Jesus Among the Churches Part 1
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We continue our series in Revelation: There’s A Man Going Round Taking Names
today we look into the letters of four churches: Ephesus,Smyrna,Pergamum, and Thyatira
Revelation 2:1-3 chair bible page 826.
1 ”To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:
2 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;
3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.
Are you ready for the message God has for us today?
Great let’s dig in!
Last week we saw Jesus walking among the lamp stands.
Remember Revelation 1:13
13 and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle.
Having seen our first glimpse of Jesus in chapter 1, we now move into what Jesus sees amongst the lamp stands as he looks into the church and lives of its members.
The Letters
The Letters
We consider first of all what Jesus repeats in all of His letter, He says “I know”
The Greek word here means personal intimate knowledge of something
When Jesus says I know, he is implying “I have seen therefore I know.”
It ties directly to Revelation 1:13
13 and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle.
I walk among the churches as see there for I know you, what you are doing, what you are not doing, and what others are doing to you.
It is a complete and total knowledge that lacks nothing.
There is somewhat of an order to the letters as the structure of the letters is pretty much the same for all seven
Jesus starts a description of Himself
Then what he knows - which in most is a source of praise
Then in most I have against you - a reproof, except for two
Then the one who has ears to hear
This how its works in most letters as we will see.
To the Angel of Ephesus
To the Angel of Ephesus
The first letter is to the church at Ephesus.
This is like the second letter to Ephesus as Paul wrote one.
Jesus knows their deeds
2 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;
3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.
That sounds pretty good right?
They are hard at work for the Kingdom - toil, perseverance, don’t endure evil men, they test apostles, have not grown weary.
Wow!
Then comes the reproof, ouch!
They left their first love!
What did Jesus mean?
Did they leave love out of what they did?
We are not offered anything that would tells what he means.
I guarantee that Ephesus knew what He meant!
In a way it reminded me of what Paul said to Corinth 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
Perhaps that is what Jesus ment.
What ever it was look at what was going to happen Revelation 2:5
5 ‘Remember therefore 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.
In danger of no longer being a source of light in the kingdom!
They still had time but Jesus was only going to wait so long.
To the Angel of Smyrna
To the Angel of Smyrna
What does He know about Smyrna?
9 ‘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.
Jesus knows they thought of themselves as poor, but He wants them to know what He knows they are rich
Then Jesus knows that they are bothered by the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not!
6 But it is not as though athe word of God has failed. bFor they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 neither are they all children abecause they are Abraham’s 1descendants, but: “bthrough Isaac your 1descendants will be named.” 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are achildren of God, but the bchildren of the promise are regarded as 1descendants.
There was something in the way they acted toward the church
The are not Jews He says in fact they are a synagogue of Satan!
That may sound harsh but that is the reality for the these Jews!
Praise to Smyrna for not giving in to them!
Where Jesus usually gives a rebuke in these letter Jesus gives Smyrna a challenge
10 ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Remain fearless, faithful, trust, and obey!
Like the old song
When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
A testing from Satan is coming and they need to be ready!
We should not take the testing of imprisonment literally.
N.T. Wright: “The ten days here is likely figurative, since a day in a writing like John’s sometimes means a year, or a more generally a period of time.”
We should see it as a fixed period of time that will ends.
Like all testing of Satan, this too shall pass.
Look at what is promised to those who remain faithful during the testing
“A crown of life.” A crown that will not fade away!
To the Angel of Pergamum
To the Angel of Pergamum
What does Jesus know about Pergamum?
13 ‘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.
What did Jesus mean by “Satan’s throne?”
The governor’s seat?
The Temple of Asclepius whose symbol was a serpent?
Zeus whose temple and altar stood high on the city’s acropolis?
Perhaps a reference to all the paganism of Pergamum!
Maybe all three are what he meant when He said where Satan dwells!
Either way Pergamum knew!
Jesus also knew and named a martyr of the church Antipas! Outside of Acts the only named martyr!
What did Jesus have against them?
14 ‘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.
15 ‘Thus you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
Here we see some teaching what Jesus says is like that of Balaam. A tie to a person way back Numbers.
Specifically Numbers 31:16
16 “Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord.
It was a similar teaching Jesus says - verse 14
Thewe teachers were like Balaam giving council to the church that idolatry and immorality were acceptable!
This was not ok!
As to the teachings of the Nicolaitans we know nothing about.
The time to repent was coming to an end quickly for these false teachers and anyone who would follow the teaching!
When the time ends Jesus is coming with the rhomphia. They would know this as the sword carried on the shoulder of Roman soliders!
To the Angel of Thyatira
To the Angel of Thyatira
This is the longest of the four letters in this chapter!
What does Jesus know Revelation 2:19
19 ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.
Their deeds were greater than at the beginning! Wow what a compliment to their growth!
Then he says, “but” the word that gives pause!
20 ‘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.
21 ‘And I gave her time to repent; and she does not want to repent of her immorality.
22 ‘Behold, I will cast her upon a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.
23 ‘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.
You remember Jezebel!
22 And it came about, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” And he answered, “What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?”
We don’t know exactly who this woman is at Thyatira that Jesus calls Jezebel.
Was that the woman’s name?
Was it a temple prostitute or priestess?
Is Jesus wanting them to do what we did and tie the actions of this woman to that of Jezebel of old? very likely.
How lost some of them must of have been to have been accepting and involved in this idolatry and immorality.
The word to “tolerate” Revelation 2:20 means to consent, to give permission, dismiss, leave in place, leave unpunished.
They tolerated her idolatry and sexual immorality!
Her doctrine was compromise and accommodation
As far as Jesus is concerned a church should never tolerate such things!
This is a church where false teaching went unchecked.
Jesus has given fare time to those who needed to repent and it seems this is not the first time He has tried to deal with this woman.
So as a way to catch her attention he will cast her children on a bed of suffering, extending this to those who follow her.
The message to this woman and her children, likely her spiritual followers, is both the longest and most severe of the seven letters.
This gives us indication as to the seriousness of the situation at Thyatira!
Conclusion:
What does Jesus know in these four churches:
Ephesus left their first love
Smyrna is a persecuted church
Pergamum allowed false teaching
Thyatira the tolerant
Consider then the conclusions of each letter
7 ‘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.’
11 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.’
17 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’
26 ‘And ahe who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds buntil the end, cto him I will give authority over the 1nations; 27 and he shall 1 arule them with a rod of iron, bas the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; 28 and I will give him athe morning star. 29 ‘aHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
Message to Sardis
What is Jesus saying to us Amazing Grace?
What is Jesus saying to you?
He knows us personally as a church and as individuals.
We cannot overcome without Him and there are promises attached to over coming.
Are we prepared to overcome?
Jesus knows you, do you know Jesus?