Revelation 2 – The First Four Churches

Revelation 2:1

(1) To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: (2) The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:

  1. The first church, Ephesus.
  2. Jesus uses the title of the holder the staras and the one among the lampstands.  This becomes apparent later, when He says He may take away His lampstand.  He is in charge of these things, and He can do as He wills.

Revelation 2:2-3

(1) I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you (2) cannot tolerate evil men, and you (3) put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and (4) you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and (5) have not grown weary.

  1. The church of Ephesus has been faithful in many things, their deeds and toil.  They worked hard, and did not give up.
  2. That they “cannot tolerate” may be of particular note to our current generation. they did not tolerate evil men.  Much is said of “tolerance” these days.  It is evil to tolerate evil men.  If someone wants to willfully continue in sin, or claim to be something they are not, they should be disciplined, cast out, and done away with in the church.
  3. They tested those who claimed to be apostles.  Paul said the works of an apostle were signs and miracles (2 Corinthians 12:12).
  4. This work and this rightly dividing the true from the false of course requires much perseverance and endurance.
  5. They did not grow weary is a great commendation.

Revelation 2:4-6

(1) But I have this against you, (2) that you have left your first love. (3) Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and (4) repent and do the deeds you did at first; or (5) else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

  1. The rebuke.
  2. They lost that sweetness, that gentleness, that purity.  In all our labor, we must never turn away from what first brought us to the Gospel, that relationship with Jesus Christ.
  3. Despite all their works, they had fallen, and they are instructed to remember that former place.
  4. The command is to “repent”, written to His church.
  5. The consequence is a threatened judgment, of sorts, that they will be no longer be a church.  Regardless of outward appearances, a church is only a church so long as Christ is in it.

Revelation 2:7

(1) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.

  1. The reward is satisfaction.  Connected to the first love in that His mouth is sweetness itself.  It is also that ever flowing life Eternal that refreshes and encourages us.  Not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit.

Revelation 2:8

And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:

  1. The second church, addressed as the one who has the first and last say, and who likewise overcame.

Revelation 2:9-10

(1) I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.  Do not fear what you are about to suffer. (2) Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for (3) ten days. (4) Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

  1. As with the promise, these are those who will “have the last say”.  They really are rich, though they are poor.  They will suffer, but they do not need to be afraid.
  2. They are told that they will indeed suffer for a time.
  3. Some have taken this to be a literal ten days, others as a ten-year period of persecution.
  4. Yet, even as Christ is the first and the last, those who are faithful through it, even to death, will receive life.  The solution to the tribulation is faith in the one who promised.  Even as Christ is the first and the last, so He will have the “final say”, and faithfulness to Him will always produce the same fruit, death to life.

Revelation 2:11

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (1) He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.

  1. Because of this, they cannot be hurt by the second death, the lake of fire.

Revelation 2:12

And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:

  1.  The Third church, Pergamum, sees the one with the sharp sword.  They know warfare and standing in the midst of great trial.

Revelation 2:13-17

(1) I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and (2) you hold fast My name, and (3) did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. (4) But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. (5) So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. (6) Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.

  1. Apparently, the devil had his throne in this place geographically.  Perhaps there was a real representation of this.
  2. Regardless, despite opposition, they held fast to His Name.
  3. They did not deny the faith even in the face of the martyrdom of Antipas.
  4. They are not perfect, however.  They allow false teaching of mixture, and mixing with the world.  They also hold to the teaching, or doctrine, of the Nicolaitans.  While Balaam is an Old Testament figure, the Nicolaitans are not specifically known.  Many have conjectured that, since the “Nicolaitains” means “conquering the people”, it means the hierarchical structure of organized religion.
  5. They are commanded to repent, or the same sword that stands to fight for them, will, instead, fight against them, that is, the ones with these teachings and doctrines.

Revelation 2:17

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.

  1. Food and a name are promised to those who stand.

Revelation 2:18

And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:

  1.  The fourth church, Thyatira, is addresed by the man with eyes of fire and burning feet.  Fire all around.

Revelation 2:19-25

(1) I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. (2) But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. (3) I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. (4) Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. (5) But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—(6)I place no other burden on you. (7) Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.

  1. Thyatira, like Ephesus is commended for their service.  Unlike Ephesus, they have not lost their first love.
  2. However, they tolerate false prophecy.  Again, tolerance of evil is never permitted in the church, especially as it approaches things like leadership and prophecy.
  3. God even gave her time to repent, but she did not.  This certainly means judgment.
  4. She will come into sickness, cast there by the Lord, but, again, repentance could change this.  Reaping and sowing, receiving punishment for what we do, is never removed, without repentance.
  5. The rest are not rebuked with her.
  6. He places no other requirement on them.  They are already increasing in works and good deeds of the Spirit.  The lack of tolerance of Jezebel could go a long way here, too, but this is the church that sees the sword.  They are already doing all they can, it seems, and will continue to do so.
  7. They are instructed simply to hold fast to what they do have until He comes.

Revelation 2:26-29

He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

  1. These in the place of the sword will receive the rod of iron.  They will have authority for their faithfulness, and they will rule.  They will also receive fresh faith and revelation from the Father.