Revelation Two Series

The next two chapters consist of letters written to the seven churches in Asia. Each letter is different, yet the same. These churches are no longer standing today, but their characteristics exist in every church in the world. As we go through the letters and understand what Jesus is saying to them, examine yourself and see if you yourself have any of these characteristics: good or bad.

The first letter is addressed to the church of Ephesus. "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, these things say He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 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; and you have persevered and have patience and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 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. But this you 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 give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." (Rev. 2:1-7)

The Ephesus church is known as the loveless church. It started out loving God, but as they continued in their works, the fire and love they started out with dwindled out. Their labor and works though good have become tradition, legalistic. This happens to a lot of Christians. When we first receive Christ, we are on fire for Him. We love Him with all our hearts and are eager to do anything and everything for Him. But then several things happen. One thing is we become too busy serving God that we neglect to spend time with Him. Distractions from family, friends, school, our jobs, and other things start to take up more and more of our time. When we do finally find time to read the Word or pray, we realize that we don't have that same fire burning in our hearts anymore. It's becoming routine. God cares way more about having a personal relationship WITH Him than us doing a bunch of things FOR Him. So, make sure to keep the fire God placed in you burning. If it's low, look at your priorities and change them if necessary. Jesus promises to him who overcomes, He will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.

The second letter is addressed to the church of Smyrna. "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, these things say the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life. I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.

For years, there have been many pastors and speakers who question who the true Jews are. There are quite a few groups of people who claim that they are the true Israelites, but let's take a deeper look at what this means. The synagogue of Satan is a group of people who don't practice the basics of Judaism. They don't keep the Torah; let alone follow it. Some of these people may have been born into Jewish families, but when they grew up, they walked away from everything they were taught. They tell people that they're Jewish due to their background, but they don't live or act like true Jews.

These are the ones who cause the most problems for people because they act like the devil. They are the persecutors, liars, and murderers who destroy everything they touch. But Jesus promised that those who overcome shall not be hurt by the second death. As far as those groups who've risen claiming they're the true Israelites, are they lying? Honestly, I don't know. I say that because we've got to remember that the Israelites didn't stay in just one place. At one point, the nation was scattered to different parts of the world. And of course, they married locals and have children with them. So, there are Black Jews, White Jews, Asian Jews, Hispanic Jews, and Native American Jews walking around today. The main message here is to be faithful unto death. Hang on despite tribulations.