Revelation Chapter 2: Pergamos & Thyatira

 

The formulaic address of Jesus to each church:

• Identifies Himself according to a description from Chapter 1

• Points out what the church is doing well

• Points out what the church is doing wrong

• Pronounces a judgment that will happen if they don’t correct what’s wrong

• The judgment relates to the description He introduced himself as

• Promises a reward for those who do what is right

THE CHURCH AT PERGAMOS

• Pergamos was the Roman capital in Asia

• Located on the top of a hill, the city was considered unassailable.

• Roman emperors kept often kept treasures there believing they could not be captured

• Had the second largest library in the world, having over 200,000 manuscripts

• Later, the capital was moved to Ephesus because Pergamos did not have a port

• Was a center of Roman religion

• Believed to be the birthplace of Zeus

• Altar of Zeus was there.  Uncovered in the 30’s, it was acquired by Hitler who brought it to Germany and reassembled it in Berlin.  It’s still there in the Museum of Pergamos.

• Emperor worship was also centered here

• Temples were constructed to Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar

• Ritualistic worship of Roman emperors was considered a test of an individual’s loyalty to Rome

• Jews & Christians refused to participate in these rituals

• Jews were initially persecuted for this but later received an exemption

• Christians were continuously persecuted for this

• Revelation 2:12, And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

• A reference back to Rev 1:16, And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

• The sword is a symbol of Jesus’ authority.  It represents the word of God and His judgment

• Revelation 2:13,  I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: 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.

• “Satan’s seat” refers to the pagan worship of Zeus and the emperors that was occurring there.

• The Christians were being persecuted because of their rejection of this pagan worship

• According to some historical sources, Antipas was a Christian who was martyred for the faith.  

• There is a 10,000 seat amphitheater at Pergamos

• It’s said Antipas was locked inside a brass statue of a bull and cooked alive in front of thousands

• Through all their persecution, the Christians did not renounce their faith

• Revelation 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.

• Balaam was an OT prophet. See Numbers 22-24.

• Balak was the king of the Moabites who were at war with Israel

• At every turn, Balak seemed to be thwarted by the Israel armies.

• His counselors told him it was because God would tell Balaam what Balak would do before he did it.

• Balak offered gold to Balaam to curse Israel but Balaam could not

• Balaam suggested to Balak that, if the Moabite women could seduce the soldiers of Israel, they would begin to turn away from God and lose God’s favor

• This is what was happening at Pergamos.

• Christian men were marrying (or not marrying) the Roman women.

• They began to be tolerant of the false religions

• Revelation 2:15, So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.

• Remember that, in the church at Ephesus, they rejected the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes

• The problem at Ephesus was that they were more legalistic than evangelistic.

• Pergamos was sort of the opposite.  They were, “open minded” to worldly ideas.

• As a church, we need to be accepting of every person but not every idea

• One problem in the church today is progressive Christianity

• Charles Stanley’s son, Andy, recently endorsed homosexual marriage.

• Other popular ideas in “christian” churches are universalism, pluralism, and gnosticism (Nicolaitanes)

• Revelation 2:16, Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

• Referring back to His introduction, Jesus is saying He will come in judgment and cut away this cancer that is growing in the church - either literally or symbolically with the word of God.  

• Revelation 2:17, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

• I’m not sure of the significance of “hidden,” but manna is a metaphor of the body of Christ

• John 6:31-35, Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. 

• Rev 2:17b, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written

• White is a sign of sinlessness

• The new name shows we will have a new identity in heaven

• Names like John Wilkes Booth or Benedict Arnold are synonymous with their bad deeds

• When we get to heaven, we will no longer be known by the things we did on earth 

Revelation Chapter 2

• Christ begins His message to the 7 churches

• Church can mean a local body of believers - as in these 7 churches

• Church can also mean the universal body of believers collectively known as the Bride of Christ

• Why these 7 churches?

• Jesus has a message for these 7

• These 7 could represent conditions or situations faced by any church

• Christ’s message to these churches can also be looked used to evaluate our personal relationship with Christ

• One theory is that Jesus prophetically chose these seven churches to represent 7 eras the church would experience through history until now.

• The Apostolic Church: 1st century

• The Persecuted Church: 1st century until Agustine, ~313

• Church and State: ~312-590

• Papal Church: ~590-1517

• Reformed Church: 1517-1750

• Revival Church: 1750-1925

• Apostate Church: 1900 through the end of the world

• The first 3 interpretations of the messages to these churches are clear from the text.  The last is more conjecture but all of these interpretations could be correct.

THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS

• Rev 2:1, Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

• Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write. A bastion for the Apostles

• Paul founded a church in Ephesus on his second missionary trip.  On his 3rd missionary trip, he stayed at Ephesus for 2-3 years.

• He later wrote an epistle to this church which became the Book of Ephesians in our Bible

• In Paul’s letter to Timothy, 1 Timothy 1:3-4, Paul urges Timothy to remain in Ephesus and lead the people there.

• Tradition holds that John lived in Ephesus with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and wrote his 3 epistles and his gospel while there.

• Obviously it was a major church in its time

• These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

• Jesus makes a reference to the description John made of Him in Chapter 1

• The Bible often does this.  God will say something like, “I’m the God who brought you out of Egypt.,” then follow it with a message He wants His people to hear.

• Some might describe this with the legal term, standing.  God is pointing out why His command is relevant and binding to the people He is addressing.

• Example of a master artist

• Here, He points out that He is the One who walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks.  We’ll see how this is relevant in a moment

• v. 2, I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 

• Christ commends the church for its intolerance of false teachings

• This church that has seen many apostles appears to be on guard against false teachers that claim to be apostles but aren’t

• Paul’s message to the Bereans

• Acts 17:11, These [the Bereans] were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

• We should be eager to learn more about the Bible but don’t believe everything you hear.

• Even as I teach, don’t take my word for anything.  Read the Bible for yourself and compare what I say to the actual words of the Bible!

• v. 6, But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.

• An example of false teaching in the church.

• Some people think that Nicholas is the same person mentioned in Acts 6:5, And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:

• He’s believed to be a Greek convert to Christianity but began teaching what is now known as gnosticism.

• And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

• Jesus mentions their persecution but He doesn’t dwell on it.

• People often let their problems become their focus

• Remember Nehemiah when he was building the wall.  He met opposition from all sides but he would not let anything distract him from building the wall.

• We face issues in our society today: drugs, divorce, abortion, LGTBQ, etc.  

• We could start committees, campaigns, protests, etc to address these issues.  That might distract us from the main job of the church.

• Remember, we always need to make first things first!

• The best way to deal with these issues is to win people to Christ!

• Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

• In His letter to most of the Churches, Jesus begins by taking note of things they’re doing well, but then addresses an area in which they are lacking. 

• Leaving their first love could mean that, in their zeal to attack false teaching, they have become more interested in legalism than evangelism.  

• Ironically, Paul warns them against this in Ephesians 4:15 where he told them to speak the truth in love.

• We sometimes seem more interested in winning an argument than winning a soul.

• This church seemed to have a lot going on.  They may have had a great Sunday School program but the first job of any church is to bring people to Christ.  

• Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

• Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, 

• We love Christ because He first loved us!

• We need to always remember we too had a past.  We were forgiven.  We need to be more forgiving.

• No matter how great a church might seem, if it is not bringing people to Christ, it is a dying church!

• Jesus began this message by saying He is the one who walks among the candlesticks.  Here, He reminds them that if they aren’t winning souls, they will cease to be a church.

• I gave you the candlestick, I can remove the candlestick!

• He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

• Jesus points out that individual members who heed his words will still have their reward in heaven.  The collective church may cease to be a church but individual believers are still saved.

THE CHURCH AT SMYRNA

• Smyrna was a large and wealthy city about 25 miles north of Ephesus.

• The word smyrna is a variation of the word myrrh.  It was a very expensive ointment used as a medicine as well as a perfume for the living and for the dead.

• Remember that the gifts brought to Jesus by the magi were gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  This gives you an idea of the value placed on myrrh at that time.

• This city of Smyrna was literally named because of the exceptional quality of the myrrh it produced.

• John had 2 notable disciples of his own: Polycarp and Ignatius.

• Polycarp became the Bishop of Smyrna early in the 2nd century.  He was martyred by being burned at the stake.

• Ignatius was the Bishop of Antioch but wrote several epistles to the people of Smyrna and to Polycarp

• v. 8, And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

• Just like He did to the church at Ephesus, Jesus introduces Himself by referencing the description of Him from chapter 1.

• He’s identifying with them by reminding them of His own suffering and martyrdom.  He also points out that He is the one who has conquered death.

• v. 9, I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich)

• Jesus immediately addresses their persecution.

• Myrrh is produced by crushing a fragrant plant.  When it’s crushed, it releases its pleasing aroma.

• This is a fitting picture of the church at Smyrna.  The more it is crushed under persecution, the more beautiful is their faithfulness to God

• To a church, where its members are losing everything, Jesus is revealing to them they have an abundant treasure waiting for them.

• Matthew 5:10-12, Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:....

• v. 9b, and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

• At Polycarp’s trial, the unbelieving Jews of Smyrna joined with the pagans in condemning him to death. Eusebius writes that “the Jews, being especially zealous . . . ran to procure fuel” for the burning (The Ecclesiastical History 4:15).

• v. 20 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

• Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer:

• Matthew 10:28, And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

• behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: 

• Jesus is warning them against even more persecution that is about to happen.  He gives them words of encouragement

• be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

• When we face persecution, it’s easy for the persecution to become our entire focus.  We need to focus on the reward instead.

• Philippians 3:13-14, Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

• v. 11, He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

• There is a fate worse than death - the second death

• What does this world offer that is worth giving up an eternity with Christ?

• Mark 8:36, For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?