Sardis was once one of the greatest cities of the world. It was at one time the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, and today its ruins can be visited near the city of Izmir, Turkey. In the sixth century B.C., Sardis was ruled by a fabulously wealthy king whose name, Croesus, became a byword for unimaginable wealth. Sardis was built on a mountain spur about 1500 feet above the valley floor. It was regarded as virtually impregnable against military assault. Many armies laid siege to Sardis, but only two – the Persians ad Greeks – ever succeeded. Both victories were achieved by stealth, not force, because the overconfident military of Sardis failed to post an adequate guard by its “impregnable” walls. Both times, small bands of spies climbed the sides of the ravine and entered an unwatched gate. So if there is one observation we could draw about the character of Sardis, it is that the city possessed a smug, complacent spirit.

Seeing how Jesus uses the local history and terrain of the churches in Revelation as material for His letters reminds us that these messages were intended for actual churches in the time of the apostle John. In challenging the church of Sardis, Jesus uses the well-known history of that city (v. 1). Sardis was known for being overconfident and boastful. Yet behind the reputation there was no substance. This was all name and no reality, all reputation and no life. Perhaps it was the financial stature, or the worldly influence of its members, or a great deal of activity and programs, that gave the church in Sardis its reputation for life. The reality, however, was very different: “You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead” (v. 1).

Today we would call the Christians at Sardis “nominal Christians.” They were Christians in name only. The church of Sardis was made up largely of people who outwardly professed Christ, but who possessed no real spiritual life. Unfortunately, such churches have only grown more numerous in our own day. It is churches such as these which have largely created a negative image of Christianity in the world today. People see the outward profession of Christianity and hear the pious-sounding words – but they see no life, no reality, to back it up.

The letter to the church of Sardis is the most dire and somber of the seven. There are serious issues at stake in this letter – eternal issues. There was a time when the Sardis church was truly alive, quickened by the Spirit of God. The people in the Sardis church once served the needy out of a genuine love for Jesus. They worshiped out of a heart of devotion to their Lord. As a result, they won a reputation for being active and alive. But as the book of Revelation was being written, the life had departed.

The Lord has a message for the church at Sardis – and for you and me. The message is “Wake up!” It is an urgent alarm for a dead church to rouse itself back to life (vv. 2-3). The first need of a church that is dead or near death is to “wake up” to its desperate condition. The words of Jesus’ message to Sardis are sharp commands in the original Greek. They are like a slap in the face, a splash of cold water, a sniff of ammonia, a shout of an urgent cry of alarm. As Christians we must not shrink from the convicting words of the letter to Sardis. Rather, we must bravely face them and ask ourselves “What has gone wrong with my spiritual life? Why does my worship and Christian service seem so dreary? Why does my church seem so lifeless and unattractive? Why don’t people want to come?” As individual Christians and as collective bodies of believers, these are the questions that confront us in the letter to the church at Sardis.

If the first need of the church at Sardis was to rouse itself and wake up to its dying condition, the second is to strengthen what remains. We may wonder what was left at Sardis worth strengthening. But remember in verse 1, Jesus said, “I know your deeds.” Clearly, the church at Sardis was doing some good deeds, or else it wouldn’t have had a reputation (however misplaced) for being “alive.” The Christians at Sardis were doing good works, but these works were incomplete, unfinished. Their actions were right, but their motives were wrong. By doing the right things for the wrong reasons they robbed their good deeds of power.

The Christians at Sardis were like so many Christians today – busy doing good things, but doing them primarily to impress people. They were trying to enhance their reputation for being alive. But as Jesus warned them, even these good works, as incomplete and falsely intentioned as they were, were about to die. Soon the church at Sardis would end up bereft of even its flimsy reputation and phony good deeds. All through the Scriptures we see that God judges not merely our actions but the intentions of our hearts. Often, the same activity that is done out of love and gratitude toward God also be done for the reasons of our own pride and our desire to impress others. God is watching not only our behavior but our hearts, monitoring whether we are living to please ourselves or to please Him.

Many Christians have the gospel, but do not seem to have the life-giving presence of the Spirit. How do we bring the Spirit’s life back into our lives and our churches? According to this letter from Jesus, there is only one way: Remember, obey, and repent! Look at yourself, your wrong outlook, and your tainted motives. Recognize that all your prideful religious busyness is a little more than a covering of filthy rags for your poverty and sin. Cast yourself upon the grace of the Lord Jesus, believe, and receive His grace. Let it take root in your heart, and then He will give you the life of the Spirit of God. That is what the Christians in Sardis needed. And that is what you and I need today as well.

Another thing they needed at Sardis was to recover the hope of the Lord’s return. “If you do not wake up,” says the Lord, “I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” The hope of the Lord’s return is alluded to many times throughout the New Testament and particularly in the book of Revelation. But Sardis had lost its expectation of that coming. Without this hope the church was dead. In every age in history and in Sardis-like “dead” churches, there are usually a few faithful believers. It is to these faithful few that the Lord delivers a special promise (vv. 4-6).

White garments are always a symbol of redemption in Scripture. In Revelation 7, we will read of great multitudes who emerge from the great tribulation, and who have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Clearly, white garments are a sign of being redeemed and saved by the grace of God (see Isaiah 1:18). In Sardis, and in other dead churches, there are usually a few believers who walk with Jesus, dressed in white. God calls them “worthy” – not for any works of righteousness they have done, but because they are covered by the righteousness of Jesus.

These, then, are the models for those in the church who wish to be “overcomers,” as mentioned in verse 5. To these believers, the Lord promises three things: (1) They will be dressed in white, the righteousness of Jesus; (2) their names will not be blotted out of the Book of Life; (3) Jesus will acknowledge them before His Father and the angels.

Here, the Lord calms the fears of the redeemed. To anyone who worries that he might lose his salvation and the grace of God, Jesus says, in effect, “Those who place their trust in Me rather than in their own efforts, those who are covered by My righteousness, can never be blotted out of the Book of Life. Their names are written in indelible ink and sealed with the seal of My own promise.” The word “never” in the original text is the strongest negative possible in the Greek language. To convey the true force of this word the passage should actually be rendered, “I will never, ever, under any circumstances, blot out your name from the Book of Life!” And when, in eternity, the book of our lives is opened, and everything we have done in our earthly lives comes spilling out – the good, the bad, and the ugly – Jesus will be there to acknowledge us before the Father and the angels.

Church attendance is good, but church attendance won’t save you. Church membership is good, but church membership won’t save you. Giving money to the church is good, but giving won’t save you. Activity in the church – teaching, serving, leading, witnessing – all of this is good, but being active in the church won’t save you. You can only be saved when you repent of your self-reliance and self-will and self-centered pride. You can only be saved when you place your trust in the One who settled it all for you on the cross. We who have ears to hear, let us hear what the Spirit says to the church of Sardis, and to us.

Revelation 3:1-6 Study Questions:

What are the charges against the church at Sardis (vv. 1-2)?

What does it mean that this church’s works were “incomplete” in God’s sight?

What words of Jesus in this letter are intended to remind the church at Sardis the lesson from their history?

How might we heed the call to wake up and strengthen what remains of our own works before it’s too late?

One of the great messages of Revelation is that Christ’s people are made strong and persevere by their knowledge of Him. This is why Jesus appeared to John in the opening vision of chapter 1, shining forth in divine glory and garbed in the offices of Prophet, Priest, and King. Conversely, this fits the warning given by Jesus when He reproved false believers, saying: “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matt. 7:22-23). As Jesus saw it, a false and dead faith results from not truly knowing Him, whereas a true and obedient faith flows from knowing Jesus in a personal relationship of saving faith.

This principle explains why each of the seven letters in Revelation 2-3 begins with a piece of the portrait of Christ given in chapter 1. The churches will respond to Christ’s message in light of their awareness of who and what Jesus is. This shows the importance of the presentation of Christ in His fourth message, to the church in Thyatira. Here, Jesus displays Himself in a way that many professing Christians will be challenged to accept but that should inspire us to holy, faithful lives. He describes Himself as “the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze” (v. 18). He is the Lord who knows our works, who hates all sin, who judges the unrepentant in His church, and who bestows glory on those who conquer in His name.

All through the messages to His churches, Jesus says that He knows the good works of His people. Believers are born again by the Holy Spirit and equipped by God’s Word “for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17). This being the case, Christians should be devoted to good works. “Let your light shine,” Jesus said, “so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). Jesus reminds the church in Thyatira, “I know your works” (v. 19). Likewise, Jesus knows and will remember our good deeds when He returns from heaven. “Well done, good and faithful servant,” He will tell His obedient people. “Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt. 25:21).

Having mentioned the Thyatirans’ “works,” Jesus specifies their “love and faith and service and patient endurance” (v. 19). Where there is love, there will be service; and where faith flourishes, there God’s people will patiently endure. What particularly stands out in Thyatira is that the church was continuing to grow spiritually and in good works: Jesus says, “Your latter works exceed the first” (v. 19). These believers set a good example for us today. Part of what makes Christianity so exciting is that we are called to continually grow in terms of our knowledge of God’s grace (2 Pet. 3:18), our personal holiness (Eph. 4:24), our love for others, and our good works.

Despite the initially good impression of Thyatira, there was a very serious problem. For all its love, faith, service, and steadfastness, we heard no commendation for its holiness. This is a matter about which Jesus cares very deeply, and His rebuke and warning over tolerated sins makes this the longest of His seven messages to the churches.

Jesus’ use of the name Jezebel in verse 20 indicates what Thyatira’s false prophetess was teaching. This second Jezebel encouraged Christians to participate in the ceremonies and feasts of the trade guilds, even to participate in the sexual sin and eat the food sacrificed to idols. Jezebel’s doctrine stated that one might please both God and the world and that Christians do not have to be different from others just because of their faith in Jesus.

Jesus’ response to this Jezebel’s seductive ministry reminds us of two things concerning sexual purity. First, the Bible associates sexual sin with idolatry. The Old Testament often compared idolatry to sexual infidelity (Hos. 1:2; Jer. 3:9). Sex is God’s gift to be blessed within marriage and for the procreation of holy children. Those who engage in sexual sin divorce God’s gift from God’s holy purpose and thus make a god of their desires. Second, Jesus’ emphasis highlights the importance of sexual purity to the Christian life. In general, the idea that believers in Christ may continue to live like the world is false. It is evident that Christ’s rebuke of sexual sin needs to be heard by professing Christians today. Christians who have joined in with the sexual sin of our culture have evidently forgotten that Jesus is a holy Lord who hates all sin, and especially sexual sin.

Christians may not easily accept the description of Jesus that is found in the message to Thyatira. This is particularly the case with the depiction of Christ as the Lord who judges His church. What would most evangelical Christians today think if they were told not only that Jesus hates sin but that He commands church discipline and threatens to strike dead church members who do not repent? The evidence suggests that most evangelicals would be appalled by such a portrait of Christ. Yet this is exactly how Jesus presents Himself to the church in Thyatira (vv. 22-23).

Before judging His people, Christ first gives a call to repentance. This shows that His purpose is not to harm but to save His followers. Christ has goodwill even for people in serious sin, like Jezebel. He says, “I gave her time to repent” (v. 21). This indicates that church leaders had previously confronted her for her false teaching and wicked behavior. Here we see the importance of loving and faithful church discipline. Jesus reminds Christians to take Biblical reproofs seriously, especially when coming from faithful pastors or church elders. “But she refuses to repent for her sexual immorality,” Jesus goes on, and therefore His judgment was the only recourse.

This portrait of Christ provides numerous motivations to live godly lives, including our awareness that Christ hates sin and judges His church. A final reason is that Jesus is a reasonable and mild Ruler, who graciously gives glory to those who conquer in His name. The mildness of Christ is seen in His address to those who have not participated in Jezebel’s sins (vv. 24-25).

When Jesus speaks of “the deep things of Satan,” He is probably noting the false prophetess Jezebel’s claim that her worldly accommodation involved an advanced Christianity that only a few could comprehend. Instead, Jesus said, her teaching that Christians can safely enter into sin involves not deep Christianity but bondage to Satan. Christians are not to try to enter into esoteric knowledge or advanced states of spirituality beyond what is taught in the Bible. Instead, we are to hold fast what Christ has already revealed to us in Scripture.

Christ’s burdens are not actually heavy: “My yoke is easy, my burden is light,” Jesus said (Matt. 11:30). Far from being burdensome, Jesus is generous beyond all expectation. He promises two remarkable blessings to those who persevere in true, obedient faith, not mixing Christianity with idolatrous pagan practices. The first has to do with a share in Christ’s sovereign rule (vv. 26-27). The promise is that Christ will grant His faithful people the ability to faithfully shepherd His flock, using the rod to protect them from those who would do them harm.

Finally, Jesus promises to the believer who perseveres in a godly faith: “And I will give him the morning star” (v. 28). Jesus is promising to give Himself, the Light who shines brightly to cast away all darkness, as the most precious gift to His faithful people. Together with Himself, however, He is promising that we ourselves will enter into that shining brightness of glory through union with Christ in faith. Even in this life, Christians are empowered by Christ to “shine as lights in the world,” as children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation…holding fast to the word of life (Phil. 2:15-16). But when the morning of the resurrection comes, then the light of Christ and His people will shine with a glory that we can scarcely comprehend today.

Revelation 2:18-29 Study Questions:

Jesus praises the church at Thyatira and criticizes it (vv. 19-20). Why would the church need both?

What might have caused the believers at Thyatira to fall prey to the “Jezebel” deception?

What is required at the moment, for those who have not been drawn away by the teaching and practices of “Jezebel,” is that they “hold on tightly.” That is a word for all Christians today who find themselves in churches and fellowships where teaching and behavior which they know is not the way of the Messiah is being eagerly embraced and hailed as God-given. What challenges like this is the church generally or your fellowship in particular facing today? How might we “hold on tightly” in the face of these?

There is no book in the Bible which more clearly discloses the invisible, eternal realm to us than the book of Revelation. As we open its pages we learn not only what will someday happen upon the earth, but we learn about what is happening now – and why. We learn the invisible, eternal counsel of God about how we are to live out our lives in the world and in the church.

Christ’s letter to Smyrna warned about approaching persecution (v. 10), but in the letter to Pergamum, Jesus writes to Christians who have already witnessed martyrdom for the faith. Jesus praises them: “You did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you” (v. 13). The word for witness is martus, a form of the word that gives us martyr, a believer who gives his or her life in faithfulness to Christ. It’s not surprising that martyrdom had already come to Pergamum, since Jesus says that it is “where Satan’s throne is” and “where Satan dwells” (v. 13).

In contrast to Smyrna, where the persecution arose from Jewish betrayals, in Pergamum the Christians faced the hostility of pagans who demanded conformity to their idolatrous cultural norms. It is probably for resisting pagan practices and refusing to worship Caesar that Antipas lost his life in service to Christ. We know from a letter from the Roman Governor Pliny the Younger to the Emperor Trajan, dated around A.D. 111 that accused Christians could avoid death only by cursing the name Jesus Christ. It is noteworthy then, how Jesus praises the church in Pergamum: “Yet you hold fast my name” (v. 13). This means that the Christians would not renounce Jesus or despise His name, even on pain or death.

Persecution is not the only serious threat facing Christians and churches, however. A second threat is false teaching from within, and in this respect Jesus expresses serious concern for Pergamum: “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 the teaching of the Nicolaitans” (vv. 14-15).

In referring to the example of Balaam and also the false teachers known as the Nicolaitans, it is likely that Jesus was speaking of the same persons. Nicolaitans and Balaam have the same meaning, the first a Greek word and the second a Hebrew word meaning “conqueror of the people.” Jesus equates the two, saying, “So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans (v. 15). In considering Jesus’ description of false teachers under the name of Balaam, we should note that Balaam wreaked his havoc by means of false teaching: he “taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel.” In Pergamum, similar teaching encouraged Christians to “eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality” (v. 14).

It seems therefore, that the Nicolaitans encouraged cultural accommodation and secular living. They sought to persuade Christians that there was nothing wrong with a prudent conformity to the world’s standards. Today, Nicolaitans would be foremost among those urging the ordination of homosexuals as ministers, since this compromise is demanded by the secular culture. The Nicolaitan spirit tells us not to be rigorous in teaching or preaching God’s Word. By refusing to practice biblical gender order in the church, and by refusing to teach on unpopular topics such as sin, divine wrath, and eternal judgment, Evangelicals are propagating the very false approach to the Bible that has produced such radical results in other churches more advanced along the same trajectory of worldly accommodation and spiritual decline. Jesus’ warning to Pergamum teaches us that Christians and churches must be vigilant against false teaching.

How then, should a church deal with such threats as the error of Balaam or the teaching of the Nicolaitans, whether in the present day or in the day of John the apostle? Jesus’ reply was, in effect, you deal with error with a sharp, two-edged sword! “Repent,” He said. “Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” The Word of God exposes both the error of immorality and the error of spiritual pride and priestly superiority. That is the reason why many churches in our time ignore the clear exposition of Scripture.

At the close of His letter to the church at Pergamum, the Lord gives a special promise to the believers of that far-off place and time – but also to believers of our own time in verse 17. This promise is addressed to all those who heed the warnings of this letter, who are vigilant and faithful in the areas of sexual immorality, spiritual superiority, and spiritual pride. If you and I stand fast against the lure of corruption and the lust of power over others, Jesus promises that we will be given several things – secret things with a special significance. First, He says He will give us “hidden manna.” Second, He will give us a white stone. Third, upon that stone will be written a new name, known only to ourselves. Here is a beautiful symbolic picture special intimacy with God.

Manna was the food from heaven with which Moses fed the people of Israel in the wilderness. Jesus Himself is the food from heaven on which you and I may feed. In John 6, Jesus says, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” He is the “hidden manna.” He is the food for the inner spirit – a food that others do not know about. We find inner nourishing and strength when we experience true intimacy with God as we resist the lure of moral impurity and spiritual conceit.

Jesus also promises a white stone with our new name – a secret name – written upon it. The symbol of the white stone is significant because the Romans of John’s time used it as a mark of special favor. The secret name written upon the white stone was, of course, another symbol of intimacy, of a special, intimate relationship with God. If we know the Lord Jesus and if we keep our hearts pure from the corrupting influences of the world around us, He has promised to give us a new name, a secret name, a special mark of intimacy with Him. That name signifies not merely a change in what we are called, but a change in what we become: We are new creatures, with a new nature, heirs to a new and exciting destination in eternity – a rich, warm, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ that goes on and on forever.

Revelation 2:12-17 Study Questions:

How does the Lord refer to the city of Pergamum in this letter?

Why might it have been particularly difficult to be a Christian in this kind of place?

The problem in Pergamum is that much of the church has lost its cutting edge, its ability to say no to the surrounding culture. For these people, Jesus has stern words. How do we take this warning seriously and not succumb to societal pressures that lead us away from following Jesus purely and faithfully?

It was a thriving seaport city more than 3,000 years before Christ was born, and it is still a thriving city today. During the time Revelation was written, it was a center of commerce, wealth, and architectural splendor, located about 40 miles north of Ephesus. The city fathers proclaimed it “the Pride of Asia.” Today it’s the third largest city in Turkey and a major international trade center, as well as the home of the NATO southern command HQ and the prestigious Aegean University. The city is now known as Izmir, but during the first century, when the book of Revelation was written, its name was Smyrna.

The name Smyrna means “myrrh,” a fragrant spice or perfume obtained when the tender bark of the flowering myrrh tree is pierced or crushed. It is a fitting name for the first-century church of Smyrna, which gave off a fragrance of Christ throughout the region because it was a church that was often pierced, often crushed, often afflicted. The city Smyrna was a center of idolatrous emperor worship. As early as A.D. 26, the region of Tiberius Caesar, a temple was erected to the emperor, and all the citizens of Smyrna – including Christians – were expected to worship the Roman emperor. If you were a Christian in Smyrna, you were called upon once a year to appear at the temple and either say “Caesar is Lord,” or, “Jesus is Lord.” Those who refused to confess Caesar as their Lord were either imprisoned or put to the sword.

So Smyrna was a place of enormous oppression and persecution for the early church. This persecution was inflicted upon the church by the Roman government. And it was also inflicted upon the church by the Jewish community in Smyrna – a community that was fanatically hostile to the early Christian church. These then, are the circumstances of the church in Smyrna at the time the second letter of Revelation was written.

Smyrna receives the shortest of Jesus’ seven messages, yet one filled with praise and without any criticism from the Lord. Jesus’ urgent letter to this church is dominated by His need to prepare the Smyrnaeans for severe persecution that is drawing near (vv. 9-10). Jesus is very familiar with the state of affairs in Smyrna, especially the “tribulation” that was upon the church. This word means “living under the pressure of great oppression.” It’s not surprising that Jesus first associated this tribulation with “poverty,” since successful participation in social and economic life would probably have been impossible for those not willing to worship Caesar as Lord.

How few Christians today are willing to place the affairs of Christ’s kingdom ahead of their careers or financial prosperity! But the Christians of Smyrna realized that theirs was a privilege of sharing in Christ’s own suffering. Another form of tribulation came through the “slander” that the Christians were enduring from “those who say that they are Jews and are not” (v. 9).

Another feature of Smyrna was the large and prominent Jewish community in the city. Many of the first believers may have come from the Jewish community. This would have been one reason why Jewish leaders were some of the early church’s most resolute oppressors. The two other forms of persecution in Smyrna go together, since imprisonment in those days was not for the sake of incarceration but merely as a brief prelude to execution: “Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison… Be faithful unto death” (v. 10).

The kinds of tribulation suffered by the church at Smyrna are still being suffered by Christians around the world today. Here in America today, Christians are frequently slandered as being hateful people because of our moral stance against homosexuality. Simply reading the Bible’s teachings on sexuality and marriage may soon be criminalized in the United States as “hate speech.”

Jesus has a message of encouragement to the persecuted church of Smyrna which is grounded in His own glorious person. His command is “Do not fear what you are about to suffer” (v. 10). The basis for this urging is found in Christ’s opening words: “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life’” (v. 8). Jesus presents Himself as the Lord of the persecuted, granting hope, provision, and victory for His saints in the tribulation of this world.

Jesus has three words of encouragement for those who will endure this severe form of persecution, three statements to strengthen and embolden the hearts of the believers in Smyrna. First, He says, “The devil will put some of you in prison to test you.” God knows what we are to endure even before we are subjected to it. We discover how much we have matured in Christ and how trustworthy God is in times of trouble. Trials strip away our artificial and superficial supports and force us to lean on the only support that is truly reliable: the grace and strength of God Himself!

Second, He says that persecution will last only a limited time (“for ten days”). We can be encouraged to know that the Lord sets limits to our suffering. The test will not last longer than we can endure. If the Lord says the test will last “ten days,” then there is no force on earth that could make it last eleven days! The pressure under which the Smyrna congregation suffered would not last forever.

Third, He says, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” We can be certain that “the crown of life” had a special significance to the Christians in Smyrna. The city of Smyrna was often called “the crown of Asia.” This was a source of status and pride to the citizens of Smyrna. But Jesus says that He will give to the Christians of Smyrna and even better crown – the crown of life, the enjoyment of eternal life in glory! These words of reassurance to the church in Smyrna remind us of Paul’s statement in Romans that “the sufferings of this present moment are not to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.” And elsewhere Paul writes, “This light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us to produce an eternal weight of glory.” We are continually encouraged by the fact that these trials, testings, and pressures are producing something of eternal value in our lives.

Jesus places a single requirement on His persecuted church: “Be faithful,” even “unto death” (v. 10). The believers were not to look at the suffering to come, so that they tremble with fear, but to look through the suffering to the Sovereign Lord who promised to deliver them strengthened and purified after a limited duration of trial. With this perspective, remaining faithful was their single goal.

Jesus gave an incentive to faithfulness under tribulation that pertains to believers of all times: “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” (v. 11). The expression “second death” also appears later in Revelation, which identifies it with the eternal condemnation in hell that awaits unbelievers in the final judgment (21:8). The Bible speaks not only of two deaths, temporal and eternal, but also of two resurrections – of the spirit and of the body. All persons will be resurrected in the body on the last day to stand before the judgment throne of Christ (Matt. 25:31-32). But those who believe in Jesus in this present life, suffering tribulation for His name but made rich through saving faith, have received a spiritual resurrection in the new birth.

Jesus told His followers in Smyrna, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer” (v. 10). Likewise, Jesus tells unbelievers that their true fear is not what they will lose in this world through the faith in Christ but rather God’s judgment that awaits us all in death. Jesus once said: “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28). For both the Christian and the unbeliever, the Bible’s antidote to fear is one and the same, along with an invitation to eternal life: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). He promises all who believe: “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life…The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death (vv. 10-11).

Revelation 2:8-11 Study Questions:

In the church of Smyrna, the Lord finds nothing to condemn. What seems to be the main focus of this letter?

The Jewish synagogue in Smyrna has become a “satan-synagogue” – not just in vague, general, abusive sense, but in the rather sharply defined sense that, as “the satan” is literally “the accuser,” the synagogue in town has been “accusing” the Christians of all kinds of wickedness. What is the Lord’s advice to the church at Smyrna when it comes to responding to such accusations and their consequences (v. 10)?

How might we take the promise of verse 11 to heart and live as those who know that the “second death” has no power to harm the faithful?

We find now, a stack of letters, seven in all, which have largely been ignored and unopened by the Christian Church over the years. Many people tend to skip over these seven letters to the churches, so eager to hurry to those juicy, action-packed, sections of Revelation. We would rather hear about the great cataclysms of the last days than be confronted with the urgent challenge of our own present moment. These seven letters to seven churches are powerful letters, burning with urgency. Their message is still as vital and timely today as when first written. So many ills of our churches in the twenty-first century could be cured if we would only listen with attentive ears to the message Jesus gave us through the pen of John over 2000 years ago,

In these letters, our Lord outlines for us His plan for the church. He shows us that He has set His church in the midst of the world. It is His instrument to impact and direct the course of human history. Jesus calls the church “the light of the world” and “the salt of the earth.” The apostle Paul calls the church “the pillar and ground of truth.” That is the mystery and the mission of the church. God intends the church to exert tremendous influence over the affairs of the world.

These seven letters set forth His eternal “game plan.” So it’s a grievous mistake to slight the crucial importance and timely relevance of these letters. They are filled with both warning and encouragement to churches that are struggling with sin and complacency within, and persecution without. In these letters, our Lord teaches the church how to live as light in a darkening world while also confronting the sin and error that threatens the health and life of the church.

Do you remember the first time you fell in love? Do you recall that feeling of always wanting to be near the object of your love, to simply bask in the presence of that person? In Revelation 2:1-7, we meet a church that once loved Jesus that way. But tragically, at the time that we encounter this church in Revelation, the fondness, the remembrance, the yearning of that first glow of love had faded. Instead of a church that is ardently in love with its Lord, we find a church that has lost its love.

The first thing the Lord impresses upon the Ephesian church is that He is the Lord of all the churches. He holds the seven stars in His right hand, and He walks among the seven lampstands. He is in control of the angels of the churches, and He is directly observing the lampstands, the churches themselves, as He walks through their midst.

Ephesus was the leading city of Asia. It was the gateway to the Roman Empire in the region now known as Turkey, with rivers and roads connecting it to far-flung places. Ephesus was famous for its large harbor, a flourishing marketplace, and especially the great temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was also a dissolute and greatly immoral city, in large part because of the cultic prostitution and the liberty granted to criminals at its famous temple.

The church in Ephesus was now a second-generation congregation, having been founded forty years earlier by Paul, who later stayed to teach for three years during his third missionary journey. It was then overseen by Paul’s helper Timothy, until after Paul’s death the apostle John came, probably around the year A.D. 66. The apostles had thus invested a great deal in this church, and it is likely that the church in Ephesus extended the gospel throughout Asia so as to plant the other churches of the region. With such leadership and ministry, it is not surprising that Jesus finds much to praise in these believers (v. 2). Here, we are reminded of the words that Jesus will say to all His followers who worked hard for Him while He was gone: “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:21).

Not only had the Ephesians performed good works in Christ’s name, but they had persevered patiently under trials (vv. 2-3). This commendation indicates not merely that they had continued in believing, but that they had stood up to the pressure to conform to the surrounding culture. Then Christ commends the Ephesians for their vigilance over the truth (v. 2) It seems that false teachers had come among them, claiming to be apostles, but under testing they had been proved false and rejected. Jesus goes on to identify this threat in a further commendation in verse 6. Jesus’ praise to the Ephesians for testing and rejecting the false teachers should disabuse us of the idea that we can remain neutral in matters of truth! Certainly we should avoid needless controversy and argument. But when truth is up for sale, there is fidelity to Christ on one side and friendship with the world on the other.

There was however, a serious problem in Ephesus, and Jesus did not hesitate to confront it (v. 4). This rebuke is understood in two ways. Many commentators hear Jesus saying that in their zeal for correct doctrine, the Ephesians have become unloving toward people. In the earlier days they warmly embraced all who named the Lord in faith, but their zealous orthodoxy has made them suspicious and harsh. The second view sees this rebuke as charging the Ephesians with growing cold in their love for Jesus and their zeal for a close relationship with Him. It is likely that both are involved, especially since loss of love for God will result in less fervent affection for fellow Christians. This poses a serious challenge for doctrinally minded people: Jesus’ rebuke does not say that zeal for truth must always make our love grow cold, but it certainly indicates that it is possible. This is why Paul warned: “If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2).

This same rebuke should be directed toward Christian individuals: “I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first” (v. 4). Many Christians recognize that the enthusiasm they once had for Christ is no longer seen in their lives. We have not turned from faith, and we are still performing our Christian duties. But from Jesus’ perspective, it is obvious that the first love has grown dim, perhaps replaced with lesser, more worldly priorities. If so, Jesus urges us to remember our first love with longing. Remembering is not enough, however. Jesus adds: “repent” (V. 5). This means that we must take action to change whatever caused us to lose our fervor for Christ. We should ask ourselves what happened or what entered our lives so as to account for our lessened fervor for Christ. Then we should remove it or put it back into its proper place and priority.

The final element in the seven messages to the churches of Revelation is a promise from Christ for blessing to those who conquer through faith (v. 7). To conquer with Christ doesn’t mean that all our difficulties have gone away or that believers can all expect to become thin, beautiful, wealthy, and powerful. Christians conquer by persevering to the end in faith, godliness, truth, and fervent love. This is the chief message of the entire book of Revelation, so we will gain a deeper idea of Christian overcoming as we progress in the book.

To conquer in Christ is to confess our sins and seek the atoning power of His death for our forgiveness, to hold fast to the gospel truths of the Bible as the foundation of our faith, and out of love for Jesus to be willing both to live for Him now and to die with Him should there be a day of final testing. Christians conquer amid tribulation in this world, but the blessing Jesus promises is received in the world to come when He returns (v. 7).

This promise refers back to the blessing lost by Adam and Eve through sin, as they were barred from eating from the Tree of Life (Gen. 3:22). Ever since that day, sinners have desperately sought to either find or build a paradise here on earth. Have you been trying to do that? Every earthly form of paradise fails precisely because it cannot provide the life for which we were created. Yet Jesus holds open before those who persevere with Him, bearing the cross through this world, and conquering through their faith, a true paradise prepared in heaven for those who love Him, where the Tree of Life blooms with leaves “for healing of the nations” (Rev. 22:2). Jesus confronts us with our obligation to overcome through faith in Him: He warns, “In the world you will have tribulation.” But, together with the promised Tree of Life, Jesus offers His own presence to those who rekindle their first love for Him: “Take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Revelation 2:1-7 Study Questions:

Do you sometimes hesitate to speak up about things you really believe in out of fear that you might offend someone? Explain.

What words of praise, warning and promise are spoken to the church of Ephesus?

The Ephesian believers have drawn a clear line between those who are really following Jesus and those who are not (v. 2). As all church workers, a group that is rightly concerned for the truth of the gospel may forget that the very heart of that gospel is love. What can we do to help maintain this delicate balance between truth and love in our own churches today?

Here, even in the first chapter of Revelation, we discover truth imparted in the form of symbols. Jesus is described in a way that is not intended to convey His actual physical appearance but various aspects of His character, His attributes, and His role.

The setting for the vision John received is a tiny island in the Aegean Sea. This island, called Patmos, is only about four miles wide and six miles long, located just off the coast of Turkey. It was a dreary little place in John’s day, containing a stone quarry, some mining excavations, and very little else. John had apparently been banished to Patmos by the Romans in order to silence his preaching – hence his statement that he was there “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” (v. 9). John was a prisoner on Patmos.

On one Sunday morning (or “the Lord’s Day,” as John calls it), John was “in the Spirit.” This does not mean that John was in some state of religious ecstasy, but rather that he was worshiping God and meditating on God’s greatness and majesty. It is the state of mind and spirit that Jesus described in John 4:24 when He said, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” When John was in this worshipful attitude, a voice like a trumpet said, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches” (v. 11). Upon hearing this voice, John did what you and I would have done: he turned to find the source of this powerful, trumpet-like voice. What he saw was the Lord Himself, standing among seven golden lampstands, holding seven stars in His hands. Note the significance of the number seven again, the number of completeness.

Let’s look at each of the symbols which characterize John’s vision of the Lord Jesus: (1) Jesus is dressed in a long robe, bound across the chest by a golden sash, a priestly garment symbolizing His role as the Great High Priest. In Scripture, gold symbolizes deity. This robe with its golden sash speaks of the fact that Jesus is a priest who is Himself God. He is the Lord, sovereign over all of history. (2) His head and His hair are white. These are symbols used in the book of Daniel to denote wisdom and purity. (3) His eyes are like blazing fire, from which nothing can be hid. Fire speaks of judgment. (4) His feet are like bronze, glowing in a furnace, again, the image of furnace-hot fires of judgment. (5) His voice is like the sound of rushing waters, like the roar of the surf as it dashes against the rocks. The sound of His voice is the sound of power, inspiring our awe. (6) The sword which comes out of the mouth of Jesus is clearly the Word of God, by which Jesus reveals truth to us. (7) His face is like the sun shining in its strength. The brilliance of the sun symbolizes the burning intensity of truth.

Throughout the remainder of Revelation, we will see other symbolism employed to describe various aspects of Jesus’ character, power, and position. But it is the image of Jesus which John describes here in chapter 1 that is the most startling and graphic of all. Before such an awesome sight, what could John do, what could any human being do, but fall at the feet of Jesus as though dead?

This is the reaction of every human who experiences the kind of profound encounter with the living God that John experiences here in chapter 1. And as John lay prostrate before the feet of Jesus, the Lord did something that was completely typical and characteristic of Him: He reached down and touched John! As you read through the gospels, you see that Jesus was always toughing people. Now here in chapter 1, Jesus touches John and reassures him with the words, “Do not be afraid.” Jesus is saying in effect, “I am your friend, not your enemy. I am the First and the Last. I set the boundaries of time and history. I hold the keys of death and hell, the keys of both physical death and spiritual death. I am sovereign over all that is, so you have nothing to fear, my friend.”

Does this vision not prove to us that we should never fear to live boldly for Jesus, in accordance with His Word? The world is likely to scorn us and may even persecute us, as it did John. But if the exalted Christ is with us, what will we fear? Should we not, like John, fearlessly preach the truths of God’s Word into a dark and hostile culture? Even if we are placed in chains, the exalted Christ will send forth His Word through us. How important it is then, that we fix our eyes on the mighty and victorious Jesus of Scripture!

Having reassured John, Jesus then commissions him: “Write, therefore,” says the Lord, “what you have seen, what is now, and what will take place later.” Notice that Jesus gives john a three-part writing assignment. First, John is to write what he has seen, which is the vision we have just studied. Second, John is to write “what is now.” That is, he is to write seven letters to seven churches about existing conditions in those churches (Rev. 2-3). Third, John is to write “what will take place latter.” This is the prophetic vision of the future contained in Revelation chapters 4-22. These are the three divisions of the book of Revelation, as given to us by the Lord Himself. If we follow these divisions carefully, we will be able to understand God’s message to us in this challenging, rewarding, symbol-laden book.

The point of the first chapter of Revelation is to focus our attention on Jesus. He is the central figure of Revelation, just as He is the central figure of all history. He is the source of our courage, our peace, our wisdom, our forgiveness when we sin, and our help in the time of need. John takes up the commission given him by Jesus and performs it with dramatic force; he elevates our hearts and focuses our attention upon Jesus, upon who He is and what He is doing in human history. The Lord, through His servant John, has lifted the veil from the obscured face of the future. He invites us to look behind the scenes of history and see the great and awesome things He is doing and is about to do upon the earth, and within each individual life.

Revelation 1:9-20 Study Questions:

Where is John when he writes this letter and why is he there? Why would this be important to John’s original readers?

Exile has given John time to pray, to reflect, and now to receive the most explosive vision of God’s power and love. How have you experienced God’s power and love in the midst of painful or distressing situations?

What does John see when he turns to find out who is speaking to him (vv. 12-16)? What is John’s response when he sees this vision (v. 17)?

Why does Jesus emphasize that He is the “living One” who holds “the keys of death and Hades” (vv. 17-18)?