churches. 🙏 THOUGHT - Steve Lawson writes "Once more the call must go out. A shroud of darkness covers America. While the future of our nation hangs precariously in the balance, the church (IN AMERICA) sleeps (NOTE: HE WRITES THIS IN 1994 - I WRITE IN 2023! Sadly he fell into sin in 2025!). Content to slumber and lie comfortably tucked in bed. Content to pull the covers up over her head. But the war wages on. The struggle for the soul of America escalates. The battle for the heart of our nation builds. And ONLY the church can stem the tide of darkness. ONLY the church can repel the forces of evil. Let the church be the church!...Smyrna represents every persecuted church in every age, and every persecuted believer in every cultural setting." (Final call - BORROW - Beloved this is must read in light of the darkness encroaching on America in 2023.) Mattoon on Smyrna - Alexander the Great rebuilt the city and determined to make it a model Greek city. It was a city of wealth and commercial greatness and was referred to as "The Beautiful." It received its name from one of its principal commercial products.... myrrh. It also had a profitable trade in wine. Today it is known as Izmir, located in the country of Turkey, and has a population of over 300,000 with 2/3 of the people being professing Christians. (Treasures from Revelation) Recall Jesus' command in Rev 1:11+ to "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” So while each angel of the churches received a letter specifically for them, it is clear from Jesus' words that all 7 churches received all 7 letters. Oil of Myrrh Smyrna (4667)(smurna) was a resinous gum oozing from a kind of balsam tree, used for incense and ointments. The tree would also yield its sweet smelling resin when it was crushed or bruised even to death. Myrrh describes various aspects of the relationship of the lovers in the Song of Solomon. Smurna - 4x in the NT - Mt. 2:11; Jn. 19:39; Rev. 1:11; Rev. 2:8 All uses of myrrh in Septuagint and the NT - 14x in 13v - Ex 30:23; Ps. 45:8; Song 3:6; Song 4:6; Song 4:14; Song 5:1; Song 5:5; Song 5:13 EXCURSUS ON MYRRH - At Jesus' birth Matthew records that "Magi from the east" (Mt 2:1,2+), "After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (smurna)." (Mt 2:11+) Myrrh was an ingredient in the holy anointing oil, Moses instructing the sons of Israel to “Take also for yourself the finest of spices of flowing myrrh (Lxx = smurna) five hundred shekels," (Ex 30:23+), which was used to anoint the high priest Aaron (Ex 28:41+, Ex 29:7+, Ex 40:13+ cf how lavishly Aaron was anointed in Ps 133:2+) Who foreshadowed the Great High Priest Christ Jesus (Heb 4:14+). And not only at His birth, but at His death our Great High Priest Christ Jesus was anointed with myrrh after His body had been crushed and bruised, and he was embalmed and prepared for burial, for "Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh (smurna) and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight." (John 19:39). Finally, myrrh is used in a clearly Messianic psalm, Psalm 45, where we read 6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. (QUOTED IN Hebrews 1:8,9+) 7 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows. 8 All Your garments are fragrant with myrrh (Lxx = myrrh) and aloes and cassia; Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made You glad. (Ps 45:6-8+)
Apocalipse 2
MacArthur explains the practical significance of Jesus' title in this opening line of the letter - Knowing that they were undergoing difficult times, Christ was reminding them that He transcends temporal matters, and, through their union with Him, so should they. And should they face death at the hands of their persecutors, beside them is the One who conquered death (Heb. 2:14) and who promised, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die” (John 11:25–26). Jesus Christ also endured the most unjust and severe persecution anyone ever suffered (cf. Heb. 12:3–4), so He can serve as a compassionate and understanding source of power (Heb. 2:17–18; Heb 4:15)." (See Revelation Commentary) Says this - Literally this reads "These things says" Says this could be accurately paraphrased "“this is the solemn pronouncement of” TECHNICAL NET NOTE - Grk “These things says [the One] …” The expression τάδε λέγει (tade legei) occurs eight times in the NT, seven of which are in Rev 2–3 [Rev. 2:1; Rev. 2:8; Rev. 2:12; Rev. 2:18; Rev. 3:1; Rev. 3:7; Rev. 3:14]. “The pronoun (tade) is used to add solemnity to the prophetic utterance that follows.…In classical drama, it was used to introduce a new actor to the scene (Smyth, Greek Grammar, 307 [§1241]). But the τάδε λέγει formula in the NT derives from the OT, where it was used to introduce a prophetic utterance. Thus, the translation “this is the solemn pronouncement of” for τάδε λέγει is very much in keeping with the OT connotations of this expression. EDITORIAL COMMENT - "TADE LEGEI" is used over 350 times in the Septuagint - here are a few representative uses - Amos 1:6; Amos 1:9; Amos 1:11; Amos 1:13; Amos 2:1; Amos 2:4; Amos 2:6; Amos 3:11; Amos 3:12; Amos 5:3; Amos 5:4; Amos 5:16; Amos 7:11; Amos 7:17; Mic. 2:3; Mic. 3:5; Obad. 1:1; Nah. 1:12; Hag. 1:2; Hag. 1:5; Hag. 1:7; Hag. 1:9; Hag. 2:6; Hag. 2:11; Zech. 1:3; Zech. 1:4; Zech. 1:14; Zech. 1:16; Zech. 1:17; Glen Spencer - Smyrna represents a period of great persecution. The name Smyrna means myrrh. Myrrh is a fragrant spice which must be crushed to bring forth its full fragrance. The Christians of this era were crushed and persecuted, but the more they suffered, the more fragrant was their testimony. During this time thousands of Christians were brought into the theaters of Rome to be fed to lions while spectators cheered. Many were crucified, others were covered with animal skins and ripped apart by wild dogs. They were covered in tar and set on fire as human torches. They were boiled in oil and burned at the stake. It was during this time that Justin Martyr was beheaded and Polycarp the aged soldier of Christ was burned at the stake. When Polycarp was 86 years old, he was pressured by the Roman proconsul to renounce Christ to be set free. He answered, "Eighty and six years have I served Him and He never did me any injury. How then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?" Related Resources: Why is the truth of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ so important? | GotQuestions.org Why is the resurrection of Jesus Christ important? | GotQuestions.org Why should I believe in Christ’s resurrection? | GotQuestions.org Is the resurrection of Jesus Christ true? | GotQuestions.org What is more important, the death of Christ or His resurrection? | GotQuestions.org Can the various resurrection accounts from the four Gospels be harmonized? | GotQuestions.org What did Jesus mean when He said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25)? | GotQuestions.org Vance Havner - The First and the Last "Fear not; I am the first and the last." Rev. 1:17 Why should I fear? He is the alpha and omega, the author and finisher, the first and the last. He was here before there was any fear and he will be here when all fear has passed away! Before there was a universe he saw everything from the beginning. If I could stand for five minutes at his vantage point and see the entire scheme of things as he sees it, how absurd would be my dreads, how ridiculous my fears and tears! But I see only this mixed and muddled present. I snatch these hours out of the pattern of the ages and of course there are ragged edges and loose ends, and things don't seem to make sense. Like jerking a text out of its context I tear this leaf of today out of the book of eternity and wonder why it looks so incomplete. He sees it all and if I could see it all I would not fear. But why should I fear anyway? He has told me that there is nothing to fear and he knows. Can't I take his Word for it? He has overcome pain and sorrow and fear and death: he will outlast them all. My life is in union with Christ in God and I shall outlast all of life's pressures. We think of ourselves as transient and these things as permanent but really they are but transient and we are eternal! I am identified with him: "To live is Christ"... and even to die is gain! What is there to fear? Related Resources: William M Ramsay - [1851-1939] The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia and Their Place in the Plan of the Apocalypse - Here is the table of contents. Here is the link to download the entire PDF. First and the Last - study by A B Simpson BACKGROUND ON SMYRNA William Barclay Related Resource: Smyrna in Wikipedia (Modern day Izmir - see time of Roman Rule) IF it was inevitable that Ephesus should come first in the list of the seven churches, it was only natural that Smyrna, its great rival, should come second. Of all the cities of Asia, Smyrna was the loveliest. It was known as the ornament of Asia, the crown of Asia and the flower of Asia. The Greek satirist Lucian said that it was ‘the fairest of the cities of Ionia’. Aristides, the Greek Christian writer, who sang the praise of Smyrna with such splendour, spoke of ‘the grace which extends over every part like a rainbow … the brightness which pervades every part, and reaches up to the heavens, like the glitter of the bronze of armour in Homer’. It added to the charm of Smyrna that the west wind, the gentle zephyr, constantly blew through its streets. ‘The wind’, said Aristides, ‘blows through every part of the city, and makes it as fresh as a grove of trees.’ The constant west wind had only one disadvantage. The sewage of the city drained into the gulf on which the city stood, and the west wind tended to blow the smell back upon the city rather than out to sea. View from Lower Town towards hill of Pagos from Ramsay's Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia Smyrna was magnificently situated. It stood at the end of the road which crossed Lydia and Phrygia and travelled out to the far east, and it commanded the trade of the rich Hermus valley. Inevitably, it was a great trading city. The city itself stood at the end of a long arm of the Aegean sea, which ended in a small land-locked harbour in the heart of the city. It was the safest of all harbours and the most convenient; and it had the added advantage that in time of war it could be easily closed by a chain across its mouth. It was fitting that on the coins of Smyrna there should be the image of a merchant ship ready for sea. The setting of the city was equally beautiful. It began at the harbour; it crossed the narrow foothills; and then behind the city there rose the Pagos (610 feet in elevation), a hill covered with temples and noble buildings which were spoken of as ‘the Crown of Smyrna’. One traveller has described it as ‘a queenly city crowned with towers’. Aristides likened Smyrna to a great statue with the feet in the sea, the middle parts in the plain and the foothills, and the head, crowned with great buildings, on the Pagos behind. He called it ‘a flower of beauty such as earth and sun had never shown to mankind’. Ruins of Agora in Smyrna Smyrna’s history was very much connected to its beauty, for it was one of the very few planned cities in the world. It had been founded as a Greek colony as far back as 1000 BC. Round about 600 BC, disaster had befallen it, for then the Lydians had broken in from the east and destroyed it. For 400 years, Smyrna had been no city but merely a collection of little villages; then the Macedonian general Lysimachus (map of his kingdom) had rebuilt it as a planned whole. It was built with great, straight, broad streets. Strabo, the Greek geographer, speaks of the handsomeness of the streets, the excellence of the paving and the great rectangular blocks in which it was built. Most famous of all the streets was the Street of Gold, which began with the Temple of Zeus and ended with the Temple of Cybele. It ran across the foothills of the Pagos at an angle; and, if the buildings which encircled the Pagos were the crown of Smyrna, the Street of Gold was the necklace round the hill. (ED: DON'T MISS THE IRONIC DESCRIPTION OF THE CHRISTIANS IN SMYRNA - Rev 2:8 I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich)" Here we have an interesting and a significant thing which shows the care and knowledge with which John set down his letters from the risen Christ. The risen Christ is called ‘the one who died and came to life’ (Ro 2:8). That was an echo of the experience of Smyrna itself. Smyrna had other claims to greatness. It was a free city, and it knew what loyalty was. Long before Rome was undisputed ruler of the world, Smyrna had thrown in its lot with Rome, never to waver in its faithfulness. The Roman statesman Cicero called Smyrna ‘one of our most faithful and our most ancient allies’. In the campaign against Mithridates in the east, things had gone badly with Rome. And when the soldiers of Rome were suffering from hunger and cold, the people of Smyrna stripped off their own clothes to send to them. Such was the reverence of Smyrna for Rome that, as far back as 195 BC (see note), it was the first city in the world to build a temple to the goddess Roma (pix). And in AD 26, when the cities of Asia Minor were competing for the privilege of erecting a temple to the godhead of Tiberius, Smyrna was picked out for that honour, overcoming even Ephesus. Not only was Smyrna great in trade, beauty and political and religious status; it was also a city where culture flourished. Apollonius of Tyana had urged upon Smyrna the truth that only the people can make a city great. He said: ‘Though Smyrna is the most beautiful of all cities under the sun, and makes the sea its own, and holds the fountains of the zephyr, yet it is a greater charm to wear a crown of men than a crown of porticoes and pictures and gold beyond the standard of mankind: for buildings are seen only in their own place, but men are seen everywhere and spoken about everywhere and make their city as vast as the range of countries which they can visit.’ So Smyrna had a stadium in which famous games were held each year, a magnificent public library, an Odeion, which was the home of music, and a theatre which was one of the largest in Asia Minor. In particular, Smyrna was one of the cities which laid claim to being the birthplace of the Greek poet Homer; it had a memorial building called the Homereion, and put Homer’s head on its coinage. This was a disputed claim. Thomas Heywood, the seventeenth-century poet, wrote the famous epigram: "Seven cities warr’d for Homer, being dead, Who, living, had no roof to shroud his head." In such a city, we would expect magnificent architecture; and in Smyrna there was a host of temples to Cybele, to Zeus, to Apollo, to Nemesis, to Aphrodite and to Asclepios. Smyrna had rather more than its share of a characteristic which was common to all Greek cities. The German historian Theodor Mommsen said that Asia Minor was ‘a paradise of municipal vanity’, and Smyrna of all cities was noted for ‘its municipal rivalry and its local pride’. Everyone in it wanted to exalt Smyrna and had a personal desire to climb to the top of the municipal tree. It is not without significance that in the address of the letter the risen Christ is called ‘the first and the last’. In comparison with his glory, all earthly distinctions are worthless. There remains one feature of Smyrna which stands out in the letter and which had serious consequences for the Christians there. The Jews were especially numerous and influential (Rev 2:9). We find them, for instance, contributing 10,000 denarii to make the city beautiful. It is clear that in Smyrna they were particularly hostile to the Christian Church, no doubt because it was from them and from those interested in Judaism that Christianity drew many of its converts. So, we may well end this study of Smyrna with the story of the most famous Christian martyrdom which happened there. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, was martyred on Saturday, 23rd February, AD 155. It was the time of the public games; the city was crowded, and the crowds were excited. Suddenly the shout went up: ‘Away with the atheists; let Polycarp be searched for.’ No doubt Polycarp could have escaped; but already he had had a dream in which he saw the pillow under his head burning with fire; and, when he woke, he told his disciples: ‘I must be burnt alive.’ His whereabouts were betrayed by a slave who collapsed under torture. They came to arrest him. He ordered that they should be given a meal and provided with all they required, while he asked for himself the privilege of one last hour in prayer. Not even the police captain wanted to see Polycarp die. On the brief journey to the city, he pleaded with the old man: ‘What harm is it to say: “Caesar is Lord” and to offer sacrifice and be saved?’ But Polycarp was adamant that for him only Jesus Christ was Lord. When he entered the arena, there came a voice from heaven saying: ‘Be strong, Polycarp, and play the man.’ The proconsul gave him the choice of cursing the name of Christ and making sacrifice to Caesar—or death. ‘Eighty and six years have I served him,’ said Polycarp, ‘and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?’ The proconsul threatened him with burning, and Polycarp replied: ‘You threaten me with the fire that burns for a time, and is quickly quenched, for you do not know the fire which awaits the wicked in the judgment to come and in everlasting punishment. Why are you waiting? Come, do what you will.’ So the crowds came flocking from the workshops and from the baths with bundles of wood—and the Jews, even though they were breaking the Sabbath law by carrying such burdens, were ahead of everyone in bringing wood for the fire. They were going to bind him to the stake. ‘Leave me as I am,’ he said, ‘for he who gives me power to endure the fire will grant me to remain in the flames unmoved even without the security you will give by the nails.’ So they left him loosely bound in the flames, and Polycarp prayed his great prayer: O Lord God Almighty, Father of thy beloved and blessed Child, Jesus Christ, through whom we have received full knowledge of thee, God of angels and powers, and of all creation, and of the whole family of the righteous, who live before thee, I bless thee that thou hast granted unto me this day and hour, that I may share, among the number of the martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ, for the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and body in the immortality of the Holy Spirit. And may I today be received among them before thee, as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, as thou, the God without falsehood and of truth, hast prepared beforehand and shown forth and fulfilled. For this reason I also praise thee for all things. I bless thee, I glorify thee through the eternal and heavenly High Priest, Jesus Christ, thy beloved Child, through whom be glory to thee with him and the Holy Spirit, both now and for the ages that are to come. Amen. So much is plain fact; but then the story drifts into legend, for it goes on to tell that the flames made a kind of tent around Polycarp and left him untouched. At length, the executioner stabbed him to death to achieve what the flames could not do. ‘And when he did this there came out a dove, and much blood, so that the fire was quenched, and all the crowd marvelled that there was such a difference between the unbelievers and the elect.’ What is certain is that Polycarp died a martyr for the faith. It cannot have been easy to be a Christian at Smyrna—and yet the letter to Smyrna is one of the two in which there is undiluted praise. (Barclay) Revelation 2:9 'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. BGT Revelation 2:9 οἶδά σου τὴν θλῖψιν καὶ τὴν πτωχείαν, ἀλλὰ πλούσιος εἶ, καὶ τὴν βλασφημίαν ἐκ τῶν λεγόντων Ἰουδαίους εἶναι ἑαυτοὺς καὶ οὐκ εἰσὶν ἀλλὰ συναγωγὴ τοῦ σατανᾶ. KJV Revelation 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. NET Revelation 2:9 'I know the distress you are suffering and your poverty (but you are rich). I also know the slander against you by those who call themselves Jews and really are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. CSB Revelation 2:9 I know your affliction and poverty, yet you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ESV Revelation 2:9 "'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. NIV Revelation 2:9 I know your afflictions and your poverty--yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. NLT Revelation 2:9 "I know about your suffering and your poverty-- but you are rich! I know the blasphemy of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they are not, because their synagogue belongs to Satan. NRS Revelation 2:9 "I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. NJB Revelation 2:9 I know your hardships and your poverty, and -- though you are rich -- the slander of the people who falsely claim to be Jews but are really members of the synagogue of Satan. NAB Revelation 2:9 "I know your tribulation and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who claim to be Jews and are not, but rather are members of the assembly of Satan. YLT Revelation 2:9 I have known thy works, and tribulation, and poverty -- yet thou art rich -- and the evil-speaking of those saying themselves to be Jews, and are not, but are a synagogue of the Adversary. know: Rev 2:2 tribulation: Rev 7:14 John 16:33 Ac 14:22 Ro 5:3 Ro 8:35 Ro 12:12 1Th 3:4 2Th 1:6,7 poverty: Lu 4:18 Lu 6:20 2Co 8:2,9 Jas 2:5,6 you are rich Rev 3:17,18 Lu 12:21 2Co 6:10 1Ti 6:18 Jas 2:5,6 the blasphemy: Lu 22:65 Ac 26:11 1Ti 1:13 who are Jews: Ro 2:17, Ro 2:28,29 9:6 the synagogue: Rev 3:9 Revelation 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passages: Mt 5:3+ Blessed are the poor (ptochos) in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven 2 Corinthians 6:10+ as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things. Philippians 1:29+ For to you it has been granted (charizomai ~ GIFT OF GRACE!) for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, 2 Timothy 3:12+ Indeed, ALL who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (NOTE: You likely won't find this one in books on God's promises!) 1 Peter 4:12-14+ Beloved, do not be surprised (present imperative with a negative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; 13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation. 14If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 1 Thessalonians 3:2-5+ (WE NEED EACH OTHER WHEN WE ARE SUFFERING!!!) and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, 3 so that (term of purpose) no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. 4 For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction (thlibo - present tense); and so it came to pass, as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor would be in vain. Luke 22:31-32+ “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) your brothers.” Matthew 6:20-21+ (THIS IS WHAT SAINTS AT SMYRNA WERE DOING THAT MADE THEM RICH!) “But store (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal. 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (WHERE IS YOUR TREASURE BELOVED?) What does it mean that “where your treasure is there will your heart be also”? | GotQuestions.org How can we store up treasures in heaven? | GotQuestions.org Luke 12:21+ “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself (ON EARTH), and is not rich toward God.” Persecutions in the Early Church Source: Insights on John - Swindoll JESUS KNOWS WHEN YOU ARE SUFFERING! John
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MacArthur writes "Throughout its history, the seemingly paradoxical truth has been that the more the church has been persecuted, the greater has been its purity and strength....The lifting of the Iron Curtain revealed a powerful, pure church, one characterized by genuine faith, deep spirituality, humility, zeal, love of the truth, and single-minded devotion to the Lord....As Scripture makes clear, persecution and trials are an inevitable and essential part of the Christian life (Acts 14:22+; 2Ti 3:12+). The example of the church at Smyrna instructs all churches on how to properly respond when they come." (See The MacArthur Commentary ) The purest Christian graces are those forged in the furnace of adversity. -- John MacArthur The Uncompromising Church Your (1) tribulation (thlipsis) - Note that this is not the Great Tribulation but is tribulation that impacted the local church at Smyrna. Crushing, pressing circumstances were a reality in their lives and served to effectively separate genuine from false believers. The persecuted church has always been the purest church because hypocrites cannot take the "heat" and "jump ship!" Smyrna was a seat of emperor worship which would have been one source of tribulation especially when they were commanded to declare "Caesar is Lord," but refused. (see example of story of Polycarp above). MacArthur adds that "Under Emperor Domitian, it became a capital offense to refuse to offer the yearly sacrifice to the emperor. Not surprisingly, many Christians faced execution." Jesus forewarned His disciples “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21“But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. (John 15:18-21) "These things (WHAT THINGS? THE THINGS IN John 13-16) I have spoken to you, so that in Me (NOTE THE "IN" - IN UNION WITH, IN COMMUNION WITH, IN COVENANT WITH) you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey); I have overcome (WHICH IS THE REASON BELIEVERS CAN ALSO OVERCOME) the world.” (John 16:33) In Acts 14:21-22+ we read "After they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith (NOTE WHY THEY WERE STRENGTHENING AND ENCOURAGING THEM), and saying, “Through many tribulations we must (speaks of necessity and present tense = continuous necessity) enter the kingdom of God.” 🙏 THOUGHT - Tribulation is par for the course, if our course is headed Heavenward! The corollary is that if you have never experienced tribulation for the cause of Christ (cf 2Ti 3:12+, Php 1:29+), then perhaps you might ponder Paul's words in 2Cor 13:5+. What would have been the effect of tribulation on the church at Smyrna? Jesus helps us understand when He explained in the parable of the soils that "the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy." So far so good, right? Jesus went on to explain that "they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction (thlipsis) or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away."(Mk. 4:17+) So let's ask the question again -- what effect would tribulation have on the Church at Smyrna? Clearly it would have a "purifying" effect, separating the "wheat" (true believers) from the "chaff" (those who simply professed belief). The purest Christian graces are those forged in the furnace of adversity. -- John MacArthur John MacArthur - The purest Christian graces are those forged in the furnace of adversity. The church at Smyrna displayed the power and purity that comes from successfully enduring persecution. Persecution had purified and purged it from sin and affirmed the reality of its members’ faith. Hypocrites do not stay to face persecution, because false believers do not want to endure the pain. Trials and persecution strengthen and refine genuine saving faith, but uncover and destroy false faith. Though they suffered physical privation and poverty, the Christians at Smyrna clung to their immeasurable spiritual riches. (See Revelation Commentary) POVERTY ON EARTH TREASURES IN HEAVEN! And your (2) poverty (ptocheia - "dirt poor") but you are [3] rich (plousios) - What a contrast the materially wealthy church of Laodicea (Rev 3:17+)! Here is another paradox of Christianity, the poor who are rich (See Spiritual Paradox in the Christian Life). The world cannot understand these paradoxes but the Scripture clearly teaches this truth. They were wealthy because they were laying up treasures in heaven (Mt 6:20) and possessed “the true riches” (Lk 16:11). See also Eph 1:3 where Paul says our Lord Jesus Christ, "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." James 2:5+ says "Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor (ptochos) of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?" Paul adds "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9+) He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. -- Jim Elliot MacArthur - The church at Smyrna typifies the spiritual richness of faithful suffering churches throughout history. (See Revelation Commentary) Riches that God values, that will last for eternity. Anything money can’t buy and death can’t steal. -- Johnny Hunt Newell - He had no place to lay His head. But thou art rich—spiritual riches: they had the “gold refined by fire” which wretched Laodicea so woefully lacked. Riches in grace come when patience has its “perfect work” in trial (James 1:2, 4+). (Revelation 2) J
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MacArthur - Unbelieving Jews commonly accused Christians of cannibalism (based on a misunderstanding of the Lord’s Supper), immorality (based on a perversion of the holy kiss with which believers greeted each other; cf. Rom. 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12; 1 Thess. 5:26), breaking up homes (when one spouse became a Christian and the other did not, it often caused conflict; cf. Luke 12:51–53), atheism (because, as already noted, Christians rejected the pagan pantheon of deities), and political disloyalty and rebellion (because Christians refused to offer the required sacrifices to the emperor). Hoping to destroy the Christian faith, some of Smyrna’s wealthy, influential Jews reported these blasphemous, false allegations to the Romans....Persecution of the church at Smyrna reached its peak half a century after this letter, with the execution of its aged bishop, Polycarp, in which the unbelieving Jews played a major role. A translated second-century document entitled The Encyclical Epistle of the Church at Smyrna Concerning the Martyrdom of the Holy Polycarp (click to read the story) relates the striking story of Polycarp’s martyrdom. (See Revelation Commentary) Related Resources: Polycarp - full movie The Epistle of Polycarp - BORROW this book "Apostolic Fathers" translated by J B Lightfoot (see excerpts below) Ken Connally’s 3.5 Hour incredible documentary on “The Indestructible Book – the Bible” – and the incredible costs men paid to give us our English Bible – it might even cause you to weep Who are Jews (Ioudaios) who are not Jews? They were physical descendants of Abraham but not spiritual descendants. Paul helps us in Romans 2 explaining that "he is not a Jew who is one outwardly (REFERRING TO PHYSICAL JEWS IN THE LINE OF ABRAHAM), nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God." (Ro 2:28,29+; see also Circumcision of the Heart) I agree with Vincent "Not primarily direct blasphemy against God, but reviling at believers." Paul added that ":we (JEWS WHO WERE BORN AGAIN) are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh." (Php 3:3+) Newell - Judaism is more acceptable to the flesh than faith in an unseen Lord; an earthly “religion” is more attractive to a carnal heart than a heavenly walk! (Revelation 2) Swete - The Jews at Smyrna were both numerous and aggressively hostile (The Apocalypse of St John : the Greek text ) WHEN SATAN RUNS THE SYNAGOGUE But (term of contrast) are a synagogue (sunagoge) of Satan (satanas) - NLT says "their synagogue belongs to Satan." (Rev 2:9NLT) Jesus addressing a group of Jews who had "professed" to believe in Him (John 8:30) went on to show their belief was not genuine and in John 8:44 He declared “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies." Satan is the real enemy behind the attacks on the saints at Smyrna. Paul tells us how to fight against this invisible, crafty foe... 2 Corinthians 10:3-5+ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, Ephesians 6:10-18+ Finally, be strong (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, Swete - Behind the ‘synagogue of Satan’ was the Devil himself (Rev 12:10, 12:9, Rev 20:2), who by means of false charges laid before the magistrates would cast certain members of the Church (ἐξ ὑμῶν) into prison. His purpose was to try the faith of the whole body (cf. Lk 22:31-32). That its Jewish and pagan adversaries were prompted by Satan was the firm belief of the early Church (The Apocalypse of St John) Newell - Believers today need to be faithfully warned regarding their attitude to the Jews: (a) not to join at all in that Gentile envy and hate lying at the root of “anti-semitism”; and (b) not to give special place to Jews, even Jewish believers, as such; but (c) to glorify God for the “remnant according to the election of grace,” among them, now being saved; and (d) to remember that the most of the nation is to be cut off as apostate before the Millennium sets in; (e) to believe that God’s words in Romans 3:22, 23, and Ro 10:12 are true today: “There is no distinction … for all have sinned”; and, “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek: for the same Lord is Lord of all … that call upon him.” Jewish sinners, Irish sinners, American sinners, Hottentot sinners, Hindu sinners, English sinners, Scotch sinners: no difference at all! Just sinners, all! (Revelation 2) G Campbell
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MacArthur - God’s purpose in permitting that imprisonment was so that they would be tested. By successfully enduring that trial, they would prove the reality of their faith, be strengthened (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9–10+)—and prove once again that Satan cannot destroy genuine saving faith. (See Revelation Commentary) Related Resources: Afflictions-Suffering-Quotes, Devotionals, Illustrations Why does God test us? | GotQuestions.org And you will have tribulation (thlipsis) for ten days (see R L Thomas' summary of 5 interpretations) - Note the two "will's" in this verses signifying prophecies for Smyrna. This is the second mention of tribulation. Smyrna is the "crushed" church (see above). But the question regarding the tribulation is how long? In other words is 10 days literal or figurative? Is there anything in this context which would suggest is it symbolic? Ten days would seem to be a literal 10 days. It is as literal as 1000 years. Notice (1) it is relatively short duration (compared to eternity) and (2) it has an end (in contrast to the second death which has no end!) Temptations and trials are two sides of the same coin, for a single Greek word peirasmos conveys both ideas (cp Jas 1:2+ with Jas 1:13+) in short, all that goes to furnish a test of character. The trials may come from God or under His permissive will from Satan, or may be the result of our own wrong-doing (aka "discipline" in Heb 12:5-11). The solicitations to do evil come from the world, the evil nature, or Satan (the world, the flesh or the devil). In a sermon titled "Faith Tested and Crowned," Alexander Maclaren distinguished between being tempted and being tried. He said that "the former word conveys the idea of appealing to the worst part of man, with the wish that he may yield and do the wrong. The latter means an appeal to the better part of man, with the desire that he should stand." "Temptation says, 'Do this pleasant thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it is wrong.' Trial or proving says, 'Do this right and noble thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it is painful.'"
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MacArthur - Though some see the ten days as symbolically representing everything from ten periods of persecution under the Romans, to an undetermined period of time, to a time of ten years, there is no exegetical reason to interpret them as anything other than ten actual days. Satan’s major assault on that local church would be intense, but brief. (See Revelation Commentary) Steve Lawson - Some Bible teachers have speculated that these 10 days are symbolic of ten successive eras of Roman emperors, or 10 consecutive stages of church history. Personally, I think that's more imagination than interpretation. I think they suffered for ten literal days, just as the text plainly says, in the Roman cells. Again, nobody stayed long in a Roman prison because the physical abuse was so intense. Ten days seemed like ten lifetimes! Graciously, the Lord sets the limits on our suffering (1Co 10:13+). Our tests will not last longer than we can endure. If the Lord says "ten days." then there is no force on earth that could make it last eleven!...If the Roman officials came for you and said "Caesar or Christ?" would you stand for the Lord? The answer must be yes. I believe that God will give us dying grace, if need be, to make such a bold confession. (cf Mk 13:11+) (Final call) Here is an important point to make if you truly want to accurately interpret and understand this last, great book of the Bible. You need to be especially careful who you consult for commentary because symbolic, allegorical interpretations are rampant and can be very confusing! One needs to be especially careful to avoid the older commentaries that are excellent on many other books of the Bible but which fall woefully short when they interpret eschatological passages. As a generalization (there are exceptions - Jamieson, Fausset, Brown, Seiss) anything written before 1900 is very likely to be symbolic and will not help you interpret Revelation accurately. Specially avoid works by Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, John Gill, Matthew Poole, John Trapp, etc. See the recommended resources. Barclay -- “The expression ten days is not to be taken literally; it is the normal Greek expression for a short time.” 🙏 THOUGHT - I would ask Barclay how can he draw such an unqualified, definitive, authoritative conclusion? He has no evidence in context to support his premise, which I think is absolutely false and wrong and misleading. Why do I say misleading? Because to the unwary reader who is not familiar with inductive Bible study, they begin to thing all of the numbers in the Revelation are non-literal. This false assumption is like an interpretation sink hole, so to speak. The Revelation of Jesus which He wants His bond-servants to understand that they might be encouraged (to stand strong and steadfast) and motivated (to share Him) begins to become a "fuzzy" revelation and one that only the "experts" can understand and that even they themselves don't understand. Au contraire, 10 days is literal and Revelation is a literal record [albeit with frequent symbolism] and we can understand it. Just be careful reading the commentaries on Revelation and putting too much faith in their dogmatic statements. Let the Spirit of Truth and the Word of Truth be your ultimate Guide to the Truth.
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MacArthur - The crown (reward, culmination, outcome) of genuine saving faith is eternal life, and perseverance proves the genuineness of their faith as they endure suffering. The Scriptures teach that true Christians will persevere. That biblical truth was understood by the authors of the Westminster Confession of Faith, who wrote “They, whom God has accepted in His Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.” That is the unmistakable teaching of Scripture (e.g., Matt. 10:22; 24:13; Mark 4:13–20; John 8:31; Col. 1:21–23; 1 John 2:19). (See Revelation Commentary) Henry
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MacArthur - Though persecuted believers may suffer the first (physical) death, they will never experience the second death (which is not annihilation but conscious, eternal damnation in hell; Rev. 20:14; 21:8). Not (ou me) is the strongest negative the Greek language can express. (See Revelation Commentary) Paige Patterson - the first death is defined as the separation of the soul from the body, whereas the second death is the separation of the soul from God and its confinement in the place the Bible denominates as hell (Page 99 Revelation: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition) Lehman Strauss - I believe that this promise draws a cleavage between the true believers and the mere professors in the local assembly. It is too much for me, as a pastor, to say that all in our local assembly are overcomers. I am obliged to face the fact that possibly there are those who have not been born again. The promise of our Lord is not extended to those persons who merely give assent to a creed or a doctrine or a set of church by-laws. It is for those who have heard and believed the gospel of Christ and thereby have "passed from death unto life" (John 5:24). (BORROW The Book of the Revelation: Outlined Studies) Alan
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MacArthur points out that "It is the first negative introduction of Christ because the Pergamum church faced imminent judgment.” (Revelation) Nothing but His truth can defeat error, and we have this divinely inspired weapon of victory. --Lehman Strauss Ephesians 6:17+ Walvoord says this more literally reads "Christ is described as having the sword, the two-edged one, the sharp one." (Revelation 2: The Letters To Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, And Thyatira) Barclay helps understand Jesus' self-designation as "the One Who has the sharp two-edged sword." - Roman governors were divided into two classes—those who had the ius gladii, the right of the sword, and those who did not. Those who had the right of the sword had the power of life and death; on their word a person could be executed on the spot. In terms of worldly power, the proconsul, who had his headquarters at Pergamum, had the ius gladii, the right of the sword, and at any moment he might use it against any Christian; but the letter tells Christians not to forget that the last word is still with the risen Christ, who has the sharp two-edged sword. The power of Rome might be satanically powerful; but the power of the risen Lord is even greater." Mounce - In the context of life in a provincial capital where the proconsul was granted the “right of the sword” (ius gladii), the power to execute at will, the sovereign Christ with the two-edged sword would remind the threatened congregation that ultimate power over life and death belongs to God. (See The Book of Revelation ) R L Thomas on two-edged sword - This description comes from Rev 1:16 where it was seen to denote the judicial authority of Christ, combining the force of a warrior defeating His enemies in battle and pronouncing judgment upon them. This connotation is continued in Rev. 2:16 and Rev 19:15, 21 where the principal thought is the punishing power of Christ’s word and the defeat of His enemies....The ultimate meaning of the sharp, two-edged sword goes far beyond just Pergamum in its significance. It denotes Christ’s ultimate conquest of all the world powers, not just Rome (cf. Rev. 19:15, 21). (See Revelation Exegetical Commentary) R C H
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MacArthur: Self-centered Christians who serve the Lord halfheartedly seldom have to pay a price for their faith. They are of little threat to Satan’s work because they are of little benefit to Christ’s. (I would dare take this thought a step further and say could it be that one who never ever has had to suffer for his faith in Messiah may not be a genuine partaker of Christ? Why would the Spirit teach in so many places it is he that holds fast to the end who is a partaker of Christ [Heb 3:14]...who is His house [Heb 3:6]?) THOUGHT- If anyone proposes to introduce into his life a loyalty which surpasses all earthly loyalties, there are bound to be clashes. And that is precisely what Christianity demands that a man should do. Hast thou no scar? No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand? I hear thee sung as mighty in the land, I hear them hail thy bright ascendant star: Hast thou no scar? Hast thou no wound? Yet, I was wounded by the archers, spent. Leaned me against the tree to die, and rent By ravening beasts that compassed me, I swooned: Hast thou no wound? No wound? No scar? Yes, as the master shall the servant be, And pierced are the feet that follow Me; But thine are whole. Can he have followed far Who has no wound? No scar? -- Amy Wilson Carmichael ILLUSTRATION OF COUNTING THE COST - From the diary of John Wesley. . . Sunday, A.M., May 5 Preached in St. Anne's. Was asked not to come back anymore. Sunday, P.M., May 5 Preached in St. John's. Deacons said "Get out and stay out." Sunday, A.M., May 12 Preached in St. Jude's. Can't go back there, either. Sunday, A.M., May 19 Preached in St. Somebody Else's. Deacons called special meeting and said I couldn't return. Sunday, P.M., May 19 Preached on street. Kicked off street. Sunday, A.M., May 26 Preached in meadow. Chased out of meadow as bull was turned loose during service. Sunday, A.M., June 2 Preached out at the edge of town. Kicked off the highway. Sunday, P.M., June 2 Afternoon, preached in a pasture. Ten thousand people came out to hear me. Dwell (reside, settle) (2730)(katoikeo) means literally to settle down (be at home, dwell) in a place so to take up permanent abode or residence. This is an unusual verb to use of believers for it generally denotes permanent habitation as opposed to sojourning or an occasional visit. Most of the uses of this verb in the Revelation refer so called "earth dwellers" those who are firmly fixed on earth and have no desire for God or Jesus and who are the ones that take the mark of the Beast (e.g., see Rev 13:8). So you can see why it is a unusual to apply this verb to those who are believers in Pergamum. Notice the next use of katoikeo in the letter to the Church at Philadelphia - "Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world (THE TRIBULATION - Daniel's Seventieth Week), to test those who dwell (katoikeo) on the earth." See Tony Garland's explanation of the unique group of people known as the "earth dwellers" in the Revelation. Katoikeo is used in Rev. 2:13; Rev. 3:10; Rev. 6:10; Rev. 8:13; Rev. 11:10; Rev. 13:8; Rev. 13:12; Rev. 13:14; Rev. 17:2; Rev. 17:8. Throne (2362) thronos (See Throne of God) describes a seat of authority as with the throne of God (Heb. 4:16, "the throne of grace," Heb 8:1; Heb 12:2; Rev 1:4; Rev 3:21; Rev. 4:2; Rev. 5:1 Rev. 20:12; Lxx - Ps 47:8, Ps 103:19), the throne of Jesus Christ (Heb. 1:8; Rev. 3:21; Rev. 22:3; in the Millennium = Mt 19:28), by metonymy (or figuratively) used for angelic powers (Col. 1:16), of the apostles (Mt 19:28, Lk 22:30), elders in heaven (Rev 4:4), of the throne of David (Lk 1:32, Acts 2:30), of the throne of Satan (Rev 2:13), of the throne of the beast, the antichrist (Rev 13:2, Rev 16:10). Wikipedia = "Since the early advanced cultures, a throne has been known as a symbol of divine and secular rule and the establishment of a throne as a defining sign of the claim to power and authority." Thronos in the Revelation - Rev. 1:4; Rev. 2:13; Rev. 3:21; Rev. 4:2; Rev. 4:3; Rev. 4:4; Rev. 4:5; Rev. 4:6; Rev. 4:9; Rev. 4:10; Rev. 5:1; Rev. 5:6; Rev. 5:7; Rev. 5:11; Rev. 5:13; Rev. 6:16; Rev. 7:9; Rev. 7:10; Rev. 7:11; Rev. 7:15; Rev. 7:17; Rev. 8:3; Rev. 11:16; Rev. 12:5; Rev. 13:2; Rev. 14:3; Rev. 16:10; Rev. 16:17; Rev. 19:4; Rev. 19:5; Rev. 20:4; Rev. 20:11; Rev. 20:12; Rev. 21:3; Rev. 21:5; Rev. 22:1; Rev. 22:3 Faith (4102) pistis is synonymous with trust or belief and is the conviction of the truth of anything, but in Scripture usually speaks of belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it. I like the way Chuck Swindoll describes pistis - "The term implies both knowledge and action. One may receive knowledge of a certain truth and may even offer verbal agreement, but “trust” or “confidence” is not said to be present until one’s behavior reflects that truth." In Rev 2:13 the text literally reads "the faith" (See "the faith = pistis") which would speak of the object of their belief (which would be the Gospel of Jesus). Pistis in the Revelation - Rev 2:13, Rev 2:19, Rev 13:10, Rev 14:12. Deny (720) arneomai from "a" = negation + rheo = say) literally means "to say no", to say one does not know about or is in any way related to some person or some thing. Webster says that to deny implies a firm refusal to accept as true, to grant or concede or to acknowledge the existence or claims of. The only other use of arneomai in the Revelation is Rev 3:8. Witness (3144)(martus/martys) basically describes one who remembers something and testifies concerning what they remember. Notice that martus has a two fold meaning of (1) describing one who has seen and/or experienced something or someone and (2) one who testifies to what he or she saw. The testimony could be in a legal setting (Mk 14:63; Acts 6:13; 7:58; Heb. 10:28) or in the general sense of recounting firsthand knowledge (Lk 11:48; 1Ti. 6:12; Heb 12:1; 1Pe 5:1).
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MacArthur has another interpretation shared by other commentators - The change in pronouns from you to them reflects an underlying Hebrew idiom commonly found in the Septuagint; both pronouns refer to the entire church. (See Revelation Commentary) R L Thomas supports MacArthur's interpretation - Yet the plain truth is that the church is called on to repent of its leniency earlier in v. 16. Being tolerant of the Nicolaitans makes the church as guilty as those who hold false doctrine. Failure to repent of this uncleanness in her midst must evoke the punishing sword of Christ upon the whole church (Beckwith). The change from a singular to a plural pronoun and from second to third person is a Hebraism that is common in the LXX. The two pronouns refer to the same group. (See Revelation Exegetical Commentary). Warren
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MacArthur- A church may feel satisfied with itself, have a good reputation in the community, or even with other churches. But the penetrating eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ see it as it really is. (See Revelation Commentary) Guzik on Son of God - Jesus first described Himself with a title that emphasized His deity. In Jewish thought, to be the son of a thing meant you had the nature of that thing. The sons of the sorceress (Isaiah 57:3) had the nature of the sorceress. The sons of thunder (Mark 3:17) had a nature like thunder. So the Son of God has the divine nature, the nature of God. Grant Osborne on Son of God - the reason most likely lies in the centrality of Apollo, son of Zeus, in Thyatira. It is Jesus, not Apollo, who is the true Son of God (this also accounts for the quotation of Ps. 2:9 in Rev. 2:27). A frequent title in the Gospel of John (Jn 1:34; 3:18; 5:25; etc.), it connotes majesty and divinity and is an important message to this weak church to center on the true “Son of God.” (Pdf - Revelation Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) And His feet are like burnished bronze - "feet like polished bronze" This phrase is difficult to interpret definitively. For that reason we must be careful when suggesting our own thoughts or reading men's interpretations (note variation in the interpretations below all from conservative writers). The Greek word burnished bronze (chalkoibanon) refers to a high quality, fine brass or bronze. Louw-Nida says "the emphasis is upon the lustrous appearance of the metal. A satisfactory equivalent may be ‘bright bronze’ or ‘shining metal." We see a somewhat similar description in Ezekiel 1:4, 7, 27; Ezek 8:2 but the word chalkoibanon is not used in the Greek Septuagint. Osborne on burnished bronze - the “polished bronze,” which refers to one of the major guilds of the town. (Pdf - Revelation Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) Barclay surmises that "The bronze feet must stand for the immovable power of the risen Christ. A message which begins like that will certainly be no soothing tranquilizer." Merrill Tenney suggest that "The character of Christ that is emphasized in His dealing with the church of Thyatira is penetrative judgment. His eyes like a flame of fire can see through the flaws of the church; the feet like burnished bronze are ready to trample her sins underfoot." (Borrow Interpreting Revelation page 62) John MacArthur - That Christ’s feet glowed brilliantly like burnished bronze depicts His purity and holiness as He tramples out impurity. (See Revelation Commentary) John
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MacArthur - The problem was not external persecution, but internal compromise; not vicious wolves from outside the flock, but perverse people from within (cf. Acts 20:29–30). (See Revelation Commentary) John Walvoord - Jezebel's dominant position may have been derived from the fact that Lydia, another woman, had brought them the message in the first place. This woman, Jezebel, is not a true messenger of divine truth. Though she claimed the right and office of a prophetess, she had urged the Christians in Thyatira to continue their pagan worship of idols which characterized the unbelievers in the city. They were therefore not only permitted to participate in the idolatrous feasts by eating things sacrificed to idols but they were also instructed to take part in the immorality which characterized the worship of idols. In promoting these wrongs, the woman prophetess, whose real name was probably not Jezebel, was fulfilling the role of the historic Jezebel in the Old Testament. According to First Kings, Jezebel was the wife of Ahab, the king of Israel, and she was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. She was one of the most evil characters of the Old Testament, who attempted to combine the worship of Israel with the worship of the idol Baal. She did what she could to stamp out all true worship of the Lord and influenced her weak husband to the extent that it is recorded in I Kings 16:33, “And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.” Jezebel herself had a most unenviable record of evil. She was responsible for the killing of Naboth and possession of his vineyard for her husband (1 Kings 21:1–16). She had also killed practically all the prophets of the Lord and did what she could to kill the Prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19:2). So evil was Jezebel’s character that she is singled out by Elijah for a special prophecy that she would come to a sudden end and that her body would be eaten by dogs—a prophecy fulfilled in 2 Kings 9:33–35. She is therefore the epitome of subtle corruption and a symbol of immorality and idolatry. (Revelation 2: The Letters To Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, And Thyatira) BDAG on Jezebel - Jezebel, Ahab’s queen, who favored the cult of the Phoenician Baal in Israel and persecuted the prophets of Yahweh (3 Km 16- 4 Km 9), and who was also addicted to whoredom and magic (4 Km 9:22). Hence the name was applied to a woman who endangered orthodox teaching within the Christian community at Thyatira Jezebel in the Old Testament was very clever for she did not come out-and-out against Jehovah, but she mixed the altar of Baal with the altar of Jehovah. Elijah on Mount Carmel came against Jezebel and Ahab declaring to the Israelites, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions?" (1 Kings 18:21). There was a jezebel-like woman in Thyatira who was teaching similar error in a similar way. She did not walk into church with a red suit and a pitchfork beginning to teach the deeper things of Satan. She was like the false teachers Peter describes in 2Pe 2:1 declaring "false prophets (AND PROPHETESSES) also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves." The key verb is "secretly introduce" which is pareisago (from pará = at the side of + eiságo = bring in, introduce) means to bring in by the side of (secretly and craftily), introduce surreptitiously (the root derivation of surreptitious means to "secretly snatch") or bring in under false pretenses. The metaphor (picture) is of spies or traitors stealthily introducing themselves into an enemy’s camp.
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MacArthur has an interesting point - The Bible teaches that true Christians can fall into sexual immorality (cf. 1Co 6:15–20+) and idolatry (cf. 1Co. 10:21+). But to lead other Christians into false doctrine or immoral living is a very serious sin, one meriting the most severe punishment. In Matthew 18:6–10, Jesus graphically described the serious consequences for those who lead other believers into sin "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell. See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven." The “little ones who believe” in Christ are not physical children, but spiritual children—believers. It is so serious to lead another believer into sin that the Lord said death by drowning was a better option. The imagery of maiming oneself is language depicting the need for drastic action in dealing with sin. (See The MacArthur New Testament Commentary) Unless they repent (metanoeo) of her deeds (ergon) - Who is they? Notice it says her deeds, the immorality and idolatry she was teaching. The bondservants (believers mentioned above). To reiterate there are three groups in this church, the Jezebelites (her children), the believers who have been seduced (bondservants) and the rest who do not hold this teaching (Rev 2:24). Commit adultery (3431) moicheuo from moichós = an adulterer) means to be unfaithful to one's marriage vows speaking of sexual intercourse with someone who is married to another. In some uses moicheuo can also be a figure of speech (Re 2:22) as in the Old Testament where "adultery" described unfaithfulness to God (see Israel wife of Jehovah) especially through the practice of idolatry (which in the NT equates with greed and in essence is anything that comes between you and God). NIDNTT has an interesting historical note on moicheuo writing that "moicheuo and its Doric counterpart moichao mean to commit adultery (with acc.). Sometimes they are used more generally, seduce a woman, violate; hence in mid. let oneself be seduced, in pass. be seduced to adultery. The derivatives include moicheia, adultery, harlotry (cf. porneia Discipline); moichos, Adulterer; moichalis, first an adj. meaning adulterous, and, secondly, a noun meaning adulteress, harlot. Adultery was punishable already in the old law codes going back to the second millennium B.C., e.g. the Lipit-Ishtar Code, the Code of Hammurabi, the old Ass. laws (cf. ANET, 159 ff., 163-88). Every form of sexual relationship outside marriage was forbidden to the wife, for she was the real guarantor of the integrity of the family and clan, and by adultery she broke her own marriage and she destroyed the integrity of the whole clan. A man on the contrary committed adultery only by sexual relationships with a married woman, i.e. when breaking into another’s arrangement. At the same time traces of older concepts behind these legal views from different cultures may be detected: (a) adultery with a married woman involves an offense against property, i.e. the invasion of the area of another’s possessions, and (b) the woman committing adultery opens the clan to the influence of evil powers. The punishment of adultery by death, ill-treatment or the payment of an expiatory fine was normally left to the private initiative of the wronged husband or of his clan." Revelation 2:23 'And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. NET Revelation 2:23 Furthermore, I will strike her followers with a deadly disease, and then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts. I will repay each one of you what your deeds deserve. NLT Revelation 2:23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. ESV Revelation 2:23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. NIV Revelation 2:23 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. GNT Revelation 2:23 καὶ τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς ἀποκτενῶ ἐν θανάτῳ. καὶ γνώσονται πᾶσαι αἱ ἐκκλησίαι ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐραυνῶν νεφροὺς καὶ καρδίας, καὶ δώσω ὑμῖν ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν. KJV Revelation 2:23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. ASV Revelation 2:23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto each one of you according to your works. CSB Revelation 2:23 I will kill her children with the plague. Then all the churches will know that I am the One who examines minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you according to your works. NKJ Revelation 2:23 "I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works. NRS Revelation 2:23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve. YLT Revelation 2:23 and her children I will kill in death, and know shall all the assemblies that I am he who is searching reins and hearts; and I will give to you -- to each -- according to your works. with pestilence: Rev 6:8 and all: Rev 2:7,11 De 13:11 17:13 19:20 21:21 Zep 1:11 I am He: 1Sa 16:7 1Ch 28:9 29:17 2Ch 6:30 Ps 7:9 44:21 Jer 11:20 17:10 Jer 20:12 Joh 2:24,25 21:17 Ac 1:24 Ro 8:27 Heb 4:13 and I will: Rev 20:12 Ps 62:12 Isa 3:10-11 Mt 16:27 Ro 2:5-11 14:12 2Co 5:10 Ga 6:5 1Pe 1:17 Revelation 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passage: 1 Timothy 5:20+ Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that (PURPOSE) the rest also will be fearful of sinning. 1 Samuel 2:3 “Boast no more so very proudly, Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; For the LORD is a God of knowledge, And with Him actions are weighed. Daniel 5:27 “ ‘TEKEL’–you (BELSHAZZAR) have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. Psalm 62:12 And lovingkindness is Yours, O Lord, For You recompense a man according to his work. Isaiah 3:10-11 Say to the righteous that it will go well with them, For they will eat the fruit of their actions. 11Woe to the wicked! It will go badly with him, For what he deserves will be done to him. Romans 2:5-11+ But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 Who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: 7 (BELIEVERS) to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; 8 but (UNBELIEVERS) to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. 9 There will be tribulation (cf "GREAT TRIBULATION" in Rev 2:22) and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, 10 but (BELIEVERS) glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (DOING GOOD DOES NOT SAVE THEM BUT DOES SHOW THEY ARE GENUINELY SAVED AND HAVE THE GOOD SPIRIT WHO ENABLES GOOD DEEDS). 11 For there is no partiality with God. Jeremiah 17:10 “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his deeds. JESUS' PROPHECY OF PAYBACK WITH PESTILENCE And I will kill (apokteino) her children (teknon) with pestilence - NET = "with a deadly disease" ESV = "I will strike her children dead" This is the second of three "I will's" indicating this is Jesus Who carries out these judgments (cf "eyes like a flame of fire" and "feet...like burnished bronze." Compare the disaster that overtook Jezebel’s priests of Baal, and Ahab’s sons (1Ki 18:40; 2Ki 10:6, 7, 24, 25), not to mention what happened to Ahab himself (1Ki 22:34), and Jezebel, the dogs eating her parts in (2 Ki 9:32,36) Kill with death is a Hebraism for slay with most sure and awful death, so “dying thou shalt die” Her children (teknon) - While some think these were Jezebel's literal children born through fornication, but more likely this refers to her "spiritual offspring" born through her manifold spiritual harlotries. The church was about 40 years old as John wrote, and her teaching would have had time to have produced a second generation, advocating the same debauchery. Literally Ahab's children were killed in 2Ki 10:6, 7, 24, 25. And all the churches will know that In other words, the other churches will see the divine punishment on Thyatira and realize beyond a shadow of a doubt it is the hand of God bringing judgment on His church. To say it another way, Christ's judgment is so striking that it sends "shock waves" to all the other churches (presumably the 7 churches but possibly others). What's the message? Yes, Jesus is Savior, but He is Judge, and He will act as Judge if His truth is perverted in a "Jezebel-like" manner. And not only that, but the point is that His "searchlight" is also focused on all of His churches, so this judgment should serve as a warning to those who are contemplating or who are already involved with this "Jezebel-like" false teaching! And of course Jesus' warning extends to all churches of all time. I am He Who (present tense - continually) searches (ereunao) the minds (nephros) and hearts - "I am He who searches the inmost desires and thoughts of a man’s being" (Barclay). Minds is nephros which literally means kidneys which were regarded as the seat of the emotions, just as the heart was the seat of the intelligence or will. Hence, Jesus with His divine omniscience will prove that no deceit or sophistry of any kind can escape Him. Judgment is not only disciplinary; it is exemplary. -- John Phillips John
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MacArthur explains the deep things of Satan this way - Jezebel and her followers claimed to be plumbing the very depths of Satan’s domain and remaining spiritually unscathed. In their perverse, libertine, licentious false theology, they believed they could do so with impunity. This pre-Gnostic teaching said that one was free to engage the sphere of Satan and participate in sins of the body without harming the spirit. Since the spirit belongs to God, their twisted logic went, what does it matter if the body attends idolatrous feasts and engages in sexual immorality? They imagined themselves to be free to explore the satanic sphere and then brazenly come to worship God. (See Revelation Commentary) Walvoord on deep things of Satan - Here reference is made to the satanic system often seen in great detail in false cults which compete with the true Christian faith. Just as there are the deep things of God (1 Cor. 2:10) which are taught by the Spirit, so there are the deep things of Satan which result from his work. (Revelation 2: The Letters To Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, And Thyatira) Life Application Study Bible (borrow) - The "deeper truths" of Satan were either false teachings advocated by heretics, or secret insights by so-called believers "guaranteed" to promote deeper spiritual life. What was the appeal of such teaching? It may have been appealing to hear that what happens in the body is inconsequential; therefore, it is not sinful to fulfill sexual desires outside of marriage. Another appeal to the "deep things" may have been the sense of pride that such knowledge stimulated in those seeking it. We should hold tightly to the basics of our Christian faith and view with extreme caution any new teaching that turns us away from the Bible, the fellowship of our church, or our basic confession of faith. I place (ballo - cast, throw) no other burden (baros) on you - Other burden implies they have some burden on them. In context it might be the "burden" of being confronted by the Satanic like teachings in their own church! R L Thomas is similar writing "that the “burden” upon the faithful is that of resisting the pressure of Jezebel and her group. Choosing to abstain from her evil practices doubtless resulted in ridicule. Christ promises to place upon them no burden other than continuing to stand against her....He casts (ballo) Jezebel and her children into conditions of unparalleled suffering (Rev 2:22–23), but He does not cast (ou ballo) upon the faithful anything worse than to keep doing what they already are doing." (See Revelation Exegetical Commentary) Rest (others, finally, remaining, other things) (3062) loipos from leipo = to leave or to lack) is an adjective which refers to that which remains over - where it refers to people the sense is the rest, those that are left, the remainder (cf. Mt 22: 6; Mk 16:13; Lk 24: 9; Acts 2:37; Ro 11: 7; 1Co. 7:12; Rev. 12:17; 19:21). In the plural, loipos means remaining ones (Mt. 25:11; Acts 2:37; Ro 1:13; 2Cor. 12:13; 2Pet. 3:16) Loipos is used several times with the meaning of "other" which Webster defines as being the one (as of two or more) remaining or not included (Mk 4:19, 16:13, Lk 18:9, Acts 17:19, Rev 9:20) Loipos is occasionally used in a soteriological sense (describing the saved or the unsaved) - Thus in the parable (Mt 22:6) loipos speaks of those outside the Kingdom of God (cf 1Th 4:13), whereas in other contexts loipos speaks of those in the Kingdom of God (Rev 2:24) Loipos in the Revelation - Rev. 2:24; Rev. 3:2; Rev. 8:13; Rev. 9:20; Rev. 11:13; Rev. 12:17; Rev. 19:21; Rev. 20:5 Deep (901)(bathus) literally refers to extent below a surface and thus "deep." Bathos is used only 3-4 times. In John 4:11, of a well ("deep"); in Acts 20:9, of deep (bathos) sleep; in Rev. 2:24 the plural is used, of the "deep things," the evil designs and workings, of Satan. Vine adds that In Luke 24:1, some manuscripts have batheos, the genitive case, with orthros, "dawn;" the most authentic mss. have batheos, "deeply," i.e., very early. Friberg - literally, of extent below a surface deep (Jn 4.11); figuratively, of the morning early, at earliest dawn (Lk 24.1); of an extreme degree of anything: of sleep deep, profound (Acts 20.9); substantivally, plural of satanic influence - depths, deep secrets (Rev 2.24) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) Gilbrant - Bathus is a standard Greek adjective meaning “deep,” although it can indicate extended length in horizontal or upward directions as well. In the Septuagint it generally renders forms related to ‛āmoq, “to be deep.” In the literal sense, bathus occurs in John 4:11 describing Jacob’s well. The well was deep, and its water was therefore inaccessible to Jesus. Inaccessibility can be close in significance to hiddenness or secretness, which may lie behind the expression “the deep things of Satan” in Revelation 2:24 (bathos in certain manuscripts). The other two uses of bathus in the New Testament both involve Greek idioms of intensity. Connected with the dawn or early morning, it denotes the first light before the actual sunrise (Luke 24:1). Combined with sleep, it also denotes “deep sleep” (Acts 20:9). (Complete Biblical Library) Bathus in the Septuagint - Job 11:8; Job 12:22; Ps. 64:6; Ps. 130:1; Prov. 18:4; Prov. 20:5; Prov. 22:14; Prov. 25:3; Eccl. 7:24; Isa. 30:33; Isa. 31:6; Jer. 17:9; Ezek. 23:32; Ezek. 27:34; Ezek. 32:21; Ezek. 32:22; Dan. 2:22 Place (put, cast, thrust, bring, laid/lying)(906) ballo English "ballistics") in all its applications retains the idea of impulse (the idea of force and/or effort). The primary senses are to throw or to put. Ballo means to throw, hurl, in contrast to striking. Ballo is frequent in the four Gospels and Revelation but elsewhere is used only in Acts (with 2 exceptions - Jas. 3:3; 1 Jn. 4:18). Friberg - (1) transitively, as a powerful movement of throwing or propelling throw, cast, with the context determining in what sense: scatter (seed), cast (lots), pour (liquid), throw (stones), throw (into hell), let (fruit) fall, etc.; (2) transitively, of putting or placing someone or something somewhere: put (money into a treasury box), put (a sword into its scabbard), place (someone into a pool), put (a burden on someone), lay down (crowns before a throne), etc.; (3) intransitively, as a sudden and fast downward movement; of a storm beat down, rush down (Acts 27.14) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament) John's uses of ballo in the Revelation - 24/110 NT uses in the Revelation - Rev. 2:10; Rev. 2:14; Rev. 2:22; Rev. 2:24; Rev. 4:10; Rev. 6:13; Rev. 8:5; Rev. 8:7; Rev. 8:8; Rev. 12:4; Rev. 12:9; Rev. 12:10; Rev. 12:13; Rev. 12:15; Rev. 12:16; Rev. 14:16; Rev. 14:19; Rev. 18:19; Rev. 18:21; Rev. 19:20; Rev. 20:3; Rev. 20:10; Rev. 20:14; Rev. 20:15 Burden (weight)(922) baros English - barometer from baros + metron) literally refers to a weight (a heavy weight), burden, trouble, load. In Classic Greek baros refers to a weight or heaviness and then a burden. In the NT baros is used only figuratively meaning something pressing on one physically or emotionally either in a bad or good sense. The burden of a thing (hardship, daily toil - Mt 20:12) or that which a person bears (Gal 6:2 - oppressive suffering), imposition of religious requirement (Acts 15:28+, difficult duty in Rev 2:24), weight as equivalent to authority (wield authority, insist on one's own importance - 1Th 2:7 and secular Greek writings). Baros was used in some Greek secular writings in a metaphorical sense to describe grief or misery. Paul's use in 2Co 4:17 is metaphorical where it pictures a believer's future glory, which is a "weight" every believer should desire and by grace seek after. Baros - 7x/6v asserted*(1), authority(1), burden(3), burdens(1), weight(1). - Matt. 20:12; Acts 15:28; 2 Co. 4:17; Gal. 6:2; 1 Thess. 2:6; Rev. 2:24 QUESTION - What were the mystery religions? ANSWER - Mystery religions were part of a diverse religious movement that surfaced during the first century and died out by the end of the fifth century. These cult religions involved the worship of pagan deities from Greece, Anatolia, Egypt, Persia, and Syria. Mystery religions were so named because they consisted of strictly secret cults characterized by elaborate initiation rituals and religious ceremonies known only to those formally admitted to the group. Due to their secrecy, information about mystery religions is fragmented and somewhat difficult to decipher. The most well-known mystery religions to emerge were the Greek cults of Demeter, Eleusinian, and Dionysus; the Phrygian cult of Cybele (the Magna Mater, or Great Mother of the gods) and Attis; the Syrian cult of Adonis; the Egyptian cults of Isis and Osiris; and the Persian cult of Mithras. While each mystery religion was separate and distinct based on cultural influences and the myths surrounding each cult, they shared a set of commonalities. The predominant trait of each was the practice of sacred rites, called mysteries. In these secretive rituals, cultic worship of the mythological god or goddess was reenacted. Partakers committed sacrilege if they divulged what happened during these ceremonies. Other notable common points of the mystery religions were that new members joined by choice and not by birth; membership rituals included cleansings, baptisms, and sacrifices; and salvation or redemption was a focus. Most mystery religions included a deity figure who died and came back to life, had an eschatological emphasis, and used symbolism extensively. Mystery religions were on the rise during the same period of history that the Christian church emerged and developed. In some respects, these cults shared traits in common with Christianity. As a result, a number of historians and scholars have argued that Christianity borrowed from the mystery religions or that the mystery religions influenced Christianity; however, a strong case can be made that the opposite is true—that the mystery religions borrowed from Christianity to add to their mythologies. Besides, the similarities between Christianity and the mystery religions are merely superficial. The mystery religions were syncretistic, which means followers could incorporate beliefs from other religions into their own set of views. This disregard for correct doctrine is a key difference between mystery religions and Christianity. Christianity acknowledges only one way to God (John 14:6) and places utmost importance on right doctrine (1 Timothy 1:1–11). There is no room for merging beliefs with other religions. While participating in secret rituals, devotees of mystery religions sought emotional experiences and often worked themselves into altered states of consciousness, which they believed to be an elevated realm of reality. Christians, on the other hand, are committed to knowing and living according to the truth of God’s Word (John 17:17; Ephesians 1:13; 2 Timothy 2:15; Colossians 1:5; James 1:18). They practice self-control, not self-indulgence (2 Timothy 1:7). Adherents of mystery religions often took a vow of secrecy and silence, emphasizing inward worship in private groups. There are no secret beliefs or rituals in Christianity. Followers of Jesus Christ are called to evangelize and take the good news of the gospel into all the world: “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18–20). Throughout all the ages, people have eagerly sought after religious experiences, while Satan has worked to deceive them (2 Corinthians 4:4). The mystery religions were merely the counterfeit of that age for the one true faith: “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords’), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live” (1 Corinthians 8:5–6). GotQuestions.org Revelation 2:25 'Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. NET Revelation 2:25 However, hold on to what you have until I come. NLT Revelation 2:25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. ESV Revelation 2:25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. NIV Revelation 2:25 Only hold on to what you have until I come. GNT Revelation 2:25 πλὴν ὃ ἔχετε κρατήσατε ἄχρι[ς] οὗ ἂν ἥξω. KJV Revelation 2:25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. ASV Revelation 2:25 Nevertheless that which ye have, hold fast till I come. CSB Revelation 2:25 But hold on to what you have until I come. NKJ Revelation 2:25 "But hold fast what you have till I come. NRS Revelation 2:25 only hold fast to what you have until I come. YLT Revelation 2:25 but that which ye have -- hold ye, till I may come; what you have: Rev 3:3,11 Ac 11:28 Ro 12:9 1Th 5:21 Heb 3:6 4:14 10:23 until I come: Rev 1:7 22:7,20 Joh 14:3 21:22,23 1Co 4:5 11:26 2Pe 3:10 Revelation 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries HOLD ON I'M COMING Nevertheless - term of contrast. What is Jesus contrasting? He is contrasting what a believer should or should not hold fast to, error or truth! What you (present tense - continually) have hold fast (krateo) until I come - What you have refers to their deeds in Rev 2:19 and their separation in Rev 2:24. Hold fast is an aorist imperative command which from our the "Captain of the Hosts" (Josh 5:14-15+) and which conveys a sense of urgency (I like to think of the aorist imperative as the "Nike commercial" command = "Just do it!"). To obey Jesus' command calls for one to depend on His Spirit for the desire to hold fast and the power to hold fast [Php 2:13NLT+], but we still have to hold fast (see "Paradoxical Principle of 100% Dependent and 100% Responsible"). Jesus is not saying "Let go, let God (or let Me)" but more accurately "Let God (Spirit given desire and power) and let's go (hold fast)." Jesus commands the faithful remnant to hold fast in resisting the seductive teaching of Jezebel and the "use of the strong word krateo (hold fast) indicates that it would not be easy." (MacArthur) 🙏 THOUGHT - "To hold on to this means to keep a tenacious hold on truth as well as on the Christian way of life that is the outworking of truth. We are dealing here with right doctrine and right practice. Until the return of Christ, believers must both teach the truths of God and oppose those who fail to do so." (Grant Osborne - Pdf - Revelation Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) Thou, Lord, who didst our faith bestow, Must give the power to hold it fast, Undaunted in Thy steps to go From our first conflict to the last, Resolved to toil and suffer on, ’Till Thou the second time appear, Ascend Thy bright millennial throne, And reign the King of glory here. -- Charles Wesley (1707–1788)" (Play Hold me Jesus by Rich Mullins) Our orders are not to retreat, but to hold our position and do battle. -- Don Anderson A T
Apocalipse 2
MacArthur - Those nations in the millennial kingdom who rebel against Christ’s rule and threaten His people will be destroyed. Those people who rule with Him will help protect His people and promote holiness and righteousness. Christ will delegate authority to them as He also has received authority from His Father (cf. John 5:22, 27+). (See Revelation Commentary) R L Thomas - The Messiah will shatter the power of all His enemies, allowing the overcomers to share this dominance with Him, a feature of His conquest that is developed further in Rev 17:14 and Rev 19:14 (Beckwith).....Vessels of a potter are made of clay that has been dried and cooked until quite brittle. Such material when struck with a sharp blow shatters into hundreds of pieces, a graphic picture of the collapse of the Messiah’s enemies at their future confrontation with Him.(See Revelation Exegetical Commentary) Henry Morris on rod of iron - This promise was given first to the Son by the Father (Ps 2:7-9). Here He shares His Father's promise with His saints, who shall "judge the world" (1Cor 6:2+; see also Da 7:18,27+). Walvoord - The word for “rule” (Gr., poimanei) means literally “to shepherd.” Their rule will not be simply that of executing judgment, but also that of administering mercy and direction to those who are the sheep as contrasted to the goats (Matt. 25:31–46). The power to rule in this way was given to Christ by His heavenly Father (John 5:22+). (Revelation 2: The Letters To Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, And Thyatira) As I also have received authority from My Father - Note the chain of command from God the Father to God the Son to the sons of God. Amazing grace toward us! In the Gospel of John, Jesus declared that "not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son....and He gave Him authority (exousia) to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man." (Jn 5:22, 27+) Rule (4165) poimaino from poimen = shepherd) was one who tended flocks like a shepherd and who carried out oversight, protecting, leading, encouraging, discipling, guarding, guiding and feeding ("feed and lead"). Poimaino - 11v - Matt. 2:6; Lk. 17:7; Jn. 21:16; Acts 20:28; 1 Co. 9:7; 1 Pet. 5:2; Jude 1:12; Rev. 2:27; Rev. 7:17; Rev. 12:5; Rev. 19:15 Revelation 7:17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 12:5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. Revelation 19:15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. Broken (crushed) (4937) suntribo from sun = together or intensification of meaning of the root word + tríbo = wear away, rub, break in pieces; see cognate word suntrimma) means to crush completely, to shatter, or to break in pieces and in context of Ro 16:20 it means to break the strength and power of Satan once and for all! This is a strong verb which leaves no doubt as to who is the winner in this battle. Glory! Suntribo is used of a reed, to break so as to have a flaw or crack. (Mt 12:20). To tear apart chains (Mk 14:3). Figuratively suntribo means brokenhearted (Lk 4:18). In Romans the picture is of trampling the devil under your feet. Suntribo was used in secular Greek to denote the act of smashing grapes into wine. It was also used to refer to the act of snapping, breaking, and crushing bones so utterly that they were beyond recognition. Suntribo - 7v - battered(1), broke(1), broken(1), broken in pieces(1), broken to pieces(1), crush(1), mauling(1). Matt. 12:20; Mk. 5:4; Mk. 14:3; Lk. 9:39; Jn. 19:36; Rom. 16:20; Rev. 2:27 Revelation 2:28 and I will give him the morning star. NET Revelation 2:28 just as I have received the right to rule from my Father– and I will give him the morning star. NLT Revelation 2:28 They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star! ESV Revelation 2:27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. NIV Revelation 2:27 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'-- just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give him the morning star. GNT Revelation 2:28 ὡς κἀγὼ εἴληφα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου, καὶ δώσω αὐτῷ τὸν ἀστέρα τὸν πρωϊνόν. KJV Revelation 2:27 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 received of my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. ASV Revelation 2:27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to shivers; as I also have received of my Father: 28 and I will give him the morning star. CSB Revelation 2:27 and he will shepherd them with an iron scepter; he will shatter them like pottery-- just as I have received this from My Father. 28 I will also give him the morning star. NKJ Revelation 2:27 `He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels '-- as I also have received from My Father; 28 "and I will give him the morning star. NRS Revelation 2:28 even as I also received authority from my Father. To the one who conquers I will also give the morning star. YLT Revelation 2:27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron -- as the vessels of the potter they shall be broken -- as I also have received from my Father; 28 and I will give to him the morning star. Rev 22:16 Lu 1:78-79 2Pe 1:19 Revelation 2 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Related Passage: Revelation 22:16+ “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” 2 Peter 1:19+ So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. Daniel 12:3+ “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. Matthew 13:43+ “Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. JESUS THE BRIGHT MORNING STAR And I will give him the morning star - If we allow Scripture to interpret Scripture (Compare Scripture with Scripture) this reference clearly describes Christ Himself, for Rev 22:16+ says "I am...the bright morning star." Given what seems to be a straightforward interpretation, it is surprising that "various explanations of this expression have been given." (Walvoord) John MacArthur - Some connect the morning star with such passages as Daniel 12:3 and Matthew 13:43. The promise would be that believers will reflect Christ’s glory. While Christians will reflect Christ’s glory, it is better to see the morning star as Christ Himself—a title He assumes in Revelation 22:16+ (cf. 2 Pet. 1:19+). Christ promised believers Himself in all His fullness; the One whom we “now … know in part [we will] then … know fully just as [we] also have been fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12). (See Revelation Commentary) Gotquestions - Jesus lists His promises to the believers in Thyatira: “To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—‘He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star” (Revelation 2:26-28). These blessings would include 1) authority over the nations, 2) victory over all enemies, and 3) the morning star. This morning star is Jesus Himself, as Revelation 22:16 reveals. Jesus will give Himself to His church, and they will fellowship together forever. Charles Swindoll - Christ’s promise to give them “the morning star” (Rev 2:28) draws on similar images of the rule of the Davidic king from Numbers 24:17–18+ and is mentioned again in Revelation 22:16+. (See Insights on Revelation) John Stott - Christ’s second promise to the victor concerns his gift of the morning star (v. 28). Many interpretations have been given of this phrase, but as always the word of God is its own best interpreter. In Revelation 22:16+ the Lord Jesus describes himself as the bright Morning Star. He is also the “star … out of Jacob” prophesied by Balaam (Nu 24:17+). The churches may be “lampstands” and the churches’ angels may be described as “stars,” but Christ is the bright morning star from whom they derive their light. In pledging to give this star to the victor, then, Christ is pledging to give himself. Faithful Christians who have repudiated the standards of the world, controlled the desires of their fallen nature, and resisted the allurements of the devil will gain this bright morning star. Rejecting Jezebel, they will receive Christ. They will be permitted to share not only in his authority but also in his glory. They will not only rule the nations, but also serve the Lord of the nations. Refusing to dive into the depths of Satan, they will fathom the depths of Christ. Turning their backs on the darkness of sin, they will see the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Christian victors, however great their renunciations may have been on earth in the battle for holiness, will, with this star, this Christ, remain absolutely and eternally content. (BORROW What Christ thinks of the church : Revelation 1-3 expounded) Lehman Strauss - The meaning of this statement is not difficult to trace. In the closing words of the book Jesus said, "I am... the bright and morning star" (Revelation 22:16+). Saints and angels are elsewhere in Scripture called stars, but this Star is peculiarly and preeminently different. This Star is Christ Himself. Balaam in his prophecy said, "There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel" (Numbers 24:17+). Balaam saw Him afar off, but the world is much closer now to seeing Him in His new earthly role. True, there is still the world's darkness because of Satan and sin. We Christians sometimes wonder how brightly the gospel light shines through the present blackness. But then we press on to let our light shine, for one day Christ will present Himself to us again, not as our Redeemer to die for us, but as the world's Ruler to reign with us. Then will be fulfilled the prophecy of Zacharias, "The day-spring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death" (Luke 1:78-79). In promising this Star to the overcomer, then, Christ is but pledging Himself, not to a select few from among His own, but to all who are truly His. The Morning Star will usher in the majestic glory and splendor of the preeminent Christ. (BORROW The Book of the Revelation: Outlined Studies) Hampton Keathley - as Christ is Himself referred to as ‘the bright Morning Star’ (Rev 22:16+) it is likely that it is the presence of the Lord that is meant. Even though this is an unusual way for Christ to refer to Himself this seems the best way of taking the words. The ultimate reward of the Christian is to be with his Lord. (Revelation 2:18-29 The Message to Thyatira) Herbert Lockyer - What a rich promise is here offered: "I will give to him the morning star." Overcomers are to have a personal interest in Christ Himself. "In His character as the 'Sun of Righteousness' to Israel He heals His people and brings in blessing, but in His character as the 'Bright and Morning Star' He appears before the sun rises to His own alone." Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, what a joy it is to see in Jesus "The Morning Star," which is never far from "The Sun. Are we holding fast that truth, grace; hope and love which the Lord has given us? If so, then ours is the assurance of the dawn of coming glory. "He that makes thee overcome evil, and persevere in righteousness, has therein given thee the morning star." (Borrow All the promises of the Bible) Related Resources: Who is the bright morning star in Revelation 22:16? | GotQuestions.org Why are both Jesus and Satan referred to as the morning star? | GotQuestions.org C H