Previous Section: Chapter One - Prologue
OTY: The Revelation (5)A -Revelation Commentary
CHAPTER TWO - THE SEVEN CHURCHES, PART 1
Introduction
With the conclusion of the introductory matters of chapter one, John begins his presentation. The seven churches identified in Revelation 1:11 are specifically addressed. Each receives a description of its present condition with a necessary warning and a call to the overcomers to persevere. Of the seven churches, four demonstrate a spirit of compromise—Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira, and Laodicea. The church at Sardis is dead and the churches at Smyrna and Philadelphia are presented as the faithful churches. Smyrna is the physically persecuted church and Philadelphia is the physically protected church.
With two thousand years separating the seven churches of Asia and the modern churches of the world, the question of relevance is critical. What is the relationship between the seven churches mentioned in Revelation and modern churches? Some commentators have tried to make the case that the seven churches of Revelation depict seven periods of church history. This view is woefully inadequate. First, there is no explicit scriptural support for this view. Second, the seven periods of church history must be subjectively determined, which undermines credibility and fosters date setting. Third, such an approach deprives the first century churches of any application for their time.
However, the messages, themselves, yield the necessary clues to answer the question of relevancy. For believers of all ages the issue is the same in connection with the Son of Man: forgiveness or judgment. The Lord instructs six of the seven churches that there are both immediate and long-term consequences to their deeds. The threat of immediate discipline for a lack of repentance is given to the churches of Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira, and Laodicea. Equally, each church is also warned about the possible rewards and punishments to be experienced at the Lord’s coming (parousia). This indicates that the messages to the seven churches have both a "near" application and a "far" application--both a temporal and an eternal application. The fact that each message ends with the same trademark: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches," is compelling. That the term church is plural extends the message and application to the church universal. Believers in two thousand AD can claim the same promises and fear the same warnings.
Henry M. Morris, in his commentary, The Revelation Record, indicates that each church receives a message composed of seven parts: (1) salutation; (2) identification of Christ as sender; (3) assertion of knowledge; (4) comment and exhortation; (5) promise (or threatened) coming; (6) admonition to heed; and (7) promised blessing. Revelation 2:1
(1) "To the angel of the (2) church in Ephesus write: The (3a) One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the (3b) One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:
1. Salutation = angel (supernatural being)
2. Church in Ephesus = written to the church in the city of Ephesus, not the city of Ephesus itself. This is a compromised church.
3. Identification of Christ as sender = sovereignty and intimacy
a. One who holds the seven stars in His right hand – refers back to Revelation 1:16 and 20. The right hand represents the position of power, authority, and safety. Jesus has sovereign oversight of His churches. He is able to command their obedience and to discipline them appropriately if they do not. Standing in the midst of the churches, the Lord can easily move them out of their place.
b. One who walks among the seven golden lampstands – refers back to Revelation 1:13 and 20. Jesus has an intimate relationship with His churches.
This is the Son of Man who has both the authority to forgive sins and judge sins. His word is final.
Revelation 2:2-4
(1) I know (2) your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them {to be} false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. (3) But I have {this} against you, that you have left your first love.
1. Assertion of Knowledge = makes it clear that the Lord is intimately aware of the conduct of each church.
2. Comment = the Lord explains his perception of the church at Ephesus. Their hands have been busy with the work of the kingdom. Their heads are clear about doctrine. ("For my name’s sake" is a specific reason for persecution per Jesus’ instruction in the Olivet Discourse, Matthew 24:9)
3. Criticism = While the Ephesians had hands and heads committed to the Lord, their hearts were far from Him.
Revelation 2:5-6
(1) Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am (2) coming to you, and (3) will remove your lampstand out of its place-- unless you repent. Yet, this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the (4) Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
1. Exhortation = the Lord exhorts the Ephesians to repent of their heartless commitment. Notice that a true heart commitment is evidenced by the quality of the work, not the works themselves.
2. Coming = this verb does not refer to the Parousia of Christ, but an immediate visitation of judgment from Christ. This coming is conditional. If they repent, He will not come in judgment. This is not the case as it relates to the Parousia of Christ.
3. Remove your lampstand = two entities are identified in the Revelation as lampstands: all the churches in a particular city and the two witnesses of Revelation 11. It is only to the church at Ephesus that the Lord promises to remove their lampstand if they do not repent. To remove the lampstand indicates loss of position. As the first church listed because of its love, they stand to lose position among the churches, a judgment to be sure in keeping with their position of honor.
4. Nicolaitans = comes from the combined Greek words nika (he conquers) and loan (people). The nature and importance of this group will be highlighted in Revelation 2:14.
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