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CHAPTER TWO
2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write;
The message to the Ephesian church not only applied to the church of John's day, but to everyone since then who has walked with his God by faith. In addition, as is often the case in prophecy and as is the case with all seven messages to the churches, it also has an important prophetic message imbedded in it that must be spiritually discerned to be understood. Prophetically, the message to the first church include references to the first age of time: the Age of Innocence.
…These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
Again, as with Revelation 1:13, this brings to mind Matthew 18:20:
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil:
I stated earlier that an acquaintance with the seven ages of time is needful to understand prophecy. Here we see a need for that understanding. (Click here to go the STUDY CHART OF THE AGES. Click on your browser's "Back" button to return to this page.) In addition to the meaning for the church at Ephesus, this portion of the message can also be viewed as referring prophetically to Adam and Eve in the Age of Innocence — the first of the seven ages. We cannot know how long Adam and Eve lived and worked maintaining the Garden before the temptation and the fall. However, if scientist are anywhere near correct with their dating of the dinosaurs, then the first couple may have lived millions of years before Eve's sin — after all, time, death, and decay did not begin until after the fall. So, they had a lot of time to work; and God has not forgotten their labors. The main key here, though, is "...how thou canst not bear them which are evil."
Remember the warning to Adam and Eve? Leave the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil alone, for the day that you eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree ye shall surely die. This was the test for their age. As with the tests for all of the ages, failure would bring forth a curse. Part of that curse was the bringing of evil to the heart of mankind. Of course, the central message of the Bible is that the curse, brought about by the first couple’s disobedience, was put on Christ at the cross and removed from the charge of mankind for all who would believe. (We can deduce that God instructed Adam to install the blood sacrifices that pointed forward to the cross [Gen. 4:1-8 cf. Heb. 11:4] — having killed the first animal Himself and making a covering for them [Gen. 3:21]. So, Adam probably had some understanding of God’s grace in this matter.) But let’s consider how Adam and Eve must have hated the evil they brought into the world. Immediately, they realized that they were naked before God in their sin and that they were fallen from their blessed state of innocence. Also since the knowledge of good and evil had become a part of them, they must have had some understanding that their fellowship with God had been severed. If they also sensed the eventual corruption they had brought to their own bodies and the surety of the grave that awaited them, we can’t know. (Remember, they went into this with 100% of their reasoning powers, not the some 5% to 8% that we have today!) In the Lord's statement, "I know… how thou canst not bear them which are evil..." it could also be that the Lord was speaking prophetically of the hatred for sin that the first couple would feel as sin would begin tearing up their family, the human family — beginning with the death of their yet-to-be-born son, Able, who would be murdered by his brother Cain. And there would be no relief in sight, for as we know, when their family began growing, so did the effects of sin. Part of Adam and Eve's judgment must have been their longevity, for Adam lived 930 years after the fall before the death he brought into the world took his body — 930 years to watch those he loved degenerate physically and spiritually. So, if it could ever be said of anyone that they could not bear them which were evil, it had to have been the two who brought the evil into the world.
...and thou hast tried them which say
they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not
fainted.
Let's look now at the application of this word to the Church of Ephesus, and to all believers that would eventually read it. The word is a masterpiece of encouragement, commendation, and reprimand. Our Lord began verse two by saying He knew the Ephesians' works, labor, and patience; however, He didn’t bother to say what He knew. But then He does say that He is pleased that they cannot bear them that are evil and that they are aware of the tares in their midst. Then in verse three, He recognizes their endurance and patience and He again speaks of their labor saying:
"...and for my name's sake hast laboured…"; This is the second time that He has mentioned their labor in this short message, and from its wording, we know for sure that the labor for his name’s sake was accepted and approved. He follows this approval with a final commendation: "...and hast not fainted."This is not the only time that the Lord has expressed His concern for believers that they should not faint in their walk of faith. In Luke 18:1 we read: "And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint." He followed this sage comment with the parable of the unjust judge and the persistent widow who final got her petition from the unjust judge simply because she was continually pestering him. Jesus summed up His parable saying that if the unjust judge granted her petition just to get rid of her, "…shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"
The writer of Hebrews was also concerned about the endurance of those being tried in his day, and his exhortation holds for every saint since that is going through a period of trials: "…consider him [Jesus] that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds (Hebrews 12:3).
In Hebrews, we also see a similar concern for those being chastised of the Lord. "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him" (Hebrews 12:5).
We would do well to remember that we all have feet of clay and we all have to walk in the dust of this world [Jn. 13:2-16] — but we should also remember that Jesus washed the feet of those who followed Him.
Jn. 13:5-8
After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me…Hopefully, we are all as concerned about our walk of faith as is the Lord. If so, then we should take heed to what He is trying to tell us in these passages. If we want to be b and not faint in our walk, then we need to pray. (Cf. "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost" [Jude 1:20].) And if we want to keep the dust washed off of our feet, then we need to keep our basin full of the water of the Word (Cf. "That he might sanctify and cleanse it [the Church] with the washing of water by the word" [Ephesians 5:26].) I know that we have been told over and over that to do well in our Christian walk, we need to pray and to read the Bible — so often, in fact, that we have grown indifferent. Nevertheless, the old cliches are still valid: "The Bible will keep you from sin, but sin will keep you from the Bible"; "The family that prays together stays together"; etc. If upon inspection of our lives, we find that we have been ignoring our daily bread (Cf. "...Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" [Mat 4:4]. ) and that we have been missing our quiet times with the Lord—and reaping the confusion that comes from that neglect — isn’t it time for a change? Isn’t it time to put these things into the number-one place of our lives?
2:4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Who can read, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love" without being smitten in their heart and asking the Lord to "have mercy on me a sinner?
2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen,
Although this applies to all of us, can any of us really relate to this as did Adam and Eve?
…and repent,
How many times they must have repented?
…and do the first works;
In other words, simply believe God and not the devil.
…or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
The "candlestick" of this passage is obviously speaking of churches. It also has an application to prophecy. However, there is no way that it can be made to apply to the individual believer, as some would suggest in an attempt to make believers doubt the security of their place in Christ. (For more on the errors of the modern Judaizers who want the world to see an insecure Church, obsessed with a fear of its relationship to God, go to our on-line book MARK THEM.)
PROPHECY: In prophecy, the "candlestick" speaks of the "called out ones" of each age: i.e., the collective / overall body of believers who function under the covenant of their respective age. For the Age of Innocence, the "called-out ones" were only two, Adam and Eve. The only condition to be met in their age was do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They failed to meet the condition and their candlestick was removed from its place. (This letter with its warning to the First Church of Revelation could make one to wonder, what if Adam and Eve had repented instead trying to throw the blame on someone else for their sin, could things have been different?)
CHURCHES: When we think of the candlestick as being local churches, the following Words of Jesus come to mind.
Mt. 5
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.We can't leave this Scripture without looking at the rest of the truth.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
...except thou repent.
True, the candlestick represents the local churches, but the local churches are representative of you and I. Therefore, our church can only have light if you and I let our lights shine! But an integral part of our letting our lights shine "is repentance." John put it this way:
I John 1:
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.This leaves us with a choice. We can either face up to our sins and ask God for forgiveness, and for the strength to forsake them; or we can "sweep them under the rug" and act as if they don't exist. Chances are, the way we deal with our sins will reflect the type of preaching that we sit under week after week. If the church we attend has a pastor that preaches the "whole" Word of God, then we will find ourselves repenting and wanting to share the love of Christ with others. But if we have a pastor who "tickles our ears" so that we feel no need for repentance, then chances are the pastor is either hiding more than his light under a bushel or else the "every wind of doctrine" is blowing so b from the pulpit that it has blown out the flame of the candle. Also, it doesn't take much spiritual insight to realize that certain church denominations representing many, many churches have let their lights go out, and that the members and the communities they are supposed to serve are paying the price. If you can't remember the last time that you "let your little light shine," then perhaps it's time to begin praying about another church to attend.
At any rate, this particular "letter" was addressed to the church of Ephesus in John's day; and we know that they did not repent; for history tells us that not only was their candlestick removed, but so was their city — its ruins being unearthed in the 1800’s.
2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
Nicolaitanes—The Bible tells us little about the Nicolaitanes, and tradition little more. (I've heard it preached that a deacon named Nicolas of Antioch set forth a doctrine wherein the laity in the church were to simply reverence their leaders, bring their money, and let the clergy do the rest. I don’t know what authority they're quoting. But I will agree that such a doctrine is now prevalent in most of the churches and that it has to be one of the most effective ploys ever waged against the Church’s fulfilling its great commission.)
2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;
All Scripture must be read in the Spirit to be understood, and this is especially true of prophecy. Nevertheless, there will come the day about which
each of the prophecies were written and when it does, understanding of that Word will permeate the Body of Christ.
…To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Again, we're into prophetic language. The curse that came from eating the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden was that of being denied access to the Tree of Life. This curse was overcome at the cross for all who
receive Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior. We can see from these words of our Lord that the Tree of Life is in now in the midst of the paradise of God (heaven?) and that none of God's children will be denied its fruit. For now, though, this tree is protected by a flaming sword (the Word of God — see Gen. 3:24); i.e., none can eat of this tree without coming through the Word of God. But we should remember that Christ is the Word incarnate (John 1:1-14), and that He reveals Himself through the foolishness of preaching! (I Cor. 1:21). This is why it is so important that we obey the Lord's great commission and take His Word to the world. He that hears the Word and believes shall be saved and get to partake of the blessed fruit of the Tree of Life, we are told; but he that hears and does not believe shall have chosen eternal damnation and shall be denied the fruit of life (Mark 16:15-16)!
2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write;
The second church to which John was to send a copy of his revelations was located in Smyrna, a port town on the West Coast of Asia Minor. It is thought that Izmir of Turkey stands where Smyrna was located. In John's day Smyrna was under Roman rule, and in Smyrna there was a temple dedicated to the Roman ruler Tiberius who claimed to be deity, which was not uncommon among the rulers of the day. His temple was only one of several temples where people worshipped all kinds of idols. Prophetically, the message to the second church has reference to the second age of time: the Age of Conscience.
…These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
Again, we see important titles that belong to Christ. These are titles that He earned by His redeeming work of Calvary; and as such they belong to the ages that need a Savior which begin with the second age, the Age of Conscience. In I Cor. 15:20-22, we read:
"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." This second age was the first dispensation wherein death ruled in man and wherein Satan could glory in what he had done; but his glory was short lived (heaven's time). At the cross Christ not only undid what the devil had done, but He used the devil's apparent victory to set man where He had originally intended him to be. That is, because of what Christ did for us, we are now over the angels, positionally (the devils included [Heb. 2.5-8]), and at His level (I Jn. 3:2) as His brethren and as joint-heirs with Him (Ro. 8:17).
2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried;
As with the messages to the other six churches, the initial word here was for a Church under persecution; but for this particular church, the persecution had progressed to tribulation. In fact, the same element in Israel that was responsible for our Lord’s crucifixion was still playing havoc with His Church. For this reason, it's understandable that this Word would be especially meaningful for any generation that must go through persecution / tribulation for His name's sake from the time of Christ's ascent to the time of His return. (This holds especially true for the martyrs of the first generation of the Church as well as those of the last generation of our age that will go through the great tribulation that is to try the whole world.)
…and ye shall have tribulation ten days:
ye shall have tribulation ten days." In the numbering system of the Bible, the number 10 stands for "full responsibility"; and as used here, it seems to indicates God's / man's full responsibility to the lost. For our study on Scriptural Numerology, click here to go to chapter 30 of the Clock of the Ages—Click on your browser's "Back" button to return to this page.) In our age this responsibility to the lost is met by those who are faithful to the Lord with their lives and the word of their testimony. However, the number ten as used here could also stand for the total responsibility of God / man to the unredeemed of the remaining six ages of mankind from the second age forward. After all, God has always had (and always will have) a faithful few of every generation, of every age, to help Him seek the lost; and it has always been the faithful who have suffered persecution on His behalf.Scriptural numerology comes to play with the statement, "…
…be thou faithful unto death,
This statement also smacks prophetically of the second age / the Age of Conscience. The key player in both the Age of Innocence and the Age of Conscience was Adam who did not die the natural death until Noah’s father was 56 years old. In the Age of Innocence, God’s command to Adam was not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In the Age of Conscience, His command was to be faithful unto the death. (The death that Adam’s disobedience had brought into the world.) This brings up the question, to what was he to be faithful? Obviously, he was to be faithful to God, but how was he to be faithful? We have no way of knowing all that God told Adam, but from the Scriptures we can deduce that Adam and all of his offspring were to be faithful to the law written in their hearts and the conscience given in place of the
Spirit there in the garden. (This was the basis of the covenant of the Age of Conscience.) And we can also probably safely assume that Adam had been given and was faithful to the sacrificial offering of animals that pointed forward to Christ.…and I will give thee a crown of life.
The Believer’s crown of life is not to be confused with his salvation / relationship to God in Christ Jesus. It is always used in the Scriptures to refer to the rewards awaiting those who have been faithful to God. The Scriptures are clear that the rewards awaiting the Believers in the next life will vary according to their faithfulness; and those who have been faithful to the death will have greater rewards than those who loved their life unto the death. In fact, it might be a fair assessment to say that if one does not receive some sort of persecution somewhere in their walk of faith, they should check the level of their commitment and their faithfulness to the Lord Jesus.
2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;
Again, this is a closed book until the Spirit of Christ opens our minds and hearts.
…He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
The final word to the second church is a "glory hallelujah" — an exclamatory punctuation to the prophetic content of the Bible. Because of what our Big Brother has done, we’ve won! Consequently, the death that Adam brought on the human race the day that he ate of the tree — the death of the spirit (the second death that passed on to his seed from the Age of Conscience forward) — cannot hurt those who are in Christ Jesus!
2:12 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write;
Prophetically, the message to the third church contains reference to the third age of time: the Age of Human Government.
The third church was located in Pergamos, the capital of Mysia, which had become a part of the Roman Empire. It was a wealthy town, being the capital of the newly formed providence of Asia under Roman rule. As such, its culture reflected the times — including the presence of many temples to the gods and goddesses of the day, even having a temple where the Caesar of Rome could be worshipped.
…These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
—Sadly, the Word of God is not Bread, and Water, and Life to most, but a Sword — a flaming Sword at the entrance to the Garden of Eden to keep unconverted man from the tree of life; and a two-edged sword to come against and to eventually destroy the enemies of Christ. And by the way, as strange as it may seem, Israel and the New Testament Church have been the ones chosen to handle this Sword. And to add to this enigma, the Church is to wield this Sword in love. "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Mt. 5:44).sharp sword with two edges
The two edges of the sword have some applications that are worth considering.
One interpretation has to do with the two ways that the Word of God has been given to man: i.e., oral tradition and written. The oral Word was from Adam to Moses. As far as we know, there were no Scriptures written until Moses. However, when God and Moses where alone on Mt. Sinai in the cloud of glory [Exodus 19:20], God undoubtedly gave Moses understanding of the important things that transpired during the time that the Word was being passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. Actually, oral tradition, as the process of orally handing down the Word of God is called, is not as haphazard as it might first sound. If we'll recall, during the early periods of time, longevity was in effect. In fact, only three generations were responsible for bringing God's word from the fall to the flood: Adam lived 930 years after the flood, Lamech (Noah's father) was only 56 when Adam died, and then Noah. We have a similar situation from the flood to Abraham. Noah lived to be 950 (600 years before the flood and 350 years after). He died only two years before Abram (Abraham) was born. Undoubtedly, Noah passed on to Terah, Abraham's father, all that had been passed on to him from Adam through his father Lamech. Abraham then passed the "oral tradition" on to his posterity. (Remember, the telling and retelling of their encounters with God was to be an important part of the Hebrew's family tradition.) By the time of Moses, because of the shortened life span of man and the increased number of people involved in the "oral tradition," it became necessary to commit the Word of God to paper lest it become compromised. From Moses day forward, God appointed men to write and to carefully preserve His Word for mankind. (They were called the Scribes and the rewriting and preservation of the Scriptures were their only tasks.) Hence, one interpretation of the two edges could possibly be that the Word of God will have been in effect during both the period of "oral tradition" and the times when it was "written"; however, this analogy might better apply to the sides of the sword rather than the edges. Which ever the case, the times of the "oral tradition" and the "written" Word cover the whole of man’s existence on the earth.
Another interpretation applies to just the written era of the Word. It suggests that the two edges of sword represent the time of the law and the time of grace. According to this interpretation, Heb. 4:12 could be read thusly: "For the word of God is quick [alive], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul [Age of the Law] and spirit [Age of Grace], and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." "...Powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit..." — this could be speaking to both the Age of the Law wherein men worshipped God in their souls, and through outward acts such as sacrifices; and the Age of Grace wherein the body of the believer is the temple of the Holy Spirit and men worship God in spirit and truth in the innermost part of man. Whatever the interpretation, be it either, or neither, or both; we need to remember that the Sword of the Spirit is not against the believer, but against the enemies of Christ and of His Church.
2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest,
Here, Jesus is encouraging the believers by reminding them that He hasn't forgot their labors of love and their faith in the face of adversity. (We need to remember that during the first 100 years or so of the Church's existence, it suffered not only verbal persecution, but it was often subjected to pain, prison, and martyrdom because of its faith.)
…even where Satan's seat is:
The term "Satan’s seat" has to do with his allocated power. The term "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2) suggests that his domain is limited to this earth which, as far as we know, is the only place that God has created where life is dependent upon air. But the actual seat of his power is in the hearts of men and women. Because Satan has been given permission to operate in the "playgrounds" of disobedience, doubt, sluggardism, perversion…(I Tim.1:9-10); he is also known as "…the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2).
Satan mainly exerts his power in two fronts: religion and wealth — both of which wield power in the world system.
RELIGION: From the rash of superstitious religions that have seemingly always been in the world, there is evidence that Satan works everywhere there is a son or daughter of Adam. But from these words of Jesus, it would seem that Satan's "seat" in organized religion was in Jerusalem; more explicitly, that it was in the hearts of those Jews who had rejected their Messiah and had Him crucified.
John 8:
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.The hatred that the devil stirred against the Christ and His followers continued on long after Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70. But because the Hebrews lost their clout in the world — as could be expected — Satan turned his attention to the New Testament Church. He began planting his tares in the newly organized church immediately after its inception (Matthew 13:25-40); and throughout the age, he has been busy planting hatred against the Body of Christ in the hearts of the ungodly.
WEALTH: As impressive as Satan’s power over man has been / is through organized religion, his control via wealth, political power, and fame (recognition among men) is probably greater. It was with these enticements that he had sucked Israel into his system and accomplished what he did during the Visitation and the fledgling days of the New Church. And it was with these things that he built his main "seat": i.e., the mysterious, prophetic Babylon the Great that rules over the world’s political / monetary system, his place of authority as the prince of the powers of the air. This is where the prophetic portion of the message to the third church — which refers back to the third age of the world — comes to play. Noah was the main character in the third age which is known as the Age of Human Government. If you’ll recall, this age began after the universal flood and its covenant contained a continuation of the previous covenants plus the installation of the present "man over man" form of government. (Click here to go the STUDY CHART OF THE AGES and THEIR COVENANTS. Click on your browser's "Back" button to return to this page.) In this new covenant the people were instructed to scatter and replenish the earth. Satan immediately began pulling then together and his first real success against man on this side of the flood was at Babylon. All of his enticing powers lay at its foundation; and as a slap at God, he got the men there to build a tall tower into the heavens. He may have told them that if they would build the tower, God could come down and talk with them as he did with Adam in the cool of the evening. Who knows? At any rate, this was nothing but a repeat of Cain's attempt to make God receive man on his own merits (Genesis 4:1-7). In response to their disobedience, God sent the confusion of tongues and scattered the families of the earth (Genesis 11:9). (The different races may have come about at this time as well.) It was at this time that Satan firmly established his "seat" and it has been a blight on man ever since. However, as we'll soon see in our study, just as the returning Christ will undo the curses brought on by Satan in the other ages, He will also undo the curses accompanying the tower of Babel. He will also dismantle and destroy Satan's mysterious Babylon the Great and set up His rule of peace in its stead when He returns at the end of our age.
…and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Again, this is a word of encouragement from our Lord and Savior; and it applies to anyone at anytime who is being oppressed or persecuted for His name's sake.
2:14 But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Christ is waving a red flag at His Church again, this time alerting it to the error of Balac the king of the idol worshipers all around Israel during the time of its kings. Because Balac knew he couldn't whip Israel militarily (for God was on their side), he tried to hire Balaam the prophet to get God to curse His people Israel. The prophet Balaam knew that God would not curse His people chosen in Abraham, but he still wanted the money. So, with cunning inspired of the devil, Balaam made peace with Balac and the Moabites; and he convinced the Israelites to follow suit. Bottom line, what Satan couldn't do militarily, he did by infiltration, for the Israelites eventually turned away from God to their neighbors' false idols and perverted sexual practices which brought the forewarned curses upon their land.
2:15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.
2:16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;
Again we see those with the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes (see verse 6 above), only unlike the church at Ephesus, this church had made peace with them. Consequently, those of this church in Pergamos are given the choice of repenting, or of suffering with the idol worshippers when God’s judgment is brought to bear according to the Scriptures.
…To him that overcometh…
Click here for an overview of the overcoming/overcomers in the Bible.
…will I give to eat of the hidden manna,…
…will I give…This is the future tense; and this would be true if this third church is representative of the third age, the Age of Human Government. (Even though the type of the true manna was given during the Age of the Law (Ex. 16) — the true manna would not be revealed until the Age of Grace [John 6], and then only to the believers.) Click here for an overview of "manna."
…and will give him a white stone,…
This is the only mentioning of a white stone in the Bible. The believers (the sons of God) are often referred to as stones (cf. John 1:42 & 1 Peter 2:5) but white stands for holiness. Who is the only man to serve God of whom this could be said? Well, it can't be Abraham; for though he was a lively stone he was one of flesh and fault; and the Bible didn’t hide Peter’s shortcomings (See Mt. 16:18 cf. Mt. 26:34). Even the Virgin Mary, who was definitely one of the Lord's "lively stones," had to wait in the upper room to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and to be born again into the family of God, as all others during the Age of Grace (Acts 1:12-13). This "white stone" can only be ascribed to one person, the Son of Man — one of the titles of Jesus the Christ.
…and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
…and in the stone... This "white stone" has a restricted application: being mentioned only this one time in the Bible; and then, in its association with the third age of prophecy: the Age of Human Government.
...a new name written * , which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it... We should also note that like the hidden manna, this "white stone" has hidden elements. It is hidden to the lost of this world whose eyes have been blinded and can only be opened by the glorious Gospel of Christ. And regarding the new names that are written in the stone — down through the ages, all who will have feared God and trusted in Him as He has chosen to reveal Himself will have their names written in this "white stone"/ Christ/ Word of God/ Book of Life — however, none can know this except they who have their names so written.
NOTE—In the messages to the first two of the seven churches, each one was punctuated with a final positive reference to the applicable prophetic age; and each reference dealt with God’s eventual removal of the curses that men had brought into the world because of failing to keep their part of the covenant of their respective ages. The imagery in this message to the third church follows suit. Man’s rule of man in God’s stead had failed. The confusion and distrust of the different languages (?and races?) combined with the shortened life spans had scattered man and diffused his abilities. However, in the fullness of time when Christ (the White Stone / Manna from heaven) sets up His Kingdom on earth for the thousand years of peace, the effect of these curses will be undone.**
*For the seed of Israel — as with many other things about this little nation of prophecy — their names have been written in the Book of Life in a unique way. The names of Abraham's seed are written in the Book of Life as per our LORD's promise to Abraham concerning his posterity (Genesis 17:5; Genesis 18:17-18). (For the study on how Israel's names are written in the Book of Life and how they can be removed, click here and go to booklet four of our on-line book MARK THEM. Click on your browser's "Back" button to return to this page. )
**God did not see fit to let us know what all the human race had accomplished before the flood. The short two chapters in Genesis deals only with their spiritual state. However, during the millennium, with longevity restored, (Isa. 65:18-21; Zech. 18:4-5) the things that man will once again be able to achieve defy the imagination — especially when we consider that the Creator Himself will be in charge and calling the shots.
2:18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write;
The fourth church was located in Thyatira of Asia, a small city that probably housed a military garrison because of its location on a well-used road between two populated areas. Its only real claim to fame is that it is in the Bible. Prophetically, the message to the fourth church has reference to the fourth age of time: the Age of Promise.
…These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
These descriptives identify Christ as deity, as the One who tries the hearts of men, and as the One Who became a man and went through His own unique testings and trials. ("For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings" [Heb. 2:10]).
2:19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.
Again, we see a word that is more of an encouragement than it is a commendation, although it could be read as a commendation, and usually is. (The Lord knows how badly we need both.) However, there is a mystery here, and it is one that alludes me. "I know thy works…and thy works; and the last to be more than the first." From my experiences in Bible study, I dare say that this is not double talk as it first appears. If this statement is viewed more as an encouragement than it is as a commendation, the two "works" could be seen as referring to the two opposing kinds of work in the church; i.e., the work energized by the love of God and the work from self-righteousness / self-effort. If the statement is viewed more as a commendation, the two "works" could be simply referring to the two kinds of work possible for the Christian: i.e., the work prompted by duty and the work prompted by the leading of the Holy Spirit. Or the two "works" could be as some later versions (interpretations) of the Bible say; i.e., the works done early on (in the life of the church? or the age?) and the works done later on in the same. But then again, it could be that this wording is for another day, and that the meaning will be very significant to those who receive it.
2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication,
The mentioning of Jezebel brings to mind the time of Ahab, a king of Israel during the Age of the Law, who's wife, Jezebel, killed many of the prophets and priests of Israel and installed her prophets of the god Baal in their place. A little research about Baal will show us that back in the Age of Promise when God was beginning a work with Abraham, Satan was also busy in the surrounding communities installing his false gods and idols. Under Satan’s influence each of these communities adopted their own god(s) which were referred to as "baal" (with a little "b"). This was because the original meaning of "baal" was master or owner in the same sense that a husband controlled his household. The heathens of Abraham's day assigned this connotation to the gods they had created in their minds, putting them in control of their crops and their destinies. Eventually "baal" evolved into Baal, the bigger-than-life, universal personality that Jezebel worshiped. Because of the way Jezebel embodied Satan's hatred for God and his rough-shod ways over man, she is used in the Book of Revelation as a type of false religion and idol worship — all of which will be done away at the end time by the One True Living God in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
…and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
Let’s consider the message again as it applies to the local church to which it was sent. Perhaps they actually had a woman named Jezebel in their midst — or maybe there was a woman who was acting like Jezebel of old — seducing God's children to commit spiritual fornication. At any rate, God's displeasure with their tolerance of her was obvious, and it should serve as a warning to every church of every generation since. (The word to this and to all the other seven churches apply to every local body since the Church’s inception on the "If the shoe fits, wear it!" basis. Although in today’s churches, we don't have problems with meat offered to idols at various temples, if meat in the Scriptures is doing the work of God [See Jn. 4:34 below.], then the busy, religious segment in our churches who are in competitive, self-willed activities and causing discord among the brethren might very well be said to be eating meat offered up to devils.)
John 4:
31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to
eat?
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
2:21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
This is typical of God's grace and longsuffering, giving even His enemies space to repent. And if He gives His enemies time to repent, how much more time does He give those who are called to serve Him? We don't know how long God gave Jezebel to repent, but we can look at the length of the ages and see that God truly takes no pleasure in the destruction of the rebellious, but wants all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30; Eze. 33:11). This is especially demonstrated in the fourth age, the Age of Promise, when we consider that in the some 430 years from Abraham to Moses, there were very few heroes of faith that God saw fit to mention in His Word. However, the faith of the following Hebrew children are recorded for posterity.
> Abraham and Sarah: Abraham was the friend of Christ and the father of the Hebrew nation. Not enough can be said about this father of the faithful who God has promised to make the "father of many nations."
> Isaac and Rebekah: Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah in their old age. Isaac was a gentle soul and a joy to his parents; but he is remember in that he serves as a type of Christ; miraculously born when his mother was well past childbearing age (cf. Christ, born of a virgin) and taking the bride that was chosen for him by God (cf, Christ coming again to take up His Bride, the Church).
> Jacob and Rachel: Jacob was the son of Isaac. God later changed his name to Israel. Jacob had a very interesting life and every child should read of his adventures of faith.
> Joseph, one of Jacob's 12 children and a champion of faith. The story of Joseph's trials and victories are inspiring and uplifting for all believers: how that he was sold into slavery by his evil brothers and how God kept him through all of his trials and eventually raised him out of a dungeon to rule the known world of his day as the Pharaoh's right-hand man.
> Jochebed, the mother of Moses. As the ruler of Egypt, Joseph had his family moved to Egypt where a remnant of Israel was sustained throughout the Age of Promise; but we hear of no more heroes of faith among the Israelites until the end of the age when we hear of Jochebed, the mother of Moses who defied the decree of an evil Pharaoh that had ordered all Hebrew boy babies to be drowned in the river. How Jochebed saved her baby and placed him where he would eventually become a man of renown in the Pharaoh's court is some more fascinating reading.Other than these few, we know of no others who really stood tall for God during the Age of Promise. Eventually, because of the Egyptians' hatred for the Hebrew children and because of the Hebrew's obsession with the "flesh pots" of Egypt, God had to make a change. So, He called Moses to lead the Hebrew children out of bondage; and with Moses as His new champion, He began the Age of the Law.
If we will consider the seven ages of time, we will see a pattern evolving that reflects God's longsuffering (i.e., His giving people "space" to repent) and his plan for the ages. Time actually began with the second age, The Age of Conscience, as did people's need to repent and to find the purpose for their creation. Consequently, beginning with the Age of Conscience, let's consider God's purposes and longsuffering.
Age of Conscience: Because the spirit of man had "died" (i.e., ceased its primary function of fellowshipping with God) in the Garden the day that Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God put in man a conscience. During the second age, the Age of Conscience, the conscience worked hand in hand with the "law in their hearts" (i.e., the precepts of the ten commandments—see Romans 2:14-15) as well as the testimony of the first couple, Adam and Eve, to bring the sons of Adam back to their Creator. We're told very little about the people of the second age except that they lived to be very old (many living for some seven and eight hundred years) and that when God decided to bring the age to an end, there was only one family that believed in God and wanted to do good. He suffered with the people and the evil of this age for over one and a half millenniums.
Age of Human Government: During this third age, God told the people through Noah that He wanted them to scatter and settle the earth. They were also given opportunity to work with God and help Him rule His earth. Instead, they bought the lies of the devil and built the infamous "Tower of Babel," a monument to their rebellion. God brought the rebellion of the people to an end by confounding their tongues (changed their languages) so they could not communicate and work together in their rebellion. God gave the people of this third age over four hundred years to repent of their wickedness, but they refused.
Age of Promise: The key figure in the fourth age, The Age of Promise, was Abraham. We've already mentioned its heroes and its failings at the beginning of our discussion of the fourth church. As we noted, God endured the defiance of the people of this age for over 400 years.
Age of the Law: The hero of this fifth age was Moses, the statesman and the prophet. God had given His Word to Moses in miraculous ways for all of the Hebrews to see. But rather than loving one another as God had commanded, and having respect for His Word, they cheated and devoured one another and defamed His Word among the neighboring tribes that they were to evangelize. Their ultimate rebellion was having God's Only Begotten Son crucified. God put up with the people of this age for over 1,400 years before taking His Word from their charge and giving it to the New Testament Church.
Age of Grace: The Age of Grace is also called the Church Age; and because of the empowering gift of the Holy Spirit, it is also known as the Age of the Holy Spirit. If we look at the church, we will see that this age has had its up and down moments. (For Israel, which has been in dispersion among the Gentiles throughout the age, it has been mostly down.) The Lord Himself predicted that during our age the road to destruction would be wide and have many people traveling on it; while the road to life would be strait and narrow and few there would be that find it. We are also told in the prophetic portions of the Scriptures that at the end of our age, the NT church will have a form of godliness that denies the power of God and that it will enter into a "falling away" from the Word of God. We have already entered into both of these end-time signs. Although the "many" on the "wide road" have refused His offer, during the past 2,000 years, God has given them ample time to repent and to accept the gift of life purchased for them by His Son's death on the Cross.
Kingdom Age: Although we are given little understanding of what will take place during and after the Kingdom Age, we do know that a great many who lived during the 1,000 years of peace will become dissatisfied with the Lord of Glory. At the end of the age, they will join a rebellion with Lucifer, the father of lies as he tries one-last-futile attempt at overthrowing the Lord Jesus. So at the end of the Kingdom Age, once again, it looks like God will be giving the inhabitants of the earth space to repent. But once again, a great many will refuse. (For more on the ages / dispensations of time, go to booklet one of our on-line book THE CLOCK OF THE AGES.)
2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
Behold, I will cast her into a bed... The original language carried the implication that this bed would be a bed of anguish. As Jezebel learned, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God (Heb. 10:31).
...and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. Every church should take to heart this dire warning given to the 4th church. We need to heed this word as individuals, as well; and if we see our church heading this way, we need to come out from among their spiritual adultery lest we get caught up in their judgment. As we can see from the next verse, such judgment can be very grievous.
2:23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
And I will kill her children with death...This actually happened to the children of the infamous Ahab and Jezebel, according to the words of the prophet Elisha: "...For the whole house of Ahab shall perish (II Kings 9:8)."
...and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts:... Both the Old and the New Testaments present God as One who searches and tries all the hearts of man. However, we should note that He searches the hearts of the believers and the unbelievers differently, for different reasons. For those who have not received Christ as Lord and Savior, i.e., those who are still in the valley of decision, His primary purpose for searching the heart is to find those who will accept Christ. When they do, they are no longer in the valley of decision, but they become heavenly citizens (Eph. 2:6; Php. 3:20). The following passage deals with some people in the valley of decision who refuse God's gift of eternal life, and it is just one of many Scriptures dealing with the final judgment of the unbelievers/ ungodly..
Joel 3:
13 Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision....and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. This does not have to do with the works of the law per se, but to the work of faith vs. the works of the flesh which are energized by the law.
Jn. 6:29
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
cf.
Gal. 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Gal. 5:
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.2:24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak... Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians, and she had been raised as a zealous worshipper of Baal. Although Ahab, the king of Isael, knew that he was forbidden to do so, he married her and to please her, built an altar and a temple to Baal. To reciprocate, Jezebel set up 400 prophets for Baal and tried to kill all of the prophets of Israel. (For the interesting contest between Jezebel and Elijah, go to I Kings 18-21.) Although the Bible doesn't spell out the doctrine of Jezebel, if it applies to what transpired during her day, it would have to do with the church marrying unbelievers and giving them a say in the local body.
"…I will put upon you none other burden..."
2:25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
"…I will put upon you none other burden..." This language to the fourth church brings to mind the fourth Age, the Age of Promise, and its accompanying covenant which was the most gracious covenant of all the ages. If those of Abraham's age would just persevere and worship God as per the previous covenants and abide in the land that He had promised, they would inherit the blessing.
2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
This verse applies to everyone of all ages who "overcomes" in this life. For our age, those who are born again and walk by faith are those who "overcome." For all ages, walking by faith is the key.
2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
The language in this verse speaks of the "overcomer" who will rule the nations with a rod of iron, even breaking them to shivers when that is required. Such believers will be given their authority by Jesus just as He was given his authority by His Father. These overcomers will include the overcomers of all ages up to the Rapture of the Church. These will be the ten thousands of saints that return with Christ at the end of the 1st 1/2 of Daniel's 70th Week to help Him establish and rule His kingdom on earth (Jude 1:14).
2:28 And I will give him the morning star.
2:29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
In this message to the fourth church, we see the future fulfillment of a covenant promise given to Abraham, the key player in the fourth age, the Age of Promise. The covenant promise to Abraham is found in Genesis 17:4. "As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations." Also, during the Kingdom Age to come, as Joseph served his brothers who had once wanted him dead, so will Israel’s Morning Star / King Jesus, rejoice to have his brethren, the sons of Jacob, in His court at His side.
