Cowboy 4 John The Revealer
If someone were to sum up your life with just one or two words what would those words be? We all have loved ones that have since passed away and we still hold their memories close to our hearts. Whenever you think about those loved ones what is the one word that seems to keep coming back to you time and time again? I lost my father in April of 2004 and there are not too many days that go by that I don’t think of him. The one characteristic that most often comes to my mind is his sweetness. My dad was a very sweet and kind person, mostly very quiet but never had an unkind word to say about someone. During the last years of his life he suffered with Alzheimer’s disease so he would often go back to his childhood. The amazing thing about this disease of the memory is it would magnify his sweetness. Mom took very good care of dad and would take him with her everywhere she went. Dad would always follow along quietly and would watch her wherever she went. At the end of my days I hope the characteristic my family will remember of me is my passion for the people who don’t know Jesus.
John would have made a great cowboy because he is a master of telling stories and painting word pictures. Cowboys love to talk about their predictions for the future and will describe events and places so vividly you can imagine being there. You can get twenty cowboys together in a room and you will hear forty opinions on the future weather because so much of their livelihood revolves around rain. The book of Revelation is a book of the future, the things that will take place when God prepares the earth to receive Him as physical King. John paints some very graphic images using words and is very specific on several items that happen during the end of times, specifically during a seven year period of great tribulation.
This chapter is devoted to disciple named John which according to John he was the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” John is one of the three closest disciples of Jesus; the other two being Peter and James. Peter, Andrew, James and John were all fisherman (Luke 5:9) and business partners. John’s dad was Zebedee and his mother was Salome, who was very close to her boys. John is responsible for writing four books in the New Testament: the Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and Revelations. John was the pastor in a town called Ephesus and probably wrote the first three books from that city. The fourth book was written when John was banished on the island of Patmos. John died around the year A.D. 100. According to “Foxes Book of Martyrs:” John The "beloved disciple," was brother to James the Great. The churches of Smyrna, Pergamos, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Thyatira, were founded by him. From Ephesus he was ordered to be sent to Rome, where it is affirmed he was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. He escaped by miracle, without injury. Domitian afterwards banished him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Nerva, the successor of Domitian, recalled him. He was the only apostle who escaped a violent death .
Most of the accounts found in the gospels about John usually include his brother James. We see James and John asking Jesus to sit on His left in Right in His kingdom. When John was an elderly man, it was said that he constantly repeated the phrase, "Little children, love one another!" He did that because he believed it was the Lord’s most important commandment. John mentions Jesus’ statement “Love one another” four times in his gospel, the other writers never use that phrase. John uses “Love one another” five times in 1 John and once in Second John. John never mentions his own name in the Gospel of John, however you will find the name John mentioned but it always refers to John The Baptist.
The events that shaped John’s ministry, both during and after Jesus’ ministry, seem to center around love. The famous verse found only in his book, John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will be saved.” John’s gospel goes into great detail concerning the arguments with the Jewish leaders and teachers the other gospels barely touch. Conflict and love are what appears to shape the thinking of John the disciple. If love is the first word to describe John, unity would be the second. Some of John’s favorite words and ideas are light, life, love, believe and truth.
• Light: John 12:36 “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.”
• Life: John 20:31 “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
• Love John 13:34-45 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
• Believe : John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
• Truth: John 8:32: “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Imagine a life that focused on the scriptures above; a life filled with love for other people, believing that Jesus came to help and not harm us, a life set free from bondage and slavery, leading others to the same kind of life!
The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved
Jesus and John shared a special relationship but most of the time in the Bible you see this relationship shared with two others; Peter and James. There is one verse that might give some insight to the closeness John had with Jesus (John 19:25-27):
25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
Jesus loved John so much He entrusted John with his mother to take care of her on this earth. Who would you be willing to entrust your mother or child with?
The Seven Churches and the Seven People of Revelation Chapters 2-3
The End of The World as we know it:
It seems people’s interest in the end times are centered more around the politics and the cataclysmic events during that period rather than focus on the good news that Jesus is coming back. There will be some very difficult times according to Revelation but when you get to the end of the book there will also be a new heaven and a new earth with Jesus sitting on His throne. The book of Revelations contains many horrifying details of the last days and you will find endless theories on the end times. However, to be clear here are some biblical facts regarding Jesus’ return:
• Only Father God knows the exact time. Mark 13:32, "No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows."
• Our daily activities will be going about as usual. Matthew 24:37-39, "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the Flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the Flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes."
• Jesus will come when we least expect it. Matthew 24:40-42, "Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. So be prepared, because you don’t know what day your Lord is coming."
• The whole world will see the Messiah’s return. Matthew 24:27, "As the lightning lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes."
In Revelation chapter two and three John writes seven letters to seven churches that were given by Christ Himself. We can learn something from each of these seven churches and notice how God takes what is common in each city and uses those things to challenge the Christians to be overcomes or to turn from their wrong doings.
Common to all 7 churches
As John describes the seven churches he starts in Ephesus about 30 miles from the Island of Patmos, he then goes north about twenty miles to Smyrna then another thirty miles north to Pergamum. The churches describes forms a horseshoe with Pergamum at the top. After Pergamum he describes the church at Thyatira about ten miles south then Sardis five miles south of Thyatira. After Thyatira John describes the church in Philadelphia about three miles south then concludes ten miles south of Philadelphia at the church of Laodicea.
All seven letters to the churches will introduce the city of the church and a statement that parallels that city. Jesus also states in each letter that he knows all about their situation and their deeds specifically. The only two churches Jesus doesn’t say “I know your deeds” are: Smyrna, which he says “I know your afflictions” and Pergamum “I know where you live.” It is reassuring and scary that Jesus knows ALL of our deeds. However the good news is once all of our deeds are read and before the punishment is handed down there will be one more book checked; the book of life. If our name is found in the book of life God will say “Price Paid in Full by My Son, welcome to heaven.” There is only one way to get your name written in the book of life and that is by accepting God’s only Son as your savior (master).
During the final judgment with Christ there will be two books opened (Revelation 20:12); one is the books of deeds the other is the book of life. If a person accepted Christ during their lifetime their name will be written in the book of life. Our deeds will be listed off one by one which includes our thoughts. God will then apply the appropriate judgment to our deeds which is eternal separation from Him in Hell. There will be differing punishments in Hell (Mark 12:38-40, Luke 12:47-48, Hebrews 10:29, Matthew 11:21-24, Matthew 10:14-15). In Rev. 20:12 John saw a great white throne and he saw the dead great and small standing before the throne as the books of deeds were read concerning each individual. Here is how one commentator described the scene:
There is a terrible fellowship there. . . . The dead, small and great, stand before God. Dead souls are united to dead bodies in a fellowship of horror and despair. Little men and paltry women whose lives were filled with pettiness, selfishness, and nasty little sins will be there. Those whose lives amounted to nothing will be there, whose very sins were drab and dowdy, mean, spiteful, peevish, groveling, vulgar, common, and cheap. The great will be there, men who sinned with a high hand, with dash, and courage and flair. Men like Alexander and Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin will be present, men who went in for wickedness on a grand scale with the world for their stage and who died unrepentant at last. Now one and all are arraigned and on their way to be damned: a horrible fellowship congregated together for the first and last time .
Ear to Hear
John will close all seven letters with the phrases “He who has an ear to hear,” and “He who overcomes”. Jesus tells all seven churches that if the people have ears to hear let them hear the promises for those who overcome. The word for overcome is Nikaow (like the shoe Nike), it means to conquer. John mentions this word seven times in his gospel and sixteen times in Revelation. I John 5:5 says “Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” What John is saying in that verse is the true Christians are those who are overcomers and conquerors. Lets look at what Jesus tells us about the seven churches using John as the writer. Below is a chart to give you a helicopter view of the seven churches of Asia, all seven cities are located in modern day Turkey which is 99% Muslim .
Chart
Commendation Criticism Instruction Promise Status Today
Ephesus
(2:1-7) Rejects evil, perseveres, has patience Love for Christ no longer fervent Do the works you did at first The tree of life No city built upon it, silt filled harbor
Smyrna
(2:8–11) Gracefully bears suffering None Be faithful until death The crown of life Large Christian Population today, Modern day Izmir, Turkey, 3rd largest city in Turkey
Pergamos
(2:12-17) Keeps the faith of Christ Tolerated immorality, idolatry, and heresies Repent Hidden manna and a stone with a new name Modern day Bergama in Turkey,
Thyatira
(2:18–29) Love, service, faith, patience is greater than at first Tolerates cult of idolatry and immorality Judgment coming; keep the faith Rule over nations and receive morning star Large Christian Population today
Sardis
(3:1-6) Some have kept the faith A dead church Repent; strengthen what remains Faithful honored and clothed in white Destroyed in 1402
Philadelphia
(3:7–13) Perseveres in the faith None Keep the faith A place in God’s presence, a new name, and the New Jerusalem Large Christian Population today
Laodicea
(3:14–22) None Indifferent Be zealous and repent Share Christ’s throne Desert Ruins
Ephesus The Loveless Church
Ephesus was a large metropolitan city with a population of over 225 thousand people. Ephesus was the capital city and the gateway of the Roman province called Asia. People coming to Asia would first arrive at Ephesus and began their journey from there, similar to New York when immigration was Ephesus was the largest commercial center which was more important administratively than commercially. Ephesus was the center of the worship of the goddess Artemis (known to the Romans as Diana), who’s ornate temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Artemis was the idol over hunting and fertility and the temple was over 100,000 square feet in size. Ephesus was a city that loved theatre and the fine arts, they had a theatre that seated 24,000 people (Acts 19:23-41). The book of Acts (19:17-19) shows the people who were converted to Christ and the large numbers of people that come from the occult of Artemis.
Shocked into realizing the futility of trusting in pagan practices, "many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.”
Fifty thousand pieces of silver is such a large sum of money that equated to fifty thousand days of workers wages. Ephesus was had a large manufacturing economy with a large part of their economy coming from people manufacturing idols. This large number of people coming to Christ posed a severe threat to the Ephesians’ economy which is why the craftsmen who made idols reacted violently to the gospel message. When some people come to Christ there is a financial cost to their commitment. If those people are in occupations that dishonor God they are called to walk away from those jobs and perhaps they are called to destroy some of their inventory. The good news is whatever we give up for God, He replaces those losses with love, joy, peace and self control. These are things that no amount of money can buy.
John lived here both before and after his exile from the Isle of Patmos. Christian legend tells us that John was buried in Ephesus as well as Jesus’ mother Mary. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul was buried in Ephesus around A.D. 98-117 as well as his student Timothy who was said to have been killed during a festival to the idol of Artemis. John wrote gospel of John from there sometime between A.D 85-100. Paul established the church of Ephesus in A.D. 55 and wrote the epistle to the Ephesians in A.D. 63. In the book of Ephesians Paul warns them that savage wolves will come in among you and not spare the flock, furthermore Paul said that some among you will distort the truth. Ephesus was the mother church out of whose ministry the other six churches were founded, and it was the most prominent; these two reasons combined is probably why Ephesus is mentioned first.
The Message: “You have left your first love” (2:4)
The Greeting
‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2
The stars represent either the angels in charge over each church or the specific pastor leaders of the church. I would be more inclined to consider these to be the angels because some of the church’s leaders are not in Jesus’ right hand, like the Jezebel mentioned in 2:20 at the church of Thyatira. The image of Jesus walking in the midst of the lampstands shows He watches over the churches. A person who walks among the lampstands in a church is the one who will relight the wick when it goes out and refills the candles with oil when they run dry; he is the overall caretaker of those candles.
The Good Revelation 2:2-3, 6
“I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.
Jesus commends the church for what they are doing right before He rebukes them. Notice the Ephesian church
1. they worked
2. They labored
3. They were patient
4. Stood for what was right
5. Tested the teachers according to scripture
6. Did not grow weary in their work for Christ
7. Rev. 2:6 Hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans
The doctrine of the Nicolaitans, and that of Balaam (ver. 14), and that of the woman Jezebel (ver. 20), seem to have this much in common—a contention that the freedom of the Christian placed him above the moral Law. The Church of Ephesus held scripture and the moral law at a very high standard, it appears they were self-disciplined, faithful, and hard workers. Many “churches” today ignore the clear teachings of scripture and preach sermenets for christenets. These sermons are nothing more than motivational speeches with a few scriptures sprinkled so the sermon qualifies as a sermon. Whenever a motivational speech or pop psychology is given it is very difficult to test the truth given. However, when a preacher takes scripture and applies the lesson directly from the scripture going line by line and word by word the people have an opportunity to test what is spoken against the written word.
When I preach I will never use a story unless I specifically say “this is just a story to illustrate the point.” One time a gave a story I believed was from history but the source I learned this story from was not documented. I told the story as if it were true and found out later the source I quoted from was not reliable and the story actually didn’t happen in history. I felt horrible, the truth should always be spoken from the pulpit and I swore to never use a story unless I can verify the source. A preacher is a reporter on scripture and a good reporter will always seek the truth and tell the story in a manner which people can understand. A reporter will not go on hear say and legend but will seek to uncover the truth. This generation today is caught up with stories of celebrities and positive thinking preaching. Preaching from the Bible should always be the preacher’s primary source of information sprinkled with some verifiable real life examples to bring the text alive.
If I were to tell you the best ways to make your marriage work, or how to find fulfillment in your job, or how to be financially successful and gave you ten ways to achieve these things by only using one scripture out of context, how can I be tested? People need to learn the difference between truth and tales, and when the Bible is explained in a way people understand it that brings about true change. However God will put these people in your path to test you, because if a person is seeking Christ in their life they will always read the Bible, here is what the Lord says about listening to people that turn your attention from the true God to the idol of psychology:
Deuteronomy 13 “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Psalms 119:11 says “I have hidden Your word in my heart so I wont sin against You.” The only way to avoid being proud, arrogant and unloving toward people is by reading the scriptures on a daily basis. Psychology is primarily rooted from the desire of man to figure things out for themselves because we want to rely on ourselves and not God. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us not to rely on own understanding but to depend on God and He will direct your paths. The problems in our relationships with others, and everything else in our lives, come down to our relationship with Christ, when we depend on these false teachers they are adding to the problem and gaining understanding. Like the church in Ephesus they were commended for testing these false teachers, but that is not the end of the story because they were too focused on finding the wrong and not the right.
The Bad Revelation 2:4-5
4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 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.
Due to the large amount of metal fabrication for idols that was taking place in Ephesus there was also an incredible amount of candles placed in the various temples. The word picture the Lord uses probably hit the Ephesians square in the gut because they didn’t have to look very far to see candles sitting in their lampstands. The Ephesian church started out as a great church and now they are into their second generation of people. The founders and the next generation held a very high view of scripture and the importance of serving Christ, henceforth the height from which they had fallen. A person might ask how these things could be so wrong. The list of commendations is excellent but the reason for these actions became more mechanical than meaningful. Hard working people have a very low tolerance for those who do not work as hard, similar to how a man who works outside with his hands in all sorts of weather will look down on a person who works in an office.
The Ephesian church is similar to some traditional, historical churches today. These churches think everyone should hold the same honorable standards they possess which is a good thing, but they become intolerant to people who don’t fit their mold. This is why many churches today aren’t reaching out to the unchurched but attracting only those who have a church background. Bringing the unchurched in can become messy because you are dealing with people who have messy lives. Perhaps this is one reason Cowboy Church has struck a chord with so many unchurched people. Cowboy Church is not about the buildings or tradition, but instead Cowboy Church focuses entirely on the unchurched and making the everyday connection with people real. Cowboy Church doesn’t ask anything of visitors, meaning we don’t ask for the address and phone number and we also don’t pass the plate asking for money.
People have fallen from great heights to follow Christ and Christ has pulled people up from great depths. Whether you are on high point or a low point of your life you will be moved when you come to Christ. The church in Ephesus was a great church when they began and this is why Jesus is asking them to return to their first love, the love of Christ and reaching out to the lost. This is a simple command with a complex answer. How does a church or a person return to when they first answered Christ’s calling and serving Him out of love instead of duty? To return to your first love means you have to reinvent yourself.
The process of reinventing always requires thought, action and deeds this is how the brain reprograms itself. Reinvent means you are inventing something all over again. The first step to any invention is a problem must be identified and what the best solution to that problem would be then follows close behind. If a church wants to return to its first love (reinvent itself), try planting a new church or add a satellite campus. I have a personal goal to always have two churches going at the same time; this is beneficial for myself and the church. I have to continually reinvent myself to keep things simple as I reach out to the unchurched and the church renews their focus on reaching the lost and takes great pleasure in being a part of kingdom expansion (His not ours).
When I was in my early thirties I had to reinvent myself to gain a new passion for Christ, my passion had died out and this was the verses that brought me back to my senses. One time during a group Bible study a lady named Terry Ann Kelly stood up and said I feel like someone here is about to have their lampstand removed and they need to repent and return to their first love. We weren’t even studying the book of Revelations but I knew the person the Lord was talking to and that was me. I was shaken to the core which is what the word of God does and I did not want to hesitate. I immediately got involved in a group called BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) which then led me to six years of seminary. I was ready to reinvent myself and I headed the words of the Lord. Notice the only way I reinvented myself was I had to get off my pockets and do something about it, the change did not come from just thinking about my desire to be right with the Lord.
Telling someone to get right with the Lord and return to the love they first had when they were on fire for the Lord is a bold statement, but how does a person accomplish that feat. Notice John says repent (turn from your ways) and do the things you did at first. Get off your pockets and reinvent yourself, don’t just sit there and say “ok Lord, unscramble my brains and give me a renewed love!” We need to ask the Lord to unscramble our brains, but He will do that when we start serving Him. Faith is not about works, but our works are all about our faith (James 2:18). Like the Waylon Jennings song of Luckenbach Texas “get back to the basics of love”, go back to the time when you were on fire for the Lord and look at the basics of prayer, Bible study, telling others about Him and serve Him in His church to draw other people to a saving faith in Christ.
The Promise to the Overcomers 2:7
7 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”
Who doesn’t have an ear? Jesus is not speaking of physical ears like he is not speaking of physical life. There are two words for life and one word (bios) concerns the physical life, the other word (zoe) means a person spiritual life. The New Testament teachings will only use bios (physical time) about a dozen time, the New Testament will use zoe (spiritual life) over one hundred times. Our physical bodies will eventually pass but our spiritual bodies are what will live forever. When you think of loved ones that have passed you don’t necessarily think about their physical bodies but their spiritual bodies (their personality and character traits).
The tree o f life in the midst of the Paradise of God is a picture from Genesis 2:9 with Adam and Eve in the garden. In the garden there were two trees; tree of life, which by eating from this tree they would live forever. The other tree was the tree of knowledge of good and evil, by eating from this tree caused death. Jesus is saying the tree of life will go on forever in the Garden of God, the influence of sin will not be present in Paradise.
The Ephesian church is an example that hanging on to tradition and outward service can not overcome a cold heart for the lost or for Christ. If your love for God has cooled and you are just going through the motions while you only think of yourself and your own desires take this warning and go reinvent yourself.
Today, the city of Ephesus stands as it did in ancient times. No modern city was ever built over it; once the emperor stopped the funds used to dredge the harbor, it gradually filled with silt and became unusable. The city is actually six miles from the water front. Without the waterway, Ephesus lost its commercial value and its standing as a vital urban center. Ephesus could not keep the silt out of the harbor henceforth it lost its value as a major city of influence. Likewise the church was commanded to dredge its spiritual harbors to maintain its influence and to stay fresh in the Spirit. As the church and the city we need to not allow the silt of tradition to cause our passion to influence the world for Christ, we can’t stand on yesterdays victories, we must have victories every day and always remember that which we were saved from (Romans 5:9).
Pergamum –compromising church worldliness
Pergamum was reprimanded for allowing worldliness to seep into their church, much like many churches in America today. Ephesus had the exact opposite problem they wouldn’t let the world come into their church, so much so they became very legalistic. For many people in today’s church, the term worldliness has a quaint, old-fashioned ring to it. They associate it with prohibitions against things like dancing, going to the movies, or playing cards. Today’s user-friendly, seeker-oriented, market-driven church doesn’t preach much against worldliness. To do so might make unbelievers (not to mention many believers) uncomfortable, and is therefore avoided as poor marketing strategy.
In a lot of churches today a person might not be able to tell the difference between the church and a motivational or counseling seminar. The focus for some churches has been the submission of Christ to our desires and to make sure that we are happy. Many sermons are preached where the preacher will throw in a scripture or two to make sure it qualifies as a sermon, but the focus still revolves around things like “improving our marriage, finances or how to raise kids to do the same.” 1st John 2:15–17 makes the believer’s duty to avoid worldliness unmistakably clear:
Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
Pergamum’s modern day name is Bergama again like the other seven churches is located in Turkey. "Beyond all other sites in Asia Minor it gives the traveler the impression of a royal city, the home of authority: the rocky hill on which it stands is so huge, and dominates the broad plain of the Caicus [River valley] so proudly and boldly." Modern Pergamum is a university town and during the time of John it was known for its large library.
From the John Macarthur commentary on Revelation according to legend, parchment (or vellum) was invented by the Pergamenes to provide writing material for their library. Seeking to build a library rivaling the one in Alexandria, a third-century B.C. Pergamene king attempted to lure the librarian of the Alexandrian library to his city. Unfortunately, the Egyptian ruler got wind of the plan, refused to allow the librarian to leave, and in retaliation prohibited the further export of papyrus to Pergamum. Out of necessity, the Pergamenes developed parchment, made of treated animal skins, for use as writing material. Though parchment was actually known from a thousand years earlier in Egypt, the Pergamenes were responsible for its widespread use in the ancient world. In fact, the word parchment may derive from a form of the word Pergamum
Pergamum was not on a trade route, it was not a port city, considered Asia’s greatest city, was Asia’s capital. Pergamum was also the focal point for the worship of the roman emperors; the people worshiped the emperors like they were gods. Pergamum was the rival of Ephesus in temples to Zeus, Athena, Dionysus. Interesting Jesus says Pergamum was the home of Satan and is the only church that mentions a specific person that was killed for their faith, Antipas.
The message: “I have a few things against you.” (2:14)
The Greeting
2:12 ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: 13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is.”
The two edged sword is describing the Word of God. John calls Jesus the Word, John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God. , and the Word was God. Hebrews 4:21 says “The word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword,” the author of Hebrews is speaking of scripture. Interesting the word is used in the greeting to a city known for its large library. Pergamum’s huge library (200,000 handwritten volumes) was second only to that of Alexandria. So impressive was Pergamum’s library that Mark Antony later sent it to his lover, Queen Cleopatra of Egypt.
Many people believe Satan can be everywhere all the time like God can. Satan is a created being so he is not omnipresent, meaning everywhere all the time. Furthermore, Satan’s home is not in hell with a pitchfork. Hell was prepared for Satan and his followers but he doesn’t end up there until Revelation 20:10. Since the world was created, Satan has always needed a headquarters, a place he can send out orders to his minions (soldiers). Satan is always trying to copy cat God because he wants to be just like him. Since God dwells in high places Satan has the same desire, read the words of Isaiah 14:11
12 “How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
Pergamum, a university town, sits on a hill that towers 1000 feet above the plain, like an oasis above a plateau. This would make sense because Satan likes to dwell in high places. Many scholars today believe the home of Satan is possibly somewhere in the Himalayas mountain range in Asia. .Pergamum was not an evil church because Jesus said they did not turn back on their faith in Him. However, they were a good church in an evil city and this city influenced the church.
The Good
2:13: “you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”
The church at Pergamum refused to say Lord Caesar but continued to say Lord Jesus even when some where killed. This city was so evil, faithful Antipas was killed. No one knows who this Antipas was but he is described a faithful and dying for the cause of Christ as a martyr. Not denying the name of Jesus and speaking of the martyr would almost appear Antipas was giving a choice of who he would say the Lord is, either Caesar or Jesus and Antipas did not deny the name of Jesus.
Again, Jesus said “Where Satan dwells”, as stated earlier Pergamum was the home of emperor worship and this is exactly what the devil wants us to do, worship the created rather than the creator. We might say with our mouth that Jesus is Lord but what do our actions say?
The Bad
2:14-15: “But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. 15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.”
This rebuke talks about two sets of doctrines; one from Balaam and one from the Nicolaitans. The account of Balaam can be found in Numbers 22. Balaam appears commonly in the Old Testament and regularly in the New Testament as an example of an evil artist, a prophet who would sell his skill for the proper price without reference to the Word of God supposedly represented by his words (Jude 11, 2 Peter 2:15) . Balaam had a spiritual gift of discerning the will of God, but he used this spiritual gift to the harm of others.
The “the teaching of Balaam” is the same as “the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” As mentioned in 2:6 the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, and that of Balaam (ver. 14), and that of the woman Jezebel (ver. 20), seem to have this much in common—a contention that the freedom of the Christian placed him above the moral Law. Jesus states that he hates these doctrines because He does not destroy people He loves people and the term Nicolaitans actually means “destruction of people.” Now ask yourself this question, “do I want to do the things the Lord of universe hates or loves?” The Pergamum church was putting a stumbling block in front of people. A stumbling block is something you stub your toe on trying to go somewhere. The church simply tolerated immorality, idolatry and did not keep a high view of scripture. Apparently they allowed people to eat meat in the church that others knew had been sacrificed to idols and this caused the other brothers to stumble. Paul warns the Corinthian church of this same thing in 1 Corinthians 8:7:
9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? 11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? 12 But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 13 Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
The Pergamum church allowed the world to slip into their fellowship and some of the weaker brothers were prevented from growing in Christ. The church needs to maintain a high view of scripture, prevent others from stumbling but at the same time don’t be like the Ephesians and let the standards overrule love. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:23-27 it is ok to eat meat sacrificed to idols but don’t eat if another brother is offended by it.
23 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. 24 Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being.
25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market, asking no questions for conscience’ sake; 26 for “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.”
27 If any of those who do not believe invites you to dinner, and you desire to go, eat whatever is set before you, asking no question for conscience’ sake. 28 But if anyone says to you, “This was offered to idols,” do not eat it for the sake of the one who told you, and for conscience’ sake;
Part of the flesh of victims sacrificed in Greek temples was consumed by priests and worshipers on the premises, while the rest was sold to the public in the market place. Therefore, “to eat meat sacrificed to idols” could refer to four possible situations: (1) participation in the sacral meal in a temple, (2) accepting sacrificial meat distributed during a public religious festival, (3) the practice of eating meat purchased at the marketplace that had originally been part of a pagan sacrifice, or (4) the sacral meals shared by members of a club or association in which Christians mingled with non-Christians
The Promise to the Overcomers
2:16-17: “Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
17 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”
The sword of my mouth is another reference to Balaam in Numbers 22:23 when the angel stood with a sword in the road that only Balaam’s donkey could see at first. When Balaam saw the angel with the sword he repented. Likewise, Jesus is saying if you don’t repent on your own, I will show you My sword and that will cause repentance. The stone with a new name is symbolic of the new Jerusalem in Revelations 21:5 where everything is made new again.
The sword that proceeds from the mouth of Jesus is His word. The people of Pergamum could have been relying on the apostle Paul’s writing of Christian liberty and using that scripture to justify the immoral acts they were committing.
Jesus compared Himself to the bread of life, so instead of eating the wrong foods of the world, feast on Jesus. The white stone’s meaning is not completely known, but it could be an image taken from the Roman court system, when a defendant in a crime is before a judge and is acquitted a white stone is placed upon the judge’s table showing the person is guilty. When we stand before the judgment of God and the books of our deeds are opened there will be two stones, a black and a white one, one of which will be laid down on the announcement of our sentence for our crimes against God. The book of life (29:12) will be opened and if our name is found there we will receive a white stone, meaning we are not guilty because Jesus paid our price.
Thyatira – corrupt church
The Message: “Hold fast what you have till I come.” (2:25)
The Greeting
The Good
The Bad
The Promise to the Overcomers
• Modern name is ak-hissar – the white castle, rocky hill overhanging it, on which a fortress formerly stood 9000 people, 3000 christians, church of St. John the Divine has been turned into a mosque. Smyrna and Philadelphia have large Christian populations, this is a testimony that they repented and strengthened what remained.
• known for its labor unions , to hold a job or run a business must be member of union
• unfortified city, repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt
• main industry wood and dyed goods , Acts 16.14 Lydia,
o William Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia (Albany, Oreg.: AGES Software; reprint of the 1904 edition], 260). —MacArthur New Testament Commentary, The
• violated 1 Tim 2:12 violated women are not to be teachers or preachers in the church and she was teaching error.
• greek philosophy that spirit is good, flesh is evil, God only interested in spirit
• matt 18:6-10 causes these little ones to stumble
• time to repent, John 3:19 people loved darkness rather than light
• her children, church about 40 yrs old, spiritual children , too late for jezebel but her followers still had time
• went out of existence by 2nd century, a false prophet who claimed continuing revelation from God apart from scripture.
Large amounts of scarlet cloth are sent weekly to Smyrna , Macdonald’s ‘Life and Writings of St. John,’ p. 187
• Apollo the sun-idol chief deity vs 298 the morning star
• works more than first , more in value rather than in number
• like Ephesus and Pergamum Thyatira are both praised and blamed
• dependable, reliable and consistent in their faith
• good works surest sign of life, carelessness about false doctrine
• opposite of of Ephesus, who was also praised and blamed
• all works no doctrine, Ephesus all doctrine no works
• Jezebel wickedness is left unchecked , 1kings 21.25 Ahab was stirred up by Jeze
• days prolonged 2 Peter 3:9
• 22 sickbed – instrument of wrong doing is made the instrument of punishment
• searches the minds and the hearts (tests to see who is holding the reins)
Sardis the dead church (need to google)
The Message: “You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” (3:1)
The Greeting
The Good
The Bad
The Promise to the Overcomers
The vast distances of interstellar space are unimaginably immense. The nearest stars to us are trillions of miles away. Those large distances have forced astronomers to come up with an appropriate measurement unit, the light-year. One light-year equals the distance that light, traveling at more than 186,000 miles per second, travels in one year—more than 6 trillion miles.
The enormous distance to even the nearest stars presents an interesting possibility. If a star thirty light-years away from the earth exploded and died five years ago, we would not be able to tell by looking at it for another twenty-five years. Though no longer in existence, the light from that star would go on shining as if nothing had changed.
That illustration perfectly sums up the situation in many churches. They still shine with the reflected light of a brilliant past.
• —MacArthur New Testament Commentary, The
• Church dominated by sin, unbelief, false doctrine, had leaves but no fruit.
• 7 spirits perfection Isaiah 11.2
• no persecution, Satan does not need to worry about them
• Aesop fables from Sardis
• Wealth came from gold taken at the Pactolus River
• dying wood- who have not soiled their garments,
• gold and silver coins first minted at Sardis
• city on a hill only approachable from the south
• cliff on every side. , did get attacked.
• because could not be attacked, false sense of security
• attacked by the Persians, scaled the wall
• dead, Christ didn’t mention any good qualities
• book of life 20:12
Philadelphia Church Faithful Church
The Message: “I have set before you an open door.” (3:8)
The Greeting
The Good
The Bad
The Promise to the Overcomers
• Today it is called the reddish city from the red hills behind it.
• There are close to 1,000 christians there today
• Testimony that they went through the open door.
• Though situated on an easily defensible site on an 800-foot-high hill overlooking an important road, Philadelphia was not founded primarily as a military outpost (as Thyatira had been)
• The city was located on the edge of the Katakekaumene (the "burned land"), a volcanic region whose fertile soil was ideally suited for vineyards. Being near such a seismically active region had its drawbacks, however. In a.d. 17 a powerful earthquake rocked Philadelphia, along with Sardis and ten other nearby cities. Though the initial destruction was greater at Sardis, Philadelphia, being nearer the epicenter, experienced frequent aftershocks during the coming years. That nerve-wracking experience left psychological scars on Philadelphia’s inhabitants, as Sir William Ramsay notes:
• A frontier church, kept barbarians out and sent greek missionaries to spread Hellenism, gateway to central asia
• Many of the inhabitants remained outside the city living in huts and booths over the vale, and those who were foolhardy enough (as the sober-minded thought) to remain in the city, practiced various devices to support and strengthen the walls and houses against the recurring shocks. The memory of this disaster lived long . . . people lived amid ever threatening danger, in dread always of a new disaster; and the habit of going out to the open country had probably not disappeared when the Seven Letters were written. (The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia [Albany, Oreg.: AGES Software; reprint of the 1904 edition], 316–17).
• 5,000 of its 15000 residents are Christian today
• pillar – steadfastness and pillars, old Victorian mansions in south, pillars still stand
• write on forehead – permanent seal , vs mark of beast 14:9
• vs 8-11 4 things of concern,
o little power – little in number, commendation for their strength
o kept Jesus’ word
o not denied His name, would not recant their faith
o kept the word of My perseverance (niv you have kept my command to endure patiently
o Promises
Open door no one can shut – salvation secure, opportunities for service Elsewhere in Scripture an open door depicts freedom to proclaim the gospel. Explaining his travel plans to the Corinthians, Paul informed them, "I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries" (1 Cor. 16:8–9)—MacArthur New Testament Commentary, The
Verse 9 records a second promise made by Jesus Christ to the Philadelphia church: Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. As was the case in Smyrna (cf. 2:9), Christians in Philadelphia faced hostility from unbelieving Jews. Ignatius later debated some hostile Jews during his visit to Philadelphia. Because of their rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, they were not at all a synagogue of God, but a synagogue of Satan. Though they claimed that they were Jews, that claim was a lie. Racially, culturally, and ceremonially they were Jews, but spiritually they were not. Paul defines a true Jew in Romans 2:28–29: "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, 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" —MacArthur New Testament Commentary, The
Jews bow down God will "pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn" (Zech. 12:10).—MacArthur New Testament Commentary, The
vs 10 keep from hour of temptation , trial – to learn the true nature or character
• 1 Cor. 15:51–54; 1 Thess. 4:13–17), none of which speak of judgment, but rather of the church being taken up to heaven. There are three views of the timing of the Rapture in relation to the Tribulation: that it comes at the end of the Tribulation (posttribulationism), in the middle of the Tribulation (midtribulationism), and the view that seems to be supported by this text, that the Rapture takes place before the Tribulation (pretribulationism).—MacArthur New Testament Commentary, The
• Revelations 13:5 3 ½ years
Laodicea The Lukewarm church
The Message: “You are neither cold nor hot.”(3:15)
The Greeting
The Good
The Bad
The Promise to the Overcomers
• three names of Christ Amen, true witness, beginning of creation of God
o Amen – truth
o true witness – speaks the truth John 14:6 way, truth and life
o beginning of creation – not first person created, origin of creation
John 1:3 Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him
Heb 1:2 His Son is the one through whom God made the universe
Rev 22.13 The Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end
• City
o Vulnerable to attack, had to pipe water in several miles through
o Today it is a desert ruin
o 100 miles east of Ephesus, forty miles from Philadelphia
o Colossae and Hierapolis, commercial city, banking center A.D.60 paid for its own reconstruction after a devastating earthquake rejected offers of financial aid from Rome.
• Lukewarm, hot springs of Hierapolis (six miles to the north), Colossae ten miles to the east had cold refreshing fresh streams. by the time the water traveled through miles of underground aqueduct the water arrived foul, dirty and lukewarm. Not hot enough to relax and restore, nor was it cold enough to refresh.
• Hot spiritually alive and have a passionate pursuit of Jesus. Cold people are those who reject Jesus, they are not hypocrites. Lukewarm are hypocrites, play the game. They are not genuinely saved yet they don’t reject the gospel. Matthew 7:22-23 "Many will say to Me on that day, ’Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ’I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’"
• As previously noted, Laodicea was a very wealthy city. That wealth gave the members of its church a false sense of security as they imagined that their spiritual wealth mirrored their city’s material wealth. They were rich in spiritual pride but bankrupt in saving grace. Believing they were to be envied, they were in fact to be pitied.
• 3:18-20 The city was also famous for the soft, black wool it produced. The wool was made into clothes and woven into carpets, both much sought after. Laodicea was also an important center of ancient medicine. The nearby temple of the Phrygian god Men Karou had an important medical school associated with it. That school was most famous for an eye salve that it had developed, which was exported all over the Greco-Roman world
