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A COMMENTARY ON
THE
REVELATION
BY GERALD S. SMITH
A series of Sunday School Lessons taught at the Northside Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky in 1976.
I don't know of any two men that agree on the Book of Revelation entirely. This commentary of Revelation by Brother Gerald S. Smith is a good study of this book. He deals with the scripture in a plain way and does not go beyond what the scriptures say. Although I disagree with a very few verses of interpretation, it is a very good exposition of the book.
Brother Al Gormley
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gerald Scott Smith was born December 16, 1925 in Vine Creek, Kansas. He served in the US Navy in World War II. A descendant of homesteaders, he was the son of a farmer and was following in the family vocation when God intervened. Many times I have heard him tell his testimony, how that his cousin had been saved and called to preach and was holding a series of meetings in a little one-room school house. Gerald went one night out of curiosity, and the first time he heard the gospel he was saved. This was in 1950. He was twenty five years old. It was not very long until he felt the Lord was calling him to preach the gospel. He heard about a school starting in Lexington, Kentucky by the Late Clearance Walker, under the authority of the Ashland Avenue Baptist Church. He sold his farm and equipment and, with his wife Shirlee and two young children, five year-old Sherman, and Linda four, moved to Lexington. The year was 1951. Gerald went to Lexington Baptist College while working in construction and eventually he had his own business. He was called to Ephesus Baptist Church in Lincoln County, Kentucky and was the pastor there for eleven years. In 1964 was called to the Northside Baptist Church on Price Avenue in Lexington, Kentucky. He pastored the Northside Baptist Church for thirty years. Under his leadership the church went from a basement on Price Avenue to a new building in that location. It was in this location in 1974 that I found Christ under the preaching of Brother Smith. In 1978 Gerald led the church to buy seven acres of land on Swigert Avenue in the Northern edge of Lexington where a beautiful building was constructed. This was the location of the church when Brother Smith's health started to decline. He had a major heart attack in 1978 and open-heart surgery. In succeeding years he had to have another By-pass surgery and several other surgeries. In 1994 he had to retire as pastor due to his deteriorating health. During the twenty years that he was my pastor and until his death he made a tremendous impression upon me. Outside of his family I knew him as well and probably better, than most people. I would have to say that he was my closest friend. We traveled together, worked together, played golf together, laughed together and cried together. We trusted each other with our most intimate personal problems. We had very few disagreements and I trusted him completely. It was from this man of God that I learned the great doctrine of the word of God. It was by his example and by his teaching that I learned one of the most fundamental and most important things that a large number of Christians never learn, and that is this: he taught me to trust in God. Everything he taught, he taught by example. God used him in the lives of many people. This commentary on the Revelation is from a series of Sunday School lessons taught at the Northside Baptist Church. Brother Smith always wrote the Sunday School lessons for the teachers and this commentary is a compilation of those lessons. Since he is in heaven now, and can't speak to us, I believe that he would want his work to go on through this volume. If the reader gleans anything from reading this commentary, I think I know what Brother Gerald Smith would say: "Praise the Lord".
Okey Smith
Introduction:
The book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John while he was in exile on the isle of Patmos, about the year A.D. 96.
CONTENTS
Chapter I ..............................................................................1 Chapter II .............................................................................17 Chapter III ............................................................................32 Chapter IV ............................................................................46 Chapter V .............................................................................53 Chapter VI ............................................................................59 Chapter VII ...........................................................................67 Chapter VIII ..........................................................................73 Chapter IX ............................................................................79 Chapter X ..............................................................................86 Chapter XI .............................................................................89 Chapter XII ............................................................................98 Chapter XIII ..........................................................................105 Chapter XIV ..........................................................................118 Chapter XV ..........................................................................128 Chapter XVI ..........................................................................131 Chapter XVII .........................................................................137 Chapter XVIII ........................................................................146 Chapter XIX ...........................................................................154 Chapter XX ...........................................................................164 Chapter XXI ..........................................................................172 Chapter XXII .........................................................................187
CHAPTER I
Verse 1 - "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" - This book is the revelation or unveiling of Jesus Christ. It is a manifestation of Him to John the Apostle. This book tells of the person, character and being of the Lord Jesus. It tells of his second coming and the events to take place. "which God gave unto Him," - This revelation came from God Himself. All of it is true, it is not the dream or the imagination of a man. "to shew unto His servants" - God intended for His people to know about this book. It is not to be shunned or pushed aside; God wants us to know what it says. "things which must shortly come to pass;" - This does not mean the things in this book would happen soon after they were shown to John, but rather when they did begin to happen they would come to pass in short order. In other words the purpose of this book is to show beforehand the things that will one day suddenly come to pass. "and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John:" - God showed John the things written in this book. The term 'Signified' is important to note. The things that shall come to pass are made known by signs and symbols. While we believe we should take as literal, everything we can, yet there are many things we must understand as being 'signified' or symbolized.
Verse 2 - "Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw." - John actually saw and heard the things he wrote in this book. God, by a miracle, let all those things happen before his eyes. As we read on in the book we see things that seem impossible and completely out of reason according to men's knowledge, but they are none the less true. Perhaps God showed them to John because there was no other way John could comprehend and believe them. One thing is certain, folks had better believe it because they are going to be faced with it. Perhaps a lot sooner than they think.
Verse 3 - "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy," - In John's day everyone didn't have a bible like they do now. Relatively few copies existed and scarcely would you find all the scriptures together. Thus the people would meet together and one would read from the copy in the meeting place. This is the primary significance of "he that readeth". The promised blessing then is to the one who reads and those who listen. "and keep those things which are written therein:" - The words of this book, as with all of God's word, are a blessing and a benefit only to those who so read and listen that it affects their lives. It does no one any good just to know what the Bible says if it does not change their lives. The book of Revelation will change anyone's life who studies and believes it. "for the time is at hand." - This expression does not mean those things had to happen in John's day but they could. The Bible clearly denotes the coming of Christ to be imminent. Paul, Peter, John and others expected Him to come at anytime. He didn't come during their lifetime and He hasn't come yet but He could come TODAY. The time is at hand.
Verse 4 - "John to the seven churches which are in Asia:" The book is addressed to seven churches in Asia. Why seven churches? The number seven in the scriptures is the number of perfection or completion; it signifies a whole. Here the whole, being all churches in all ages. (By churches we mean only true churches after the order of the one the Lord Jesus founded). Those seven churches are representative of all churches in all ages. In principle there were within those churches all the good and evil things that could be in any church. Likewise outward circumstances were comparable to that which could be found in any age. Thus the message of Revelation is as much to churches today as to Ephesus or Laodicea. "Grace be unto you, and peace, from Him which is, and which was, and which is to come;" - This is none other than "Jehovah", the great "I am" as He appeared to Moses, Exodus 3:14. Jehovah is a compound word formed from three words meaning He is, He was and He will be. Our God Jehovah is a triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three are equal and one in essence but distinct in person. Here the Father is denoted. "and from the seven Spirits which are before His throne;" - This is the Holy Spirit, the second person of the God-head. The number seven used again to show perfection and completeness. This completeness and perfection of the office work of the Holy Spirit is shown in Isaiah 11:2. The Spirit of the Lord; The Spirit of wisdom; The Spirit of Understanding; The Spirit of Counsel; The Spirit of Might; The Spirit of Knowledge; The Spirit of the fear of the Lord.
Verse 5 - "And from Jesus Christ," - The third person of the trinity, the one who dominates this book, the one whose person can thrill the heart of the child of God. The one whose vision can stir the hopes of the most distressed Christian. This is the Lamb of God, the one for whom all the saints anxiously, yet patiently await. "who is the faithful witness," - Jesus is the Word of God. He is the express image of His person, the brightness of His glory. He is the only witness of God who can be trusted. He is the only one who reveals the exact being of God. He is the only true one. Upon Him and Him only can we rely, He alone bears faithful witness to the message of God. Yes, He is indeed the message and the messenger. "and the first begotten of the dead," - There is much difference of opinion as to the meaning of this expression, but we know this. Jesus is the first begotten from the dead in the sense that He has preeminence in all things. He is over and above all things. All majesty and glory belong to Him. He was the first to arise from the dead with a glorified body. He arose from the dead to die no more, having conquered death, gaining complete victory; He is the "first" or preeminent over death, Hell and the grave. "and the prince of the kings of the earth." - He is indeed King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Many before Him sought to rule the world and to dominate all other potentates but only Jesus will ever have complete control of governments and men upon earth. "Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,"......
Verse 6 - "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" - John seems to be carried away in a 'blaze of glory' as he contemplates the wonders of the Lord Jesus. We can imagine, but we will never know the magnificence of that magic moment when we meet the majestic Master! What a sight that will be! To see for the first time in the fullness of His majesty, the one who washed us from our sins. To see Him in all His glory, yet as the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. What a day when we sing "worthy is the Lamb." "And hath made us kings and priests" - According to the greatest of scholars would be better translated "kingdom of priests". This expresses a great truth that will bless the heart of any student of the word. By virtue of the fact Jesus washed us from our sins in His own blood, being Himself our Great High Priest, we have access to the throne of God ourselves. We are believer priests. We need no Levitical priest, neither do we need a Catholic priest or pope between us and God. Jesus is our intercessor, our mediator and He is God. We have the right to come directly to Him. He said in John 14:6 "...I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." While there is no approach to God aside from the Lord Jesus, yet there IS a way BY Him. The one who trusts in Him as Savior has the only entrance into God. Thus we need no earthly priests. Thank God He has revealed unto us the "more excellent way".
Verse 7 - "Behold, He cometh with clouds;" - When Jesus left this earth a cloud received Him out of sight. He, Himself associated His second coming with the clouds. Paul was inspired to write "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (I Thessalonians 4:17.) Every time we see a cloud it should remind us of Christ coming again. This is an inevitable happening, how the very thought of it should thrill our hearts!! "and every eye shall see Him," - There will not be a single soul who ever lived upon the earth but what will see the Lord Jesus. They will not all see Him at the same time, but all will see Him. All will recognize and admit that He is Lord. Every knee shall bow before Him. Millions of pagans who had never heard of Him, multitudes of Jews who rejected Him, worlds that turned their backs to Him, self trained atheists who ridiculed Him all will fall before Him and declare Him Lord. "and they also which pierced Him;" - These are the Jews that murdered Him. "and all kindreds of the earth" - All who refused Him, whosoever and wherever they are. "shall wail because of Him." - What a terrible day it will be for those who hardened their hearts and mocked with glee as Jesus was beaten, bruised and nailed to the cross. What an awful day for those who, for sinful pleasure and lust, chose darkness rather than light. Well might they cry for the rocks and mountains to fall on them to hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne!! What a day of weeping and wailing that will be!! "Even so, Amen.
Verse 8 - "I am Alpha and Omega," - These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and is as we would say "the A and Z". The letters of the alphabet are the elements used to make all words, which are vehicles of expression. Jesus is everything from A to Z. He is the only thing worthwhile. Without Him all else is worthless and meaningless. Without Him one would be better to have been born an imbecile or idiot knowing nothing or not to have been born at all. Though one may know all the words in all the languages of the world and yet know not THE Word, he really knows nothing at all. "the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord," - In Him all things had their beginning and by Him all things shall be consummated. Nothing ever was or ever shall be without Him. How foolish those who attempt to live their lives as though there were no god! "which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." - This is the highest name on mortal tongue or pen. There is none greater. There is no greater expression to denote supremacy, excellence, majesty and glory. This name signifies the rightful subjection of all other things and beings. This is the name Jesus ascribes to Himself. He is Jehovah God. It was He who appeared to Abraham, who appeared to Jacob, who appeared to Moses. It was He who created all things and who holds all things together. He is the Almighty! How sad the fate of those who deny the position God's word applies. How amazed and crushed will be the Mormon, the Jehovah's Witness, the Adventist and other cults when they find out too late that Jesus is God!!
Verse 9 - "I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ," - John did not hold himself above those of the churches to whom he wrote. He was an apostle but he was also a brother in Christ. He had to suffer trial and tribulation as they did. He was born unto the same kingdom they were and shared in its glory to come but with patience endured the hardships while awaiting the Great day. "was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." - Patmos was a little island in the Aegean Sea just north of the Mediterranean Sea. It is about seven miles long and a mile wide. It has no rivers or trees and no land for cultivation except small areas on narrow rock ledges. John was exiled here for teaching the word of God and giving testimony concerning Jesus Christ. What seemed to be a great tragedy for him turned out to be the greatest of blessing, not only to him, but to all the world who believes his story. It was here he received the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Verse 10 - "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day," - There are two very plausible explanations of this portion of scripture. There are excellent scholars on either side. One is that John was transported by Spirit into a condition similar to Ezekiel at Chebar or as Paul caught up into Paradise. This view makes the "Lord's Day" the "day of the Lord". In brief the apostle was transformed and transported by the Spirit into the happenings and scenes of the future great day when Jesus comes. The other view is that John was in a condition of special closeness to the Lord, feeling the presence of power of the Holy Spirit much as most of us experience from time to time when we are troubled by something and then were brought to our knees before God. We commune with Him and pour out our hearts, telling Him all our troubles and then suddenly He is right there to comfort us and tell us everything is all right. The Lord's Day then would be Sunday, the first day of the week. The day God's people meet to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus and to worship Him. This is the view held by Ironside, Strauss, Barnes, A. T. Robertson and many others and which I personally lean toward. We can imagine the feeling of the Apostle. Here he was on this lonely, bleak and barren island, by himself, away from the people of God, persecuted for the sake of the Lord Jesus and His gospel. It was Sunday the Lord's Day, the day he always met to worship with God's people. He was away from them but he wasn't away from God; he believed in keeping the Lord's Day holy. In deep meditation and heart felt worship he communed with God and God had a blessing for him he never imagined. So God can do for us if we do His will and spend time in talking with Him and truly worshipping Him. Those who steal the Lord's Day for their own worldly pleasure are robbing themselves of treasure the world knows nothing of. Who can imagine what eternity will reveal of the tragic loss of careless Christians!! May God help us to understand and put the right value on the Lord's Day that we might keep it for Him and receive of the treasures of Heaven as God opens to them who love to be with him. "and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet," - Imagine the feeling of John as he was deep in thought and meditation that Lord's Day, feeling the very presence of the Holy Spirit as he worshipped God, when suddenly he heard a voice so loud and clear, so penetrating and strong that it sounded like a trumpet. How startled he must have been since he was alone!! There was no mistaking this voice to be any but the Lord Jesus, the living Word of God. Those who know God as He is revealed in Jesus Christ know the Bible is true; they know it is the word of God and not of man. Those who deny the Bible or doubt it make it clear that they do not know the one who wrote it. They have not the Spirit of God to enlighten them. They are in darkness and spiritual death and hell with open jaws waits hungrily to devour them.
Verse 11 - "Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:" Jesus announces Himself to John as the all-inclusive one. He is everything. There is no true wisdom outside of Him; there is no sane approach to any subject that disregards Him. He is the one who made all things and He is the one who will bring all things to a close. Here is something to cause us to see the greatness of our Lord as compared to man. It took man six thousand years to gain enough knowledge to put an unmanned craft on the planet Mars, but God made the planet. He just spoke the word and it was there! Mars is a very small planet and very close to earth by comparison to some of the other planets. Our solar system is, by comparison to other systems, minute and insignificant. The one who spoke to John that day was the one who made ALL things. When we try to imagine the greatness and magnificence of God our thoughts are mired down, we can not attain to such heights and bounds. This was Jesus the Lord who spoke to John and He is the one whom all must meet face to face one day. He will be the righteous judge who must mete out judgment without mercy to those who do not know Him. But praise His wonderful name, today He is the loving compassionate Savior to all who will come to Him. "and, What thou seest, write in a book," - The Lord was about to reveal Himself and the things that shall take place. He wanted John to record these things in a book or scroll. What John was about to see and hear would be of such moment that the people of all ages would be affected by it. "and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto unto Pergamos, and unto Thyratira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea." - As we explained earlier, seven is the number of perfection or completeness. The sending of the book to the seven churches is significant. The book is for all churches in all ages. In these churches were conditions that would be comparable to any church in any place in any age. These churches were of the same order as true Baptist churches today, whether or not they were called Baptist churches. These churches came into existence directly or indirectly from the first church at Jerusalem which was founded and organized by the Lord Jesus out of material baptized by John the Baptist who was called "the Baptist" by God Himself. Now some folks may not like to think these were Baptist Churches but if they weren't we would like to know what they were!! They weren't Catholic because they were three hundred years too early. They weren't Lutherans or Presbyterians because Luther or Calvin had hundreds of years before they came on the scene. They weren't Methodists or Episcopaleans because the Church of England hadn't been formed yet. King Henry the Eighth wouldn't have his run in with the Pope for centuries after this. John Wesley wasn't around then. These churches weren't Campbellites because John Campbell wasn't born until 1788. All the Holiness and Pentecostal folks wouldn't be heard of for 1800 years. Yes these were Baptists all right because there wasn't any other kind of church then. Why send this great book to the churches? Because the church is the body of Christ and is his chosen messenger. When Jesus was on the earth He founded His church and promised to it perpetuity. "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18.) When Jesus left He commissioned the church to make disciples, baptize and teach them. He never gave this authority to anyone else before or since. It is the church Christ loved and gave Himself for. It is the church that is to bring Him glory in all ages, world without end. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;" (Ephesians 5:25.), "Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" (Ephesians 3:21.) All denominations that have sprung up since the time of Christ are false and usurpers of authority. Not all that call themselves Baptist are true churches either. Those who have flirted with and committed adultery with the governments of the world are not true churches. Those who deny scriptural baptism and count the baptism of false churches equal to that of the Lord's churches are not true churches. Anyone who has any knowledge of the word of God and any spirituality about them can certainly see from this and the following scriptures the importance of the church. Reason this out. If Jesus started His church when He was here and promised that it would never cease to be, could it possibly happen that the world would ever be without it? Certainly not. What kind of church in existence today can find churches of like faith and order in every age back to the time of Christ? Only Baptist! Name any group or so called church you want and the founder and time of founding can be named. Baptist churches have a line back to John the Baptist. Let us note another thing. Many folks try to prove that the true church is a universal invisible body composed of all saved people. If this were true it is strange the Lord didn't say something about it. Any true Greek scholar knows the word Jesus chose to call his organization or organism denotes an assembly, a special called out assembly, a group that really assembled. How absurd to imagine a universal invisible assembly!! To whom did Jesus tell John to send this book? To the invisible assembly at Ephesus, Smyrna, etc.? No indeed! These churches were made up of real live people who had trusted in Christ as Savior and had been baptized by the proper authority in the proper method (immersion in water) for the proper purpose. People who had consented together to carry on the work Christ commissioned them to do. Each of these churches were local, visible and complete in themselves. Each was a body of Christ. Christ was the head of each. This is the only kind of body Christ has in this world. These churches weren't perfect by any means but they were the ones Jesus wanted to have the message. These were churches just like our church sent to be a witness for Jesus in the several cities. The seven churches signify Christ wasn't going to have any other kind. Seven is the number of completeness. Christ didn't need and doesn't need any other kind of church to do His work. He has never told anyone else to do it. He wants us to do it. Let's recognize the Lordship of Christ by doing what He said.
Verse 12 - "And I turned to see the voice that spake with me," - As the Apostle John was in deep meditation the Lord spoke to him and he turned, no doubt in great surprise, to see the one who spoke. Imagine what an experience this must have been to hear the voice of the Lord and then to see Him!! "And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;" - The first thing John saw was the golden candlesticks. What these represent is explained in verse 20. Each candlestick or lamp-stand represents a church. A candlestick is a light-bearer. Jesus said that His disciples were the lights of the world and that when a candle is lit it is put on a candlestick. "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house" (Matthew 5:14,15.) This teaches us that every Christian is to be a member of the Lord's church. John saw the churches as light bearers and this is exactly what they are supposed to be. The world lies in spiritual darkness, the gospel of Christ is the only true light. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world" (John 1:1-9.) Christians like John the Baptist are lights only as they bear witness to Him who is the true light. God chose for His people, who are members of His church, to bear the light of His word. Of course God loves all His children but there is a special love for those who compose His church. Ephesians 5:25. "...Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it." Ephesians 3:21. "Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end..." - The candlesticks were of pure gold, the precious metal, the metal used in scriptures to point out divinity. The churches of the Lord Jesus Christ are indeed precious to Him being purchased with a great price. Those who are so purchased become through a royal birth partakers of His divinity. Let it be known to those who do not obey the Lord in becoming members of His church that they are not letting their lights shine and they are not bringing glory to Christ as they should.
Verse 13 - "And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man," - This is the position of the Lord Jesus in the midst of His churches. As being the omnipresent one He is everywhere indeed but in a very special sense His presence is with His church, a presence and relationship not experienced by any other than His church. He promised to be with His church, Matthew 28:20, and would see to it that the forces of evil should never overcome it. Matthew 16:18. This is what John saw, Christ in the midst of His churches to protect in all ages from all evil. "clothed with a garment down to the foot," - A long garment is suggestive of royalty, such was worn by those of great dignity. In his vision Isaiah saw the Lord whose "train filled the temple." - So Christ in His glory is always seen or represented with royal apparel. Let us note also that there is no nakedness in heaven. Christ is clothed, the redeemed are clothed in robes of righteousness. Clothing is symbolic of righteousness. Nakedness is the symbol of sin and evil. God's people here should be fully clothed to show the world what they stand for. "and girt about the paps with a golden girdle." - It was and still is the custom in the East to wear a girdle to hold the robe in place. This girdle was worn around the waist and sometimes around the breast as is shown here. This girdle was either pure gold or highly decorated with gold signifying the royalty and dignity of the one wearing it.
Verse 14 - "His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow," - The Lord so appeared with white hair to further enhance His image of majesty and dignity. Proverbs 16:31. "The hoary (white) head is a crown of glory" - Also it shows His antiquity as Daniel saw Him. Daniel 7:9 the "Ancient of days" - "And His eyes were as a flame of fire," - The eyes of the Lord are penetrating; there is nothing He can't see through. Men, so to speak, wear a mask but He sees through it all. There is no way to hide from Him. His eyes see into the very depths of the heart so there is not even the slightest thought that goes unnoticed. "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do" ( Hebrews 4:13.) All of those who refuse Him will for ever try to hide from His face. They would rather have the rocks and mountains fall upon them. But to those who know Him, His gaze will be one of warmth and understanding, a sight so lovely none will want to turn away but with humble adoration will want to look upon His face for ever and for ever.
Verse 15 - "And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace;" - Even the feet of the Lord Jesus are beautiful as He appears in glory. The allusion here is to the finest grade of brass heated in a furnace until it glows a splendid white, which is beyond description. Brass is a symbol of judgment, the same feet that bore the Savior in His mission of mercy upon earth and in His appearance among His churches before John are the same feet that will trample down the enemy and to which the whole earth becomes a footstool. "and His voice as the sound of many waters." - This is a very fitting description of the authority and dominance of the Lord's voice. Those who have stood by the rocky reefs of the ocean and listened to the thundering roar of the waves as they beat against the shore have a fair idea of how John was impressed with the words of the Lord as he spoke to Him.
Verse 16 - "And He had in His right hand seven stars." - John tells us in verse 20 what these stars represent, the pastors of the churches. The word "angels" means "messengers". - God calls pastors to be the messengers to His churches. Christ holds the pastors He has appointed in a very special way. Woe to him who speaks or works against those Christ has so appointed. It is the Lord who chooses the pastor and then lays upon the heart of His people to call that man. No man should be pastor unless He knows God has appointed him and no congregation should call a man to pastor without this assurance. When these conditions exist the church should be behind the pastor all the way and when they cease to exist the pastor should be removed. It is a great blessing to a pastor to know he is held in the hand of the Lord. "and out of His mouth went a sharp twoedged sword:" - This does not mean that a literal sword protruded from His mouth making Him a grotesque figure but the sword is His words as Hebrews 4:12 - "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." John heard the words and they cut and penetrated his mind and soul as a sharp two edged sword would cut the flesh. "and His countenance was as the sun shineth in His strength." - So splendid was the appearance of Christ amid His churches that John could scarcely find the fitting superlative, thus he uses the greatest thing he knows anything about. The countenance of Christ reminded him of the sun itself for His brightness, shinning and strength. Christ is such to all who really know Him and have seen Him through the eye of faith. There is no way we can adequately describe Him. He is to the spiritual realm what the sun is to the physical. Without Him there is no light, without Him there is no life. He is the one who brightens the day, He expels all gloom and despondency. As the sun holds the planets in place so by Jesus all things are held together. Without Him all would be failure and chaos. Malachi 4:2 states He is "...Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;..."
Verse 17 - "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead". When John saw the Lord Jesus in all His spender and magnificence he was so overwhelmed at the sight of His greatness that he fell at His feet, much as Paul did on the road to Damascus. The beauty and wonder of the Lord Jesus in His glory is above human expression and beyond our ability to drink it in. When we stop to think that this Jesus John saw is the one who loved us and died for us, how it should humble our hearts!! Understanding that we were as dead men without hope, deserving hell's torment when God reached down for us, surely we should fall at His feet in humble adoration. "And He laid His right hand upon me," - How loving, tender and compassionate is the Lord to them that fear Him!!! Jesus seeing the anxiety of John placed His hand upon and spoke the matchless words "saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last;" These are words of assurance setting forth the eternity of Christ and He will bring all things to a close. He is the center of all things and yet has no circumference. He is the infinite immeasurable God, the Lord of glory.
Verse 18 - "I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen;" - If there was any trace of doubt in the mind of John that this was the same Jesus he knew upon the earth it was now taken away. John knew that Jesus was going to come again; he knew that He was alive. He had seen Him in the glorified resurrected body and he had seen Him ascend into heaven leaving the promise that He would come again even as He was taken into heaven. Now John is getting a preview of what things would be like when He comes again. Jesus shows that He is the one that "liveth" or "ever liveth", the one that yet had died and now was alive for ever. He had through His one offering of Himself perfected for ever those for whom He died. Death had no dominion over Him; He had come from the tomb victorious, never to be subjected again. "and have the keys of hell and of death." - In these words lie the explanation and exemplification of His complete victory, both for Himself and for all who by faith are in Him. "Hell" or "hades" is the abode of the soul or spirit. Death is the condition of the body without the spirit. The soul of man is locked in "hades" either in paradise or torment. The body is locked in death, helpless to do anything. The soul of man cannot of itself unite with the body held in death, neither can the body unite with the soul. But there is one who has the keys of death and hades; He can unlock and this is exactly what He will do when He comes again. As Abraham in heaven told the rich man that he could not come to Lazarus and Lazarus could not come to him because of the "great gulf fixed", so the spirit of man in heaven cannot come to earth to animate the body in the grave, but when Jesus comes He will bring the souls of "just men made perfect" to reunite them with the bodies long left in the dust of the earth, "...for the dead in Christ shall rise first:" (I Thessalonians 4:16.), "the corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (I Corinthians 15:53.) With words like these from the Savior surely there is no cause for fear.
Verse 19 - "Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;" - Again John is commanded to record these things in a book. God wanted the people of that time to know them and He wanted everyone from that time to the end of time to know them. The "things which shall be hereafter" pertains to the events that shall take place AFTER the second coming of Christ. These things are recorded from chapter four on to the end of the book. The "things which are" pertains to the seven churches then existent in Asia.
Verse 20 - "The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks." - A mystery as here used is something hidden or unknown until it is revealed. The stars and the candlesticks were symbols and when explained what they were symbols of, their meaning is perfectly clear and there is no mystery to it as we commonly use the term mystery. "The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches:" - Being held in His hand signifies a favored and protected position as well as one of great responsibility. The members of the Lord's churches are a people especially loved of the Lord and it is a great honor to be placed as leader over them. It is a position that calls for the strength, wisdom, protection, and comfort from the Lord Himself. "and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches." - God had a special purpose in representing the churches by candlesticks. His churches are to be the light bearers in this world. He is the true light, the churches reflect His light to the world. These were real live churches with real live pastors, which are the only kind of churches the Lord has. The Bible certainly never gives any hint of there being such a monstrosity as a "universal invisible church." Let us note the necessity for church perpetuity. If the world is to have the gospel preached in all ages by those commissioned then the churches must remain through all ages. These churches to whom John wrote do not exist today but churches of like faith and order do remain and have since the time of Christ. Let us remember only Baptist Churches can be found in all ages back to John the Baptist.
CHAPTER II
Verse 1 - "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;" - The message to the church is directed to the pastor, and messenger of the church. The authority of the letter is established by its being dictated by the one who holds the pastor in His hand and whose presence is in the midst of His churches.
Verse 2 - "I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience," - The Lord knows everything about all His churches. This church was doing good work, they were patient enduring the hardships. To look at the outside you wouldn't know anything was wrong. "and how thou canst not bear them which are evil:" - They wouldn't put up with evil doers. They expected everyone to live like Christians should live, this is, of course, how it should be. "and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:" - This church was diligent in learning and following the true doctrine. If a man came to teach them they put him through the mill and found out what he believed. If he didn't agree with what was right they got rid of him.
Verse 3 - "And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted." - The Lord commends them for their patient endurance of trials and tribulations. They were not "quitters". They believed the cause of Christ was worth standing for. We should have the same attitude. What would we do if we had the trials they had? Would the Lord be able to commend us? We wonder where folks would stand in such times when they won't put themselves out today to ride in luxury to an air-conditioned building where they know they will not be harmed! What would folks do who don't have patience with the children or with each other? How about the folks who practice all kinds of sin and don't seem to care? Would the Lord compliment our church and say "well done"?
Verse 4 - "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." - The Lord has commended them for their good traits and now announces the fault they have. The church did have some very good characteristics; they were hard workers and didn't give up easily. They were sound morally and doctrinely but they were lacking in one very important, yes vital point. They had left their first love. No doubt this means their love to Christ. Of all things the Lord desires of us the first is love. This church had become like Martha who was so busy doing "things" she neglected the "one thing" most important. She had neglected the love and adoration that her sister Mary expressed. Most of us today are like this church, we have grown cold in our love for Christ. This we can tell if we allow ourselves to reminisce. Remember the excitement and joy that filled your heart the day you accepted Christ as Savior? You felt like you never wanted to think or talk about anyone else, but how is it now? When a man marries there is that first love, that "honeymoon" love, that puts everything else in the background. He is taken up with his bride and nothing else really matters as long as he is with her. Of course there is the sense of emotional fervency that first love must burn deeper and deeper and though it may be expressed in a different way it must be there. So our love for Christ, we must attend to Him, we must let Him fill our lives. He must be the object of the affection of our hearts. He must be loved fervently: He is not satisfied with a few minutes a day while the world gets the rest. As a wife or husband will not be happy no matter how many things are done, if the one loved does not respond with genuine love, so with Christ, no matter how busy we are attempting to do His work, He wants us to take time to talk with Him, meditate with Him, let the thoughts of our hearts reach unto and commune with Him. Happiness with Christ must above all things be based on a first love.
Verse 5 - "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works;"- God has given man a memory to be used for His glory. However this faculty of man is depraved like the rest of him and the devil can control it. This happens to Christians as well as lost people. If we are not careful the devil will have us call to mind only the things he wants us to remember. Multiplied thousands of Christians lose the joy of their salvation and will readily admit they were the happiest when they were earnestly serving God. Why don't they recall the happy condition, dwell upon it and get back to it? Because the devil doesn't want them to and they let him have his way!! So the Lord commands the church at Ephesus to remember her first state, remember those days when she was really in love with the Lord. "and repent" - True repentance is the internal evidence that once one realizes his sin he will desire to be rid of it "and do thy first works" - Genuine repentance will express itself outwardly in works. One who says he has repented and yet continues as he did before is only fooling himself. Here the Lord is commanding them to return to their first love. When one loves the Lord he will love the Lord's word and the Lord's work. No doubt one of the first works that result from the first love is winning souls to Christ. Many churches today are sound as far as doctrine is concerned; that is all except the doctrine of soul winning; they know much about election, church doctrine, mission work overseas, etc. but they know little about personal witnessing for Christ. A church that is actively engaged in winning souls will be a church that is in love with the Lord. You can't love the Lord without loving souls and you can't love souls without loving the Lord. "or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." - Here the Lord announces the consequence of this sin if they refuse to repent. What is the meaning and significance of having the candlestick removed? In the vision John saw the Lord Jesus walking in the midst of the candlesticks. Jesus said the candlesticks are the churches, each candlestick representing a church. Christ's presence with the candlestick signified His acceptance, approval and ownership of the churches. Now if one of the candlesticks were removed from His presence this would mean that church was no longer in His favor and thus would not be recognized as one of His churches. The threat to the Ephesus Church is that unless they come back to loving Christ as they first did and express that love in doing their first works, which would certainly involve soul winning; He would cast them out from being one of His churches. As a point of interest, there is no evidence that this church heeded the Lord, for soon after the whole city was destroyed and yet today there remains nothing but ruins. Many churches today have the name Baptist over the door when they should have "Icabod" for the glory has long ago departed.
Verse 6 - "But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." - Who the Nicolaitanes were or what they believed and did is left to pure conjecture. The Bible gives no evidence and neither does secular history. Some believe these were followers of Nicanor, one of the first deacons, Acts 6:5; but this has no ground. Others break down this compound word into its true parts which means "to conquer the people". From this they conclude the doctrine concerned, a graded ministry which finally grew into the Roman hierarchy or Catholic Church. This can by no means be proven though it does sound good. One thing is certain, the Lord does hate all the false religious systems of the world including the Roman Catholic set up as is clearly taught in Revelation 17. The people of God should hate and stand against the thing the Lord hates.
Verse 7 - "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirt saith unto the churches;"- This expression simply means that the message to the churches are for anyone who wants to hear. Some do not want to hear because their hearing is made dull by the chant of the world. "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." - There was a tree of life in the Garden of Eden which man was not permitted to eat of after he had sinned. Genesis 2:17 "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." If he had eaten of it he would live for ever in his sin cursed body. Genesis 3:22. This was not God's plan for man; He did not want him to live for ever in this body so He appointed it unto death. Redeemed man will be able to eat of the tree of life in heaven. This is symbolic of the great truth that the redeemed of the Lord will have new glorified bodies untouched by sin, that will live for ever in the glories of heaven. God doesn't tell us a lot of details about our new bodies, but we know they will be immortal, incorruptible, tangible, yet not limited by time, distance or any physical force, capable of eating, yet not of necessity, completely controlled by the spirit which is in total obedience to God's Holy Spirit, a body fit to inherit and enjoy heaven for ever. This is the promise to all who overcome in Christ.
Verse 8 - "And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive," - Smyrna is a city of Asia Minor located about forty miles north of Ephesus. While Ephesus is nothing but ruins now, Smyrna is a large city of about 200,000. Jesus introduces Himself to this church as the first and last and He which was dead and is alive. These are vital truths about Christ. He is the eternal one, the creator of all things, the one who began all things and who will bring all things to a close. He is the Almighty God. No one will be saved who does not believe in His diety. Salvation comes only to those who believe in the Christ of the Bible. A faith that accepts Him only as a good man or as a god will not save. He is the one who died and yet is alive. The gospel story is how Christ died for our sins, was buried and arose from the dead "according to the scriptures" any story that deviates from the scripture is not a true story and is not the gospel (good news) because it cannot save. No matter what else is believed about Christ if He is not believed upon as having died on the cross for my sins, and after three days arising again, that belief is vain and powerless to save.
Verse 9 - " I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty," - This was a church sorely oppressed by the enemies of Christ but they were not unnoticed by the Lord. God has a purpose in allowing His People to be persecuted. He wants to try us and develop us into strong Christians to be an example before the world. These trials seem difficult now but He will richly reward us for everything we suffer for His sake. "(but thou art rich)" - Though these people had little of this world's goods yet they were rich toward God. Jesus taught His disciples to lay up treasures in heaven because there it would last. It is a terrible shame and loss for God's people to be so engrossed in the things of the world that they fail to consider the things of real value and thus fail to lay up treasures in heaven. How sad when people count their money and boast of their accomplishments; they are found to be poverty stricken in the things of the Lord. "and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan." - The folks mentioned here were of such character they showed themselves to be followers of Satan rather than of the Lord. They claimed to be Jews, that is, in religion, but were not. They did not abide by the teaching of the Jewish religion but were blasphemers. Whether this means they blasphemed against God or against the church makes little difference. They were enemies of both and in league with the Devil.
Verse 10 - "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer:" - Such words seem strange to the carnal mind. Why didn't the Lord deliver them from these sufferings if He knew of them beforehand? The answer is of course that He had something of much greater value for them for enduring. The Christian need have no fear of losing in the end if he abides in Christ, neither does he need to fear the awfulness of suffering and death because the Lord is able to comfort even in those times. "behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried;" - This doesn't seem like much to look forward to but the Lord is able to turn adversity into blessing. It was a common thing for Christians to be thrown into prison. How would Christians react today if the announcement came they were going to be thrown into prison!!! Would there be many like Paul and Silas who sing and praise the Lord or count it all joy because they were called upon to suffer for His names sake!! Though Satan would be allowed to cast them into prison yet God had His purpose to try them. We need to view our trials from a spiritual standpoint like Peter, seeing that they are more precious than gold if they are to the praise and honor of Jesus Christ, I Peter 1:7 - "and ye shall have tribulation ten days:" - This probably doesn't mean literally ten - 24 hour days, but rather designates a short period of time. "be thou faithful unto death." - The implication is that at least some of them would be persecuted unto death even though the time for persecution would be short. All Christians in all ages are called upon and expected of God to be faithful until the time they die whether they die violent deaths or natural deaths. "and I will give thee a crown of life." - There is much question about the different crowns that will be given the special servants of God as to whether they will be literal crowns to be worn or if the crowns will all be given to Christ as in Revelation 4:10. Some think the crowns are only symbolic representing the special standings or positions and privilege of the honored saints. Regardless of what they are we know for certain they are well worth striving for. There are some folks who think it is wrong to serve God with the view of rewards in mind but this is unscriptural. Many times in the Bible we are urged to consider the rewards to be given as an incentive to greater service. The rewards are of tremendous value and the Lord offers them in love. He wants us to have them so certainly that we should consider them and try our very best to achieve them.
Verse 11 - "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." - The "second death" refers to the torments of hell. Death is separation. Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body. Spiritual death or the second death is separation of the soul from God. The Christian is not exempt from the death of the body unless he is living when Christ comes again. God could have made it so if He had wanted to that all could be translated without experiencing physical death but He chose to have them die. It is not pleasing to the old nature to think of laying aside the flesh in death because this ends all its influence and rule. Physical death is not dreaded by the spiritually minded person because he knows he will immediately be in the presence of God and he lays his body to rest in hope of the resurrection. To the soul in heaven where time means nothing the sleeping body in the dust of earth is of no consequence because of the knowledge of the sure hope of the resurrection. The promise of not being hurt of the second death is to those who overcome and to none else. The only way one can overcome is by faith as John states in I John 5:4. Those who have faith in Christ are born of the Spirit of God and overcome by the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 12:11. To overcome the devil and the world means they do not have dominion over us. There is no promise of eternal life to those who continue in sin and ungodliness. The person who experiences no change in his life manifests the fact he has experienced no change in his heart. There are millions who have their names on church rolls and have been baptized in one fashion or another who think they are on their way to heaven even though their lives are lived according to the course of this world. The promise is to those who overcome the world so folks who do not overcome have no reason or right to claim a promise made to someone else. God spoke through James and said: James 2:14,27,18 "What doth it profiit, my brethern, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith (that kind of faith) save him?"... "Even so faith, if it hath not works, (does not produce works) is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works; shew me thy faith without thy works and I will shew thee my faith by my works" Every man would do well to constantly judge himself to see if his life is in line with his profession. Talk is cheap, any man can render lip service, it is getting the job done that counts. Too many people are like those Jesus mentioned in Matthew 15:8 - "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." Remember the promise is to him that overcometh, not to him that "talketh".
Verse 12 - "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;" - Pergamos was a city of Mysia. In its day it was the most splendid city of Asia. Great and marvelous temples were built here to the Greek pagan gods Zeus, Athene, Apollo, etc. It is referred to as the seat of Satan. In the midst of all this dwelt one of the Lord's churches to which John is instructed to write. Jesus presents Himself as the one with the sharp two edged sword proceeding from His mouth as He is described in Revelation 1:16. His words are so penetrating they suggest a sharp sword. This is one way we know the Bible is the word of God because no word of man could cut to the heart, divide, convict and bring one to repentance. The written word however, is powerless unless wielded by the Holy Spirit. This is why one person may hear or read the word of God and not be affected, while another hearing the same thing is shaken to the core of his heart.
Verse 13 - "I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is:" - The Lord knows all the temptations and allurements that surround His people. Pergamos was an exceedingly wicked city and the Christians were subjected to much temptation. Christians are to remain separate and pure no matter where they live or what the outward circumstances, but it is much easier to live a separated life in some places than others. For example it is much easier for a child to do right if he is brought up in a Christian home and has the advantages of going to a Christian school. There are some communities where sin abounds much more than in others. Folks who have the privilege of living in a decent society should appreciate it. It is not impossible, however, to live a dedicated life before the Lord in any place. Some are harder than others; we should not purposely live in sinful surroundings but in places where it can not be helped those who remain faithful are to be commended. - "and thou holdest fast my name," - This church was not ashamed of Christ, they let it be known they were His followers. They had many critics and scoffers who made fun of them and tried to discourage them but they held fast to the name of Christ. -"and hast not denied my faith," - Faith is the key word in the Christian religion. God demands that we believe Him regardless of outward conditions. One thing that tends to shake one's faith is trouble and persecution. The question immediately comes to mind "why does God allow this if He is really God?" There would be no problem to believe if every thing went our way. God wants us to believe when things are going wrong as well as when they are going right. - "even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you," These people were faithful even in the face of death, such trials show the true metal of God's people. We need to constantly ask ourselves "how would I do under such circumstances?" One would be only fooling themselves if they think they would be faithful in times like those if they will not put themselves out in times like these. If People who piously pretend to love God now yet forsake the assembly for almost any reason would show a yellow stripe a foot wide if persecution ever came. - "where Satan dwelleth." - The mention again of Satan's dwelling there is to emphasize the fact and to impress the idea that the Lord was aware of it.
Verse 14 - "But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Isreal, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication." - The Lord does not overlook our faults just because we have some good points. This church had a faction in it that held to the principles of Balaam's doctrine. Balac was king of Moab; he felt he could not successfully fight against the children of Israel so he sent for Balaam who was a respected prophet of God that he might put a curse on them. God would not allow Balaam to do this so he devised another plan. He instructed Balac to have the women of Moab tempt the men of Israel and marry them and thus corrupt them with their false gods. Thus a people who could not be cursed were brought into sin so that God's hand of chastening had to fall heavily upon them. This was happening to the church at Pergamos. Some of them were flirting with the world, this is one of the devil's ways to corrupt God's people. He gets some of the worldly-minded ones to associated with the spiritual minded ones and soon they too become worldly. The leaven spreads rapidly. Christians should ever be on the watch, and shun those who would impose worldly and ungodly practices upon them.
Verse 15 - "So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which thing I hate." - There was a difference in this church and the one at Ephesus in that those of Ephesus hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans while the church of Pergamos put up with them. What their doctrine was is not mentioned. At any rate they held doctrine that God hated and they should have been put out of the church. God is not pleased with any church that does not practice discipline as it is needed. If a church allows immorality or false teaching and beliefs among its members, the whole church will soon be affected or infected and overcome.
Verse 16 - "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth." - When God's people find themselves in a wrong situation, all they can do is acknowledge their sin, repent of it and start over aright. God is loving and understanding; He will always help us when we want to do the right thing but He cannot tolerate sin. The threat here is against those who hold the false doctrine. What He will do with the sword of His mouth is not explained but we can be sure that it will be severe. He, by a word, created the heavens and earth, by a word He can cast into hell so let no one think He is without means.
Verse 17 - "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna," - Those who show they are really saved by overcoming have eternal life and will be sustained for ever in heaven satisfied with the true spiritual food that only God can give. "and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." - What this stone is no one really knows because the Bible doesn't explain it. We know this, that it is symbolic of a special reward. The reward will have a special significance to the one who has it and will not mean anything to others. The name written on it may be the name of the Lord or something setting forth the new relationship of a believer with Christ. At least it shows the Lord's approval and is a token of His acceptance of the service rendered. God cannot fully describe the rewards to us now because we have not the capacity to receive it. Then, however, we will know and will be satisfied.
Verse 18 - "And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath His eyes like unto a flame of fire, and His feet are like fine brass;" - The Lord Jesus addresses Himself to this church as the one having eyes like a flame of fire and feet like fine brass. This signifies the eyes of the Lord are penetrating. There is nothing beyond or hidden from his vision Proverbs 15:3 "The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good." We should always be conscious of this fact. We refrain from doing many evil things because of the presence of man while the all-seeing eye of God upon us seems to have little effect. Our lives would be different if we really believed in God and understood He was watching us at all times. His feet like fine brass; brass is the symbol of judgment in the Bible. Fine brass as if burned in a furnace (Revelation 1:15) speaks of pure or perfect judgment. The Lord is the righteous judge and will give to every man as he deserves. Those whose judgment is met in Him will be exalted but those who refused Him will be trampled under His feet. Nothing good will go unrewarded and nothing evil will go unpunished.
Verse 19 - "I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience" - As with each of the churches the Lord declares His knowledge of their works; He knows all about what goes on in His churches in all ages. This church is commended for its love. A church without love cannot honor the Lord or be used to do His work. They also had faith and patience; these qualities likewise are necessary to do service for God. Our faith is liable to waver and give out if we become impatient. We need to follow the paths the Lord opens for us and wait for Him to perform His works. He does not get in a hurry like we do, neither does He lag behind. We need to stay close to Him. - "and thy works; and the last to be more than the first." - Their works are mentioned again. The first mention concerns all their works in general, the second concerns the things just mentioned, love and service, and faith and patience. These people grew in grace and increased in works. This is very good, we should become more efficient the longer we serve. Many of us, however, want to start something and then quit when we get a little tired or inconvenienced or if the going gets a little rough. We should determine to finish every job with as much or more zeal and enthusiasm than we had to start.
Verse 20 - "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication," - It is amazing how churches can be so strong in some points and yet so weak in others. This church had an ungodly woman who passed herself off as being a prophetess yet she was teaching it as all right to commit fornication. The pagans of that time thought nothing of adultery but freely practiced it even in their religious ceremonies. This of course was strictly against the teachings of Christianity but we can imagine how some who were newly converted from this could be brought back under it, especially by a teacher who claimed to be a prophetess and was allowed by the church to teach. We have the same thing practiced today in many churches where the sanctity of the marriage vows are pushed aside and people divorce and remarry without scriptural grounds. Much worse than this is the practice of pre-marital sex and of living common law yet this goes on in some of the churches today. God only allows such experience under the marriage vows. - "and to eat things sacrificed to idols." - This no doubt refers to eating these things as a religious observance. There is nothing wrong in eating meat offered to idols as we would eat any other meat unless it offends someone else. (See this explained in I Corinthians 8:1-13). So this woman must have been not only teaching that it was all right to commit adultery but it was all right to worship idols as well.
Verse 21 - "And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not." - This sin was probably of long standing and the Lord had sent more than one warning to turn from it. No sinner will be able to say at the judgment day that he didn't have time to repent. All without exception will have had plenty of time but failed to take advantage of it.
Verse 22 - "Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds." - The bed referred to is a condition of great pain and sorrow. God cannot allow sin to go on and on, sooner or later He will bring down His chastening hand. God is very gracious in that He will forgive those who acknowledge their sin and repent of it. Those who refuse to repent certainly have no right to complain when God brings great sorrow into their lives.
Verse 23 - "And I will kill her children with death," - This is a strong expression setting forth certainty. If people think God won't kill their children because of their sin they have another "think" coming. Many times in the scriptures God warns that He will visit the sins of the fathers upon the sons. A quick way to lose a family is to keep sinning against God. - "and all the churches shall know that I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts:" - God acts in ways that others may learn a lesson. We have little excuse if we know God's threats and see them executed and then persist in doing the same things. There is no way to hide anything from God. He searches from inside out. He knows every thought and motive. - "and I will give unto every one of you according to your works." - No one will escape the proper chastening or punishment. God knows exactly what is right and He will do just that.
Verse 24 - "But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. - It is not known how many of the church were led into this ungodliness but all the church was responsible. Any church that allows sin to be practiced can expect to be chastised for it. God expects us to keep a close watch on each other and when sin is practiced with the refusal to repent that person must be put out of the church. By not putting any other burden upon them He probably means that this is all the correction they will receive and they will have to suffer the consequences of what is already done.
Verse 25 - "But that which ye have already hold fast till I come." - Keep on practicing the things that are good until Jesus comes again.
Verse 26-27 - "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers; even as I received of my Father." - The faithful of the Lord will rule with Him during the millineal period. There will be no opposition to His rule. He will be so powerful and overwhelming that none will dare to raise a hand. That 1000 years will be marked with righteousness and peace in every respect. This is the promise of the Father to the Son.
Verse 28 - "And I will give him the morning star." - The rewards of God's children are beyond description. Here one of the rewards is likened unto the morning star. The allusion is to the planet Venus, which appears in the heavens just before the rising of the Sun. This is a beautiful sight to those who have appreciation for such things. What the reward really is we do not know, but with such a description we know it will be exceedingly wonderful.
Verse 29 - "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches".
CHAPTER III
Verse 1 - "And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write;"- Sardis was the capitol of ancient Lydia, and one of the provinces of Asia Minor. It was one of the wealthiest cities of its time. In the time of John it had been reduced from its splendor by the ravages of war and by a great earthquake. Today there is nothing but ruins. - "These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars:" - Here the Lord Jesus presents Himself as the one who has the fullness of the Spirit of God and the one who holds the pastors of His churches in His hand. - "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." - This was a church that seemed to be alive. There were many activities going on. No doubt anyone around them could tell you where it was. They probably had their hands in all the civic functions; they no doubt had a lot to do with politics and other government powers. They had all kinds of benevolent organizations and all the city big wheels went to church there. Yes, most everyone would say they were really a live-wire church. But the Lord said they were dead. Churches don't need to have a name from the world that they are alive. They need to be alive in God's estimation. It is the duty of the Lord's church to be busy about his business. Many churches today are filled with all kinds of secular activity but in God's sight they are dead.
Verse 2 - "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die:" - There were some remnants of their service which were yet alive but were failing fast. These they are encouraged to look after and revive them. In our personal lives as well as in our churches we need to look after the good things lest we let them slip and eventually cease to do them. This can happen to Bible study, prayer, visiting, mission work, phone calls, letter writing and other good things if we let the world crowd them out. - "for I have not found thy works perfect before God." - They had not done or were not doing what God required. Perhaps every church is guilty of this. Some excel in one point while others are proficient in other things. Each church needs to know what God requires and then try its best to do everything He wants done.
Verse 3 - "Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent."- The apostle Paul had the right idea when he wrote (I Corinthians 2:2) "...I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified". When a church or a person gets away from this they are on the wrong track. We need to go back to the day we heard the gospel and remember how it affected us, and hold fast to that. We should not let other things come into our lives to push aside the wonderful experience. When we feel ourselves getting away we should immediately turn back and repent. Christianity is indeed empty and dead when the first experience with Christ is forgotten. - "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." - When God's people refuse to follow Him they can expect His chastening hand to be upon them. God does not give warning as to what time He will visit, but He does promise that he will. Often we think we are getting away with doing wrong or failing to do right because God doesn't do anything immediately. This of course is not true. We always lose by not obeying God whether He comes suddenly or bides His time.
Verse 4 - "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments;" - Even in a place like Sardis with its sin, defilement and depravity there were still a few who had not entered into the general course of sin but remained faithful to the Lord. It is this faithful few that stays the hand of the Lord, they are the salt of the earth. - "and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy." - The Lord has fitting rewards for all who follow Him. Those who keep their lives pure here on earth and do not become contaminated or defiled by sin will be recognized in heaven as having done such. No one is worthy in themselves to go to heaven but those who walk with the Lord and keep themselves unspotted from the world evidence the fact they have been made worthy by the blood of the Lamb.
Verse 5 - "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment;" - We could better understand the glory of this gift if we understood how filthy we are in God's sight without Christ. Without Him we are clothed in filthy rotten rags which are an abomination before God. Imagine a drunk who had laid all night in his own vomit and filth, stinking and dirty. Would such a vagrant be fit to stand before a king?!! Without Christ we were many times worse than this. But those who overcome through Christ will stand before the King of Kings in shinning white raiment, attired in garments fully fit for such an occasion. If we can see the vast contrast here we can better understand the greatness of God's grace and be encouraged to follow after Him and seek the rewards He promises to give. - "and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life." - God wants us to know that He is a God of order. He keeps books so nothing escapes Him. He has the names of all His elect written in a book. These names were written there before the foundation of the world, Revelation 17:8. "...whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world,...." All that God has chosen will come to Him through Jesus Christ. John 6:37 "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." Luke 10:20 "Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." There are hundreds of references to the fact that God saves for ever those He purposes to save and not one of them will be lost. There was never a name blotted out of the book of life and there never will be. Some people take this passage of scripture to prove a person can lose his salvation. The exact opposite is proven. God does not say He will blot out their names, He says He will not blot out their names. Who is he that overcometh? The word of God gives that answer, I John 5:4,5 "....this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" God does not contradict Himself. To believe that a child of God could be lost and go to hell requires a denial of every promise God has made concerning salvation. The ones who believe such as that may as well throw away his Bible because he doesn't have anything worthwhile left. -"but I will confess his name before my Father, and before His angels." - Does this sound as if Jesus would deny His own? Let's look again in Matthew 10:32 "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven." Romans 10:9 - "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." I John 4:15 - "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." I John 5:1 - "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God..." - God is not in the business of writing and erasing. He doesn't make mistakes. He is not like us, He doesn't need an eraser on His pencil. He is in the business of saving souls not losing them. As for me -Acts 27:25 "...I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me." Romans 3:4 "...let God be true, but every man a liar."
Verse 6 - "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." - Wonderful advice isn't it?"!!
Verse 7 - "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write;" - Philadelphia was about 30 miles southeast of Sardis and was the second city of importance in Lydia. It now exists as a Turkish town. It is in a thriving agricultural district and its site is still beautiful. "These things saith he that is holy, he that is true," - Jesus is the holy one. Luke 1:35 "holy thing". Throughout His life upon the earth the Lord Jesus proved His holiness. Never before had any man lived a life in perfect holiness. He is also the true one. He said of Himself - John 14:6 "...I am the way, the truth, and the life..." He is the only one who can be depended on to keep His word. Everything that He says or promises will be exactly as He said. "he that hath the key of David," - Jesus is of the house and lineage of David. He will one day sit upon David's throne to rule and reign over the earth. When He came the first time He was rejected by the Jews because they expected their Messiah to come to David's throne. When Jesus did not do this they supposed He was not the true Christ. They didn't understand His mission of suffering and death as being the means by which one day He would take control. Though He hasn't taken control in this manner as yet is not proof that He will not. He now as then possesses all the authority of the household of David. Having the key of David means in the material sense that the one possessing it has access to all the treasures of the house of God and all authority to govern His people. In the spiritual sense it signifies the same thing. "he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;" - All power is given unto the Lord Jesus over both the physical and spiritual creation. He sets up thrones and tears them down. No kingdom or power exists without His permission. In the spiritual realm He likewise has all control. No man can enter into His service without first being born of the Spirit of God and then he must follow the leadership of God in order to accomplish anything.
Verse 8 - "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it;" - Exactly what the open door represents is hard to determine. Christ Himself is the door of salvation as He said "I am the door". So perhaps a special opportunity of soul winning was set before them. Paul mentioned several times of a door being opened to him and he was referring to opportunities to preach the gospel. It is certain that when Christ opens the door to salvation no man can close it. No amount of man's threats or promises can keep one from coming to Him. Neither can any man close the door of service. Prison doors could not hold Peter, nor Paul and Silas; they continued to preach until God was finished with them. While it is true that God sets open doors before us, it is also true that we fail to go through many of them. This is true of salvation and of service. The gospel is preached, the invitation given but many folks refuse to come to Christ. To us who are saved many doors of service are opened but we are too lazy or too blind to take advantage. May God help us to wise up while the door is still open. "for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name". - While this church did not have the spiritual strength and energy it should have yet it was not wholly dead. They still believed the word of God and would not deny the name of Christ.
Verse 9 - "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee". - Evidently this group was giving much trouble and persecution to the church. They were claiming they were the people of God and that He didn't love those of the church. The Lord said He would cause them (that say they are Jews) to worship them (true believers) in their presence and to acknowledge that He did love them. When this is to take place is not stated. If something did not take place in their time to bring this about it is certain it will happen in the future. When Jesus comes, all truth will be brought to light. All those who were fakers or pretenders will be exposed for what they are. All those who persecuted and made fun of the churches of the Lord will themselves be brought to shame and made to acknowledge that Jesus is indeed Lord. They will find out for sure whom God loves and whom He does not.
Verse 10 - "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." - Those who are faithful in adhering to the word of God have His promise that He will sustain them in the hour of trouble. He does not promise to take us around all sorrow and temptation but He does promise to go with us through them. While others are burdened down and overcome the child of God is upheld and brought through.
Verse 11 - "Behold I come quickly:" - For the third time in this book the Lord Jesus promises to come again. He does not say what will be the length of time before He comes but He does say it will be with quickness or suddenness. It is clear that He wanted the people of that time to believe that it was possible for Him to come at any moment. The same is true for us today, God wants us to watch and be ready for He may come at any moment. "hold that fast which thou hast" - What did they have? A little strength, the word of God, the name of Jesus and the promise of His coming. They may not seem to have much but they had the necessary things, the things really worth holding onto. "that no man take thy crown." - The crown is not salvation but a reward. Salvation is a free gift and no one can take it away. Rewards are earned and they can be taken away. Not after they are won but in prospect. Here is an example - A fine athlete is running the 440-yard dash, he is way ahead and sure to win but at the 400 yards he sprains his ankle. It would be said he lost the reward because of his sprained ankle. God never takes away our rewards that are already won but we let many things get in the way to rob us of rewards we could have had. Rewards are certain to everyone who meets God's conditions, the only way they are lost is through our failure to comply with His will. No man can hinder us unless we let him. The rewards God gives are of great value and we are urged to attain them.
Verse 12 - "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out:" - This language of course is figurative and it symbolizes a place of great importance and honor. A pillar of a temple is necessary to its support and also to its beauty. Christians who are church members are a part of the body of Christ, they are the holy temple of God here on earth. All of those who will be a part of the temple in heaven should also fill that place here. "and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name." These are terms of acceptance and acknowledgment. The position of glory and honor of the Christian is beyond description. They will be wholly identified with Him. He is not ashamed of His own because He has made them acceptable. All the honor and glory that comes is due to the matchless Son of God. What an expression of His grace that the redeemed shall wear His name and be identified with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Verse 13 - "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
Verse 14 - "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;" - Laodicea was a rich and prosperous city but now lies in ruins. It was in Phrygia about 40 miles from Ephesus and near Colosse. The Lord Jesus addresses Himself as the "Amen". The word "amen" means true, or certain. It is used here to emphasize the fact that He is truthful and what He says is certain. He is the faithful and true witness. He is God's witness and stands for the truth, what He says will certainly come to pass. He cannot condone sin; His threats against those who continue in sin are not idle but exact accounts of what will happen. The expression "the beginning of the creation of God" is not, as some would have us believe, proof that Jesus was a creature but rather an affirmation that He, Himself, is the one who began or brought into existence all creation.
Verse 15 - "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot." - The term "cold" is used to picture lifelessness or dead that is without any semblance of religion. "Hot" refers to zealousness and true sincerity. The Lord is saying then He would rather see them completely dead and lifeless, without any pretense of being Christians, or else be on fire and really show where they stood.
Verse 16 - "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." - Why would the Lord rather see them cold than lukewarm? Being lukewarm refers to a state of pretense, hypocrisy, unfaithfulness, insincerity, and laziness. If a church or a person makes no pretense of being religious not claiming to be anything few people will be influenced by them. It is better not to be influenced at all than to be led in the wrong direction. A church that is busy and flourishing in the things of the world will call a lot of attention to itself and many people are led astray. This church had a lot as far as the world was concerned and they pretended they were on the Lord's side but they were being hypocritical. God wants us to be on fire for Him. What applies to the church applies to each of us as individuals. It is better to be like Saul of Tarsus than like Judas Iscariot. Everyone knew where Saul stood on the issues. He was openly an enemy of Christianity but he didn't know any better. When he saw the truth he accepted it and as the Apostle Paul he was as zealous for the Lord as he had been against Him. Nobody knew where Judas stood. He was supposed to be a Christian, a disciple and apostle of Christ. He could influence people against Christianity because he was a part of it. No one in all annals of history is more sickening and disgusting than Judas Iscariot. Though he companied with the Lord for three years and sat at His feet being taught, he was not saved, he died and went to hell. There is no more dangerous position than to be a member of the Lord's church and not be saved. This church was sickening to the Lord. It was like a drink of warm water that turns your stomach. He said He would spue them out of His mouth just like you would spit a mouthful of lukewarm water you expected to be cold. Some false teachers will take this expression to prove God will cast off His children and they will be lost after they are saved. This, of course, is not true. God does not contradict Himself. This is the same as to say He will remove the candlestick as He said to the church at Ephesus. He would not allow them to go on like they were. If they didn't change He could no longer claim them as His own. If a church expects to remain a church in the sight of the Lord, they must follow His word and do His works.
Verse 17 - "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing;" - This church had plenty of money, no doubt the members tithed and even gave an offering besides. They had money saved up and had all the things to work with. They didn't have to worry about how to make payments on the building or to pay the gas and electric bill. They didn't even have to send out bus mail every month to encourage the folks to give. They had everything they needed, they thought! "and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:" - Though endowed with riches of the world yet in things that really count these people were miserable or pitiable. The saddest thing about their condition was that they didn't know how bad off they were. It is much better to know our condition regardless of what it is; that way we are in a position to try to do something about it. They were blind to spiritual truth and conditions. They had let the devil blind them with the gild of the world. They were naked spiritually speaking. They had no cover for their sins. Their souls were comparable to the body with no protection from the snow, rain and wind. Like the rich man in hell they had nothing to really comfort them. How sad it is to see those who claim to be God's people turn away from serving Him and heap to themselves earthly goods fooling themselves into thinking they are doing all right and are self sufficient. When really they are to be pitied for their miserable wretched condition before God.
Verse 18 - "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich;" - The pure gold here is symbolic of true religion. Nothing is more precious than the truth of salvation. They needed to obtain from Him the truth that before God is priceless and which would make them truly rich. "and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed." - All they had was the filthy garments of self righteousness which were not adequate in any sense of the word. They needed the white robe of righteousness of the Lord Jesus, which is the only protection against the wrath of God. "and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear;" - Those who try to cover their own sins will find God sees right through them. Fig leaves arranged by man can not hide nakedness from Him. How different the one whose sins are covered by the blood of the Lamb and who wears His robe of righteousness!! "and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." - They were blind and only the Lord has the eye-salve that can give spiritual sight. For a church that thought they were all right they surely were in a pitiful condition.
Verse 19 - "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:" - To be loved of God is indeed a blessed position. This verse should certainly be a lesson to the Unitarian and the Universalist. It is clear that God does not love everyone. God rebukes and chastens the ones He loves. Hebrews 12:6,7 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?" We may not enjoy the chastening hand of God but we should rejoice that we have it. We are not perfect and we need to be corrected. Thank God that He loves us and wants us to do right. Sometimes we may envy the wicked as we see them prosper. They have all the things we wanted. They do all kinds of evil things and nothing ever seems to happen to them. Everything they touch seems to turn to gold. They have no financial reverses, they have no serious sickness, they go their way to fulfill their dream; everything seems to go their way but let's see them as David sees them in Psalms 37:35-38. "I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil, but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found. Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace. But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off." "be zealous therefore, and repent." - The Lord says repent and get on fire. The lost sinner cannot complain. The Lord invites him to repent and come to Him. The backslider cannot complain, God chastens him and invites him to turn around and come back. God is gracious, we must listen to Him.
Verse 20 - "Behold I stand at the door, and knock:" - Many and varied are the interpretations of this verse; some of them plausible, others completely out of reason. What ever is meant has to be in accord with the rest of God's word. We know that the idea of the Lord trying to do something He can't is not right because He can do all things. He does not knock at the door of every man's heart for the great majority of men never hear of Him. This is not a picture of the Lord's seeking on a trial and error basis hoping to be able to save some. The interpretation we will give will be with the view that the Lord already knows those who are His. He knows where everyone of them are. He knows none but His chosen ones, His elect, His sheep will accept Him and He knows all of them. First of all this letter is addressed to a church so the obvious meaning of "the door" is the door of the church. (Not of the material building but of the spiritual building.) The church had sinned and was about to be spewed out of His mouth. They are warned of their sins and counseled to buy of the Lord "gold tried in the fire" and "white raiment" to be clothed. They are exhorted to get on fire for God and to repent of their sins. The Lord awaits at the door for this to take place. He is knocking, waiting for, and encouraging them to again come into fellowship with Him. "if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." - Though this letter is addressed to the church collectively it applies individually. The Lord deals with the church through its individual membership. A church is what its members are. It is not necessary for every member to be in fellowship with the Lord in order for any one to be in fellowship. Any member of the church can open to the Lord and have fellowship with Him if he will repent. It must be considered, however, that a man can not have fellowship with God in church capacity after that church has been spewed out, even though he repents, until he is joined to a church the Lord accepts. There are other aspects and inferences from this verse that need to be considered. It is true the Lord knocks at the lost sinner's heart's door with the preaching of the gospel. He encourages the sinner through the gospel to repent and believe. There are examples in the Bible where the gospel was preached to crowds and some believed and some did not. Why this difference? Were some better than others? Were some more wise? Did some have greater potential for future service? The only reason some believed was because God's Holy Spirit dealt with them and enlightened and enabled them to open the door. It is God who causes the hearts door to be opened in so much it is said that the Lord opens the heart. Acts 16:14. The Lord opened Lydia's heart. In the pictures of artists portraying this verse we see Jesus depicted standing outside a door with no outside latch. The reason being to set forth the teaching that Jesus will not come in where He is not wanted. He will not break down the door or force His way in. This of course is true. Jesus does not come in where He is not wanted, but it must be remembered that He is the one who makes the person willing. Philippians 2:13 "...It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." In accomplishing this He must do more than break down a door. He has to overcome principalities and powers; He must tear down the strong-holds of Satan. It takes the mighty power of God to gain entrance to the stony heart of man. Man could no more of himself open his hearts door than he could cast Satan into the bottomless pit. After God has removed all the obstacles and has worked a work of regeneration, then and only then, does man willingly open the door to Jesus to come into fellowship and to rule and reign in his life. In this respect Christ knocks at the door of only those who are His sheep, chosen in Him before the foundation of the world. Jesus said "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me;" - John 10:27. Those who don't hear the voice of the Lord are those who are not of His sheep. Jesus said in John 10:26 "...ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep..." There is a sense in which the believer can close the door to the Lord even as did the Laodicians. When Christians allow sin and worldliness to come into their lives they close the door to fellowship and service. God's Holy Spirit never leaves the believer but He is grieved and quenced when sin enters and the believer begins to say "no" to God. The only way the door can be opened is through repentance and true confession. This is brought about by the pleading and wooing of the Holy Spirit who sets our love and affection upon the Lord Jesus. Salvation is of the Lord from beginning to end. John 15:5 "Without me ye can do nothing."
Verse 21 - "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne." - To each of the churches there is a special promise to those who overcome. Not everyone who professes to be saved is an overcomer. Only those who have a genuine faith in Jesus Christ as the Saviour will overcome. Those who overcome do so by the blood of the Lamb. In each case where the promise is made to overcomers there is a direct connection to deeds done in the body. This is not implying that one overcomes by doing good things or refraining from evil things. For example those of Ephesus would not be given the right to eat of the tree of life merely because they hated the deeds of the Nicolaitanes. They would have this privilege because they overcame by faith in Christ. Likewise the Laodiceans would be granted to sit on the throne not because they became zealous but because they overcame by faith. Doing good things and believing good things is not overcoming, they are the results of overcoming. The promises to the overcomers then is not to a select few of the believers who do better than others, but to all believers, for all believers are overcomers. The Lord Jesus is the one who overcame the world for us. John 16:33 "...I have overcome the world." . All believers are born of God and "...whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:..." - I John 5:4. An examination of the promises will show that all believers are overcomers. Revelation 2:7, "...to eat of the tree of life,..." all in heaven will have this privilege. Revelation 2:11 "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." Revelation 2:17 "...To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna," etc." this is for all God's people just as the manna given to the Isrealites in the wilderness. Revelation 2:26-27 "...power over the nations:" - all the saints shall rule the world. Revelation 3:5 "He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels." These promises are to all the redeemed and so the promise to Philadelphia and Laodicea. All God's elect will be in heaven and will have His name and will rule and reign with Him for a thousand years.
Verse 22 - "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." - God's message is plain enough to all who will receive it. Let no one be so presumptuous to think they will get to heaven merely because they profess or because they do good things. Those in heaven are those who have a living faith in Christ alone for salvation, the kind of faith that will produce works.
CHAPTER IV
Verse 1 - "After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven:" - In chapter 1:19 John is instructed to write "the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter". The "things which are" refers to the events of the church age. These are recorded in chapters 2 & 3. This era extends from the time of the apostles to the return of Christ. The "things which shall be hereafter" are the events after the Second Coming of Christ. These things are recorded in chapters 4 thru 22. The scene is changed from that of the first three chapters. Christ is no longer seen on earth but rather in heaven. The voice of Christ as the sound of a trumpet commands John to come through the door that is opened in heaven. "and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter." - Many and varied are the interpretations of this verse as well as the remainder of the chapter. We are now faced with decisions concerning the rapture, the imminent return of Christ, the tribulation and its relation to the rapture and many other things. It is my opinion that the Bible is clear enough in its teaching that Christ will come at a time no one knows of, or will know of, ahead of time and that when He comes He will raise all those who have died believing in Him and translate or change all the living believers and take them all to heaven at the same time. After this, it appears to me, the tribulation period will begin and continue for seven years. When John is allowed to look into heaven he sees the events as they are to happen. In the following verses we will be able to see why the rapture of the saints must be before the tribulation period. Before we go on let us be reminded of the blessed hope that Jesus is coming again and He will appear with a shout and the voice of the archangel and the trump of God. The shout will be "come up hither" and all the bodies of the dead like Lazarus will respond being quickened by the Spirit of God and all the redeemed who are living will be changed and swept into Glory by the mighty power of God.
Verse 2 - "And immediately I was in the spirit:" - This expression is the same as the one spoken in 1:10. It does not necessarily mean John was transported into heaven in the spirit but he was overwhelmed with the scene and its events and in a condition to receive the message from the manifestations and visions. "and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne." - The first thing John sees is a throne and the one sitting on the throne. There are many wonderful thoughts about heaven, of whom we want to see of our loved ones, Adam and Eve, Abraham, the prophets and apostles, but the one we will want to see the most will be the one we see first, who is our all in all, none other than He who sets upon the throne that is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 3 - "And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone:" - The form and features of the one upon the throne are not described, for who could put that in words or who could receive it if it were?! His beauty and splendor are likened to precious stones. Those stones are the first and last stones on the breastplates of the high priest. It is noted by some expositors that the jasper is not the jasper as we know it but rather crystal clear, as is mentioned in 21:11, which would correspond to the diamond, our most precious jewel. The sardine is the ruby or blood red jewel. As such they would speak of glory and sacrifice. This we know of Jesus, He is the Lord of Glory, He came to earth to present Himself as a sacrifice and is now exalted in the glories of heaven. "and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald." - This rainbow unlike the one we see on earth is a complete circle and instead of having its color spectrum broken down into various colors it is blended into one beautiful green. Here the rainbow is a reminder of God's faithfulness upon the earth. God made a promise to Noah and He has kept it and will keep it for ever. He also made a promise to the Son that the earth would become His footstool. God is a covenant making and a covenant keeping God. To say the least this rainbow is a symbol of God's faithfulness in keeping His promises.
Verse 4 - "And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold." Around the throne were twenty four other thrones. (the word seat is the same word as throne) with twenty four elders sitting upon them. Who are the elders? Or whom do they represent? There is no doubt in my mind that they represent all the redeemed of the Lord up to the time of the Second Coming. Almost all reputable Bible expositors agree to this. They point out a connection with I Chronicles 24 where David appointed twenty four elders to represent the entire Levitical priesthood. These took turns serving in the temple which Solomon built later. All the thousands of priests could not come together to serve at one time so they were divided into orders but all were represented by the twenty four appointed elders. Thus the Lord showed John twenty-four ruling instead of a whole mass multitude around the throne, but each child of God as a believer priest (see Revelation 1:6, 5:10) is represented before the throne of God by the elders who themselves sit upon thrones, signifying their position as rulers or kings. All saints shall rule and reign with Him. The white raiment is the fit garment of the saints representing the righteousness which they have of Christ. (see Revelation 19:8) The crowns of gold signify royal dignity. All the saints of God are made kings and priests. The scene John sees here is certainly telling us that all the redeemed of the Lord are in heaven at the time represented by the scene. This is before anything is said or shown concerning the tribulation. This then should be enough to teach us that the people of God are raptured before the tribulation begins and not in the middle of it or at the end. To put the rapture anyplace except before the tribulation is to mix up the events as John had them revealed to him and so end up with confusion. We firmly believe that Jesus may come at any moment and there is absolutely nothing foretold in the Bible that must come to pass before He comes. If there are things that must be done before Christ comes then we should look for the coming of these things before we look for Him. This we cannot accept, we believe the scriptures teach us to look for Christ's coming at any moment and there will be no signs or forewarning before He comes. We stress this because there are some of our Baptist brethren around here as well as elsewhere who believe the coming of Christ is not imminent or that He will not come until the middle or end of the tribulation period. Many believe the judgment seat of Christ takes place immediately upon His coming and attempt to prove it by the fact the saints have their crowns. We do not accept this, we believe the judgment seat of Christ will be at or near the end of the tribulation. There is only one judgment seat mentioned and all the saved of all ages are to appear there to be rewarded. There will be people saved during the tribulation and since they will not be judged before they are saved, the judgment must be after the tribulation. The crowns of this verse are not rewards. These crowns are worn by all the saints just as white robes are worn. They are gifts of God purchased for us by the blood of Christ. Rewards are not gifts. Rewards are earned. Salvation is a gift of God but treasures are laid up in heaven by what we do. All Christians do not have the same rewards because all do not work alike. There are crowns to be won through our performance here on earth but this crown is not one of them.
Verse 5 - "And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices:" - This |