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Verse by Verse Bible Study Podcast with Randy Duncan
Bible study podcast that takes you through a book of the Bible verse by verse. This is not your typical life-lesson Bible study! If you are interested in a deeper-dive Bible study, this is an excellent option!
Verse by Verse Bible Study Podcast with Randy Duncan
Revelation 2 | 7 Letters to 7 Churches
Revelation chapters 2, covering the letters to the churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira. We start with Jesus' message to the church in Ephesus, where He acknowledges their hard work and endurance but also calls out their forsaken first love. Discover the significance of Ephesus, a city of 250,000 people, and its role as the guardian of the Roman imperial cult.
Next, we move to Smyrna, the beautiful and loyal city, where Christians faced severe persecution. Learn about the trials they endured and Jesus' comforting words promising the crown of life to those who remain faithful unto death.
In Pergamum, known for its many temples and the prominent altar to Zeus, we uncover the challenges Christians faced, including the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans. Jesus' message here emphasizes the need to hold fast to faith without compromising with pagan practices.
Lastly, we explore Thyatira, a city of artisans and trade guilds, where the church is praised for their increasing works but warned against the false teachings of Jezebel. Jesus calls for repentance and promises authority over nations and the morning star to those who conquer.
Join us as we uncover the historical and spiritual contexts of these ancient cities and the timeless lessons Jesus imparts to His followers.
Inro mucic - Toby Mac
Outro music - Coldplay and Chainsmokers
Well, welcome to this episode of our verse-by-verse Bible study. I'm Randy Duncan, and in this episode we're going to be tackling Revelation, chapter 2. In chapter 1, I reminded everyone that we're studying the book of Revelation, not Revelations, because it's a singular revelation given by Jesus Christ to John. We also discuss the four primary interpretive approaches to Revelation, as well as John's description of Jesus. Now, as I mentioned in the last episode, jesus will have John write seven letters that will be sent to seven different churches in Asia Minor, and in this episode we're going to be covering the first four of those letters which will be sent to seven different churches in Asia Minor. And in this episode we're going to be covering the first four of those letters which will be sent to the churches at Ephesus, smyrna, pergamum and Thyatira. Now you'll notice that each letter will follow a similar pattern, in that it states who it's addressed to, and then Jesus offering a praise for the church, followed by a reproof, and then ends with an eschatological promise to those who endure. Now, with 29 verses, we have a lot to cover in chapter 2, so let's just jump right in, beginning with the first verse, which reads To the angel of the church in Ephesus write the words of him, who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. And so the first letter is addressed to the church at Ephesus, which makes sense because from a geographical perspective, it would be the first stop if a messenger was leaving the island of Patmos to deliver these letters. But it also makes sense due to the prominence of Ephesus.
Speaker 1:Now, I think we sometimes read the Bible, and when we read of these ancient cities we think they're all more like some small villages and very primitive. But Ephesus had a population of about 250,000 people. I mean, that's a larger population than current-day Salt Lake City or Baton Rouge, spokane, huntsville or Richmond, virginia. In other words, this was not a little village. It was more powerful and more favored by the Roman imperial cult, which essentially was the thought that some of the emperors and their families had divinely sanctioned authority. But the emperor Domitian had actually named Ephesus as the guardian of the imperial cult, making it the foremost center of the imperial cult in all of Roman Asia. And just a few years before Revelation was written, ephesus had honored Domitian at the Olympic Games. Now Ephesus was also known for its worship of Artemis and practicing magic. In fact, it had a temple to the goddess Artemis standing on a platform that was twice as big as a football field, which was regarded as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. I mean, when you're talking about the seven ancient wonders, you're talking about the great pyramid at Giza in Egypt, the hanging gardens of Babylon and others, and right alongside of those you have this temple of Artemis right here in Ephesus, and so all of these different factors would have made the letter very relevant to early Christians living there.
Speaker 1:And so, now that you're a little more familiar with Ephesus, what does Jesus have to say to the church there? I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance and how you cannot bear with those who are evil. So so far, so good. Jesus begins by telling them I know your works. Jesus acknowledges their hard work and endurance and their patience, and so the letter starts off good. These are positive attributes and, by the way, jesus knows your works too, but he tells them that he knows that they cannot bear people who say they're apostles but are not.
Speaker 1:The church at Ephesus had apparently uncovered some frauds. It knew how to evaluate people who claim to be spiritual, claim to be Christians but were not, and I'm assuming part of that evaluation was based on doctrine, along with their behavior, and really that's no different than what we would find today. Plenty of people claim to be Christian. Claiming to be Christian is easy. It's the actually living it out, that's the hard part. It's choosing to obey Christ rather than giving in to self, that's the hard part. It's picking up your cross and shouldering your burden, and perhaps even suffering. That's the hard part. I mean, it's easy to accept Jesus as your Savior, but it's much more difficult to accept him as your Lord. I mean it's easy to say you're a Christian and stand on the mountaintop and trumpet that as some moral virtue.
Speaker 1:But Jesus said in Matthew 7, not everyone who says to me, lord, lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day, many will say to me Lord, lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. These are the kind of people that the church in Ephesus had rightly called out, and Jesus acknowledges this. However, he continues with a letter in verses 4 through 7, saying but I have this against you that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent. Yet this you have. You hate the work of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God. So, after such a good initial report, jesus now points out a flaw of the church All that they're doing right does not excuse what they're doing wrong, and we need to keep this in mind about Jesus.
Speaker 1:Jesus doesn't make excuses for or condone sin Period. He always called it what it was. Our society is always quick to promote the idea that Jesus was always about forgiveness and not judging and loving people for who they are, as they are, and that was true to a certain extent. He loves us all, but Jesus called people out for their sin in their life. He didn't go along to get along. He loved people too much not to tell them because he wanted to see them repent and turn to God. I mean, for example, the woman called in adultery. You all know the story. He didn't deny her wrongdoing. He didn't tell her it was okay, that it was no big deal. He didn't turn a blind eye to it. He told her to go and to do what. He didn't turn a blind eye to it. He told her to go and to do what, to sin no more.
Speaker 1:But it seems in our modern times we see even Christians growing more uncomfortable with the idea of absolute truth. But he tells the church at Ephesus that what he has against them is that they have forsaken their first love. They've turned their backs on their first love. Now many people might hear this and kind of zone out, thinking well, at least I'm not like the Ephesians and forsaken my first love. But I think that would be a mistake. It's like saying thank God, I'm not like the Pharisee, thank God I'm not like the tax collector. Because one of the greatest delusions is to believe that we are better than we really are. And if you need a reminder, romans 3 tells us none is righteous, no, not one. No one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside Together. They have become worthless. No one does good, not even one, and so I think we should listen carefully to what Jesus is saying here Now.
Speaker 1:Some commentators believe that he's referencing the fact that they have a lesser love for God than they did at first, and perhaps that they're so busy doing church that they have taken some of their focus from the primary reason for church, which is to worship God. As a church or as members of the body of Christ, we can sometimes spend so much time doing the business of the king that we sometimes forget about the king himself. But other commentators here believe that Jesus is referencing the church as having less love for each other within the church. But either way, it's a serious issue. Even if this is referring to a lesser love for one another, it would reflect in the community and to people looking from the outside. If they don't see love between fellow Christians, why would they be interested in what Christians have to share with them?
Speaker 1:In fact, jesus said in John 13, a new commandment I give to you that you love one another just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another, and by this all people will know that you are one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another, and by this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. And this is what the church at Ephesus had lost and forgotten and, as a result, was less of a witness for Christ than they should have been. Jesus tells them to repent and do what they did at first, and he continues by telling them if not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent. Well, what does that mean? It means if they don't repent, if they don't return to their first love, jesus will remove them as a church. They would cease to exist as a church. And it's interesting because later on, the city of Ephesus was literally moved about three miles from where it was in John's day. Today there is no city and there is no church in what was the city of Ephesus. Islam has been established in that area.
Speaker 1:But he provides one more word of praise for the church in verse 6 when he says Yet this you have you hate the work of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Now, unfortunately, we can't be sure who the Nicolaitans were exactly. We can only speculate. One tradition says that the Nicolaitans were followers of Nicholas, who was one of the seven men selected to serve the church in Acts 6-5, but later became a heretical teacher. But again, we just aren't certain. But the most reasonable guess is that they held some views similar to those of Balaam, who condoned immorality and eating food offered to idols.
Speaker 1:But Jesus then finishes his letter to Ephesus in a style that he'll use for all seven churches, saying he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God. And what he's saying is anyone who has spiritual perception should listen, because the promise is to everyone who conquers, he will grant to eat of the tree of life. The tree of life which would have provided him with eternal life, was denied to Adam back in Genesis. But it's now accessible to those who conquer, to those who obey the message of the letter and overcomes in this conflict with evil.
Speaker 1:But we now turn our attention to the church at Smyrna and we read in verses 8 through 11, and to the angel of the church in Smyrna write the words of the first and the last who died and came to life. I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich, and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.
Speaker 1:Now, although Ephesus was the most powerful city in the province, smyrna was still one of the most important cities in the area and was thought to be the most powerful city in the province. Smyrna was still one of the most important cities in the area and was thought to be the most beautiful city in the province. If a messenger was delivering this letter from John and he was leaving Ephesus, he would travel about 35 miles to the north to get to Smyrna. Now, if you're wondering where Smyrna is located, it's actually the modern city of Izmir, turkey. The name was changed years ago and it's now a city of 3 million people, which is a greater population than Chicago, and it's the only one of the seven cities that's still standing today.
Speaker 1:But Smyrna was renowned for its loyalty to Rome and its worship of the emperor. Almost 300 years before John wrote this letter, the first temple in the world dedicated to the goddess Roma was built in Smyrna, and about 70 years before John was banished to the island of Patmos, smyrna dedicated a temple in honor of the Roman emperor Tiberius, and from that point on it became a center of worship for both Rome and Caesar. Now the letter to Smyrna is the shortest of the seven messages to the seven churches and, as we see, it's one of only two where Jesus doesn't have anything negative to say. And it's really interesting that Jesus begins his letter to them by saying the words of the first and last who died and came to life Because the city of Smyrna was a city that had been resurrected, and came to life because the city of Smyrna was a city that had been resurrected. It was destroyed 700 years earlier and had laid in ruins for 300 years. But he continues by saying I know your tribulation. And he says this because the Christians in Smyrna were indeed experiencing much tribulation.
Speaker 1:Part of the persecution was no doubt a result of Christians refusing to participate in this emperor worship. In fact, one of the early church fathers, polycarp, who was the bishop of the church in Smyrna and he was a disciple of John's, at 86 years old, was burned at the stake for refusing to worship Caesar. But in addition to knowing their suffering, jesus also says Caesar. But in addition to knowing their suffering, jesus also says and the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan. Now, smyrna had the largest Jewish population of any of the Asian cities, and many commentators recognize that. It's very likely that at least some of the Jewish community in Smyrna were working with local officials to suppress Christianity and so likely played a role in betraying Polycarp to the Romans.
Speaker 1:And so this slander that Jesus mentions likely refers to informers, or what the Romans called delators. Think of them as informants or accusers, but Jesus says they are of the synagogue of Satan. Accusers, but Jesus says they are of the synagogue of Satan. And it's interesting that the name of Satan, the main adversary of Jesus, means accuser, but Jesus tells them do not fear what you are about to suffer. Now, the punishment that the text seems to be referring to here is execution, because he continues by telling them behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested and for 10 days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death. And so what may be in view here is official persecution from the local government, with the help of informants, where you would be in prison while waiting on a trial, and then the official punishment, which, again, believers needed to be prepared that the punishment would be execution.
Speaker 1:Now, just so you're aware, I want to mention just quickly how historicists view this letter to Smyrna. They believe that the letter to Smyrna represents the church during the period of persecution under the Roman emperors. It began with Nero and became more focused under Domitian and his successors, all the way through Diocletian. And they believe that the 10 days of persecution correspond to the 10 years of the final persecution under Diocletian. By the way, the emperor who followed Diocletian was Constantine. Way, the emperor who followed Diocletian was Constantine, who legalized Christianity and who later supposedly converted to Christianity.
Speaker 1:But the message of Christ to these persecuted believers in Smyrna was to be faithful to the extent of being prepared to die for his namesake, and to those who endured, to those who overcome, jesus promised to give them a crown of life. Now, just an observation here on the crown that Jesus promises. In Greek, there are two different words for crown. One of them is diadem, which is the type of crown worn by royalty, but that's not the word used here. The other word, which is the one used, is Stephanos, which usually has something to do with joy and victory. It's the type of crown or wreath, say of garland, that was presented to victors in battle or winners at the Olympic Games, and so this crown would have been a fitting symbol for those who endure, those who conquered and were victorious and not denying Christ.
Speaker 1:In Ephesus, overcoming required them to restore their first love, but in Smyrna it meant overcoming and withstanding persecution. But more importantly, jesus promised them that those who conquer will not be hurt by the second death. Well, what is the second death? The first death is physical death, and we all have that coming to us. But the second death is spiritual. The second death comes to unrepentant sinners, and we'll learn more about that in chapters 14 and 20. But as a sneak peek, we read the words of Revelation 20. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire, and if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. This is what Jesus says, that those who conquer will not be hurt by. But we now turn to the letter, to the church in Pergamum.
Speaker 1:Pergamum was about 50 miles north of Smyrna. It was a city that had prospered for a long time, and it had a population between 150 to 200,000 people, and so, again, these aren't tiny little villages that we maybe sometimes think of when we imagine biblical times and stories. Pergamum was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and was renowned for its library, which rivaled the famous library in Alexandria. It was said to have held over 200,000 scrolls. But there were many temples to many different pagan gods, but one of them stood out. It was an altar to Zeus, and it stood on an enormous platform where animal sacrifices were burned 24 hours a day, and so the smell of this burning animal flesh permeated the air in Pergamum, and all day long a column of smoke could be seen rising into the air, reminding the people of the supremacy of Zeus, but one of the most famous cults here was the healing cult of Asclepius, whose primary symbol was the serpent. Asclepius was the Greco-Roman god of healing and medicine, and the symbol of Asclepius was the so called rod of Asclepius, which was a serpent wrapped around a rod or a staff. And it's interesting because if you've noticed the caduceus, the symbol that's still used by healthcare professionals, what is it? It's a staff entwined with two serpents.
Speaker 1:But we begin reading what Jesus has to say to the church in Pergamon with verses 12 and 13, which read and to the angel of the church in Pergamon, write the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is, yet you hold fast my name, and so, knowing now a bit about Pergamum, it's not surprising that Jesus begins his message to the church here with I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Pergamum was not an easy city for Christians to live in, and so it must have provided some level of comfort to the church that Jesus understood what they were experiencing, because the persecution in Pergamum was more severe than some of the other cities and a believer named Antipas had been put to death, as Jesus mentions, christian tradition says that Antipas was ordained by John as the bishop in Pergamum, and that Antipas was executed by being burned inside of a brass bull. He was supposedly executed for casting out demons that were being worshipped by the local people, as well as refusing to worship Caesar. Now, as a side note, when Jesus calls Antipas his faithful witness, that word witness is a Greek transliteration of the word martyr, but because so many of the witnesses faithful to Jesus were executed, the word martyr came to be known as what we think of today, and so Jesus commends them for not denying their faith even in the midst of this persecution. Another real challenge for Christians living in Pergamum was the fact that there were many trade guilds in the city, and these trade guilds participated in pagan festivals and banquets and ate food that had been sacrificed to pagan idols. Well, christians wouldn't have been allowed to eat this food or participate in these banquets, and so it challenged their livelihood by denying their ability to participate in these trade guilds, and so one of the real religious challenges for these Christians was the temptation to save their livelihood by compromising with the imperial cult and these pagan activities.
Speaker 1:And if you think about it, we have similar choices to make today. Do we compromise with or accommodate the world today at the expense of our devotion to God's standards? But after commending them for their faith, jesus continues his message by saying but I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. So also you have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore, repent, if not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. So Jesus now provides them with his criticism because, again, just because you're suffering, that does not excuse anything that we might be doing wrong. And he starts by pointing out that they have some who hold to the teachings of Balaam.
Speaker 1:So who was Balaam and what did he teach? Well, balaam was most likely not his real name, but is being used here as a code name, signifying that he was a false prophet who was leading God's people astray. But in Numbers, deuteronomy and other places, we see that Balaam acted out of greed for money. He led Israel into sin in order to remove them from God's favor, knowing that it was the only way to destroy them. But the particular sin of Israel in connection with Balaam was sexual immorality and food offered to idols. Now there is some debate around what exactly this sexual immorality was. Did it refer to literal prostitution, like that conducted in some of the pagan temples, or was this a spiritual adultery that leads people away from God? What we do know is that Balaam led Israel into sin by having Moab women seduce them into sexual immorality and intermarriage and idolatry.
Speaker 1:In fact, we read in Numbers 25 that and so Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel. And the Lord said to Moses Take all of the chiefs of the people and hang or impel them in the sun before the Lord, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel. And Moses said to the judges of Israel Each of you kill those of his men who have yoked themselves to Baal. And here we see Jesus calling out the church of Pergamum that they have some who are doing this very thing. I mean, even Peter warned the church of this when he wrote in 2 Peter.
Speaker 1:But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin, and they entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed, forsaking the right way. They have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing. Jesus also calls them out for having some who follow the teachings of the Nicolaitans, which were doing essentially the same thing in which we've already touched on.
Speaker 1:But Jesus ends his letter to the church at Pergamon by saying Therefore, repent. If not I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna and I will give him a white stone with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it. And so, once again, jesus calls for them to repent. If not, then he will come and war with them with the sword of my mouth, which, revelation 19 tells us that from his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. In other words, all Jesus has to do is speak it and it's done. I mean, it's no different than in the beginning creating the universe with a word, creating the universe with a word. But he concludes by saying that to those who conquer he will give some of the hidden manna and a white stone with a new name written on it.
Speaker 1:Now, regarding the hidden manna, manna was the food that sustained the Israelites during their time in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt, and I think it's interesting that Jesus said in John 6, truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my father gives you the true bread from heaven, for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. I am the bread of life. But regarding the white stone, there's been a lot of speculation about what it means. A couple of different thoughts here. One some believe it refers to a token of acquittal, because in some ancient courts, jurors would vote for acquittal with a white stone or with a black stone for conviction, and so the message may mean that, although Christians stand condemned by the Roman courts, jesus would overturn their verdict at the final judgment. Another thought is that the white stones were a token given to contestants in the Greek games as they completed their race. This could then be traded in later for entrance into celebrations or for actual awards. But the most common view among commentators is that the white stone with a person's name on it served as admission to certain public assemblies or festivals, such as feasts in these temples of idol pagans.
Speaker 1:But one of the primary takeaways from the letter to the church in Pergamum deals with being led astray of assimilation Assimilation into the culture and compromising with it to the extent that we sacrifice our own beliefs and betray God's standards. And so we have to be careful to find that appropriate balance between interaction with our culture and compromise with it. And in doing that, we need to make sure that we're embracing and influence the world with the values and examples of Jesus, not embracing the values of the world, because what you'll often find is that the values of the world, the values of the majority, are often in conflict with the values of God. In America and the West in general, we may not have to deal with things like emperor worship, but there are plenty of other potential idols materialism, career, so-called celebrities or athletes, who often garner more of our attention than God does. And when we value what the world does, when it directly contradicts God's word, then we forfeit or diminish our Christian witness. We become indistinguishable from the world, and if there's no difference in our lives, then why would the world be interested in anything that we have to tell them? Why would they be interested in hearing any of this supposed good news?
Speaker 1:Revelation is a wake-up call to the churches that true Christians in the world are in a battle, and it's literally a fight to the death. This letter reminds us, through the image of Balaam, that it was compromise with paganism that brought Israel defeat. And the same thing will happen to us if we compromise with pagan values. And although we may not know exactly what we might be called on to overcome, jesus promises that, whatever it is, he has a better plan and a better future in store for us. But the last letter in this chapter is written to the church of Thyatira, and we read in verses 18 and 19,. And to the angel to the church of Thyatira, and we read in verses 18 and 19,. And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
Speaker 1:Now, thyatira was about 45 miles southeast of Pergamum, and it was originally founded by soldiers of Alexander the Great. Of the seven cities that received letters, thyatira was the least significant, even though they received the longest letter, but in the city there were all sorts of traders and artisans, and records indicate that there were several trade guilds, and I've already mentioned the fact that these trade guilds practice idolatrous rites at their meetings, often within pagan temples, where animals were offered up and sacrificed to pagan gods and would then be eaten by the members of the guild. This obviously put Christians in a difficult situation, as they were forbidden to eat food sacrificed to idols, and so, by not participating in these guild rituals, they would be viewed as not being good citizens or denied entry into the guilds, thereby hurting them economically, and so they would have been hard-pressed to support their families. Without some measure of compromise with idolatry, and before you dismiss this as only some ancient problem for Christians, all of us must ask ourselves a similar question how far am I willing to go in adopting and accepting the modern standards and practices of society and culture. And if we seriously ask ourselves that question and we're honest with ourselves, we're probably compromising more than we think. And it's important to consider that we often see that what one generation tolerates, the next generation embraces. And so when we read the words of Jesus and his rebuke of these churches, we can absolutely apply them to our own lives as well.
Speaker 1:Now, like the other churches, jesus begins with a commendation for them. He knows that the Christians in Thyatira are doing his works more than they ever had, which is in contrast to the Christians in Ephesus who had fallen back. But once again, the things that they were doing right did not excuse the things that they were doing wrong. And we see Jesus continue in verses 20 and 21, where he says but I have this against you that you tolerate that woman, jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. So he tells them that they've tolerated that woman Jezebel who was leading them astray. Now her name is not actually Jezebel, that's a symbolic name. He is symbolically calling her Jezebel due to the similarity of her influence upon the church to that of the original Jezebel in Israel.
Speaker 1:The original Jezebel, who we read about in 1 and 2 Kings, corrupted the faith of Israel with many whoredoms and sorceries of her pagan gods, bel and Astarte. Now this woman apparently taught things similar to Balaam that idolatrous practices were permissible, encouraging fornication and even practicing them herself and for a group who would have had a difficult time due to not being accepted into the trade guilds. She's telling them exactly what they want to hear. And when you tell people exactly what they want to hear, you can become very popular. I mean, we don't need to look any further than the preaching of the prosperity gospel today and how popular it is to the masses.
Speaker 1:But Jesus calls out their compromise because this Jezebel falsely claims to be a prophetess and to offer deep secrets and, as we'll see later in Revelation, just like Satan and just like the world system, she's a deceiver who misleads God's people. But Jesus doesn't allow this to go unchallenged and he continues in verses 21-23 where he says lest they repent of her works, and I will strike her children dead and all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart and I will give to each of you according to your works. So Jesus tells them that he gave her time to repent, but she refused, and so he now has no choice but to intervene. He says that he will throw her onto a sickbed, and the irony here is probably not just a coincidence, because the bed is often described as the place for intercourse, but it's also the place of a person bedfast from sickness. And since she used a bed for her fornication, god will reduce her to a bedridden state. But he also says that those who commit adultery with her he will throw into great tribulation. Now, this tribulation may be a direct judgment from God, or it could be some political or maybe economic or social upheaval, and also this is presumably different than the great tribulation later in Revelation. And all of this could be avoided if they would simply repent.
Speaker 1:But he continues by saying and I will strike her children dead, which surely is referring to her disciples and followers. Now the NIV renders this phrase as strike dead, which is similar to a Greek translation of a Hebrew expression for divine judgment of a plague or pestilence, or maybe even a judgment as a result of blasphemy. But as a result of this, it would serve as a wake-up call to all the churches, a reminder that Jesus, as he says, is the one who searches mind and heart. A good reminder that you cannot hide your true self from God like you can other people. God knows your thoughts, he knows your heart, but the presence of this false teaching is the only criticism Jesus had for the church at Thyatira.
Speaker 1:He continues in verses 24 and 25 saying but to the rest of you in Thyatira who do not hold this teaching and who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say I do not lay on you any other burden, church, other than to hold fast to their faith. He's speaking to those who have not followed the false teachers and have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan. But what does he mean by the deep things of Satan? He's most likely referring to profound things such as those learned by revelation. But Jesus knows the source of their revelation it's Satan. And so what's likely in view here is that Jezebel is claiming to have a deeper understanding of the mysteries of God, and what she's telling Christians is okay to do like practicing in certain pagan practices would not jeopardize their standing before God. But obviously these verses point out that this teaching is actually from Satan.
Speaker 1:But we conclude with the last four verses, which read and so, once again, jesus has a promise to those who conquer, those who overcome this threat of false teaching they will share with him in his rule over the nations. Now this has been interpreted in various ways. One interpretation says that this means that we will rule with Christ over unsaved nations during the millennium, the thousand year reign of Christ on earth. A second interpretation says this means that we'll participate in the reign of the saints after death in heaven. And a third interpretation says that we will reign over Christians of a lower rank in the new earth, assuming that there is such a thing as varying degrees of authority awarded to saints.
Speaker 1:But Jesus also says that he will give to those who overcome the morning star. Now ancients emphasized the glory of Venus, those who overcome the morning star. Now ancients emphasized the glory of Venus and called it the morning star, and if you've ever seen it on a clear night, you can understand why. And so some people may take this to mean that overcomers will be associated with a with a glorious or magnificent rule. However, in Revelation 22 6, jesus identifies himself as the bright and morning star. So, just like he was the hidden manna, the bread of life promised to the overcomers in Pergamum, he's also the morning star for the overcomers in Thyatira, and so Christ is promising to give himself, which is the ultimate reward.
Speaker 1:And so, as we wrap this chapter up and look back at the main takeaway from the letters to these four churches, we see how important it is that we decide who we're going to ultimately depend on for our well-being. Are we going to look to the world or are we going to look to God? Because there'll be many times in each of our lives where we're going to be faced with that sort of decision. Maybe you can only advance in your career if you betray your beliefs or you toe the party line. Are you willing to risk hardship to stand up for Christian beliefs? I mean relativism and tolerance and acceptance has become increasingly popular in America, but we're warned in these letters the dangers of accepting anything that diminishes or undermines our witness as Christians.
Speaker 1:You know the best way to spot a counterfeit is to study and be familiar with the original, and my prayer for you is that you would study God's Word, become intimately familiar with it, so that you would not be led astray by false prophets or society, culture or the majority opinion, or even Satan. And so I pray for your strength in these days ahead that you would overcome, that, you would conquer, and so I pray for your strength in these days ahead that you would overcome, that, you would conquer, and that you would be counted as worthy to receive the rewards Christ has promised. I want something just like this. I want something just like this.
