5. "Of Ephesus" = speaks of the church's geographical location; "of" means the same as "in" in verse 8; one important thing to note‑‑none of these churches had a building to meet in; we do not know where they met‑‑may have been in homes, or in a lean to‑‑doesn't matter; the main thing is that they were saved people who met together and had a pastor and now the Lord sends them a specific message.

6. "Ephesus" = one of the chief cities of the province of Asia in the country of Turkey today; in the time of John, Ephesus had a large man‑made harbor; also many roads led to Ephesus, therefore, it was a trade center; it was also the center of pagan worship and superstition; the temple of Diana of the Ephesians was located there and it was one of the seven wonders of the world; this temple was an asylum for anyone who committed a crime, for if he could reach the sanctuary of the temple of Diana, he was free from arrest, prosecution, and prison; there were temple prostitutes present in the temple and under the cloak of religion all manner of sex orgies were practiced; Ephesus was a wicked and sinful place and full of darkness; yet in the midst of all that, there was an assembly of believers.

7. "Write" = to express in written characters upon parchment or other material.

8. "These things" = refers to the things He is about to say to the church in Ephesus.

9. "He" = "his" = "who" = the Lord Jesus Christ who identifies Himself in this introductory message as:

A. "He that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand" = "holdeth" = is a strong word and means that Jesus Christ has complete control over those He holds in His right hand; the tense in the Greek is continuous action‑‑our Lord never lets us go; the "stars" are the pastors and since we are in His right hand (place of protection and authority) He can squeeze quickly or tighten His grip; if the messenger (angel) submits to that control of Christ, he will never go wrong.

B. "Who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks" = this expression tells us of Christ's unwearied activity in the midst of His churches; the tense in the Greek reveals a continuous, habitual lifestyle; He is not confined to just one but He is in all of them‑‑churches that are His‑‑true churches (Mat. 18:20); this is a sobering thought; He is listening to every conversation; He takes notice of our conduct; He sees our careless walk; nothing escapes that all seeing eye of our Lord‑‑He is in the midst.

V. 2

1. "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. "Know" = to have absolute knowledge of the facts; the phrase is spoken to all seven churches and speaks of the Lord's absolute knowledge of the condition and circumstances of His people.

3. "Thy" = "thou" = the church of Ephesus; applies to all saints.

4. "Works" = acts; deeds; things done; this church was an active, energetic, and living church‑‑a fruitful people for their works proved their faith. (James 2:20)

5. "Labour" = laboring to the point of sweat; to toil or labor to the point of exhaustion; the kind of toil which takes everything of mind, strength, time, and treasure; it took something out of them; "labour" is a stronger word than "work."

6. "Patience" = steadfastness; consistency; endurance; the quality of an individual that does not surrender to circumstances or succumb to trials; no matter how the Ephesian Christians were beaten down, discouraged, or persecuted, they did not quit.

7. "How thou canst not bear them which are evil" = this reveals that the church had spiritual discernment and practiced discipline; they did not put up with or allow evil ones to come in the church as members.

8. "Evil" = of a bad nature; absence of the qualities which a person claims to have‑‑hypocrite; wolf in sheep's clothing; John the Baptist did not either (Mat. 3:8); this church was not concerned with the quantity of persons that were added but with the quality.

9. "Thou has tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars" = the church tested and found they did not meet the qualification of an apostle who was to be a witness of the Lord's resurrection (Acts 1:21‑22); when they did not meet this qualification they labeled them what they were‑‑liars; Paul called them what they were in II Cor. 11:13. (I Tim. 6:3‑5)

10. The Lord commended this church for possessing these qualities as well as those mentioned in the next verse.

V. 3

1. "Hast borne" = have endured the toil, sacrifice, and persecution; they did not abandon the principles of truth nor yield to error.

2. "Hast patience" = have shown that they could bear up under the things they faced with patience; this is almost a repetition of verse 2.

3. "And for my name's sake hast laboured" = for the cause of Christ they laboured‑‑advanced the cause of the Redeemer; again a repetition of verse 2, yet added the reason they laboured--for my name's sake.

4. "Hast not fainted" = they did not become exhausted or wearied, so as to give over (Gal. 6:9); there was no thought of giving up or giving over to the conflict with evil.

5. All the Lord says about this church to this point is commendation.  This church seems to be head and shoulders taller than any around today.  But the Lord announces that He has something against them.

V. 4

1. "Nevertheless" = notwithstanding; but; shows a contrast.

2. "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

3. "Thee" = "thy" = the people of the church of Ephesus.

4. "I have somewhat against thee" = there are some things which I cannot approve.

5. "Thou hast left thy first love" = they had not lost it but left it; their love was less glowing and fervent than it was at first; though they still maintained the doctrines of the Lord's truths and opposed the advocates of error, they showed less affection toward Him directly than they had formerly done.

6. "Love" = agape; God kind of love; love in action; context refers to the saint's love for Christ being expressed less than when they were first saved.

7. They maintained a spirit of sacrifice, steadfastness, separation, and a keenness for detecting heresy, but they were guilty of sin that no average person could detect.  Jesus told the disciples what it would be like in the last days. (Mat. 24:12)

V. 5

1. "Therefore" = in view of the fact that you have left your first love.

2. "Remember" = to be mindful of; to call to mind; to make mention of; remember when:

A. You loved to be in the Lord's house right after you were saved.

B. You loved to be around His people.

C. You loved to sing the songs of Zion.

3. This is not contradictory to what Paul said in Phil. 3:13‑‑"forgetting those things that are behind" = there are some things in the past you need to forget.  Even though you cannot forget like the Lord does, you must not let some things in the past influence you wrongly.  But there are some things in the past you need to call to mind because they are good and right to continue in your life.

4. "Whence" = where.

5. "Thou" = "thee" = "thy" = the saints in the church of Ephesus.

6. "Fallen" = refers to leaving your first love.

7. Our number one priority is loving Him and when we do that all other things will fall in place.  When you love Him rightly, you will take time for Him.

8. "Repent" = to change one's mind for the better with abhorrence of one's past sins; regret accompanied by a true change of heart; change of mind, attitude, and heart; a turning from sin, self, and the world to take up sides with God against self; repent is a verb‑‑man's part and one can not act to repent until repentance (God's part) is worked and that is only by godly sorrow (II Cor. 7:10); this is true of the saint and sinner.

9. The prodigal son, who was lost in the context of Luke 15, came to himself when he remembered how good it was under Dad's authority, watch, care, and protection and his action was one of repenting (Luke 15:18)‑‑no excuses, no blaming others but "I have sinned."

10. "Do the first works" = means to manifest the zeal and love you had when first saved.

11. "Or else" = otherwise; but if not; an ultimatum.

12. "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

13. "I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of his place" = I will come with speed and destroy your testimony, influence, and effectiveness in the eyes of those around you.

14. The candlestick supports and bears up the light for all to see.  Jesus is the light, but if the church has lost her candlestick, then it becomes ineffective in lifting up Jesus to a lost and dying world and the Holy Spirit no longer would empower the message causing the services to become mechanical, routine, ritualistic, dull, and dead.

15. Someone has said that 95% of the activity in the average local church would go on as it is presently, even if the Holy Spirit did not exist.  I'm inclined to agree.

V. 6

1. "But" = reveals contrast; our Lord used what is called sandwich psychology which is positive, negative, positive instruction.

2. "Thou" = the saints in the church at Ephesus.

3. "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

4. "Hatest" = "hate" = to detest; to dislike greatly; implies righteous indignation. (Eph. 4:26)

6. "This" = "deed" = works; actions; notice Jesus and the people hated the works of the Nicolaitanes and not the people themselves.

7. "Nicolaitanes" = we do not know what or who they are; there is no ancient mention of a sect called the Nicolaitanes; what were deeds in Ephesus became doctrine in Pergamos (verse 15); some believe it is the same Greek name for the Hebrew word Balaam but scripture mentions both the doctrine of Balaam and Nicolaitanes along with the word "also" = Rev. 2:14‑15; they may have been similar but they are two different groups; the word comes from two Greek words which means "to conquer the people;" I think it best describes the forerunners of the Roman Catholic church; Websters says it was one of the sects in the ancient Christian church, so named from Nicolas, a deacon of the church of Jerusalem, who held that all married women should be common to prevent jealousy, thus they were charged with licentious practices.

8. Whatever the deeds of the Nicolaitanes were, Christ said He hated them and commended the saints in Ephesus for hating them also.

V. 7

1. "He" = "him" = refers to anyone who reads this message to Ephesus, whether they were a member of Ephesus or not; applies to us today since the message is narrowed down to individuals at this point.

2. "He that hath an ear" = this is referring to a spiritual ear not the physical ear; refers to the saved in context because of the promise mentioned; if you have been awakened, the Lord gives you an ear to hear; this phrase is mentioned in the message to all seven of the Churches; Jesus used this phrase during his earthly ministry and it is recorded eight times in the Bible, one of which is Mat. 13:9; you are blessed if you have an ear to hear.

3. "Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches:"

A. "Hear" = to understand; to perceive the sense of what is said.

B. "The Spirit" = the Holy Spirit who is the teacher of the churches; He is regarded in the Scripture as the source of inspiration.

C. This phrase is used in the message to all the seven churches.

4. These two phrases together could call for self examination, therefore, it is narrowed down to individuals since every man has to give an account of himself in the judgment. (Rom. 14:11‑12)  Do you have an ear? Are you saved or have you been awakened? Examine yourself.

5. "Overcometh" = means to gain the victory; to be a conqueror; the tense is a continuous habitual lifestyle; we usually think that this is referring to some supernatural spiritual person but the Bible makes it clear that this is simply one who has been saved (I John 5:4‑5; Note: "believeth" is continuous action which indicates saving faith which never fails in a person after it is exercised);  this phrase is also spoken in the message of all seven churches with different privileges added.

6. "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

7. "Give" = to supply; furnish.

8. "Give to eat of the tree of life" = a privilege that all who are saved have; the tree of life was first mentioned in Gen. 2:9 as being in the midst of the garden of Eden; when Adam sinned he was placed outside the garden and God put cherubims at the entrance of the garden and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep man from eating of the tree of life.  (Gen. 3:24)

9. "Which is in the midst of the paradise of God" = since the tree of life was in the midst of the garden of Eden, causes us to ask, "What and where is the paradise of God?"

     A. "What" = the resting place of departed saints.

B. "Where" = in OT time it was in the heart of the earth, also referred to as Abraham's bosom, where Jesus went three days and nights with the thief He saved on the cross; (Luke 23:43; Mat. 12:40); when our Lord resurrected He emptied Paradise in the heart of the earth, led captivity captive (Eph. 4:8), and carried the saints of God into the third heaven where Paradise is today. (II Cor. 12:1-4)

     B. The message to Smyrna. V. 8‑11

V. 8

1. "Angel" = messenger; the pastor who was responsible for delivering the message to the individual members; the Lord delivers His message to His pastors and they in turn, if they are faithful watchmen, pass the message on to the members of the church he pastors.

2. "Church" = ekklesia; a called out assembly of baptized believers who meet together to worship and glorify the Lord.

3. "In" = speaks of the church's geographical location.

4. "Smyrna" = means myrrh, which had to do with embalming, suffering, and death; some facts:

A. A city located 40‑50 miles N of Ephesus on the Aegean Sea; same as modern day Ismar, Turkey.

B. A city that yielded total loyalty to Rome.

C. Several pagan temples were built there.

D. It was said that in Smyrna there dwelt the splendor of heathen culture at its highest and pagan religion at it most magnificent.

E. The Jews were numerous and influential and did everything they could to damage the cause of Christ and persuade the Roman authorities to active persecution, therefore, the people were especially hostile to Christians.

F. It was no easy thing to live for Christ in this city yet right in the middle of Smyrna was one of Christ's churches.

G. Since its name means myrrh, it will help us understand what this church faced if we knew some facts about myrrh:

1) It is bitter to taste but gives off a fragrant and pleasant odor.

2) The only way for myrrh to give off its fragrance is to crush its leaves.

3) It was one of the gifts brought by the wise men to Jesus 18-20 months after His birth.  That gift pointed directly to Calvary and His bitter sufferings on the cross.

4) In John 19:39, it was Nicodemus who brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight, to anoint the body of Jesus for burial.

5) In Mark 15:23 myrrh was mixed with the vinegar and offered to our Redeemer while He was upon the cross.

6) Therefore, in Smyrna in the midst of bitter sorrow and suffering, it is fitting that one of the Lord's churches was being crushed and a sweet fragrance ascended up to God for He had only good to say of this church.

H. Prophetically this church represents the time in church history from approximately 160 AD to 313 AD.  During this time of church history, the church was persecuted beneath the iron heel of pagan Rome.  It was to this most afflicted and persecuted of all the churches that the Lord told John to write.

5. "Write" = to express in written characters upon parchment or other material.

6. "These things" = refers to the things He is about to say to the church in Smyrna.

7. The Lord identified Himself to Smyrna as:

A. "The first and the last" = the same identification revealed to John in Rev. 1:17; this reveals Him as the Great Conqueror, the Eternal One, the Everlasting Victorious Christ; this peculiar description of the Lord should bring rich comfort and assurance to the heart of the believers in Smyrna and produce great courage in their actions; it would fortify the faith of those who were compelled to pass through such grievous persecution; the great I AM was speaking to the persecuted church and is saying I'm with you.

B. "Which was dead, and is alive" = He revealed Himself to John in Rev. 1:18 using this description:

1) "Was" = means became; it describes what we might call "the experience of an episode" = Christ became dead; for Him it was a passing phase which He passed through‑‑something which He experienced and overcame.

2) "Is alive" = describes the action done and completed in the past; means He came to life again; the Lord Jesus is He who experienced death, who passed through death, and who came out of death into life again in the triumphant event of the Resurrection and who is alive forever more.

8. This is how the Lord revealed Himself to the suffering and persecuted church of Smyrna.

V. 9

1. "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. "Thy" = "thou" = the church of Smyrna; applies to all saints.

3. "Know" = to have absolute knowledge of the facts; speaks of the Lord's absolute knowledge of the condition and circumstances of His people.

4. "Works" = acts; deeds; things done; this church was an active, energetic, and living church; their works proved their faith because Jesus did not have one thing to say against them. (James 2:20)

5. "Tribulation" = pressure; between a rock and a hard place; this is from a strong Greek word which indicates the execution of a man by placing a heavy boulder upon him and the weight of the boulder gradually crushes him to death; word has the picture of grinding millstones, the pressure of which grinds the wheat into flour; the pressure of persecution, sorrow, and death.

6. The Lord says, "I know about what you are going through and I understand."  How could He?  Because He had been that way before. (Heb. 4:15)

7. "Poverty" = there are two words in the Greek that are translated poverty; one means the man who just barely makes a living; he just gets by; his standard of living is very low and he is forced to work for a living; the second word means beggary; absolute and utter destitution; means not to have anything‑‑this is the word used here; the Christians were poor to begin with but when they identified with Christ all Smyrna turned against them; they were deprived of the right to work and make a living; they had no social prestige, no trade union would have them, no business would hire them, they were boycotted on every hand, and they had lost their homes, work, and possessions and lived in beggary.

8. Jesus knew their poverty and understood.  Early in His ministry He stated Mat. 8:20.  He understood and they were comforted by His words.

9. "(But thou art rich)" = abounding in Christian virtue and eternal possessions; rich in so great salvation; rich in blessed fellowship one with another; rich in their heavenly fellowship with the Almighty; rich in the hope of the glory to come; the Christian who is laying up treasure in heaven is rich indeed. (Mat. 6:19‑21; Luke 12:15; Heb. 10:34)

10. It is interesting to note that the Laodicean church was free of persecution and it is called the "rich poor" church but Smyrna was called the "poor rich" church.

11. "Blasphemy" = injurious speech; slander; means slander of the worst type; this was brought about by those in Smyrna against the Christians; they had everything told on them that could be told and it was done by religious groups "which say they are Jews" = these may have been of Jewish descendants but Christ said they "are not"--not what a real Jew stands for; in fact He labeled them of "the synagogue of Satan" = of the assembly of the evil one‑‑wolves in sheep's clothing; a religious crowd not having truth.

V. 10

1. Look at the words of encouragement the Lord gives this suffering church.

2. "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer" = do not be afraid of the things you will have to endure in the future; one might expect Him to say: 1) "Fear not, for the days of suffering will soon be past," or 2) "Fear not for I will destroy those who persecute you and I will bring you out shortly;" but instead He said, "You are to have more of the same‑‑more trials, more suffering, more trouble, but fear not."

3. "Thou" = "you" = "ye" = "thee" = the church of Smyrna; applies to all saints.

4. Then the Lord list some of the suffering they were to face:

A. "The devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried:"

1) The devil is behind all persecution. (I Peter 5:8)

2) The devil wants to destroy you in hell, if he can; therefore, he comes as a angel of light to deceive (II Cor. 11:14), to lead astray, to blind (II Cor. 4:3-4), and to give a counterfeit experience making you think it is from God; if this is the case you will wind up in hell.

3) After you are saved he wants to destroy your testimony so others will see that and stumble over you into hell.

4) The power of the devil is limited and controlled, and he cannot put forth his hand and touch even the feeblest lamb of the flock without permission from God. (Psa. 62:11) Job is a good example. (Job 1:7‑12)

5) "Tried" = to allow evils to come upon one in order to prove his character and the steadfastness of his faith. (I Peter 1:6‑7)

6) This you are going to face but fear not!

B. "And ye shall have tribulation ten days:"

1) "Tribulation" = grievous affliction, pressure, or distress; speaks of persecution; all saints will suffer. (II Tim. 3:12; Acts 14:22)

2) "Ten days" = the number 10 is the Bible number of perfection or completeness in divine order; it also means testimony; the 10 days does not mean a 24 hour day but it means:

a. That the tribulation will be for a  limited amount of time, set, and ordered in God's divine order.

b. Prophetically it could mean:

a) The 10 different pagan, ungodly Roman rulers' reign during which they had multitudes of Christians killed for their faith.  The last reign ended in 313 AD. During this time hundreds of Christians were brought into the amphitheaters of Rome to be fed to hungry lions while thousands cheered.  Many were crucified.  Others were covered with animal skins and tortured to death by wild dogs.  Others were covered with tar and set on fire to serve as lamp post.  Others were boiled in oil and burned at the stakes.  It was said that during this period of time at least five million Christians were martyred for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

b) The 10 year reign of Diocletian (Di‑o‑cleation) who was the last one of the persecuting rulers to reign and he was the worst of all.  He even attempted to destroy the Bible from the face of the earth.  The reason he was the last ruler to persecute the Christians so great was because the Devil changed his tactics.  Under the iron hand of Rome, the saint's blood flowed and the church grew because she was purified and her testimony was sealed with blood‑‑much blood. So about 313 AD Constantine, also a pagan Roman ruler, came on the scene and instead of persecuting he diluted the church and had his army baptized and called Christian.  This was the beginning of the Roman Catholic church.

c. Whatever these 10 days are it means it is a fixed time and God is in control.  Fear not!

5. "Be thou faithful unto death:"

A. "Faithful" = means to be trusted; reliable; dependable; having or showing a strong sense of duty or responsibility; this word is from a root word which means to be convinced; in Rev. 1:5 Christ is said to be faithful; therefore, the faithfulness of the saints rests in the faithfulness of the Saviour; Christ was not telling His suffering saints to "keep a stiff upper lip" or to "keep your chin up" or "grin and bear it;" what He told them was to depend on Him, to be convinced of Him, and to let Him be their strength and courage; He knew they would fail if they merely tried to bear up in their own strength; Luke speaks of something similar to this just before Jesus comes back. (Luke 21:8‑18, 25‑28)

B. "Unto death" = not "until" death for this could be due to a natural cause, but "unto" death asking them to die a martyr's death‑‑remain faithful until death relieved them of their suffering.

6. "And I will give thee a crown of life" = this is speaking of a special reward for faithful martyrs which will be given by our Lord at the Judgment seat of Christ; these crowns will be the saints wedding gifts to the Lord at the marriage supper when they cast them before the throne. (Rev. 4:10)

7. The Lord did not call us to be a success by world standards but faithful. (I Cor. 4:2)  Polycarp is a famous example of this verse:

A. He was said to be pastor of this church at the time of this writing.

B. He was later brought by a mob before the governor because they hated him.

C. He was given a choice of saying "Jesus is Lord" or "Caesar is Lord."  He refused to say "Caesar is Lord."  The governor urged him saying, "Swear! I will set thee at liberty.  Reproach Christ."

D. He answered back, "Eighty and six years have I served Him and He never did me harm.  How then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?"

E. When the governor again pressed him, the aged pastor answered, "Since thou art vainly urging that I should swear by the fortune of Caesar and pretendest not to know who and what I am, hear me, I am a Christian!"

F. A little later the governor threatened, "I have wild beasts at hand.  To them will I cast thee except thou change."  Later he said, "I will cause thee to be consumed by fire, seeing thou despisest the wild beast, if thou wilt not change."

G. Polycarp said, "Thou threatenest me with fire which burneth for an hour, and after a little is extinguished.  But thou art ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment reserved for the ungodly.  But why tarriest thou? Bring forth what thou wilt."

H. Soon after the people, led by the Jews (on a Sabbath day, in contradiction to their law) gathered wood and sticks and burned the faithful pastor.  In the flames Polycarp prayed this moving prayer. "I thank thee that thou hast graciously thought me worthy of this day and of this hour, that I may receive a portion in the number of martyrs in the cup of Christ."  And so the pastor died‑‑faithful unto death.

8. Fear none of these things.  Be faithful!

V. 11

1. "He" = "him" = refers to anyone who reads this message to Smyrna, whether they were a member of Smyrna or not; applies to us today since the message is narrowed down to individuals at this point.

2. "He that hath an ear" = this is referring to a spiritual ear not the physical ear; refers to the saved in context because of the promise mentioned; if you have been awakened, the Lord gives you an ear to hear; this phrase is mentioned in the message to all seven of the Churches; Jesus used this phrase during his earthly ministry and it is recorded eight times in the Bible one of which is Mat. 13:9; you are blessed if you have an ear to hear.

3. "Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches:"

A. "Hear" = to understand; to perceive the sense of what is said; implies to heed--obey.

B. "The Spirit" = the Holy Spirit who is the teacher of the churches; He is regarded in the Scripture as the source of inspiration.

C. This phrase is used in the message to all the seven churches.

 4. These two phrases together could call for self examination, therefore, it is narrowed down to individuals since every man has to give an account of himself in the judgment. (Rom. 14:11‑12) If the first church had a lost member with the master Teacher present, what about the rest?  Do you have an ear? Are you saved or have you been awakened? Examine yourself.

5. "Overcometh" = means to gain the victory; to be a conqueror; the tense is a continuous habitual lifestyle; we usually think that this is referring to some supernatural spiritual person but the Bible makes it clear that this is simply one who has been saved (I John 5:4‑5; Note: "believeth" is continuous action which indicates saving faith which never fails in a person after it is exercised);  this phrase is also spoken in the message of all seven churches with different privileges added.

6. "Shall not be hurt of the second death" = the privilege of being an overcomer:

A. "Death" = means separation; physical death is separation of soul and spirit from the body; spiritual death, which is the second death, is separation of spirit, soul, and body from God which is hell and then the lake of fire.

B. "Shall not be hurt" = a promise of a privilege to the saved‑‑they have nothing to fear in the future world‑‑no wrath, no hell. (Rev. 20:6; I Thess. 1:9‑10; 5:9)

          C. The message to Pergamos. V. 12‑17

V. 12

1. "Angel" = messenger; the pastor who was responsible for delivering the message to the individual members; the Lord delivers His message to His pastors and they in turn, if they are faithful watchmen, pass the message on to the members of the church he pastors.

2. "Church" = ekklesia; a called out assembly of baptized believers who meet together to worship and glorify the Lord.

3. "In Pergamos " = speaks of the church's geographical location; "in" means the same as "of" in verse 1; one important thing to note‑‑none of these churches had a building to meet in; we do not know where they met‑‑may have been in homes, or in a lean to‑‑doesn't matter; the main thing is that they were saved people who met together and had a pastor and now the Lord sends them a specific message.

4. "Pergamos" = means "a tower" or "a marriage"‑‑this will show forth something of great importance later; some facts about the city:

A. Located in area known as Turkey today, 60 miles North of Smyrna and about 15 miles inland from the Aegean Sea. It was built on a tall cone shaped hill and from the top the sea could be seen.

B. Historically, it was a famous city in Asia. It had been a capital city for 400 years. Started right after the fall of Alexander the Great and it even kept the distinction of being a capital city of a Roman province.

C. They had one of the most famous libraries in the world with over 200,000 volumes written on parchment.  Parchment came from the skins of animals and was invented in Pergamos and got its name from Pergamos. Papyrus was used for writing before parchment.  It came from bulrushes that grew along the Nile River in Egypt.  Because of a conflict between the king of Egypt and the king of the country where Pergamos was located, Egypt would not ship any papyrus to Pergamos.  So that forced them into the discovery and the perfection of writing material made out of skins of animals.  Today if you graduate from college they call your diploma a "sheepskin."  That refers to the material on which the diplomas used to be written on and it dates back to Pergamos.

D. Pergamos was one of the great religious centers in the ancient world.  They had famous shrines and temples, one of which was erected to the god (little "g") of Zeus.  Another temple was also built to a god of healing.  His emblem was a serpent‑‑serpents are an emblem of the medical profession today.  The city had the most famous medical school in the world in this temple.  In the courts, harmless snakes slithered on the floor and sufferers came from the ends of the earth to sleep in the sanctuary. If a sufferer happened to be touched by one of those sliding, slithering snakes in the night, he was touched by the healing presence of this god of healing.  Much of what they called medicine, we call superstition or demons.

E. Right in the midst of all of this heathen worship, idolatry, sin, and ungodliness, one of the Lord's churches existed.

F. Prophetically this church represents the time in church history from approximately 313 AD to 600 AD.

5. "Write" = to express in written characters upon parchment or other material.

6. "These things" = refers to the things He is about to say to the church in Pergamos.

7. "He" = the Lord Jesus Christ who identifies Himself in this introductory message as "he which hath the sharp sword with two edges."

A. "Which" = who; the Lord is a person and not a thing; therefore, this is masculine gender and not neuter.

B. "Sharp sword with two edges" = refers to the word of God (Heb. 4:12); speaks of the judgment of God‑‑judges thoughts and intents of heart and mind and divides the soul from the spirit so man will recognize he is lost; in context He is writing to saints properly identifying Himself as the one who will judge those who slip in the church bringing in false doctrines. (verse 15)

V. 13

1. "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. "Know" = to have absolute knowledge of the facts; the phrase is spoken to all seven churches and speaks of the Lord's absolute knowledge of the condition and circumstances of His people.

3. "Thy" = "thou" = the church of Pergamos; applies to all saints.

4. "Works" = acts; deeds; things done; this church was an active, energetic, and living church‑‑a fruitful people for their works proved their faith. (James 2:20)

5. "Where thou dwellest" = to have one's permanent resident as far as the world is concerned; where they live; He knew what they were going through; sometimes we think God does not know where we live but He does; some say "it is hard to be a Christian in this world" but Titus 2:11‑12 says grace will teach you what to deny and how to live in this present world; I Peter 2:11 refers to saints as strangers (one not at home) and pilgrims (one headed home) in this world.

6. "Where Satan's seat is" = "seat" means throne or seat of power; in Pergamos Satan's rule was the strongest‑‑the place where he exercised the most authority; the base of operation; on the cone shaped hill, on a jutting ledge there was built the most extravagantly decorated, the largest and most famous altar in the world‑‑the altar of Zeus which was 90 feet square and 40 ft. high; this altar of sacrifice to Zeus was the most impressive thing in the city; it looked somewhat like a throne, thus Satan's base of operation where he exercised power and great authority; most think his throne is in hell but in this present day his throne still exists, even though the altar of Zeus is destroyed; he is referred to as "god of this world" in II Cor. 4:3‑4 and as "the prince of the power of the air" in Eph. 2:2.

7. "Thou holdest fast my name" = God; His name stands for Himself; it represents the fullness of His divine Person, His diety, His sinlessness, and His saving work for sinners; it suggests His honor, His glorious nature, His holy character, and His redeeming power; it means they maintained a love for and loyalty to Christ's name and He commended them for doing so; they could have said "Ceasar is Lord" but no, they, like Polycarp, were not ashamed that they were a Christian; it would have been easier to identify with Satan, since this was where his seat was, but they held fast to the Lord's name; holding fast is not the equivalent of carrying a card or having a bumper sticker, or wearing a medal to show that one belongs to some "holy name society;" instead it is holding to the firm conviction that He is the Lord Jesus Christ.

8. "Hast not denied my faith" = this is the same as "the faith"that Jude wrote about in Jude 3; stands for the whole revealed truth‑‑the body of the true doctrine‑‑once delivered to the saints; they had not rejected the faith but stood for it even in a time when great persecution had burst out against the Christians = "even in those days."

9. "Wherein" = when.

10. "Antipas" = this is the only time his name is mentioned in the Bible; secular historians made no mention of him but Christ took note and He always will. (Psa. 116:15)

11. "My" = signifies him as one of Christ's own; belonging to Him; ownership; bought with a price. (I Cor. 6:19‑20)

12. "Martyr" = witness; described as "faithful" = trustworthy; one that can be relied on; Rev. 1:5 states the same words in the Greek about the Lord Himself; Jesus gave Antipas a great tribute by giving him the same title as He gave Himself.

13. "Who was slain" = he was killed‑‑martyred; sealed his testimony for Christ with his own blood.

14. "Among you" = at Pergamos "where Satan dwelleth" = where Satan's seat is; mentioned twice to let the saints at Pergamos know the Lord really did understand what they were going through.

15. The Lord commended them for their stand.  How could they stand at a time like that? They experienced something real when they met Jesus.  They were more than "professors" they were "possessors."  They were not tares but wheat.  They had been put in the church by the Spirit, not by self or the preacher.  Therefore, they were able to stand even if it meant sealing their testimony with their own blood.  What a testimony!

V. 14

1. "But" = reveals contrast between the Lord's commendation of verse 13 and that which He has against the church in this verse.

2. "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

3. "Thee" = "thou" = the church of Pergamos; applies to all saints if they are guilty of this accusation.

4. "Few things" = plural; more than one, in fact as we analyze the text He brings up two things against them.

5. "Because" = introduces the reason He had a few things against the church.

6. "There" = in that place; in the church‑‑these  He speaks of were members of the church; they did not just attend the church = "them."

7. "Hold" = to keep carefully and faithfully; to embrace; means to believe and promote in context.

8. "Doctrine of Balaam" = the teaching of Balaam which is listed in the rest of this verse.

6. "Balaam" = "who" = a false prophet Balac, king of Moab, hired to curse the children of Israel so the glory of God would depart from them; the story of Balaam can be read in Numbers Chapters 22‑25; he was not an Israelite but of Mesopotomia which is Iraq today. (Deut. 23:4)

7. "Who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel:"

A. "Taught" = to impart instruction; introduced a plan that would cause God to take the glory off the children of Israel.

B. "Stumblingblock" = means anything over which anyone may fall into sin; Balaam's plan to Balac was to let their daughters walk scantily‑clad through the camp and the young men will desire them and sin and God will take the glory off.

C. "The children of Israel" = the tribes of Israel who wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.

8. "To eat things sacrificed to idols" = this was forbidden by law; the Moabites and Midianites were pagan idol worshipers and had feasts where meat was eaten that was sacrificed to idols; evidently Balaam taught it was alright to do such a thing; it seems there were teachers in Pergamos that had persuaded the professing Christians to attend some pagan feast.

9. "To commit fornication" = to prostitute one's body to the lust of another; any sex relations without proper marriage; also it can speak of spiritual fornication‑‑joining to the world; remember Pergamos means marriage‑‑the joining of the church to the world.

10. The doctrine of Balaam was his teaching Balac to corrupt the people who could not be cursed, by tempting them to yoke up with the women of Moab and Midian and defile their separation by eating meat sacrificed to idols and abandoning their pilgrim character by yoking up with the world.  Those in the church may not have taught the exact same doctrine which Balaam did but substantially the same; therefore, they deserved to be classified with him.

V. 15

1. "So" = in like manner.

2. "Thou" = the church in Pergamos.

3. "Also" = indeed; likewise.

4. "Them" = members of the church who held this doctrine.

5. "Hold" = embrace; to keep carefully and faithfully; means to believe and promote.

6. "Doctrine of the Nicolaitanes" = "which thing" = we do not know what or who they are; there is no ancient mention of a sect called the Nicolaitanes; what were deeds in Ephesus (verse 6) became doctrine in Pergamos; some believe it is the same Greek name for the Hebrew word Balaam but scripture mentions both the doctrine of Balaam and Nicolaitanes along with the word "also;" they may have been similar but they are two different groups; the word comes from two Greek words which means "to conquer the people;" I think it best describes the forerunners of the Roman Catholic church; Webster's says it was one of the sects in the ancient Christian church, so named from Nicolas, a deacon of the church of Jerusalem, who held that all married women should be common to prevent jealousy, thus they were charged with licentious practices.

7. Prophetically this shows the deterioration of the church which at the beginning hated even the deeds of the Nicolaitanes but by the fourth century there were those in the church who had embraced the doctrine (teaching).

8. "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

9. "Hate" = to detest; to dislike greatly; implies righteous indignation. (Eph. 4:26)

V. 16

1. "Repent" = to change one's mind for the better with abhorrence of one's past sins; regret accompanied by a true change of heart; change of mind, attitude, and heart; a turning from sin, self, and the world to take up sides with God against self; repent is a verb‑‑man's part and one can not act to repent until repentance (God's part) is worked and that is only by godly sorrow (II Cor. 7:10); this is true of the saint and sinner; this implies the church must practice church discipline. (II Thess. 3:6)

2. "Or else" = otherwise.

3. "I" = "my" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

4. "I will come unto thee quickly" = means He would come against them in judgment or to punish them.

5. "And will fight against them with the sword of my mouth" = refers to fighting against the Nicolaitanes but He would also come against the church for tolerating them; He would give an order and they would be cut as if by a sword identified with two edges in verse 12; He does not say precisely in what way it would be done‑‑might be by persecution or by heavy judgments; to see the force of this we need to remember the power which Christ has to punish the wicked by a word of His mouth. (Rev. 19:15)

6. We do not want people against our church, but we for sure do not want the Lord against our church.

7. Pergamos did not repent and she is non‑existent today.  As for the prophetical church age is concerned, she has grown colder and more lax in her repentance until the one world church is having a heyday.

V. 17

1. "He" = "him" = refers to anyone who reads this message to Peragmos, whether they were a member of Peragmos or not; applies to us today since the message is narrowed down to individuals at this point.

2. "He that hath an ear" = this is referring to a spiritual ear not the physical ear; refers to the saved in context because of the promise mentioned; if you have been awakened, the Lord gives you an ear to hear; this phrase is mentioned in the message to all seven of the Churches; Jesus used this phrase during his earthly ministry and it is recorded eight times in the Bible one of which is Mat. 13:9; you are blessed if you have an ear to hear.

3. "Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches:"

A. "Hear" = to understand; to perceive the sense of what is said.

B. "The Spirit" = the Holy Spirit who is the teacher of the churches; He is regarded in the Scripture as the source of inspiration.

C. This phrase is used in the message to all the seven churches.

4. These two phrases together could call for self examination, therefore, it is narrowed down to individuals since every man has to give an account of himself in the judgment. (Rom. 14:11‑12)  Do you have an ear? Are you saved or have you been awakened? Examine yourself.

5. "Overcometh" = means to gain the victory; to be a conqueror; the tense is a continuous habitual lifestyle; we usually think that this is referring to some supernatural spiritual person but the Bible makes it clear that this is simply one who has been saved (I John 5:4‑5; Note: "believeth" is continuous action which indicates saving faith which never fails in a person after it is exercised);  this phrase is also spoken in the message of all seven churches with different privileges added.

6. "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

7. "Give" = to supply; furnish.

8. "Give to eat of the hidden manna" = a privilege that all who are saved have; this is true spiritual food; the food that nourishes the soul; "manna" means, what is it?  The first mention of "manna" was Exo. 16:15 and it speaks of God's provision for them as they journeyed through the wilderness; it is a type of the Lord Jesus who is the bread from heaven; here it is described as hidden while in OT it was not hidden; in Pergamos the saints were able to survive the persecutions because they partook daily of Christ who was The Manna and was hidden from the view of those who rejected Him; the believer has meat to eat that the world knows not of; he can feed upon Him who alone can satisfy.

9. "And will give him a white stone" = this is a second privilege mentioned in this message to Pergamos that all the saved have; during the time in which John wrote this book a white stone was used in social life and judicial customs; days of great festivals were noted by a white stone while days of great calamity were noted by a black stone; if a host had a special guest whom he greatly appreciated, the guest was given a white stone with a name or a message written on it, directed only to the guest and not to be shared by any other; in the courts, a white stone meant acquittal while a black stone meant condemnation; by the Lord's promise to give all the saved a white stone it means victory and final acquittal; this will be future at the Judgment seat of Christ.

10. "And in the stone a new name written" = this name indicates a new relation, new hopes and triumphs; Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, and Peter received new names after they were saved.

11. "Which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it" = what the new name is I do not know; in fact, the only one who knows it will be the individual who receives it and then only when he receives it; to say what it is would have to be speculation; it does suggest to us that in heaven each redeemed person will have his own personal and intimate knowledge of his Lord; each one will enjoy an intimacy with his Lord that no other can share (I Cor. 13:12); I will know what my white stone says because it will be personal to me and the same holds true of all who are saved.

12. Seven times the Lord speaks to the overcomers and promises them various privileges.  Why?  To cause them to desire the Lord to come and fall more in love with Him till He does.  These repetitions to the churches should encourage us to keep on keeping on till He comes.

          D. The message to Thyatira. V. 18-29

V. 18

1. "Angel" = messenger; the pastor who was responsible for delivering the message to the individual members; the Lord delivers His message to His pastors and they in turn, if they are faithful watchmen, pass the message on to the members of the church he pastors.

2. "Church" = ekklesia; a called out assembly of baptized believers who meet together to worship and glorify the Lord.

3. "In Thyatira" = speaks of the church's geographical location; "in" means the same as "of" in verse 1; one important thing to note‑‑none of these churches had a building to meet in; we do not know where they met‑‑may have been in homes, or in a lean to‑‑doesn't matter; the main thing is that they were saved people who met together and had a pastor and now the Lord sends them a specific message.

4. "Thyatira" = some facts about:

A. Located about 40 miles east-SE of Pergamos.

B. The town is the smallest and less significant than the first three but received the longest letter.

C. It was distinguished for its industrial activity; therefore, it was a prosperous city in trade and commerce.

D. It was a well known center for numerous trade guilds, similar to labor unions as we know them today.  There were organized groups and associations for potters, tanners, bronze workers, dyers, slave dealers, and bakers.

E. It has been said that the water around Thyatira was so adapted to dyeing that in no other place could the scarlet cloth be so permanently and perfectly dyed as in Thyatira‑‑thus, it was noted for dyeing of material.

F. The city is mentioned in Acts 16:14‑15 as the place where Lydia was from.  She was the first recorded convert of the Lord Jesus from this area.  Therefore, it is possible that through this contact with Paul that the group went back to Thyatira and a church had its beginning.  We have no other record as to how or who started the church in Thyatira but there was one in existence at John's writing.

G. No doubt pagan influence was there with all their ungodly worship just like in the other cities we have dealt with.  Also the Roman influence was equally strong in Thyatira.  Yet in the midst, the Lord had one of His churches.

H. Prophetically this period deals in church history from about AD 600 to AD 1500.

I. Thyatira means a continual sacrifice.

5. "Write" = to express in written characters upon parchment or other material.

6. "These things" = refers to the things He is about to say to the church in Thyatira.

7. "The Son of God" = the Lord Jesus Christ; this is the first time the Lord is named; in the other churches He just gave His attributes; the reason this identity is given to the church could be for prophetical reasons:

A. There was a rise of the Nicolaitanes during the period of 600AD to 1500AD; this was a long dark period in history known as "The Dark Ages."

B. During this period "transubstantiation (tran‑sub‑stan'‑she‑a'‑shen) was adopted by the state church.  This means that when the elements of unleaven bread and unleaven fruit of the vine were prayed over by the priest, they actually became the very body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.  This is false!  This then was used in the daily mass which was introduced in 394 AD.  This represents continual sacrifice--Thyatira's definition. 

C. Christ died once. His body was broken once and His blood shed once.  He is not a continual sacrifice.  When we observe the Lord's supper, the elements are only types that point back to His broken body and shed blood.  Moses died prematurely because he broke God's type‑‑he smote the rock twice and Christ was only smitten once, and God judged him because he broke God's type.  And He will continue to judge all who break His types. (Heb. 10:29‑31)

D. Also during this time there was a rapid rise of the worship of Mary which had been introduced in 431 AD. The state church exalted her above the Lord by calling her "the mother of God" and "the queen of heaven."  They even came to the place where they said in order for one to get through to God one must pray to Mary.  With all these things going on in the so called church, no wonder the Lord revealed Himself as the Son of God‑‑co‑eternal and co‑equal with the Father.

E. In Pergamos, there were those who were holding fast His name but in Thyatira the conditions prophetically of the state church, the Nicolaitanes, were causing the dignity of His name to be degraded.  Therefore, He reveals Himself to them as the Son of God who will judge.

8. He then gives two descriptions of Himself as the Son of God which denotes judgment:

A. "Hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire:"

1) Nothing escapes the all seeing eyes of God.  In verse 23 the Lord told the church "He searcheth the reins and hearts."  He knows your heart‑‑you don't. (Jer. 17:9)

2) It has been said there is nothing more piercing than flaming fire.  It penetrates all things.

3) The flame of fire speaks of the Lord judging our motive and He promised in verse 23, "I will give unto every one of you according to your works."

B. "His feet are like fine brass:"

1) Brass also is the symbol of judgment and being connected with the feet , it implies what Rev. 19:15 says, "He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."

2)  All judgment is committed to Jesus Christ and He will execute it faithfully.  We are living in the day of grace when His feet are a thing of beauty as He brings good tidings of salvation (Isa. 52:7), but His day of grace and mercy will run out just like it did with Thyatira.

V. 19

1. "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. "Know" = to have absolute knowledge of the facts; the phrase is spoken to all seven churches and speaks of the Lord's absolute knowledge of the condition and circumstances of His people.

3. "Thy" = "thou" = the church of Thyatira; applies to all saints.

4. "Works" = acts; deeds; things done; this church was an active, energetic, and living church‑‑a fruitful people for their works proved their faith. (James 2:20)

5. "Charity" = love in action; God kind of love; the saints of God have this love "shed abroad" in their hearts (Rom. 5:5) and is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22‑23); the nature of God is love (I John 4:16), and if one is saved they take on the nature of God and exhibit that nature to others.  6. "Service" = ministry; their service or ministry was their love in action toward those in need; It is not merely the mechanical function of the job for which they were responsible but a demonstration of tender, loving, kindness in their ministry; this speaks of a labor of love which is one of the characteristics of the church at Thessalonica (I Thess. 1:3); it is possible to labor without love, but if you have love you will labor and minister to other's needs.

7. "Faith" = faithfulness; fidelity; this does not refer to faith exercised by one to be saved; refers to faithfulness to obligations and duties.

8. "Patience" = the quality of an individual who doesn't surrender to circumstances or succumb to trials.

6. "Thy works" = described as "the last to be more than the first;" their actions and deeds which had been recently performed were more numerous, and more commendable than those which had been rendered formerly; they were making progress.

V. 20

1. "Notwithstanding" = nevertheless; but; reveals a contrast of the good and right in verse 19 to the wrong He is about to reveal.

2. "I" = "my" = the Lord Jesus Christ‑‑the Son of God.

3. "Thee" = "thou" = the church at Thyatira.

4. "Few things" = basically one area of problem that branch out into many areas; that one area involved a woman called Jezebel.

5. "Sufferest" = to allow; to permit; to tolerate; they did not judge and condemn sin.

6. Note the difference between Ephesus and Thyatira:

A. Ephesus was waning in love but would not tolerate evil.

B. Thyatira was gaining in love but tolerating evil.

C. Here we have two extremes and they are present today in our churches.

1) In some churches we find the moral and doctrinal perfectionists, the legalist, who are loveless and sometimes ruthless in their dealing with brethren whom they believe to have departed from the faith.

2) On the other hand there are those who preach love and toleration even to the extent of believing there can be peaceful co‑existence between good and evil.

3) Somewhere there is the middle of the road.  Lord, help us to find it!

7. "Woman" = "Jezebel" = probably not the real name of this woman but a name given to her as expressive of her character and influence; when her name is mentioned our mind automatically goes back to the OT character of Jezebel:

A. She was the daughter of the king of the Zidonians who were Baal worshipers.

B. She married Israel's wicked king Ahab, after which she set up Baal worship in Israel.  She had the prophets of God killed but she could not overcome one‑‑Elijah.

C. She was responsible for the death of Naboth so that Ahab could have his vineyard.

D. She died a horrible death 15 years after Elijah prophesied concerning her death.  It has been said the mill of God's judgment grinds slow but it grinds exceedingly fine. (Isa. 55:11)

8. This woman probably had the same demons in her as the Jezebel of the OT.  At least they were the same kind because they operated with the same evil persuasions.

9. "Prophetess" = a female who claimed to have power to reveal future happenings; her power did not come from the Holy Spirit since she caused people to be led away from truth which is the exact opposite of what Holy Spirit led individuals do. (John 16:13)

10. "Teach" = to impart instruction.

11. "Seduce" = to lead away into error and sin.

12. "My servants" = refers to the professors in Thyatira; the Lord called them such even though He knew some were not saved.

13. "Commit fornication" = to prostitute one's body to the lust of another; any sex relations without proper marriage; to permit one's self to be drawn away by another into idolatry.

14. "To eat things sacrificed unto idols" = this was forbidden by law; I know that under grace we can pray over such meat and eat it, but Paul said if it offends my brother he would not eat it. (I Cor. 6:12; I Tim. 4:4; I Cor. 8:13)

15. The true saints of God would not have yielded to such lifestyles no matter how much instruction or seduction they had. (Mat. 24:24) A saved person may get cold, side-tracked, and unconcerned for a short time but never deceived. (Mat. 25:1-5)

16. In Pergamos the church was married to the state while in Thyatira, we see the church turning away from the truth‑‑apostasy. Therefore, Thyatira represents the apostate church.

17. When a church falls away from truth and listens to man's thinking and ideas, the days become dark. Prophetically this period is known as the dark ages.  During this period of church history:

A. The state church claimed to be the voice of God.

B. A man in 606 AD was enthroned as the first actual pope and addressed as "Holy Father."

C. A woman was put in man's place and is substituted for Christ‑‑speaking of Mary.

18. No wonder we see apostasy at its highest.  And no wonder the Lord said I have somewhat against you‑‑you have allowed this woman a place she should not be in.  You have broken God's pattern.  You have tolerated sin and evil instead of condemning and judging it.  I have some things against thee.

V. 21

1. "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. "Her" = "she" = woman called Jezebel.

3. "Gave her space" = to give a particular time or season; probably involved some direct and solemn warning of the evil of her course.

4. "To repent" = to have a change of mind that leads to a change of direction and change of attitude; it is a turning from sin to the Lord to take up sides with God against one's self.

5. "Her fornication" = probably refers here to being drawn away into idolatry.

6. "She repented not" = the Lord dealt patiently with this woman over a period of time but she did not repent; she despised the Lord's forbearance and long‑suffering, not believing that His goodness led her to repentance (Rom. 2:4); she showed no disposition to abandon her course.

7. Prophetically the ungodly church referred to as Jezebel over a period of time has not repented nor will she repent.  Rome today is making friendly gestures toward the apostate protestant churches and the Baptist churches as well.

8. When the wrath of God breaks out upon this earth, even then, they will not repent. (Rev. 16:9‑11; 9:20‑21)

9. God is longsuffering but time for repentance will run out as the next verse reveals.

V. 22

1. "Behold" = an exclamation that arrests attention, and prepares the way for something unexpected and terrible.

2. "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

3. "Her" = Jezebel.

4. "Them" = "they" = "their" = those seduced and led astray by Jezebel; speaks of the "servants" of verse 20.

5. "Cast her into a bed" = "bed" is used in sharp contrast to the bed of the harlot with its illicit pleasure; speaks of judgment.

6. "Commit adultery" = one word in the Greek; the word is used of those who at a woman's solicitation are drawn away to idolatry‑‑eating the things sacrificed to idols; figure of forsaking God, turning to the world, and having another master.

7. "Great tribulation" = pressure; affliction; great suffering; disease of the body or tortures of the soul; being in a strait between a rock and a hard place; tribulation is always used in conjunction with the saved while wrath is used concerning the lost; even professors experience this to expose what they do not have (Mat. 13:20‑21); these same words are used in Rev. 7:14; "great" means "much" and Acts 14:22 declares plainly that the saints "must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."

8. One of the real problems that leads to great error in rightly dividing the book of Revelation is that most people refer to "great tribulation" as the vials, trumpets, and thunders, but the Bible refers to that as the wrath of God which is not appointed to the saved. (I Thess. 5:9; 1:10)

9. "Except" = unless.

10. "Repent" = this Greek word includes both sorrow for the past and abandonment of the evil course of life; it is only by repentance that we can avoid the consequences of sin.

11. "Deeds" = actions; things done.

12. The professing church world will not repent and as a result even the godly remnant will suffer great tribulation but not the wrath of God.

V. 23

1. "I" = "he" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. "Her" = Jezebel.

3. "I will kill her children with death" = a strong mode of expression meaning He would certainly destroy them; speaks of those born of her teaching and doctrine.

4. "Death" = word seems to be some heavy judgment, by plagues, famine, or sword, by which they would be cut off.

5. "And all of the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts" = this means the design of this judgment will be so apparent that it will convince all that the Lord will know what is in the hearts of men, even the secret acts of wickedness that are concealed from human view; He will bring this (end time) to pass in such a way that He will get all the glory.

A. "All of the churches" = local visible bodies of baptized believers who meet together to glorify the Lord; yet now due to false doctrine they are diluted and infiltrated by "professors" = who have not been saved.

B. "Shall know" = to know by experience; they will know that the Son of God did it, not some big time evangelist, or politician, or a one world ruler; this includes the "professors" as well as the "possessors."

C. "Searcheth" = to examine; speaks of His omniscience‑‑all knowledge; nothing passes the One whose eyes are like a flame of fire.

D. "Which" = who; the Lord Jesus is a person not a thing; therefore, this is masculine gender, not neuter gender.

E. "Reins" = used of inmost thoughts, feelings, and purposes of the soul.

F. "Hearts" = denotes the center of all spiritual life.

G. "I will give unto every one of you according to your works" = this is according to the law of sowing and reaping (Gal. 6:7);  to the "professor" who is lost, he will stand before the Great White Throne of Judgment and be cast in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11‑15); to the saved he will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ. (II Cor. 5:9‑10; I Cor. 3:12‑15)

V. 24

1. "But" = reveals the contrast from the general to the specific.

2. "You" = refers to those truly saved in the church‑‑the remnant; these were saved, not because of idolatrous teachings, but in spite of it.

3. "And unto the rest in Thyatira" = this phrase is what is called in "apposition" = which explains or characterizes "you" in this verse; He had dealt primarily with the "professors" up to this point, now He wants to deal with the "possessors"--the saved‑‑the remnant.

4. "As many as have not this doctrine" = a farther description of the saved‑‑the remnant; those who have not embraced the teaching of Jezebel, or been contaminated with it.

5. "Which" = who; the saved were people not things; therefore, this is masculine gender not neuter gender.

6. "Which have not known the depths of Satan" = another description of the saved; the word "known" means to experience; the saved may have known about the depth of Satan as Paul said "I am not ignorant of his devices" (II Cor. 2:11), but they had not experienced the traps, snares, and depths of Satan.

7. "As they speak" = as they say; most commentaries do not even deal with this phrase because it is hard to determine exactly what it means; it seems to apply to those who propagated the doctrine of Jezebel as being the deep things of God (depths)"as they say" but our Lord calls what they propagate as being of Satan and not God.

8. "I will put upon you none other burden" = speaks of a burden or weight one cannot bear by himself; I'll not put on you more than you can stand; not to have experienced this doctrine and depths of Satan had caused great persecution on the saved; they were not able to belong to the trade guilds; therefore, they had no way to make a living which resulted in their being poor, despised, and rejected; but the Lord said I will not put upon you none other burden‑‑you have been through enough.

V. 25

1. "But" = notwithstanding; however.

2. "That which you have already" = refers to verse 19; you have works, charity, service, faith, patience, and a growth in works.

3. "Hold fast" = keep; guard; secure; don't let go; the church as a whole had gone too far, but now He speaks to the remnant of saints; how long?

4. "Till I come" = refers to the time when He comes to "receive you unto myself" = rapture, not a Bible word but a Bible principle (John 14:3; I Thess. 4:16‑17); the Greek construction conveys a touch of indefiniteness as to the date specified‑‑"until the time whensoever I shall come."

5. "I" = the Lord Himself and none other. (Acts 1:11)

V. 26

1. "He" = "him" = refers to anyone who reads this message to Thyatira, whether they were a member of Thyatira or not; applies to us today since the message is narrowed down to individuals at this point.

2. "Overcometh" = means to gain the victory; to be a conqueror; the tense is a continuous habitual lifestyle; we usually think that this is referring to some supernatural spiritual person but the Bible makes it clear that this is simply one who has been saved (I John 5:4‑5; Note: "believeth" is continuous action which indicates saving faith which never fails in a person after it is exercised);  this phrase is also spoken in the message of all seven churches with different privileges added.

3. "Keepeth" = observe; watch and guard with obedience and faithfulness in mind.

4. "My" = "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

5. "My works" = what God requires of saints; note: said "my works" which is in sharp contrast with her work in verse 22 called "their deeds" which refers to their following what Jezebel required‑‑her works. (verse 20b)

6. "Unto the end" = this does not refer to extinction or termination of time but it means the goal reached‑‑the day of promotion for saints which is the day of physical death or the rapture whichever may come first; if the saved do this, then there is a special privilege given; basically all saved will be steadfast unto the end. (Heb. 3:6,14)

7. "To him will I give power over the nations" = means authority to rule; thus, associated with Him in future glory (Luke 19:17); this is in the millennium.

V. 27

1. "He" = the one who "overcometh"‑‑saved, and "keepeth his works unto the end."

2. "Them" = nations.

3. "Shall rule them with a rod of iron" = this means "shall shepherd them"‑‑speaks that the rule of nations is to be strong but it is to be loving also; to those who obey, they will be shepherded, and to those who resist, they will be dashed into pieces "as the vessels of potter shall they be broken to shivers."

4. "Even as I received of my Father" = the saved shall receive authority from the Lord Jesus just as He also received authority from His Father; this promise has a direct connection with Psa. 2:8‑9. (Mat. 28:18; Rev. 20:6; Jude 14‑15; I Cor. 6:2)

V. 28

1. "I" = the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. "Him" = the overcomer; the saved.

3. "I will give him the morning star" = the morning star is the Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:16); this means that He promises to give Himself to all the saved‑‑overcomer; this promise is personal, to each saved individual the Lord promises to give Himself, all of Himself, all the time and at the same time He'll do the same for each of you if you're saved.

4. "Give" = to supply; furnish.

5. My! How big is our God, yet He is small enough to live in our hearts.

V. 29

1. "He that hath an ear" = this is referring to a spiritual ear not the physical ear; refers to the saved in context because of the promise mentioned; if you have been awakened, the Lord gives you an ear to hear; this phrase is mentioned in the message to all seven of the Churches; Jesus used this phrase during his earthly ministry and it is recorded eight times in the Bible, one of which is Mat. 13:9; you are blessed if you have an ear to hear.

2. "Let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches:"

A. "Hear" = to understand; to perceive the sense of what is said.

B. "The Spirit" = the Holy Spirit who is the teacher of the churches; He is regarded in the Scripture as the source of inspiration.

C. This phrase is used in the message to all the seven churches.

3. These two phrases together could call for self examination, therefore, it is narrowed down to individuals since every man has to give an account of himself in the judgment. (Rom. 14:11‑12)  Do you have an ear? Are you saved or have you been awakened? Examine yourself.