Sardis—the Dead Church
Rev 3:1-6
The Progression
o Pergamum—Being corrupted
o Thyatira—Corrupt
o Sardis—Dead
In Ephesus, a solid orthodox church that put up with no nonsense had, nonetheless lost their first love.
In Smyrna, persecution had purified the church.
In Pergamum, the majority were true believers, but they were tolerating open gross sin.
In Thyatira, the majority were lost church members, and the corruption had become institutionalized.
And In Sardis, only a small remnant of the church were true believers.
1. Jesus to Them—(3:1) ""And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, 'These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars…”
a. The ministry of the Holy Spirit—sent by the Father and the Son—
(1) This church was devoid of the Spirit, except for the remnant
(2) Christ is reminding those who are there and listening, that a church without the Spirit of God is not a church!
(3) We depend on Christ to be with us and be our Paraclete—(John 14:15-16) ""If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever;"
(4) The Father and Son sent the Spirit as the ultimate Teacher of the churches—
(a) (John 14:26) ""But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."
(b) (John 15:26) ""But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me."
(5) The evangelistic ministry of the churches is impossible without the convicting power of the Holy Spirit—(John 16:8-12) ""And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 "of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 "of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 "of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged…”
(6) This dead church needs the enlivening power of the Holy Spirit to come back to life.
b. The ministry of Christ to the pastors—“…and the seven stars…”
(1) The Pastor of this church is either dead along with his members, or he is ministering to the remnant, frustrated and beaten
(2) Either way, Christ reminds the pastor that he is not working for man—he is working for God
(3) He either needs to get saved, as Steve Brown did, under his own preaching, or he needs to pray for revival of this dead church.
c. For us in the 21st century, how many dead churches are out there? Maybe most of them?
2. A Very Simple Condemnation, and a direct instruction—"3:1b …I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead…2 "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.”…3a "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.
a. Their works—"3:1b …I know your works… I have not found your works perfect [complete] before God.”
(1) There were things going on—otherwise they would not have had a reputation of life.
(2) Christ knows about their works—but curiously, He does not mention knowing THEM…
(Mat 7:21-23) ""Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"
(John 10:26-27) ""But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."
(3) It is not that He does not know about them—He just doesn’t know them—there is no relationship.
(4) But even here, there is failure—their works were not “perfect,” this is not Teleios, it is pleroo—completeness, or fullness—it is not that their works were immature, they were half-hearted at best, going through the motions.
(a) They went through the motions, but there was no fullness in what they were doing.
(b) Their works were without life, without feeling
(c) These works were good enough to fool those on the outside, and may be some on the inside, but you can’t fool God.
b. Their Reputation—a scary prospect here!
(1) They had the reputation of being alive
(2) This is not so much among their pagan neighbors, who could not have cared less
(3) This reputation was among the other churches—“Sardis, sure, great church, I hear…”
c. Their reality—their church was dead.
(1) Most of the members—dead
(2) Worship—dead
(3) Prayer—dead
(4) Outreach—dead
(5) Not that these things were absent from the services—they had the NAME of being alive—but there was no reality.
d. What could have caused this? Curiously, Jesus does not mention the specific problems that led to this, but since this is part of a progression, it is easy to see that a lack of love and progressively worse corruption would lead to this eventually.
e. But even here there were a few true believers—unlike Laodicea.
3. Some frightening Consequences— “…3b…Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. …”
a. A curious parallel to the history of the city (summed up from MAC)
(1) Sardis was an ancient city—gold coins were first made there—there was so much gold available their that they had one of the richest of kingdoms. Croesus, one of their ancient kings, set the standard for wealth—if someone was really wealthy, it was said (almost up to our day) that he was “as rich as Croesus.”
(2) The city sat on a very high hill, with three deep 90 degree sides that were impossible to climb, and a fourth side where attackers could only climb in single file. It was considered beyond conquest.
(3) But twice in its long history it had been overthrown by enemies, and in both cases, it was their complacency that led to the overthrow. So confident were they that no one could take their city that they went to bed and left no sentries except on the side facing the narrow path. During the night, specially trained mountain climbers scaled the unguarded sides and in the morning light, the city fell—and again, this identical thing took place twice, separated by a couple of centuries.
b. Christ is coming to this church, and the implication is that He will shake it in a mighty way, and this coming in present judgment will happen without warning, just as the military overthrow of the city had hit without warning.
c. This is compared to the unexpected (by the world) coming of Christ—“…Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you…”
(1 Th 5:2) "For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night."
(1 Th 5:4) "But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief."
(2 Pet 3:10) "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…”
4. A Word to the Small and Faithful Remnant—
a. The remnant Identified—4 "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments …”
(1) Even—even in Sardis there are true believers, perhaps as vexed as Lot, but they are there.
(2) A reality check—who is our Master? Jesus defines believers by their fruit, as in John 10:27
(3) Names—He is looking at a “book”, or a roster, and checking His list.
b. Promises to the Remnant—
(1) The Promises
(a) “…and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy
(b) 5 "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments…”
(2) They Shall—the security of the believer
(3) Walk with Him in white—dressed like Him, walking with Him as God’s people always have, but in That Day, we will walk as His brothers and sisters.
(4) Worthy—how can this be? He makes me worthy through the blood He shed for me, and by justification and imputation.
(5) The Issue of the Book and the Books “…and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life…”
(Exo 32:32) ""Yet now, if You will forgive their sin; but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.""
(Psa 56:8) "You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?"
(Psa 139:16) "Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them."
(Phil 4:3) "And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life."
(Rev 3:5) ""He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels."
(Luke 10:20) ""Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.""
(Rev 13:8) "All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
(Rev 17:8) ""The beast that you saw was, and is not, and will ascend out of the bottomless pit and go to perdition. And those who dwell on the earth will marvel, whose names are not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet is."
(Rev 20:12) "And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books."
(Rev 20:15) "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."
(Rev 22:19) "and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."
(6) Christ’s Confession of MY Salvation—“…but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels….”
5. Encouragement From History—“6 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'
a. Jesus is giving this church room to repent—did they?
b. Melito—pastor of Sardis 150 years later, was one of the great defenders of the faith
c. So, what happened? In my sanctified imagination, the pastor of Sardis received his copy of Revelation and took it to his church. Prayerfully, with trembling lips, he read it to the people, he repented of his poor leadership, the Spirit fell on all assembled there, and a great revival took place!.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Thyatira
Thyatira, A Totally Corrupt Church
Rev 2:18-29
Pergamos had major problems, but Thyatira had taken it all to a new level
1. The City and The Lord—“…And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, 'These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass…”
a. The City: Thyatira was: (From AT Robertson) “… forty miles south-east of Pergamum, a Lydian city on the edge of Mysia, under Rome since B.C. 190, a centre of trade, especially for the royal purple, home of Lydia of Philippi (Acts 16:14f.), shown by inscriptions to be full of trade guilds, Apollo the chief deity with no emperor-worship…”
b. The Son of God—
(1) Christ identifies Himself to them by His title of Deity
(2) As God, He has all authority, He is the ultimate judge of what is right and what is wrong.
c. Authority is going to be an issue here, because the sins of this church and the corruption of this church contradict the Biblical standards for behavior .
(1) And what is more, they thought they were right—even though they were very wrong.
(2) Pergamos was being corrupted, and where they were going was toward the corruption of Thyatira that we see here.
(a) Church Corruption always begins with human sin, then it progresses to a claim for Christian liberty or tolerance
(b) Those with standards, who hold for the Truth are misrepresented as being unloving and/or judgmental
(c) The next step is to solidify the corruption by teaching a corrupt theology.
(d) Then one morning the orthodox believers awake to find themselves outnumbered and the heretics in charge.
d. His eyes like a flame of fire
(1) The “X-ray” vision of God—nothing can be hid from Him—(Prov 5:21) "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths."
(2) (Heb 4:12-13) "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."
(3) Christ Jesus sees what is going on, and He is angry about it—there will be no compromise with HIM!
e. His feet like burnished brass—He has His HEAVY boots on—pure brass, ready to take a stand and stamp out the heresy
2. The Commendations—19 "I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first…”
a. First note: The commendations are minimal
(1) Works—and the latter are more than the first!
(a) A corrupted church can still produce works of charity; indeed that is often how corrupted churches assuage their feelings of guilt!
(b) Working “for the Lord” is no evidence of legitimacy, nor is it an evidence of individual salvation—(Mat 7:21-23) ""Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"
(2) Love—there was some degree of agape there—from the true believers
(3) Service—there was genuine serving going on, again, most likely from the remnant of true believers
(4) Faith
(5) Patience
b. But one thing that is most definitely not mentioned is Truth
3. The Condemnations: a corrupted church—(Rev 2:20) ""Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols."
a. I have this against YOU
(1) Both pronouns are in the singular
(2) Jesus is talking to the Pastor!
(3) Again, the eldership of a church is charged by God with guarding the church and with dealing with false teachers or others who disturb the holiness of the church—(Acts 20:28-31) ""Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears."
(4) Remember these warnings to preachers and teachers—
(a) (2 Tim 4:1-2) "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching."
(b) (James 3:1) "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment."
b. This was a church where the majority was corrupt and the true believers were relegated to being a remnant—no doubt they had gone through the process that Pergamos was currently in the middle of, but they had seen the tragic results of “tolerance” of evil allowed to the point where it was the dominant factor and faction in the church
c. First—what was the substance of the false doctrine taught here?
(1) Early Gnosticism? “… doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say…”
(2) Gnosticism
(a) Special knowledge
(b) Libertarian lifestyle
(c) Usually syncretic
(3) (From AT Robinson)—“…The deep things of Satan (ta bathea tou Satanā). The Ophites (worshippers of the serpent) and other later Gnostics (Cainites, Carpocratians, Naassenes) boasted of their knowledge of “the deep things,” some claiming this very language about Satan (the serpent) as Paul did of God (1 Cor 2:10). It is not clear whether the words here quoted are a boast of the Nicolaitans or a reproach on the other Christians for not knowing the depths of sin. Some even claimed that they could indulge in immorality without sinning (1 John 1:10; 3:10). Perhaps both ideas are involved. As they say (hōs legousin). Probably referring to the heretics who ridicule the piety of the other Christians…”
d. Why is this woman called “Jezebel?”
(1) It could be that her name was Jezebel, but that is unlikely, given the negative history of that name
(2) It is most likely the case that she is “cut from the same cloth” as Jezebel, and perhaps she had a “familiar spirit” (a personal demon) which influenced the behavior.
(3) The Original Jezebel
(a) She was the true leader of Israel, since King Ahab, her husband, was totally under her thumb, a figurehead at best
(b) She was a Baal worshiper
(c) The came from a pagan nation
(d) She married in to Israel, but sought from the beginning to undermine and destroy Israel morally, and to transplant her pagan worldview and religion into Israel
(e) She was a practitioner of syncretism, combining Baalism with Judaism
(f) She was a lost tool of Satan, of the kind that Paul had warned against—(Acts 20:28-31) ""Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears."
(4) The modern Jezebel: Her characteristics and sins
(a) She was the true leader of the church; the pastor was a figurehead at best, or maybe he had been corrupted as well.
(b) She was an adulteress, and rather than being ashamed and repentant, she gloried in her sin
(c) She was teaching God’s people that what we call syncretism is the true faith
(d) She also was teaching an early form of Gnosticism, since she was teaching the people that sinful behavior was OK with God.
e. She was, first of all a violation of Biblical leadership standards—“…20 "Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach…”
(a) She was a woman teaching men—(1 Tim 2:12) "And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence."
(b) She was a false prophetess teaching in the church
f. She was unrepentant, a sure sign of lostness—“…21 "And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent….”
4. The Judgment—“…22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. 23 "I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works…”
a. God’s judgment is going to fall on her and on the others who had followed her.
b. The Judgment against the woman
(1) There are a lot of speculations about exactly who was what
(2) There is some difficulty with the text here, but the best indications are that this “sickbed” is either place to die or is Hell itself.
(3) The punishment against her and anyone else who leads God’s children to sin—(Mat 18:6) ""But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
c. The judgment against her followers, many of whom were apparently saved people
(1) “…those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds….”
(a) There is no definite article here, so this is not talking about THE great tribulation, but it is talking about tribulation in general
(b) And this kind of behavior does lead to great tribulation in your life—as with David
(c) Some notable passages about the dangers here.
(Prov 5:3-5, 8-14) "For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; 4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell….) "Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house, 9 Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one; 10 Lest aliens be filled with your wealth, And your labors go to the house of a foreigner; 11 And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed, 12 And say: "How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction! 13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me! 14 I was on the verge of total ruin, In the midst of the assembly and congregation.""
(Prov 5:20-23) "For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress? 21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths. 22 His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin. 23 He shall die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray."
(Prov 6:24-29) "To keep you from the evil woman, From the flattering tongue of a seductress. 25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let her allure you with her eyelids. 26 For by means of a harlot A man is reduced to a crust of bread; And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. 27 Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? 28 Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be seared? 29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever touches her shall not be innocent."
d. The Sin unto Death—23 "I will kill her children with death…”
e. The reason for the public nature of the chastisement—“… and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works…”
5. The Faithful Remnant—
a. A description of the Remnant
(1) They had not given in to this teaching“…24 "Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine…”
(2) They had not participated in the lifestyle and its hidden codes—“…who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say…”
b. Comforting words for the faithful remnant—their church is too late to save as an institution, but they are to continue to worship and serve God in spite of it all…“… I will put on you no other burden…”
c. Which Coming is this:? 25 "But hold fast what you have till I come…”
(1) Is He coming to remove the candlestick (take away the church’s charter)?
(2) Is He talking about the rapture?
d. Words of comfort for all the saved—
(1) We will reign with Christ—. 26 "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations…”
(2) We will rule with Christ— 27 'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels'; as I also have received from My Father;
(3) We will Shine with Christ—28 "and I will give him the morning star.
e. 29 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'"
Rev 2:18-29
Pergamos had major problems, but Thyatira had taken it all to a new level
1. The City and The Lord—“…And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write, 'These things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass…”
a. The City: Thyatira was: (From AT Robertson) “… forty miles south-east of Pergamum, a Lydian city on the edge of Mysia, under Rome since B.C. 190, a centre of trade, especially for the royal purple, home of Lydia of Philippi (Acts 16:14f.), shown by inscriptions to be full of trade guilds, Apollo the chief deity with no emperor-worship…”
b. The Son of God—
(1) Christ identifies Himself to them by His title of Deity
(2) As God, He has all authority, He is the ultimate judge of what is right and what is wrong.
c. Authority is going to be an issue here, because the sins of this church and the corruption of this church contradict the Biblical standards for behavior .
(1) And what is more, they thought they were right—even though they were very wrong.
(2) Pergamos was being corrupted, and where they were going was toward the corruption of Thyatira that we see here.
(a) Church Corruption always begins with human sin, then it progresses to a claim for Christian liberty or tolerance
(b) Those with standards, who hold for the Truth are misrepresented as being unloving and/or judgmental
(c) The next step is to solidify the corruption by teaching a corrupt theology.
(d) Then one morning the orthodox believers awake to find themselves outnumbered and the heretics in charge.
d. His eyes like a flame of fire
(1) The “X-ray” vision of God—nothing can be hid from Him—(Prov 5:21) "For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths."
(2) (Heb 4:12-13) "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."
(3) Christ Jesus sees what is going on, and He is angry about it—there will be no compromise with HIM!
e. His feet like burnished brass—He has His HEAVY boots on—pure brass, ready to take a stand and stamp out the heresy
2. The Commendations—19 "I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first…”
a. First note: The commendations are minimal
(1) Works—and the latter are more than the first!
(a) A corrupted church can still produce works of charity; indeed that is often how corrupted churches assuage their feelings of guilt!
(b) Working “for the Lord” is no evidence of legitimacy, nor is it an evidence of individual salvation—(Mat 7:21-23) ""Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'"
(2) Love—there was some degree of agape there—from the true believers
(3) Service—there was genuine serving going on, again, most likely from the remnant of true believers
(4) Faith
(5) Patience
b. But one thing that is most definitely not mentioned is Truth
3. The Condemnations: a corrupted church—(Rev 2:20) ""Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols."
a. I have this against YOU
(1) Both pronouns are in the singular
(2) Jesus is talking to the Pastor!
(3) Again, the eldership of a church is charged by God with guarding the church and with dealing with false teachers or others who disturb the holiness of the church—(Acts 20:28-31) ""Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears."
(4) Remember these warnings to preachers and teachers—
(a) (2 Tim 4:1-2) "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching."
(b) (James 3:1) "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment."
b. This was a church where the majority was corrupt and the true believers were relegated to being a remnant—no doubt they had gone through the process that Pergamos was currently in the middle of, but they had seen the tragic results of “tolerance” of evil allowed to the point where it was the dominant factor and faction in the church
c. First—what was the substance of the false doctrine taught here?
(1) Early Gnosticism? “… doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say…”
(2) Gnosticism
(a) Special knowledge
(b) Libertarian lifestyle
(c) Usually syncretic
(3) (From AT Robinson)—“…The deep things of Satan (ta bathea tou Satanā). The Ophites (worshippers of the serpent) and other later Gnostics (Cainites, Carpocratians, Naassenes) boasted of their knowledge of “the deep things,” some claiming this very language about Satan (the serpent) as Paul did of God (1 Cor 2:10). It is not clear whether the words here quoted are a boast of the Nicolaitans or a reproach on the other Christians for not knowing the depths of sin. Some even claimed that they could indulge in immorality without sinning (1 John 1:10; 3:10). Perhaps both ideas are involved. As they say (hōs legousin). Probably referring to the heretics who ridicule the piety of the other Christians…”
d. Why is this woman called “Jezebel?”
(1) It could be that her name was Jezebel, but that is unlikely, given the negative history of that name
(2) It is most likely the case that she is “cut from the same cloth” as Jezebel, and perhaps she had a “familiar spirit” (a personal demon) which influenced the behavior.
(3) The Original Jezebel
(a) She was the true leader of Israel, since King Ahab, her husband, was totally under her thumb, a figurehead at best
(b) She was a Baal worshiper
(c) The came from a pagan nation
(d) She married in to Israel, but sought from the beginning to undermine and destroy Israel morally, and to transplant her pagan worldview and religion into Israel
(e) She was a practitioner of syncretism, combining Baalism with Judaism
(f) She was a lost tool of Satan, of the kind that Paul had warned against—(Acts 20:28-31) ""Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears."
(4) The modern Jezebel: Her characteristics and sins
(a) She was the true leader of the church; the pastor was a figurehead at best, or maybe he had been corrupted as well.
(b) She was an adulteress, and rather than being ashamed and repentant, she gloried in her sin
(c) She was teaching God’s people that what we call syncretism is the true faith
(d) She also was teaching an early form of Gnosticism, since she was teaching the people that sinful behavior was OK with God.
e. She was, first of all a violation of Biblical leadership standards—“…20 "Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach…”
(a) She was a woman teaching men—(1 Tim 2:12) "And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence."
(b) She was a false prophetess teaching in the church
f. She was unrepentant, a sure sign of lostness—“…21 "And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent….”
4. The Judgment—“…22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. 23 "I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works…”
a. God’s judgment is going to fall on her and on the others who had followed her.
b. The Judgment against the woman
(1) There are a lot of speculations about exactly who was what
(2) There is some difficulty with the text here, but the best indications are that this “sickbed” is either place to die or is Hell itself.
(3) The punishment against her and anyone else who leads God’s children to sin—(Mat 18:6) ""But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
c. The judgment against her followers, many of whom were apparently saved people
(1) “…those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds….”
(a) There is no definite article here, so this is not talking about THE great tribulation, but it is talking about tribulation in general
(b) And this kind of behavior does lead to great tribulation in your life—as with David
(c) Some notable passages about the dangers here.
(Prov 5:3-5, 8-14) "For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, And her mouth is smoother than oil; 4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death, Her steps lay hold of hell….) "Remove your way far from her, And do not go near the door of her house, 9 Lest you give your honor to others, And your years to the cruel one; 10 Lest aliens be filled with your wealth, And your labors go to the house of a foreigner; 11 And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed, 12 And say: "How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction! 13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me! 14 I was on the verge of total ruin, In the midst of the assembly and congregation.""
(Prov 5:20-23) "For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, And be embraced in the arms of a seductress? 21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, And He ponders all his paths. 22 His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin. 23 He shall die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray."
(Prov 6:24-29) "To keep you from the evil woman, From the flattering tongue of a seductress. 25 Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let her allure you with her eyelids. 26 For by means of a harlot A man is reduced to a crust of bread; And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. 27 Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? 28 Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be seared? 29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever touches her shall not be innocent."
d. The Sin unto Death—23 "I will kill her children with death…”
e. The reason for the public nature of the chastisement—“… and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works…”
5. The Faithful Remnant—
a. A description of the Remnant
(1) They had not given in to this teaching“…24 "Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine…”
(2) They had not participated in the lifestyle and its hidden codes—“…who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say…”
b. Comforting words for the faithful remnant—their church is too late to save as an institution, but they are to continue to worship and serve God in spite of it all…“… I will put on you no other burden…”
c. Which Coming is this:? 25 "But hold fast what you have till I come…”
(1) Is He coming to remove the candlestick (take away the church’s charter)?
(2) Is He talking about the rapture?
d. Words of comfort for all the saved—
(1) We will reign with Christ—. 26 "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations…”
(2) We will rule with Christ— 27 'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels'; as I also have received from My Father;
(3) We will Shine with Christ—28 "and I will give him the morning star.
e. 29 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."'"
pergamus
Pergamos, A Church In the Process of Being Corrupted
Rev 2:12-17
Now we begin to come to really troubled churches.
Ephesus had a serious problem, but there was no corruption of either Truth or Practice
Smyrna was a persecuted church and pure because of that.
Pergamos had major problems—which is sad, because they were a church that had gone through persecution and held up well—but they had allowed corruption to seep in.
1. The City Pergamum was: (From AT Robertson)
a. A Great City “…on a lofty hill…”
b. An intensely pagan city
(1) “…a great political and religious centre. Ramsay (Op. cit., p. 281) calls it “the royal city, the city of authority.”
(2) It Had “…many great buildings, including a library with 200,000 volumes, second only to Alexandria. …”
(3) The Kingdom of Pergamum became a Roman province B.C. 130. Pliny termed it the most illustrious city of Asia.
(4) As a center of learning—“…Parchment (charta Pergamena) derived its name from Pergamum.
(5) As a center of Pagan worship
(a) “…It was a rival of Ephesus in the temples to Zeus, Athena, Dionysos, in the great grove Nicephorium (the glory of the city).
(b) Next to this was the grove and temple of Asklepios, the god of healing, called the god of Pergamum, with a university for medical study.
(c) Pergamum was the first city in Asia (A.D. 29) with a temple for the worship of Augustus (Octavius Caesar).
(d) Hence … Pergamum is a very centre of emperor-worship “where Satan dwells” (2:13). ….). Like Ephesus this city is called temple-sweeper (neōkoros) for the gods.
2. Who Jesus Is To Them ""And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, 'These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword…”
a. He comes to them as Judge!
b. Imagine that you are the pastor (angel) of this church, and you get this kind of communication directly from Jesus!
c. Why should a pastor, elder, or deacon be particularly chagrined and embarrassed by this communication from God? Because, the eldership (pastors) are the junkyard dogs of the church—If some strays have wormed their way in—it is the fault of the man of God.
(1) First, one of the qualifications (largely neglected in considerations for ministerial qualifications) is that a elder-pastor-bishop be trained, taught, and able to defend the Faith and the congregation from false teachers.
(Titus 1:9-11) "holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. 10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain."
(Acts 20:28-31) ""Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears."
(2) Peter set the example with Simon—(Acts 8:18-23) "And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit." 20 But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 "You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 "Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 "For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.""
(3) Paul set the example several times,
(a) Including once when he publicly rebuked Peter—(Gal 2:11-14) "Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?"
(b) Paul named names of false teachers (sometimes—other times he mentioned them but not by name
(i) (2 Tim 2:16-18) "But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some."
(ii) (1 Tim 1:18-20) "This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme."
d. The corruption had risen to the point where Jesus had His weapon drawn—and the weapon of our warfare is the weapon of the Word, of Truth—
(1) (2 Cor 10:4-6) "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."
(2) (Eph 6:17) "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;"
3. Commendations—“…13 "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells….”
a. They were a working church—"I know your works
b. They had a particularly rough assignment, because they were in an area of intense demonic activity “…and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is…”
c. They had remained faithful and orthodox in doctrine—“… And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith…”
d. They had persevered in spite of a local persecution which had resulted in the death of a faithful believer—“…even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells…”
4. Condemnations—“…14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality…”
a. First—the extent of either heresy—“…you have some…”
(1) The two corrupt groups in the church were in the minority
(2) The problem was not that the church was overthrown—they were not—yet.
(3) The problem with most of the people (and apparently the leadership) was that they were practicing unbiblical toleration of these sins
(a) Like in 1 Cor 5—they had an attitude of overlooking sin, (and perhaps were puffed up like the Corinthians, proud of their “tolerance”)
(b) Like in 1 Cor 5, they had not exercised church discipline
b. Heresy #1—Balaam’s doctrine—The Error of Balaam—The History of Balaam
(1) There were two parts to his heresy—
(a) He was a prophet for hire—2 Pet 2:15 "… the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness…"
(b) And he encouraged people to follow a lifestyle of sexual immorality and syncretism—mixing of religions.
(c) And these ideas are popular today!
(2) Balaam is a curiously prominent man in the Bible—he is referred to by name 60 times in the OT and NT.
(3) Balaam truly had a prophetic gift, though he himself was not a redeemed man.
(4) The Story of Balaam is found in Numbers 22-24: nearly three chapters are devoted to discussing this man and his “ministry” of sorts.
(5) To get the full background story on what was going on with Balaam, you have to look at other passages.
(6) The overview of the full story is this:
(a) Balak, the king of Moab, hired the prophet Balaam to curse Israel. Balaam was a hireling prophet—since he was from Mesopotamia, he may have been part of the hereditary priest class that stayed in power no matter who the rulers were.
Deu 23:4-5 "Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee. 5 Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee."
(b) Balaam would not curse Israel, because God told Balaam that He intended to bless Israel.
(c) During one instance, when it seemed as if Balaam was wavering in his conviction not to curse Israel, God spoke to Balaam through Balaam’s donkey. 2 Pet 2:15-16 "Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet."
(d) Though he could not or would not curse Israel, Balaam did advise the king of Moab to seduce Israel through sexual temptation, which resulted in a plague and many deaths in Israel, and he counseled the Israelites to engage in this mixing of religions—Num 31:16 "Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD."
(e) Balaam was later killed in battle by the Israelites— Josh 13:22 "Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword…”
c. The Character of Balaam
(1) Balaam was a prophet for hire—
(2) Even though he is a symbol of evil religion, Balaam talked to God, and God to him!
(3) Balaam had loose views about sexual purity and morality. Objective righteousness and holy living were not factors of any importance to Balaam.
d. The error of Balaam
(1) “Error is plane, ‘a wandering, a straying about, whereby one, led astray from the right way, roams hither and thither,’ metaphorically, ‘error, a wrong opinion,’ relative to morals or religion…”
(2) Balaam had strayed from truth, he had strayed away, like the false teachers will in the last days.
g. Summary note—
“…Balaam went wrong because he allowed himself to hanker after gain…He not only went wrong himself, but he abused his great influence and his reputation as a prophet, to lead astray the Israelistes by drawing them away from the holy worship of Jehovah to the impure worship of Baal Peor. So these false teachers use their prophetical gifts for purposes of self-aggrandisement, and endeavor to make their services attractive by excluding…all that is strenuous and difficult, and opening the door to every kind of indeugence…”
e. Heresy # 2, the Nicolaitans—15 "Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate…”
(1) There is some degree of disagreement among scholars as to who the Nicolaitans were
(2) Drawing on various sources, they were a group who:
(a) Practiced the same kind of wickedness as the Balaamists did
(b) Were descended theologically from Nicholas, one of the “seven”
(c) Believed in establishing a hierarchy above the people. (Walvoord, Scofield, et. al.)
(d) We have warnings from the New Testament about leaders that “lord” it over the believers
(1 Pet 5:1-3) The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: {2} Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; {3} nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock…”
(3) Note what Jesus says about them—He hates their doctrine! This hatred of their teachings has to do with their corruption of God’s church and their oppression and temptation of God’s people.
5. Commands—“…16 'Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth…”
a. Repent—
(1) A constant call in the Bible which shows to always begin a fix to our sins by first turning toward God, whether initially when we are first saved, or repetitively, when we repent over our sins as believers
(2) What would their repentance involve? (Note, he is addressing the orthodox, not the heretics!)
b. First, the orthodox believers needed to:
(1) Acknowledge their sin
(2) Confess that their tolerance of sin being openly practiced in the church was itself a sin.
(3) Then the orthodox believers had to take action to cleanse their church
c. Or…Jesus was going to come and take care of the problem Himself… “…or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth…”
6. Promises—“…17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
a. “…To him who overcomes…” The promises are for believers only
b. “… I will give some of the hidden manna to eat…” In the New Testament, the Bread of Life is Christ Jesus
c. “…. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."'" God knows the secret things, and He gives us a mystery here—a mysterious “stone” with our “new name” on it. This can be compared to casting lots or declaring guild or innocence in a court of Law (Walvoord)
(1) A black stone indicates guilt, or lostness
(2) A white stone indicates innocence
Rev 2:12-17
Now we begin to come to really troubled churches.
Ephesus had a serious problem, but there was no corruption of either Truth or Practice
Smyrna was a persecuted church and pure because of that.
Pergamos had major problems—which is sad, because they were a church that had gone through persecution and held up well—but they had allowed corruption to seep in.
1. The City Pergamum was: (From AT Robertson)
a. A Great City “…on a lofty hill…”
b. An intensely pagan city
(1) “…a great political and religious centre. Ramsay (Op. cit., p. 281) calls it “the royal city, the city of authority.”
(2) It Had “…many great buildings, including a library with 200,000 volumes, second only to Alexandria. …”
(3) The Kingdom of Pergamum became a Roman province B.C. 130. Pliny termed it the most illustrious city of Asia.
(4) As a center of learning—“…Parchment (charta Pergamena) derived its name from Pergamum.
(5) As a center of Pagan worship
(a) “…It was a rival of Ephesus in the temples to Zeus, Athena, Dionysos, in the great grove Nicephorium (the glory of the city).
(b) Next to this was the grove and temple of Asklepios, the god of healing, called the god of Pergamum, with a university for medical study.
(c) Pergamum was the first city in Asia (A.D. 29) with a temple for the worship of Augustus (Octavius Caesar).
(d) Hence … Pergamum is a very centre of emperor-worship “where Satan dwells” (2:13). ….). Like Ephesus this city is called temple-sweeper (neōkoros) for the gods.
2. Who Jesus Is To Them ""And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, 'These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword…”
a. He comes to them as Judge!
b. Imagine that you are the pastor (angel) of this church, and you get this kind of communication directly from Jesus!
c. Why should a pastor, elder, or deacon be particularly chagrined and embarrassed by this communication from God? Because, the eldership (pastors) are the junkyard dogs of the church—If some strays have wormed their way in—it is the fault of the man of God.
(1) First, one of the qualifications (largely neglected in considerations for ministerial qualifications) is that a elder-pastor-bishop be trained, taught, and able to defend the Faith and the congregation from false teachers.
(Titus 1:9-11) "holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. 10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain."
(Acts 20:28-31) ""Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 "Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 "Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears."
(2) Peter set the example with Simon—(Acts 8:18-23) "And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit." 20 But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 "You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 "Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 "For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.""
(3) Paul set the example several times,
(a) Including once when he publicly rebuked Peter—(Gal 2:11-14) "Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed; 12 for before certain men came from James, he would eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision. 13 And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all, "If you, being a Jew, live in the manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to live as Jews?"
(b) Paul named names of false teachers (sometimes—other times he mentioned them but not by name
(i) (2 Tim 2:16-18) "But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some."
(ii) (1 Tim 1:18-20) "This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, 20 of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme."
d. The corruption had risen to the point where Jesus had His weapon drawn—and the weapon of our warfare is the weapon of the Word, of Truth—
(1) (2 Cor 10:4-6) "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."
(2) (Eph 6:17) "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;"
3. Commendations—“…13 "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells….”
a. They were a working church—"I know your works
b. They had a particularly rough assignment, because they were in an area of intense demonic activity “…and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is…”
c. They had remained faithful and orthodox in doctrine—“… And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith…”
d. They had persevered in spite of a local persecution which had resulted in the death of a faithful believer—“…even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells…”
4. Condemnations—“…14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality…”
a. First—the extent of either heresy—“…you have some…”
(1) The two corrupt groups in the church were in the minority
(2) The problem was not that the church was overthrown—they were not—yet.
(3) The problem with most of the people (and apparently the leadership) was that they were practicing unbiblical toleration of these sins
(a) Like in 1 Cor 5—they had an attitude of overlooking sin, (and perhaps were puffed up like the Corinthians, proud of their “tolerance”)
(b) Like in 1 Cor 5, they had not exercised church discipline
b. Heresy #1—Balaam’s doctrine—The Error of Balaam—The History of Balaam
(1) There were two parts to his heresy—
(a) He was a prophet for hire—2 Pet 2:15 "… the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness…"
(b) And he encouraged people to follow a lifestyle of sexual immorality and syncretism—mixing of religions.
(c) And these ideas are popular today!
(2) Balaam is a curiously prominent man in the Bible—he is referred to by name 60 times in the OT and NT.
(3) Balaam truly had a prophetic gift, though he himself was not a redeemed man.
(4) The Story of Balaam is found in Numbers 22-24: nearly three chapters are devoted to discussing this man and his “ministry” of sorts.
(5) To get the full background story on what was going on with Balaam, you have to look at other passages.
(6) The overview of the full story is this:
(a) Balak, the king of Moab, hired the prophet Balaam to curse Israel. Balaam was a hireling prophet—since he was from Mesopotamia, he may have been part of the hereditary priest class that stayed in power no matter who the rulers were.
Deu 23:4-5 "Because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor of Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse thee. 5 Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee."
(b) Balaam would not curse Israel, because God told Balaam that He intended to bless Israel.
(c) During one instance, when it seemed as if Balaam was wavering in his conviction not to curse Israel, God spoke to Balaam through Balaam’s donkey. 2 Pet 2:15-16 "Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet."
(d) Though he could not or would not curse Israel, Balaam did advise the king of Moab to seduce Israel through sexual temptation, which resulted in a plague and many deaths in Israel, and he counseled the Israelites to engage in this mixing of religions—Num 31:16 "Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD."
(e) Balaam was later killed in battle by the Israelites— Josh 13:22 "Balaam also the son of Beor, the soothsayer, did the children of Israel slay with the sword…”
c. The Character of Balaam
(1) Balaam was a prophet for hire—
(2) Even though he is a symbol of evil religion, Balaam talked to God, and God to him!
(3) Balaam had loose views about sexual purity and morality. Objective righteousness and holy living were not factors of any importance to Balaam.
d. The error of Balaam
(1) “Error is plane, ‘a wandering, a straying about, whereby one, led astray from the right way, roams hither and thither,’ metaphorically, ‘error, a wrong opinion,’ relative to morals or religion…”
(2) Balaam had strayed from truth, he had strayed away, like the false teachers will in the last days.
g. Summary note—
“…Balaam went wrong because he allowed himself to hanker after gain…He not only went wrong himself, but he abused his great influence and his reputation as a prophet, to lead astray the Israelistes by drawing them away from the holy worship of Jehovah to the impure worship of Baal Peor. So these false teachers use their prophetical gifts for purposes of self-aggrandisement, and endeavor to make their services attractive by excluding…all that is strenuous and difficult, and opening the door to every kind of indeugence…”
e. Heresy # 2, the Nicolaitans—15 "Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate…”
(1) There is some degree of disagreement among scholars as to who the Nicolaitans were
(2) Drawing on various sources, they were a group who:
(a) Practiced the same kind of wickedness as the Balaamists did
(b) Were descended theologically from Nicholas, one of the “seven”
(c) Believed in establishing a hierarchy above the people. (Walvoord, Scofield, et. al.)
(d) We have warnings from the New Testament about leaders that “lord” it over the believers
(1 Pet 5:1-3) The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: {2} Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; {3} nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock…”
(3) Note what Jesus says about them—He hates their doctrine! This hatred of their teachings has to do with their corruption of God’s church and their oppression and temptation of God’s people.
5. Commands—“…16 'Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth…”
a. Repent—
(1) A constant call in the Bible which shows to always begin a fix to our sins by first turning toward God, whether initially when we are first saved, or repetitively, when we repent over our sins as believers
(2) What would their repentance involve? (Note, he is addressing the orthodox, not the heretics!)
b. First, the orthodox believers needed to:
(1) Acknowledge their sin
(2) Confess that their tolerance of sin being openly practiced in the church was itself a sin.
(3) Then the orthodox believers had to take action to cleanse their church
c. Or…Jesus was going to come and take care of the problem Himself… “…or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth…”
6. Promises—“…17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
a. “…To him who overcomes…” The promises are for believers only
b. “… I will give some of the hidden manna to eat…” In the New Testament, the Bread of Life is Christ Jesus
c. “…. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."'" God knows the secret things, and He gives us a mystery here—a mysterious “stone” with our “new name” on it. This can be compared to casting lots or declaring guild or innocence in a court of Law (Walvoord)
(1) A black stone indicates guilt, or lostness
(2) A white stone indicates innocence
seven churches
Smyrna—The Persecuted Church
Rev 2:8-11
Persecution—the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church
Great Martyr books
o Foxes Book of Martyrs
o The Martyr’s mirror.
The ten major persecutions in the early church, parallel to the ten plagues of Egypt. These ten persecutions are:
Persecution under Nero (c. 64-68). Traditional martyrdoms of Peter and Paul.
Persecution under Domitian (r. 81-96).
Persecution under Trajan (112-117). Christianity is outlawed but Christians are not sought out.
Persecution under Marcus Aurelius (r. 161-180). Martyrdom of Polycarp.
Persecution under Septimus Severus (202-210). Martyrdom of Perpetua.
Persecution under Decius (250-251). Christians are actively sought out by requiring public sacrifice. Could buy certificates (libelli) instead of sacrificing. Martyrdoms of bishops of Rome, Jerusalem and Antioch.
Persecution under Valerian (257-59). Martyrdoms of Cyprian of Carthage and Sixtus II of Rome.
Persecution under Maximinus the Thracian (235-38).
Persecution under Aurelian (r. 270–275).
Severe persecution under Diocletian and Galerius (303-324).
*More recent instances (this year!)
Belarus: Church Evicted
Forum 18 News reports that on Aug. 20, New Life Full Gospel Church in Minsk, Moscow, was issued an eviction notice by government officials, forcing them to abandon their church building purchased in...
Nigeria: Pastors Beheaded
On July 26, 12 Christians were killed, including three pastors, in northern Nigeria after members of the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram launched attacks on police and government bases, according...
Bangladesh: Pastor Tortured by Police
On June 7, police raided an evangelism meeting, arrested and tortured a pastor and two others in Boalia, Bangladesh, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. Pastor Habibur Rahman, of...
Pakistan: Eight Believers Killed
On Aug. 1, a mob of angry Muslim extremists attacked Christians in Gojra district, Punjab province, killing at least eight believers, including a seven-year-old child, according to The Voice of the...
Iran: Women: We Love Christ!
UPDATE: On Aug. 8, Marzieh and Maryam were summoned to an Iranian court and ordered to deny their faith verbally and in a written statement, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. Marzieh...
VOM: 1 Million NT's Mailed
On Aug. 5, 2009, The Voice of the Martyrs’ Bibles Unbound (BU) ministry reached an exciting milestone with its shipment of the 1 millionth New Testament. VOM is grateful to believers all across...
VOM: 140,000 Bibles for China
On June 10, 2009 Shi Weihan was sentanced to three years in prison in China. His crime? He "violated the regulations of the state in printing illegal publications," according to Shi's official...
China: Youth Camp Raided
On July 23, a Christian youth camp was raided by Public Security Bureau (PSB) and Religious Affairs Bureau (RAF) officials in Nanyang city, Henan province. PSB and RAF officers took away more...
Pakistan: Muslims Attack Christians
On July 30, Muslim extremists attacked Christians, burning more than 50 homes and animals in Faisalabad, Pakistan, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. Muslims falsely accused...
Eritrea: Christian Dies in Prison On July 23, Yemane Kahasay Andom, a Christian imprisoned for his faith in Eritrea died after authorities denied him medical treatment, according to Compass Direct News. Yemane is the third Christian...
China: Pastor Sent to Labor Camp—On June 29, Pastor Dou Shaowen who is currently serving a one-year sentence for “engaging in illegal activities” was secretly transferred to Shifo Re-education Through Labor Center in...
Pakistan: Day of Prayer—Christians in Pakistan are inviting believers around the world to join them in prayer for their nation and for the blasphemy laws to be repealed, according to The Voice of the Martyrs...
China: Persecution Increases—In recent weeks, Chinese officials have raided house church meetings and arrested believers throughout the country, according to reports from China Aid Association. On July 3, a house church was...
Iraq: Seven churches bombed—On July 11 two bombs targeted churches in the cities of Baghdad and Mosul and killed at least four people and injured 30 others, according to VOM contacts. Two bombs ripped through the St. Joseph...
Pakistan: Christian Homes Burned—On June 26, more than 150 Muslim extremists launched a devastating attack on more than 150 Christian families
Somalia: Christian's Sons Beheaded—16 –Islamic extremists have beheaded two boys in Somalia because their Christian father, 55 year-old Musa Mohammed Yusuf, refused to give them information about an underground church leader, according to...
Yemen: Christians killed—On June 12, nine Christian relief workers were abducted and three killed, reportedly because they were suspected of being involved in evangelistic work, according to The Voice of the Martyrs...
India: Pastor & Family Attacked—On June 14, a pastor and his family were brutally attacked when Hindu extremists barged into their church during a prayer meeting, accusing them of forcible conversions, according to The Voice of the...
Laos: Christians Released—UPDATE: Praise God! On June 13, Christians arrested by plain clothes police, after visiting Christian villages in Laos, were released without incident, according to The Voice of the Martyrs...
(James 1:2-4) "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
(1 Pet 5:10) "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."
(Acts 14:22) "strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.""
(2 Tim 3:12) "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."
1. How Jesus Presented Himself to The Church at Smyrna—(Rev 2:8) "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, 'These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life…”
a. Christ presented Himself to them as Eternal God, and as crucified, buried, and resurrected Man.
b. First, He presents Himself as Eternal God—“…the First and the Last…”
(1) This is the essential starting point for all Christology—the Deity and manhood of Jesus
(2) The key formulation in the Deity of Christ is that He is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, and is of the same essence.
(a) The Arians, the most dangerous and successful of the Anti-Trinitarian cults of the early church, gave (they thought) a high position to Jesus—
(b) He was, they said, the highest of created beings, and that He had created everything else, but that He was of a different essence than the Father.
(3) But of course, that is both a heresy and faint praise, because Christ and His Father are One.
(4) So when the crucified, risen, and glorified Lord says, “I am the first and the last…” He is expressing the same Truth wrote by John in (John 1:1-3) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. {2} He was in the beginning with God. {3} All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
(a) In this passage, the “was” verbs are all in the imperfect tense—continuous activity in times past. Since the “time” is eternity, then these verbs carry the meaning of “in the beginning, the Word already was,” which is how it is said in the NLT for this verse. John 1-1-3 “… In the beginning the Word already existed….The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him,and nothing was created except through him.
(b) The Father, Son, and Spirit are co-existent, because the Spirit is of the same essence as the Son, who is the same essence as the Father—John 10:30, 14:15-17,
(c) The Father, Son, and Spirit Son are co-eternal—Jn 1:1-3 and Heb 9:14
(John 6:63) ""It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."
(John 7:39) "But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."
(John 14:17) ""the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."
(John 14:26) ""But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."
(John 15:26) ""But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me."
(John 16:13) ""However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."
c. He is God, but He is also Man—the Eternal and Immense came as an embryo. “…who was dead, and came to life…” Why is this part of His humanity of particular usefulness here?
(1) They were under persecution, some of them had died, and it is likely that many more would die—no matter how strong a believer one is, when we are facing old, cold, river Jordan, we need a reminder and encouragement.
(2) He was dead—“…Which was dead (hos egeneto nekros). Rather, “who became dead” (second aorist middle indicative of ginomai) as in 1:18….” (ATR)
(3) But He Was Not Dead For Long—“…And lived again (kai ezēsen). First aorist (ingressive, came to life) active of zaō (ho zōn in 1:18). Emphasis on the resurrection of Christ. …” (ATR)
(4) The Impact—
(a) In His Life, Christ Died. He died a painful, humiliating, gruesome death. He passed through Old Jordan on the stormy side. He walked the path that many of these persecuted believers will have to walk. He has had to go through assigning his mother to a close friend for care. He publicly was shamed and cursed, and made a public spectacle. And, not just these persecuted Christians or only the persecuted face this. Unless Jesus returns first, we will all have to cross Old Jordan.
(b) He Came back to life—not a passive verb, mind you, but an active verb—He got up, and He stayed up! (John 10:17-18) ""Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.""
(c) Again, a central doctrine that is of great practical use—the persecuted church of Smyrna needed to hear about eternal life!
2. The Providential Position Of The Church at Smyrna—(Rev 2:9) "I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich)…”
a. To be known is more vital than to know…(Phil 3:8-10) "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…"
b. He Knows their works
(1) We are not saved by works, but if we are saved, there will be works—Eph 2:8-10
(2) But look at the grace in this statement—as God counts things—our works? Without Him, there would be no works, but in His mercy, He graciously gifts this suffering church, crediting them with what they had done aright, and passing over anything negative that might be there.
(3) And, we often, because we believe in Grace, ignore the importance of works
(4) But evangelical works, those done as a result of salvation, those for which no merit is claimed, these works of the Spirit in our lives, God honors—but we must always let Him do the honoring, and we should not be much in love with our own works.
(1 Tim 2:10) "but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works."
(1 Tim 5:10) "well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work."
(1 Tim 5:25) "Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden."
(Titus 2:7) "in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,"
(Titus 2:14) "who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."
(Titus 3:8) "This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men."
(Titus 3:14) "And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful."
(1 Pet 2:12) "having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation."
c. He knows their tribulation—thilipsis, pressure, like that of an olive press.
(Mat 24:21) ""For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be."
(John 16:33) ""These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.""
(1 Th 3:4) "For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know."
(2 Th 1:4) "so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure,"
(2 Tim 3:12) "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."
(1 Pet 5:8-10) "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."
d. He knows their poverty as this worlds goods go—kai ptōcheian—MacArthur says that this word indicates not “the working poor,” not someone who struggles to survive, but it indicates those who have nothing at all
(Acts 3:6) "Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.""
(Acts 8:2) "And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him."
(Mat 8:20) "And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.""
(2 Cor 6:10) "as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things."
(2 Cor 8:9) "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."
e. He knows how rich they are
(1) They have the riches of eternal life
(2) They are joint heirs with Christ
(3) They have the wealth of the universe
(4) They are rich in the things of the Spirit
f. The Persecutions Against Smyrna, Past, Present, and Future—(Rev 2:9-10) " … I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. {10}… Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. …”
(1) There was a synagogue of lost Jewish people there in Smyrna.
(2) They, however, were more than that—they were called by John a “synagogue of Satan.” Their unbelief was particularly powerful and their actions more evil because they were supernaturally influenced and empowered by the Enemy
(3) Note, it isn’t the Roman authorities nor the false Jews who were going to put the church in Smyrna to the test, but Satan, the Accuser of the Brethren
(Zec 3:1-2) "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?""
(Rev 12:10) "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down."
3. Christ and the Persecuted Church
a. Christ’s Exhortation to Smyrna—(Rev 2:9-10) "…(but you are rich)… … that you may be tested……Be faithful until death…”
(1) They are going to be tested
(2) Some are obviously going to die, and they will have to take the ultimate stand.
(3) But many of the rest will be under this attack, and Jesus exhorts them.
b. Christ’s Promises to Smyrna— (Rev 2:9-10) "… Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life….(Rev 2:11) "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."'
(1) For those who will die—the crown of life— The crown of life (ton stephanon tēs zōēs). See this very image in James 1:12, a familiar metaphor in the games at Smyrna and elsewhere in which the prize was a garland. See also 3:11. The crown consists in life (2:7). See Paul’s use of stephanos in 1 Cor 9:25; 2 Tim 4:8. (ATR)
(2) What about the other crowns?
(1 Cor 9:25) "And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown."
(Phil 4:1) "Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved."
(1 Th 2:19) "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?"
(2 Tim 4:8) "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."
(James 1:12) "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
(1 Pet 5:4) "and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away."
(Rev 2:10) ""Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
(Rev 3:11) ""Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown."
(Rev 4:4) "Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads."
(Rev 4:10) "the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:"
(3) For those who overcome—the saved, we shall be saved from the second death.
Rev 2:8-11
Persecution—the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church
Great Martyr books
o Foxes Book of Martyrs
o The Martyr’s mirror.
The ten major persecutions in the early church, parallel to the ten plagues of Egypt. These ten persecutions are:
Persecution under Nero (c. 64-68). Traditional martyrdoms of Peter and Paul.
Persecution under Domitian (r. 81-96).
Persecution under Trajan (112-117). Christianity is outlawed but Christians are not sought out.
Persecution under Marcus Aurelius (r. 161-180). Martyrdom of Polycarp.
Persecution under Septimus Severus (202-210). Martyrdom of Perpetua.
Persecution under Decius (250-251). Christians are actively sought out by requiring public sacrifice. Could buy certificates (libelli) instead of sacrificing. Martyrdoms of bishops of Rome, Jerusalem and Antioch.
Persecution under Valerian (257-59). Martyrdoms of Cyprian of Carthage and Sixtus II of Rome.
Persecution under Maximinus the Thracian (235-38).
Persecution under Aurelian (r. 270–275).
Severe persecution under Diocletian and Galerius (303-324).
*More recent instances (this year!)
Belarus: Church Evicted
Forum 18 News reports that on Aug. 20, New Life Full Gospel Church in Minsk, Moscow, was issued an eviction notice by government officials, forcing them to abandon their church building purchased in...
Nigeria: Pastors Beheaded
On July 26, 12 Christians were killed, including three pastors, in northern Nigeria after members of the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram launched attacks on police and government bases, according...
Bangladesh: Pastor Tortured by Police
On June 7, police raided an evangelism meeting, arrested and tortured a pastor and two others in Boalia, Bangladesh, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. Pastor Habibur Rahman, of...
Pakistan: Eight Believers Killed
On Aug. 1, a mob of angry Muslim extremists attacked Christians in Gojra district, Punjab province, killing at least eight believers, including a seven-year-old child, according to The Voice of the...
Iran: Women: We Love Christ!
UPDATE: On Aug. 8, Marzieh and Maryam were summoned to an Iranian court and ordered to deny their faith verbally and in a written statement, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. Marzieh...
VOM: 1 Million NT's Mailed
On Aug. 5, 2009, The Voice of the Martyrs’ Bibles Unbound (BU) ministry reached an exciting milestone with its shipment of the 1 millionth New Testament. VOM is grateful to believers all across...
VOM: 140,000 Bibles for China
On June 10, 2009 Shi Weihan was sentanced to three years in prison in China. His crime? He "violated the regulations of the state in printing illegal publications," according to Shi's official...
China: Youth Camp Raided
On July 23, a Christian youth camp was raided by Public Security Bureau (PSB) and Religious Affairs Bureau (RAF) officials in Nanyang city, Henan province. PSB and RAF officers took away more...
Pakistan: Muslims Attack Christians
On July 30, Muslim extremists attacked Christians, burning more than 50 homes and animals in Faisalabad, Pakistan, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. Muslims falsely accused...
Eritrea: Christian Dies in Prison On July 23, Yemane Kahasay Andom, a Christian imprisoned for his faith in Eritrea died after authorities denied him medical treatment, according to Compass Direct News. Yemane is the third Christian...
China: Pastor Sent to Labor Camp—On June 29, Pastor Dou Shaowen who is currently serving a one-year sentence for “engaging in illegal activities” was secretly transferred to Shifo Re-education Through Labor Center in...
Pakistan: Day of Prayer—Christians in Pakistan are inviting believers around the world to join them in prayer for their nation and for the blasphemy laws to be repealed, according to The Voice of the Martyrs...
China: Persecution Increases—In recent weeks, Chinese officials have raided house church meetings and arrested believers throughout the country, according to reports from China Aid Association. On July 3, a house church was...
Iraq: Seven churches bombed—On July 11 two bombs targeted churches in the cities of Baghdad and Mosul and killed at least four people and injured 30 others, according to VOM contacts. Two bombs ripped through the St. Joseph...
Pakistan: Christian Homes Burned—On June 26, more than 150 Muslim extremists launched a devastating attack on more than 150 Christian families
Somalia: Christian's Sons Beheaded—16 –Islamic extremists have beheaded two boys in Somalia because their Christian father, 55 year-old Musa Mohammed Yusuf, refused to give them information about an underground church leader, according to...
Yemen: Christians killed—On June 12, nine Christian relief workers were abducted and three killed, reportedly because they were suspected of being involved in evangelistic work, according to The Voice of the Martyrs...
India: Pastor & Family Attacked—On June 14, a pastor and his family were brutally attacked when Hindu extremists barged into their church during a prayer meeting, accusing them of forcible conversions, according to The Voice of the...
Laos: Christians Released—UPDATE: Praise God! On June 13, Christians arrested by plain clothes police, after visiting Christian villages in Laos, were released without incident, according to The Voice of the Martyrs...
(James 1:2-4) "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
(1 Pet 5:10) "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."
(Acts 14:22) "strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.""
(2 Tim 3:12) "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."
1. How Jesus Presented Himself to The Church at Smyrna—(Rev 2:8) "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, 'These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life…”
a. Christ presented Himself to them as Eternal God, and as crucified, buried, and resurrected Man.
b. First, He presents Himself as Eternal God—“…the First and the Last…”
(1) This is the essential starting point for all Christology—the Deity and manhood of Jesus
(2) The key formulation in the Deity of Christ is that He is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, and is of the same essence.
(a) The Arians, the most dangerous and successful of the Anti-Trinitarian cults of the early church, gave (they thought) a high position to Jesus—
(b) He was, they said, the highest of created beings, and that He had created everything else, but that He was of a different essence than the Father.
(3) But of course, that is both a heresy and faint praise, because Christ and His Father are One.
(4) So when the crucified, risen, and glorified Lord says, “I am the first and the last…” He is expressing the same Truth wrote by John in (John 1:1-3) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. {2} He was in the beginning with God. {3} All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
(a) In this passage, the “was” verbs are all in the imperfect tense—continuous activity in times past. Since the “time” is eternity, then these verbs carry the meaning of “in the beginning, the Word already was,” which is how it is said in the NLT for this verse. John 1-1-3 “… In the beginning the Word already existed….The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him,and nothing was created except through him.
(b) The Father, Son, and Spirit are co-existent, because the Spirit is of the same essence as the Son, who is the same essence as the Father—John 10:30, 14:15-17,
(c) The Father, Son, and Spirit Son are co-eternal—Jn 1:1-3 and Heb 9:14
(John 6:63) ""It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life."
(John 7:39) "But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."
(John 14:17) ""the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you."
(John 14:26) ""But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."
(John 15:26) ""But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me."
(John 16:13) ""However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."
c. He is God, but He is also Man—the Eternal and Immense came as an embryo. “…who was dead, and came to life…” Why is this part of His humanity of particular usefulness here?
(1) They were under persecution, some of them had died, and it is likely that many more would die—no matter how strong a believer one is, when we are facing old, cold, river Jordan, we need a reminder and encouragement.
(2) He was dead—“…Which was dead (hos egeneto nekros). Rather, “who became dead” (second aorist middle indicative of ginomai) as in 1:18….” (ATR)
(3) But He Was Not Dead For Long—“…And lived again (kai ezēsen). First aorist (ingressive, came to life) active of zaō (ho zōn in 1:18). Emphasis on the resurrection of Christ. …” (ATR)
(4) The Impact—
(a) In His Life, Christ Died. He died a painful, humiliating, gruesome death. He passed through Old Jordan on the stormy side. He walked the path that many of these persecuted believers will have to walk. He has had to go through assigning his mother to a close friend for care. He publicly was shamed and cursed, and made a public spectacle. And, not just these persecuted Christians or only the persecuted face this. Unless Jesus returns first, we will all have to cross Old Jordan.
(b) He Came back to life—not a passive verb, mind you, but an active verb—He got up, and He stayed up! (John 10:17-18) ""Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.""
(c) Again, a central doctrine that is of great practical use—the persecuted church of Smyrna needed to hear about eternal life!
2. The Providential Position Of The Church at Smyrna—(Rev 2:9) "I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich)…”
a. To be known is more vital than to know…(Phil 3:8-10) "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…"
b. He Knows their works
(1) We are not saved by works, but if we are saved, there will be works—Eph 2:8-10
(2) But look at the grace in this statement—as God counts things—our works? Without Him, there would be no works, but in His mercy, He graciously gifts this suffering church, crediting them with what they had done aright, and passing over anything negative that might be there.
(3) And, we often, because we believe in Grace, ignore the importance of works
(4) But evangelical works, those done as a result of salvation, those for which no merit is claimed, these works of the Spirit in our lives, God honors—but we must always let Him do the honoring, and we should not be much in love with our own works.
(1 Tim 2:10) "but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works."
(1 Tim 5:10) "well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work."
(1 Tim 5:25) "Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden."
(Titus 2:7) "in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,"
(Titus 2:14) "who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."
(Titus 3:8) "This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men."
(Titus 3:14) "And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful."
(1 Pet 2:12) "having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation."
c. He knows their tribulation—thilipsis, pressure, like that of an olive press.
(Mat 24:21) ""For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be."
(John 16:33) ""These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.""
(1 Th 3:4) "For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know."
(2 Th 1:4) "so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure,"
(2 Tim 3:12) "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution."
(1 Pet 5:8-10) "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."
d. He knows their poverty as this worlds goods go—kai ptōcheian—MacArthur says that this word indicates not “the working poor,” not someone who struggles to survive, but it indicates those who have nothing at all
(Acts 3:6) "Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.""
(Acts 8:2) "And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him."
(Mat 8:20) "And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.""
(2 Cor 6:10) "as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things."
(2 Cor 8:9) "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."
e. He knows how rich they are
(1) They have the riches of eternal life
(2) They are joint heirs with Christ
(3) They have the wealth of the universe
(4) They are rich in the things of the Spirit
f. The Persecutions Against Smyrna, Past, Present, and Future—(Rev 2:9-10) " … I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. {10}… Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. …”
(1) There was a synagogue of lost Jewish people there in Smyrna.
(2) They, however, were more than that—they were called by John a “synagogue of Satan.” Their unbelief was particularly powerful and their actions more evil because they were supernaturally influenced and empowered by the Enemy
(3) Note, it isn’t the Roman authorities nor the false Jews who were going to put the church in Smyrna to the test, but Satan, the Accuser of the Brethren
(Zec 3:1-2) "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?""
(Rev 12:10) "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down."
3. Christ and the Persecuted Church
a. Christ’s Exhortation to Smyrna—(Rev 2:9-10) "…(but you are rich)… … that you may be tested……Be faithful until death…”
(1) They are going to be tested
(2) Some are obviously going to die, and they will have to take the ultimate stand.
(3) But many of the rest will be under this attack, and Jesus exhorts them.
b. Christ’s Promises to Smyrna— (Rev 2:9-10) "… Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life….(Rev 2:11) "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."'
(1) For those who will die—the crown of life— The crown of life (ton stephanon tēs zōēs). See this very image in James 1:12, a familiar metaphor in the games at Smyrna and elsewhere in which the prize was a garland. See also 3:11. The crown consists in life (2:7). See Paul’s use of stephanos in 1 Cor 9:25; 2 Tim 4:8. (ATR)
(2) What about the other crowns?
(1 Cor 9:25) "And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown."
(Phil 4:1) "Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved."
(1 Th 2:19) "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?"
(2 Tim 4:8) "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."
(James 1:12) "Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
(1 Pet 5:4) "and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away."
(Rev 2:10) ""Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
(Rev 3:11) ""Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown."
(Rev 4:4) "Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads."
(Rev 4:10) "the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:"
(3) For those who overcome—the saved, we shall be saved from the second death.
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