The Revelation Of Jesus Christ – Chapter 2
We have already talked about:
I. Things Which Thou Hast Seen – Rev 1
II. Things Which Are – The Church Age – Rev 2-3
Last week we talked about:
A. An Introduction To The Letters To The Churches
1. The Church in General
2. The Seven Churches of Revelation – Rev 2-3
3. The similarities and differences in the seven letters to the 7 churches
4. The application of these letters
Today we will look at Revelation chapter 2.
These letters are not written to believers in general but to the angels or messengers of the churches that existed in John’s day. All seven churches were located in a region today we call Turkey.
Why is Christ first dealing with the church? - because judgment begins with the church. In First Peter chapter four verse seventeen we find:
(1 Pet.4:17) “For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
So Jesus deals with these 7 churches before he deals with the lost world.
B. An Examination Of The Seven Letters To The Seven Churches
1. The Letter To The Church At Ephesus – Rev 2:1-7
a. The Author of the Letter – Jesus Christ – Rev 2:1
Rev 2:1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:”
(1) Who commanded John to write – Rev 1:11
(2) Who walks among the 7 golden candle sticks – Rev 1:12-13
b. The Address of the Church – Ephesus – population 225,000
(1) Paul ministered there – Acts 18:19
(2) The idol Diana was worshipped there – Acts 19:35
(3) Timothy ministered there – 2 Tim 1:18
c. The Addressee – The angel of the Church in Ephesus – Rev 2:1
d. The Awareness – Rev 2:2-3
Rev 2:2-3 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary.’
(1) I know your deeds – v. 2
(2) I know your toil – v. 2
(3) I know your perseverance – v. 2
(4) I know you cannot tolerance evil men – v. 2
(5) I know you put those to the test – v. 2 – 1 John 4:1-3
(a) And found of them to be false – v. 2
(6) I know you have perseverance – v. 3
(7) I know you have endured for my name’s sake – v. 3
(8) I know you have not grown weary – v. 3
(9) I know you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitanes – v. 6
(a) Which I also hate – v. 6
Often we act like God does not know what is going on – but in reality “He knows all things – even the little things. He knows our deeds – He knows our works – He knows our struggles – He knows what we like and what we hate – He knows our labor and He knows when we get tired. He knows all things.
e. The Admonishment – Rev 2:4
Rev 2:4 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.’
No amount of separation, sacrifice, or service, can make up for your lack of love toward the Lord.
(1) You have left your first love – v. 4
(a) The Greatest Commandment – Mark 12:28-30
Mark 12:30 “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.'…'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
(b) We are to abide in His love – John 15:9
John 15:9 "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.”
(c) Our love for God is to motivate us – John 14:15
John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
(d) Love is the most important thing – 1 Cor 13:1-3
1 Cor 13:1 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. 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. 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.
f. The Appeal – Rev 2:5
Rev 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.”
(1) Remember – Rev 2:5
(a) When you cried Abba Father – Rom 8:15-17
(b) When His Word was your joy – Jer 15:16
(c) When you rejoiced when you saw your Savior – John 20:20
(d) When you laid on your bed and mediated upon Him – Ps 63:6
(e) When Christ gave His live for you – Luke 22:19
(2) Repent – Rev 2:5
(3) Redo the first works – Rev 2:5
g. The Alternative – Rev 2:5
(1) Be removed – Matt 7:19
Rev 2:6-7 'Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.'
The Nicolaitans were believers who compromised their faith in order to enjoy some of the sinful practices of Ephesian society. The name Nicolaitans is held by some to be roughly the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word for "Balaamites." Balaam was a prophet who had induced the Israelites to carry out their lustful desires. When we want to take part in an activity that we know is wrong, we may make excuses to justify our behavior, saying that it isn't as bad as it seems or that it won't hurt our faith. Christ has strong words for those who look for excuses to sin.
h. The Final Admonishment – Rev 2:7
(1) Listen
(2) Overcome
(a) Reward
-1 Eat of the tree of life – Gen 3:24; Rev 22:2, 14
2. The Letter To The Church At Smyrna – Rev 2:8-11
a. The Author – Jesus Christ – Rev 2:8
Rev 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:”
(1) The first and the last – Isa 44:6
(2) He which was dead and is alive
b. The Address of the Church – Smyrna
(1) A prosperous city 40 miles North of Ephesus
(2) A noted seaport located at a noted trade route
(3) A strong ally of Rome
(a) They had a temple built in the city where Rome was worshipped
(b) They sent aid to Roman soldiers
(c) They were allowed to be “self-ruling”
(4) A city of temples and great architecture
c. The Addressee – The angel of the Church in Smyrna – Rev 2:8
d. The Awareness – Rev 2:9
Rev 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.’
Smyrna was a leading center for the cult of emperor worship. The citizens of Smyrna willingly offered the worship that Emperor Domitian was now demanding of his subjects everywhere. Though the Christians willingly submitted to the emperor's civil authority, they refused to offer sacrifices to him and worship him. For that refusal they were branded rebels and faced the wrath of the Roman government.
(1) I know your tribulation – v. 9
The Christians at Smyrna refused to participate in pagan religion in general. Smyrna worshiped a mix of gods, including Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite, Asklepios, and, especially, Cybele. The Christians' rejection of the pagan pantheon of idols, coupled with their worship of an invisible God, caused them to be denounced as atheists. Much of Smyrna's social life revolved around pagan worship, and Christians were viewed as antisocial elitists for refusing to participate in it.
(2) I know your poverty – v. 9
Many of the believers at Smyrna were slaves; most were destitute. Those few who had owned possessions had undoubtedly lost them in the persecution.
(3) I know the blasphemy spoken against you by the Jews – v. 9
Jesus' declaration that the Jews who persecuted the Smyrna church say they are Jews and are not has caused some to question whether they were racially Jews. Surely they were physical descendants of Abraham, but not true Jews by Paul's definition: "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". Though these were by race Jews, they were spiritually pagan. They allied with the Gentile enemies of God in an attempt to stamp out Christianity in Smyrna.
Persecution comes from Satan, not from God. Satan, the devil, will cause believers to be thrown into prison and even killed. But believers need not fear death, because it will only result in their receiving the crown of life. Satan may harm their earthly bodies, but he can do them no spiritual harm. That their "synagogue belongs to Satan" means that these Jews were serving Satan's purposes, not God's, when they gathered to worship. "Ten days" means that although persecution would be intense, it would be relatively short. It would have a definite beginning and end, and God would remain in complete control.
e. The Appeal – Rev 2:10
Rev 2:10 'Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.’
(1) Do not fear – v. 10
(a) The things you will soon suffer – Ps 56:11
(b) Some will be imprisoned
- 1 By Satan
- 2 For testing
- 3 For ten days
(2) Be faithful – v. 10
(a) Unto death
-1 Receive the crown of life – James 1:12
f. The Final Admonishment – Rev 2:11
Rev 2:11 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.'
(1) Listen
(2) Overcome
(a) Reward
- 1 Not be hurt by the second death – Rev 20:14; 21:8
Rev 20:14 “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.”
Rev 21:8 "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
3. The Letter To The Church At Pergamos – Rev 2:12-17
Rev 2:12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:
a. The Author – Jesus Christ – Rev 2:12
(1) He which hath the sharp sword with two edges
(a) Out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword – Rev 1:16
(b) He can issue judge with this sword – Rev 2:16
(c) He will later judge the nations with this sword – Rev 19:15
Rev 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.
(d) The word of God is like a sword – Heb 4:12-13
Heb 4:12-13 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
b. The Address of the Church – Pergamos
(1) The City Of Pergamos
(a) It was located 20 miles from the Aegean Sea
(b) It was a religious city
(c) It was considered one of the greatest cities
(d) It was the place where Satan’s seat was – v. 13
(e) It was where Satan dwells – v. 13
c. The Addressee – The angel of the Church in Pergamos – Rev 2:12
Rev 2:13 'I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.’
d. The Awareness – Rev 2:13
(1) I know where you dwell – v. 13
(a) Where Satan’s throne is
As the center for four idolatrous cults (Zeus, Dionysius, Asclepius, and Athene), Pergamum was called the city "where Satan has his throne." Surrounded by worship of Satan and the Roman emperor as god, the church at Pergamum refused to renounce its faith, even when Satan's worshipers martyred one of its members. Standing firm against the strong pressures and temptations of society is never easy, but the alternative is deadly.
(2) I know you hold fast my name – v. 13
(3) I know you did not deny My faith – v. 13
(a) Even in the days of Antipas
-1 My witness
-2 My faithful one
-3 My martyr
Tradition has it that Antipas was placed inside a brass bull and roasted to death at a pagan feast.
Rev 2:14-15 'But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 'So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.’
e. The Admonishment – 2:14-15
(1) Some hold to the teaching of Balaam – v. 14
(a) He compromised for wages – 2 Peter 2:15-16
(b) Ate things sacrificed to idols – Acts 21:25; 1 Cor. 10:28
(c) Practicing immorality – 1 Cor. 6:18; Gal 5:19-21
(2) Some hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans – v. 15
(a) These stressed false freedom -- Jude 1:4; Roman 6:1
Rev 2:16 'Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.”
f. The Appeal – Rev 2:16
(1) Repent
g. The Alternative – Rev 2:16
(1) I will come quickly
(2) I will make war
Rev 2:17 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who 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.'
h. The Final Admonishment – Rev 2:17
(1) Listen
(2) Overcome
(a) Reward
- 1 Hidden Manna
- 2 White Rock
It is said that the Romans gave a white stone to the victors in athletic contests. This stone is award to those who overcome the world and refuse to compromise with it.
- 3 New Name
4. The Letter To The Church At Thyatira – Rev 2:18-29
Rev 2:18 "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:”
a. The Author – Jesus Christ – Rev 2:18
(1) The Son of God – Matt 16:16; Mark 3:11
(a) Eyes are like a flame of fire –Rev 19:12
(b) Whose feet are like burnished bronze
Burnished brass speaks of judgment. Judgment is often referred or is illustrated as fire. The wicked one day will be in the LAKE OF FIRE. I picture Jesus standing the fire for me. He stood there and fired burned and burned but it did not burn him because he was sinless. But when he stepped out of the fire – his feet looked like burnished brass. Those feet remind me He stood in my place, and was judged in my stead. His name reminds me he is the head of the church. His eyes remind me he is the examiner of the church. His feet remind me he has the right to judge the church.
b. The Address of the Church – Thyatira – Rev 2:18
(1) Smallest of the three cities – Sardis and Pergamos
(2) It was an industrial city –
(a) Noted for potters, tanners, bronze workers and dyers
- 1 Lydia came from there – Acts 16:14
c. The Addressee – The angel of the Church in Thyatira – Rev 2:18
Rev 2:19 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.’
d. The Awareness – Rev 2:19
(1) I know your deeds – v. 19
(a) Greater now than at first
(2) I know your love – v. 19
(3) I know your faith – v. 19
(4) I know your service – v. 19
(5) I know your perseverance – v. 19
Rev 2:20-21 'But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.’
e. The Admonishment – Rev 2:20-21
(1) You tolerate Jezebel - 1 Kings 18:4
(a) Calls herself a prophetess – v. 20
(b) Teaches and leads believers astray – v. 20
-1 Commits immorality
-2 Eats things sacrificed to idols
(c) She refuses to repent – v. 21
-1 I gave her time
Rev 2:22-23 'Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. 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.’
*Judgment and Punishment on Jezebel and her followers Rev 2:22-23
(a) I shall throw her on a bed – v. 22
-1 And those commit adultery with her
* Into tribulation
* Unless they repent
(b) I will kill her children – v. 23
-1 All churches shall know I am HE
* Who searches the minds
* Who searches the hearts
* Who deals out justice – Gal 6:7
Gal 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
Rev 2:24-25 'But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them--I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.’
*Reprieve for those who do not follow Jezebel – Rev 2: 24-25
(1) For those who do not to Jezebel’s teaching
(2) For those who do not know the deep things of Satan
(a) I put no other burden on you
(b) Hold fast to what you have
Rev 2:26-29 'He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
f. The Final Admonishment – Rev 2:26-29
(1) Overcome – v. 26
(2) Keep My deeds until the end
(a) I will give
-1 Authority over the nations
-2 He shall rule with an iron rod
*As one who breaks pottery
-3 The morning star
(3) Listen – v. 29
