Revelation 3:2-4

 

² Rouse yourselves and keep awake, and strengthen and invigorate what remains and is on the point of dying; for I have not found a thing that you have done [any work of yours] meeting the requirements of My God or perfect in His sight.

·         This doesn’t mean that this church isn’t doing things. It means that they are taking credit all of the credit for what they are doing. They are glorying in human abilities and supposed human free will.

·         Jesus tells us in the Gospel’s to be perfect, even as our Father in Heaven is perfect, Matthew 5:48. Jesus can say this to us, because this is how He is, He is perfect, and we are now one with Him. This is why our burden is light and our yoke easy. Being perfect is easy for Jesus! But yet we read that the church of Sardis is dead, they are dead because their works are human, so nothing they do can be perfect. Jesus plainly tells them that He knows their works, not that He knows the works of the Father within them.

·         Notice here too, that Jesus tells these people to rouse themselves, not that they should seek the power of our Father to be great within them. The Shepherd, our Lord, is leading the wolves, the elders of Sardis, away from the flock here. Jesus is speaking directly to them, and they are being told to go and do it on their own. While Jesus is telling true believers through the Holy Spirit within them, that we can do nothing without Him being the power doing it, John 15:5. When we read the Gospels we can clearly see the difference in Jesus’ teachings for the saved and what He is telling these church leaders. 

³ So call to mind the lessons you received and heard; continually lay them to heart and obey them, and repent. In case you will not rouse yourselves and keep awake and watch, I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know or suspect at what hour I will come.

·         Jesus doesn’t tell these people to call unto Him. He proclaims that they are to arouse themselves. Where do we ever read in the Gospels that we are to call upon ourselves to walk in the ways of the Lord? But here all of a sudden this is how it is done? No! This is Jesus speaking to those whose hearts are not right and He is clearly speaking to them in a parable, unless hearing He should have to come and heal them. 

·         For this nation's heart has grown gross (fat and dull), and their ears heavy and difficult of hearing, and their eyes they have tightly closed, lest they see and perceive with their eyes, and hear and comprehend the sense with their ears, and grasp and understand with their heart, and turn and I should heal them. Matthew 13:15

·         For godly grief and the pain God is permitted to direct, produce a repentance that leads and contributes to salvation and deliverance from evil, and it never brings regret; but worldly grief (the hopeless sorrow that is characteristic of the pagan world) is deadly [breeding and ending in death]. 2 Corinthians 7:10

·         These people are told to trust in themselves and to look to themselves. Their efforts will absolutely fail and it will bring sorrow and grief and that will finally lead them to seek the Truth that will set them free.

⁴ Yet you still have a few [persons’] names in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes, and they shall walk with Me in white, because they are worthy and deserving.

·         Once again Jesus is telling His truly chosen ones in Sardis, “I have your back and I know what is going on!” Think of what a relief that hearing this is to these true believers. They are always hearing the leaders of the church bragging about what the church is doing, when they know that it is actually dead. They see men being elevated and praised and they have to be thinking, where is Jesus in all of this vain glory? And then Jesus has John write to them. 

 

 

Revelation 3:1

And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Sardis write: These are the words of Him Who has the seven Spirits of God [the sevenfold Holy Spirit] and the seven stars: I know your record and what you are doing; you are supposed to be alive, but [in reality] you are dead.

·         Sardis means those who come out.

·         We are empowered with the Holy Spirit to come out of being in a dead church, a dead group of supposed believers. Those who have a form of godliness but deny the power of it.

·         The Truth for a born again Christian is that we are crucified with Christ, and nevertheless we live, yet it is not us who lives, but it is Christ within us Who lives, Galatians 2:20. We are now dead and our lives are hid in Christ in God, Colossians 3:3.

·         Jesus however starts off by telling the church of Sardis, that they are dead, He is not alive in them. Do you see how these churches that we have studied so far in Revelation 2 and 3 cannot truly be part of Jesus’ real church. Jesus is speaking to them, but He is not speaking to them as actually being one with them. He is pointing out their strengths and faults, but God is not getting the glory for their strengths and Jesus is not being given His glory as their Shepherd Who will lead them to righteousness. They can’t be part of Jesus’ Church, because Jesus is not dead, He is alive! Jesus cannot leave Himself or allow false teachings into Himself. This is another reason that I believe these letters are to styles of churches and not to true church ages or periods in our growth. I just can’t believe that there has been a time in our history when Jesus allowed His church, which is His body, to be dead! 

·         Remember what the Seven Fold Spirit represents: wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, reverence, and obedience. Jesus has control of the Holy Spirit and who Jesus is One with has the full force of the Holy Spirit operating within them. This is why Jesus told the Disciples that it was better if He went away, John 16:7, because if He did, He would send the Holy Spirit to us. This means that Jesus has sent us the strength of our Father to cause us to be wise, understanding, mighty, knowledgeable, reverent, obedient, and so that we would always have our Fathers righteous counsel. We have been sealed with all of the power of our Savior until the day of our redemption. So it is impossible to leave our first love, allow false teachings in, or be dead. 

Revelation 2:25-29

²⁵ Only hold fast to what you have until I come.

·         Jesus once again is confirming to His chosen ones in Thyatira, “I know what is going on, your absolutely correct, it isn’t right and I will cause you to hold fast.” Yet to the false leaders, they will read this letter as if they have to hold fast, through their own human strength. They will teach on it, placing all of the burden on their congregations, telling them the works that they must do to satisfy Jesus. But for the true chosen ones, the Holy Spirit will remind them of His Truth, that He is the One keeping them until the day of their redemption.

·         Consider the churches today, homosexuals are allowed in leadership, men who have been divorced, people who are constantly taking about money, arrogant people, prideful people, people and families who do not even begin to meet the definitions of 1 Timothy. Jesus is not the focus in so many fellowships, there are false teachings and people are being abused by it.

·         It gets clearer and clearer, these seven churches are not church ages, but church styles. These church styles are not the true body of Christ, they are not true chosen believers. True believers are always kept by God, sealed with the Holy Spirit, and Shepherded by Jesus. We cannot lose our first love, because we have become one with Him. We cannot have false teachings overtake us, our Father prunes them out, Jesus refines them out, and the Holy Spirit causes us to remember the Truth, because we now have the mind of Christ! 

²⁶ And he who overcomes (is victorious) and who obeys My commands to the [very] end [doing the works that please Me], I will give him authority and power over the nations;

²⁷ And he shall rule them with a sceptre (rod) of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, and [his power over them shall be] like that which I Myself have received from My Father;

·         Look at what our future is, we rule the nations right along with our Lord Jesus. There is no maybe here, because we have our Father’s Spirit within us, causing us to walk in His ways, we will rule along with Jesus. Through Christ we are more than victorious, we are one with His power and His authority and we will serve the people as Jesus serves them.

·         These verses provide us with just a little glimpse, a foreshadowing, of what Jesus will declare to us later in His Revelation. Our present and our future with Jesus is Great! During the Great Tribulation we will see how powerfully Jesus uses His true church, we will see how we are used during His millennial reign, and then Jesus will show us how we are one with Him for the rest of eternity. The Truth of our salvation is that we are gloriously used to serve others from the moment that our Father calls us to be used! We are one with Jesus, and the part that our Father has Jesus play on this earth, we are directly involved with, because we are one with Him. Jesus never leaves us or forsakes us. Our heritage and future are absolutely victorious! 

·         Notice here that we will rule the nations. So there must be nations still around after Jesus returns for us to rule.

²⁸ And I will give him the Morning Star.

·         The Morning Star is Jesus

·         Jesus gives us Himself and He ever lives to serve us so that we are saved to the uttermost.

²⁹ He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the [Holy] Spirit says to the assemblies (churches).

·         We are able to hear only because our Father has called and empowered us with His Spirit to hear. There will be many who try and tell us that we can’t hear everything that our Father has to say, they are wrong! There will be many who shy away from the Book of Revelation, don’t follow them. We are one with Jesus and He is far greater within us than anything that is in this world. Read and listen to this Book being read out loud, there is a special blessing in doing so!

Revelation 2:23-24

²³ And I will strike her children (her proper followers) dead [thoroughly exterminating them]. And all the assemblies (churches) shall recognize and understand that I am He Who searches minds (the thoughts, feelings, and purposes) and the [inmost] hearts, and I will give to each of you [the reward for what you have done] as your work deserves.

·         Notice that Jesus’ correction is realized by all assemblies. Don’t ever fret about a church that is doing wrong. Jesus is aware of what is going on and He personally deals with it. He will do the same with the anti-christ’s church.

·         We are shown here that we will receive works according to what we have done. We will be rewarded for what is in our hearts and in our minds.

·         For the born again this is a really awesome thing because we now have the Mind of Christ, 1 Corinthians 2:16

·         We now have new hearts given to us by our Father, Ezekiel 36:26

·         And without Jesus we can do nothing, John 15:5.

·         So we will receive the same reward as Jesus, because we are His body, flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone, Ephesians 5:30.

·         As for the all others, where their sin abounds, our Father’s Grace will much more abound, Romans 5:20.

·         Because of Jesus we all win! Romans 5:18

²⁴ But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not explored and known the depths of Satan, as they say—I tell you that I do not lay upon you any other [fresh] burden:

·         This shows us that satan is active in churches with his false messages. The messages aren’t blatant either, they are subtle. His lies will sound religious, they will seem to be inclusive, they will seem to lay down laws that are for our good, or that show respect, but they are destructive by focusing all of our thoughts towards what we are doing and not what our Father is doing through us.

·         For those of us who have been truly called and chosen to serve we have no real burden, our yoke is easy and our burden is always light, Matthew 11:30, regardless of where our Father has us.   

Rvelation 2:21-22

²¹ I gave her time to repent, but she has no desire to repent of her immorality [symbolic of idolatry] and refuses to do so.

·         Jesus knew that Jezebel wouldn’t repent, but yet He gave her a chance! Jesus is the Shepherd of the True Church, the true chosen ones, and Jezebel was a wolf who tried to pass herself off as a chosen one. Jesus never lets a wolf overtake His sheep! He may allow a wolf to take over a religion, a denomination, a building but never one of His chosen ones! 

·         While I was with them, I kept and preserved them in Your Name [in the knowledge and worship of You]. Those You have given Me I guarded and protected, and not one of them has perished or is lost except the son of perdition [Judas Iscariot—the one who is now doomed to destruction, destined to be lost], that the Scripture might be fulfilled. John 17:12

²² Take note: I will throw her on a bed [of anguish], and those who commit adultery with her [her paramours] I will bring down to pressing distress and severe affliction, unless they turn away their minds from conduct [such as] hers and repent of their doings.

·         Jesus is zealous over His true church. When He came into the Temple, He personally overturned the money changers. And here we see that Jesus Himself will throw Jezebel down! People like to always say that such things only come from satan, but Jesus Alone holds the keys to death and hell, Revelation 1:18. We will study on this in far greater detail during our study of the Great Tribulation, later on in Revelation. But the Truth is that satan is not always the one causing bad things to happen for humans.

·         For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes. Hebrews 12:6

·         Our Father loves everyone, even those who are in sin, so everyone will be corrected, Romans 5:8.

·         Our peace is that Jesus’ correction is always done in love and not to get even with us. Jesus’ correction is to set the people free. It may seem bad at the time, but it is always for our own good.  

·         Death of the flesh actually sets a lot of people free from sin. They may have to go to Hades for a while, but Jesus went and cleaned Hades out once before, 1 Peter 3;20, and He will do it again.

·         The Rich Rulers heart, who was cast into Hades, was changed while he was there. He actually started to desire the well being of others above himself, Luke 16. Our Father is not a dictator, He is a loving parent to all men.  

Revelation 2:19-20

¹⁹ I know your record and what you are doing, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your recent works are more numerous and greater than your first ones.

·         When Jesus was personally asked about His Own works, He said that it was the Father within Him doing the works, John 14:10. Jesus doesn’t say here to the people of Thyatira, that I know our Father is using you more now than He did at your beginning? Jesus told us that many people will do even miraculous works, but He will proclaim that He never knew them, Matthew 7:23. The people who Jesus knows, are the ones Who He is doing His works through. Our Father does the works!

·         The anti-chrits’s church will be full of works. They will work so much that every last detail of our lives will be under a rule or a law. It will all be in the Name of fairness, godliness, and unity. But all of their works and all of their laws will bring glory to man. Causing men to be prideful, arrogant, boastful, and lovers of self, 2 Timothy 3:2.

·         So just because a church is active isn’t necessarily a good thing. The true glory of a church is when our Father is being fully acknowledged as the power for all things and when there is humility. 

²⁰ But I have this against you: that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess [claiming to be inspired], and who is teaching and leading astray my servants and beguiling them into practicing sexual vice and eating food sacrificed to idols.

·         Sexual sins will destroy a church. They do because it is such a selfish sin. It is all about the person and gratifying the flesh. To allow a person to come into leadership who encourages it, will destroy a fellowship.

·         Think of today’s churches and how they are allowing leaders in who do not meet what our Father had written in 1Timothy and Titus. According to the Word leaders should be the husband of only one wife, not given to drink, knowledgeable of the Truth, their children should be well behaved, and they shouldn’t be desirous of money.   

·         Many churches fail to bring in true anointed leaders who meet the criteria set by our Father because they are trying to be inclusive, but leaders have to be what our Father said they should be. Everyone is welcome into a True Church, but everyone is not called to be a leader. Only those who are anointed by our Father and who He has empowered to be what He said they should be.

·         It doesn’t mean that our Father doesn’t love all people; He just hasn’t called all people into leadership. Be thankful, leaders are held to a higher standard. Not being a leader doesn’t mean that you will not be used by our Father, it just means you haven’t been anointed to be a church leader.

·         Not many [of you] should become teachers (self-constituted censors and reprovers of others), my brethren, for you know that we [teachers] will be judged by a higher standard and with greater severity [than other people; thus we assume the greater accountability and the more condemnation]. James 3:1

Revelation 2:17-18

¹⁷ He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). To him who overcomes (conquers), I will give to eat of the manna that is hidden, and I will give him a white stone with a new name engraved on the stone, which no one knows or understands except he who receives it.

·         We have studied about three churches now, one has left Jesus, one is being persecuted, and now one is letting multiple false teachings in. We can look at churches today and see the exact same things happening. And once again to the truly saved, Jesus is letting us know that even with all of this, that He will cause His chosen ones to be with Him where He is. Those who just have a form of godliness will read these letters and proclaim what we have to do to be right with our Father. Those who are called and chosen will read them and glorify our Father for doing what is needed through us. 

·         Remember though, Jesus is still among us all. Even if we are wrong, He is with us. He may not let us be leaders, or lamp stands, but He is still with us.

¹⁸ And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, Who has eyes that flash like a flame of fire, and Whose feet glow like bright and burnished and white-hot bronze:

·         Thyatira means hill graveyard.

·         Thyatira was none for its dyeing trade, it was the center for the indigo trade. The city was located in Western Turkey and was about 50 miles from the Mediterranean Ocean,

·         The reference of Jesus’ feet glowing like bronze is letting us know that Jesus always stands firm. He is unshakeable. He is greater in us than anything that is in the world. He causes us to be more than conquerors and He causes us to have life and have it more abundantly. This gives us peace as we are still in this world where there is tribulation.

·         The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows). John 10:10

·         To a truly saved person this is a great message because we know that Jesus is always going to be stable and victorious and we know that He will never leave us or forsake us, Hebrews 13:5.

·         The Bible tells us that our eyes are the windows to our souls. We see here that Jesus is filled with fire, the Fire of the Holy Spirit. So we know that He is full of power.  

Revelation 2:15-16

¹⁵ You also have some who in a similar way are clinging to the teaching of the Nicolaitans [those corrupters of the people] which thing I hate.

·         This was a very big and influential city. So just as with today there will be people who think that they are better than others. These types of people believe that God is blessing them over others because of what they are doing or who they say they are. Here is a great Truth: our Father is not a respecter of persons, so He is blessing all of us. Even if we are being disciplined we are still His children and we are still under His Grace. So we are all being blessed and non of us is ever being left or forsaken.   

·         During the Great Tribulation this way of thinking will be very prevalent. During those days if you do not take the mark of the beast, you will not be able to buy or sell. So there will be many who teach that they are better than others.

·         Think of today’s churches and religions. We see the teaching of nicolaitans all over. People believe that they are better than others if they are saved. They are arrogant about it. They are cruel to others with it. The exclude themselves from people. Jesus never did that. He was always right there with the common people. Notable sinners loved Him, while the Church leaders called Him a heavy wine drinker and a gluten.

·         The Son of Man came eating and drinking [with others], and they say, Behold, a glutton and a wine drinker, a friend of tax collectors and [especially wicked] sinners! Yet wisdom is justified and vindicated by what she does (her deeds) and by her children. Matthew 11:19

·         None of us are saved more than Jesus and He never separated Himself from those who needed the Truth.

¹⁶ Repent [then]! Or else I will come to you quickly and fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

·         The chosen ones knew what was going on in Pergamum, and I honestly believe that this was Jesus telling them through John, “I know, I know it too.” Jesus tells those truly chosen that He will succeed and that He will cause them to succeed as well! Then as history repeats itself, those who are part of churches that resemble this one, will have the Holy Spirit lead them to this prophesy and they also will see the Truth clearly. There is a blessing at reading the prophesy of Revelation out loud to the assembles and this is why, to let each generation know the Truth that will set them free, regardless of what false leaders are proclaiming!

·         Our great peace is that during the Great Tribulation we will be used and empowered to share the Truth regardless of how worldly the earth becomes. 

Revelation 2:12-14

¹² Then to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Pergamum write: These are the words of Him Who has and wields the sharp two-edged sword:

·         Pergamum means a mixed marriage. Pergamum was a divided city between Rome, Pontus, and Cappadocia. It was briefly the Capital of Rome in Asia. It had around 200,000 residents, so it was a pretty large city.

·         Sword represents the power or authority to correct

·         Jesus Alone has been given all judgment, John 5:22.

·         Jesus never changes, Hebrews 13:8.

·         Jesus always judges by Grace, Colossians 2:14.

¹³ I know where you live—a place where Satan sits enthroned. [Yet] you are clinging to and holding fast My name, and you did not deny My faith, even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed (martyred) in your midst—where Satan dwells.

·         This is another group of people who sit where there is a strong false message. The false message is so strong that if you disagreed with it you were killed. 

·         Pergamum was located in modern day Turkey. The city was centrally located and used by the Romans as an administrative point for their kingdom in Asia-Minor. The city was a major cultural and political center. Pergamum had temples, libraries, and medical facilities; it was a modern city and Jesus tells John to write that satan was enthroned there. Consider our world today, satan’s primary tools to deceive and steal from people are governments and culture. People today, just as when this letter was written, look to the government and trust in government instead of God and they look at culture and think that we are too sophisticated for God. There were believers in Pergamum and they were empowered to hold to Jesus even with all of the deceptive glory of satan at work. The truly called and chosen in this church were never left or forsaken by Jesus, even when people were being martyred. 

¹⁴ Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: you have some people there who are clinging to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to set a trap and a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, [to entice them] to eat food that had been sacrificed to idols and to practice lewdness [giving themselves up to sexual vice].

·         Pergamum is a mixed marriage and here we see Truth and lies trying to coexist

·         A little leaven will leaven the whole lump of dough, 1 Corinthians 5:6.

·         Once again, the chosen ones within the church would have read this letter of prophecy. Just as true believers have been lead to do throughout history. These people have seen killings and persecutions, they have seen worldliness being glorified, and they still hold fast to Jesus; even though the church leadership is allowing false teachings in. The church was probably trying to grow, they wanted to be inclusive, and they allowed leaders in that were not called or chosen. It is fine to have everyone come to church, but in Timothy and Titus we see what true leadership should be. The true chosen ones are probably pointing these things out, and this letter is actually Jesus telling these believers your right, even though the leadership is blinded and the church is in disarray. Jesus is telling His Bride that He has not left them or forsaken them!

·         Not many [of you] should become teachers (self-constituted censors and reprovers of others), my brethren, for you know that we [teachers] will be judged by a higher standard and with greater severity [than other people; thus we assume the greater accountability and the more condemnation]. James 3:1

Revelation 2:11

¹¹ He who is able to hear, let him listen to and heed what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). He who overcomes (is victorious) shall in no way be injured by the second death.

·         Even with the church of Smyrna Jesus never tells them that He has given them a spirit of faith and power not to fear, 2 Timothy 1:7. I hope you see what is actually being said to these two bodies of believers so far? There were in all likelihood, several truly saved people in each of these churches. These saved believers had the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. Jesus was confirming to these people what they probably already knew and He showed them what would happen. So when John wrote: endure to the end, they rejoiced, because they knew that Jesus would cause them to endure until the end. They had seen physical examples and heard personal testimonies of Jesus doing it for His children. The leadership of the churches may have been failing, but the true body of Christ endured, they endured because they were called and chosen before the very foundation of this world, and they received their crowns of life before they ever even had life! Our Father knows the beginning and the end and He knew His children before we were even in our mother’s wombs, Galatians 1:15. 

·         Our Father is no respecter of persons, Acts 10:34. I honestly believe that throughout every age, Jesus always shows His true chosen ones what is going on. He will use whatever means needed to get through to us. Let’s face it, we are all different, we’re like snowflakes, we are all made of the same things and yet each of us is unique. Jesus knows this and He knows how to deal with each of us; just as our head knows how to deal with the heart or the hand. We are every bit as much Jesus’ friends as the Apostles were. So if Jesus told them what was going on, He will tell us.

·         But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future]. John 16:13

·         The second death is a reference to those who are cast into the Lake of Fire in Revelation 20:11-15. Those who are cast into the Lake of Fire are those people who have committed Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, the only unforgivable sin, Matthew 12:31. Jesus is writing to the leaders of these seven churches. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit seems to be a sin that can be committed by leader of a group of believers who teaches and attempts to lead the group to trust in their own power or something else's power and not the power of the Holy Spirit working through them. This is why Jesus told the leaders of the Israelites that it would be better to tie a millstone around their necks than to teach a little one to stray, Matthew 18:6. The Bible also teaches us that teachers will be held to a higher standard, James 3:1. Jesus never really threatened the common people, yet He repeatedly threatened the religious leaders. Jesus told us to beware of the religious leaders who were wolves in sheep’s clothing and He warned us of  the leaven of the Pharisees. The second death is a person being judged and found guilty of committing this unforgivable sin and then being destroyed for it. The called and chosen, the Bride, the saved, are empowered by the Holy Spirit to hear the Truth and therefore we have no fear of being thrown into the Lake of Fire; we have no fear of the second death. 

·         Also that is just a guess as to what Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is; the Bible never really spells it out word for word. This is why I believe that it is an incredibly hard and rare sin to commit. I honestly believe that only one person has ever committed it, Judas, John 17:12. Jesus forgave those who killed Him, even though they were leading the people astray from the power of the Holy Spirit working through them. Also in Jesus’ parable of the Marriage Supper only was found to be unfit to stay. So I believe that this sin is really the sin of the fallen angels and not for man.

·         We will study later that the fallen angels have been cast to the earth and that they are the ones who truly attack us, Ephesians 6:12. They will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, 2 Peter 2:4.

·         Let’s review here what Jesus showed us with these first two churches: one church had left its first love and the second church was poor and abused and their people were being killed. Sound like Churches today? So many churches in the world have left Jesus and those in the poorer countries are finding Him, and they are being killed for it. To me if these seven churches represent seven different church ages, they are all still in action today. As I am sure they were all in action years ago. 

·         When I hear that these churches that Jesus has John write to represent seven distinct periods of our history in Christ, it just doesn’t seem to make sense. What makes more sense is that these are seven specific church types, and they have always existed. Like the parable of the ten virgins, five were of Jesus and five were not. Here we see seven churches, one is of Him and six are not. You might say that two of the churches are, Philadelphia as we will study, and Smyrna. But with Smyrna we don’t see Jesus as being the active force in them, as we will see that He is in the Church of Philadelphia. Jesus tells Smyrna to endure, not that He will cause them to endure, as He tells the Church of Philadelphia.

Revelation 2:10

¹⁰ Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. [Dismiss your dread and your fears!] Behold, the devil is indeed about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested and proved and critically appraised, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be loyally faithful unto death [even if you must die for it], and I will give you the crown of life.

·         10 days represents a time of trial.

·        There are over 120 examples in scriptures that a day is equal to one year, so this group of people were going to be attacked for some time. Numbers 14:34, Ezekiel 4:6, Genesis 29:27. Christians are always persecuted for not trusting in the world.

·        Our peace, even in trials is that Jesus will never allow His chosen ones to be tempted above that which  they can take.

·        For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear]. But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently. 1 Corinthians 10:13

·        So Jesus will keep those of us faithful who are in these areas, even if we will be killed for it. Look at Stephen at his time of death. Look at Paul, Peter, John and all of the others when they were beaten, killed, and imprisoned for being used to tell the Truth. They all were able to stand, because our Father was always greater in them then anything that is in this world.

·        Here is a question to ask yourself: why wouldn’t Jesus just rapture these people out of their situation? If there is truly a pre-tribulation rapture to save us from the effects of the Great Tribulation, why don’t these believers get to escape their great trial?

·        Remember Jesus is showing us everything in its entirety in Revelation, and these people aren’t removed from their trial, they are told to endure it.

Revelation 2:8-9

⁸ And to the angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, Who died and came to life again:

·        Smyrna means a highly valued spice.

·        Smyrna was a port city. It was known for its natural beauty and competed with Ephesus and Pergamum for power and prestige.  

⁹ I know your affliction and distress and pressing trouble and your poverty—but you are rich! and how you are abused and reviled and slandered by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

·        Jesus told us that in this world we would be persecuted but that we could be of good cheer because He has overcome the world for us, John 16:33.

·        This Church was in the middle of a very successful city that was trying to compete in the world and the church suffered persecution for it. This is a foreshadowing of the end times. When the true church will be persecuted for not following along with the fake religion of the anti-christ.

·       Jesus told us that we are blessed when mean hate and revile us for His Name’s sake, Luke 6:22.

·       A synagogue is a building or meeting place. Smyrna is where satan, who is the father of lies, had his meeting place.

·       These people lived where a major false message was being taught and preached.

·       There are many saved people who live in these kinds of areas today and they are persecuted and killed for being empowered by the Holy Spirit to believe in Jesus.

Revelation 2:7

⁷ He who is able to hear, let him listen to and give heed to what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). To him who overcomes (is victorious), I will grant to eat [of the fruit] of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

·         How exactly does a believer, a child of God, overcome? We overcome the world, because the Truth is that we are more than conquerors through Christ Who loves us, Romans 8:37. We are conquerors because our Father keeps us on this earth, John 17:15. Christ does not fail! God does not fail! The actual church at Ephesus had a form of godliness, but they denied the power of it, 2 Timothy 3:5. Jesus knew this. He knew that without Him the church would fail. It is impossible to repent and act in true righteousness without Jesus being the force that is driving the change. It is impossible to continually live in righteousness without Christ being the power that enables it. 

·         Tree’s represent people who are leaders.

·         Jesus and His Bride, who are the saved, will be the leaders in eternity. We have life in us. We have passed from death unto life.

·         And there shall be no more night; they have no need for lamplight or sunlight, for the Lord God will illuminate them and be their light, and they shall reign [as kings] forever and ever (through the eternities of the eternities). Revelation 22:5.

·         To eat the fruit of the Tree of Life means that you have been grafted into and become one with Jesus.

·         The Book of Revelation speaks a great deal about the false prophet and the anti-christ, both will be experts at false religion. If the church leaders of Ephesus would have truly been of God, He would have kept them from leaving their first love. I believe many in Ephesus were truly saved though. History seems to show us that John actually was part of this church at one time. The things that the Holy Spirit showed this church through Paul were definitely for the chosen, as well as for us today. But the church, the organized church, with its leaders and boards could not have been. God’s Truth never dies off. Jesus ever lives to declare God’s Name to us, John 17:26 and He ever lives to intercede for us so that we are saved to the uttermost, Hebrews 7:25. The Church of Christ will end, Methodist will end, Catholicism will end, the Church of God will end, and yes, even the Baptists will end, but the true Church, those who have been called and chosen will never end! 

·         There are so many who believe that Jesus is a stand by Savior; that He can only act if we first do something that allows Him to act in our lives. But the Truth is that He is our Head, He is our Shepherd, He is in control of us and He is directing our paths. Jesus is not reactive to us, He is active for us! Many are called to be His Bride, yet only a few are chosen to actually be His Bride. This means that only a few are actually called to serve the world. Jesus doesn’t choose in error! Think about grafting a branch into a vine. Who picks the branch to be grafted? The gardener does, and our Gardener is God, John 15:1. Our Gardener knows the beginning and the end. Do you think that He will pick out a branch, graft it into Jesus, and then realize that He had made a mistake? There were saved people here in Ephesus, yet as for the organized church, even though God had used it, it was never actually one with Him. Because what is truly a part of our Father, and who is truly chosen to be one with Him, can ever leave Him.