20. The Revelation: Sardis - The Dead Church (Revelation 3:1-6)

 

While the believers at Thyatira tolerated sin, those at Sardis were dead to sin. The church had a reputation for being alive with the light, but Christ pronounced it dead. The spiritual darkness of false teaching and sinful living had extinguished the light on the inside, though some of its reputation remained.

Like the rest of the seven churches, the church at Sardis was an actual, existing church in John’s day. Yet it also symbolizes the dead churches that have existed throughout history, even in our own day.

The Correspondent

"He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this..." (Rev. 3:1b)

The descriptions of the divine author in each of the seven letters are drawn from the vision of Rev. 1:12–17. The letter to Sardis draws an additional component from the salutation in 1:4, where the phrase “the seven Spirits” of God also appears. That phrase may refer to Isaiah 11:2, where the Holy Spirit is described as “the Spirit of the Lord …, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” It may also refer to the symbolic depiction of the Holy Spirit as a lampstand with seven lamps presented in Zechariah 4:1–10. In either case, the reference is to the Spirit’s fullness. Jesus Christ is represented in His church through the Holy Spirit.

The seven stars are the seven messengers or elders (Rev. 1:20), one from each of the seven churches, who likely carried a copy of the book of Revelation back to their respective churches. The imagery shows Jesus Christ, the sovereign Lord of the church, ruling through godly leaders and pastors.

Christ’s introduction of Himself does not hint at the severity of the situation in Sardis. Surprisingly, He did not introduce Himself as the divine Judge (as He did in Rev. 2:18), although the church at Sardis faced imminent judgment. Instead, He depicted Himself as the One who sovereignly works in His church through the Holy Spirit and godly leaders. That introduction served as a reminder to the Sardis church of what they lacked. Devoid of the Spirit, the church at Sardis was dead.

The Church

"...the church in Sardis" (Rev. 3:1a)

Though the details are not recorded in Scripture, the church at Sardis was probably founded as an outreach of Paul’s ministry at Ephesus (Acts 19:10). The most prominent person from the church at Sardis known to history is Melito. He was an apologist, a defender of Christianity, who served as bishop of Sardis in the late second century. He also wrote the earliest known commentary on passages from Revelation. The letter does not speak of persecution, false doctrine, false teachers, or corrupt living. Yet some combination of those things was obviously present at Sardis, since the church had died.

The City

"...Sardis..." (Rev. 3:1a)

To a striking degree, the history of the church at Sardis paralleled that of the city. Founded about 1200 B.C., Sardis had been one of the greatest cities in the ancient world, capital of the fabulously wealthy Lydian kingdom. Aesop, the famous writer of fables, may have been from Sardis. Much of Sardis’s wealth came from gold taken from the nearby Pactolus River. Archaeologists have found hundreds of crucibles, used for refining gold, in the ruins of Sardis. Gold and silver coins were apparently first minted at Sardis as well. The city also benefited from its location at the western end of the royal road that led east to the Persian capital city of Susa, and from its proximity to other important trade routes. It was also a center for wool production and the garment industry. Sardis even claimed to have discovered how to dye wool.

Sardis was located about thirty miles south of Thyatira in the fertile valley of the Hermus River. A series of spurs or hills jutted out from the ridge of Mount Tmolus, south of the Hermus River. On one of those hills, some fifteen hundred feet above the valley floor, stood Sardis. Its location made the city nearly invincible. The hill on which Sardis was built had smooth, nearly perpendicular rock walls on three sides. Only from the south could the city be approached, via a steep, difficult path. The one drawback to an otherwise ideal site was that there was limited room for the city to expand. Eventually, as Sardis grew, a new city sprang up at the foot of the hill. The old site remained a refuge to retreat into when danger threatened.

Its seemingly indestructible location caused the inhabitants of Sardis to become overconfident. That complacency eventually led to the city’s downfall. Through carelessness, Sardis was conquered. The news of its downfall sent shock waves through the Greek world. One scholar, Dr. Robert Thomas, relates the account of Sardis’s fall:

Despite an alleged warning against self-satisfaction by the Greek god whom he consulted, Croesus the king of Lydia initiated an attack against Cyrus king of Persia, but was soundly defeated. Returning to Sardis to recoup and rebuild his army for another attack, he was pursued quickly by Cyrus who laid siege against Sardis. Croesus felt utterly secure in his impregnable situation atop the acropolis and foresaw an easy victory over the Persians who were cornered among the perpendicular rocks in the lower city, an easy prey for the assembling Lydian army to crush. After retiring one evening while the drama was unfolding, he awakened to discover that the Persians had gained control of the acropolis by scaling one-by-one the steep walls (549 B.C.). So secure did the Sardians feel that they left this means of access completely unguarded, permitting the climbers to ascend unobserved. It is said that even a child could have defended the city from this kind of attack, but not so much as one observer had been appointed to watch the side that was believed to be inaccessible.

History repeated itself more than three and a half centuries later when Antiochus the Great conquered Sardis by utilizing the services of a sure-footed mountain climber from Crete (195 B.C.). His army entered the city by another route while the defenders in careless confidence were content to guard the one known approach, the isthmus of land connected to Mount Tmolus on the south.

Sardis never regained its independence, eventually coming under Roman control in 133 B.C. A catastrophic earthquake destroyed the city in A.D. 17, but it was rebuilt with the generous financial aid of Emperor Tiberius. In gratitude, the inhabitants of Sardis built a temple in his honor. The city’s primary object of worship, however, was the goddess Cybele—the same goddess worshiped at Ephesus as Artemis (Diana). Hot springs not far from Sardis were celebrated as a spot in which the gods manifested their supposed power to give life to the dead—an ironic note for a city whose church was dead. In John’s day Sardis was prosperous but decaying. Both the city and the church it contained had lost their vitality.

The Concern

"I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.… For I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God." (3:1c, 2b)

Because the Sardis church was spiritually dead, Christ skipped the usual commendation and turned directly to His concerns. Though its outward appearance may have fooled others, the Sardis church could not fool the all-knowing Christ. He said, “I know your deeds.” With His infallible knowledge, He pronounced the Sardis church dead. It was defiled by the world, marked by inward decay, and populated by unbelieving people playing church.

Spiritual death in the New Testament is always connected with its sinful root. Ephesians 2:1 describes the unbelieving as “dead in trespasses and sins.” The church at Sardis was like a museum where stuffed animals are exhibited in their natural habitats. Everything appears to be normal, but nothing is alive.

The church at Sardis was going through the motions. Christ declared that those deeds were not “completed in the sight of My God.” Though sufficient to give the Sardis church a reputation among others, those deeds were unacceptable in God’s sight. The spiritually dead members populating the Sardis church were living a lie. They had been weighed on the scales by the Righteous Judge and found wanting (cf. Daniel 5:27).

The Commendation

"But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy." (3:4)

Within this dead church of unbelievers, a few true Christians were scattered like flowers in a desert. There were not enough of them, however, to change Christ’s overall evaluation of the church as dead. Yet He had not forgotten those who remained faithful to Him (Malachi 3:16–17; Hebrews 6:10).

God had His remnant even at Sardis. There were a few sincere followers of Christ. He described the faithful remnant as those who “have not soiled their garments.” The Greek word translated “soiled” can also mean “to stain” or “to pollute.” It was a word that would have been familiar to readers in Sardis because of the city’s wool-dyeing industry. “Garments” symbolized character in Scripture (Isaiah 64:6; Jude 23). The faithful remnant could come into God’s presence because they had not defiled or polluted themselves, but had shown godly character.

Specifically, Christ says of them that “they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.” In ancient times, such garments were worn for celebrations and festivals. Because they refused to “defile their garments,” Christ would replace those humanly preserved clean garments with divinely pure ones (7:14). The white robes of purity Christ promises here and in verse 5 are elsewhere worn by Christ Himself (Matthew 17:2; Mark 9:3) and the holy angels (Matthew 28:3; Mark 16:5; Acts 1:10). Those who have a measure of holiness and purity now will be given perfect holiness and purity in the future.

The Command

"Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die.… So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you." (Rev. 3:2a, 3)

Christ addressed the command to the faithful remnant at Sardis. If their church was to survive, it desperately needed life. Christ laid out for them the path to spiritual restoration by giving them five steps to follow.

First, they needed to “wake up.” There was no time for indifference. The believing remnant needed to look at what was happening in their church, evaluate the situation, confront sin, and make a difference.

Second, they needed to “strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die.” “Things” here in the original language does not refer to people, but to spiritual realities. Christ exhorted the true Christians at Sardis to fan into flame the dying embers of the remaining spiritual graces in their church.

The third step was for the faithful remnant to remember what they had received and heard. They needed to go back to the truths of God’s Word, remembering the gospel and the teaching of the apostles. By this time, Paul’s letters were in circulation (2 Peter 3:15–16) and the rest of the New Testament had been written. The believers at Sardis needed to reaffirm their belief in the truth about Christ, sin, salvation, and holy living. Fourth, having gone back to the truths of Scripture, they needed to keep them. Correct beliefs apart from obedient lives would not bring about the necessary renewal.

Finally, they needed to repent. With great sorrow, the believers at Sardis were to confess and turn away from their sins. These five steps, if diligently practiced, would bring about revival.

The consequences if revival did not come would be severe. Christ warned them “if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.” The picture of Jesus coming like a thief always carries the idea of imminent judgment (Matthew 24:43; Luke 12:39; 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 4). The threat here is not related to His second coming, but that the Lord would come and destroy the Sardis church if there was no revival.

The Counsel

"He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (3:5–6)

Lastly, Christ described the rewards awaiting those who participated in the revival. True Christians will be “clothed in white garments.” In the ancient world, white garments were also worn for festive occasions such as weddings. True Christians will wear theirs at the marriage supper of the Lamb (19:7–9). White robes were also worn by those celebrating victory in battle. All true Christians are victorious through Christ over sin, death, and Satan. However, white robes here primarily represent purity and holiness. Christ promises to clothe Christians in the brilliance of eternal purity and holiness.

Christ further promises every true Christian that He will not erase their name from the Book of Life, but “will confess [their] name before the Father and before His angels.” Incredibly, although the text says just the opposite, some people assume that this verse teaches that a Christian’s name can be erased from the Book of Life. They instead turn God’s promise into a threat.

Some argue that Exodus 32:33 supports the idea that God may remove someone’s name from the Book of Life. In that passage the Lord tells Moses that “whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.” There is no contradiction, however, between that passage and Christ’s promise in Revelation 3:5. The book referred to in Exodus 32:33 is not the Book of Life described here, in Philippians 4:3, and later in Revelation (Rev. 13:8; Rev. 17:8; Rev. 20:12,15; Rev. 21:27). Instead, it refers to the book of the living, the record of those who are alive (Psalm 69:28). The threat, then, is not eternal punishment, but physical death.

In John’s day, rulers kept a register of each city’s citizens. If someone died or committed a serious crime, their name was erased from that register. Christ, the King of heaven, promises never to erase a true Christian’s name from the list of those whose names were “written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain” (13:8). On the contrary, Christ will confess every believer’s name before God the Father and before His angels. He will affirm that they belong to Him.

The letter to Sardis ends, like the other six, with an exhortation to follow the counsel, commands, and promises it contains: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” The spiritually dead people playing church needed to follow Christ’s warning of impending judgment. The indifferent believers needed to wake up before it was too late to rescue their church. And the faithful few could take comfort in the knowledge that their salvation was eternally secure.

What happened to Sardis? Did they heed the warning? Did revival come? That such a prominent man as Melito served as bishop of Sardis several decades after John wrote argues that at least some revival took place in Sardis. Until Christ returns, it is never too late for other dying churches to find the path to spiritual renewal.

19. The Revelation: Thyatira, the Church that Tolerated Sin (Revelation 2:18-29)

 

The letter to the church at Thyatira is the longest of the seven, though addressed to the church in the smallest of the seven cities. It has an important message for the church today: False teaching and sin are not to be allowed, even under the banner of toleration and unity. A church may appear on the surface to have an effective ministry and be growing numerically, but unconfronted immorality and false teaching will bring eventual judgment upon the church.

The Correspondent

"The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this..." (Rev. 2:18b)

The title “Son of God” and the two descriptive phrases drawn from the vision of the risen Christ in Rev. 1:12–17 identify the writer as the Lord Jesus Christ. The phrases chosen here focus on His role as divine Judge.

“Son of God” emphasizes Christ’s deity, stressing that He is of one essence with the Father. This is a significant wording change. In the vision recorded in chapter 1, Christ was described as the Son of Man (Rev. 1:13). The title “Son of Man” views Christ in His ability to sympathize with the needs, trials, and temptations of His church. Here, however, Jesus is identified as “Son of God,” the only time this phrase appears in Revelation. The emphasis is on His deity, because His approach to the church at Thyatira is as divine judge.

As the divine Son of God, Jesus Christ has eyes “like a flame of fire.” His piercing vision sees all. Revelation 19:12 describes Jesus Christ in His second coming glory with eyes that “are a flame of fire.” A church may feel satisfied with itself, have a good reputation in the community, or even with other churches. However, Christ’s eyes see things as they truly are.

The description of His feet as being “like burnished bronze” is similar to Revelation 19:15, where it says Christ “treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.” That Christ’s feet glowed brilliantly “like burnished bronze” depicts His purity and holiness as He tramples out impurity.

This terrifying description of the Lord Jesus must have created shock when this letter was read to the church at Thyatira. It came as a sobering realization that Christ will judge ongoing, unrepented sin.

The Church

"...the church in Thyatira..." (Rev. 2:18a)

As with the churches at Smyrna and Pergamum, the Bible does not record the founding of the church at Thyatira. In Acts 16:14 Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, was converted under Paul’s ministry at Philippi. Verse 15 records that members of her household also came to faith in Christ and were baptized. It is possible that Lydia and her household helped start the church at Thyatira. More likely, the church there was founded as an outreach of Paul’s ministry at Ephesus (Acts 19:10).

The City

"...Thyatira" (Rev. 2:18a)

From Pergamum, northernmost of the seven cities, the Roman road curved east and then southeast to Thyatira, approximately forty miles away. Thyatira was located in a long north-south valley connecting the valleys of the Caicus and Hermus rivers. It was built in relatively flat country. While Pergamum’s high hill provided a natural defense, Thyatira lacked natural fortifications against potential invaders.

Thyatira was founded by one of Alexander the Great’s successors, Seleucus, as a military outpost guarding the north-south road. It later came under the rule of Lysimachus, who ruled Pergamum. Thyatira was the gateway to Pergamum, and the task of the defenders at Thyatira was to delay an attacker headed for Pergamum. Unfortunately, since Thyatira had no natural defenses, the garrison there could not hope to hold out for long. The city was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. Its brief references in ancient literature usually describe its conquest by an invading army.

About 190 B.C., Thyatira was conquered and annexed by the Romans, enjoying Roman peace. The city then became a flourishing commercial center. Its road became important in Roman times, as it connected Pergamum with Laodicea, Smyrna, and the interior regions. It also served as the Roman post road. At the time Revelation was written, Thyatira was just entering its period of greatest prosperity.

Thyatira was also known for its numerous guilds, similar to today’s labor unions. Its main industry was wool and dyed-good production, but inscriptions also mention guilds for linen workers, makers of outer garments, dyers, leather workers, tanners, potters, bakers, slave dealers, and bronze smiths.

Unlike Pergamum or Smyrna, Thyatira was not an important religious center. The primary god worshiped was the Greek sun god, Apollo. Nor does there appear to have been a sizable Jewish population. The pressure faced by the Christians in Thyatira came from the guilds. To hold a job or run a business, it was necessary to be a member of a guild. Each guild had a deity in whose honor feasts were held, including meat sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality. Christians faced the dilemma of participating or losing their job. How some in the Thyatira church were handling the situation caused Christ great concern.

The Commendation

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

Christ first commended the church at Thyatira before voicing His concerns about it. He assured them that He had not forgotten their righteous deeds (Hebrews 6:10), which He divided into four categories.

First, the believers at Thyatira were showing love for God and for one another. In some ways, Thyatira was strong where Ephesus was weak. Thyatira is the first of the seven churches commended for its love.

Second, Christ commended them for their faith. The Greek word for “faith” here is better translated “faithfulness.” The true Christians in Thyatira were dependable, reliable, and consistent (Rev. 2:25).

Out of faith and love grow “service and perseverance.” Those who love will express it through helping others. Those who are faithful will steadfastly persevere in the faith (Matthew 16:24–26; Matt. 24:13).

Not only did the Thyatiran Christians possess these virtues, but their deeds of late were “greater than at first.” Their loving service was becoming more consistent, and their faithful perseverance growing stronger. They were growing in grace and advancing the cause of Christ (2 Peter 1:8). For that behavior they were commended.

The Concern

"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. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. 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." (Rev. 2:20–23)

All was not well with the church at Thyatira. The problem was not external persecution, but internal compromise (Acts 20:29–30). Christ had noticed serious error, causing Him to warn “I have this against you.” The use of the singular pronoun “you” points this phrase specifically to the leader of the church.

Their sin consisted of two parts. First, they violated the biblical teaching that women were not to be teachers or preachers in the church (1 Timothy 2:12). That led them to tolerate Jezebel, who called herself a prophetess. Second, they allowed her to teach error. As a result, Jesus declares, “she … leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.”

Jezebel was certainly not the woman’s real name, but her actions resembled the infamous wife of King Ahab. Therefore Christ labeled her with the symbolic name Jezebel. The Old Testament Jezebel was an unspeakably vile woman. Through Jezebel’s evil influence, Baal worship became widespread in Israel (1 Kings 16:30–31).

Likewise, the woman in Thyatira called Jezebel succeeded in leading Christ’s bond-servants astray so that they committed acts of immorality and ate things sacrificed to idols. Whatever the specific content of her false teaching, it led the majority of the Thyatiran believers astray from truth and righteousness.

The Bible teaches that true Christians can fall into sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:15–20) and idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:21). To lead other Christians into false doctrine or immoral living is a very serious sin, meriting the most severe punishment (Matthew 18:6–10). In the case of the Old Testament Jezebel, her life ended in a gruesome death (2 Kings 9:30–37).

Graciously the Lord gave the false prophetess at Thyatira time to repent, but she did not want to repent of her immorality. Her blunt and final refusal to repent would lead to a terrible judgment, introduced by the arresting word “behold.” Because Jezebel refused to repent, Christ declared, “I will throw her on a bed of sickness.” The words “of sickness” are not part of the original Greek text but were supplied by the translators. In light of Jezebel’s refusal to repent, it is more likely that the bed refers to death and hell, the ultimate resting place for those who refuse to repent.

Divine judgment was about to fall not only on Jezebel, but also on those who committed adultery with her. The Lord threatened to cast them “into great tribulation.” This is not the tribulation described in Revelation 4–19, but distress or trouble. Since these were the sinning Christians who had believed her lies, the Lord does not threaten to send them to hell as He did the false prophetess. He promised to bring them severe chastening unless they repented of their deeds.

Then Christ declares, “I will kill her children with pestilence.” Jezebel’s children were her spiritual children. The church was about forty years old when John wrote, so her false teaching had been around long enough for a second generation to have arisen. As he did with Ananias and Sapphira, the Lord threatened to kill them with pestilence. It was too late for Jezebel since her heart was hardened in unrepentant sin. Still, Christ mercifully warned her followers to repent while there was still time.

It is not known how many in that church responded to Christ’s warning, but, tragically, the Thyatira church as a whole apparently did not obey it. History records that it fell to the Montanist heresy, a movement led by a false prophet who claimed continuing revelation from God apart from Scripture. The church disappeared by the end of the second century.

Christ then addressed a word of comfort to those true believers in the Thyatira church: “I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.” Christ’s judgment would be based on each person’s deeds. Those who were innocent would not be punished along with the guilty (Matthew 7:16; 16:27; Revelation 22:12). God is the righteous judge “who will render to each person according to his deeds” (Romans 2:6).

Works have always been the basis for divine judgment. That does not mean, however, that salvation is by works (Ephesians 2:8–9; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5). Instead, people’s deeds reveal their spiritual condition. That is what James meant when he said, “I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18). Upon salvation, Christians are new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17), “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

The Command

"But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come." (Rev. 2:24–25)

Having warned those following false teaching to repent, Christ addressed words of comfort to the rest who were in Thyatira, who did not hold to Jezebel’s teaching. He further defined the true believers as those “who have not known the deep things of Satan,” as they called them. Jezebel and her followers claimed to discover the very depths of Satan’s domain and remain spiritually unharmed. Since the spirit belongs to God, their twisted logic concluded, what does it matter if the body attends idolatrous feasts and engages in sexual immorality? They imagined themselves to be free to explore the satanic sphere and yet come to worship God.

To the true believers who had not experienced the alleged deeper knowledge claimed by these heretics, Christ said, “I place no other burden on you.” Bearing the burden of false teaching and immoral living rampant in their church, along with personally resisting temptation themselves, was burden enough. Finally, Christ encourages them, “what you have, hold fast until I come.” The use of the strong Greek word krateō, meaning “hold fast,” indicates that it would not be easy. The coming of Christ as it related to the Thyatira church was His coming to them in judgment. Yet they were urged to “cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9) until Christ’s return.

The Counsel

"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." (Rev. 2:26–29)

To the one “who overcomes” and “who keeps Christ’s deeds until the end,” Christ promises two things. First, Christ will give them “authority over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces.” That promise, taken from Psalm 2:7–9, is one of participation in the millennial kingdom. Those who remained faithful to Christ despite being beaten and despised in this life will rule with Him in His earthly kingdom. They will exercise authority over the nations, ruling them with a rod of iron (see Revelation 12:5; 19:15). Those nations in the millennial kingdom who rebel against Christ’s rule and threaten His people will be destroyed. Those who rule with Him will help protect His people and promote holiness and righteousness. Christ will delegate authority to them as He also has received authority from His Father (John 5:22, 27).

Christ also promised to give to His faithful followers “the morning star.” Some connect the morning star with such passages as Daniel 12:3 and Matthew 13:43. The promise would be that believers will reflect Christ’s glory. While Christians will reflect Christ’s glory, it is better to see the morning star as Christ Himself, a title He assumes in Revelation 22:16. Christ promised believers Himself in all His fullness (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:12).

The concluding words, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches,” are a charge to follow the message of the letter to the church at Thyatira. Three important truths stand out. First, this letter reveals the seriousness of practicing and tolerating sin, and that God will judge sin in the church. Second, a pattern of obedience marks true Christians. Finally, God’s gracious promise is that, in spite of struggles with sin and error in churches, Christians will experience all the fullness of Christ as they reign with Him in His kingdom. Those churches, like Thyatira, who fail to obey the message will receive divine judgment. Those who do obey its message will receive divine blessing.

18. The Revelation: The Letter to the Believers at Pergamum (Revelation 2:12-17)

The Bible does not hesitate to condemn worldliness as a serious sin. Worldliness is any preoccupation with the physical system of life that places anything on earth before the things of eternity. Since believers are not part of the world system (John 15:19), they must not act as though they were. Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). First John 2:15–17 makes the believer’s duty to avoid worldliness unmistakably clear:

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

The church at Pergamum, like many of today’s churches, failed to follow the biblical warnings against worldliness. It had drifted into compromise and was in danger of becoming intertwined with the world.

The Correspondent

"The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:..." (2:12b)

The holder of “the sharp two-edged sword” is the risen Christ (1:16). He communicates this letter through the apostle John. In this letter, like with Ephesus and Smyrna, Christ identifies Himself using one of the descriptive phrases from John’s vision in 1:12–17.

The sharp two-edged sword refers to the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 says, “The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword.” The apostle Paul also uses the metaphor of a sword to describe the Word (Ephesians 6:17). The two edges of the sword depict the Word’s power in exposing the innermost thoughts of the human heart. The Word never wields a dull edge.

This description pictures Christ as judge and executioner. Describing His appearance at the second coming, John writes that “from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty” (19:15). This is not a positive introduction, but a threatening one. It is the first negative introduction of Christ because the Pergamum church faced serious judgment. Disaster loomed on the horizon for this worldly church; it was and is but a short step from compromising with the world to forsaking God altogether and facing His wrath.

The Church

"...the church in Pergamum" (2:12a)

The book of Acts does not record the founding of the church at Pergamum. According to Acts 16:7–8, Paul passed through Mysia (the region in which Pergamum was located) on his second missionary journey, but there is no record that the apostle either preached the gospel or founded a church there at that time. Most likely, the church at Pergamum was founded during Paul’s ministry in Ephesus, when the gospel spread from there throughout the province of Asia (Acts 19:10). Because the church was surrounded by the pagan culture, it was continually exposed to temptation, in addition to severe persecution when standing against emperor worship.

The City

"...Pergamum" (2:12a)

Pergamum was about a hundred miles north of Ephesus, with Smyrna located about halfway in between. Pergamum was not a port city but located about fifteen miles inland from the Aegean Sea. However, as the area’s ancient capital, Pergamum was considered Asia’s greatest city. The Roman writer Pliny called it “by far the most distinguished city in Asia.” By the time John penned Revelation, Pergamum had been Asia’s capital for almost 250 years (since 133 B.C). Pergamum survives today as the Turkish city of Bergama.

Much of Pergamum was built on a large, conical hill towering a thousand feet above the plain. In the nineteenth century famed archaeologist Sir William Ramsay commented, “Beyond all other sites in Asia Minor it gives the traveler the impression of a royal city, the home of authority: the rocky hill on which it stands is so huge, and dominates the broad plain of the Caicus [River valley] so proudly and boldly.” Pergamum’s huge library (200,000 handwritten volumes) was second only to that of Alexandria. So impressive was Pergamum’s library that Mark Antony later sent it to his lover, Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. According to legend, parchment was invented by the Pergamenes to provide writing material for their library. Seeking to build a library rivaling the one in Alexandria, a third-century B.C. Pergamene king attempted to bring the librarian of the Alexandrian library to his city. Unfortunately, the Egyptian ruler got wind of the plan, refused to allow the librarian to leave, and prohibited the further export of papyrus to Pergamum. Out of necessity, the Pergamenes developed parchment, made of treated animal skins, for use as writing material. Though parchment was actually known from a thousand years earlier in Egypt, the Pergamenes were responsible for its widespread use in the ancient world. The word parchment may even derive from a form of the word Pergamum.

Because of its library, Pergamum was an important center of culture and learning. It also was a center of worship for four of the main gods of the Greco-Roman world, including temples dedicated to Athena, Asklepios, Dionysos, and Zeus. Overshadowing the worship of all those deities was Pergamum’s devotion to the cult of emperor worship. Pergamum built the first temple devoted to emperor worship in Asia (29 B.C.) in honor of Emperor Augustus. Later, the city would build two more such temples, honoring the emperors Trajan and Septimus Severus. The city became the center of emperor worship in the province, and Christians were in danger of harm from the emperor worship cult. In other cities Christians were primarily in danger on the one day per year they were required to offer sacrifices to the emperor. In Pergamum they were in danger every day.

The Commendation

"I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells." (2:13)

Despite the difficult circumstances, the believers at Pergamum courageously maintained their faith in Christ. He commended them for continuing to hold fast His name, even though they lived “where Satan’s throne is,” where Satan dwells. Many suggestions have been offered as to the identification of Satan’s throne. Some identify it with the altar of Zeus in Pergamum, an altar 120 by 112 feet in size located within a colonnaded court that included a podium almost eighteen feet high. Such an impressive structure could easily merit the designation “Satan’s throne.”

Others connect Satan’s throne with the worship of the god Asklepios, prevalent in Pergamum. Asklepios was the god of healing, and people came from across the ancient world to be healed at his shrine. Asklepios was depicted as a snake, and nonpoisonous snakes roamed freely in his temple. Suppliants seeking healing either slept or lay down on the temple’s floor, hoping to be touched by one of the snakes to be healed. Such symbolism would undoubtedly remind Christians of Satan (Revelation 12:9). During the reign of Emperor Diocletian, some Christian stonecutters were executed for refusing to carve an image of Asklepios.

Others point out that, as noted above, Pergamum was the leading center of emperor worship in the province of Asia. Emperor worship certainly posed the greatest threat to the Christians in Pergamum. It was for their refusal to worship the emperor, not the pagan gods, that Christians faced execution. Satan’s throne could easily be understood as a reference to the might of Rome under the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), speaking against the true God by the emperor-worship cult.

For any or all of those reasons, Pergamum could understandably be called the city where Satan’s throne is. In the midst of those difficult and trying circumstances, the believers continued to dwell in Pergamum. In other words, they “hung in there.” Despite the persecution they endured, the believers at Pergamum continued to hold fast the name of Christ and did not deny the faith.

The church at Pergamum maintained its faithfulness even in the days of Antipas, whom Christ described as “My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you.” Nothing certain is known about Antipas apart from this text. He was probably one of the leaders of the Pergamum church. According to tradition, he was roasted to death inside a brass bull during the persecution by Emperor Domitian. Here was a man who paid the ultimate price for his refusal to compromise. Because of his faithfulness, the risen Lord commended Antipas with a title used elsewhere to refer to Himself: “My witness” (Revelation 1:5; 3:14). Antipas’s faithfulness and courage were a rebuke to those at Pergamum who were tempted to compromise with the world.

The Concern

"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. So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans." (2:14–15)

The church at Pergamum remained loyal to Christ and His truth. Yet all was not well. After commending the believers there, Christ informed them, “I have a few things against you.” His concern was that they had some who held to false teaching. While the majority of the believers at Pergamum were faithful to the truth, there were some who followed wrong doctrines. While many in the Christian realm today make light of doctrine and theology as unimportant, that is not the perspective of Christ. Tragically, the rest of the church was tolerating the heretics’ error instead of confronting them. Like many churches today, the church at Pergamum failed to obey the biblical mandate to practice church discipline (Matthew 18:15–18).

Specifically, Christ was concerned with two heresies. The first was associated with an Old Testament character. The second was associated with a New Testament person. First, some were following the teaching of Balaam. The story of Balaam, an Old Testament prophet for hire, is found in Numbers 22–25. Fearful of the Israelites because of what they had done to the Amorites, Balak hired Balaam to curse them. After trying unsuccessfully three times to curse Israel, Balaam came up with another plan. Since he was unable to curse the Israelites, he decided to corrupt them by teaching Balak to tempt them to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. He plotted to use Moabite women to lure the Israelites into the behavior of the godless world around them involving sexual immorality and idolatry (Numbers 25; 31:16). That blasphemous union with Satan and false gods would destroy their spiritual power. Balaam’s plan succeeded. However, God intervened and brought judgment upon Israel, executing 24,000 people (25:9), including many of the leaders (25:4–5). The drastic action halted the Israelites’ slide into immorality and idolatry.

Like the Israelites who were seduced by Balaam’s false teaching, some in the church at Pergamum followed the ways of their surrounding culture (Jude 10–11). Peter rebuked the Balaamites in 2 Peter 2:15–16: “Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.” As God severely judged Israel for such living, Christ threatens to do the same here (see 2 Corinthians 6:14–17). Despite the graphic example of Israel, some in Pergamum persisted in following Balaam’s teaching. They believed one could attend pagan feasts, and still join the church to worship Jesus Christ. However, James wrote that “friendship with the world is hostility toward God” (James 4:4; see also 1 Peter 2:11). The issue of whether Christians could participate in idolatrous feasts had been settled decades earlier at the Jerusalem Council, which issued a mandate for believers to “abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication” (Acts 15:29).

The second heresy tolerated at Pergamum involved a New Testament figure named Nicolas. The context indicates that the teaching of the Nicolaitans led to the same wicked behavior as that of the followers of Balaam. As discussed earlier, Nicolas was one of the seven men chosen to oversee the distribution of food in Acts 6. Whether he rebelled (as some of the early church fathers believed) or his followers twisted his teachings is not known. Abusing Christian liberty, the Nicolaitans also taught that Christians could participate in pagan sexual practices. (As noted earlier, the believers at Ephesus fully rejected this fasle teaching.)

The majority of the believers at Pergamum did not participate in the errors of these two groups. They remained loyal to Christ and the Christian faith. Yet by tolerating the groups and refusing to exercise church discipline, they shared in their guilt and incurred the Lord’s judgment.

The Command

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

The only remedy for sinful behavior is to repent. “Repent” is from a Greek word used to describe a change of mind that results in a change of behavior. While tolerance is celebrated in our culture, tolerating heretical teaching or sinful behavior in the church is sin. Christ warns them, “I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.” The entire church faced Christ’s judgment: the heretics for practicing sin, and the rest of the church for tolerating it.

The church cannot tolerate evil. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, who were proudly tolerating a man guilty of incest, “Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough? Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened” (1 Corinthians 5:6–7). The goal of the church is not to provide an environment where unbelievers can just feel comfortable. It is to be a place where they can hear the truth and be convicted of their sins so they can be saved (Romans 10:13–17). Gently (2 Timothy 2:24–26), lovingly, graciously, yet firmly, unbelievers need to be confronted with the reality of their sin and God’s gracious provision through Jesus Christ. Sin will never be suppressed by compromising with it.

The Counsel

"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." (2:17)

Christ concludes His letter with words of encouragement. As noted earlier, the phrase “he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” stresses the vital importance of Christ’s words and responsibility of believers to hear and obey them. The promises are addressed to him “who overcomes,” a phrase encompassing all believers (1 John 5:4–5). Christ promises three things to the faithful members of the church at Pergamum.

First, He promises to give them some of the hidden manna. Manna was a honey-flavored bread God used to feed the Israelites during their years of wandering in the wilderness (Exodus 16). According to Exodus 16:33, the Israelites were to remember God’s provision by keeping a jar of manna inside the ark of the covenant during their travels. The hidden manna represents Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life who came down from heaven (John 6:48–51). He provides spiritual sustenance for those who put their faith in Him. The hidden manna symbolizes all the blessings and benefits of knowing Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

There has been much speculation about what the white stone symbolizes. Some link it with the Urim and Thummim on the breastplate of the high priest (Exodus 28:15, 30). Those stones were used to determine God’s will and represented the right of the high priest to request guidance from God for the leader who could not approach God directly. Somehow, God caused those stones to disclose His will. According to this view, by this white stone God promises the overcomers knowledge of His will. Others identify the white stone as a diamond, the most precious of stones, symbolizing God’s gift of eternal life to believers. It seems best, however, to understand the white stone in light of the Roman custom of awarding white stones to the victors in athletic contests. A white stone, inscribed with the athlete’s name, served as his ticket to a special awards banquet. In this view, Christ promises the overcomers entrance to the eternal victory celebration in heaven.

There will be a new name written on the stone no one knows but the person who receives it. As the phrase indicates, we cannot know what that new name is until we receive it (Deuteronomy 29:29). The Greek word here translated “new” does not mean new in contrast to old, but new in the sense of a different quality. The new name will serve as each believer’s admission pass into eternal glory. It will uniquely reflect God’s special love for every one of His true children.

The Pergamum church faced the same choice that every church faces today. It could repent and receive all the blessings of eternal life in the glory of heaven. Or it could refuse to repent and face the terrifying reality of having the Christ declare war on it. Maintaining the path of compromise ultimately leads to judgment.

17. The Revelation: The Letter to the Believers at Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-10)

Throughout its history, the more the church has been persecuted, the greater its purity and strength. For decades, churches in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe were oppressed by their atheistic communist governments. Believers continue to be persecuted in several nations today. People are forbidden to openly proclaim their faith. Many are imprisoned and some martyred. In the Soviet Union, for instance, Bibles were scarce. Yet not only did those churches survive, they prospered. When Communism fell, a powerful, pure church was revealed, characterized by genuine faith and deep zeal for God. We'll look next at the Church at Smyrna:

SMYRNA: THE SUFFERING CHURCH

Scripture links persecution and spiritual strength. James wrote that “the testing of your faith produces endurance” that leads to being spiritually “complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4). Peter encouraged suffering Christians with the truth that “after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace … will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10). The church at Smyrna displayed the power and purity that results from enduring persecution. Persecution had purified it from sin and affirmed the reality of its members’ faith. Hypocrites do not stay to face persecution, because false believers do not desire pain. Trials and persecution strengthen and refine genuine saving faith, but destroy false faith.

Though they suffered physically and economically, the Christians at Smyrna clung to their spiritual riches. Interestingly, the church at Smyrna is one of only two churches (along with Philadelphia) that received no condemnation in its letter from Christ.

The Bible teaches that persecution and trials are an inevitable and essential part of the Christian life (Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12). The example of the church at Smyrna instructs all churches on how to properly respond when trials come.

The Correspondent

"The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this..." (2:8b)

As customary in ancient letters, Jesus identifies Himself at the beginning of the letter instead of at the end. The depiction of the writer as “The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life” identifies Him as the exalted Christ described in 1:12–20. “The first and the last” is an Old Testament title for God (Isaiah 44:6; 48:12). Its application here affirms His equality of nature with God. He is the eternal, infinite God, who already existed when all things were created, and who will continue to exist after they are destroyed.

Yet, amazingly, the eternal God became man and was dead and has come to life. First Peter 3:18 reveals Christ was “Put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” He died in His human body as the perfect sacrifice for sin, but now has come to life and lives forever “according to the power of an indestructible life” (Hebrews 7:16; cf. Romans 6:9).

This designation of Christ was to comfort the persecuted believers at Smyrna. Knowing that they were undergoing difficult times, Christ reminded them that He transcends this world and empowers them to do the same. Should they die at the hands of their persecutors, beside them is the One who conquered death (John 11:25–26; Hebrews 2:14).

The Church

"...the church in Smyrna..." (2:8a)

Scripture does not record the founding of the church at Smyrna, nor is the city mentioned in Acts. All that we know is revealed in this letter. Most likely, the church began during Paul’s Ephesian ministry (Acts 19:10) by Paul or one of those he reached. At the end of the first century, life was difficult and dangerous in Smyrna. The city served as a hotbed of emperor worship. Under Domitian it became a capital offense to refuse to offer the yearly sacrifice to the emperor. Not surprisingly, many Christians faced execution. The most famous of Smyrna’s martyrs was Polycarp, executed half a century after John’s time.

The Greek word translated “Smyrna” was used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to translate the Hebrew word for “myrrh,” a substance used as a perfume for the living (Matthew 2:11) and the dead (John 19:39). Its association with death perfectly pictures the suffering church at Smyrna. Like myrrh, produced by crushing a fragrant plant, the church at Smyrna, crushed by persecution, gave off a fragrant aroma of faithfulness to God.

The City

"...Smyrna..." (2:8a)

Smyrna was an ancient city whose origins are lost in history. It may have been settled as early as 3000 B.C., but the first Greek settlement dates from about 1000 B.C. About 600 B.C. Smyrna was destroyed by the Lydians and lay in ruins for more than three centuries until two of Alexander the Great’s successors rebuilt the city in 290 B.C. It was that rebuilt city that was the Smyrna noted in Revelation.

Smyrna’s citizens were so loyal to Rome that they built a temple in 195 B.C. where Rome was worshiped. A century later the Roman general Sulla’s ill-clad army faced bitter winter weather. When the Roman soldiers’ plight was announced in a general assembly of Smyrna’s citizens, they reportedly took off their own clothes to send to them. Rome rewarded Smyrna’s loyalty by choosing it above all other applicants as the site of a new temple dedicated to the Emperor Tiberius (A.D. 26). When an earthquake destroyed the city late in the second century, Emperor Marcus Aurelius rebuilt it.

The city was said to be the most beautiful city in Asia. It was located on a gulf of the Aegean Sea and had an excellent harbor. Smyrna also profited from its location at the western end of the road that ran through the rich Hermus River valley. In addition to the natural beauty of its surroundings, the city itself was well designed. It stretched from the bay up the slopes of the Pagos, a large hill covered with temples and other public buildings. The streets were well laid out, with the outlying ones lined with groves of trees. Smyrna’s most famous street, the “Street of Gold,” curved around the slopes of the Pagos. At one end was the temple of Cybele, and at the other the temple of Zeus. In between were the temples of Apollo, Asklepios, and Aphrodite.

Smyrna was a noted center of science and medicine. It was also one of several cities that claimed to be the birthplace of the poet Homer. While the harbor of Ephesus eventually silted up and the city went out of existence, Smyrna survived numerous earthquakes and fires and exists today as the Turkish city of Izmir.

The Commendation

"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..." (2:9)

Nothing escapes the vision of the glorious Lord of the Smyrna church, who knows every detail about His churches. He began His commendation by assuring the believers there that He understood their tribulation. “Tribulation” literally means “pressure,” and it is the common New Testament word for persecution or tribulation. The church at Smyrna was facing intense pressure because of their faithfulness to Jesus Christ for three reasons.

First, Smyrna had been fanatically devoted to Rome. The city was a leading center for the cult of emperor worship. The citizens of Smyrna willingly offered the worship that Emperor Domitian was now demanding of his subjects everywhere. Though the Christians willingly submitted to the emperor’s civil authority (cf. Romans 13:1–7), they refused to offer sacrifices to him. They were then branded rebels and faced the wrath of the Roman government.

Second, Christians refused to participate in pagan religion in general. Smyrna’s residents worshiped an eclectic mix of gods. The total rejection of the pagan idols by those in the church, along with their worship of an invisible God, caused them to be denounced as atheists. Much of Smyrna’s social life revolved around pagan worship, and Christians were viewed as antisocial for refusing to participate.

Finally, the believers at Smyrna faced “blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of [the ultimate blasphemer,] Satan.” That shocking statement affirmed that those Jews who hated and rejected Jesus Christ were just as much Satan’s followers as idol worshipers (John 8:44). Jesus’ use of the strong term “blasphemy” indicates the slander’s intensity and severity.

Unbelieving Jews commonly accused Christians of cannibalism (based on a misunderstanding of the Lord’s Supper), immorality (based on a perversion of the holy kiss with which believers greeted each other), breaking up homes (when one spouse became a Christian and the other did not, it often caused conflict), atheism (because, as already noted, Christians rejected the pagan pantheon of deities), and political disloyalty and rebellion (because Christians refused to offer the required sacrifices to the emperor). Hoping to destroy the Christian faith, some of Smyrna’s wealthy, influential Jews reported these blasphemous, false allegations to the Romans.

Sadly, the hostility of Smyrna’s Jewish population to Christianity was nothing new. The book of Acts frequently records such Satan-inspired opposition.1 In Smyrna, as had happened before, the hostile Jewish population spread negative opinions against Christians.

The statement that the Jews who persecuted the Smyrna church “say they are Jews and are not” has caused some to question whether they were racially Jewish. Surely they were physical descendants of Abraham, but not true Jews by Paul’s definition: “He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God” (Romans 2:28–29). Though these were Jews by race, they were not spiritually.

Not only was the Lord aware of the persecution the Smyrna church faced, but also of its poverty. The Greek word here for “poverty” commonly describes beggars, who live not by their own labor, but by the alms of others.2 Many of the believers at Smyrna were slaves. Most were destitute. Those few who had owned possessions had undoubtedly lost them in the persecution.

The church at Smyrna had every human reason to collapse. Instead, it remained faithful to Christ, never leaving its first love like Ephesus. For that reason, Jesus said to them, “You are rich.” They had what really mattered—salvation, holiness, grace, peace, fellowship, a sympathetic Savior and Comforter. The church at Smyrna was the rich church spiritually, in contrast to the church at Laodicea, which was economically rich but spiritually poor (3:17).

The Command

"Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days." (2:10a)

After commending them for faithfully enduring persecution, Jesus warned the believers that more was coming. First, He commanded them not to fear what they were about to suffer. He would give them strength to endure it. As He told His disciples in John 16:33, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Specifically, the Lord predicted that the Devil was about to cast some of them into prison. God’s purpose in permitting imprisonment was so they would be tested. By successfully enduring the trial, they would prove the reality of their faith, be strengthened (2 Corinthians 12:9–10), and prove once again that Satan cannot destroy genuine saving faith.

God, who alone sovereignly controls all the circumstances of life, would not permit Satan to torment the Smyrna church for long. Jesus promised that they would have tribulation for only ten days. Though some see the ten days as symbolically representing everything from ten periods of persecution under the Romans, to an undetermined period of time, to a time of ten years, there is no exegetical reason to interpret them as anything other than ten actual days. Satan’s major assault on that local church would be intense, but brief.

The Counsel

"Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death." (2:10b–11)

As previously noted, Christ has no reprimand for the faithful church at Smyrna. He closes the letter with some final words of encouraging counsel. Those who prove the genuineness of their faith by remaining faithful to the Lord until death will receive as their reward the crown of life. The “crown” (reward, culmination, outcome) of genuine saving faith is eternal life, and perseverance proves the genuineness of their faith as they endure suffering. The Scriptures teach that true Christians will persevere.

As noted in chapter 3, the phrase “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” closes each of the seven letters. It stresses the vital significance of what God says in Scripture, and emphasizes believers’ responsibility to heed it. The promise to “he who overcomes” is for all Christians, promising that they will not be hurt by the second death. Though persecuted believers may suffer the first, physical death, they will never experience the second death of hell (Revelation 20:14; 21:8). To stress the point, the text used the strongest negative the Greek language can express for the word translated “not.”

The persecuted, suffering, yet faithful church at Smyrna stands for all time as an example of those who “have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance” (Luke 8:15). Because they loyally confessed Him before men, Jesus will confess them before the Father (Matthew 10:32).

16. The Revelation: The Letter to the Believers at Ephesus (Part 2) (Revelation2:1–7)

We continue our look at the letter from Jesus Christ to the church in Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7)

THE COMMENDATION

"I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.… Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." (2:2–3, 6)

Before rebuking them for their failings, Christ commended the Ephesians for their positive actions. Specifically, Christ first commended the Ephesian believers for their “toil.” The Greek word denotes labor to the point of exhaustion. The Ephesians were diligent workers for the cause of Christ. In the midst of the pagan darkness that surrounded them, they were aggressively evangelizing the lost, edifying the saints, and caring for those in need.

“Perseverance” denotes patience in trying circumstances. This commendation indicates that despite their difficult circumstances, the Ephesian believers remained faithful to their Lord.

Another praiseworthy aspect of the Ephesian believers was that they refused to “tolerate evil men.” They held to a high, holy standard of behavior and were sensitive to sin. Nor was the Ephesian church lacking in spiritual discernment, since it “put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and … found them to be false” The Ephesians never forgot the admonition Paul had addressed to their leaders so many years earlier to “be on guard for yourselves and all the flock” against “savage wolves [trying to ravage] the flock” (see Acts 20:28–31). Through all the difficulties the Ephesians faced over forty years, through all their hard labor and patient enduring of trials, and their refusal to tolerate evil, they maintained their perseverance. They endured, Jesus declared, for the highest of motives: “for My name’s sake.” And they had done so without having grown weary. They remained faithful to the Lord, loyal to His Word and to the work to which He had called them.

Verse 6 adds a final commendation: “Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” The Nicolaitans, mentioned also in 2:12–15, cannot be clearly identified. The few references to this heresy in the writings of the church fathers link it to Nicolas, one of the seven men appointed to oversee the distribution of food in Acts 6. Some argued that Nicolas was a false believer who rebelled, but retained influence in the church because of his credentials. Others suggested that the Nicolaitans misrepresented his teaching. Whatever its origin, Nicolaitanism led people into immorality and wickedness. Revelation 2:12–15 links it with Balaam’s false teaching that led Israel into sin.

Unlike the church at Pergamum, the Ephesian church did not tolerate the Nicolaitans but hated their heretical teachings. For that the Lord commended them. Hatred was an appropriate attitude and exactly the opposite reaction to the tolerance of the Pergamum church (2:14–15).

THE CONCERN

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

Despite the positive highlights of the Ephesian church, Christ had spotted a fatal flaw. Though they maintained their doctrinal purity and served Christ, that service had turned mechanical. Forty years after being marked by love (Ephesians 1:15; 3:17–19; 6:23), the affection had cooled. The current generation was maintaining the church’s teachings, but it had left its first love. They had sunk to the place where they were carrying out their Christian responsibilities with diminishing love for their Lord and others.

The grave danger of that situation is illustrated by the disaster that ensued when Israel’s love for God cooled (Jeremiah 2:2–13; Ezekiel 16:8–15). God eventually brought judgment against His people when their love disappeared. As it had in Israel, the honeymoon had ended at Ephesus. The loss of a vital love relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ opened the doors to spiritual apathy and indifference to others. Despite its outwardly robust appearance, a deadly spiritual cancer was growing at the heart of the Ephesian church.

THE COMMAND

"Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent." (2:5)

The Great Physician issued a prescription to the Ephesians that would cure their spiritual malaise. First, they needed to literally “keep on remembering” from where they had fallen. Forgetfulness is frequently the initial cause of spiritual decline, and the Ephesians needed to recognize the seriousness of such a lapse. Second, they needed to repent in an intentional turning from their sins, because to fail to love God fully is sin (Mark 12:30). Finally, they needed to demonstrate the genuineness of their repentance and return to their original deeds. They needed to recapture the richness of Bible study, devotion to prayer, and passion for worship that had once characterized them.

Underscoring the seriousness of the situation, Christ warned the Ephesians to take the necessary steps to recover their first love for Him. He demanded that they change or be chastened: “I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.” The coming He refers to is not His second coming, but His coming to them in local judgment on that church. Failure to obey the warning would cause Him to remove their lampstand (symbolic of the church; 1:20) out of its place. Tragically, Christ threatened divine judgment that would bring an end to the Ephesian church.

THE COUNSEL

"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." (2:7)

The letter closes with an exhortation and a promise. Christ’s exhortation “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” closes each of the seven letters. It emphasizes the serious responsibility believers have to obey God’s voice in Scripture. The use of the plural noun “churches” signifies the universal nature of this invitation each time that it appears. This call cannot be limited just to a group of overcomers in a single church. It must apply to all churches. Every church needs to hear every message.

The promise, as are those associated with the other six letters (2:11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21), is addressed to “him who overcomes.” The term does not refer to those who have attained to a higher level of the Christian life, but to all Christians. The apostle John defines it that way in his first epistle: “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4–5). All true believers are overcomers, who have by God’s grace and power overcome the power of the evil world system.

Christ promises the overcomers at Ephesus that they will “eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” The tree of life is first referred to in Genesis 2:9, where it stands in the garden of Eden. That earthly tree was lost due to sin. Adam was forbidden to eat from it (Genesis 3:22). However, the heavenly tree of life (Revelation 22:2, 14, 19) will last throughout eternity. The tree of life symbolizes eternal life. The “Paradise of God” is heaven (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4).

The example of the Ephesian church warns that right beliefs and outward service cannot make up for a cold heart. Believers must carefully follow Solomon’s counsel: “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

15: The Revelation: The Letter to the Believers at Ephesus (Part 1) (Revelation2:1–7)

 

Francis Schaeffer once observed that “the meaning of the word Christian has been reduced to practically nothing.… Because the word Christian as a symbol has been made to mean so little, it has come to mean everything and nothing.” The term Christian in contemporary usage can mean anyone who claims any kind of allegiance to Jesus Christ.

Though our culture may confuse the definition of a Christian, the Bible is clear. Christians are those who are united to God through Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:13). They have exercised saving faith in Jesus (John 3:15–18; Acts 4:12; 1 John 5:1) and repented of their sins (Romans 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9). God has forgiven their sins (Acts 10:43), made them His children (Romans 8:16–17), and transformed them into new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17) indwelt by the Holy Spirit (John 14:17).

While love for the Lord Jesus Christ will always be present in true Christians, it can fluctuate in its intensity. Christians will not always love Christ with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. There is no better biblical illustration of the seriousness of allowing love for Christ to weaken than this letter to the Ephesian church.

The seven churches addressed in chapters 2 and 3 were actual existing churches when John wrote. They also represent the types of churches that have existed throughout the church’s history. For example, five of the seven churches were confronted for tolerating sin in their midst, a problem still seen today.

The Ephesian church was not only first on the postal route. It was also the most prominent of the seven churches. It was the church that founded the other six (Acts 19:10) and the recipient of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. The contents of this first letter form the pattern for the other six. It contains seven distinct features: the correspondent, the church, the city, the commendation, the concern, the command, and the counsel.

THE CORRESPONDENT

"The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands..." (2:1b)

Though the writer is not named, the description makes it obvious who He is. He is the One depicted as the glorious Lord of the church in 1:9–20, the exalted Jesus Christ. These two phrases are taken from the description of Christ in John’s vision (1:13, 16). In fact, Christ identifies Himself to each of the first five churches by using phrases from that vision. This reinforces the truth of His authorship through John.

The comment that Christ “holds the seven stars in His right hand” indicates that these churches are His servants. The “stars” refer to the leaders of each local congregation (1:20). Christ further describes Himself as “the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands.” As its sovereign ruler, He has the authority to examine and address the church.

THE CHURCH

"...the church in Ephesus." (2:1a)

Perhaps no church in history had as rich a heritage as the one at Ephesus. Priscilla and Aquila first introduced the gospel to that city (Acts 18:18–19). Soon they were joined by the powerful preacher Apollos (Acts 18:24–26). Together, the three laid the groundwork for Paul’s ministry in Ephesus.

The apostle Paul first stopped briefly in Ephesus near the end of his second missionary journey (Acts 18:19–21), but his real ministry there took place on his third missionary journey. Arriving in Ephesus, he first encountered some followers of John the Baptist (Acts 19:1–7). After preaching 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 for the next three years (Acts 20:31).

Later, on his way to Jerusalem near the end of his third missionary journey, Paul taught the elders of the Ephesian church the essential principles of church leadership (Acts 20:17–38), a message he later expanded in his pastoral epistles. Paul’s protégé Timothy served as pastor of the church at Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3). Onesiphorus (2 Timothy 1:16, 18) and Tychicus (2 Timothy 4:12), two more of Paul’s fellow laborers, also served at Ephesus. Finally, according to the testimony of the early church, the apostle John spent the last decades of his life at Ephesus, from which he likely wrote his three epistles in which he calls himself “the elder” (cf. 2 John 1; 3 John 1). He was likely leading the Ephesian church when he was arrested and exiled to Patmos.

Paul’s ministry profoundly affected not only the city of Ephesus, but also the entire province of Asia (Acts 19:10). During this time, the rest of the seven churches were founded. Shocked at realizing the futility of trusting in pagan practices, “many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver” (verses 18–19). That staggering sum, equivalent to 50,000 days of workers’ wages, reveals the magnitude of Ephesus’s involvement in the magic arts.

The striking conversions of large numbers of Ephesians threatened the economy of the city’s craftsmen. Ephesus was the center of the worship of the goddess Artemis, whose ornate temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. At the instigation of a silversmith named Demetrius, the craftsmen began a riot that threw Ephesus into chaos (Acts 19:23–41).

Four decades later the apostle Paul was gone, as were many of the first generation of believers converted under his ministry. A new situation called for another inspired letter to the Ephesians, this one penned by the apostle John.

THE CITY

"...Ephesus..." (2:1a)

Although not the province’s capital, Ephesus was the most important city in Asia Minor, and the Roman governor resided there. Its population in New Testament times has been estimated at 250,000 to 500,000 people. The city’s theater, visible today, held an estimated 25,000 people. Ephesus was a self-governing city with no Roman troops stationed there. The city hosted athletic events rivaling the Olympic games.

Ephesus was the primary harbor in the province of Asia. The city was located on the Cayster River, about three miles from where it flowed into the sea. Those disembarking at the harbor traveled along a magnificent, wide, column-lined road called the Arcadian Way that led to the city’s center. In John’s day, silt deposited by the Cayster River was slowly filling up the harbor, forcing the city to fight to keep a channel open. That battle would ultimately be lost, with today’s ruins some six miles inland from the sea.

Ephesus was also strategically located at the junction of four of the most important Roman roads in Asia Minor. That, along with its harbor, prompted the geographer Strabo (a contemporary of Christ) to describe Ephesus as the market of Asia.

But Ephesus was most famous as the center of the worship of the goddess Artemis, also called Diana (Acts 19:27, 35). The temple of Artemis was Ephesus’s most prominent landmark, and it served as one of the most important banks in the Mediterranean world. The temple also provided sanctuary for criminals. Further, the sale of items used in the worship of Artemis provided an important source of income for the city (Acts 19:24). Every spring a month-long festival was held in honor of the goddess, complete with athletic, dramatic, and musical events. Meanwhile, the grounds surrounding the temple were a cacophony of priests, prostitutes, bankers, criminals, musicians, dancers, and frenzied, hysterical worshipers. The philosopher Heraclitus was called the weeping philosopher because no one, he declared, could live in Ephesus and not weep over its immorality. Huddled in the midst of such pagan idolatry that characterized Ephesus was a faithful group of Christians. It was to them that Christ addressed this first of the seven letters.

14. The Revelation: The Effects of the Vision (Revelation 1:17-19)

 

The overwhelming vision John witnessed transformed him. His initial response was devastating fear, which the Lord removed by assurance and then by giving John a sense of duty.

1. Fear

"When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man..." (1:17a)

In a manner similar to his experience at the transfiguration of Jesus more than six decades earlier (Matthew 17:6), John was again overwhelmed with fear upon encountering Christ’s glory. Such fear was standard for those few who experienced such unusual heavenly visions (Isaiah 6:5; Ezekiel 1:28; 3:23; Daniel 10:8–9).

In stark contrast to the boastful claims of many in our own day who claim to have seen God, the reaction of those in Scripture who genuinely saw God was one of fear. Those brought face-to-face with the glory of Christ are terrified, realizing their sinful unworthiness to be in His holy presence.

2. Assurance

"And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” (1:17b–18)

As He had done at the transfiguration (Matthew 17:7), Jesus placed His right hand on John and comforted him. This is a touch of comfort and reassurance. There is comfort for Christians overwhelmed by the majesty of Christ in the assurance of His gracious love and forgiveness. Jesus’ comforting words, “Do not be afraid,” reveal His compassionate assurance to the terrified apostle.

The comfort Jesus offered was based on His person and His authority. First, He identified Himself as “I am,” the covenant name of God (Exodus 3:14). Jesus next identified Himself as “the first and the last” (see also 2:8; 22:13), a title used of God in the Old Testament (Isaiah 44:6; 48:12). Third, Jesus claimed to be “the living One” (cf. John 1:4; 14:6). God is the eternal, uncreated, self-existent One. Jesus’ application of these titles to Himself are powerful proofs of His deity.

Christ’s seemingly paradoxical declaration “I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore” provides further grounds for assurance. The Greek text literally reads, “I became dead.” The living One, the eternal God who could never die, became man and did die (1 Peter 3:18).

“Behold” introduces a statement of amazement and wonder: “I am alive forevermore.” Christ lives forever in a union of glorified humanity and deity, “according to the power of an indestructible life” (Hebrews 7:16). “Christ, having been raised from the dead,” wrote Paul, “is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him” (Romans 6:9).

Jesus also “holds the keys of death and of Hades.” Those terms are essentially synonymous, with death being the condition and Hades the place. “Hades” is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament term “Sheol” and refers to the place of the dead. “Keys” denote access and authority. Jesus Christ has the authority to decide who dies and who lives. John, like all the redeemed, had nothing to fear, since Christ had already delivered him from death and Hades by His own death.

Knowing that Christ has authority over death provides assurance, since believers need no longer fear it. Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.… because I live, you will live also” (John 11:25; 14:19). The knowledge that Christ “loves us and released us from our sins by His blood” (Revelation 1:5) provides the assurance that is the balance to the reverential fear that His glory and majesty evoke.

3. Duty

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

Finally, John was provided a reminder of his duty. Christ’s earlier command to write is now expanded, as John is told to record three features. First, “the things which you have seen,” the vision John had just seen and recorded in verses 10–16. Next, “the things which are,” a reference to the letters to the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3. Finally, John was to write “the things which will take place after these things,” the prophecies of future events unfolded in chapters 4–22. This threefold command provides an outline for the book of Revelation, encompassing the past, present, and future.

Like John, all Christians have a duty to pass on the truths they learn from the visions recorded in this book. Those visions at first may seem startling, even disturbing. But they, like all Scripture, are “inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). As believers study the glory of Christ reflected in Revelation, “we all … [will be] transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

13. The Revelation: The Unfolding of the Vision (Revelation 1:12-16, 20)

Yesterday, we began looking at looking at the present work of Christ which discloses seven aspects of the Lord’s ongoing ministry to His church. Today we consider aspects 5-7:

5. Christ Controls His Church

"In His right hand He held seven stars … the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches..." (1:16a, 20a)

As the head of His church (Ephesians 4:15; 5:23; Colossians 1:18), Christ exercises authority in His church. In John’s vision, Christ is holding seven stars in His right hand, identified in verse 20 as “the angels of the seven churches,” which symbolized those authorities. That He held them in His right hand does not picture safety and protection, but control.

The Greek word translated here as “angels” is the common word for angels, leading some interpreters to conclude that angelic beings are in view in this passage. But the New Testament nowhere teaches that angels are involved in the leadership of the church. Angels do not sin and have no need to repent, as the messengers, along with the congregations they represented, are exhorted to do (2:4–5, 14, 20; 3:1–3, 15, 17, 19). Dr. Robert L. Thomas notes a further difficulty with this view: “It presumes that Christ is sending a message to heavenly beings through John, an earthly agent, so that it may reach earthly churches through angelic representatives.”

It is better understood as “messengers,” as in Luke 7:24; 9:52; and James 2:25. Some suggest that these messengers were representatives from each of the seven churches who came to visit John on Patmos and took the book of Revelation back with them. But since Christ is said to hold them in His right hand, they were more likely leading elders and pastors, one from each of the seven churches.

These seven men demonstrate the function of spiritual leaders in the church. They are to be instruments through which Christ mediates His rule. That is why the standards for leadership in the New Testament are so high. To be assigned as an intermediary through which the Lord Jesus Christ controls His church is to be called to a serious responsibility (cf. 1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–9).

6. Christ Protects His Church

"...and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword" (1:16b)

Christ’s presence also provides protection for His church. The “sharp two-edged sword” that came “out of His mouth” is used to defend the church against external threats. Here, though, it speaks primarily of judgment against enemies from inside the church (2:12, 16; Acts 20:30). Those who attack Christ’s church, sow lies, create discord, or otherwise harm His people will be personally dealt with by the Lord of the church. His word is potent (Hebrews 4:12–13), and will be used against the enemies of His people (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:8), so that all the power of the forces of darkness will be unable to prevent the Lord Jesus Christ from building His church.

7. Christ Reflects His Glory through His Church

"...and His face was like the sun shining in its strength." (1:16c)

John’s vision of the glorified Lord of the church culminated in this description of the radiant glory evident on His face. John borrowed this phrase from Judges 5:31, where it describes those who love the Lord (Matthew 13:43). The glory of God through Christ shines in and through His church, reflecting His glory to the world (2 Corinthians 4:6). The ultimate result is that He is glorified (Ephesians 3:21).