Revelation 2 | Seven Letters to the Seven Churches

Revelation 2 is the chapter for this episode.  In chapter 1, I reminded everyone that we are studying the book of Revelation, not Revelations, because it is a singular Revelation given by Jesus Christ to John. We also discussed the four primary interpretive approaches to Revelation, as well as John’s description of Jesus.
• Now as I mentioned in the last episode, Jesus will have John write seven letters that will be sent to seven different churches in Asia Minor. In this episode, we will be covering the first four of those letters, which will be sent to the churches at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira.
• Now each letter will follow a similar pattern, in that it states who it is addressed to, and then Jesus offering a praise for the church, followed by a reproof, and then ends with an eschatological promise to those who endure.
• Now with 29 verses, we have a lot to cover in chapter 2, so let’s jump right in, beginning with the first three verses which read, “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
• So, the first letter is addressed to the church at Ephesus, which makes sense, because from a geographical perspective, it would be the first stop if a messenger was leaving the island of Patmos to deliver these letters.
• But it also makes sense due to the prominence of Ephesus. Now I think we sometimes read the Bible and when we read of these ancient cities, we think they were all more like small villages, and very primitive. But Ephesus had a population of 250,000 people. I mean, that’s a larger population than current day Salt Lake City, or Baton Rouge, or Spokane, Huntsville, or Richmond, VA. IOW, this was not a little village
• It was more powerful and more favored by the Roman imperial cult, which essentially was the thought that some of the emperors and their families had divinely sanctioned authority.
• But the emperor Domitian had actually named Ephesus as the guardian of the imperial cult, making it the foremost center of the imperial cult in all of Roman Asia. Just a few years before Revelation was written, Ephesus had honored Domitian at the Olympic games.
• Ephesus was also known for its worship of Artemis and practicing magic. In fact, it had a temple to the goddess Artemis, standing on a platform that was twice as big as a football field, which was regarded as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. I mean, when you’re talking about the seven ancient wonders, you are talking about the Great Pyramid at Giza in Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and others. And right alongside those, you have this Temple of Artemis right here in Ephesus. And so all of these different factors would have made the letter very relevant to early Christians living there.
• And so now that you are a little more familiar with Ephesus, what does Jesus have to say to the church there? He begins with verses 2 & 3 which read, “2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
• So, so far so good! Jesus begins by telling them “I know your works”. Jesus acknowledges their hard work and endurance, and their patience. The letter starts off good. These are positive attributes. And by the way, Jesus knows your works too.
• He even tells them that he knows they cannot bear people who say they are apostles, but are not. The church at Ephesus had apparently uncovered some frauds. It knew how to evaluate people who claimed to be spiritual, claimed to be Christians, but were not. I’m assuming part of that evaluation was based on doctrine along with their behavior.
• And really, that’s no different than what we would find today. Plenty of people claim to be Christian. Claiming to be Christian is easy. It’s the actually living it out that’s the hard part. It’s choosing to obey Christ rather than giving in to self-that’s the hard part. It’s picking up your cross and shouldering your burden and perhaps even suffering that’s the hard part. I mean it’s easy to accept Jesus as your Savior, but much more difficult to accept Him as your Lord.
• It’s easy to say you are a Christian and stand on the mountaintop and trumpet that as some moral virtue. But Jesus said in Matthew 7, “21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’
• These are the kind of people that the church in Ephesus has rightly called out, and Jesus acknowledges this. However, he continues with the letter in verses 4-7, saying, “4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
• So, after such a good initial report, Jesus now points out a flaw of the church. All that they are doing right does not excuse what they are doing wrong. And we need to keep this in mind about Jesus. Jesus doesn’t make excuses for or condone sin. Period. He always called it what it was. Our society is always quick to promote the idea that Jesus was always about forgiveness and not judging and loving people for who they are as they are. And that is true to an extent. He loves us all. But Jesus called people out for the sin in their life. He didn’t go-along to get-along. He loved people too much not to tell them. Because he wanted to see them repent and turn to God. For example, the woman caught in adultery, you all know the story. He didn’t deny her wrongdoing. He didn’t tell her it was ok; it was no big deal. He didn’t turn a blind eye to it. He told her to “go, and what? To sin no more! But it seems that in our modern times, we see even Christians growing more uncomfortable with the idea of absolute truth.
• But he tells the church at Ephesus that what he has against them is that they have forsaken their first love. They have turned their backs on their first love. Now many people might hear this and kind of zone out, thinking, well at least I’m not like the Ephesians and forsaken my first love”.
• But I think that would be a mistake. It’s like saying “thank God I’m not like the Pharisee! Thank God I’m not like the tax collector! Because one of the greatest delusions is to believe that we are better than we really are. And if you need a reminder, Romans 3 tells us ““None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.
• 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” And so, I think we should listen carefully to what Jesus is saying here.
• Now some commentators believe he is referencing the fact that they have a lesser love for God than they did at first. And perhaps they are so busy doing “church”, that they have taken some of their focus from the primary reason for church, which is to worship God. As a church, or as members of the body of Christ, we can sometimes spend so much time doing the business of the king, that we sometimes forget about the king himself.
• But other commentators believe that Jesus is referencing the church as having less love for each other within the church. But either way, it is a serious issue. Even if this is referring to a lesser love for one another, it would reflect in the community, and to people looking from the outside, if they don’t see love between fellow Christians, why would they be interested in what Christians have to share with them?
• In fact, Jesus said in John 13, A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. And this is what the church at Ephesus had lost and forgotten, and as a result, was less of a witness for Christ than they should have been
• Jesus tells them to repent and do what they did at first. He continues by telling them; If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Well, what does that mean? It means that if they don’t repent, if they don’t return to their first love, Jesus will remove them as a church. They would cease to exist as a church. Interesting; later on, the city of Ephesus was literally moved about 3 miles from where it was in John’s day. Today, there is no city, and there is no church in what was the city of Ephesus. Islam has been established in that area
• But he provides one more word of praise for the church in verse 6 when he says “Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” Now unfortunately, we can’t be sure who the Nicolaitans were exactly. We can only speculate.
• One tradition says that the Nicolaitans were followers of Nicholas, who was one of the seven men selected to serve the church in Acts 6:5, but later became a heretical teacher. But again, we just aren’t certain.
• The most reasonable guess is that they held some views similar to those of Balaam, who condoned immorality and eating food offered to idols.
• Jesus then finishes his letter to Ephesus in a style he will use for all seven churches, saying “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
• What he is saying is, anyone who has spiritual perception should listen. Because the promise is to everyone who conquers, He will grant to eat of the tree of life. The tree of life, which would have provided him with eternal life, was denied to Adam back in Genesis, is now accessible to those who conquer. To those who obey the message in the letter, and overcomes in this conflict with evil.
• But we now turn our attention to the church at Smyrna. And we read in verses 8-11, “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. 9 “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
• Now, although Ephesus was the most powerful city in the province, Smyrna was still one of the most important cities in the area, and was thought to be the most beautiful city in the province. If a messenger was delivering this letter from John, leaving Ephesus, he would travel about 35 miles to the north.
• Now if you’re wondering where Smyrna is located, it is actually the modern city of Izmir, Turkey. The name was changed years ago. It is now a city of 3,000,000 people, which is a greater population than Chicago. And it is the only one of the seven cities that is still standing today.
• But Smyrna was renowned for its loyalty to Rome, and its worship of the emperor. Almost 300 years before John wrote this letter, the first temple in the world dedicated to the goddess Roma was built in Smyrna. About 70 years before John was banished to the island of Patmos, Smyrna dedicated a temple in honor of the Roman emperor Tiberius, and from that point on, it became a center of worship for both Rome and Caesar
• Now the letter to Smyrna is the shortest of the seven messages to the seven churches, and as we see, it is one of only two where Jesus doesn’t have anything negative to say
• And it’s really interesting that Jesus begins his letter to them by saying, “The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life”. Because the city of Smyrna was a city that had been resurrected. It was destroyed 700 years earlier, and had laid in ruins for 300 years
• But he continues by saying, “I know your tribulation…”. And he says this because the Christians in Smyrna were indeed experiencing much tribulation. Part of the persecution was no doubt a result of Christians refusing to participate in Emperor worship.
• In fact, one of the early church fathers, Polycarp, who was the bishop of the church in Smyrna, and a disciple of John’s, at 86 years old, he was burned at the stake for refusing to worship Caesar
• But in addition to knowing their suffering, Jesus also says, “and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan”. Now Smyrna had the largest Jewish population of any of the Asian cities. And many commentators recognize that it’s very likely that at least some of the Jewish community in Smyrna were working with local officials to suppress Christianity, and so likely played a role in betraying Polycarp to the Romans.
• So, this “slander” Jesus mentions likely refers to “informers”, or what the Romans called “delatores”. Think of them as informants, or accusers. But Jesus says “they are of the synagogue of Satan”. And it’s interesting that the name of Satan, the main adversary of Jesus, means “accuser”
• But Jesus tells them, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer”. Now the punishment that the text seems to be referring to is execution, because he continues by telling them “Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death”.
• And so, what may be in view here is official persecution from the local government, with the help of informants, where you would be imprisoned while waiting on a trial, and then the official punishment, which again, believers need to be prepared that the punishment would be execution.
• Now, just so you are aware, I want to mention how historicists view this letter to Smyrna. They believe the letter to Smyrna represents the church during the period of persecution under the Roman emperors. It began with Nero, and became more focused under Domitian and his successors, through Diocletian. And they believe that the 10 days of persecution correspond to the ten years of the final persecution under Diocletian. By the way, the emperor who followed Diocletian was Constantine, who legalized Christianity, and who later supposedly converted to Christianity
• But the message of Christ to these persecuted believers in Smyrna was to be faithful to the extent of being prepared to die for His name’s sake. And to those who endured, to those who overcome, Jesus promised to give them a crown of life.
• Now, just an observation here on the crown that Jesus promises. In Greek, there are two different words for “crown”. One of them is diadem, which is the type of crown worn by royalty. But that’s not the word used here. The other word, which is the one used, is stephanos, which usually has something to do with joy and victory. It is the type of crown, or wreath, say of garland, that was presented to victors in battle or winners at the Olympic games.
• And so, this crown would have been a fitting symbol for those who endure, those who conquered and were victorious in not denying Christ. In Ephesus, “overcoming” required them to restore their first love. In Smyrna, it meant overcoming and withstanding persecution. But more importantly, Jesus promised them that those who conquer will not be hurt by the second death.
• Well, what is the second death? The first death is physical death. And we all have that coming to us. But the second death is spiritual. The second death comes to unrepentant sinners, and we will learn more about that in chapters 14 & 20. But as a sneak peek, we read the words in Revelation 20 “Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”. This is what Jesus says those who conquer will not be hurt by
• But we now turn to the letter to the church in Pergamum. Pergamum was about 50 miles north of Smyrna. It was a city that had prospered for a long time, and had a population between 150,000 – 200,000 people. So again, these aren’t the tiny little villages that we sometimes think of when we imagine Biblical times and stories.
• Pergamum was the capital of the Roman province of Asia, and was renowned for its library, which rivaled the famous library in Alexandria. It was said to have held 200,000 scrolls.
• There were many temples to many different pagan gods, but one stood out. It was an altar to Zeus. It stood on an enormous platform, where animal sacrifices were burned 24 hours a day. And so, the smell of burning animal flesh permeated the air in Pergamum, and all day long a column of smoke could be seen rising into the air, reminding the people of the supremacy of Zeus.
• But one of the most famous cults here was the healing cult of Asclepius, whose primary symbol was the serpent. Asclepius was the Greco-Roman god of healing and medicine. The symbol of Asclepius was the so-called Rod of Asclepius, which was a serpent wrapped around a rod or staff. And It’s interesting, because if you’ve noticed the Caduceus, the symbol still used by healthcare professionals, what is it? A staff entwined with two serpents.
• But we begin reading what Jesus has to say to the church in Pergamum with verses 12 & 13…12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.
• And so, knowing now a bit about Pergamum, it’s not surprising that Jesus begins his message to the church here with “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is”. Pergamum was not an easy city for Christians to live in, and so it must have provided some level of comfort to the church that Jesus understood what they were experiencing.
• The persecution in Pergamum was more severe than in some other cities, and a believer named Antipas had been put to death, as Jesus mentions. Christian tradition says that Antipas was ordained by John as the bishop in Pergamum. And that Antipas was executed by being burned inside of a brass bull. He was supposedly executed for casting out demons that were being worshipped by the local people, as well as refusing to worship Caesar.
• And as a side note, when Jesus calls Antipas his faithful witness, that word “witness” is a Greek transliteration of the word “martyr”. But because so many of the witnesses faithful to Jesus were executed, the word “martyr” came to be known as what we think of today. And so, Jesus commends them for not denying their faith, even in the midst of this persecution.
• Another real challenge for Christians living in Pergamum was the fact that there were many trade guilds in the city. These trade guilds participated in pagan festivals and banquets and ate food that had been sacrificed to pagan idols. Well, Christians would have not been allowed to eat this food, or participate in these banquets, and so it challenged their livelihood by denying their ability to participate in these trade guilds.
• And so, one of the real religious challenges for these Christians was the temptation to save their livelihood by compromising with the imperial cult and pagan activities. And if you think about it, we have similar choices to make today. Do we compromise with or accommodate the world today at the expense of our devotion to God’s standards?
• But after commending them for their faith, Jesus continues his message by saying, “14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth.
• So, Jesus now provides them with his criticism, because again, just because you are suffering, that does not excuse anything that we might do wrong. And he starts by pointing out that they have some who hold to the teachings of Balaam. So, who was Balaam, and what did he teach?
• Well, Balaam was most likely not his real name, but is being used here as a code name signifying that he was a false prophet who was leading God’s people astray. But in Numbers, Deuteronomy, and other places, we see that Balaam acted out of greed for money. He led Israel into sin in order to remove them from God’s favor, knowing that it was the only way to destroy them.
• But the particular sin of Israel in connection with Balaam was sexual immorality and food offered to idols. Now there is some debate around what exactly this sexual immorality was. Did it refer to literal prostitution like that conducted in pagan temples, or was this a spiritual adultery that leads people away from God?
• What we do know is that Balaam led Israel into sin by having Moab women seduce them into sexual immorality, intermarriage, and idolatry. In fact, we read in Numbers 25 that “the people began to whore with the daughters of Moab. 2 These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel. 4 And the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people and hang (or impale)] them in the sun before the LORD, that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.” 5 And Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal”. And here, we see Jesus calling out the church of Pergamum that they have some who are doing this very thing.
• Peter warned the church of this when he wrote in 2 Peter, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing
• Jesus also calls them out for having some who follow the teachings of the Nicolaitans, which were doing essentially the same thing, and which we have already touched on
• But Jesus ends his letter to the church at Pergamum by saying, 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.
• So once again, Jesus calls for them to repent. If not, then he will come and war with them, “with the sword of my mouth”, which is of course His Word. Revelation 19 tells us that “From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations…”. IOW, all Jesus has to do is speak it, and it’s done. No different than “In the beginning” …creating the universe with a word.
• But he concludes by saying that to those who conquer, he will give some of the “hidden manna”, and a” white stone with a new name written on it”. Now regarding the hidden manna, manna was the food that sustained the Israelites during their time in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt.
• I think it’s interesting that Jesus said in John 6, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. I am the bread of life”.
• But regarding the white stone, there has been a lot of speculation about what it means. A couple of different thoughts here. One, some believe it refers to a token of acquittal. In some ancient courts, jurors would vote for acquittal with a white stone, or with a black stone for conviction. And so, the message may mean that although Christians stand condemned by the Roman courts, Jesus would overturn their verdict at the final judgment.
• Another thought is that the white stones were a token given to contestants in the Greek games as they completed their race. This could then be traded in later for entrance into celebrations or for actual awards.
• But the most common view among commentators is that the white stone with a person’s name on it served as admission to certain public assemblies or festivals, such as feasts in the temples of idol pagans. And so, what’s in view here would be that those who endure, those who conquer and don’t compromise themselves with idols, would receive a token, a pass, into the messianic feast of the kingdom.
• But one of the primary takeaways from the letter to the church in Pergamum deals with being led astray, of assimilation. Assimilation into the culture and compromising with it to the extent that we sacrifice our own beliefs, and betray God’s standards.
• And so, we have to be careful to find that appropriate balance between interaction with our culture and compromise with it. And in doing that, we need to make sure we’re embracing and influencing the world with the values and examples of Jesus, not embracing the values of the world. Because what you will often find is the values of the world, the values of the majority, are in conflict with the values of God.
• In America, and the West in general, we may not have to deal with things like emperor worship, but there are plenty of other potential idols; materialism, career, so-called celebrities or athletes, who often garner more of our attention than God does.
• And when we value what the world does, when it directly contradicts God’s word, then we forfeit or diminish our Christian witness. We become indistinguishable from the world. And if there is no difference in our lives, why would the world be interested in anything we have to tell them? Why would they be interested in hearing any supposed “Good News”?
• Revelation is a wake-up call to the churches that true Christians and the world are in a battle, and it’s literally a fight to the death. This letter reminds us, through the image of Balaam, that it was compromise with paganism that brought Israel defeat. And the same thing will happen to us if we compromise with pagan values.
• And although we may not know exactly what we may be called on to overcome, Jesus promises us that whatever it is, He has a better plan and a better future in store for us
• But the last letter in this chapter is written to the church in Thyatira, and we read in verses 18 & 19… “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. “I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first”.
• Now Thyatira was about 45 miles southeast of Pergamum, and it was originally founded by soldiers of Alexander the Great. Of the seven cities that receive letters, Thyatira was the least significant, even though they received the longest letter.
• But in the city, there were all sorts of traders and artisans, and records indicate there were several trade guilds. And I have already mentioned the fact that these trade guilds practiced idolatrous rites at their meetings, often within pagan temples, where animals were offered up and sacrificed to pagan gods, and would then be eaten by the members of the guild.
• This obviously put Christians in a difficult situation, as they were forbidden to eat food sacrificed to idols. And so, by not participating in these guild rituals, they would be viewed as not being good citizens, or denied entry into the guilds, thereby hurting them economically. And so, they would have been hard pressed to support their families without some measure of compromise with idolatry.
• And before you dismiss this as only an ancient problem for Christians, all of us must ask ourselves a similar question; how far am I willing to go in adopting and accepting the modern standards and practices of society and culture? And if we seriously ask ourselves that question, and we are honest with ourselves, we are probably compromising more than we think. And it’s important to consider that we often see that What one generation tolerates, the next generation embraces. And so, when we read the words of Jesus in his rebuke of these churches, we can absolutely apply them to our own lives as well
• Now like the other churches, Jesus begins with a commendation for them. He knows that the Christians in Thyatira are doing his works more than they ever had, which in contrast to the Christians in Ephesus who had fallen back
• But once again the things they were doing right did not excuse the things they were doing wrong, and we see Jesus continue in verses 20 & 21 where he says, 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
• So, he tells them that they have tolerated that woman Jezebel, who was leading them astray. Now her name is not actually Jezebel, that is a symbolic name. He is symbolically calling her Jezebel due to the similarity of her influence upon the church to that of the original Jezebel in Israel.
• The original Jezebel, who we read about in 1st and 2nd Kings, corrupted the faith of Israel with “many whoredoms and sorceries” of her pagan gods, Baal and Astarte
• This woman apparently taught things similar to Balaam, that idolatrous practices were permissible, encouraging fornication, and even practicing them herself. And for a group who would be having a difficult time due to not being accepted into the trade guilds, she is telling them exactly what they want to hear! And when you tell people exactly what they want to hear, you can become very popular. We don’t need to look any further than the preaching of the prosperity gospel today, and how popular it is to the masses.
• But Jesus calls out their compromise. Because this Jezebel falsely claims to be a prophetess, and to offer “deep secrets”. And as we will see later in Revelation, just like Satan, and just like the world system, she is a deceiver who misleads God’s people
• But Jesus doesn’t allow this to go unchallenged, and he continues in verses 21-23, where he says, “21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
• So, Jesus tells them that he gave her time to repent, but she refused. And so, he now has no choice but to intervene. He says that he will throw her onto a sickbed. And the irony here is probably not just a coincidence. Because the bed is often described as the place for intercourse, but it is also the place of a person bedfast from sickness. Since she used a bed for her fornication, God will reduce her to a bedridden state.
• But he also says that those who commit adultery with her he will throw into great tribulation. Now this tribulation may be a direct judgment from God, or it could be some political, economic, or social upheaval. Also, this is presumably different than THE great tribulation later in Revelation. And all of this could be avoided if they will simply repent
• But he continues by saying “and I will strike her children dead”, which surely is referring to her disciples and followers. The NIV renders this phrase as “strike dead”, which is similar to a Greek translation of a Hebrew expression for divine judgment of a plague or pestilence, or a judgment as a result of blasphemy.
• But as a result of this, it would serve as a wake-up call to all the churches, a reminder that Jesus, as he says, is the one “who searches mind and heart, a good reminder that you cannot hide your true self from God like you can other people. God knows your thoughts. He knows your heart
• But the presence of this false teaching is the only criticism Jesus has for the church at Thyatira. He continues in verses 24-25, saying “But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come”.
• So, Jesus doesn’t place any more on this church, other than to hold fast to their faith. He is speaking to those who have not followed the false teachers and have not learned what some call “the deep things of Satan”.
• But what does he mean by the deep things of Satan? He is most likely referring to profound things, such as those learned by revelation. But Jesus knows the source of their revelation; it’s Satan.
• And so, what is likely in view here is that Jezebel is claiming to have a deeper understanding of the mysteries of God, and what she is telling Christians is ok to do, like participating in certain pagan practices, would not jeopardize their standing before God. But obviously these verses point out that this teaching is actually from Satan
• But we conclude with last four verses which read, “26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
• And so once again, Jesus has a promise to those who conquer, those who overcome this threat of false teaching. They will share with him in his rule over the nations. Now this has been interpreted in various ways.
• One interpretation says this means that we will rule with Christ over unsaved nations during the Millenium, the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth. A second interpretation says this means that we will participate in the reign of the saints after death in Heaven. And a third interpretation says that we will reign over Christians of a lower rank in the new earth, assuming there is such a thing as varying degrees of authority awarded to saints.
• But Jesus also says that he will give those who overcome the “morning star”. Now ancients emphasized the glory of Venus, and called it the “Morning Star”. And if you’ve ever seen it on a clear night, you can understand why. And so, some people may take this to mean that overcomers will be associated with a glorious or magnificent rule.
• However, in Revelation 22:6, Jesus identifies himself as the Bright and Morning Star. So just like he was the hidden manna, the bread of life, promised to the overcomers in Pergamum, he is also the morning star for the overcomers in Thyatira. And so, Christ is promising to give Himself, which is the ultimate reward
• And so, as we wrap this chapter up, and look back at the main takeaway from the letters to these four churches, we see how important it is that we decide who we are going to ultimately depend on for our well-being. Are we going to look to the world, or are we going to look to God?
• Because there will be times in each of our lives where we’ll be faced with that sort of decision. Maybe you can only advance in your career if you betray your beliefs, or you toe the party line. Are you willing to risk hardship to stand up for Christian beliefs?
• Relativism and tolerance and acceptance has become increasingly popular in America. But we are warned in these letters the dangers of accepting anything that diminishes or undermines our witness as Christians.
• The best way to spot a counterfeit is to study and be very familiar with the original. And my prayer for you is that you would study God’s word, become intimately familiar with it, so that you would not be led astray by false prophets, society, culture, the majority opinion, or even Satan.
• I pray for your strength in these days ahead, that you would overcome, that you would conquer, and that you would be counted as worthy to receive the rewards Christ has promised.