REVELATION

1. REVELATION CHAPTER 2

2. Verse 1 As we move into Chapter two, and then three, it is necessary to look into the history and circumstances of each city,

3. as a whole, so that we may better understand the circumstances of each church and the message that they are receiving.

4. It will become evident that the cities were largely pagan and that the churches consisted of converted Jews and pagans.

5. The Epistles tell us that there was much dissension between the formerly Jewish Christians and the formerly pagan Christians and that both were persecuted by both the pagans, who usually held the positions of authority, and also by the unconverted Jews.

6. A study of relativistic pagan society reveals a life of brutal drudgery and a hopelessness for any thing better - EVER!

7. This was only relieved by the "religious" celebrations which involved much drunken debauchery, fornication and licentiousness.

8. This was the only relief in a life devoid of hope for purpose, fulfillment and joy. This was/is the empty space in anyone's soul that can only be filled by the Spirit of God, the Father, the Almighty.

9. The pagans resisted conversion because of their misunderstanding of the message of the apostles which led them to disdain the perceived aceticness of Christianity for the ''joy'' of their pagan religious party-times.

10. All of the seven churches in Chapter 2 & 3 were actual churches of John's day.

11. In what is to come, Christ lays bare the true state of each individual church and this state can be seen in the churches of history and in the state of the churches of today.

12. We gain this understanding from the fact that only seven churches were selected from the multitude that existed in John's time and by the fact that, at the close of each letter, there is a statement that the Holy Spirit is speaking to the churches.

13. As we encounter the number seven applied to these churches we tend to focus on the fact that seven is symbolic of perfection, yet we will find that these churches are far from perfect.

14. Seven is also a metaphor for completion and, in considering the flaws of these churches, we find that Yehovah has provided a ''complete'' list of the sins of His people.

15. In our day this means that if repentance isn't accomplished by us, Revelation will be accomplished by Yehovah.

16. We might also consider how many of these sins fall into the unpardonable category because they stem from unbelief.

17. In each of these epistles we will observe:

18. (A) That Christ always describes himself by a characteristic suited to the circumstances of each particular church regardless of whether the message promises encouragement or terror.

19. (B)each epistle is directed to the angel or messenger of the church. These would likely be the pastors because they are the mouth of God for the congregation. Once again we see that revelation was written to be understood by all and to be declared publically.

20. (C)each epistle is concluded with a promise of eternal glory and happiness for victorious believers and a solemn call to every reader and hearer to seriously learn and apply the contents of these letters to their lives.

21. Ephesus, the "loveless" church, would metaphorically represent the church times up to 100AD.

22. verses 1-7, are a letter of warning to the Church in the city of Ephesus (which means "desirable").

23. Under Caesar Augustus, Ephesus became the capitol of the Roman province of Asia, which is presently the western portion of Turkey.

24. It was known to be the residence of John both before and after his internments on Patmos.

25. It is the city of the Seat of Diana (aka Artemis), the "mother of the gods". The Temple of Diana was built in 480BC.

26. Christianity came to the city with Paul, Aquila and Priscilla, as per Acts 18:18-19 & 19:10. Timothy had charge of the church for a time according to 1 Timothy 1:3.

27. After this, the church became the responsibility of John, upon his release from Patmos.

28. The Revelation context of the warning is about its character of being a loveless church.

29. Verse 1 Is a clear indication that it is Jesus who is talking and taking action.

30. Verse 2 Is an indication that the faith formerly held by this church, and the evangelism and works that faith had generated, have been judged and approved by Christ.

31. Jesus commends them for carefully discerning the lies and evil deeds of false teachers and rejecting them.

32. Verse 3 Is a commendation for patiently bearing persecution for their faith and carrying on regardless. The word "fainted" means to grow weary and give up.

33. Verse 4 Is a condemnation # for an intentional act of rebellion against the faith (Jer 2:2 & Eze 16:8) and, thus, against Jesus.

34. Eph1:15-16, shows that some 30 years before this time, this church was commended for the strength of its love for Christ and their fellow man.

35. This would indicate that this congregation had turned inward, not only against society but also against each other.

36. In doing this, they have turned away from the Great Commission and it author.

37. This would mean that their righteous works had faltered and failed and so their love for Jesus and His Gospel and even each other, had dried up entirely, hence the "loveless" comment.

38. Similarly, this could also mean that this congregation had been distracted by the busyness of the activities of the world around them to the point that their ardent love for Jesus had cooled due to neglect.

39. In our lives, we need to consider if our own love for the Lord has lost its initial passion, if we too have been distracted by the busyness of the world

40. perhaps a busyness that Satan has strewn in our path for just that reason.

41. Verse 5 Is a call to remember who they were those 30 years ago and to return to that state of affairs quickly before Jesus removes their candlestick #, extinguishing their light unto the world.

42. The verbs "remember", "repent" and "do" are the "first things" involved in re-birth and entering into the work of the Great Commission, and in this sense this warning takes the form of commandments.

43. Now that we know what the candlestick represents, we can see the seriousness of the error and the warning.

44. Now that we know what the candlestick represents, we can see the seriousness of the error and the warning.

45. This denunciation began to unfold during the persecutions of the emperors Decius Gallus and Valerian and was completed to the letter by the Saracens and the Turks.

46. The place has long been an uninhabited ruin.

47. In our present day this could be taken as "deprive thee of Gospel light": Bibles that are unread, Lord's Days not kept, ministers not listened to, communions not observed, liberties abused rather than valued.

48. Verse 6 (see commentary on Nicolaitans)(See Acts 6:5)

49. ”And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:”

50. Verse 7 This hearing admonition is repeated seven times in Revelation.