This is probably the believer’s new name, and the name itself is probably more important than the stone itself. In classical Greek martus never means a martyr in our sense of the term. Commentaries for Revelation Chapter 2 The Message to Ephesus. tried--by experiment; not the Greek for "test," as 1 John 4:1 . but thou art rich--in grace. Chapter 7. They must not become distracted or discouraged from what Jesus wants them to be and to do. One day on the farm, as he prayed in his room, Polycarp had a vision of his pillow engulfed in flames. He knows our works, even if there isn’t much to know. The seat of the Church has been changed, but the Church itself survives. . Revelation 2:17 They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—. Tired in loyalty, not of it. This may not have been her literal name, but a title that clearly represented a self-styled prophetess within the church, after the pattern of Jezebel in the Old Testament (1 Kings 16-21 and 2 Kings 9:30-37). i. POLYCARP'S noble words to his heathen judges who wished him to recant, are well known: "Fourscore and six years have I served the Lord, and He never wronged me, how then can I blaspheme my King and Saviour?" 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. PDF Version . If we overcome by the strength of the spiritual manna, we will someday eat of the "hidden manna." introduction contending for the Apostle John as author ca. Revelation 2, John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible, One of over 110 Bible commentaries freely available, this verse-by-verse commentary contain gems of information found nowhere outside the ancient Jewish writings Also famous for the magnificent temple of Æsculapius, the healing god [TACITUS, Annals, 3.63]. Compare "the counsel of Balaam," Numbers 31:16 . . As love is inward, so service is its outward manifestation. It is as if Jesus said, “You love an unclean bed. “I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first. Thyatira--in Lydia, south of Pergamos. Minds and hearts is literally “hearts and kidneys.” In the mind of the ancient Jews, the heart was the place of intellect, and the kidneys were the place of emotion. Satan's seat--rather as the Greek is translated all through Revelation, "throne." The dative case is a Hebraism for the accusative case. tried to introduce into the Church a false freedom, that is, licentiousness; this was a reaction in the opposite direction from Judaism, the first danger to the Church combated in the council of Jerusalem, and by Paul in the Epistle to Galatians. c. I will give him the morning star: Jesus offered them a reward greater than the kingdom. b. which thing I hate--It is sin not to hate what God hates. Revelation abounds in such duplicate Hebrew and Greek names: as Apollyon, Abaddon: Devil, Satan: Yea (Greek, "Nai"), Amen. A white stone could be a ticket to a banquet, a sign of friendship, evidence of having been counted, or as a sign of acquittal in a court of law. John follows the geographical order here, for Thyatira lay a little to the left of the road from Pergamos to Sardis [STRABO, 13:4]. As a perpetual reminder of how He took care of them in the wilderness for 40 years, God commanded Moses and Aaron to save some manna in a golden pot placed inside the Ark of the Covenant. Thus, this address is an anticipatory preface to Revelation 12:1-17 ; Note: "throne . And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—, ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; So, angel could also mean this in unknown 2:8, 12, 18 and in unknown 3:1, 7, 14. Proud member
c. Pergamos: This city was especially known as a center for the worship of the deity known as Asclepios. The sons of the sorceress (Isaiah 57:3) had the nature of the sorceress. This means that when God gives us time to repent, we must take advantage of that time. i. See Revelation 2:13a (printed below) What do you think this means? The Spirit here declares their so-called "depths," (namely, of knowledge of divine things) to be really "depths of Satan"; just as in Revelation 2:9 , He says, instead of "the synagogue of God," "the synagogue of Satan." their deeds--Two of the oldest manuscripts and most ancient versions read "her." I am not able to deny the principle he stands on. One who lately visited Ephesus found only three Christians there, and these so ignorant as scarcely to have heard the names of St. Paul or St. John" [TRENCH]. The difficulty which transcribers by English Version reading tried to obviate, was the seeming contradiction, "I know thy labor . Study the bible online using commentary on Revelation 2:2 and more! Instead of retrograding from "the first works" and "first love," as Ephesus, Thyatira's last works exceeded her first ( Revelation 2:4 Revelation 2:5 ). “the first and the last” Devotion is the sense in which the word "love" (agape) is being used. The strategy was first violence, then alliance. ii. It was simply taken for granted, and the person who lived by Biblical standards of purity was considered strange. Revelation 2. Get this book on Christian Book using its exact ISBN. even in those days--Two oldest manuscripts omit "even"; two retain it. Smyrna's faithfulness is rewarded by its candlestick not having been removed out of its place ( Revelation 2:5 ); Christianity has never wholly left it; whence the Turks call it, "Infidel Smyrna. This commentary has been through Advanced Checking. Love, service, faith, and your patience: In many ways, the church at Thyatira was a model church. tried to introduce into the Church a false freedom, that is, licentiousness; this was a reaction in the opposite direction from Judaism, the first danger to the Church combated in the council of Jerusalem, and by Paul in the Epistle to Galatians. It is interesting to note how closely these introductory addresses are linked to the body of Revelation. Epistles to the churches in Asia, with warnings and encouragements, To the church at Ephesus; (1-7) at Smyrna; (8-11) at Pergamos; (12-17) and at Thyatira. For this reason, the figure of a sickbed is fitting. kill . In Acts 15:28 Acts 15:29 , the very term "burden," as here, is used of abstinence from fornication and idol-meats; to this the Lord here refers. 24. you . But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. ii. I will come--Greek, "I am coming" in special judgment on thee. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Jesus may have any one of these meanings in mind, but at the very least we know that it has the assurance of blessing. The oldest manuscripts transpose the English Version order, and read, "faith and service." It is only then that the battle will be over. i. The allusion is here to this: probably also to the Lord's discourse ( John 6:31-35 ). "Shepherd" is used in Jeremiah 6:3 , of hostile rulers; so also in Zechariah 11:16 . 1 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says # Rev. 1:16 He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, # Rev. “All men died, but all are not killed with death… Oh, it is a woeful thing to be killed with death.” (Trapp). a. Thyatira: This was the smallest and least important of the seven cities Jesus addresses in Revelation 2 and 3. . On the Lord’s Day: When is the Lord’s Day? . 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.”’. fire . 10. It seems that this Jezebel led others in the church at Thyatira to discover depths of Satan. And I will give him a white stone: In the ancient world, the use of a white stone had many associations. A former Hindu who had changed his name to Paul James was murdered by a crowd of extremists as he spoke in a field prior to a Feb. 20 church service in the Phulabani district. give . . It could simply be an image of affliction, or it could be literal sickness that Jesus allowed in the lives of Jezebel and her followers as chastisement. over the nations--at Christ's coming the saints shall possess the kingdom "under the whole heaven"; therefore over this earth; compare Luke 19:17 , "have thou authority [the same word as here] over ten cities.". To them, Jesus offered a share in His own kingdom. Five of the seven churches are commanded to repent. i. See all formats and editions Hide other formats and editions. say they are apostles--probably Judaizers. We can apply what is written to the churches of Asia to our society today. Compare Revelation 2:17 , "I will give him . 6. κόπον (Revelation 2:2), a slight play on words; “noui laborem tuum, nec tamen laboras, i.e., labore non frangeris” (Bengel). white stone . Devotion literally means "to vow completely." A commentary on the Book of Revelation. But it is a "light" burden. Walking expresses His unwearied activity in the Church, guarding her from internal and external evils, as the high priest moved to and fro in the sanctuary. They knew service, and had faith and patience worth mentioning. Or the bed of the grave, and of the hell beyond, where the worm dieth not. . Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. These letters were written to seven Christian churches that sprang up throughout Asian Minor, which is present-day Turkey. These symbolical Nicolaitanes, or followers of Balaam, abused Paul's doctrine of the grace of God into a plea for lasciviousness ( 2 Peter 2:15 2 Peter 2:16 2 Peter 2:19 , Jude 1:4 Jude 1:11 who both describe the same sort of seducers as followers of Balaam). iii. “From the inscriptions which have been found in the neighborhood it is clear that Thyatira possessed more trade guilds than any other town of its size in Asia.” (Barclay). They arranged a great pile of wood and set up a pole in the middle. The Loveless Church. of
2 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: We need 2 cookies to store this setting. As they tied Polycarp to the pole, he prayed: “I thank You that You have graciously thought me worthy of this day and of this hour, that I may receive a portion in the number of the martyrs, in the cup of Your Christ.” After he prayed and gave thanks to God, they set the wood ablaze. Here are some good buildings, but more ruins. Not merely "thy professions, desires, good resolutions" ( Revelation 14:13 , end). As the Father has given the authority to Me over the heathen and uttermost parts of the earth, so I impart a share of it to My victorious disciple. So the Son of God has the divine nature, the nature of God. explain and apply the Revelation in a dispensational way. i. As Phinehas was rewarded with "an everlasting priesthood" for his zeal against these very sins to which the Old Testament Balaam seduced Israel; so the heavenly high priesthood is the reward promised here to those zealous against the New Testament Balaamites tempting Christ's people to the same sins. eyes like . . . . “Jezebel” would allow or encourage the man to go – perhaps even using a “prophetic” word – and when the man went, he fell into immorality and idolatry. i. It is as if your “reservation” in heaven is made. What they had peculiarly to contend against at Pergamos was the temptation to idol-meats, and fornication, put in their way by Balaamites. Revelation 2:13 "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this: New American Standard Version. . 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