REVELATION CHAPTER TWO

I) EXCERPT FROM REVELATION CHAPTER ONE

or go to Rev Chapter Two

[(Rev 1:19-20) Biblestudymanuals Commentary On Rev 1:19-20]:

(Rev 1:19 NASB) "Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.

(Rev 1:20 NASB) As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."

So following the revelation of Jesus Christ in His eternal glory to John, Jesus spoke to John saying, "Therefore write the things which you have seen - in the sense of in the past and the things which are - in the sense of in John's present, i.e., his message to the seven churches; and the things which will take place in the future the main purpose of the book which is prophetic. This is just what the timing of the Book of the Revelation follows: first: that which is in the past, then present and then future. The prophetic part of the Book is the main purpose of the Book and has the greatest volume. It introduces the events preceding, culminating in, and following the Second Coming of Christ comprising chapters 4-22. By carefully and properly reading the Book of the Revelation in accordance with the normative rules of language, context and logic as we all were taught in school , we can come to the conclusion that this book follows a chronological order. Some have attempted to seize upon certain phrases here and there from different books and other contexts to fit their particular scheme of interpretation and ignore anything that might contradict their conclusions within Revelation. Notice that Rev 1:19 has already established that there is a chronological order to this Book which cannot be contradicted by someone who has his own agenda such as amillennialism does. They do not follow the chronological wording which when taken in accordance with those rules of reading, makes the most sense, follows the authors' writing of those words and cannot be contradicted or ignored because that would be violating the normative rules of reading that we learned in school. For it is evident that it is the human author's - and God's intent - that when reading God's Word and even other written materials that we use to guide us through all kinds of things in life we are to follow the author's words they way they are written. If we do not follow the rules of reading, but follow our own rules, we are taking the Bible out of the hands of people that don't follow these special rules, but simply take God's Word the way they learned to read in school - as it should be read.

(Rev 1:20 NASB) As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."

Now, Jesus Christ speaks to John about the mystery of the seven stars which John saw in the right hand of the glorified Lord Jesus Christ which are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven golden lampstands which Jesus Christ said were the seven churches to whom Jesus Christ commanded John to write to which he obeyed and became part of this letter beginning with the church at Ephesus at Rev 2:1 - the next chapter.

1) [Compare Rev 1:12-16]:

(Rev 1:12 NASB) "Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;

(Rev 1:13 NASB) and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.

(Rev 1:14 NASB) His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 

(Rev 1:15 NASB)  His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.

(Rev 1:16 NASB) In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength."

(Rev 1:20 NASB) As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."

So the Book of Revelation, instead of being a hopeless jumble of symbolic visions and expressions, taken normatively according to the normative rules of reading - of language, context and logic, it was meant to be taken figuratively with literal meanings behind those figurative expressions that are indeed chronological and make total, logical and historical sense. John's account proves itself out to be a carefully written record of what he saw and heard, including frequent theological and practical explanations which back up what a normative meaning is gleaned from the words.

Revelation, with assistance from such other symbolic books as Daniel and Ezekiel, was intended by God to be understood by careful students of the entire Word of God. Like the Book of Daniel, it is be better understood as history unfolds to reveal that it was never meant to be spiritualized to support points of view that negates historical events and a careful reading by the careful and logical reader . Though timeless in its truth and application, it is a special comfort to those who need guidance in the days leading up to Christ's Second Coming.

2) [(Compare Dt 29:29)]:

(Dt 29:29 NASB) "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law."

So before unfolding the tremendous prophetic scenes of chapters 4-22, Christ first gave a personal message to John to deliver to each of the seven churches with obvious practical applications to His church today beginnning with chapter 2.

1) [(Rev 1:19-20) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 1:19-20]:

"1:19-20. Following the revelation of Christ in glory, John was again commanded to write. The subject of his record has three tenses: (a) what he had already experienced: what you have seen; (b) the present experiences: what is now; and (c) the future: what will take place later. This appears to be the divine outline of Revelation. What John was told to write was first a record of his experience (chap. 1), now history. Then he was to write the present message of Christ to seven churches (chaps. 2-3). Finally, the main purpose of the book being prophetic, he was to introduce the events preceding, culminating in, and following the second coming of Christ (chaps. 4-22).

The chronological division of the Book of Revelation is much superior to many other outlines in which interpreters often seize on incidental phrases or manipulate the book to fit their peculiar schemes of interpretation. This outline harmonizes beautifully with the concept that most of Revelation (beginning in chap. 4) is future, not historic or merely symbolic, or simply statements of principles. It is significant that only a futuristic interpretation of Revelation 4-22 has any consistency. Interpreters following the allegorical approach to the book seldom agree among themselves on their views. This is also true of those holding to the symbolic and historical approaches.

In Revelation a symbol of vision is often presented first, and then its interpretation is given. So here the seven stars were declared to be the angels or messengers of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches themselves. The Book of Revelation, instead of being a hopeless jumble of symbolic vision, is a carefully written record of what John saw and heard, with frequent explanations of its theological and practical meanings.

Revelation, with assistance from such other symbolic books as Daniel and Ezekiel, was intended by God to be understood by careful students of the entire Word of God. Like the Book of Daniel, it will be better understood as history unfolds. Though timeless in its truth and application, it is a special comfort to those who need guidance in the days leading up to Christ's second coming.

Before unfolding the tremendous prophetic scenes of chapters 4-22, Christ first gave a personal message to each of the seven churches with obvious practical applications to His church today."

2) [(Rev 1:19-20) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Rev 1:19-20]:

"19 John is told to "write, therefore, what you have seen." This verse faces us with an important exegetical problem concerning the sense of the words and the relationship of the three clauses: "what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later." Does Christ give John a chronological outline as a key to the visions in the book? Many think he does. If so, are there three divisions: "seen," "now," and "later"? Or are there two: "seen," i.e., "now" and "later"? In the latter case, where does the chronological break take place in the book? For others, v. 19 simply gives a general statement of the contents of all the visions throughout the book as containing a mixture of the "now" and the "later" (Moffatt, EGT, 5:347; Caird, p. 26).

While no general agreement prevails, the key to the problem may lie in the middle term "what is now." The Greek simply reads "which [things] are" (ha eisin). There are two possibilities. First, the verb can be taken temporally ("now") as NIV has done. This would refer to things that were present in John's day, e.g., matters discussed in the letters to the churches (2-3). Or second, the verb can be taken in the sense of "what they mean" (Alf, 4:559). This later explanation agrees with John's usage of the verb eisin throughout the book (cf. 1:20; 4:5; 5:6, 8; 7:14; 17:12, 15). "What they are [mean]" would immediately be given in the next verse, i.e., the explanation of the mystery of the lamps and stars. The change from the plural verb eisin in the second term to the singular mellei ("will") in the third tends to distinguish the last two expressions from both being time references.

Again, most commentators understand the phrase "what you have seen" as referring to the first vision (1:12-16); but it may refer to the whole book as the expression "what you see" in v. 11 does (EGT, 5:347). In this case the translation could be either "what you saw, both the things that are and the things that will occur afterwards," or "what you saw, both what it means and what will occur afterwards." "What will take place later" clearly refers to the future, but to the future of what? Some have taken the similar but not identical phrase in 4:1 (q.v.) to mean the same as here and have rendered it "what shall take place after these present things," i.e., after the things relating to the seven churches (2-3). This results in either the historicist view of chapters 4-22 or in the futurist view of them. But if the future is simply the future visions given to John after this initial vision, then the statement has little significance in indicating chronological sequence in the book. While v. 19 may provide a helpful key to the book's plan, on careful analysis it by no means gives us a clear key to it (see Notes).

John is told to write down a description of the vision of Christ he has just seen, what it means, and what he will see afterward, i.e., not the end-time things, but the things revealed later to him—whether they are wholly future, wholly present, or both future and present depends on the content of the vision. This leaves the question open concerning the structure of the book and its chronological progression, as John may have intended.

20 The first vision is called a "mystery" (mysterion). In the NT a "mystery" is something formerly secret but now revealed or identified. Thus John identifies the "mystery" of the harlot in chapter 17 by indicating that she is the "great city" that rules over the kings of the earth (vv. 7, 18; cf. 10:7). The seven stars represent the "angels of the seven churches." Who are the angels? There is no totally satisfactory answer to this question. The Greek word for angels (angeloi ) occurs sixty-seven times in Revelation and in every other instance refers to heavenly messengers, though occasionally in the NT it can mean a human messenger (Luke 7:24; 9:52; James 2:25 [Gr.]).

A strong objection to the human messenger sense here is the fact that the word is not used that way anywhere else in apocalyptic literature. Furthermore, in early noncanonical Christian literature no historical person connected with the church is ever called an angelos. Mounce and others (Beckwith, Morris) following Swete, who claims the idea comes from the Spanish Benedictine Beatus of Liebana (c. 785) (p. 22), identify the angels as a "way of personifying the prevailing spirit of the church" (Mounce, Revelation, p. 82). Though this is an attractive approach to our Western way of thinking, it too lacks any supporting evidence in the NT use of the word angelos and especially of its use in Revelation. Therefore, this rare and difficult reference should be understood to refer to the heavenly messengers who have been entrusted by Christ with responsibility over the churches and yet who are so closely identified with them that the letters are addressed at the same time to these "messengers" and to the congregation (cf. the plural form in 2:10, 13, 23-24).

As stated in v. 16, the stars are clearly linked in 3:1 with the seven spirits of God. Whatever may be the correct identification of the angels, the emphasis rests on Christ's immediate presence and communication through the Spirit to the churches. There is no warrant for connecting the seven stars with the seven planets or with images on Domitian's coins (Stauffer). In some sense, the reference to angels in the churches shows that the churches are more than a gathering of mere individuals or a social institution; they have a corporate and heavenly character (cf. 1 Cor 11:10; Eph 3:10; Heb 1:14). (See H. Berkhof, Christ and the Powers [Scottdale, Penn.: Herald, 1962] for further insight on the angelic ministries.) That the "seven lampstands are the seven churches" not only shows that the churches are the earthly counterpart of the stars but links the vision of Christ with His authority to rule and judge his churches."

II) REVELATION CHAPTER TWO

A) [(Rev 2:1-7) Biblestudymanuals Commentary On Rev 2:1-7]:

1) [Introduction To Rev 2-3 By Expositor's Bible Commentary]:

"The letters are more in the nature of messages than letters. Each message to an individual church was apparently also intended for the other six churches (2:7, 11, 17, etc., esp. 2:23). By reading and comparing each similar component of all the letters, one may gain a fuller insight into the messages. Each message generally follows a common literary plan consisting of seven parts:

1. The addressee is first given. This pattern occurs in the same way at the beginning of each letter; viz., "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write," etc.

2. Then the speaker is mentioned. In each case, some part of the great vision of Christ and of his self-identification (1:12-20) is repeated as the speaker identifies himself; e.g., "him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands" (2:1; cf. 1:13, 16). This identification is preceded in each case with the significant declaration "These are the words of him"- a declaration strongly reminiscent of the OT formula for introducing the words of God to the congregation of Israel.

3. Next, the knowledge of the speaker is given. His is a divine knowledge. He knows intimately the works of the churches and the reality of their loyalty to him despite outward appearances. Each congregation's total life is measured against the standard of Christ's life and the works they have embraced. In two cases that assessment proves totally negative (Sardis and Laodicea). In the message to Philadelphia, the speaker designates himself as "holy and true" (3:7); to the Laodiceans, he is "the faithful and true witness" (3:14). The enemy of Christ's churches is the deceiver, Satan, who seeks to undermine the churches' loyalty to Christ (2:10, 24).

4. Following his assessment of the churches' accomplishments, the speaker pronounces his verdict on their condition in such words as "You have forsaken your first love" (2:4) or "You are dead" (3:1). While two letters contain no unfavorable verdict (Smyrna, Philadelphia) and two no word of commendation (Sardis, Laodicea), yet since all seven letters would be sent to each church together with the entire Book of Revelation (cf. 1:11), we may assume that Christ intended that all the churches hear words of both commendation and blame. In the letters all derelictions are viewed as forms of inner betrayals of a prior relation to Christ. Each congregation is responsible as a congregation for its individual members and for its leaders; each leader and each individual believer is at the same time fully responsible for himself and for the congregation. This responsibility especially involves the problem of self-deception concerning good and evil, the true and the false, in situations where they are easily confused. The evil appears under the cloak of good; the good appears as apparent evil. Christ's verdict sets before each church the true criteria for leading it out of selfdeception into the truth.

5. To correct or alert each congregation, Jesus issues a penetrating command. These commands further expose the exact nature of the self-deception involved. We are mistaken if we believe that the churches readily identified the heretics and heresies involved in Christ's descriptions. Because they were deceptions, they would not easily be identified; thus there is the use of OT figures such as Balaam, Jezebel, etc., to alert the churches to the deceptiveness of the error. The greater the evil, the more deceptive the cloak. In the exposition of the letters, the commands must be carefully considered so as to determine precisely the particular nature of the various errors. The thrust of the commands is not in the direction of consolation for persecuted churches. It is rather the opposite—viz., that John, like Jesus, was concerned to bring not peace but a sword.

6. Each letter contains the general exhortation "he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (2:7, et al.). Seven exactly identical exhortations occur with only the position in the letter as a variable. The words of the Spirit are the words of Christ (cf. 19:10). Actually, the commands of Christ in the letters are somewhat ambiguous. Therefore, they require the individual and the congregation to listen also to the Spirit's voice that accompanies the words of Jesus if they are truly to realize the victory he considers appropriate for them. The exhortations provide warnings about apathy as well as words of challenge and encouragement. Even though the words of Christ refer initially to the first-century churches located in particular places, by the Spirit's continual relevance they transcend that time limitation and speak to all the churches in every generation.

7. Finally, each letter contains a victor's promise of reward. These promises are often the most metaphorical and symbolic portions of the letters and thus in some cases present interpretative difficulties. Each is eschatological and is correlated with the last two chapters of the book (chs. 21-22). For example, "the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God" (2:7) is parallel to "the tree of life" in 22:2; protection from "the second death" (2:11) finds its counterpart in 21:4: "There will be no more death," etc. Furthermore, the promises are echoes of Genesis 2-3: what was lost originally by Adam in Eden is more than regained in Christ. The expression "I will give" or "I will make" identifies Christ as the absolute source and donor of every gift. Probably we are to understand the multiple promises as different facets that combine to make up one great promise to believers, that wherever Christ is, there will the overcomers be. Who are the "overcomers"? Certainly it is those who are fully loyal to Christ as his true disciples, those who are identified with him in his suffering and death (1 John 5:4-5). Compare those who do not overcome in 21:8 with those referred to in the letters, e.g., the "cowardly" (2:10, 13), the "sexually immoral" (2:14, 20), the "idolaters" (2:14, 20), and the "liars" (2:2, 9, 20; 3:9).

The church at Ephesus is addressed in the first letter. Ephesus was a crossroads of civilization. Politically, it had become the de facto capital of the province, known as Supreme Metropolis of Asia. The Roman governor resided there. It was a "free" city, i.e., self-governed. Located on the western coast of Asia Minor, at the convergence of three great highways, from the north, east, and south, Ephesus was the trade center of the area. It has been called "The Vanity Fair of the Ancient World" (William Barclay, Letters to the Seven Churches [New York: Abingdon, 1957], p. 12).

Religiously, Ephesus was the center for the worship of the fertility "bee" goddess known in Greek as "Artemis, or Romanized as "Diana (Acts 19:23ff.). The temple with its statue of Artemis was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Thousands of priests and priestesses were involved in her service. Many of the priestesses were dedicated to cult prostitution. (This may be related to the "practices of the Nicolaitans" in v. 6.) The temple also served as a great bank for kings and merchants, as well as an asylum for fleeing criminals. To what extent the temple phenomena contributed to the general moral deterioration of the population cannot be assessed, but one of Ephesus' own citizens, the weeping philosopher Heraclitus, said that the inhabitants of the city were "fit only to be drowned and that the reason why he could never laugh or smile was because he lived amidst such terrible uncleanness" (ibid., p. 17). The church at Ephesus was probably founded jointly by Aquila, Priscilla, and (later) Paul (Acts 18:18-19; 19:1-10). The Ephesians were cosmopolitan and transient, and their city had a history of cultural-political change; these factors may have influenced the apostasy of the congregation at Ephesus from its first love (cf. 2:4)."

2) [Introduction To Rev 2-3 By Bible Knowledge Commentary]:

'''II. LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES: "WHAT IS NOW" (CHAPS. 2-3)

As stated in Revelation 1:11 Christ sent a message to each of seven local churches in Asia Minor. The order of scriptural presentation was geographic. A messenger would naturally travel the route from the seaport Ephesus 35 miles north to another seaport Smyrna, proceed still farther north and to the east, to Pergamos, and then would swing further to the east and south to visit the other four cities (1:11).

There has been much debate as to the meaning of these messages for today. Obviously these churches were specially selected and providentially arranged to provide characteristic situations which the church has faced throughout its history. Just as Paul's epistles, though addressed to individual churches, are also intended for the entire church, so these seven messages also apply to the entire church today insofar as they are in similar situations. There were many other churches such as those at Colosse, Magnesia, and Tralles, some larger than the seven churches mentioned in Asia Minor, but these were not addressed.

As the contents of the letters are analyzed, it is clear that they are, first, messages to these historic local churches in the first century. Second, they also constitute a message to similar churches today. Third, individual exhortations to persons or groups in the churches make it clear that the messages are intended for individuals today. Fourth, some believe that the order of the seven churches follows the order of various eras in church history from the first century until now.

There are some remarkable similarities in comparing these letters to the seven churches to the movement of church history since the beginning of the apostolic church. For instance, Ephesus seems to characterize the apostolic church as a whole, and Smyrna seems to depict the church in its early persecutions. However, the Scriptures do not expressly authorize this interpretation, and it should be applied only where it fits naturally. After all, these churches all existed simultaneously in the first century.

Though each message is different, the letters have some similarities. In each one Christ declared that He knows their works; each one includes a promise to those who overcome; each one gives an exhortation to those hearing; and each letter has a particular description of Christ that related to the message which follows. Each letter includes a commendation (except the letter to Laodicea), a rebuke (except the letters to Smyrna and Philadelphia), an exhortation, and an encouraging promise to those heeding its message. In general these  churches address the problems inherent in churches throughout church history and are an incisive and comprehensive revelation of how Christ evaluates local churches.

This portion of Scripture has been strangely neglected. While many turn to the epistles of Paul and other portions of the New Testament for church truth, often the letters to these seven churches, though coming from Christ Himself and being climactic in character, are completely ignored. This neglect has contributed to churches today not conforming to God's perfect will."

3) [Commentary On Rev 2:1-7 by Biblestudymanuals]:

(Rev 2:1 NASB) "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:"

The church accordingly had a long history and was the most prominent one in the area. The pastor or messenger of the church was addressed as the angel (angelos). The word's principal use in the Bible is in reference to heavenly angels (William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957, pp. 7-8). But it is also used to refer to human messengers (cf. Matt. 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:24, 27; 9:52).

Christ was holding seven stars in His right hand and walking among the seven golden lampstands. The "stars" were the angels or messengers of the churches and the "lampstands" were the seven churches (1:20).

a) [Compare Rev 1:12-16]:

(Rev 1:12 NASB) "Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;

(Rev 1:13 NASB) and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.

(Rev 1:14 NASB) His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 

(Rev 1:15 NASB)  His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.

(Rev 1:16 NASB) In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength."

So His face glowed with a brilliance like the sun shining. John noticed that "in His right hand he held seven stars." The right hand is the place of power and safety, and the "seven stars" Christ held in it are identified with the seven angels of the seven churches in Asia (Rev 1:20). Significantly Christ held them in His right hand, indicating sovereign possession. This is the only detail in the vision that is identified. The symbolism of stars probably relates to the use of "angels" as those to whom the letters to the seven churches are addressed (chs. 2-3). Stars are associated in the OT and in Revelation with angels (Job 38:7, Rev 9:1) or faithful witnesses to God (Dan 12:3). The first letter (that to Ephesus) includes in its introduction a reference to the seven stars (2:1), and in 3:1 they are associated closely with the "seven spirits of God" in the sense of the ways that the Holy Spirit manifested Himself to mankind throughout the ages.

These words strike both a note of reassurance signaling Christ's strong protection and control of the church and his vital concern. On the other hand, there is a note of warning in the description of Christ as the one who "walks [travels] among the seven golden lampstands," since there is of course Christ's authority to journey to Ephesus to remove their lampstand depending upon their faithfulness (2:5)]

b) [(Rev 2:1 Expositor's Bible Commentary On Rev 2:1]:

(Rev 2:1 NASB) "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 The speaker identifies himself by a reference to the vision of chapter 1: "Him who holds the seven stars in his right hand" (cf. 1:16). These words strike both a note of reassurance signaling Christ's strong protection and control of the church and His vital concern. On the other hand, there is a note of warning in the description of Christ as the one who "walks [travels] among the seven golden lampstands," since he may journey to Ephesus to remove their lampstand (2:5)."

c) [(Rev 2:1 Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 2:1]:

(Rev 2:1 NASB) "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:"

'''2:1. At the time this letter was written, Ephesus was a major city of Asia Minor, a seaport, and the location of the great temple of Artemis (cf. Acts 19:24, 27-28, 34-35), one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Paul had visited Ephesus about a.d. 53, about 43 years before this letter in Revelation was sent to them. Paul remained in Ephesus for several years and preached the gospel so effectively "that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord" (Acts 19:10). This large city was thoroughly stirred by Paul's message (Acts 19:11-41), with the result that the silversmiths created a riot because their business of making shrines of Artemis was threatened.

The church accordingly had a long history and was the most prominent one in the area. The pastor or messenger of the church was addressed as the angel (angelos). The word's principal use in the Bible is in reference to heavenly angels (William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957, pp. 7-8). But it is also used to refer to human messengers (cf. Matt. 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:24, 27; 9:52).

Christ was holding seven stars in His right hand and walking among the seven golden lampstands. The "stars" were the angels or messengers of the churches and the "lampstands" were the seven churches (1:20).'''

3 cont.) [Commentary On Rev 2:1-7 by Biblestudymanuals, cont.]:

(Rev 2:2 NASB) "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;"

[In Rev 2:2, Christ stated - first to those of the church at Ephesus - that He knows their deeds, toil and perseverance, and that they cannot tolerate evil men - further that they put to the test those who call themselves apostles for they were not apostles at all. They found them to be false apostles which demonstrated the believers at Ephesus had made considerable effort to study God's Word and have become credible students of God's Word and were able to test those false apostles. Furthermore, it is stipulated that they "cannot tolerate wicked men." These false apostles were not the pagans in Ephesus but actually false brethren who "claim to be apostles but are not." False teachers were present in each of the first four churches; cf. vv. 2, 6, 9, 14-15, 20. The word "apostle" here means one who is sent as a representative of another - namely Jesus Christ - bearing the authority of the Sender. This word first applied in the New Testament - Greek Bible - to the original circle of the Twelve disciples; (cf. Mark 3:14; Acts 1:2, 26), who had a special place historically in the foundation of the church (Eph 2:20; Rev 21:14). Further references broadened this original circle to include others such as Paul (Gal 1:1), Barnabas (Acts 14:14), James the brother of Jesus (Gal 1:19), and still others (cf. Rom 16:7). The name was applied to those who were authentically and specially called by Christ to be his authoritative spokesmen.

Furthermore, miracles were the signs of apostolic authority (2 Cor 12:12; Heb 2:4). On the other hand, miracles may also accompany false prophets (Mark 13:22, 2 Thess 2:9; 2 Tim 3:8; Rev 13:13-14). Thus it was necessary to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). Beyond their denial of Jesus as Lord, these self-proclaimed apostles also sought selfish advantage through their claims (2 Cor 11:5, 13; 12:11).

As to whether the authoritative function of apostles continued after the first century, the apostolic fathers are instructive. In no case do the many references to apostles in the writings of Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Barnabas, and the Shepherd of Hermas relate to any recognized apostles other than those associated with the NT. The Fathers apparently understood the special apostolic function to have ceased with the end of the apostolic era.

(Rev 2:3 NASB) and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary."

[John goes on to write what the glorified Jesus Christ instructed him to write: that the Lord commended the believers at the church in Ephesus because they have persevered in the faith as well as endured. Evidently, they had suffered for Christ's name's sake. Remarkably they had not grown weary of standing firm in the faith despite the suffering they had endured. This would be applicable where appropriate for those churches throughout the ages that fit this context. In addition they were commended for enduring hardships and not growing weary in serving God. In general this church had continued in its faithful service to God for more than 40 years. ]

d) [(Rev 2:2-3) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Rev 2:2-3]:

(Rev 2:2 NASB) "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;

(Rev 2:3 NASB) and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary."

"2-3 The speaker's knowledge includes awareness of their activity, their discernment of evil, and their patient suffering. Their "deeds," their "hard work" (kopos, "wearisome toil"), and their "perseverance" are underlined by the phrase "you have... endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary" (v. 3). The Ephesian Christians did not lack serious and sustained activity, even to the point of suffering for Christ's name. Paul attributes the same threefold activity to the Thessalonians and there adds to each quality its motivating source: "faith," "love," and "hope" (1 Thess 1:3).

Christ also knows that doctrinal discrimination accompanies the toil and patience of the Ephesians. They "cannot tolerate wicked men." These were not the pagans in Ephesus but false brethren who "claim to be apostles but are not." It is not easy, however, to determine precisely who these people were, what they taught, or how the church tested them. An "apostle" is one who is sent as a representative of another and bears the full authority of the sender (TDNT, 1:421). The word is applied first in the NT to the original circle of the Twelve (Mark 3:14; Acts 1:2, 26), who had a special place historically in the foundation of the church (Eph 2:20; Rev 21:14). But the NT further broadens this original circle to include others such as Paul (Gal 1:1), Barnabas (Acts 14:14), James the brother of Jesus (Gal 1:19), and still others (cf. Rom 16:7). The name was applied to those who were authentically and specially called by Christ to be his authoritative spokesmen.

Miracles were the signs of apostolic authority (2Cor 12:12; Heb 2:4), but miracles may also accompany false prophets (Mark 13:22, 2 Thess 2:9; 2Tim 3:8; Rev 13:13-14). Thus it was necessary to "test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). Beyond their denial of Jesus as Lord, these self-proclaimed apostles also sought selfish advantage through their claims (2Cor 11:5, 13; 12:11).

As to whether the authoritative function of apostles continued after the first century, the apostolic fathers are instructive. In no case do the many references to apostles in the writings of Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Barnabas, and the Shepherd of Hermas relate to any recognized apostles other than those associated with the NT. The Fathers apparently understood the special apostolic function to have ceased with the end of the apostolic era.

About fifteen years later than John's writing of Revelation, Ignatius wrote to the church of Ephesus and commended them for refusing to give a "home" to any heresy (To the Ephesians 6, 7, 9, 16). Thyatira had failed (2:20ff.), but the Ephesians had won the victory over false teachers. They had heeded Paul's earlier warning (Acts 20:28-30)."

e) [(Rev 2:2-3) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 2:2-3]:

(Rev 2:2 NASB) "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;

(Rev 2:3 NASB) and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary."

"2:2-3. Christ commended those in the Ephesian church for their hard work... perseverance, their condemnation of wicked men, and their identification of false apostles.

3 cont) [Commentary On Rev 2:1-7 by Biblestudymanuals (cont.)]:

(Rev 2:4 NASB) " 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

(Rev 2:3 NASB) and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary;"

nevertheless, the believers at Ephesus had forsaken their first love and were admonished to return to the quality of their first love in the sense of their first priority of godly / agape love toward God by coninuing to keep on studying / reviewing the Word of God with great agape love and enthusiasm which departure was evident now as a serious defect in their Christian lives - their having fallen away from it after such remarkable perseverance and endurance before hand when they first believed. They are being warned that Christ may remove their opportunity to be a light to others if they don't repent and do the deeds they did in the first when they first believed - with enthusiasm and agape love toward God. There is implied a growing enthusiasm for God an energy and a focus toward Him when they began to learn through study of the Word that grew until a number of years passed by and that energy and focus dissipating and replaced perhaps with focusing more upon matters of other relationships that they had, such as in the temporal world, satisfied that what they already knew was sufficient and their past record of their faithfulness would continue to give them credit as believers. They were not evidently continuing to review and resharpening what they had already learned and moving forward to learning even more about their First Love, God the Father in order to serve Him all the more.

On the other hand, Jesus Christ provided a further commendation to the believers at Ephesus in the first century: their hatred of the practices of the Nicolaitans, which evidently was some kind of heresy,  (cf. 2:14 and 2:20), which included mixing the Christian faith adding idolatry and cult prostitution which resulted in cancelling out anything to do with Christianity.

f) [(Rev 2:4-6) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Rev 2:4-6]:

(Rev 2:4 NASB) " 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

"4 The speaker's verdict shows, on the other hand, that however much had been gained at Ephesus by resisting the false apostles, not all was well there. They had "forsaken," or "let go" (aphiemi), their "first love." This was a serious defect. If uncorrected, it would result in their loss of light bearing (v. 5). The majority of commentators take the first love to refer to the original Christian love the Ephesians had for one another. Paul's exhortation to the Ephesian elders to "help the weak" (Acts 20:35) and the warm commendation he gives them in their early years for their fervent love of one another (Eph 1:15) may lend support to this view.

Other commentators, however, see the "first love" as a reference to their inner devotion to Christ that characterized their earlier commitment, like the love of a newly wedded bride for her husband. John R.W. Stott, What Christ Thinks of the Church [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1958], p. 27; Alf, 4:563). This interpretation is supported by the fact that the letters to the other churches reveal problems of inner betrayal to Christ as subjects of his complaint. Neither view necessarily eliminates the other. Loving devotion to Christ can be lost in the midst of active service, and certainly no amount of orthodoxy can make up for a failure to love one another. "First" (protos) love would suggest that they still loved, but with a quality and intensity unlike that of their initial love.

5 The speaker's command further exposes the problem and offers a way to correct the fault. The imperatives are instructive: "Remember.... Repent... do." The Ephesians are called on to reflect on their earlier works of fervent love (like the Sardians [3:3]), to look in comparison at the present situation, to ponder how far they have fallen from their former devotion and enthusiasm, to humbly "repent" (totally change) before God, and to do the former works motivated by love. These imperatives are all part of a single action designed to keep the Ephesians from the judgment of Christ, which would effectively remove them as his representatives in the world.

How many churches today stand at this same crossroads'? Do we sense the importance to Christ of not only honoring his name by our true confession but also reflecting his life by our loving relationship to others? This threat of loss of light bearing (or witness) applies doubtless equally to the other four churches, to whom a similar exhortation to repent is given (Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, and Laodicea).

6 Christ adds a further commendation concerning the Ephesians' hatred of the practices of the Nicolaitans (cf. 2:15—a hatred directed at the practices of the Nicolaitans, not the people themselves (cf. Ps 139:21). It is difficult to determine exactly who the Nicolaitans were and what they taught. Etymologically the name means "to conquer [or 'consume,' nikao] the people [laos]." Did they call themselves by this name or is it a derogatory title Christ applied to them? The close association of the name with the Balaamites in 2:14-15 may suggest either identity with this group or similarity to their teachings (see comments on 2:14-15).

Information about the Nicolaitans is limited, ambiguous, and based on John's references here in Revelation. Irenaeus claims that John wrote the Gospel to thwart the teaching of the Gnostic Cerinthus whose error was similar to the earlier offshoot of the same kind of teaching known as Nicolaitanism (Contra Haereses 3.11.7, cited by Daniel J. Theron, Evidence of Tradition [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1958], p. 73). Eusebius mentions that the Nicolaitans lasted only a short time (Ecclesiastical History 3.29.1). Seeing the sect as a heresy would agree with the reference in 2:14 and 2:20, which warns against mixing Christian faith with idolatry and cult prostitution. Fiorenza identifies the group as Gnostics and summarizes the problem well: "The Nicolaitans are according to Revelation a Christian group within the churches of Asia Minor and have their adherents even among the itinerant missionaries and the prophetic teachers of the community. They claim to have insight into the divine or, more probably, into the demonic. They express their freedom in libertine behavior, which allows them to become part of their syncretistic pagan society and to participate in the Roman civil religion" (Elisabeth S. Fiorenza, "Apocalyptic and Gnosis in the Book of Revelation," JBL, 92 [1973], 570; see also Barclay Newman, Rediscovering the Book of Revelation [Valley Forge: Judson, 1968], pp. 11-30, who sees the entire Book of Revelation as an anti-Gnostic polemic rather than a political-religious persecution document). Others understand the Nicolaitans as Christians who still showed devotion to the emperor by burning incense to his statue or image (William M. Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia [London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1904], pp. 300-301). (See also the letters to Pergamum and Thyatira). '''

g) [(Rev 2:4-6) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 2:4-6]:

(Rev 2:4 NASB) " 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

"2:4. In spite of the many areas of commendation, the church in Ephesus was soundly rebuked: Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken your first love. The order of words in the Greek is emphatic; the clause could be translated, "Your first love you have left." Christ used the word agapēn, speaking of the deep kind of love that God has for people. This rebuke contrasts with what Paul wrote the Ephesians 35 years earlier, that he never stopped giving thanks for them because of their faith in Christ and their love (agapēn) for the saints (Eph. 1:15-16). Most of the Ephesian Christians were now second-generation believers, and though they had retained purity of doctrine and life and had maintained a high level of service, they were lacking in deep devotion to Christ. How the church today needs to heed this same warning, that orthodoxy and service are not enough. Christ wants believers' hearts as well as their hands and heads.

4. Exhortation (2:5-6)

2:5-6. The Ephesians were first reminded to remember the height from which you have fallen! They were told to repent and to return to the love they had left. Similar exhortations concerning the need for a deep love for God are frequently found in the New Testament (Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27; John 14:15, 21, 23; 21:15-16; James 2:5; 1 Peter 1:8). Christ stated that one's love for God should be greater than his love for his closest relatives, including his father, mother, son, and daughter (Matt. 10:37). Paul added that love for God should even be above one's love for his or her mate (1 Cor. 7:32-35). In calling the Ephesian believers to repentance Christ was asking them to change their attitude as well as their affections. They were to continue their service not simply because it was right but because they loved Christ. He warned them that if they did not respond, the light of their witness in Ephesus would be extinguished: I will... remove your lampstand from its place. The church continued and was later the scene of a major church council, but after the 5th century both the church and the city declined. The immediate area has been uninhabited since the 14th century.

One additional word of commendation was inserted. The believers of Ephesus were commended because they hated the practices of the Nicolaitans. There has been much speculation concerning the identity of the Nicolaitans, but the Scriptures do not specify who they were. They apparently were a sect wrong in practice and in doctrine (for further information see Henry Alford, The Greek Testament, 4:563-65; Merrill C. Tenney, Interpreting Revelation, pp. 60-1; Walvoord, Revelation, p. 58)."

(Rev 2:7 NASB) '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.' "

[So after Paul commends the believers of Ephesus for rejecting the heretical beliefs of the Nicolaitans, he declares to the believers at Ephesus, '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." In view of the fact that the Spirit of God is addressing the churches, His grant evidently only has believers in view, only of whom are permitted entrance into the Paradise of God by expressing a moment of faith alone in Christ alone as established throughout the 66 books of the Bible. So Jesus speaks to believers about being overcomers in the sense of being faithful in their temporal lives which when they get to Paradise / Heaven they will be richly rewarded with the privilege and enjoyment of eating of the tree of life, cf. rewards in the Bible .

h) [Bob Wilkin states, 'Who Are The Outsiders? Revelation 22:14-17' ]:

'''This article is a follow-up to my article in the last issue on Rev 21:8. Some pastors and theologians use Rev 21:8 and 22:15 to try and prove that all "true" Christians persevere in the faith. In my previous article I showed that Rev 21:8 does not support that view. In this article I will show the same things regarding Rev 22:15.

REV 22:15:

(v. 15) "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city."

REWARDS FOR FAITHFUL BELIEVERS

In light of the context, it is obvious that believers are in view here. However, it is a mistake to conclude that all believers are meant. Not all believers can be described as "those who do His commandments." Jesus did not take it for granted that even the Apostles would obey Him! He said to them, "If you love Me, keep my commandments" John 14:15), and, "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you" (John 15:14). Similarly, in Revelation chapters 2-3 the Lord makes it clear that being a victorious overcoming believer is not guaranteed (see, for example, 2:2-7, 10, 25-28; 3:11-12).

Two things are promised to the one who obeys the Lord as a characteristic pattern of life (no one obeys perfectly, cf. 1 John 1:8, 10):

(1) the right to the tree of life and

(2) the right to enter into the New Jerusalem through its gates. At first reading these may seem to be things which are true of all believers. However, that is not the case.

WHAT IS THE "RIGHT TO THE TREE OF LIFE"?

It is the right to eat its fruits.

[Compare Rev 2:7]:

"To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life."

Keep in mind that nothing is required for an eternally-secure person to remain saved. It is ridiculous to think that believers will need to eat fruit from the tree of life to retain their spiritual life.

What then is to be gained by eating this fruit? On the one hand, this fruit will be a wonderful delicacy which will be a delight to eat. On the other hand, the tree is called "the tree of life" for a reason. It will evidently grant to the believer who eats of it a special abundance of life. Today when we eat foods that are good for us we feel especially energized and encouraged. This will certainly be true of the food from the tree of life!

It is true, of course, that the tree of life was in the Garden of Eden as well. However, its fruit would not have had the same effect on fallen people with ungloried bodies as it will have in eternity on saints with glorified bodies. The tree of life will only grant abundant life to those with glorified bodies. According to Gen 3:22 the reason God removed Adam from the garden was "lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life and live forever." Had he eaten that fruit Adam would have lived forever in a state of separation from God (spiritual death). Of course, since the tree of life was never intended for that terrible purpose, God took it away from man until the eternal kingdom.

The second reward to the obedient believer is the right to enter the New Jerusalem by its gates. Several things must be born in mind here. For one thing, most likely all believers will be going in and out of the New Jerusalem from time to time. Some believers in eternity will have their primary dwelling in the New Jerusalem. Surely those people will sometimes venture outside its walls, visit the rest of the new earth, and return. And, many saints will not live in the New Jerusalem! According to Rev 21:24 the new earth will contain many nations and the kings of those nations will travel to the New Jerusalem to take tribute to the King of kings. It is likely that all who live in these nations will make trips to the New Jerusalem.

For another thing, the gates will not be the only way by which someone could enter the city. For example, people might travel by air, flying over the walls. Or, they might come in on a subway, going under the walls. It is even conceivable in light of John 20 that people might travel right through the walls!

Finally, we know from the OT that the gates of ancient cities were places of honor. The respected elders of the community were allowed to sit in the gates and it was from there that they rendered judgments in legal matters (cf. Gen 19:1; 22:17; Deut 22:15; 25:7; Ruth 4:1-12).

Thus being able to eat of the tree of life and to enter the New Jerusalem by its gates will be rewards reserved solely for believers who were victorious in their experience in this life.

i) [(Rev 2:7) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Rev 2:7]:

(Rev 2:7 NASB) " '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.' "

"7 On the general exhortation and the meaning of "overcomes," see the introduction to this section (2:1). The overcomer is promised access to the "tree of life, which is in the paradise of God." The "tree of life" is first mentioned in Genesis 2:9 as one of the many trees given to Adam and Eve for food and was off bounds after their fall into sin (Gen 3:22, 24). It is last mentioned in Revelation 22:19.

Rabbinic and Jewish apocalyptic works mention that the glorious age of the Messiah would be a restoration to Edenic conditions before the Fall (see also Isa 51:3; Ezek 36:35; cf. Ezek 28:13; 31:8-9). Jewish thought joined the concepts of the renewed city of God, the tree of life, and the paradise of God. In the apocalyptic book the Testament of Levi it is promised that God (or Messiah) "shall open the gates of Paradise, and shall remove the threatening sword against Adam, and he shall give the saints to eat from the tree of life, and the spirit of holiness shall be on them" (18:10-11)."

"Paradise" (paradeisos) is a Persian loan word meaning "a park" or "a garden." The LXX uses it to translate the Hebrew expression the "garden" of Eden (Gen 2:8-10). John seems to reinterpret the Jewish idea of Paradise. First, Jesus Christ is the restorer of the lost Paradise (22:1-4, 14). He gives access to the tree of life. Paradise means to be with him in fellowship rather than the idea of a hidden paradise with its fantastic sensual delights (TDNT, 6:772). The tree of life conveys symbolically the truth of eternal life or the banishment of death and suffering (22:2). Those at Ephesus who truly follow Christ in deep devotion and thus experience the real victory of Christ will share the gift of eternal life that he alone gives."

j) [(Rev 2:7) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 2:7]:

(Rev 2:7 NASB) " '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.' "

"5. Promise (2:7)

2:7. As in the other letters, Christ gave the Ephesian church a promise addressed to individuals who will hear. He stated, To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. The tree of life, first mentioned in Genesis 3:22, was in the Garden of Eden. Later it reappears in the New Jerusalem where it bears abundant fruit (Rev. 22:2). Those who eat of it will never die (Gen. 3:22)... "The paradise of God" is probably a name for heaven (cf. Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:4—the only other NT references to paradise). Apparently it will be identified with the New Jerusalem in the eternal state.

This encouragement to true love reminded them again of God's gracious provision for salvation in time and eternity. Love for God is not wrought by legalistically observing commands, but by responding to one's knowledge and appreciation of God's love."

(Rev 2:8 NASB) "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:

(Rev 2:9 NASB) '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.

[Now Jesus Christ in His glorified body next gives John instructions to write to the angel of the church in Smyrna referring to Himself as "The First and the Last, Who was dead, and has come to life [i.e., He is Eternal]. Christ here is portrayed as the eternal One (cf. 1:8, 17; 21:6; 22:13) who suffered death at the hands of His persecutors and then was resurrected from the grave (cf. 1:5). These aspects of Christ were especially relevant to the Christians at Smyrna who, like Christ in His death, were experiencing severe persecution. beginning as follows: 'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich)" evidently referring to their temporal poverty which is overshadowed by their spiritual riches in the sense of their inestimably grand, future, eternal existence to have an eternal value which is far superior to any temporal / physical riches in this mortal life. And the Lord goes on to say, "and [I know of] the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." This is not to say that all Jews are of the synagogue of Satan but those who are evidently not Jews or those actual Jews who persecute Christians are in view since they are doing Satan's work]

(Rev 2:10 NASB) 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.

[The glorified Lord tells John to write for the believers not to fear their fate that they are about to suffer. For the devil is about to cast some of the faithful believers into prison so that they will be tested - for ten days of tribulation. They are commanded by the Lord to be faithful unto death - for they will be given the crown of life. The "First and Last" might remind those suffering persecution and rejection from their countrymen (vv. 9-10) that the one they belong to is the Lord of history and the Creator. He is in control regardless of appearances of evil.]

(Rev 2:11 NASB) 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.'  '

[Whereupon, the Lord told John to write, "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

a) [Compare Study On Rev 2:11]:

HE WHO OVERCOMES WILL NOT BE HURT AT ALL BY THE SECOND DEATH

Notice that the context is an encouragement for believers to persevere through testing and persecution even to the point of death for there is a reward: "the crown of life." This is not salvation, believers could hardly be sent to hell if they didn't become martyrs and suffer severe persecution properly. Furthermore, salvation is a gift not a reward.

[Rev 2:10]:

"Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life."

Then we move on to the verse at hand:

[Rev 2:11]:

"He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death"

No Small Problem

by Zane C. Hodges

http://www.faithalone.org/news/y1991/91march1.html

"If someone says to me, "His request presented me with no small problem," I know exactly what he means. The person who made the request of him had presented him a BIG problem!

In the phrase "no small problem" we have a very common figure of speech. Its technical name is "litotes" (pronounced, lie'-tuh-tease'). Litotes occurs when an affirmative idea is expressed by the negation of its opposite. In the sentence we started with, the affirmative idea is that the problem is very large. The phrase "no small problem" negates the opposite idea.

Americans use litotes all the time in ordinary speech without being aware of it.

Some additional examples might be:

"You won't go unrewarded" =

"You'll be repaid"

"That suit is no bargain" =

"It's expensive"

"The quiz wasn't any snap" =

"It was tough"

"He sure isn't Santa Claus" =

"He's a Scrooge"

The reader could probably multiply examples with ease.

One can also make highly generalized statements that involve litotes:

"Retailers are not saints" =

"They'll cheat you"

"Theologians are not given to simple language" =

"They're hard to follow"

"God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love" (Heb 6:10) = "God's character guarantees He will remember"

The secret of understanding any statement involving litotes is found in knowing that the negative idea is not the point. Since most English speakers are familiar with the fact that theologians are famous for complicated and difficult discussions, they also know that the claim that they "are not given to simple language" is a huge understatement!

In the final analysis, that is what litotes really is. A negative statement is made that understates the reality being referred to. To point to an enormous price tag on a suit and to say that the suit is "no bargain" is obviously a major understatement of the actual cost.

The Christian reader who encounters Revelation 2:11 ought to recognize it immediately as an understatement. No Christian can be "hurt by the second death." The many passages that teach eternal security make this clear. So Revelation 2:11 ought to be taken as a litotes.

What is the positive idea which it understates? Fortunately, the context helps us. In verse 10 we read: "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." The Smyrnan Christians are challenged to face possible martyrdom with courage and fidelity to God. Their reward for doing so will be a superlative experience of life in the world to come. So to speak, they will be "crowned" with the enjoyment of life "more abundant" (see John 10:10).

In this light, Revelation 2:11 can be seen as truly an understatement. The overcomer (that is, the faithful Christian) will be more than amply repaid for whatever sacrifice he may make for Christ's sake. His experience will be truly wonderful  - far, far beyond the reach - the touch - of the second death. That is to say, this conquering Christian is as far above the experience-level of eternal death as it is
possible to be.

In a masterly understatement, the Lord Jesus says in effect: "The first death may 'hurt' you briefly, the second not at all!"

Revelation 2:11 is not a veiled threat that the unfaithful believer may forfeit eternal life. On the contrary, it is an effective litotes whose very vagueness stirs our imaginations and our hearts with anticipation. If we understand it like this, we could never say that this text creates "no small problem"! Actually, it is not a problem at all!"

b) [(Rev 2:8-11) Expositor's Bible Communitary On Rev 2:8-11]:

(Rev 2:8 NASB) "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:

(Rev 2:9 NASB) '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.

(Rev 2:10 NASB) 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. (Rev 2:11 NASB) 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.' "

"2. To Smyrna (2:8-11)

Smyrna (modern Izmir) lay almost due north of Ephesus, a distance of about forty miles. The city was exceptionally beautiful and large (c. 200,000 pop.) and ranked with Ephesus and Pergamum as "First of Asia." Known as the birthplace of Homer, it was also an important seaport that commanded the mouth of the Hermus River valley. Smyrna was a wealthy city where learning, especially in the sciences and medicine, flourished. An old city (third millennium B.C.), allegedly founded by a mythical Amazon who gave her name to it, Smyrna repeatedly sided with Rome in different periods of her history, and thus earned special privileges as a free city and assize (self-governed) town under Tiberius and successive emperors. Among the beautiful paved streets traversing it from east to west was the "Golden Street," with the temples to Cybele and Zeus at either end and along which were temples to Apollo, Asclepius, and Aphrodite.

Smyrna was also a center of the emperor worship, having won the privilege from the Roman Senate in A.D. 23 (over eleven other cities) of building the first temple in honor of Tiberius. Under Domitian (A.D. 81-96) emperor worship became compulsory for every Roman citizen on threat of death. Once a year a citizen had to burn incense on the altar to the godhead of Caesar, after which he was issued a certificate. Barclay (Seven Churches, p. 29) quotes a request for such a certificate, and the certificate itself:

"To those who have been appointed to preside over the sacrifices, from Inares Akeus, from the village of Theoxenis, together with his children Aias and Hera, who reside in the village of Theadelphia, we have always sacrificed to the gods, and now, in your presence, according to the regulations, we have sacrificed and offered libations, and tasted the sacred things, and we ask you to give us a certification that we have done so. May you fare well."

We, the representatives of the Emperor, Serenos and Hermas, have seen you sacrificing. (Seven Churches, p. 29).

Such an act was probably considered more as an expression of political loyalty than religious worship, and all a citizen had to do was burn a pinch of incense and say, "Caesar is Lord [kyrios]." Yet most Christians refused to do this. Perhaps nowhere was life for a Christian more perilous than in this city of zealous emperor worship. About sixty years later (c. 156), Polycarp was burned alive at the age of eighty-six as the "twelfth martyr in Smyrna" (IDB, 4:393). His words have echoed through the ages: "Eighty-six years have I served Christ, and he has never done me wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" (Eusebius Ecclesiastical History 4.15.25). There was a modern-day parallel to the predicament of Christians under Roman emperor worship when the Japanese occupied Korea in 1937-40 and ordered Christians to worship at their Shinto shrines. Many Christians refused and were imprisoned and tortured (Keun, Han Woo, History of Korea, ed. G. K. Muntz, tr. Lee Kyuen-Shik [Seoul: Eul-Woo, 1970], p. 496). A large and hostile Jewish community at Smyrna was prominent in Polycarp's death and no doubt troubled the church also in John's day (2:9) (Barclay, Seven Churches, p. 31). Concerning the founding of the Smyrna church, we have no information other than this letter to it.

8 The speaker identifies himself as "him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again" (cf. comments on 1:17-18). The "First and Last" might remind those suffering persecution and rejection from their countrymen (vv. 9-10) that the one they belong to is the Lord of history and the Creator. He is in control regardless of appearances of evil. Ramsay suggests that the term may allude by contrast to Smyrna's claim to be the "first" of Asia in beauty and emperor loyalty (Seven Churches, pp. 269-70). But Christians at Smyrna were concerned with Him who was truly first in everything.

He who is "the First and the Last" is also the one "who died" (lit., "became a corpse") and "came to life again." To a congregation where imprisonment and death impend, the prisoner who died and came back to life again can offer the crown of life to other executed prisoners and protect them from the second death (vv. 8, 10-11). There might also be an allusion here to the history of the city of Smyrna, which had been destroyed in the seventh century B. C. and rebuilt in the third century B. C. (ibid., p. 269).

9 The speaker's knowledge is threefold: (1) He knows their "afflictions" (thlipsis)-a word later translated "persecution" (v. 10). (2) He knows their "poverty." This can only mean material poverty because the speaker (Christ) immediately adds, "Yet you are rich" (toward God). Why was this church so poor in such a prosperous city? We do not know. Perhaps the high esteem of emperor worship in the city produced economic sanctions against Christians who refused to participate. In Smyrna, economic pressure may have been the first step toward persecution. Sometimes, even today, for Christians to be loyal to their Lord entails economic loss (cf. 3:17). (3) The risen Lord also knows "the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." Trouble arose from the Jewish community (cf. commentary on v. 8). Certain Jews (not all of them) used malicious untruths ("slander") to incite persecution to the impoverished saints in Smyrna. ...

"But are of the synagogue of Satan" reveals for the first time in Revelation the ultimate source of the persecution of Christians - Satan. Many further references to the arch enemy of the followers of Christ are found throughout the book (2:13; 3:9; 9:11; 12:9-10, 12; 13:4; 20:2, 7, 10). In fact, he is one of the principal actors in the apocalyptic drama. While Satan is the author of persecution and wicked men are his instruments, God remains sovereign in that He will give "the crown of life" to those who are "faithful, even to the point of death" (v. 10). "Synagogue of Satan" refers, then, to certain Jews in ancient Smyrna who, motivated by Satan, slandered the church there. The term should never be indiscriminately applied to all Jewish synagogues.

10 The speaker's command immediately follows since no word of verdict or fault is spoken of. The prospect of further and imminent suffering may have made the believers at Smyrna fearful: "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer" (lit., "Stop being afraid..."). The risen Christ reveals that some of them will be imprisoned by the devil in order to test them, and they will have ten days of persecution. Who will do this - whether Jew or pagan - is not stated. The testing will show where their true loyalty lies. For a faithful and suffering church, Christ offers further trial and suffering, even "to the point of death."

For those who would face martyrdom out of loyalty to Christ, there was to be a "crown of life" given by Christ himself. ... As the patriots of Smyrna were faithful to Rome and to their crown city, so Christ's people are to be faithful unto death to him who will give them the imperishable crown of life (James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4).

11 The general exhortation to all the churches is identical to the parallel passages in the other letters (cf. introduction to letters). For those who overcome, the promise is that they "will not be hurt at all by the second death." Death was a real possibility for these believers. But greater than the fear of physical death should be the fear of God's eternal judgment (Luke 12:4-5). The "second death" is a well-known Targumic expression, but it does not occur elsewhere in Jewish literature. Moses prays, "Let Reuben live in this world, and not die in the second death, in which death the wicked die in the world to come" (paraphrase of Deut 33:6 found in the Paris MS 110, cited by M. McNamara, Targum and Testament: Aramaic Paraphrases of the Hebrew Bible; A Light on the New Testament, [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962], p. 148). Even though death was the outcome of Adam's sin, in Christ there is a complete reversal for man (Gen 2:16-17; Rom 5:15ff.). Since the messianic believers at Smyrna were under attack by some in the Jewish community, it was reassuring indeed to hear the Lord himself say that His followers would not be harmed by the second death - viz., the lake of fire (20:14; 21:8).

c) [(Rev 2:8-11) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 2:8-11]:

(Rev 2:8 NASB) "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:

(Rev 2:9 NASB) '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.

(Rev 2:10 NASB) 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.

(Rev 2:11 NASB) 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.' "

"B. The letter to the church in Smyrna (2:8-11)

1. Destination (2:8)

2:8. The second letter was addressed to Smyrna, a large and wealthy city 35 miles north of Ephesus. Like Ephesus, it was a seaport. In contrast to Ephesus, which today is a deserted ruin, Smyrna is still a large seaport with a present population of about 200,000. Christ described Himself as the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. Christ is portrayed as the eternal One (cf. 1:8, 17; 21:6; 22:13) who suffered death at the hands of His persecutors and then was resurrected from the grave (cf. 1:5). These aspects of Christ were especially relevant to the Christians at Smyrna who, like Christ in His death, were experiencing severe persecution.

The name of the city, Smyrna, means "myrrh," an ordinary perfume. It was also used in the anointing oil of the tabernacle, and in embalming dead bodies (cf. Ex. 30:23; Ps. 45:8; Song 3:6; Matt. 2:11; Mark 15:23; John 19:39). While the Christians of the church at Smyrna were experiencing the bitterness of suffering, their faithful testimony was like myrrh or sweet perfume to God.

B. The letter to the church in Smyrna (2:8-11)

1. Destination (2:8)

2:8. The second letter was addressed to Smyrna, a large and wealthy city 35 miles north of Ephesus. Like Ephesus, it was a seaport. In contrast to Ephesus, which today is a deserted ruin, Smyrna is still a large seaport with a present population of about 200,000. Christ described Himself as the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. Christ is portrayed as the eternal One (cf. 1:8, 17; 21:6; 22:13) who suffered death at the hands of His persecutors and then was resurrected from the grave (cf. 1:5). These aspects of Christ were especially relevant to the Christians at Smyrna who, like Christ in His death, were experiencing severe persecution.

The name of the city, Smyrna, means "myrrh," an ordinary perfume. It was also used in the anointing oil of the tabernacle, and in embalming dead bodies (cf. Ex. 30:23; Ps. 45:8; Song 3:6; Matt. 2:11; Mark 15:23; John 19:39). While the Christians of the church at Smyrna were experiencing the bitterness of suffering, their faithful testimony was like myrrh or sweet perfume to God.

2. Commendation (2:9)

2:9. What a comfort it was to the Christians in Smyrna to know that Christ knew all about their sufferings: I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! Besides suffering persecution, they were also enduring extreme poverty (ptōcheian in contrast with penia, the ordinary word for "poverty"). Though extremely poor, they were rich in the wonderful promises Christ had given them (cf. 2 Cor. 6:10; James 2:5). They were being persecuted not only by pagan Gentiles but also by hostile Jews and by Satan himself. Apparently the local Jewish synagogue was called the synagogue of Satan (cf. Rev. 3:9). (Satan is mentioned in four of the seven letters: 2:9, 13, 24; 3:9.) In the history of the church the most severe persecution has come from religionists.

3. Rebuke

Notable is the fact that there was no rebuke whatever for these faithful, suffering Christians. This is in striking contrast with Christ's evaluations of five of the other six churches, which He rebuked. Smyrna's sufferings, though extremely difficult, had helped keep them pure in faith and life.

4. Exhortation (2:10a)

2:10a. The word of Christ to these suffering Christians was an exhortation to have courage: Do not be afraid (lit., stop being afraid) of what you are about to suffer. Their severe trials were to continue. They would receive further persecution by imprisonment and additional suffering for 10 days. Some have taken these words "for 10 days" as a symbolic representation of the entire persecution of the church; others think it refers to 10 persecutions under Roman rulers. The most probable meaning is that it anticipated a limited period of time for suffering (cf. Walvoord, Revelation, pp. 61-2). Scott finds precedence in Scripture that 10 days means a limited period of time (Walter Scott, Exposition of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, p. 69). He cites Genesis 24:55; Nehemiah 5:18; Jeremiah 42:7; Daniel 1:12; Acts 25:6. Alford holds the same position, citing Numbers 11:19; 14:22; 1 Samuel 1:8; Job 19:3 (The Greek Testament, 4:567).

The problem of human suffering, even for a limited time, has always perplexed faithful Christians. Suffering can be expected for the ungodly, but why should the godly suffer? The Scriptures give a number of reasons. Suffering may be (1) disciplinary (1 Cor. 11:30-32; Heb. 12:3-13), (2) preventive (as Paul's thorn in the flesh, 2 Cor. 12:7), (3) the learning of obedience (as Christ's suffering, Heb. 5:8; cf. Rom. 5:3-5), or (4) the providing of a better testimony for Christ (as in Acts 9:16).

5. Promise (2:10b-11)

2:10b-11. In their suffering the believers at Smyrna were exhorted, Be faithful, even to the point of death. While their persecutors could take their physical lives, it would only result in their receiving the crown of life. Apparently up to this time none had died, but this could be expected. Later Polycarp, having become the bishop of the church in Smyrna, was martyred, and undoubtedly others were also killed (cf. Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, A Commentary Critical, Experimental and Practical on the Old and New Testaments. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1945. 6:662). "The crown of life" is one of several crowns promised to Christians (cf. 1 Cor. 9:25; 1 Thes. 2:19; 2 Tim. 4:6-8; 1 Peter 5:4; Rev. 4:4). The crown of life is also mentioned in James 1:12. Believers are encouraged to be faithful by contemplating what awaits them after death, namely, eternal life.

As in all the letters, an exhortation is given to the individuals who will listen. The promise is given to overcomers, referring in general to all believers, assuring them that they will not be hurt at all by the second death (cf. Rev. 20:15).

The reassuring word of Christ to Smyrna is the word to all suffering and persecuted Christians. As stated in Hebrews 12:11, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

5) [(Rev 2:12-17) Commentary On Rev 2:12-17 by Biblestudymanuals]:

(Rev 2:12 NASB) "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One Who has the sharp two-edged sword says this: [move to next verse Rev 2:13]

[Jesus Christ moves on to the church in Pergamum. He is described as "The One Who has the sharp two-edged sword." He evidently says this for John to write down because the congregation is divided by deceptive teaching, and the risen Lord will use this sword to fight against the Balaamites and the Nicolaitans, (cp Rev 2:16).

So speaking of Christ's role as a Judge, John saw a sharp double-edged sword coming out of His mouth, (Rev 1:16). This type of sword (rhomphaia, also referred to in 2:12, 16; 6:8; 19:15, 21) was used by the Romans in a stabbing action designed to kill. Jesus Christ was no longer a Baby in Bethlehem or a Man of sorrows crowned with thorns. He was now the Lord of glory.

Originally this was a large broad-bladed sword used by the Thracians (HDB, 4:634). The metaphor of a sword coming from the mouth is important for three reasons: (1) John refers to this characteristic of Christ several times (1:16; 2:12, 16; 19:15, 21);(2) he uses a rare word for sword (rhomphaia) that is found only once outside Revelation (Luke 2:35); and (3) there is no scriptural parallel to the expression except in Isaiah 11:4, where it is said that the Messiah will "strike the earth with the rod of his mouth" and "with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked."

The sword is both a weapon and a symbol of war, oppression, anguish, and political authority. But John seems to intend a startling difference in the function of this sword, since it proceeds from the mouth of Christ rather than being wielded in his hand. Christ will overtake the Nicolaitans at Pergamos and make war with them by the sword of his mouth (2:12, 16). He strikes down the rebellious at his coming with such a sword (19:15, 21). The figure points definitely to divine judgment but not to the type of power wielded by the nations. Christ conquers the world through his death and resurrection, and the sword is his faithful witness to God's saving purposes. The weapons of his followers are loyalty, truthfulness, and righteousness (19:8, 14). So the sword here is a symbolic representation of the Word of God's twofold ability to separate believers from the world and to condemn the world for its sin. It was the sword of salvation as well as the sword of death.]

(Rev 2:13 NASB) " '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."

[The risen Lord in His Eternal glory conveyed to the church / believers at Pergamum that He knows where they dwell, i.e., "where Satan's throne is" in the sense that this was a center for worship of the pagan gods, especially the emperor cult. So believers would certainly cause these satanic religions to be hostile to the Christians there. Yet this did not deter them from being faithful, i.e., from holding "fast My name" - the name of the risen Jesus Christ. The believers did not even deny their faith in Christ even in the face of the days of the terrible persecution of Antipas, Christ's witness, His faithful one, who was killed among them, where Satan dwells.]

(Rev 2:14 NASB) " '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."

[In Rev 2:14, the Risen Lord in His Eternal Glory now provides a few things that are criticisms - that are against the believers in Pergamum - and indirectly as applicable to all believers who hold to teachings that are unbiblical. He declares: because you have in Pergamum some believers who hold to 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. The speaker's verdict reveals that the church in Pergamum was divided. Some had followed Antipas who was martyred and did not deny Christ's name or his faith (v. 13). On the other hand, there were others in the church who held to the teaching and practice of the Balaamites and Nicolaitans that Christ hates (2:6). Since the name "Balaam" can mean to "conquer the people" (Heb. ba`al`am), which means the same as "Nicolaitans," and since they are mentioned together in this letter, both groups may be closely related.]

(Rev 2:15 NASB) 'So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

(Rev 2:16 NASB) 'Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.

[So the glorified and risen Lord indicates that a number of the believers of Pergamum held to the teaching of the Nicolaitans which He hates, (Rev 2:6); and  He commanded them to repent of that or else He will be coming to them quickly and make war against them with the sword of His mouth. This does not refer to Christ's Second Coming but to His sovereign action against the believers who held to the teaching of the Nicolaitans and those in the congregation who looked the other way, condoning this evil behavior]

(Rev 2:17 NASB) '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.' "

[Finally, Jesus states, " 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches,' " in the sense of the Holy Spirit messaging to the believers instructions on these issues. And it goes on, "To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna in the sense that the "hidden manna" is reminiscent of the manna hidden in the ark of the covenant by Moses (Exod 16:33-34; Heb 9:4). Since Moses' pot of manna was designed to remind the Israelites of God's grace and faithfulness in the wilderness (Ps 78:24), there may be a similar thought here. To those at Pergamum who refused the banquets of the pagan gods, Christ will give the manna of his great banquet of eternal life in the kingdom (John 6:47-58).

a) [Compare Jn 6:47-58]:

(Jn 6:47 NKJV) Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.

(Jn 6:48 NKJV) I am the Bread of Life.

(Jn 6:49 NAS) Your Fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

(Jn 6:50 YLT) this is the Bread that out of heaven is coming down, that any one may eat of it, and not die.

(Jn 6:51 NKJV) I am the Living Bread Which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.'

(Jn 6:52 YLT) "The Jews, therefore, were [arguing] with one another, saying, 'How is this One able to give us [His] flesh to eat?' '

(Jn 6:53 YLT) Jesus, therefore, said to them, '[Truly, truly], I say to you, If [you do] not eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and [you do] not drink His blood, [you] have no life in yourselves;

(Jn 6:54 NIV) Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day;

(Jn 6:55 YLT) for My flesh truly is food, and My blood truly is drink;

(Jn 6:56 NAS) He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

(Jn 6:57 NKJV) As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

(Jn 6:58 NAS) This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.' " '''

(Rev 2:17 NASB cont.) '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.' "

Whereupon the Lord Jesus Christ in His eternal glorified body said, "To him who overcomes," in the sense of to the believer who is faithful ... "I will give him a white stone and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.' " The "white stone" has been thought of in relation to voting pebbles, an inscribed invitation to a banquet, a victory symbol, an amulet, or a counting pebble. It seems best to link the stone to the thought of receiving rewards in heaven, starting with a new name, indicating acceptance by God and His title to glory, an acceptance by Christ Himself and assurance of blessings to come as a result of adhering to the purity of doctrine required of Christians.

a) [(Rev 2:12-17) Expositor's Commentary On Rev 2:12-17]:

(Rev 2:12 NASB)"And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:

(Rev 2:13 NASB) '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.
(Rev 2:14 NASB) '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.
(Rev 2:15 NASB) 'So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

(Rev 2:16 NASB) 'Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.

(Rev 2:17 NASB) '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.'

"12 The speaker identifies himself as "him who has the sharp, double-edged sword" (cf. comments on 1:16 and cf. Isa 49:2). In dealing with the Pergamum congregation, divided by deceptive teaching, the risen Lord will use this sword to fight against the Balaamites and the Nicolaitans (v. 16). It is interesting that Pergamum was a city to which Rome had given the rare power of capital punishment (ius gladii), which was symbolized by the sword. The Christians in Pergamum were thus reminded that though they lived under the rule of an almost unlimited imperium, they were citizens of another kingdom—that of him who needs no other sword than that of his mouth (Caird, p. 38).

13 The speaker's knowledge is searching: he knows that they live in a hostile and difficult place "where Satan has his throne." This certainly refers to the fact that Pergamum was a center for worship of the pagan gods, especially the emperor cult. The first temple in the empire was established in honor of Augustus in A.D. 29 at Pergamum because it was the administrative capital of Asia. In succeeding years the city boasted of being the official neokoros ("temple sweeper") of the "temple where Caesar was worshiped" (Barclay, Seven Churches, p. 45). Others see the reference to the altar of savior Zeus or the center of worship of Asclepius, the snake god of healing. Pergamum was an idolatrous center; and to declare oneself in that place a Christian who worships the one true God and Savior, Jesus Christ, would certainly provoke hostility.

Furthermore, the risen Lord knew their loyalty to him in all that he is revealed to be ("my name") even when "Antipas, my faithful witness,... was put to death in [their] city." Nothing further is known about Antipas than the meaning of his name—viz., "against all." The proximity of the name "Satan" before and after Antipas in v. 13 makes it virtually certain that his death was instigated by the enmity of pagans in Pergamum. He may have been the first or most notable of martyrs. Christ pays this hero of the faith a noble tribute: "faithful witness"-words that John applies to Christ himself in 1:5. Satan tries to undermine loyalty to Christ by persecution; Christ strengthens that loyalty by commending those who are true to him and by exposing those who are deceitful.

14-15 The speaker's verdict reveals that the church in Pergamum was divided. Some had followed Antipas and did not deny Christ's name or his faith (v. 13). Others held to the teaching and practice of the Balaamites and Nicolaitans that Christ hates (2:6). Since the name "Balaam" can mean to "conquer the people" (Heb. ba`al`am), which means the same as "Nicolaitans," and since they are mentioned together in this letter, both groups may be closely related (see Notes, v. 15). In fact, the error in the church at Thyatira through the teaching of the woman Jezebel may also be similar to this one. In that letter and this one, the more deadly effects of the error are described as "eating food sacrificed to idols and committing sexual immorality" (2:14, 20).

The OT names Balaam and Jezebel serve to alert the church community to the insidious nature of the teaching that was not until now recognized as overtly evil. Since Satan's chief method is deception, his devices are not known until they are clearly pointed out. Christ exposes error here by identifying the false teaching in Pergamum with clear-cut evil such as that of Balaam and Jezebel. Balak, king of Moab, could not succeed in getting the venial prophet Balaam to curse Israel directly. But Balaam devised a plan whereby the daughters of the Moabites would seduce the Israelite men and lead them to sacrifice to their god Baal-peor and worship him (Num 25:1ff.; 31:16; cf. 2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11). So God's judgment fell on Israel because of fornication and idolatry. What Balak was not able to accomplish directly, he got through Balaam's deception. While the Ephesians recognized the Nicolaitan error (v. 6), apparently Pergamum and Thyatira were deceived by it; it was an unconscious subversion. What Satan could not accomplish at Smyrna or Pergamum through intimidation, suffering, and death from outside the church, he achieved from within.

The combination of food sacrificed to idols" with "sexual immorality" may refer to the common practice of participating in the sacrificial meal of the pagan gods (cf. 1Cor 10:19-22) and indulging in sexual intercourse with temple priestesses in cult prostitution. This is the more normal way to understand the term "sexual immorality" in the context of the pagan gods. Some feel, however, that the term refers to spiritual unfaithfulness and apostasy from Christ (cf. Isa 1:21; Ezek 23:37). But the prevalence of sexual immorality in first-century pagan society makes it entirely possible that some Christians at Pergamum were still participating in the holiday festivities and saw no wrong in indulging in the "harmless" table in the temples and the sexual excitement everyone else was enjoying (cf. 1 John 5:21). Will Durant made the following observation on the pagan festivities:

At the center and summit of [each Greek] city was the shrine of the city god; participation in the worship of the god was the sign, the privilege, and the requisite of citizenship. In the spring, the Greek cities celebrated the Athesterion, or feast of flowers, a three-day festival to Dionysus [a chief deity at Pergamum!] in which wine flowed freely and everybody was more or less drunk. At the end of March came the great Dyonysia, a widely observed series of processional and plays accompanied by general revelry. At the beginning of April various cities in Greece celebrated [Aphrodite's] great festival, the Aphrodisia; and on that occasion, for those who cared to take part, sexual freedom was the order of the day (The Story of Civilization [New York: Simon and Schuster, 1939], vol. 2, Life of Greece, pp. 75, 185).

16 The speaker's command includes both a call to the whole congregation to repent and a special threat to the heretical members if they do not repent. Since those who did not indulge in these things tolerated their practice by some of the church's members, they, along with the guilty, needed to repent. If those at Pergamum will not heed the word of Christ's warning, that word from his mouth will become a "sword" to fight against the disloyal. (Curiously, Balaam himself was slain by the "sword" [Num 31:8].) The words "I will soon come to you" should be understood as a coming "against" the congregation in judgment, as in v. 5, and not as a reference to Christ's second coming.

17 The promise to the overcomer includes three difficult symbols: "hidden manna," "a white stone," and "a new name." The "hidden manna" is reminiscent of the manna hidden in the ark of the covenant by Moses (Exod 16:33-34; Heb 9:4). Since Moses' pot of manna was designed to remind the Israelites of God's grace and faithfulness in the wilderness (Ps 78:24), there may be a similar thought here. In apocalyptic Jewish teaching, however, the messianic era will see the restoration of the hidden wilderness manna: "And it shall come to pass at that self-same time (in the days when the Messiah comes) that the treasury of manna shall again descend from on high, and they will eat of it in those years" (2 Baruch 29:8; Sib Oracles 7:149). To those at Pergamum who refused the banquets of the pagan gods, Christ will give the manna of his great banquet of eternal life in the kingdom (John 6:47-58).

The "white stone" is a puzzle. It has been thought of in relation to voting pebbles, an inscribed invitation to a banquet, a victory symbol, an amulet, or a counting pebble. It seems best to link the stone to the thought of the manna and see it as an allusion to an invitation that entitled its bearer to attend one of the pagan banquets.

The "new name... known only to him who receives it" is either the name of Christ himself, now hidden from the world but to be revealed in the future as the most powerful of names (3:12; 14:1), or the believer's new name or changed character through redemption (Isa 62:2; 65:15). Pritchard cites an Egyptian text concerning the goddess Isis plotting to learn the secret name of the supreme god Re to gain his hidden power for herself. The one who knew the hidden name received the power and status of the god who revealed it (ANET, p. 12). Hence the name was jealously guarded by the god. This background would fit the context here in Revelation—viz., to Christians tempted to compromise their loyalty to Christ to gain the favor of the pagan gods, Christ generously offers himself and the power of his name so that those who have faith in him may overcome."

b) [(Rev 2:12-17) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 2:12-17]:

(Rev 2:12 NASB)"And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:

(Rev 2:13 NASB) '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.
(Rev 2:14 NASB) '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 th3e sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality.
(Rev 2:15 NASB) 'So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

(Rev 2:16 NASB) 'Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.

(Rev 2:17 NASB) '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.' "

"C. The letter to the church in Pergamum (2:12-17)

1. Destination (2:12)

2:12. The third church was in Pergamum or Pergamos, about 20 miles inland from Smyrna. Like Ephesus and Smyrna it was a wealthy city, but it was wicked. People in its pagan cults worshiped Athena, Asclepius, Dionysus, and Zeus. Pergamum was famous for its university with a library of about 200,000 volumes, and for manufacturing parchment resulting in a paper called pergamena. The atmosphere of this city was adverse to any effective Christian life and testimony.

Anticipating Christ's rebuke for their being tolerant of evil and immorality, John described Him as the One who has the sharp, double-edged sword (also mentioned in 1:16; 2:16; 19:15, 21). The sword is a symbolic representation of the Word of God's twofold ability to separate believers from the world and to condemn the world for its sin. It was the sword of salvation as well as the sword of death.

2. Commendation (2:13)

2:13. Following the same order as in the two preceding letters, commendation is given first. Christ recognized the difficulty of their situation. They lived where Satan has his throne. This may refer to the great temple of Asclepius, a pagan god of healing represented in the form of a serpent. Further recognition of Satan is indicated at the close of the verse. Pergamum was where Satan lives. The saints there were commended for being true, even when Antipas (which means "against all") was martyred. Nothing is known of this incident. The Christians at Pergamum had been true to God under severe testing but had compromised their testimony in other ways, as seen in the next two verses.

3. Rebuke (2:14-15)

2:14-15. They had been guilty of severe compromise by holding the teaching of Balaam and the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Balaam had been guilty of counseling King Balak to cause Israel to sin through intermarriage with heathen women and through idol-worship (cf. Num. 22-25; 31:15-16). Intermarriage with heathen women was a problem in Pergamum where any social contact with the world also involved worship of idols. Usually meat in the marketplace had been offered to idols earlier (cf. 1 Cor. 8).

They were also condemned for following the Nicolaitans' teaching. Earlier the Ephesian church had been commended for rejecting what appears to be a moral departure (cf. Rev. 2:6). Some Greek manuscripts add here that God hates the teaching of the Nicolaitans, as also stated in v. 6. Compromise with worldly morality and pagan doctrine was prevalent in the church, especially in the third century when Christianity became popular. So compromise with pagan morality and departure from biblical faith soon corrupted the church.

4. Exhortation (2:16)

2:16. Christ sharply rebuked the church with the abrupt command, Repent therefore! They were warned, Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. He promised that the judgment would come "soon" (tachys) which also means "suddenly" (cf. 1:1; 22:7, 12, 20). Christ would contend with them, using the sword of His mouth (cf. 1:16; 2:12; 19:15, 21). This again is the Word of God sharply judging all compromise and sin.

5. Promise (2:17)

2:17. The final exhortation to individuals, as in the messages to other churches, is again addressed to those who are willing to hear. Overcomers are promised hidden

manna and a white stone with a new name written on it. The "hidden manna" may refer to Christ as the Bread from heaven, the unseen source of the believer's nourishment and strength. Whereas Israel received physical food, manna, the church receives spiritual food (John 6:48-51).

Scholars differ as to the meaning of the "white stone." Alford is probably right in saying that the important point is the stone's inscription which gives the believer "a new name," indicating acceptance by God and his title to glory (The Greek Testament, 4:572). This may be an allusion to the Old Testament practice of the high priest wearing 12 stones on his breastplate with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel inscribed on it. Though believers at Pergamum may not have had precious stones or gems of this world, they had what is far more important, acceptance by Christ Himself and assurance of infinite blessings to come. Taken as a whole, the message to the church in Pergamum is a warning against compromise in morals or teaching and against deviating from the purity of doctrine required of Christians.

6) [(Rev 2:18-29) Commentary On Rev 2:18-29 by Biblestudymanuals]:

(Rev 2:18 NASB) "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: 

(Rev 2:19 NASB) 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first."

[Next, the risen Lord in His glory spoke to John and gave him instruction about the church in Thyatira: "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: 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first."

The term Son of God refers to the Messiah / the Diety of Jesus Christ.

a) [Compare Excerpt from study of the phrase "Son of God ]:

'THE SON OF GOD'

[cp Pr 30:4]:

"Who has gone up to heaven and come down?

["Who" = "Who are the Holy Ones Who"]

(Pr 30:4 cont.) "Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of His hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in His cloak?

Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is His name [God the Father] and the name of His Son [God the Son]?

In the Hebrew the word "Who" is literally translated, "Who are the Holy Ones Who" = PLURAL. So God the Father and God the Son have gone up to heaven and come down, gathered up the wind, wrapped up the waters and established the ends of the earth. Here right in the Old Testament we find a clear statement that there is more than one Personality in the Godhead! We have two of the Personalities of the Godhead specifically referred to: God the Father and God the Son. So when our Lord refers to Himself as the Son of God the Jews understood Him completely:

[Jn 10:33, 36b, 39]:

(v. 33) '''The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God."

(v. 36) [Jesus said]"...do you say of Him, [speaking of Himself] Whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming'; because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?

(v. 39) Again they tried to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp."

The indispensable step in correctly interpreting God's Word must not be sidestepped: that of letting the words in Scripture say what they meant to those in ancient times - to whom they were originally written. So if Scripture says that the Jews 2000 years ago interpreted the phrase 'the Son of God' to indicate that "You ....make Yourself out to be God", (Jn 10:33b), then that is what the term 'the Son of God' means. The Jews were so convinced of the meaning of that phrase that they were preparing to kill our Lord for referring to Himself as God.

Jesus Christ claimed that God was His Father in the sense of being like or equal to God:

[Jn 5:17-18]:

(v. 17) "But He [Jesus] answered them, 'My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.'

(v. 18) For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because [they determined] He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God."

So when our Lord called God His Father He was saying that He was just like God. And His enemies had no doubt in their minds that Jesus Christ was claiming to be God:

[Jn 10:30-33, 36b]:

(v. 30) "I and the Father are one.

(v. 31) The Jews took up stones again to stone Him.

(v. 32) Jesus answered them, 'I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?

(v. 33) The Jews answered Him, 'For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.'............"

[Jesus then says to the Jews]:

(v. 36b) "do you say of Him, [meaning Himself] Whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming'; because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?

[Dr John Danish states, (Berean Tape Ministry, Pastor, Berean Memorial Church, Irving, Tx)]: "the Lord Jesus claimed to be God and His enemies knew it.....The term 'Son of God' [when it refers to Jesus] actually means Deity. [It] does not mean simply son of God the way we may say that every human being is a son of God because God created him............"

[While God is Father of all men, not all men are children of God in the sense of being "born again" into His heavenly family, (Cp Jn 1:12-13). Those who are spiritually dead cannot have an intimate relationship with God until they become spiritually alive. It is true that all men are His sons and daughters in the sense that He made them in His image and provides for them...(Gen 1:26-30)..........

Even after man rebelled through Adam and Eve, (Gen 3:16-19), God still provides for all men, (Mt 5:45b; Ps 65:9-13; 147:8-9; Acts 14:16-17; Jer 5:24).....................

But men are His sons in the full sense only as they respond in faith to what He did for them through His one and only - unique - Son with a capital 'S', Jesus Christ, in order to overcome man's rebellion (his sin). Cp Gal 3:22 - 4:7; Ro 3:19-25a.

The children of God then are those who believe on the name of Jesus Christ, (Jn 1:12-13)......They are those who cease to rely on their own merits and achievements and put their trust in Christ instead. Such is the case in the aforementioned passages]

[Dr Danish, (cont.)]:

"This term ['the Son of God' however] does not mean [in the context that Jesus used the term to refer to Himself] that [our Lord had] been adopted in salvation.......When this term was applied to Him it had a specific different technical meaning..........." [Mt 26:63-66]:

(v. 63) "But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, 'I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.' "

["The Son of God" = The definite article "the" and the word "Son" are both singular indicating the unique Son of Almighty God rather than one of millions of believers who are sons and daughters of God in another sense, being born again by faith, (Jn 1:12-13). Children of God are referred to in Scripture either with an indefinite article 'a' or in the plural]

"Now [Dr Danish goes on to say] here these terms Christ and Son of God were equated in this fashion:

The Christ is equal to the Son of God.

And again, both of these terms indicate deity. So the high priest said, 'All right, we are putting it point blank to You, guilty or not guilty, are You the Son of God?' Now what did He mean when he was asking Jesus, 'Are You the Son of God?' He didn't mean, 'Are You created by God?'.....[or]....'Have You received eternal life...?' He meant, 'Are You saying that You are Deity?'...that You have the essence of Deity? That's what the term 'Son of God' meant in the mouth of the high priest. Now we know this from the verses which follow:

(v. 64) "Jesus said to him, 'You have said it yourself; ............"

"And when He [Jesus] said "You have said it yourself" He is saying in the affirmative: 'Yes, I am the Son of God', which is the same as saying, 'Yes, I am God.........'

(v. 63 cont.) "But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, 'I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.' "

(v. 64 cont.) "Jesus said to him, 'You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.'

6 cont.) [(Rev 2:18-29) Commentary On Rev 2:18-29 by Biblestudymanuals, (cont.)]:

(Rev 2:18 NASB) "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: 

(Rev 2:19 NASB) 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first."

So the risen Lord in His glory spoke to John and gave him instruction about the church in Thyatira: "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..."

In keeping with what follows, Christ is introduced as the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. This description of Christ is similar to that in 1:13-15, but here He is called the Son of God rather than the Son of Man. The situation required reaffirmation of His deity and His righteous indignation at their sins. The words "burnished bronze," which describe His feet, translate a rare Greek word chalkolibanō, also used in 1:15. It seems to have been an alloy of a number of metals characterized by brilliance when polished. The reference to His eyes being "like blazing fire" and the brilliant reflections of His feet emphasize the indignation and righteous judgment of Christ.

b) [Compare Rev 1:13-15]:

(Rev 1:13 NASB) "and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.

(Rev 1:14 NASB) His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 

(Rev 1:15 NASB)  His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters."

6 cont.) [(Rev 2:18-29) Commentary On Rev 2:18-29 by Biblestudymanuals, (cont.)]:

(Rev 2:18 NASB) "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: 

(Rev 2:19 NASB) 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first."

Whereupon, the Risen LORD spoke these words to John, expressing His commendation of the believers at Thyatira in Rev 2:19 NASB: 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.' .

Though much was wrong in the church at Thyatira, believers there were commended for their love... faith... service, and perseverance (cf. 2:2 re: Church at Ephesus - albeit Ephesus was not as commendable). And the Thyatira Christians were doing more as time went on (in contrast to the Ephesus church which did less). But despite these evidences of faithful Christian life and testimony, the church at Thyatira had serious problems - especially their tolerating heretical and immoral views of those that attended the church there, as follows in Rev 2:20-21]

c) [(Rev 2:18-19) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Rev 2:18-19]:

(Rev 2:18 NASB) "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: 

(Rev 2:19 NASB) 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first."

"4. To Thyatira (2:18-29)

On the inland route about forty-five miles due east of Pergamum was the city of Thyatira. Although not a great city, it was nevertheless important through commerce in wool, linen, apparel, dyed stuffs, leatherwork, tanning, and excellent bronzework. Associated with its commerce was an extensive trade guild or labor union network which must have played a prominent role in the social, political, economic, and religious life of the city. Each guild had its own patron deity, feasts, and seasonal festivities that included sexual revelries. Religiously, the city was unimportant, though worship of Apollo and Artemis (Diana) was prominent. Acts 16:14 mentions that Lydia, a proselyte of the gate, came from the Jewish settlement at Thyatira. She was a distributor of garments made of the purple dye substance known as "Turkey red" and no doubt a member of the dyers' guild. It has been suggested that some of Paul's converts at Ephesus went out and evangelized Thyatira (Acts 19:10).

18 The speaker of this fourth letter, the longest of the seven, identifies himself as "the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze" (cf. comments on 1:14-15). The expression "Son of God" appears only here in the book. It is a designation for the Messiah and is almost equivalent to the more frequently used title "Son of Man" and probably anticipates the quotation from the messianic second Psalm in v. 27, which implies the term. But the name might also have captured the attention of those who were enticed by the emperor cult into calling Caesar the Son of God. That Christ's eyes are here described as blazing fire might be an allusion to the sun god, Apollo, worshipped at Thyatira. More likely, however, it refers to his penetrating discernment of the false prophetess Jezebel (v. 23). The feet of Christ, which are like burnished bronze, would no doubt have special significance to the bronze-workers at Thyatira.

19 The speaker's knowledge of the Thyatirans' works is essentially twofold: he knows their love and faithfulness. Their love manifests itself in "service" and their faithfulness in "perseverance" during trial. Their present state reflects outstanding progress, but there is a perilous flaw in the church there."

d) [(Rev 2:18-19) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 2:18-19]:

(Rev 2:18 NASB) "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: 

(Rev 2:19 NASB) 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first."

1. Destination (2:18)

2:18. Thyatira, 40 miles southeast of Pergamum, was a much smaller city. Thyatira was situated in an area noted for its abundant crops and the manufacture of purple dye. The church was small, but it was singled out for this penetrating letter of rebuke.

In keeping with what follows, Christ is introduced as the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. This description of Christ is similar to that in 1:13-15, but here He is called the Son of God rather than the Son of Man. The situation required reaffirmation of His deity and His righteous indignation at their sins. The words "burnished bronze," which describe His feet, translate a rare Greek word chalkolibanō, also used in 1:15. It seems to have been an alloy of a number of metals characterized by brilliance when polished. The reference to His eyes being "like blazing fire" and the brilliant reflections of His feet emphasize the indignation and righteous judgment of Christ.

2. Commendation (2:19)

2:19. Though much was wrong in the church at Thyatira, believers there were commended for their love... faith... service, and perseverance (cf. 2:2). And the Thyatira Christians were doing more as time went on (in contrast to the Ephesus church which did less). But despite these evidences of Christian life and testimony, the church at Thyatira had serious problems."

6 cont.) [(Rev 2:18-29) Commentary On Rev 2:18-29 by Biblestudymanuals, (cont.)]:

(Rev 2:20 NASB) '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 [in this sense of those bonded to Christ as believers] so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

(Rev 2:21 NASB) " 'I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.' "                                                                                                 

[Having commended the Thyatria Christians for their love, faith, service, and perseverance, the Lord indicated, "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 [i.e., Christ's bond servants = believers who are to serve Him as His bond servants: they are not the bond servants of Jezebel who leads them] astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols." So Christ holds this woman, Jezebel, who evidently attended the church in Thyatria, and was guilty of falsely claiming to be a prophetess when it is evident that she was not because of her immoral behavior that accompanied pagan religion, and of her false teaching which came from pagan religion and not from Christ; and of leading believers astray such that they too committed acts of immorality and of eating things sacrificed to idols - all behaviors testifying that she most likely was not a believer. It is evident that Christ gave her time to repent, for it is indicated that she was made aware of her guilt / sin. For Jesus Christ indicated to John that her answer was that she did not want to repent of her immorality - again testifying that she evidently was not a believer but an infiltrator in the church - a non-believer. This implies that the believers in the church were tolerant of her evil as Christ held her and them acountable of this permissiveness as it indicates in the previous verse as follows: "But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel."

So Jesus' main condemnation relative to the church at Thyratira concerned the woman Jezebel, who falsely claimed to be a prophetess and taught believers to take part in the sexual immorality that accompanied pagan religion and to eat food sacrificed to idols - giving no evidence that she was a believer at all. What was acceptable to that local society was abhorred by Christ.

e) [(Rev 2:20-21) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Rev 2:20-21]:

(Rev 2:20 NASB)  " '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 [in this sense of those bonded to Christ as believers] so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

(Rev 2:21 NASB) " 'I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.' "

"20 The speaker's verdict reveals that the congregation had allowed a woman prophetess (a false one, according to Christ's assessment) to remain in the church and to continue to teach the saints to indulge in "sexual immorality" and to "eat food sacrificed to idols." The genuine gift of prophecy was highly respected in the early church. Along with apostles, teachers, and elders, prophets were often elevated to leadership (1Cor 12:28; Eph 4:11). Women also received the genuine gift of prophecy (Luke 2:36; Acts 21:9; 1Cor 11:5). Prophets generally brought direct revelation from God in the form of teaching as well as occasional predictions of the future (Acts 11:27). Tests for a true prophet, as for the true apostle (2:2), were available but often difficult to apply.

This supposedly Christian woman at Thyatira had claimed to be a "prophetess," gifted as such by the Holy Spirit. She must have been elevated to prominence in the church because of her unusual gifts. But only a small minority saw through her pious deception (v. 24); the rest either followed her or ignored her views without objecting to her presence in the church. In order to expose her true character, she is labeled "Jezebel"- the name of the Canaanite wife of Israel's King Ahab. Jezebel had not only led Ahab to worship Baal but through Ahab had promulgated her teachings of idolatry throughout all Israel (1 Kings 16:31-33; 2 Kings 9:22).

We must not, however, press the similarity too far. As this wicked and deceptive woman in the OT led Israel astray and persecuted the true prophets of God, so this woman at Thyatira was enticing the servants of God to abandon their exclusive loyalty to Christ. Her teaching was no doubt similar to that of the Nicolaitans and Balaamites at Ephesus and Pergamum. While most commentators prefer to see the "sexual immorality" as spiritual adultery (i.e., idolatry), the possibility of cultic fornication should not be ruled out for reasons cited above (cf. 2:14). The distinction between the woman and those who follow her (v. 22) may argue against the view that she is symbolic of a group in the church unless the "woman" represents the false prophets and her "children" are those who follow the teaching. In 2 John the "chosen lady" is probably a reference to the faithful congregation, while "her children" refers to individuals in the congregation who represent her.

21-22 Christ's verdict continues with his strongest accusation directed against, not Jezebel's perversion, serious as that is, nor even against her successful deception of fellow Christians, but against her refusal to repent. Although Christ has dealt with her over a period of time, she will not change her ways or her thinking. The Lord, therefore, will judge Jezebel by two swift acts. She will be "hurled" (NIV, "cast") into a bed, and her children will be put to death. The "bed" or "couch" (kline) can mean a bed used for resting, for guild-banqueting, or for sickness. Ramsay adopts the banqueting sense and relates it to the idol-feast couches (Seven Churches, p. 352). Others suggest a bed of sickness or suffering, seen as an act of God's visitation or judgment. On a bed she sinned, on a bed she will suffer; and those who committed adultery with her will also suffer intensely."

f) [(Rev 2:20-21) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 2:20-21]:

(Rev 2:20 NASB) " '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 [in this sense of those bonded to Christ as believers] so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

(Rev 2:21 NASB) " 'I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality.' "

"3. Rebuke (2:20-23)

6 cont.) [(Rev 2:18-29) Commentary On Rev 2:18-29 by Biblestudymanuals, (cont.)]:

(Rev 2:23 NASB) '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."

[After she refused to repent, the Lord declared that He would throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who committed adultery with her will be thrown into great tribulation, unless they repented of her deeds in the sense of not committing adultery with her any longer. So Christ's verdict continued with his strongest accusation directed against, not Jezebel's perversion, serious as that was, nor even against her successful deception of fellow Christians, but against her refusal to repent. Although Christ had dealt with her over a period of time, she would not change her ways or her thinking. The Lord, therefore, will judge Jezebel by two swift acts. She will be "hurled" (NIV, "cast") into a bed, and her children will be put to death. The "bed" or "couch" (kline) can mean a bed used for resting, for guild-banqueting, i.e., meals which were idol-feast couches where believers were directed toward idol worship. Others suggest a bed of sickness or suffering, seen as an act of God's visitation or judgment. On a bed she sinned, on a bed she will suffer; and those who committed adultery with her will also suffer intensely.

As in the case of Jezebel, Christ's strongest threat to all the offenders is not in regard to their sin, serious as that is, but to their reluctance to repent. The Lord is walking among His churches. He judges evil; but he also offers deliverance to those who have fallen, if they repent and stop doing Jezebel's deeds. For those who follow Jezebel ("her children") and refuse to repent, a fatal judgment will be meted out by the Lord Christ: "I will strike her children dead" (lit., "I will kill her children with death" - perhaps a Heb. idiom denoting "pestilence" [6:8]). Some understand "her children" to refer to her actual children, born of the sexual sins, rather than to her followers (Beckwith, p. 467). This cannot be decided with certainty, but the latter is the most likely case considering that there is no other mention of the children of Jezebel being actual physical descendants. Whatever the exact nature of the judgment, it is announced beforehand by Christ so that when it occurs not just Thyatira but "all the churches will know that I am He who searches hearts and minds," since they too will read the same letter and will later hear of the historical outcome. OT references ascribe omniscience to God alone (Ps 7:9; Prov 24:12; Jer 17:10). "Heart" is literally "kidneys" (Heb., kelayot; Gr., nephroi), which in Semitic thought represented the moral center of the life, while "mind" is literally "heart" (Heb., leb; Gr., kardia), which represents the totality of the feelings, thoughts, and desires traced back to one's deepest inner life. There is nothing in our thoughts or desires that is hidden from Christ's penetrating gaze (Heb 4:12-13). Our only safety from judgment is in repentance. The risen Lord does not stop with searching hearts and minds but brings recompense according to deeds: for faithfulness, reward; for unfaithfulness, judgment."

Their departure from morality had gone on for some time (v. 21). The church in Thyatira may have first heard the gospel from Lydia, converted through Paul's ministry (Acts 16:14-15). Interestingly now a woman, a self-claimed "prophetess," was influencing the church. Her name "Jezebel" suggests that she was corrupting the Thyatira church much like Ahab's wife Jezebel corrupted Israel (1 Kings 16:31-33). Christ promised sudden and immediate judgment, called her sin adultery and promised that all who followed her would suffer intensely. He also promised, I will strike her children dead, meaning that suffering would extend also to her followers. The judgment would be so dramatic that all the churches would know that Christ is the One Who searches hearts and minds.]

g) [(Rev 2:22-23) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Rev 2:22-23]:

(Rev 2:22 NASB) " '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. 

(Rev 2:23 NASB) '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."

"21-22 Christ's verdict continues with his strongest accusation directed against, not Jezebel's perversion, serious as that is, nor even against her successful deception of fellow Christians, but against her refusal to repent. Although Christ has dealt with her over a period of time, she will not change her ways or her thinking. The Lord, therefore, will judge Jezebel by two swift acts. She will be "hurled" (NIV, "cast") into a bed, and her children will be put to death. The "bed" or "couch" (kline) can mean a bed used for resting, for guild-banqueting, or for sickness. Ramsay adopts the banqueting sense and relates it to the idol-feast couches (Seven Churches, p. 352). Others suggest a bed of sickness or suffering, seen as an act of God's visitation or judgment. On a bed she sinned, on a bed she will suffer; and those who committed adultery with her will also suffer intensely.

As in the case of Jezebel, Christ's strongest threat to the offenders is not in regard to their sin, serious as that is, but to their reluctance to repent. The Lord is walking among His churches. He judges evil; but he also offers deliverance to those who have fallen, if they repent and stop doing Jezebel's deeds.

23 For those who follow Jezebel ("her children") and refuse to repent, a fatal judgment will be meted out by the Lord Christ: "I will strike her children dead" (lit., "I will kill her children with death"—perhaps a Heb. idiom denoting "pestilence" [6:8]). Some understand "her children" to refer to her actual children, born of the sexual sins, rather than to her followers (Beckwith, p. 467). This cannot be decided with certainty. Whatever the exact nature of the judgment, it is announced beforehand by Christ so that when it occurs not just Thyatira but "all the churches will know that I am He who searches hearts and minds," since they too will read the same letter and will later hear of the historical outcome. OT references ascribe omniscience to God alone (Ps 7:9; Prov 24:12; Jer 17:10). "Heart" is literally "kidneys" (Heb., kelayot; Gr., nephroi), which in Semitic thought represented the moral center of the life, while "mind" is literally "heart" (Heb., leb; Gr., kardia), which represents the totality of the feelings, thoughts, and desires traced back to one's deepest inner life. There is nothing in our thoughts or desires that is hidden from Christ's penetrating gaze (Heb 4:12-13). Our only safety from judgment is in repentance. The risen Lord does not stop with searching hearts and minds but brings recompense according to deeds: for faithfulness, reward; for unfaithfulness, judgment."

h) [(Rev 2:22-23) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 2:22-23]:

(Rev 2:22 NASB) " '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. 

(Rev 2:23 NASB) '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."

"2:20-23. Jesus' major condemnation concerned that woman Jezebel, who claimed to be a prophetess and taught believers to take part in the sexual immorality that accompanied pagan religion and to eat food sacrificed to idols. What was acceptable to that local society was abhorred by Christ. Their departure from morality had gone on for some time (v. 21). The church in Thyatira may have first heard the gospel from Lydia, converted through Paul's ministry (Acts 16:14-15). Interestingly now a woman, a self-claimed "prophetess," was influencing the church. Her name "Jezebel" suggests that she was corrupting the Thyatira church much like Ahab's wife Jezebel corrupted Israel (1 Kings 16:31-33). Christ promised sudden and immediate judgment, called her sin adultery and promised that all who followed her would suffer intensely. He also promised, I will strike her children dead, meaning that suffering would extend also to her followers. The judgment would be so dramatic that all the churches would know that Christ is the One Who searches hearts and minds."

6 cont.) [(Rev 2:18-29) Commentary On Rev 2:18-29 by Biblestudymanuals, (cont.)]:

(Rev 2:24 NASB) " '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.

(Rev 2:25 NASB) 'Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come."

[The risen Lord now addresses the rest of the believers in Thyatira, those who did not hold to the false teaching of Jezebel - those who were believers who had not known the deep things of Satan as they call them, i.e., "the so-called deep things of God, which are in fact of Satan," which implies that Jezebel was an agent of Satan who disguised her intent by claiming that her message contained the deep things of God, deceiving her followers. After Jesus' condemnation of Jezebel and her followers, Christ extended a word of exhortation to the godly remnant who were part of the church in Thyatira, implying that the rest of the believers in the church at Thyatira were apostate believers. The remnant He called the rest who are in Thyatira... those of you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets. On this godly remnant He imposed one simple instruction: only hold on to what you have until I come, evidently referring to the Lord's Coming to the clouds above the earth to rapture all believers of the Church Age up into the air - the dead and alive in Christ - and take them back to heaven with Him where they will be rewarded for their faithfulness . So Christ said to John to the remaining individuals of the church in Thyatira - those who have been faithful "I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless, what you have, hold fast until I come."

This small group may have been nearer God's standard than any other group mentioned in Revelation because they could discriminate between authentic and spurious worship. Christ's only command to the church at Thyatira was probably for the minority who had sufficient insight to penetrate Jezebel's deception. They are to simply "hold on to what you have" (i.e., their insight into Jezebel's teaching and evil deeds) till Christ returns in the sense of rapturing the dead and alive in Christ to reward each one for faithful service (v. 25). This small group may have been nearer his standard than any other group mentioned in Revelation because they could discriminate between authentic and spurious worship.

i) [(Rev 2:24-25) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Rev 2:24-25]:

(Rev 2:24 NASB) " '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.

(Rev 2:25 NASB) 'Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come."

"24-25 Christ's only command to the church at Thyatira was probably for the minority who had sufficient insight to penetrate Jezebel's deception. They are to simply "hold on to what you have" (i.e., their insight into Jezebel's teaching and evil deeds) till Christ returns (v. 25). This small group may have been nearer his standard than any other group mentioned in Revelation because they could discriminate between authentic and spurious worship.

The reference to "Satan's so-called deep secrets" is ambiguous (cf. "the deep things of God" [1Cor 2:10]). It may mean the "deep things," i.e., the secret knowledge of God reserved only for the initiates into the heretical teaching. This would suggest a form of Christian Gnosticism, an early heretical teaching. The words "so-called" would then be a mocking remark of John's—"the so-called deep things of God, which are in fact of Satan" (Bruce, "Revelation," p. 639).

However, this view rests on the doubtful thesis of a developed Christian Gnosticism in the first century (cf. Edwin Yamauchi, Pre-Christian Gnosticism [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973], pp. 55, 185) and strains the normal sense of the Greek. Therefore, another sense is preferable—viz., that the "deep secrets of Satan" is the actual phrase Jezebel used. But could she lure Christians by using such a term? The reasoning of some in the early church (the Nicolaitans) might have gone something like this: The only effective way to confront Satan was to enter into his strongholds; the real nature of sin could only be learned by experience, and therefore only those who had really experienced sin could truly appreciate grace. So by experiencing the depths of paganism ("the deep secrets of Satan"), one would better be equipped to serve Christ, or be an example of freedom to his brothers (cf. 1Cor 8:9-11). Thus the sin of Jezebel was deadly serious because of the depths of its deception. Only a few perceived where the teaching was leading.

"Until I come" is the first of several references to the second coming of Christ in these letters (cf. 1:7)."

j) [(Rev 2:24-25) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 2:24-25]:

(Rev 2:24 NASB) " '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.

(Rev 2:25 NASB) 'Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.' "

"24-25 Christ's only command to the church at Thyatira was probably for the minority who had sufficient insight to penetrate Jezebel's deception. They are to simply "hold on to what you have" (i.e., their insight into Jezebel's teaching and evil deeds) till Christ returns (v. 25). This small group may have been nearer his standard than any other group mentioned in Revelation because they could discriminate between authentic and spurious worship.

The reference to "Satan's so-called deep secrets" is ambiguous (cf. "the deep things of God" [1Cor 2:10]). It may mean the "deep things," i.e., the secret knowledge of God reserved only for the initiates into the heretical teaching. This would suggest a form of Christian Gnosticism, an early heretical teaching. The words "so-called" would then be a mocking remark of John's -the so-called deep things of God, which are in fact of Satan" (Bruce, "Revelation," p. 639).

However, this view rests on the doubtful thesis of a developed Christian Gnosticism in the first century (cf. Edwin Yamauchi, Pre-Christian Gnosticism [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1973], pp. 55, 185) and strains the normal sense of the Greek. Therefore, another sense is preferable—viz., that the "deep secrets of Satan" is the actual phrase Jezebel used. But could she lure Christians by using such a term? The reasoning of some in the early church (the Nicolaitans) might have gone something like this: The only effective way to confront Satan was to enter into his strongholds; the real nature of sin could only be learned by experience, and therefore only those who had really experienced sin could truly appreciate grace. So by experiencing the depths of paganism ("the deep secrets of Satan"), one would better be equipped to serve Christ, or be an example of freedom to his brothers (cf. 1Cor 8:9-11). Thus the sin of Jezebel was deadly serious because of the depths of its deception. Only a few perceived where the teaching was leading.

"Until I come" is the first of several references to the second coming of Christ in these letters (cf. 1:7)."

6 cont.) [(Rev 2:18-29) Commentary On Rev 2:18-29 by Biblestudymanuals, (cont.)]:

(Rev 2:26 NASB) " 'He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; 

(Rev 2:27 NASB) 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;"

[So the Risen Lord states in Rev 2:26-27, "He [the believer] who overcomes in the sense of being faithful in his Christian living, i.e., to those who keep the Lord's commands, His deeds - until the end of his temporal life - to him Christ will give authority in the sence of rulership over the nations to which he will be in charge - coruling with Christ his Savior. And he shall rule such nations with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken into pieces, in the sense of being very strict in His rule and breaking those who resist Him into pieces. All of this in accordance with the authority that Jesus Christ received from His Father." Notice that being faithful in the sense of faithful practices results in rewards not eternal life which the latter is a gift received as a result of a moment of faith alone in Christ alone ]

k) [(Rev 2:26-27) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Rev 2:26-27]:

(Rev 2:26 NASB) " 'He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; 

(Rev 2:27 NASB) 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;"

"26-27 The promise to the overcomers is twofold: "authority over nations" and the gift of "the morning star." It contains one important modification of the regular overcomer's formula. Added to the words "to him who overcomes" is "and does my will to the end" (lit., "who keeps my works until the end"). It reminds us of Jesus' statement in his great eschatological discourse, that "he who stands firm to the end will be saved (Matt 24:13), and of Paul's words to the Colossians about continuing in the faith "established and firm" (Col 1:23). The proof of authentic trust in Jesus is steadfastness of belief and continuance in the will of God till Christ returns or death comes.

[Biblestudymanuals on the above. This cannot mean one must steadfastly believe in Christ and continue in the will of God till Christ returns in His Second Coming or in the Rapture or till ones death in order to be saved unto eternal life and / or stay saved. Furthermore, it cannot mean that it is absolute proof that one is authentically a believer. For all believers, all individuals of mankind are unable to do be faithful  with the indwelling sin nature still intact in their mortal lives moment to moment .]

The first promise is a fulfillment of Psalm 2, which is messianic and tells how the Father gave the Messiah the rule over the nations of the world. This psalm plays an important part in thinking about Christ (11:18; 12:5; 19:15). The coming reign of the Messiah over the world is to be shared with his disciples (1:6; 3:21; 20:6; 1Cor 6:2). In the pre-Christian apocryphal Psalms of Solomon, the same psalm is used with reference to the Messiah and the Jews who will reign with him (17:23-24). Here in vv. 26-27 its use seems to indicate that the overcomers will participate with Christ in fulfilling the promise of Psalm 2:9. There is a paradox in the combination of the mild word "rule" (poimaino, lit., "to shepherd") with the harsh words "with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery" (cf. comments on 19:11ff.). The prospect of such a reversal of their present experience of oppression and persecution would be a constant encouragement for suffering Christians."

l) [(Rev 2:26-27) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 2:26-27]:

(Rev 2:26 NASB) " 'He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; 

(Rev 2:27 NASB) 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;"

6 cont.) [(Rev 2:18-29) Commentary On Rev 2:18-29 by Biblestudymanuals, (cont.)]:

(Rev 2:26 NASB) " 'He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; 

(Rev 2:27 NASB) 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;

(Rev 2:28 NASB) and I will give him the morning star.

(Rev 2:29 NASB) 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' "

[These verses offer no clear explanation of their meaning. They are said to refer to participation in the Rapture of the church before the dark hours preceding the dawn of the millennial kingdom - but all Christians faithful to unfaithful will participate in the Rapture dead and alive . It is more feasible that the Morning Star is Christ Himself in the sense that those believers who overcome by keeping His deeds until the end of their mortal lives are to be given a greater reward of sharing all the more in Christ to become even more of a part of His body because of that faithfulness in the sense of becoming partners with Him in His rulership of the universe. So they are to exist in Him and of Him and for Him for all eternity all the more. No grander future than that for the faithful believer. And the beginning and the end of that faithfulness is clearly presented in Rev 2:29: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."]

m) [Compare 2 Pet 1:19]:

"And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."

n) [Compare Rev 22:16]:

(Rev 22:16 NASB) "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you of these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

o) [(Rev 2:28-29) Expositor's Bible Commentary On Rev 2:28-29]:

(Rev 2:28 NASB) "and I will give him the morning star.

(Rev 2:29 NASB) 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' "

"28 Second, the overcomers in Thyatira are promised "the morning star" (astera ton proinon). Some link this expression to Christ himself as in 22:16. Believers would then receive Christ as their very life. Or it may refer to the Resurrection in the sense that the morning star rises over the darkness of this world's persecution and offers victory over it. Perhaps a combination of the two thoughts may be intended. The promise of Christ's return is like the "morning star [phosphoros]" (2 Peter 1:19). (See 22:16, where Jesus calls himself "the bright Morning Star" [ho aster ho lampros ho proinos], in apparent reference to His return.)

29 In this fourth letter and in the three that follow it, the general exhortation comes at the very end; in the first three letters, however, it precedes the promise (cf. comments at introduction to the seven letters."

p) [(Rev 2:28-29) Bible Knowledge Commentary On Rev 2:28-29]:

(Rev 2:28 NASB) "and I will give him the morning star.

(Rev 2:29 NASB) 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' "

2:28. In addition, the faithful will receive the morning star, which appears just before the dawn. The Scriptures do not explain this expression, but it may refer to participation in the Rapture of the church before the dark hours preceding the dawn of the millennial kingdom.

2:29. The letter to Thyatira closes with the familiar exhortation to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Unlike the earlier letters, this exhortation follows rather than precedes the promise to overcomers, and this order is followed in the letters to the last three churches."

Continue on to Rev 3