To the Church in Smyrna

The church in Smyrna was likely founded during Paul’s third missionary journey. Smyrna was one of the most beautiful cities in Asia. A rival to Ephesus, they considered themselves the ‘first city of Asia’ and were happily situated on the Aegean Sea.[i]

Hendricksen describes the scene:

A gloriously picturesque city, is sloped up from the sea, and its splendid public building on the rounded top of the hill Pagos formed what was known as ‘the crown of Smyrna’. The westerly breeze, the zephyr, comes from the sea and blows through every part of the city rendering it fresh and cool even during the summer.[ii]

Apparently the people of Smyrna had always been loyal to Rome – so much so that their faithfulness became proverbial throughout the Roman Empire. And it is the only of the seven cities of ancient Asia written to here in Revelation that still remain today (not called Izmir).[iii]

There was a substantial colony of Jews who must have been living in Smyrna at this time, and we know from history that they were very hostile – along with other Gentiles – to the Christian message.

This was the city where it is believe Polycarp was bishop. Polycarp was a disciple of John, and a famous Martyr. John Foxe wrote of him as follows:

After a respite, the Christians again came under persecution, this time from Marcus Aurelius, in AD 161.

One of those who suffered this time was Polycarp, the venerable bishop of Smyrna…

Hearing his captors had arrived one evening, Polycarp left his bed to welcome them, ordered a meal prepared for them, and then asked for an hour alone to pray. The soldiers were so impressed by Polycarp’s advanced age and composure that they began to wonder why they had been sent to take him; but as soon as he had finished his prayer, they put him on a donkey and brought him to the city.

As he entered the stadium with is guards, a voice from heaven was heard to say, “Be strong, Polycarp, and play the man.” No one nearby saw anyone speaking, but many people heard the voice.

Brought before the tribunal and the crowd, Polycarp refused to deny Christ, although the proconsul begged him: “Consider yourself and have pity on your great age. Reproach Christ and I will release you.”

Polycarp replied, “Eighty-six years I have served Him, and He never once wronged me. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?”

Threatened with wild beasts and fire, Polycarp stood his ground. “What are you waiting for? Do whatever you please.” The crowd demanded Polycarp’s death, gathering wood for the fire and preparing to tie him to the stake.

“Leave me,” he said. “He who will give me strength to sustain the fire will help me not flinch from the pile.” So they bound him but didn’t nail him to the stake. As soon as Polycarp finished him prayer the fire was lit, but it leaped up around him, leaving him unburned, until the people convinced a soldier to plunge a sword into him. When he did, so much blood gushed out that the fire was immediately extinguished. The soldiers then placed his body into a fire and burned it to ashes, which some Christians later gathered up and buried properly.[iv]

Hendriksen, Macarthur (in an extended treatment), and Ladd all mention this story as well because it offers us context for understanding the kind of persecution that the early church faced. This is why John’s letter was so important to them.

2:8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.

We’ve spoken in the past few lessons about the significance of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus has already used this description for himself a few times now in the book. We just read in 1:18 that, “and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades”

Why is it that Jesus seems so intent on using the resurrection as a descriptor for himself?

I believe that the reason ties in to the one of the book’s major themes, namely to comfort Christians. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then much of what we believe would really not be founded on much at all.

Paul put it this way:

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. [14] And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. [15] We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. [16] For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. [17] And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. [18] Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. [19] If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:13-19)

So Jesus is going out of His way to ensure His followers that they aren’t just blindly following a dead man. They aren’t suffering for someone’s memory, and they aren’t going through terrible persecution for no reason with no hope and no end in sight.

Furthermore, He once again ties the resurrection in with His deity. He essentially proclaims that He is God by stating that He is eternal. That is what He means when He says, “The words of the first and the last.”

Now, what is amazing to me is that there is yet another close bond between His eternality and His resurrection. Do you know what that is? It’s found in the book of Acts in one of Peter’s sermons:

“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know—[23] this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. [24] God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. (Acts 2:22-24)

Death cannot hold down what is eternal!

I like what my good friend Tony Romano said one time (paraphrasing John Piper I believe):

When you kill a man, and He gets up three days later and walk out triumphant and then ascends up into heaven…that guy can’t be stopped! Therefore, He’s the guarantee (of our salvation).

No wonder Jesus wanted to address the church this way! This would have been a powerful reminder of His triumph over the grave.

2:9 “‘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.

Let’s look together at two things here. First, the nature of true riches, and second, what it means to be a real “Jew.”

True Riches

I love the parenthetical statement by Jesus here. First, He acknowledges their poverty and their troubles. But He is quick to say that even though they are materially poor, they are truly rich! Why? Because they have treasure which cannot be taken away from them! They have been given abundant riches in Christ.

What a contrast here between the way charlatans like Joel Olsteen teach and how our Lord teaches!

And this is not an isolated sentence. The Scriptures speak continually of what true treasure really looks like. I can broadly categorize these verses into two categories: Those that warn of money’s inability to provide salvation or peace, and those which encourage a more substantial treasure which is found in the things of God.

A few warnings…

They will fling their silver into the streets and their gold will become an abhorrent thing; their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their appetite nor can they fill their stomachs, for their iniquity has become an occasion of stumbling. (Ezekiel 7:19)

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, But righteousness delivers from death. (Proverbs 11:4)

Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the LORD’S wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth. (Zephaniah 1:18)

A better way…

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19)

And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, [17] and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ [18] And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. [19] And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ [20] But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ [21] So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21)

There are many more (as you might imagine!). And when we get to chapter three, the topic will come up again!

Why do you think it is that Jesus feels its important to address this? Why remind them of the fact that they are truly rich? Why not just tell them that if they’ll obey, they’ll find wealth here on earth. After all, that’s what we’re told today by many a pastor.

I believe it is because Jesus is really interested in giving us a life eternal, but also in helping us face this life with clear eyes and hearts that won’t melt at the first sign of trouble. In other words, He’s a realist – in fact He is the ultimate interpreter of reality.

But there is something more…abundant life does start now in this life whether you’re poor financially or rich. Some of the richest people in this world are those who are most miserable. This have always been the case. I’m not saying that being poor is wonderful, so don’t get me wrong on that account, because its not! But rather, sometimes money can cloud our thinking and interrupt us from focusing on what will make us most happy in life – peace with God and others. A full heart. A happy heart. A mind not full of hate and violence. A life not marked by sin. And much more. These are the root matters – the heart of the situation, you might say. And it is this root, this foundational level of life, which Jesus is seeking to renew.

“He Who is a Jew…”

Here is where it may be easy to get tripped up if we are reading in an overly literal way, and why we need to learn to read our Bibles in light of how the New Testament authors have written, not allowing our own presuppositions to cloud our thinking.[v]

John seems to be saying there are some false Jews – people who claim to be Jews but are really “of the Synagogue of Satan.” Is John referring to ethnic Jews, or is he using “Jews” as a way to describe the people of God? I think “both” is the answer.

First of all, let us think through some things here logically. It is not like being a Jew was just a choice. It is an ethnic distinction. So no one is going to be fooled by someone pretending to be a Jew outwardly. You either are or you aren’t. So the question is: why would John be writing to the Christian church in order to warn them of false Jews, as if being a good Jew was somehow now the paragon of what God wanted in the new covenant community? Furthermore, why would Christians be on the lookout for those who are true Jews (in the ethnic sense), when it was those (supposed) law-abiding Jews who were most hostile to Christians during this time?

George Ladd helps provide the answer:

These “Jews” are without question Jews by race and religion, who met together in the synagogue to worship the Lord. But in reality, inwardly, they are not Jews because they have rejected Jesus as their Messiah and confirmed their rejection by persecuting his church. Who, then, are the true Jews? John does not offer an explicit answer, but the implication is clear: true Jews are the people of the Messiah.

Therefore, though Jesus is making a distinction between those who appear outwardly as religious, but inwardly not God’s people.

Think of how Paul uses the term “Jew” in Romans (both MacArthur and Ladd go on to quote Romans 2):

For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. [29] But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God. (Romans 2:28-29)

And…

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, [7] and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” [8] This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. (Romans 9:6-8)

And as Beale concludes, “That the Jewish community is identified as false Jews and a synagogue of Satan confirms again that the church is seen by Christ as the true people of God, true Israel. This identification is confirmed not only by broad contextual indicators (e.g 1:6, 9, 12; 217; 3:9, 12; 5:9-10; 7:4-9. 15-17; 11:1-4), but also by recognizing that in the immediate context the church is seen as fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy about Israel.”[vi]

The second major point here is that those who are not “Jews” are of the church or “synagogue” of Satan. What this means is that there is a strict dichotomy in this life. You are either a Christian or you’re in the enemy camp. Even if you think you’re a non-combatant, you’re simply a pawn of the Enemy.

As Jesus says, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters” (Matthew 12:30).

There is no middle ground spiritually. There are only those who are saved, and those who are not. There will be no Purgatory in the afterlife; there will be no middle ground for eternity. There is no salvation for those who abstain from belief in God.

2:10 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.

Be Faithful

It has sort of become a joke that the first time Rod Kinsey and I got into a discussion about faith and our beliefs, he told me that there is really only one main thing that dominates his thinking about the Christian life. That one thing is summed up in two words: Be faithful.

What does it mean to “be faithful”?

I’d say that if we’re to take this passage as our study guide it means to follow Christ no matter the circumstances or consequences – even unto death.

Now who would do such a thing for a man that never rose from the dead (I told you the resurrection was important!)?

The resurrection itself has been so well defended, that no credible historical, psychological, philosophical, or archeological argument remains viable. I believe that all the past debate on this matter was because everyone from Christian scholars to atheist historians have understood the stakes. But for the purposes of what we’re talking about here, we need to understand that in order to have faith that is strong enough to last even “unto death”, I believe two things must be in place:

1. There must be a logical (mental) fact-based reason for believing that having Christian faith is reasonable. Remember, we don’t just hold these beliefs blindly. God has given us His word, and the entire created order from which to know Him.
2. There must be a radical change of the heart – a supernatural change that must come from outside ourselves. It is not just enough to know something is true. Just knowing something is true is not enough for millions of Christians to have died for that “reason.” There must also be such a powerful transformation of the heart that one is willing to do whatever before ever renouncing the name of the Lord Jesus.

Side Note: Now, you might say that, “millions have died for Islam” – this is true. However, they are still missing these two components. They might think they have the first, but for many, their reasoning is based not on facts, but on lies told them by their Imam. They certainly don’t have the second. Perhaps they mistake the second as passion for their cause – but this isn’t the same thing as having a heart transformed by the Spirit of God. The proof is measured in their works. For one thing, the result of a Christian’s heart change is peace and love, whereas the passion of a Muslim is most often devotion through killing and murder of innocents. This is a larger conversation, but its one worth having in the appropriate context.

Therefore, Jesus calls His followers to faith because He knows He’s given them a legitimate reason, and an transforming ability and strength to remain faithful. For as Paul rightly states:

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

2:11 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.’

Once again Jesus uses the terminology about hearing with the help of the Spirit – “having an ear” is something we’ve spoken about before, and it indicates that this letter is written to those whose hearts belong to Jesus.

But this is the first time we’ve encountered the phrase the “second death” – spiritual death. The second death is not physical, but spiritual. It is spiritual separation from the Father and an eternity in Hell.

Jesus is conveying in clear terms that though you may die for my name here on earth in Asia (or anywhere else for that matter), you will not experience spiritual separation from God upon physical death.

John MacArthur notes that the word “not” here is “the strongest negative the Greek language can express.”[vii] It is an emphatic statement of comfort. The one who conquered death and holds its’ keys (1:18) will not allow His true church to perish for eternity no matter what happens here on earth.

Therefore stand fast in the Lord. For as Paul says:

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [58] Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:56-58)

Footnotes

[i] Hendriksen, Pg. 63.

[ii] Hendriksen, Pg. 64.

[iii] Mounce, Pg. 91.

[iv] John Foxe, ‘Foxe’s Christian Martyrs’, (abridged and modern language edition) Pg. 22.

[v] Significantly, even John MacArthur acknowledges that John isn’t referring to ethnic Jews but to those who are Jews in the Pauline sense (Romans 2:28-29 is cited in his commentary): the church. This is an example of where MacArthur gets it right, but where his hermeneutic also falls apart. If we are to read everything literally where possible it makes it difficult to come to this conclusion. I believe MacArthur comes to this conclusion because he is a man so steeped in Biblical knowledge that when he reads the passage, verse after verse from Paul spring to mind and he cannot deny the weight of the NT usage of the term – especially in light of the obvious issues with this referring to ethnic Jews (detailed above). The issue is that he should have first asked “how does the NT talk about Jews, and what is the context of the exhortation/immediate surrounding context, along with the wider context of the book itself (which is highly symbolic)? MacArthur is not saved by his hermeneutic in my opinion, but by his years of faithful exposition and Bible study. I greatly respect his wisdom, but I believe his hermeneutic starts him in the wrong place and makes it much more difficult for those laymen who are not as steeped in the Bible and don’t have that knowledge to correct ill-conceived presuppositions.

[vi] Beale, the shorter commentary on Revelation, Pg. 62.

[vii] MacArthur, Pg. 79.

Chapter Two 

Introduction – Letters to the Churches 

Those who hold the historist view of Revelation believe that each of the letters to the churches we’ll read in chapters 2 and 3 represent a time period in history. They try and align the descriptions of the churches here to the circumstances of the church at different times up until the present time. Of course we’ve discussed how this view leaves something to be desired because 1. Some scholars have made points that show it doesn’t really match up that well technically, 2. You can always use circumstances in each letter to describe the church in any time, 3. Those who espouse this view have a very westernized perspective on the church, all but ignoring the other areas in which the gospel is being proclaimed throughout the world, 4. As history has unfolded, the historists have had to continually update their schema. That alone shows just how fluid this model is.

All that being said, there are benefits for us today in these chapters (2 and 3). The proper way to examine them is to ask first of all, “what would they have meant in their original context, to their original audience?” and secondly, “what can we learn from them today?”

I like what Warren Wiersbe says, “John did not send this book of prophecy to the assemblies in order to satisfy their curiosity about the future. God’s people were going through intense persecution, and they needed encouragement….Some students see in these seven churches a ‘panorama of church history,’ from apostolic times (Ephesus) to the apostate days of the twentieth century (Laodicea). While these churches may illustrate various stages in the history of the church, that was probably not the main reason why these particular assemblies were selected. Instead, these letters remind us that the exalted Head of the church knows what is going on in each assembly, and that our relationship to Him and His Word determines the life and ministry of the local body.”

The churches in chapters 2-3 are all admonished and commended. Smyrna and Philadelphia are the only churches commended without rebuke. They are given more instruction and encouraged to “keep the faith.” (*By the way, has there ever been an entire AGE of the church that is free from sin that didn’t need rebuke? – I think not!) Churches received admonishments for indifference, love for Christ no longer being fervent, being a dead church, tolerating cults of idolatry and immorality, and tolerating heresies.

Specific instructions ranged from doing the works which they (the church) did “at the first”, to keeping the faith and strengthening what remained. At least four of the churches were called on to repent (Ephesus, Pergamum, Sardis, Laodicea, and a specific group in Thyatira was called to repent as well).

Jim Hamilton sees an interesting chiastic structure in the letters (which he describes in terms of a framed picture). This may provide a helpful as a visual to breakdown the section:

1. Revelation 2:1-7, to the church in Ephesus, which has lost its first love. Think of the letter to Ephesus as the wooden border of (a picture) frame on one side.
   1. Revelation 2:8-11, to the church in Smyrna, which is commended for its faithfulness, not reproved, and not called to repentance. Think of the letter to Smyrna as the mat on one side of the frame.
      1. Revelation 2:12-17, to the church in Pergamum, which has people who hold to a false teaching, eat food sacrificed to idols, and practice sexual immorality. Think of the letter to Pergamum as one side of the picture that is matted and framed.
      2. Revelation 2:18-29, to the church in Thyatira, which seems worse off than the church in Pergamum because it tolerated a false prophetess who seduces people to practice sexual immorality, eat food sacrificed to idols, and is unrepentant! Think of the letter to Thyatira as the middle of the picture that is matted and framed.
      3. Revelation 3:1-6, to the church in Sardis, which is worse than both Pergamum and Thyatira because it is dead. Think of the letter to Sardis as the other wise of the framed and matted picture.

A.   Revelation 3:7-13, to the church in Philadelphia, which like the church in Smyrna is commended for its faithfulness, not reproved, and not called to repentance. Think of the letter to Philadelphia as the other side of the mat.

1. Revelation 3:14-22, to the church in Laodicea, which like Ephesus has lost its first love and is now lukewarm. Think of the letter to Laodicea as the other wooden border on the far side of the frame.

Lastly, the promises to each church are rich with meaning. John MacArthur lists some of them in the following way: the tree of life, the crown of life, the hidden manna and a stone with a new name, rule over nations and receiving the morning star, faithful being honored and clothed in white, given a place in God’s presence, a new name, and the New Jerusalem, and having a share in Christ’s throne.[1] 

To the Church in Ephesus

2:1 “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.

The History of the Church at Ephesus 

The Ephesian church had a rich Christian history even by the time of John’s writing. It was the scene of many of Paul’s works and preaching, and it was the center of John’s ministry as well.

George Ladd remarks, “Ephesus was for a long time the commercial centre of Asia. The temple of Diana was at the same time a treasure house, a museum, and a place of refuge for criminals. It furnished employment for many, including the silversmiths who made miniature shrines of Diana.”[2]

Pricilla and Aquila were the first to share the gospel along with Paul in this thriving metropolis:

After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. [19] And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. [20] When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. [21] But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus. (Acts 18:18-21)

John MacArthur gives us more context on this important city:

They (Pricilla and Aquila) were soon joined by the eloquent preacher and powerful debated Apollos (Acts 18:24-26). Pricilla, Aquila, and Apollos laid the groundwork for Paul’s ministry in Ephesus.

The apostle Paul stopped briefly in Ephesus near the end of his second missionary journey (Acts 18:19-21), but his real ministry in that key city took place on his third missionary journey. Arriving in Ephesus, he first encountered a group of Old Testament saints, followers of John the Baptist (Acts 19:1-7). After preaching the gospel to them, he baptized them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 19:5). That began Paul’s work of building the church at Ephesus – a work that would last for three years (Acts 20:31).[3]

Paul’s ministry in Ephesus was so impactful that many people repented of their magic, and their sorcery and idolatry. So this church began in a miraculous way, with hundreds – if not thousands of people coming to faith in Jesus.

Sovereign Over the Church

It says here that the one authoring the letter both walks among the lampstands, and holds the seven stars in his hands. We’ve already seen that this “one” is Jesus Christ. And if we are correct in our interpretation that the stars and the lampstands both represent the church (its heavenly and earthly components), then Jesus is seen here as both omnipresent amongst His people, and sovereign over their lives.

He not only walks with us and amongst us, seeing all we do, but He also holds all circumstances – and our very lives – in His hands.

This is seen all the more clearly as we read on…

2:2 “‘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.

I Know

He begins by saying “I know” your works. Throughout these letters He says these two words “I know”, and it shows us that even though He is in heaven, He is not far – nor is He missing anything going on here on earth.

During His ministry, Jesus said that God knows the number of even the hairs on our heads (Luke 12:7). The underlying assumption here is that Jesus is divine. He is God. He knows all the goings on in our lives. But not only does He know them – He controls them.

You Have Tested

Then He says something interesting. Jesus says that the church at Ephesus has “tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.”

In John’s first epistle he had instructed the church to “test the spirits”:

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, [3] and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. (1 John 4:1-3)

So the church had been vigilant in testing doctrine, and rejecting false leaders and false doctrine.

This is a rather challenging passage I think, because it is rather common today for Christians not to know enough about their Bible to be able to test anyone at all. In order to test a leader and what a leader teaches, one must be a skilled handler of the word.

Of course one of the most famous examples of this “testing” took place during the ministry of Paul:

Paul and Silas in Berea [10] The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. [11] Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:10-11)

In order to spot a false teaching one must know the real article. That’s why experts in counterfeit money spend a great deal of time first becoming intimately familiar with real money. Likewise, we too ought to be intimately familiar with the Word of God.

2:3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.

Next Jesus gives His second commendation, namely that the people of Ephesus have stood firm in their doctrine for the sake of the name of Jesus. They have not grown weary.

Similarly, we are called by God not to grow weary of doing good:

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. [10] So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:9-10)

Additionally, we are to do all things for the glory of God and the praise of Jesus’ name without grumbling, but steadfast and enduring:

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, [15] that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, [16] holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (Philippians 2:14-16)

The people of Ephesus had been “enduring” patiently, and this brings to mind that passage in Romans which brings such hope to those enduring trials:

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. [3] Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, [4] and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, [5] and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:2-5)

Unfortunately, the Lord didn’t stop with these two commendations…

2:4-5 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.

The call from the Lord is to repent for loss of their “first love”. I once heard a great sermon on this passage from Pastor Philip De Courcy who admonished us (in Toledo at the time) that we too had lost our first love. The “first”, he said, is not a matter of chronology, but a matter of priority.

This church reflected a church who had likely been in existence over 40 years. A new generation was rising up that was not as zealous as the first generation. They had been trained well in doctrine, but their hearts were not passionate for the Lord.

Does this reflect us today? Is the Lord the main priority, the main focus, the main driving ambition of your life? If you cannot answer, “yes” to these questions then this rebuke is aimed squarely at you.

It is not simply enough to be thoughtfully cognizant of these truths, we must govern our lives by them, and from them all of our greatest passions must emanate.

Many of you are more passionate about your work, your family, or your football than you are the Lord Jesus Christ. What thrills your hearts and minds? What kindles excitement on Friday afternoon when the workday is coming to a close?

Now I am not saying that it is bad to be interested in doctrine – no one who knows me even a little would ever accuse me of that! But what I am saying is that the reign of God in your heart is more than a truth marked down on the page of a Bible from when you accepted the Lord. Church, your Bible, your Christian friends and conversation ought to thrill your soul!

If not, then there is no doubt that you must repent. Repentance is not simply mental, it is from the heart. It is a mindful and soulful recognition that you have been cold in heart and must soften and ask for forgiveness.

I will go a step further – if these words do not ring true to you, and you find them to be insulting or find yourself even indifferent to their message, then I would strongly urge that you check to see if you are in the faith at all. For as Paul says:

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Christians, it is of my own experience week to week that I can tell you that becoming cold in heart is possible even for the most devoted followers of Jesus. If we spend a great deal of time not fired by the fellowship of believers, and the encouragement and refining of the Word of God, then we are likely to get cold of heart and undisciplined of mind. We were never meant to walk this life alone (Hebrews 10). Therefore strengthen yourselves in the strength God has given you.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. [11] Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. [12] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. [13] Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. (Ephesians 6:10-13)

2:6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Interestingly, not only are we called to love that which God loves, but to hate that which He hates. It is a common misconception that “hate” is wrong in any situation. Not true. We are called to hate sin, and to war against it. We ought to have sensitive consciences that recoil at the evil of the world, yet courageous hearts that do not shrink back from society. We are not called to be societal introverts, but to live our lives in and amongst unbelievers, loving and caring for them as light in the darkness of their lives.

That being said, we can only “hate” and “love” correctly by instruction and guidance and knowing what it is that God loves and hates. We do this by spending time in the word, and soaking in the reality of His character and actions.

2:7 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.’

There are three parts to this final verse…

First, the final admonition resounds with familiar words from the life of Jesus. Jesus would often call on those who were spiritual to understand His words. He would do this by saying phrases like “he who has an ear, let him hear.”

Note now that Christ is speaking to believers. For He says that this message is coming from “the Spirit.”

Paul explains:

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. [15] The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. [16] “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:14-16)

During our study of the Gospel of John, we talked a lot about the nature of the spiritual man versus the unspiritual man and the way in which God works within a man to open those closed “ears” of his heart and mind.

Jesus’ quote is actually rooted in Isaiah’s call (Isaiah 6:9-10), and is the explaination for why men reject Christ – their hearts are hardened by their love of sin (see also John 12:36-43).

Secondly, we see what will become an evermore familiar refrain “To the one who conquers” followed by a promise of eternal life (which we’ll address momentarily).

William Hendriksen, whose commentary on Revelation is titled ‘More Than Conquerors’, has this to say:

The conqueror is the man who fights against sin, the devil, and his whole dominion and in his love for Christ perseveres to the very end. To such a conqueror is promised something better than food offered to idols, with which the heathen at their licentious festivals probably tried to tempt church members. The conqueror would be given to eat of the tree of life (Gen. 3:22; Rev. 22:2, 14); that is, he would inherit eternal life in the paradise of heaven.[4]

As Ladd explains, all those who are believers are conquerors, and all who are conquerors are those who are take up their cross daily (Matthew 21:27), and follow Christ – even though it may cost us our lives:

The Revelation pictures a life and death struggle between Christ and the Antichrist for the heats of men; and the conqueror is he who is unswervingly loyal to his Lord even though it costs him his life.[5]

Third, Beale makes the point that the “main point of every letter” to the churches is that he who conquers will gain eternal life. It reminds me of the essence for which Christ came to Earth in the first place:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

The essence of the letter is one of encouragement, admonition, and a reminder of the larger work of redemption that Christ is doing in them and in the whole world from the time of the fall until He returns in glory.

The “Tree of Life” of course is first found in Genesis:

And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 2:9)

And later found in Paradise at the end of Revelation:

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb [2] through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelation 22:1-2)

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. (Revelation 22:14)

…and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (Revelation 22:19)

Morris adds helpful context when he says, “Paradise was originally a Persian word for pleasure garden. In later Judaism it was used to portray the abode of the righteous dead. The Paradise of God in Revelation symbolizes the eschatological state in which God and man are restored to that perfect fellowship which existed before the entrance of sin into the world.”[6]

Beale adds a helpful explanation as to how the tree ties into the redemptive work of Jesus:

To “eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” is a picture of forgiveness and consequent experience of God’s intimate presence (22:2-4). The same end-time hope is referred to with virtually identical language in several early Jewish texts…And in Genesis 2-3 the image of the “tree of life” together with the “paradise of God” symbolizes the life-giving presence of God, from which Adam and Eve were separated when they were cast out of the garden paradise…Revelation speaks of the consummated restoration of this divine presence among humanity in the future (22:2-4), which has already been inaugurated in the present. Therefore, the “tree” refers to the redemptive effects of the cross, which bring about the restoration of God’s presence, and does not refer to the cross (itself).[7]

I pray that we all would ensure that our top priority, our top passion, and main concern in this life is the cause of Christ. I pray that His lordship would be evident in my own life, and that whether I eat drink or sleep that I would do all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

FOOTNOTES

[1] MacArthur’s Bible Handbook, Pg. 519.

[2] Hendriksen, Pg. 60.

[3] John MacArthur, Commentary on Revelation Volume I, Pg. 56.

[4] Hendriksen, Pg. 63.

[5] Ladd, Pg. 41.

[6] Morris, Pg. 90.

[7] Beale, the longer commentary, Pg. 234-235.

Tomorrow I will be teaching the beginning of chapter two of Revelation, but as I went to examine my previous notes, I realized that I never posted them up online! So, here they are, I hope that they are helpful for those studying along with us.

1:17a When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. 

Perhaps this sounds odd to you. Why would a man, a righteous man like John with his mental faculties completely intact, find cause to fall at the feet of this person?

If you are a student of the Bible, you might recall that for a man to fall on their face, or have a significant reaction at the appearance of God is actually quite a normal occurrence in sacred Scripture. Why is this? Well, I’m just an amateur student of the Bible, but I think it has to do with the unveiling of the physical outward glory of God. I say this because that glory was not revealed 24/7 in Jesus until the Mount of Transfiguration, otherwise people would be lying prostrate and trembling with hearts full of repentance before Him wherever He walked, and we know this was not the case.

Furthermore, later in Revelation, John bows before a glorious angel who tells him not to do that. That angel was wrapped in the glory of the Lord, and around his presence shown forth a glory that caused John to immediately bow. Think of the reflective glory of Moses – who was only a human being – whose face (as we discussed last time) would radiate with the glory of God, causing him to have to wear a veil.

I think this glory is revealed to man at the times of God’s own choosing according to His own purposes. For instance, think how Jacob wrestles with the angel who did not appear so glorious, and Abraham hosted three heavenly guests who may or may not have been glorious in appearance. In fact, sometimes in the presence of a wonderous thing, the Lord has to instruct His servants to bow and to take off their sandals (think Moses before the burning bush, and Joshua before the Commander of the Lord’s army in Joshua 5).

But when the Lord does reveal His glory, the effect seems to be nothing short of overwhelming.

And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. [8] So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. [9] Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground. (Daniel 10:7-9)

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. [5] And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:4-5)

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. [2] And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. [3] And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. [4] And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” [5] He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” [6] When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. [7] But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” [8] And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. (Matthew 17:1-8)

Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. [4] And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” [5] And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. (Acts 9:3-5)

These are just a few instances where God’s terrifying glory was revealed and the reaction from those witnessing it ranged from awe, to silence, to terror, to slumber.

Why do I spend so much time talking about this? Because these are truths about God that we do not naturally carry about with us. They shocked these men because they were truths about God that they didn’t naturally carry around with them!

The point is that our minds are often – and necessarily – crowded with the thoughts of the day. But it is good to take a moment at a verse like this (and there will be many more like it in Revelation) and let the truth of who God is soak into your minds. Realize the wisdom in having a holy reverence for what you cannot see with your eyes. How does this description of God affect your approach to Him when you pray? When you talk?

1:17b -18 But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, [18] and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Fear Not

The way this sentence begins bears a striking resemblance to the way in which Jesus would address sinners during His earthly ministry. “Fear not” was a mantra that pervaded His speech, and it epitomized His message.

R.C. Sproul remarks on this in the following way:

The prohibition uttered more frequently than any other by our Lord is the command, “Fear not …” He said this so often to His disciples and others He encountered that it almost came to sound like a greeting. Where most people greet others by saying “Hi” or “Hello,” the first words of Jesus very often were “Fear not.”

Why? Perhaps Jesus’ predilection for those words grew out of His acute sense of the thinly veiled fear that grips all who approach the living God. We fear His power, we fear His wrath, and most of all we fear His ultimate rejection.[i]

Here are a few examples of this from the gospels:

While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” [50] But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” (Luke 8:49-50)

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. [30] But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. [31] Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31) 

John saw enough, and would see more even still, that would be reason to give him great fear. And the tribulation that we face on earth often strikes fear into our heart, yet here in Jesus laying His hand on John saying “fear not.”

Now, the basis for, and the right of Jesus to say this is that He is the “first and the last” and the “living one.” In other words one might paraphrase it this way: Because I am eternal and all powerful and the Lord of all the earth and its history, you have no reason for fear because I will take care of you – I have the power necessary, and it my good purpose for you to do just that.

I Have Conquered Death

George Ladd remarks that in Jewish thought/literature, the idea of holding the “keys” connotes power.[ii] Someone who holds the keys to something has power over that thing – they have control of the situation. 

So it is with Jesus – that He has control over death and over Hell as well. Here Jesus is proclaiming that He is Lord over death.

Interestingly, Jesus predicted that He would conquer death even as a relatively young man. The claim must have sounded odd and out of place, and we know that His disciples at the time baulked at the idea that their Rabbi was going to die.

Here’s what Jesus had said though:

So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” [19] Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” [20] The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” [21] But he was speaking about the temple of his body. [22] When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (John 2:18-22)

Not only did Jesus claim that He would be raised Himself, but that He would also raise those who believed in Him:

Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. [22] But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” [23] Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” [24] Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” [25] Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, [26] and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” [27] She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.” (John 11:21-27)

Who else do you know who has this kind of power? Many wish they did, and others live like they don’t care about death one way or another.

Interestingly, the idea of cheating death and the importance of these final matters has even seeped into pop cultural mythology. For example, one of the great precipitors in the fall of Anakin Skywalker was the notion that he could keep his wife from dying. He was lured into believing he could learn to do this from Darth Sideous – aka Emperor Palpatine.

It was this lust for the power to undue affects of death’s hold that drove Anakin toward a total quest for power at all costs – a path that led him ultimately toward embracing an identity of evil – embodied in the persona we know as ‘Darth Vader.’

Ultimately, his quest failed. He couldn’t stop death anymore than he could stop time from marching forward.

Physical death is part of the human experience. No human can escape death’s clutches. The question is, when your body expires, will you live forever with Christ in heaven, or will you live forever in Hell, enduring torment in the absence of the Lord of peace.

1:19-20 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. [20] As for the mystery of the seven stars that 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.

John is told to write what he sees down – reminiscent of other OT prophets who God instructed to do the same (as we mentioned earlier).

Then Jesus begins to solve some of the mystery of what John had already seen. He says that the seven stars in His right hand are the angels of the seven churches. Then He says that the seven lampstands are the seven churches. We’ve already discussed the latter, so let me address the former.

The mystery is still a little unclear (at least to us!) about who these angels are. Are they the pastors of each church? Are they a sort of guardian angel for each church? Problems abound no matter what road you go down. I’d assumed that these represented the pastors of each church until recently when I learned that linguistically this just isn’t very natural or normal – even in prophetic literature, pastors are never referred to as “angels.” Although I think that the stars being the leaders of the churches is perhaps a more tenable option to the stars referring to actual real angels. It’s only a half step away from what is likely the case, which I’ll get to in a moment.

If the stars refer to actual angels, then why is Jesus addressing the messengers of each church and not the church itself? If they are guardian angels and not just messengers, then the same question still stands. Why address angels whose affairs are not addressed in the content of the letters themselves? Hendriksen rightly remarks in his footnotes[iii] about how awkward it would be for the letters to go to spiritual beings who then deliver them somehow to the bishops of these churches. That’s not likely to have happened.

A third possibility perhaps might be the best one. Beale reminds us that the lampstands are taken from Zechariah 4 (as we studied earlier), and that there’s a good possibility that the starts are alluded to in Daniel 12:3:

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. [3] And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:2-3)

Furthermore, it seems that in Jewish writings the lampstands and starts are equated as the same subject: the people of God. Therefore, as Beale remarks, “their combination in Revelation 1:20 is natural and may suggest that the ‘stars,’ even if angelic, represent the church’s heavenly existence and the ‘lampstands’ its earthly existence.”[iv]

George Ladd thinks along similar lines, “It is best to understand this as a rather unusual symbol to represent the heavenly or supernatural character of the church.”[v]

Beale’s summary of what we see here is that, “If this background is in mind here in Revelation, then the imagery of the seven lampstands adjacent to Christ and the seven stars evokes the idea that the churches have a position in the heavenly or spiritual temple in the midst of which Christ is ruling and present.”[vi]

This certainly makes sense when we think on and affirm the fact that Christ will certainly build and rule over His kingdom. For His last words on earth were:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)

These images are meant to evoke within us both comfort and the realization that because Christ was victorious over the grave, and because we are “in” Christ, we too will be victorious over death and hell. For as Paul says:

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. [30] And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)

FOOTNOTES

[i] R.C. Sproul, ‘Fear Not’, Article from Ligonier.com, Ligonier Ministries, http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/fear-not/

[ii] Ladd, Pg. 34.

[iii] Hendriksen, Pg. 58.

[iv] Beale, Longer Commentary, Pg. 211.

[v] Ladd, Pg. 35.

[vi] Beale, Longer Commentary, Pg. 211.