Revelation 3:3-6

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3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ~ Revelation 3:3-6  

Today, we return to the fifth message from the Lord Jesus to the fifth church in Revelation 2-3. The church at Sardis was dying. It was almost dead spiritually. Given their spiritual condition, today, we will consider what is involved in turning this type of complacent condition around.

In v.3 we read, "Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you."

The church at Sardis had a bad memory, as most of us do. I am convinced this is a major reason the Lord Jesus gave us the Lord's Supper. The church at Sardis lost view of the cross of the Lord Jesus, and they needed to remember the truth they had received and heard from Him. Among many things, the cross of the Lord Jesus is the marinade of God, keeping our hearts from becoming too hard. The cross keeps us humble and real. It so softens our souls that we are not bothered for others to know our utter weaknesses and struggles. In fact, the world isn't scandalized by our freedom in Christ, it is put out by our lack of authenticity. 

In addition, the church at Sardis needed to be defined by God's truth, and the truth is we are not the answer to our problems, the Lord Jesus is. So, daily we must maintain an attitude of repentance, so that we do not deviate from God and His truth. We will never be perfect this side of heaven. Our justification depends only on God's grip upon us, and our sanctification depends largely on our grip upon Him.  

These believers had heard the message of Christ's crucifixion on behalf of sinners, of His resurrection, of His availability to human beings by the Holy Spirit to strengthen us and to impart to us His own righteous life and position. When the folks in Sardis had first heard the gospel they had heard the message in the power of the Spirit, but somewhere along the way they were out of earshot of that truth.

When we received from the Lord Jesus and His word of grace, we began to be defined by it, and it took deep root in our hearts, the power of the Spirit of God showed up in our lives. When we get to the place where we are no longer being defined by the Gospel, we have a tendency to go to sleep on God and His culture.

In the latter part of v.3 we read, "But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you."

Here, the Lord Jesus speaks of the great hope toward which the church has been headed since its very beginning. But here is a church that has lost its expectation of that coming. The aspect of our Lord's coming that they particularly needed was not His visible appearing in glory to establish His millennial kingdom, when every eye shall see Him, but rather the rapture of the church which will come like a thief comes to steal away the treasure of a home.

When the Lord comes as a thief, if a church is made up of members who have a name to live but do not display spiritual life, they will not be busy about the Father's business when He returns. Thus, the Lord Jesus warns, "If you do not wake up I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you." As we have said, there are many churches like this today throughout the world. It is sad to see them so lifeless and dull when they could be so alive and vital.

In v.4 we read, "Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy."

The word “soiled” is used with reference to dying or coloring something. These believers had not stained their garments with false teachings and all that goes along with it. They had not "smeared their garments."

White garments are always a symbol of redemption in the Bible. In Revelation 7:14 we read of a great multitude who come out of the great tribulation and who have "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." This is what the blood of the Lamb has done for the willing. These are "worthy," not because they have lived good moral lives but because their sins had been washed away by the blood of the Lamb. They were worthy because God had imparted to them the very righteousness of Christ. 

In v.5 we read, "The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels."

The victorious one will be "dressed in white" which means the righteousness of the One who overcame sin and death has given to him. This means that when God looks upon him, He sees him through the lens of His Son's perfection.

As a result, the Lord says, "I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels." 

This promise does not imply that some can be blotted out of the book of life. Once given the righteousness of Christ, the willing are secure in the performance of Christ. Notice the way the Lord puts it, "I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life." He does not say anything about anyone's name being blotted out. His words are simply assuring that those who trust Him will never lose their reservation in heaven for eternity. 

When we came to Christ, we were born again by His Spirit. As a result, we were made alive to God. The word "never" in v.5 is the strongest negative in the Greek language. It should be translated, "I will never, ever, under any circumstances, blot out your name from the book of life."

Having trusted in Christ's work on the cross, solely, when we stand before Him at the end, with our entire record exposed for everybody to see, He will look at us and say, "These are mine." He will acknowledge His ownership of us before all who look on.

In v.6 we read, "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

All of Scripture is profitable to all who have the life of Christ within. Perhaps, you are reading this and you realize that you have not invited the Lord Jesus into your life, and you want to. Let me encourage you to talk to Him right now. Confess to Him your need to be made right through His sacrifice made for you so long ago. And, then, invite Him into your life.

Perhaps, you are reading this and you realize you are born again but you have become complacent. Let me encourage you to talk to Him by confessing your condition and asking Him to make His presence known to you. Church attendance has its value, but it has never made anyone right with or alive to God. We were saved when we repented of self-dependence, and began depending upon Him as Lord and Savior.

I remember when I was young in the faith, I regularly asked myself, "Are you really born again?" This is the question of those who have an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." This is the conclusion the Lord gives to each of these seven churches. If you are dead in trespasses and sins, wake up and repent and come to Christ. If you are saved, but sleeping and indifferent to Him, get back into the battle. And if you are vibrant and alive, count your blessings and your eternal promises that await you.

History argues that there was a revival in Sardis. Some of those who were dead came to life. Some of those who were indifferent remembered the truth that they had heard and strengthened what remained, and held fast to Christ. Let's pray that history repeats itself today. And, let's resolve to play the role that He desires for us as He works in this dark and dreary world.

Revelation 3:1-2

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1 To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. ~ Revelation 3:1-2

We return to our study of the book of the Revelation, particularly Revelation 2-3. In the beginning of this book are the visions that the Apostle John received. The first vision sets the stage for the remainder of the book. It is a vision of the Lord Jesus Christ in His church. 

In what we know today as the country of Turkey, there were seven churches that had been established in seven cities. Basically, when Paul founded the church in Ephesus, that church became a strong church and took the gospel, according to Acts 19:10, throughout all the rest of Asia Minor – which is Modern Day Turkey. Seven of them are mentioned here. Some thirty years had passed since the founding of those churches. And those churches had settled into their own identities. The key is to discover who was defining them.

Each of these churches mentioned in chapters 2 and 3 is a real church and a real place. Each of these churches had particular characteristics and particular needs. Five of them were in some serious trouble. Two of them are only commended: the church at Smyrna and the church at Philadelphia. The other five are condemned in some way.

The Lord Jesus recognizes the makeup of each church, the issues in each church, and sends a message to each one; and they’re contained in Revelation 2-3. These are unique churches, and yet they’re the kinds of churches that exist in all periods of time, including now. So, in a sense, these letter are timeless, and they have literally spoken to every generation since.

Sardis was once one of the greatest cities of the world. It was rich in gold and silver. It is said that Sardis may have been the first place where gold and silver were minted into coins. There was a river there that was rich in gold from which the gold was mined. Because of its wealth, and its geographic location, Sardis was most often victorious because it was built on a mountain about 1500 feet above the valley floor. 

Sardis was regarded as virtually impenetrable to military assault. But, Sardis was complacent, and was twice invaded by the Persians and by the Greeks. And, both victories were achieved by stealth. Sardis was so confident it could not be overcome that it failed to guard its walls adequately. Much like the city, the church was invaded by false teaching which lead to  hardened hearts. In this address to the church at Sardis, the Lord Jesus finds nothing good to say about them. 

In v.1 we read, "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead."

The Lord Jesus introduces Himself to the church at Sardis in a different way. You will remember that the "seven spirits" are a symbol of the Holy Spirit in His fullness. He identified Himself in this way because this is exactly what the church at Sardis was missing. Here was a church without the power of the Holy Spirit. What this church at Sardis desperately needed was the life of the Spirit in it. So the Lord Jesus here identifies Himself as the one who possesses the fullness of the Spirit. 

As in all these letters, the life of the church is revealed in its deeds. The Lord Jesus said to them, "I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead." 

The church at Sardis was comfortable. And, they were being led by false leaders void of the Holy Spirit. The life and power of the Holy Spirit was not present. And, without the Holy Spirit and without godly leadership, the church was dead, although there would be some believers there who were faithful.

The church at Sardis was a "nominal church" or a church known as Christian in name only. There were no trials going on there. This is revealing due to the fact that trials are one part in the process of the believer growing in his faith in the Lord Jesus.

A light year is the distance light travels in a year, moving at 186,000 miles a second; that’s a light year. There was one particular star that astronomers estimated was 33 years away from earth. It would take 33 years for light from that star to reach earth. That star could have been plunged into darkness 25 years ago. It could have died. But light would still be pouring down to earth from it. It would be shining in the sky as brightly as if the star was still alive. The church at Sardis was much like that star. It was dead, but it was still shining by the light of a brilliant past. 

In v.2 we read, "Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God."

The first need of a church that is dying is to be awakened to its condition. The words, "Wake up", in the Greek is a staccato command, much like a slap in the face, designed to startle one to action.

Then, the Lord Jesus said, "Strengthen what remains." Their works were incomplete, unfinished. Their actions were right, but their motives were wrong. They were not doing good works for the right reason. As we read this we can see that here is a church that is busy doing good things, but doing them to impress the wrong audience. They were trying to display and enhance their image, but they lacked the approval of the most important audience, and that is the Lord.

Throughout the Scriptures we are told that God judges, not the things we do, but the reason we do them. He reads our hearts. He judges whether our work is done out of love and gratitude in response to what He has done for us.

Finally, a church like Sardis can recover from this condition because the Lord gives the prescription for the rekindled life. The church at Sardis needed the fresh oil of the Holy Spirit. They needed an oil change. Tomorrow, we will consider the steps involved in turning this type of complacent condition around.

Revelation 2:24-29

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24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’ 26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ~ Revelation 2:24-29 

We come back to the fourth message from the Lord Jesus to the fourth of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. As we pointed out in our last message, the church at Thyatira was the most corrupt of the seven churches. And, consequently, this is the longest of the seven messages, even though it was written to the smallest of the seven churches.

In v.24 we read, "Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you."

The phrase "Satan’s so-called deep secrets" reveals that some of the believers in the church at Thyatira were not only intrigued with satanic secrets, but they had, to some degree, given themselves to the so-called satanic secrets. These secrets were Satan's imitation of the deep truths found only in the Word of God. To those who weren’t defined by Satan and his false teaching, the Lord did not correct them.

In v.25 we read, "except to hold on to what you have until I come."

For those who were being defined by the Lord Jesus, He told them to maintain a grasp on the truth because the blast of hell that was about to come upon those who were entertaining the teachings of Satan was going to be severe. The solidity of truth will always keep us afloat in this world of torrential waters. This is why we must be in His word daily. And, as a result, the discernment that we gain from His word keeps us from embracing the false.

In v.26-27 we read, "26 To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father."

He who is victorious is the one who is in personal relationship with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The victorious One is the Lord Jesus and He has given to each believer the perseverance of His faith. We persevere in our faith because of His faithfulness to overcome sin and death. This is not saying that we earn our salvation, this is saying that we keep going in our faith in the Lord Jesus because He overcame on our behalf.

To those who endure, the Lord Jesus will give authority over the nations. This means we will reign with Christ in His earthly millennial kingdom which will last for one thousand years on the earth. His millennial kingdom will happen after the seventieth seven of Daniel 9:27 or as some wrongly call it, "the Tribulation."

According to v.27, those who resist Christ's kingdom, will experience His rod of iron. All shepherds have a wooden rod, but the rod that the Lord Jesus will use on the rebellious during the Millennium will be made of iron. At that time, the Lord Jesus will be forced to deal with the rebellious ones like clay pots, and believers will rule with Him, successfully advancing and protecting His Kingdom.

In v.28-29 we read, "28 I will also give that one the morning star. 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

The morning star is a reference to Daniel 12:3, “They that lead many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever.” Before the sun rises, the morning star appears. In Revelation 22:16, the Lord Jesus says of Himself: "I am the bright and morning star." This means there will be an appearing of the Lord Jesus for His own before His second coming. This is a promise of the rapture of the church, the first such promise in the book of Revelation. He will "snatch up" His own who have been kept by the Spirit of God from the evils of the society around.

This message to the church at Thyatira ends with, "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." This means all Revelation is inspired by the Holy Spirit, and God's word. True faith will continue on beyond the end.

In Psalm 2:7-12 we read, "7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. 8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.” 10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. 12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him."

The context here is the Millennium, and believers in the Lord Jesus are going to be in that Kingdom, ruling with Christ. This is all made possible by the Lord Jesus who gave His life to be our ransom. I trust you have been wise, my friend. I trust you have kissed the Son unto salvation. If you have, you will reign with Christ in His millennial kingdom.

Revelation 2:18-23

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18 “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. ~ Revelation 2:18-23

As we look at these seven letters in the book of Revelation, it is helpful to remember they are a picture of seven kinds of churches that we will find in any age, in any period of history. Every church in the world today will fall into one or more of these categories of churches. 

Today, we come to the fourth of these seven churches, the church at Thyatira, which was located about 35 miles southeast of Pergamum. It was a very small city, but a busy commercial center. It was on a major road of the Roman Empire, and, because of this, many trade unions had settled in this city. Everyone who worked there was a member of one or more trades. Lydia, found in Acts 16, was the lady who sold purple. She hailed from Thyatira. 

This message to the church at Thyatira begins the second group of letters to the churches of Asia Minor. In the first group, the church of Ephesus was characterized by a loyalty to Christ which was lacking in love. In the church of Smyrna, loyalty was tested by fire. In the church of Pergamum their loyalty was lacking moral passion.

In v.18 we read, "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze."

Thyatira was the most corrupt of the seven churches that are presented here. This is the longest of the seven messages, even though written to the smallest church. For the first and only time in the book of Revelation, the title the "Son of God" is used in this verse. As the Son of God His "eyes are like blazing fire." His, are the eyes that pierce our disguises and addresses our hearts. He has feet "like burnished bronze" which reveal that He is a God of judgement and discipline. He judged the sin of all who have trusted in the Lord Jesus, yet He disciplines us when we willfully live outside His will for our lives.

In v.19 we read, "I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first."

With a profile like that, how is it possible that they would be guilty of the charges He's about to bring against them? The church at Thyatira was active in works, but it was not defined by the Word of God. They were interested in social action, but to them social action superseded discernment. There was corruption without discernment. As we see in the next verse, they tolerated certain false teachings.

In v.20 we read, "Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols."

This Jezebel in Thyatira called herself a "prophet," but she was a false prophet. She taught that it was all right for Christians to indulge in sexual immorality and in idolatry. Here we are introduced to the link with the trade unions of Thyatira. In order to work in these unions, which constituted the entire business of the city, Christians had to join a union. At the meetings of these unions they worshipped the gods and the Christians were pressured accordingly. The meal served at these meetings would consist of meat offered to idols. 

This presented a problem for these Thyatiran Christians. In order to make a living they had to belong to a union, but to attend these meetings, the Christians would be expected to worship the gods by getting involved sexually with others in attendance. And, Jezebel had begun to teach that it was all right for them to go along with the requirements of the union, that they needed to submit to the pressures of the world around them in order to make a living, and that God would understand and overlook this. 

Notice that in the messages to the churches at Pergamum and Thyatira, the Lord links sexual immorality with idolatry. The one inevitably leads to the other because fornication and adultery are both clear-cut violations of specific statements in the Word of God.

In v.21 we read, "I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling."

The patience of God is a wonderful thing, yet, as indicated here, time runs out eventually on it when we ignore His promptings to turn away from that which destroys us. The Lord Jesus doesn't like to judge. The Bible says God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. That's what He wanted them to do. But that's not what she wanted them to do. 

In v.22 we read, "So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways."

There is a note of irony here: Since Jezebel likes beds. The Lord decides to give her one, but it will prove to be a bed of suffering. Those who commit adultery with her will suffer some disease. The word "intensely" indicates that this is some form of a sexually transmitted disease.

In v.23 we read, "I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds."

God's judgment is good because it can lead to us to take note of evil and its detrimental consequences in our lives. Those rare times when we have had to have been disciplined of God, the result was always purifying if we were willing to let Him do His work in our lives. It is then that we see that His discipline is good because it puts us back on the right track once again.

Finally, there are those who teach this verse teaches that through our good works we are made right with God. Oh, to the contrary. It is only through the Lord Jesus' perfect life and death and resurrection are any of us made right with God. You see, even after we have failed, the work of His cross still covers our sins. And, having trusted solely in His finished work on that cross, we will be rewarded, as if we had been as perfect as He because God has applied His performance to our ledger.

Revelation 2:12-17

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12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. ~ Revelation 2:12-17

We come back to the third message from the Lord Jesus to the third of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. The church at Pergamum was dealing with enticement and corruption. The devil has only two approaches to get believers off track. He either uses the violence of a roaring lion or the corruption of an angel of light. 

In v.12 we read, "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword." 

The Word of God is a double-edged sword that cuts two ways and it is effective at changing hearts and minds, if we let it. By the Word of God our minds see truth that we never saw before. We see things the way they are, and it motivates us to go with God. The Word of God, then, pierces our hearts, so that we are changed from the inside out.

Pergamum, also known as Pergamos was the Roman capital of the province of Asia. Located about 50 miles north of Smyrna. It was the center of pagan worship.

In v.13 we read, "I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives." 

In Pergamum was the throne or altar of Zeus which was on the hillside overlooking the city. It was forty feet high, and it was known as the center of pagan worship. In the 1880's, a German archaeologist removed the throne from the hillside and took it to Europe. Today, it can be viewed in the Pergamum Museum in Berlin, Germany. 

In 2008, many were disturbed when the former US President Barak Obama visited Germany to give a speech, after which, he insisted upon commissioning the construction of a replica of this throne of Satan which was used as the stage at the Democratic Nominating convention in Denver, Colorado in 2008.

Then, the Lord says, "Yet you remain true to my name." The church in Pergamum refused to budge on their view of the Lord Jesus. They saw Him as the God-man, combining in one person two natures, both of God and of man. That is the teaching of the church from its very beginning, and clearly evident in the Scriptures. Against all the corrupting influences around them, these people had held to that truth. Most all heresies today come from the denial of the deity of the Lord Jesus believers in Pergamum remained true to the Lord's name at the risk of their own lives. 

The remainder of v.13 reads, "You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives." 

Antipas means "against all." We do not know much about Antipas, though he is said to be the first martyr under the Roman persecution in Asia. Tradition says he was roasted to death in a brazen bull that was heated to a white heat. That is the price that he paid for being true to biblical doctrine about the Lord Jesus.

In v.14 we read, "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality."

Two errors undermined the church in Pergamum: The first, they embraced "the teaching of Balaam." Balaam was a false prophet who had been hired by Balak, the King of Moab, to curse Israel, but when he tried to do so he found he could not. Every time he tried to curse God's people, words of blessing came out of his mouth. God would not let him curse his people. So, in order to achieve the end for which he had been hired, he paid beautiful maidens from Moab and Midian to parade before the young men of Israel, tempting them into sexual immorality.  

The second error of the church at Pergamum is read about in v.15, "Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans." 

They were seduced into the error by the Nicolaitans who claimed to have a special relationship to God. They professed to be the beneficiaries of intimate revelations that were not given to others, and that they therefore had an inside track with God. They presumed to take the place of the priesthood in Judaism, and carried that error into the Christian church. 

In v.16 we read, "Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth."

In addition to repenting from these teachings, this kind of error is best addressed with the sharp, two-edged sword! The Word of God always exposes both the error of immorality and the error of priestly superiority. This is one reason why the exposition of Scripture is resisted in so many churches today.

In v.17 we read, "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it."

The Lord Jesus promises that if we stand against immorality and the love of religious power we will be given the "hidden manna and a new name." Notice both the manna and the new name are secret. It is a picture of close intimacy with the Lord Himself. Manna, of course, was the food that Moses fed the Israelites in the wilderness. The Lord Jesus said in John 6:41, "I am the bread sent down from heaven." The Lord Jesus is the hidden manna. He is food for the inner spirit, food that others know nothing about. 

Then, with the hidden manna, is promised the white stone with a secret name upon it. White stones were used among the Romans as a mark of special favor. A secret name, of course, is another sign of intimacy. If you know the Lord Jesus, and your heart is kept from the corrupting influences of the world, you will become stronger and more developed in your faith, which will enable you to enter into a deeper intimacy with Him. That is His promise to you.

Revelation 2:8-11

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8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. 11 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.” ~ Revelation 2:8-11

Life is best understood when we see the two realms: the visible and the invisible. And, in order to understand the invisible, we must be well-versed in the Scriptures. In this invisible realm much is happening that impacts us who live during what theologians call the church-age. Whereas Revelation 1 gives a description of John's first vision of the Lord Jesus, the entire church age which began in Acts 2, and is yet on-going, and is described in little detail in Revelation 2-3. 

In Revelation 2-3 we have seven messages from the Lord Jesus to seven different churches. Five of these seven churches received very harsh words from the Lord Jesus. Two of them did not. In the case of these two, the churches at Smyrna and  Philadelphia, there are no harsh words. These two churches had not given in to the pressure of persecution.

Smyrna was one of the major centers of emperor worship in that day. As early as 26 A. D., during the reign of Tiberius Caesar, a temple had been erected to the emperor, and thus the Christians of Smyrna were confronted with the challenge annually to choose between saying, "Jesus is Lord," or, "Caesar is Lord." This meant that a great deal of pressure and persecution came upon this church because of their unwillingness to say "Caesar is Lord." There was also a large community of Jews within the city who were hostile to the Christian faith, as we will see.

In v.8 of today's text we read, "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again."

Smyrna means "myrrh." It is a very fitting name because myrrh is a perfume, the fragrance of which is released by crushing. Here was a church that was being crushed through persecution. It was tough to be a Christian in Smyrna because they had to live constantly between two extremes. There was within the church a rich and loving fellowship, but outside, in the city, they faced continuous cruel and persistent hostility.

Notice how the Lord reveals Himself to them, "the First and the Last, who died and came to life again." Those are extremes: First and last; death and life. The Lord Jesus presents Himself as the Lord of the extremes. And, He is Lord of all visible and invisible forces.

In v.9 we read, "I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. " 

The Greek word used for afflictions here pictures the crushing, unending pressure upon these believers in Smyrna. Then, the Lord Jesus says to them, "I know your poverty." Smyrna was a prosperous city, but it may have been that their poverty was caused by the persecutions the Christians there were experiencing. Their homes perhaps had been pillaged; their possessions taken from them. This was common in the early church in times of persecution. Yet, the remainder of the first half of v.9 we read, "Yet you are rich!" In spite of their suffering, their fellowship was deep and meaningful. This is what persecution does, it causes the persecuted to draw closer to one another because there is the deeper need for one another.

Riches and fame do not make us happy. The true riches of this life come from a heart that is being given to the Lord. In return, the heart experiences the filling of God's grace and love. In this context, deep relationships are formed with others and they become most dear and precious to us. This was the experience of the church at Smyrna.

In the remainder of v.9 we read, "I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." 

There was a smear campaign going on against these Christians in Smyrna. Lies were being told about them. And, because they refused to visit the pagan temples, or to acknowledge the pagan gods, they were called atheists. 

The synagogue there in Smyrna celebrated the fact that they worshipped the one true living God. Yet, they had rejected their Messiah; and in rejecting their Messiah Judaism demonstrated that it was as Satanic as emperor worship, or the worship of any other false god, or any false religion. They disdained Christ, therefore, they disdained God.

In v.10 we read, "Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown."

The church at Smyrna received the greatest amount of persecution because they held true to the Lord much longer than the others. This, by the way, is the first mention of the devil in the book of Revelation. The Lord acknowledges that He who is the First and the Last is going to allow this to happen. The devil will put some of them in prison which were some of the most terrible places where prisoners were faced with the threat of execution at any moment. 

Tests like these are designed or allowed of God to strip us of the superficial supports that we have been leaning on and to show us how much we have truly learned to rely upon the grace and the strength of God. 

The words "ten days" indicates that it is the Lord who is sovereign over the events of our lives. We do well to pray for protection but if the Lord allows persecution, we do better to pray that His will is done in and through our lives. 

Interestingly, Polycarp was the elder of this very church at Smyrna. In 155 A. D., at the age of 86, he was sentenced to death by being burned at the stake for his faith. He had refused to say, "Caesar is Lord." When he died he gave an eloquent testimony to his love for Christ. As a teenager he had known the Apostle John, and had probably heard from his lips the truth recorded here in Revelation.

In v.11 we read, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death."

All of these churches received this same message. "The second death" here is explained in Revelation 20-21 where we are told plainly that it is the terrible lake of fire, the symbol of the final judgment of those who refuse the gospel of the grace of God. It is prepared for the devil and his angels, but it will be shared by those who choose the devil's way. They will be separated forever from God, tormented in spirit and soul, pictured by the torment that fire gives to the physical body.

Revelation 2:7

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“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” Revelation 2:7

The thesis statement for the book of the Revelation is discovered in Revelation 1:19 where the Lord Jesus told the Apostle John to write down three things: The things which you have seen which are covered in Revelation 1; The things which are which are covered in Revelation 2-3; And, the things which will take place after this which will be covered in Revelation 4-22. Today, we continue in the second division of the book of the Revelation.

The Lord Jesus begins our text by saying, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." He is saying to those who are willing to listen to the voice of the Lord, listen more. He knows that there is a huge difference between hearing and listening. When we listen, we potentially grow in great wisdom. And, when we grow in wisdom, our spiritual peripheral perspective broadens and we begin to see things as He does.

In the previous verses in this chapter the Lord Jesus commends and corrects the church at Ephesus. And here in v.7, He gives this admonition to listen. The Ephesians hated sin in others, but in themselves, it appeared to be a different story. Understanding the danger of leaving our first love and giving our hearts to something else other than Christ is dangerous because all our other relationships are predicted on who we give our hearts to the most.

I'm sure you have seen the illustration that depicts two people grow closer to the Lord, and the closer they grow to Him they grow closer together. So, the pathway to any better relationship is learning to give our hearts to the Lord more and more with each passing day because He is the source of all wisdom.

This admonition to listen underscores the fact that the Lord speaks to us often everyday. He speaks to us through His word in tandem with His Spirit. The question is, "do we have an ear to hear Him?" We must make conscious decisions daily to listen to Him, and we must expect Him to speak in all of our circumstances, both in and through the good and in and through the bad. The key is expecting Him to speak, anticipating His voice and then hear to the point of following His lead.

The second sentence in today's text reads, "To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."

The tree of life, you will remember, was in the Garden of Eden at the beginning of time. It was the tree that Adam and Eve were free to partake of until they rebelled. After that, they were excluded from the Garden, lest they should eat from the tree of life in their sinful state and remain that way forever. Interestingly, the tree of life appears again in Revelation 22. There we see the new heaven and the new earth, and the tree of life is in the midst of the city. It's twelve fruits, one for each month, is the food for the people of the city.

The Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the tree of life. If we think of Him much and draw strength from Him daily, we will find ourselves internally strengthened to meet the pressures and the battles we face each day. We feed upon the tree of life by listening to what He says. And then, being defined by what He says, we will soon discover that our spiritual lives are flourishing. We will grow strong through the pressures and struggles that come our way in a given day.

Today's text ends with a promise: “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life.” The word “overcomes” literally means to win in the face of obstacles. In John’s writings it is used in reference to the Lord Jesus overcoming the world (John 16:33; Rev 3:21), believers overcoming the devil (1 John 2:13-14), believers overcoming false teachers (1 John 4:4), and the faith of believers overcoming the world (1 John 5:4-5).

There are seven uses of “to him who overcomes” in the seven letters of Revelation 2-3 (Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). That is, all the seven messages to the seven churches include a reference to the one who overcomes. All seven refer to something which could happen in the future, not something which has already happened in the past. All seven messages challenge believers to become and/or to remain victorious in our works. All seven are directly tied to another statement found in all seven letters, “I know your works” (Rev 2:2, 9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8, 15). Works, not faith, is the issue the Lord has with the seven churches.

John’s point is that the victory achieved by the very fact of new birth makes obedience to God’s commands an achievable goal. According to Genesis 2-3, Eden was the created paradise of God on earth. According to Revelation 22, Heaven is the paradise of God above. As we’ll see when we go through the other messages, this is where the slide starts with leaving our first love. 

The promise here is to the Ephesian conqueror is the first of the seven promises, and, like the rest, pointing us to the return of the second Adam, and to paradise regained. It comes from Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand, and walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands. Here, as in several other places, Christ is at once the promiser, the promise, and the thing promised.

Everything connected to life is comprised in Jesus Christ—. "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men." He is the bread of life; the water of life; He is life itself; He is eternal life. The tree of life represents Christ Himself. He is the fulfillment of all our longings. Pursue Him and cling to Him, daily.