By James M. Rochford

Unless otherwise stated, all citations are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

We’ve read Paul’s letters, John’s letters, and Peter’s letters to the churches. Here we get the privilege of reading Jesus’ letters!

How do we interpret these letters?

Classic Dispensationalists hold that these seven churches predict the history of the Church throughout the Church Age. For instance, Dwight Pentecost writes, “[The seven churches depict] this present age from the inception of the church to the judgment of the apostate church prior to the second advent.”[1] Good Bible teachers like Chuck Smith and Greg Laurie embrace this view as well (called the “chronological interpretation”). However, other Dispensationalists like Mark Hitchcock reject this view. We also reject this view for a number of reasons:

First, nothing in the text tells us that these messages are prophetic. This is a key lesson in using hermeneutical restraint. If the text doesn’t tell us that these churches represent different periods of church history, then we should restrain ourselves from reading this view into the text. The plain sense reading is that Jesus is speaking to literal and historical churches in first century Asia Minor. He even mentions historical details about these churches.

Second, the outline of the book speaks against this. Jesus told John to write about “the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things” (Rev. 1:19). The “things which will take place after these things” refer to the future (Rev. 4:1), but the “things which are” refer to John’s current time in history.

Third, it contradicts the doctrine of Jesus’ imminent return. If these letters to the seven churches predict ~2,000 years of church history, then Jesus couldn’t have returned at any moment throughout the last 2,000 years. Ironically, the doctrine of Jesus’ imminent return is a common staple of Dispensationalism, and the chronological interpretation contradicts this.

Fourth, this view is often ethnocentric, focusing on Anglo-American Christianity—not the global Church. The chronological interpretation tends to focus on the Christians in Europe and America. But what about all of the other Christians worldwide? This becomes most evident in the interpretation of the seventh church: Laodicea. Interpreters state that Christians in the 20^th century have become materialistic like the church of Laodicea. Of course, it’s true that the Western church is largely affluent. But what about impoverished Christians in Africa, Asia, Latin America, etc.? Indeed, Christianity is thriving in these regions of the world, so why would we have a microscopic view of only the Christians in the United States and Europe? These interpreters should try convincing Christians in Haiti or Cambodia that they are living in affluence and luxury! This interpretation simply doesn’t fit with global Christianity.

Even though we reject this interpretation, we have listed the chronological view in our commentary below. This is simply for the benefit of the reader to see how an alternate perspective functions—not because we adhere to this interpretation.

How should we interpret the letters to the seven churches?

If these letters were written to historical churches in the first century, then how do they relate to us today? We would argue that we should be consistent in how we interpret all of the epistles in the NT—not just those in Revelation 2-3. With this in mind, these letters are not much different from any other epistle written to individual churches (e.g. Colossians, Ephesians, Romans, etc.). That is, all of these letters had an original audience, as well as a timeless and universal application. The same is true for the seven churches in Revelation. Each letter ends with the statement, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Therefore, these letters are not only intended for these particular churches, but for (1) anyone with ears and (2) all the “churches.” Indeed, these seven churches likely passed this entire scroll from church to church. So, each church would’ve read the messages to the other six churches. This implies universal application as well.

Why are there seven churches?

The number seven appears 54 times in the book of Revelation. Interpreters often understand this to refer to the number of perfection or completion (e.g. God created in seven days). We grow tired of hearing how all of the various numbers of Revelation have some sort of allegorized, non-literal meaning. Indeed, commentators hold that the number 7, 10, 12, 1,000, 144,000, etc. all refer to the symbol of perfection! (Or imperfection in the case of 666!) While numbers can possess a symbolic meaning, these need to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.

In our view, Jesus picked seven literal churches to address. However, in our estimation, we think he likely chose seven churches because this also had additional symbolic value—namely, he is speaking to the entire Church throughout history. This view wouldn’t allegorize the seven churches as non-literal, but rather, it would give symbolism through the means of these seven, literal churches. In a similar way, the twelve literal apostles seem to be symbolic in some sense for the twelve tribes of Israel (Mt. 19:28).

Why does Jesus address these churches and not others?

There are roughly 30 local churches mentioned in the NT. Why does Jesus single out these seven? Hitchcock speculates that John may have personally overseen these seven churches. Moreover, from his exile on the island of Patmos, John could see many of these churches, and so Jesus may have addressed them for this reason. Hitchcock also speculates that perhaps these types of churches would have common strengths and weaknesses that could apply to all churches (simultaneously) throughout church history. Furthermore, the ancient postal route would’ve followed this path to deliver these letters.

What does Jesus have to tell us?

We don’t want to be so set in our ways that we can’t hear the voice of Jesus speaking to us. Each letter closes with a universal invitation: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” While the letters are addressed corporately “to the churches,” we are all individually responsible (“He who has an ear”). Wiersbe writes, “Churches are made up of individuals, and it is individuals who determine the spiritual life of the assembly. So, while reading these messages, we must apply them personally as we examine our own hearts.”^[2] As we reflect on the problems in these churches, ask yourself, “Am I here to criticize and judge my local church, or to help revitalize it?”

(1) Ephesus (2:1-7) Hardworking and discerning, but lost their first love

Advocates of the chronological interpretation believe that this is the first-century church (i.e. the “apostolic church”).

What was the church in Ephesus like? From all we can gather, Ephesus must’ve been an enormous church. Though Pergamum was the official capital of Asia, Ephesus was its largest city and perhaps the de facto capital. Three major trade routes travelled through the city.^[3] Paul, Timothy, and John all led in Ephesus at one point, and Paul lived there for roughly three years (Acts 19:10). If an ambitious and unstoppable man like Paul decided to stay put in Ephesus for three years, this must have been an important church. Indeed, the Bible devotes seven letters to this particular church: Ephesians, 1 & 2 Timothy, 1-3 John, and Revelation. Paul spent two years in the school of Tyrannus teaching and preaching, and consequently, reached the larger region in Asia Minor (Rev. 19:10). Because it was “the most strategic cosmopolitan city of Asia [Minor]” after the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, Ephesus “may have become temporarily the headquarters of the whole church.”[4]

The culture of Ephesus was heavily influenced by idolatry (Acts 19:19-20, 23). The Temple of Artemis (or “Diana” in Latin) was four times the size of the Parthenon (425 feet long and 225 feet wide), and its 127 pillars were six stories tall and made entirely out of marble (Pliny, Natural History 36.95ff). The “Artemision” was “one of the seven wonders of the world,”^[5] and it had “literally thousands of priests and priestesses, many of them sacred prostitutes.”^[6] Paganism was rampant in this region. This is why we read about Paul’s healing handkerchiefs, Jewish exorcists, and young Christians selling their occult books for 50,000 pieces of silver. This is likely why Paul, Timothy, and John taught here so much, and also why Jesus praises this church for their keen doctrinal discernment (Rev. 2:2). The church in Ephesus started around AD 50, so they are in their second generation at this point in history (AD 95). During their history, they were plagued by false teachers (Eph. 4:14; 1-2 Timothy; 1 John). This explains why doctrinal discernment is a key theme of Jesus’ letter to them.

(2:1) “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this.”

(Rev. 2:1) Was this an angel or the pastor of the church? Some commentators hold that these “angels” actually refer to the senior pastor (or bishop) of each church. Others hold that the angels aren’t literal but refer to the “prevailing spirit”^[7] of the church. We reject these views in favor of the plain sense reading: For some reason, unknown to us, God assigned an angel to each of these churches. We cannot know if the same is true for all churches today and throughout history (i.e. a guardian church angel?). However, we feel compelled to follow the text for these seven churches—namely, each had an angel watching over them.

“The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this.” The term “holds” (krateō) communicates having a “firm grip.”^[8] One of the quickest ways to lose our influence for Christ is to forget who is “holding” the church. According to the text, Jesus is present in the Church as well (“…the One who walks among the… lampstands…”). This fulfills Jesus’ promise when he said, “Where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst” (Mt. 18:20).

(2:2-3) “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; ³ and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.”

“I know your deeds.” We all want to know that someone appreciates and notices our hard work. There’s nothing more disheartening than working on a project when no one cares what you’re doing. But Jesus is watching all of our work, and none of it is “in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58). Jesus knows our “deeds” and how much we suffer. We can trust that he knows exactly what is going on with every detail in the church. Our hard work does not go unnoticed.

This was a hardworking church. The term “toil” (kopon) refers to “a state of discomfort or distress” or “to engage in [an] activity that is burdensome, work, labor” (BDAG, p.558). Moreover, the term “perseverance” (hypomonēn) means “the capacity to hold out or bear up in the face of difficulty” (BDAG, p.1039). These Christians had “toiled to the point of exhaustion.”^[9] Jesus uses wordplay to describe this church. He states that they “toiled” (kopon), but they had “not grown weary” (kopiaō). The NLT translates this as “without quitting,” which captures the meaning well.

“You cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false.” Paul had predicted false teachers for this group (Acts 20:28-31), and so did John (1 Jn. 4:1; 2 Jn. 7-11). At this point in history, these heretical teachers had arrived in full. Yet, this church had been ready for them…

This was a discerning church. When Jesus refers to not tolerating “evil men,” he is referring to discernment and testing what they were hearing (1 Thess. 5:21; 1 Cor. 14:29; 1 Jn. 4:1). Despite the fact that the Ephesians were mired in occult practice and paganism, they had surprising theological insight, and they valued truth and solid Bible teaching. By AD 110, Ignatius could write to the Ephesians that “among you no heresy dwells” (Letter to the Ephesians, 6.2).

Intolerance can be a good thing. We should be intolerant of poverty, disease, racism, sexism, and bigotry. Tolerating false teaching that ruins people’s lives isn’t a mark of virtue, but of vice. Jesus himself commends this church for being intolerant of these teachers who were ruining people’s lives (“evil men”). Of course, this doesn’t imply that we need to be mean-spirited or cold-hearted toward those with whom we disagree. Indeed, Jesus faults these same Christians for such a loveless form of spirituality (Rev. 2:4). We should be harsh with ideas, but gentle with people. Regarding verse 6, Morris writes, “It is the practices and not the persons which are the objects of hatred.”^[10]

In his lectures on the book of Revelation, D.A. Carson states that it’s easy to be a prophet for false teaching in the past. Like a “Monday morning quarterback,” it’s easy to see heresies in different cultures and in different time periods. However, it’s hard to be a prophetic voice for false teaching in the present.

(2:4) “But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

They were working hard, but they forgot about God’s love for them and their love for others.

Did they (1) lose their love for Christ or (2) lose their love for one another? We’re not sure. This is probably ambiguous for a reason because these concepts are so closely united in biblical thinking. In fact, the NLT captures this ambiguity: “I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!” Regardless, we know this: The love in their hearts had grown cold. Their hands and heads were into the work of serving Christ, but their hearts weren’t into it anymore. It’s possible to serve and sacrifice for years, but fail to love (1 Cor. 13:1-3). Nothing substitutes for love (Mt. 22:37ff; Rom. 13:8; Gal. 5:14; 1 Tim. 1:5).

Does this refer to emotional love for Jesus? Much devotional material interprets this passage to refer to our emotional love for Jesus. If we lose that, they would argue, then we lose our basis for loving others. Of course, we enjoy emotional feelings in our time with God, and it feels good to have this subjective of sense during time in the word or prayer. If anything, we want more of these experiences. However, this is not what this passage is referring to.

For one, the emphasis of Scripture is God’s love for us—not our emotional love for God (1 Jn. 3:16; 4:10). Indeed, it’s difficult to find passages that refer to our emotional love for Jesus in the NT. We certainly should love Jesus (1 Pet. 1:8; Eph. 6:24), but we don’t read commands to display a subjective, emotional love.

Second, if our problem was an emotional and devotional deficit with God, then wouldn’t Jesus’ solution be to go into our prayer closet to memorize Scripture and read devotional books? Instead, the solution is to “do the deeds you did at first.” This refers to loving others, which is a way of loving God himself (1 Jn. 3:17; 4:20). To succinctly summarize: Jesus isn’t referring to a lack of subjective emotions toward God, but rather, objective actions toward others.

Love drifts. After 40 years of work, there was a slow slip in the heart of the people in this church. A one-degree misdirection on the compass took them drastically off course over time. This can happen when we think of our ministry as “business as usual.” Perhaps Paul warned the Ephesians of this, when he wrote, “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love” (Eph. 6:24). This could also be why he told them to remember to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15). Do you love the people that God has entrusted to your leadership and care? Have you loved them to the point that you actually enjoy being around them?

Be careful what you place at the center of your Christian life! True spirituality places love at the center. Jesus said that love is the greatest commandment (Mt. 22:36-40), and Paul wrote that “the goal of our instruction is love” (1 Tim. 1:5). Indeed, love fulfills the Law itself (Gal. 5:14; Rom. 13:8, 10). If love isn’t at the center, then what has replaced it? Work ethic? Discernment? Doctrinal precision? Courage? The Ephesians had all of these, but they had lost love at the heart of it all. It isn’t hard to imagine the Christians at Ephesus getting caught up in fighting false teaching, but losing their focus on loving the saints. When we get into a season of fighting false teachers, it’s easy for this to become an obsession and a preoccupation. Our love can slowly and even unnoticeably begin to cool and fade, even as we fight, fight, and fight some more.

Do you find yourself in this spiritual condition? Has love for others slipped away as the crux of your Christian life? If so, what’s the solution? Jesus gives three steps to recover from a loveless life.

(2:5) “Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.”

(1) “Remember.” What was it like to experience love for others? What did it feel like when you were serving others on a regular basis? In what ways were your relationships different? How does that compare to today?

(2) “Repent.” Jesus mentions repentance twice, so this must be important. Repentance refers to an honest admission of our problem before God. This is often quite difficult because it’s easy to justify a lack of relational love when we are so working hard. Yet, this is a stern warning to those who work hard for Christ: Make sure that in all of your ministry that you do not lose a love for others! No more excuses, blame-shifting, or self-justifications. Simply admit this before God and repent.

(3) [Repeat] “Do the deeds you did at first.” Acting on the truth is irreplaceable. As we act on the truth, we gain victory that we didn’t think was possible (cf. Jas. 1:22-25; Jn. 13:17; Acts 20:35). Rather than thinking through exotic solutions, Jesus tells them to repeat what they were doing back when their spiritual walk was going well. What were you doing when you were loving others so well? Why not rinse and repeat, and see where God guides you?

“Or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place.” The “lampstand” refers to the church as a witness to the world—similar to how the “two witnesses” in the Tribulation are called “two lampstands” (Rev. 11:4). If the church in Ephesus refused to engage in love, Jesus would take away their witness to the world.

Instead of being focused on the external persecutors or false teachers, we should be more concerned about whether or not Jesus is going to come and pull away our lampstand. Morris writes, “A church can continue only for so long on a loveless course. Without love it ceases to be a church.”^[11] We could refute all of the false teaching in the world, and still lose Jesus in the process!

These concepts, of course, are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, Jesus praised them for the fact that they were hardworking and discerning. The solution is not (repeat not!) to have less hard work or less discernment; the solution is to emphasize more love for others.

(2:6) “Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”

(Rev. 2:6) Who were the Nicolaitans? The term Nicolaitans comes from two words: “priests” or “victory” (nikos) and “people” or “laity” (laos). Walvoord^[12] holds that this means that they were forerunners of the clerical hierarchy. This would certainly fit his view that this church prophetically represents the “apostolic church.” But Thomas disagrees because this was an “actual historical sect.”^[13] The Ephesians stood up against this teaching, while the church of Pergamum capitulated to it (Rev. 2:15).

Eusebius places Cerinthus and the Nicolaitans in the same time period. After recounting John fleeing the bathhouse of Cerinthus, Eusebius writes,

“At this time, also, there existed for a very short time the so-called heresy of the Nicolaitans of which the Apocalypse of John makes mention. These boasted of Nicolaus, one of the deacons with Stephen chosen by the Apostles for the service to the poor.”^[14]

Eusebius places the Nicolaitans at the time of Cerinthus at the end of the first century (~AD 95-100). Yet, the Church Fathers give contradictory accounts of the Nicolaitans. The great historian Philip Schaff writes, “The views of the fathers are conflicting.”^[15] Consider two crucial conflicts that face the historian:

1. Irenaeus believed Nicolas was the founder of the heretical sect of Nicolaitans.^[16] On the other hand, Clement of Alexandria states that Nicolas was a faithful husband and good father. The apostles accused him of being a jealous husband, and he offered to give his wife away.^[17]
2. Hippolytus,^[18] Irenaeus,^[19] and Eusebius^[20] believed that the Nicolaitans originated from “Nicolaus” (or “Nicanor”), who was one of the seven deacons chosen to distribute food to the widows (Acts 6:5). But Ignatius^[21] didn’t believe that the Nicolaitans came from Nicanor.

How do we make sense of these accounts? We’re not entirely sure. At the very least, we know that the Nicolaitans existed, and they were a sect of false teachers. Beyond this, we are simply agnostic. The historical data are too contradictory to reconstruct their teachings.

“You hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans.” Jesus doesn’t cure the rough and tough Ephesians by turning them into soft and sappy people. While he rebukes them for their lack of “love” (v.4), he encourages them for their “hate”! Of course, Jesus doesn’t say that they should hate these people. Again, we should be gentle with people, but harsh on ideas. In this case, the false teaching of the “Nicolaitans” led to immorality and idolatry (Rev. 2:14-15), and these behaviors should be “hated” according to Christ. Indeed, what’s the alternative? What would it say about us if we loved immorality and idolatry?

(2:7) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.”

“Tree of life.” Though the text is surely grounded in an allusion to Genesis 2:9, this term is also used for Jesus’ cross, which is described as a “tree” (xulon; Acts 5:30; 10:39; 13:29; Gal. 3:13; 1 Pet. 2:24). This would fit with later references to the Cross being in Heaven (Rev. 5:9; 13:8). It’s possible that Jesus is alluding to the OT “tree of life” to show its ultimate fulfillment in his Cross (Rev. 22:2).[22] That is, the Cross is the “tree of life” that we have been yearning for since the Garden. Moreover, the Ephesians used the imagery of a “tree” on their coinage; so, Jesus could be speaking here of the true tree of life—not the pagan counterfeits.[23]

(Rev. 2:7) Do we need to “overcome” to inherit eternal life? (c.f. 2:11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21) Jesus overcame for us (Rev. 3:21; 5:5), and we overcome through our faith—not our good deeds (1 Jn. 5:4-5).

Questions for Reflection

Read verse 1. Why does Jesus begin his letters to the churches by telling us that we rest in his right hand?

Read verse 4. What does it mean to forsake your first love?

Read verse 5. What’s Jesus’ solution for regaining our first love?

Read verse 5. What does it mean for Jesus to remove a church’s lampstand? (cf. Rev. 1:12-13, 20)

We often hear the statement, “Christians are so intolerant!” How would you respond to this assertion in a winsome way?

(2) Smyrna (2:8-11) Persecution and Poverty: No Rebuke or Correction

Advocates of the chronological interpretation believe that this is the pre-Constantinian church of the 2^nd and 3^rd century.

Smyrna is the only city that still exists today (modern-day Izmir).^[24] In ancient times, Smyrna was a harbor city, and a commercial hub of the Roman Empire—second only to Ephesus in its materialistic prosperity.^[25] It contained a population of about 200,000 people, and it possessed a “famous stadium, library, and public theater,” which was “the largest in Asia.”^[26] The city dedicated temples to Cybele (the Sipylene Mother) and Zeus, and it boasted a large acropolis on Mount Pagus that rose 500 feet above the harbor.^[27] The temple of Zeus rested on this massive acropolis. Just imagine being a Christian in Smyrna, and always being able to see a massive temple to Zeus that rose high above you in the sky. This would cast an ominous tone on the entire city.

Furthermore, Smyrna was “one of the first cities to worship the Roman emperor,” and in AD 26, the Smyrneans “won the honour of erecting a temple to [the emperor] in the reign of Tiberius.”^[28] They had loyalties to Rome as far back as 195 BC (Tacitus, Annals 4.56). Every year, the citizens of Rome needed to worship Emperor Domitian by burning incense to him. Thomas comments, “Failure to comply meant death. Each year every citizen had to burn incense on Caesar’s altar, after which he was issued a certificate. To be without a certificate, as must have been the case for Christians obedient to Christ, was to risk discovery and the death penalty.”^[29]

Consequently, Smyrna was a hotbed for anti-Christian hostility. The city was home to “a large Jewish population that virulently opposed Christians… Rome had given the Jews the right to practice their religion, and they did not want this precious privilege threatened.”^[30] By the 80s AD, Jewish synagogues were excommunicating Christians who refused to deny Christ. By AD 155, Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna, and he “was burned alive for refusing to call Caesar ‘Lord’ during an extensive persecution instigated by the Jews.”^[31] This explains why Jesus speaks about the “synagogue of Satan” existing in this city. Thomas writes, “Nowhere was life more dangerous for a Christian.”^[32]

At this point, the church in Smyrna had probably existed for a few decades (sometime after the mid-6os AD),[33] and our text tells us that they had already endured quite a bit of suffering. The Smyrnean Christians faced “poverty” (v.9) and “prison” (v.10) for refusing to conform to the religious culture that surrounded them—whether Greco-Roman paganism or rabbinic Judaism. In such a prosperous city, it must’ve been especially painful to choose poverty and prison—particularly when the persecution came directly from one’s own neighbors. Jesus gives no critique of this church—only the hope of eternal life.

(2:8) “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this.”

Why does Jesus describe himself as one who was dead and rose from the dead? Since these believers were in danger of imminent imprisonment and possible “death” (v.10), this would’ve been a profound encouragement. To paraphrase, Jesus is asking them, “What is the worst that can happen? Death? You’re hearing from the One who beat death! Don’t you worry about that. I’ll give you power over the ‘second death.’”^[34]

(2:9) “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.”

“I know your tribulation and your poverty.” The term “poverty” (ptōcheian) is especially “extreme,”^[35] and refers to “abject poverty.”^[36] These Christians were extremely poor—even though they lived in an economically thriving city. Because of the emperor worship, the city might have “produced economic sanctions against Christians who refused to participate.”^[37] No doubt, these people had families, marriages, and financial responsibilities. Yet they chose devotion to Christ over financial stability.

“But you are rich.” Even though the Smyrnean Christians were financially poor, they were “rich (toward God)” (cf. Jas. 2:5; 2 Cor. 6:10; Lk. 12:21). By contrast, the church in Laodicea was materialistically rich, but poor toward God (3:17). The Smyrnean Christians experienced persecution and blasphemy from people in their culture because they took a stand for Christ.

(Rev. 2:9) Synagogue of Satan? The Christians could either (1) worship the emperor or (2) apostatize to Judaism. Neither option was tenable to a follower of Jesus because both were “an implicit denial of his Lord.”[38] By AD 155, some anti-Christian Jewish persecutors in Smyrna burned Polycarp alive (Martyrdom of Polycarp, 11-15). Such hostility doesn’t arise overnight, and it seems likely that this went “back to the time when John wrote.”^[39] When we understand this historical backdrop, this passage comes into focus. John tells us that this group of Jewish people was bringing “slander” (blasphēmian) against the believers in Smyrna. Satan was ultimately behind this persecution, and later, the Beast is called the ultimate “slanderer” (blasphēmian) of God and his people (Rev. 13:1, 5-6; 17:3). This explains one reason why we shouldn’t hate our persecutors (Mt. 5:44). Satan is fueling their hatred and manipulating them to a large degree.

(2:10) “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil [“accuser”] is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

“Do not fear what you are about to suffer.” Jesus doesn’t promise deliverance from persecution in order to calm their fears. Instead, he foretells their persecution in vivid detail. How is this a comfort to persecuted Christians?

The key to overcoming persecution is to overcome the “fear” of persecution. It doesn’t help to fret and fear what is in the future. Jesus is the “first and the last,” and he rose from the dead (v.7). He sets the limits on Satan, sin, and suffering. Whatever the “ten days” means, at the very least, it shows that Jesus sets limits on the persecution of his people.

Another key to overcoming persecution is to focus on the “crown of life” (stephanos; 1 Cor. 9:24, 25; Gal. 2:2; Phil. 3:14; 2 Tim. 2:5; 1 Pet. 5:4). This refers to the “trophy awarded to the victor at the games” or to a “victory wreath.”^[40] This was “the garland of victory awarded in athletic contests” or to the “victorious general.”^[41] Thus, reward is in view—not salvation itself. The symbol of a “crown wreath” was popular in Smyrna, and this would’ve been imagery with which these Christians were familiar. Hemer writes, “The concept of a crown or wreath is in fact extraordinarily prominent in materials relating to Smyrna. Variations of the motif occur on every pre-Imperial coin listed… and sometimes three times on the same coin… Similar emblems are almost obsessively common throughout the abundant and otherwise more varied types of the Empire.”[42]

(Rev. 2:10) What does John mean by 10 days? Is this literal or symbolic? We are unsure why the number of ten days was used. It was probably used to show the limits to their suffering against the backdrop of eternity. This could simply be a figure that refers to a short period of time (Gen. 24:55; 1 Sam. 25:38; Dan. 1:12). Or perhaps we’ll get to Heaven, and God will tell us that there was no symbolism at all. He used the number ten, because their suffering lasted that long.

“Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” A prison sentence was often “the prelude to trial and execution.”^[43] It was a temporary “interim period of suffering in anticipation of martyrdom.”[44] This is likely why “prison” and “death” are so closely connected.

(2:11) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.”

“Death” was the very real threat that frightened this church (v.10). Jesus claims to have the answer to the horrifying reality of death: “He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.”

Questions for Reflection

Surely there was something that Jesus could’ve noted as needing improvement in the church of Smyrna. When he addresses the other churches, he usually offers a word of correction. Why doesn’t Jesus mix encouragement with a challenge or a rebuke? Why does he choose to only encourage this church instead?

What do we learn about how to overcome persecution from Jesus’ words to this church?

(3) Pergamum (2:12-17) Strong on persecution, but weak on doctrine and false teaching

Advocates of the chronological interpretation believe that this is the Church of Constantine (4^th century and following).

Pliny called Pergamum “by far the most distinguished city in Asia” (Pliny, Natural History 5.30). The city was built on a “cone-shaped hill a thousand feet in height.”^[45] Rome took over Pergamum in 133 BC, and it became the capital of the Roman province of Asia. The city was about 10 miles from the shore of the Aegean Sea, and it was “badly placed with relation to the great trade-routes.”[46] Consequently, it didn’t have access to large amounts of Roman wealth and trade. However, the city did have many significant features:

• It was the capital of Asia Minor.
• It contained palaces and temples on top of its great acropolis.
• Its theater overlooked the valley, containing 10,000 seats with 80 rows.
• It was the “birthplace of Galen who was second only to Hippocrates as the most famous physician in ancient times.”^[47]
• It possessed a great library that contained 200,000 parchment scrolls. These parchments were “later sent to Egypt as a gift from Anthony to Cleopatra.”^[48] When Alexandria cut off papyri to Pergamum, a man named Eumenes created parchment from animal skins, and parchment received its name from the city of Pergamum.^[49]
• It possessed many temples devoted to Zeus, Dionysos, and Athena. In fact, there was a “great altar of Zeus that jutted out near the top of the mountain.”^[50]
• People travelled from all across the known world to be healed by the god Asclepius. (Today, many medical organizations use the “Rod of Asclepius” as a symbol for their association.)[51]
• The gods were called “Soter” (“savior”), and this title was transferred to the political leaders. For instance, Attalus and Eumenes II were called “god” (theos) and “savior” (soter). They were worshipped in addition to the regular “worship of the Roman emperor.”[52]
• They built a temple to emperor Augustus in 29 BC, and they were “the first city to be allowed a temple to a living ruler.”^[53] So, emperor worship was central to their culture (Tacitus, Annals37).

Far and away, Pergamum had intense loyalties to Rome, and it was “a centre of Caesar-worship.”^[54] It contained multiple temples to the Roman Emperor, and was incredibly loyal to Caesar. Osborne writes, “By the first century AD Pergamum had become not only an important political center but a major intellectual and religious center as well.”^[55] Because the Christians refused to worship the emperor, however, they were met with suspicion, scorn, and suffering. While the Jewish people had an ancient nation, the “Christians had no national history.” Therefore, “The Jewish people were protected and recognized by a Roman treaty. Christianity had no such background and so was labeled a mere ‘superstition,’ all the more hated for its exclusivism and intolerance of the gods.”^[56]

(2:12) “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this.”

The city of Pergamum was obsessed with Caesar worship, and it was the emperor who held the “sword” of judgment over his people (Rom. 13:4). Here, Jesus states that he himself holds the ultimate “sword,” the word of God (cf. Rev. 1:16; Heb. 4:12).

(2:13) “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.”

These Christians held their faith in Christ—right in the middle of Satan’s throne room. Jesus understood the fierce temptation and persecution that they were under, commending them for their courage.

“Antipas, My witness, My faithful one.” One of the believers in Pergamum (Antipas) faced martyrdom. This was most likely due to Roman persecution, because “only the imperial cultus had the power of capital punishment.”^[57] Jesus gives this man incredible honor. Antipas receives the same title that Jesus himself has: “My faithful one” (see Rev. 1:5).

How did Antipas die? We don’t know anything about him beyond what is written here. Mounce writes, “The legend appears in later hagiographers (Simon Metaphrastes, the Bollandists) that he was slowly roasted to death in a brazen bowl during the reign of Domitian.”^[58] The term “hagiography” comes from the words “saints” (hagiois) and “writing” (graphē). Legendary embellishments filled this type of literature, and therefore, it is suspicious as a trustworthy historical source. Hence, Osborne writes that there is “no evidence to substantiate this tradition.”^[59]

“Where Satan’s throne is… where Satan dwells.” Hitchcock argues that Satan may have had a special hold on this region because of rampant idolatry (e.g. the various pagan altars, emperor worship, etc.). Moreover, the obsession with serpents (used for the “Rod of Asclepius”) could explain why Jesus would associate this city with Satan’s home. Indeed, just imagine seeing people worship idols that were literally represented as serpents, and which also carried the name “savior” (soter). The god Asclepius was called the “Pergagum god,”[60] and he was “closely identified with the serpent.”[61]

Thomas^[62] and Hemer think that “Satan’s throne” was primarily “the emperor-cult as enforced from Pergamum.”[63] He infers this from the fact that Domitian made the people call him “lord and god” (dominus et deus; Suetonius, Domitian, 13:2-3; Martial, Epigrams 9.56.3; Dio Cassius, History, 67.4.7). This is in direct antithesis to Thomas’ confession that Jesus was “my Lord and my God” (Jn. 20:28).

(2:14-15) “But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. ¹⁵ So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.”

Satan attacked this group through external methods (i.e. persecution), and also through internal methods (i.e. false teaching). The false teaching is connected with idolatry and sexual immorality. This is why Jesus appeals to the OT story of “Balaam” who used a similar strategy: By getting the Israelites to fall into immorality and idolatry (Num. 31:16), Balaam had figured out a way for the people of Israel to curse themselves. The false teaching of the “Nicolaitans” attacked these Christians by guiding them into sin.

(2:16) “Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.”

“I will make war against them.” Whatever this means, it shows how severely Jesus treats false teaching.

Was Jesus going to attack them with a literal sword? While it’s true that Balaam was killed with a sword (Num. 31:8), this is not likely what Jesus has in mind. The “sword” is likely a reference to God’s word (Heb. 4:12). That is, Jesus is going to battle them with the powerful words of his mouth (see comments on Revelation 1:16 above). In a city with rampant false teaching, how would these believers know truth from falsehood? They needed Jesus’ word! Indeed, Jesus’ word is “either a comfort and a strength, or else it destroys us.”^[64]

(2:17) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.”

“I will give some of the hidden manna.” The “hidden manna” is an OT allusion to the manna placed in the Ark (Ex. 16:33-34; Heb. 9:4). These Christians were being told to forgo the food of the idol worshippers, and instead, receive true spiritual food from Christ. Because the other promises are given when we get to Heaven, this “hidden manna” seems to be an eternal reward or perhaps a symbol of eternal life (Jn. 6:49-50).

“I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.” We will receive a new name in heaven (cf. Isa. 62:2; 65:15). In the ancient world, names were often very “significant and linked with character.”[65] Christ gave Peter, John, and James new names. Likewise, Saul was renamed as Paul. We wonder if Christ will name us based on what we did here on Earth (perhaps as a form of reward?).

Why would God keep the name a secret? After all, what is the use of a new name if no one knows it? Morris comments, “For people of antiquity the hidden name was precious. It meant that God had given the overcomer a new character which no-one knew except himself. It was not public property. It was a little secret between him and his God.”^[66]

(Rev. 2:17) What are the secret names and the white stones mentioned here? The white stone might be imagery taken from legal trial procedures in Pergamum, where a white stone was used to describe acquittal for guilt.^[67] Another use of the white stone was similar to its use as a ticket for the athletes of the games to gain access to a special feast.^[68] We are not entirely sure which imagery is being employed here, but both are resolutely positive.

New name. This could mean that we get Christ’s name written on us (Rev. 3:12; 19:12). But if this is the case, then in what way could it be secret? It seems more likely that “the new name is the recipient’s own name, a new one, reflecting his status as belonging to Christ.”^[69]

Questions for Reflection

Read verse 13. Did Satan literally have a throne in Pergamum? If not, what does this refer to?

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the Pergamum church?

The church in Pergamum contained both martyrs (v.13) and idolators and fornicators (vv.14-15). How is it possible that the same church could produce such different kinds of Christians? How does this fit with your own experience in your church?

(4) Thyatira (2:18-29) Growing in deeds, faith, and perseverance—but tolerating apostasy

Advocates of the chronological interpretation believe that this is the Church of Roman Catholicism in the Middle Ages, the worship of relics, and the exaltation of Mary and other saints.

A modern town (Akhisar) was built over ancient Thyatira, and this has prevented archaeological excavation of this ancient city. Consequently, we “know less about it than any of the other cities.”^[70] Thus, there is a certain irony to the fact that the longest letter to the Seven Churches would be written to the “least known, least important and least remarkable of the cities.”[71]

We gain our knowledge of the city from ancient inscriptions and coins. From these sources, we learn about “more trade-guilds… than in any other Asian city.” Indeed, the city resided among popular trade-routes that “made it an ideal manufacturing and marketing centre.”[72] Inscriptions mention “wool-workers, linen-workers, makers of outer garments, dyers, leather-workers, tanners, potters, bakers, slave-dealers and bronze-smiths.”[73] This is likely why this city is mentioned as the place where Lydia dyed her clothing (Acts 16:14-15), and it could be why Jesus mentions his “burnished bronze” feet (Rev. 2:18). These were both popular trades in Thyatira.

Tradesmen guilds fueled the economy in Thyatira, and these were very ancient (Herodotus, 1.93). While participation in the guilds wasn’t mandatory, it was nearly impossible to get ahead without belonging to one of them. These were the centers of economic, social, and religious life. Osborne writes, “Each guild had its own patron god or goddess, and the frequent feasts of the guilds were religious in character. The pressure on Christians to participate in the idolatrous life of the people was probably linked to the guilds, for their feasts were the heart of the social (and commercial) life of the city. To refuse to participate meant the loss of both goodwill and business.”^[74] Thomas writes, “Apollo was the chief deity here, and emperor worship was not a major factor. Pagan worship was associated with trade guilds in that each guild had its guardian god. Guild members were expected to attend the guild festivals and to eat food, part of which had been offered to the tutelary deity and which was acknowledged as being on the table as a gift from the god. At the end of the feast grossly immoral activities would commence. To exit at the time of such activity would lay a person open to ridicule and other kinds of persecution, a situation well reflected in the message to the church in this city.”^[75]

(2:18) “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this.”

“The Son of God.” The people in Thyatira worshipped the god Apollo, who was the son of the god Zeus. They also worshipped the Roman emperor as a god. This assertion from Jesus shows that “it is not the emperor or the guardian deity of Thyatira, but the resurrected Christ, who is the true son of God.”^[76]

“Eyes like a flame of fire.” The fiery eyes could refer to Jesus’ discernment of Jezebel, or perhaps to her “fiery” judgment.

“Feet are like burnished bronze.” Hemer understands the reference to “bronze” to be a mixture or “alloy of copper with metallic zinc” that can literally be rendered “copper zinc.”[77] After surveying coins from this time, Hemer further argues that Jesus’ statement was likely an affront to the local god Apollos, which was “represented by a bronze statue in the town.”[78] If so, John would be saying, “That’s not a god… This is a God!”

(2:19) “I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first.”

This is the first church to be commended for its love. Moreover, they were growing in love and good deeds. They were getting better with time.

(2:20) “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.”

The Christians in Thyatira have a false teacher in their midst, and they’re not doing anything about it.

Who was Jezebel? We agree with Thomas^[79] that that the name Jezebel is likely a symbolic reference (much like the use of “Balaam”). If this woman was literally named Jezebel, then the allusion to the OT Phoenician wife of King Ahab would be purely coincidental. This woman was likely an “unknown woman who had undue influence in the local church and met the problem of Christian membership of the trade-guilds with permissive antinomian or Gnostic teaching.”[80]

This literal woman was symbolically named “Jezebel” because this harkens back to the wicked queen Jezebel who ruled in ancient Israel during the days of the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 16-19). She was the evil queen who tried to blend Baal worship with the worship of God, resulting in sexual immorality, idolatry, and murder (1 Kin. 16:31; 18:4, 19; 2 Kn. 9:22). If this false prophetess in Thyatira was anything like the ancient Jezebel, then she was a leader of some sort of perverted, false teaching. The problem with the Christians in Thyatira was that they weren’t testing the claims of this “prophetess” (1 Thess. 5:19-21). They are in many ways the opposite of the church in Ephesus: Strong in love, but poor in theological discernment (Rev. 2:20).

“Commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.” Hemer writes, “The particular problem seems to have been the guild-feasts, as the occasions when the Christian may have been particularly pressed by the need to conform to his environment.”[81] If Christians didn’t participate in these feasts, they would’ve been rejected from the guilds. Yet, as a committed Christian, consider how difficult it would be to give a toast in honor of the great god Apollos! Moreover, the mention of “immorality” seems to imply the activity occurring after (or during?) these feasts. Indeed, Mounce writes, “Pagan feasts often led to sexual promiscuity.”^[82]

(2:21-22) “I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. ²² Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.”

Jesus is righteously angry with this false teacher’s lack of repentance, and with those who follow her. Since this woman committed immorality on the marriage bed, her punishment was to be thrown onto a “bed of sickness.” This understands the word “bed” as a metaphor for death (2 Kn. 1:4) or a “funeral bier.”^[83] This fits with the threat to “kill” her children (v.23). This could be similar to Paul’s claim that God would physically discipline believers for unrepentance (see comments on 1 Corinthians 11:27-29).

Truly, this is harsh medicine! Yet, Jesus still holds out the opportunity for repentance (“unless they repent of her deeds”). Johnson writes, “Christ’s strongest threat to the offenders is not in regard to their sin, serious as that is, but to their reluctance to repent. The Lord is walking among his churches. He judges evil; but he also offers deliverance to those who have fallen, if they repent and stop doing Jezebel’s deeds.”^[84]

(2:23) “And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.”

“I will kill her children with pestilence.” Her “children” most likely refer to her followers (cf. 2 Kin. 10:7). John uses this language to refer to followers of Christ (e.g. 1 Jn. 2:1, 12-13, 18; 2:28; etc.). But instead of being “children of God” (1 Jn. 3:1), these are children of Jezebel.

“All the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.” Jesus is omniscient. He not only knows our deeds, but also our motives (“minds and hearts”).

(2:24) “But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you.”

“But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them.” Instead of knowing about the deep things of God (1 Cor. 2:10), they know about the “deep things of Satan.” This likely refers to worshipping at the idol temples and falling into immorality.

“I place no other burden on you.” The “burden” reminds us of Acts 15:28. To paraphrase, Jesus is saying, “Don’t try and change everything in your life. Just focus on this: Get out of idolatry. If you can’t take this step, then spiritual growth is an illusion.” On the other hand, the additional burden could refer to how “Christ promises to place upon them no burden other than continuing to stand against her.”^[85]

(2:25) “Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.”

“Nevertheless what you have, hold fast.” These believers were surrounded by false teaching, and their friends were being deceived by it (v.20). Jesus tells them to cling to the truth (“hold fast”), not succumbing to the peer pressure or culture conformity (2 Thess. 2:15; Rev. 2:13; 3:11).

“Until I come.” Does this refer to the Second Coming? Not likely. The word “come” (hexo) isn’t the typical word used for Jesus’ return (parousia). Here, Jesus is referring to visiting this church to bring divine discipline for Jezebel and her followers.

(2:26-27) “He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; ²⁷ and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father.”

As the messianic people, we will rule alongside the Messiah (Ps. 2:8-9).

(2:28-29) “And I will give him the morning star. ²⁹ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

(Rev. 2:28) What is the morning star? Some hold that this means that “the righteous will shine as stars.”^[86] However, this doesn’t account for the use of the singular (“the morning star”). Instead, in our estimation, this refers to the fact that the overcomers get Jesus, who himself is “the morning star” (Rev. 22:16; cf. 2 Pet. 1:19). There could be a messianic allusion to Numbers 24:17 as well. We agree with Morris who writes, “Even though this is an unusual way for Christ to refer to himself this seems the best way of taking the words. The ultimate reward of the Christian is to be with his Lord.”^[87]

Questions for Reflection

Compare and contrast this church with the church of Ephesus.

Read verse 19. There were serious problems in Thyatira: False teaching, sexual immorality, and idolatry. It was so bad that Jesus said that he would come there to judge the people if they refused to change. With this in mind, what is the significance of the fact that Jesus begins by finding six areas to encourage this church?

Read verse 20. Is “tolerance” such a bad thing? When should we be tolerant and when should we be intolerant? Consider these passages to inform your answer: Romans 2:4; 2 Corinthians 11:19-20; Ephesians 4:2; Revelation 2:2; Revelation 2:20.

Read verses 18-29. What can we learn about the false teaching in Thyatira from this section?

(5) Sardis (3:1-6) The Church that was dead: No good words, only rebuke

Advocates of the chronological interpretation believe that this is the Church of the Protestant Reformation.

Sardis was a wealthy city. It was an “active commercial city and very wealthy,”^[88] and it was the first city to “mint gold and silver coins.”^[89]

Sardis was a “safe” city. It rested atop an acropolis that had a 1,500-foot precipice on three out of its four sides. The southern side led into the mountains, and so, ancient people considered the city to be safe, secure, and impregnable. However, Cyrus of Persia took over the city in the 6^th century BC when one of his men climbed a part of the cliff where “no guard was stationed,” because the cliff was thought to be “sheer and impregnable there” (Herodotus, 1.84). The Persian soldier “climbed up a crevice on the ‘unscalable’ cliff at an unobserved point and opened the gates. Sardis fell after only fourteen days of the siege in 546 B.C. This so astounded the Greek world that ‘capturing Sardis’ became a saying for achieving the impossible.”^[90] Later in the 3^rd century BC, Antiochus III took the city with a similar strategy (216 BC).

Sardis contained a fairly sizeable Jewish population. Antiochus III sent 2,000 Jewish families to Lydia (Josephus, Antiquities 12.3.4.149), and of course, Sardis was the capital of Lydia. Josephus cites examples of rights given to Jewish people in this city as well (Antiquities 14.10.17.235; 14.10.24.259).

Sardis faced a devastating earthquake in AD 17. While the earthquake damaged the entire region substantially, Sardis suffered the worst (Tacitus, Annals 2.47.1-3; Pliny, Natural History 2.86.200). The impact of the earthquake “seemed [like] an event of almost apocalyptic scale.” The result seems to have been “nothing less than the sudden collapse of a great part of the mountain and the consequent disappearance of much of the very site of the original fortress-city.”[91] Consequently, Tiberius bailed out the city with huge financial relief and tax remission over the course of five years (Tacitus, Annals 2.46).

The worship of pagan deities was rampant in Sardis. They worshipped the goddesses of Artemis, Demeter, and Persephone (Strabo, 13.4.5), and they worshipped the gods of Zeus, Heracles, and Dionysus. In fact, in the lower part of the city, archaeologists unearthed “an exceptionally large (160 by 300 feet) temple dedicated to Artemis” with 78 columns that are “each fifty-eight feet in height.”^[92] The worship of Artemis (Latin “Diana”) is especially interesting because this “patron deity was believed to possess the special power of restoring the dead to life.”^[93]

(3:1) “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.’”

“You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” The Christians in Sardis had a reputation for being hard workers, but God viewed things differently. Were they living off the nostalgia of earlier times? If so, perhaps they picked up this attitude from their surrounding culture. As a result, this “same spirit had affected the church. Their loyalty and service to Christ was in the past. Now they were nothing.”^[94]

When Jesus says that this church is “dead,” he doesn’t mean that they are all non-believers. Instead, he means that they are separated and far from him. Similarly, in the parable of the Prodigal Son, the father says, “This son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found” (Lk. 15:24; cf. Eph. 2:1, 12-14). The imagery of life and death describes separation from one another—not literal or spiritual death. This explains why Jesus can tell this church to “strengthen” itself and continue their “deeds” (v.2).

(3:2) “Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.”

We can’t settle for complacency, living off our accomplishments from the past. The only way is forward toward the future (cf. Phil. 3:13). This group was salvageable, but they needed a cold bucket of water to the face in order to “wake up” from their spiritual slumber. Unlike many of the other churches, Jesus doesn’t mention any persecution in Sardis. This is likely because these believers had blended in with the culture around them, and were “too innocuous to be worth persecuting.”^[95]

(3:3) “So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.”

This doesn’t refer to the Second Coming, which will happen “whether the Sardians are watchful or not.”^[96] It refers to Jesus coming to take away their influence (cf. Rev. 2:5). Jesus doesn’t tell them to get into some exotic spirituality to fix their problems, but instead, to get back to the bread and butter of true spirituality (“remember what you have received and heard”). So much of spiritual growth—whether individual or corporate—has to do with remembering what God has already said and embracing it (“keep it, and repent”).

(3:4) “But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.”

“Few people.” There was still a faithful remnant of believers in this church.

“Have not soiled their garments.” This likely refers to figuratively soiling their righteousness. Later we read that the “fine linen” worn by believers is symbolic of “the righteous acts of the saints” (Rev. 19:8).

“They are worthy.” This refers to a “relative worthiness of the saints,”^[97] not earning one’s salvation (cf. Lk. 20:35; Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27; Col. 1:10; 1 Thess. 2:12; 2 Thess. 1:5).

(3:5) “He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”

Jesus promises ultimate security to these persecuted Christians. Johnson comments, “In the first century, Christians who were loyal to Christ were under constant threat of being branded political and social rebels and then stripped of their citizenship. But Christ offers them an eternal, safe citizenship in his everlasting kingdom if they only remain loyal to him.”^[98]

(Rev. 3:5) Does God erase names from the book of life? One way to understand this statement is that Jesus is not threatening their eternal security, but affirming it. This seems to be a case of litotes, where a positive assertion is stated through the use of a double negative (e.g. “It’s not bad” or “He wasn’t the cleanest”). Consider a parent consoling their suffering child in a hospital bed. The parent might say, “I’m not going to leave you here to suffer alone.” Now imagine if the child interpreted this to mean that the parent said this because she had been entertaining the thought of leaving. This would be the exact opposite of what the parent was trying to communicate.

Another way to understand this statement is that all humans begin their lives with their names written in the book of life. This is because Jesus died for all people (see “Limited Atonement: A Critique”). However, the Atonement is only potential, not actual. Thomas writes, “If a person experiences physical death, never having trusted Christ for forgiveness, his name is erased from the book of life.”^[99]

Regardless of our view, we should be careful in taking major doctrines about salvation from the book of Revelation. Mounce wisely writes that it is “hermeneutically unsound to base theological doctrine solely on either parables or apocalyptic imagery.”^[100]

Sardis was not an ideal church. In fact, Jesus offers no encouragement for this group at all. Verse 1 explains that the church of Sardis was filled with professing Christians, who aren’t truly regenerate (“You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead”). Thus, to the true believers there, Jesus is making a promise to never blot out their names. But to the non-believer, he is making no such promise.

(3:6) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Questions for Reflection

What was the main problem in the church of Sardis?

Read verse 4. What was hopeful about this church’s future? How does this give churches hope for leading change?

(6) Philadelphia (3:7-13) Faithful to Christ

Advocates of the chronological interpretation believe that this is the Church of the modern evangelical movement.

Philadelphia (modern day Alasehir) originated in 140 BC. It was named after Attalus II Philadelphus of Pergamum, who was most likely its founder.[101]

The economy likely took a massive hit under Domitian’s reign (AD 81-96). This city was a stronghold for the worship of the god Dionysus (the god of wine),^[102] and it depended primarily on viticulture—the cultivation of grape vines (Strabo, 13.4.11). Therefore, its economy must’ve taken a huge hit when Domitian ordered half of the vineyards in the provinces to be destroyed and replanted (Suetonius, Domitian 7.2; 14.2; Philostratus, Life of Apollonius 6.42).

The earthquake of AD 17 massively damaged Philadelphia. This was the worst earthquake in memory (Pliny, Natural History 2.86.200), and Philadelphia endured heavy losses (Tacitus, Annals 2.47.3-4). Even after the initial destruction, the city continued to experience regular tremors. Strabo recorded that the walls of the city were “daily shaken and split.” Consequently, the “people [would] continually pay attention to earth-tremors and plan their buildings with this factor in mind” (Strabo, Geography 12.8.18). Elsewhere, Strabo writes that Philadelphia was “full of earthquakes,” and “the walls never cease being cracked, and different parts of the city are constantly suffering damage” (Strabo, Geography 13.4.10). As a result, the people needed to live in the open air for fear of having a roof collapse on them.

The church in Philadelphia received high praise. It receives words that were similar to those given to Smyrna. Indeed, both churches only receive praise from Jesus, both were highly persecuted by Jews and Romans, both were attacked by Satan, and both were promised the “crown.”

This could explain why Jesus told them, “All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it” (Rev. 3:12 NLT). Not only are these believers called a solid and immovable “pillar in the temple of My God” (Rev. 3:12), but they would never need to “leave” the temple. This imagery would mean a lot to people who were used to seeing their buildings and walls constantly crumbling—especially while inside of them.

(3:7) “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this.”

“The key of David.” Thomas writes, “As the root and offspring of David (cf. Rev. 5:5; 22:16), Christ in the fulfilled sense controls the entrance to David’s house, which ultimately refers to the Messianic kingdom… The Jews, whose hostility is prominent in 3:9 of this message, denied that Jesus was the Messiah and claimed that they alone, not Jesus’ followers, had access to the kingdom of David. The opening words of this message emphasize that the opposite is true.”^[103]

Does this refer to papal authority? Roman Catholic theologians connect this with the “keys of the kingdom” and Peter being the first Pope (cf. Mt. 16:18). However, several problems confront this view:

First, the text states that God (the King) has delegated his authority to Jesus—not to a Christian pope, bishop, or any other Christian leader. To repeat, Jesus himself holds this “key of David,” not a human leader.

Second, this is an allusion to a story in Isaiah 22:15-25 to the “incident of transferring the post of secretary of state in Judah from the unfaithful Shebna to the faithful Eliakim.”^[104] In the 7^th century BC, Shebna was the palace administrator serving under King Hezekiah. But, because of Shebna’s arrogance, God himself removed Shebna from office and replaced him with a faithful servant named Eliakim (Isa. 22:16-21). After this replacement, God gives all of the authority to Eliakim. Then we read, “I will give him the key to the house of David—the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them” (Isa. 22:22 NLT). To be clear, this OT allusion shows that God can remove his authority from whoever is prideful (i.e. Shebna) and give his authority to whoever is faithful (i.e. Eliakim). In the contemporary setting of Philadelphia, this church was faithful with their open doors, even though they possessed “little power” (Rev. 3:8). Consequently, God was going to give them more: “An open door which no one can shut” (Rev. 3:8). Thus, the parallel is clear: God gives open doors to those who are faithful—whether it’s Eliakim in the 7^th century BC or the church in Philadelphia.

Third, the “open” and “shut” doors don’t refer to doctrinal or ecclesiastical authority, but rather, to opportunities for ministry and evangelism (Acts 14:27; 1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12; Col. 4:3). Sir William Ramsay argued that because Philadelphia was located on a gateway to Asia Minor, the city was a gateway to ministry opportunities.[105] Hemer[106] concurs with this view of these “open doors,” and we do as well.

Mounce^[107] and Thomas^[108] argue that the reference to open and shut doors refers to acceptance into God’s kingdom which is “open,” even if these Christians were excommunicated from the synagogue which was “shut” (see v.9). In our view, this doesn’t explain why Jesus would open the door to the Church because they had “little power.” More than justification is in view. Christian ministry seems to be in view.

(3:8) “I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”

Even though they had little power on their own, they could do all things through Christ who strengthened them (Phil. 4:13). Jesus was pleased with this small, yet faithful, church. And, because they were faithful with the open doors they had already received, they were given “greater opportunity for service.”^[109]

(3:9) “Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.”

“The synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not.” There seems to have been an anti-Christian Jewish group in Philadelphia. When Ignatius wrote to the church of Philadelphia (before AD 108), he warned the Philadelphians not to listen to “any one propounding Judaism unto you” (To the Philadelphians 6.1; cf. 8.2). These false teachers could be similar to the Judaizers mentioned in Acts 15 and Galatians (though this is 45 years later).

“I will make them come and bow down at your feet.” In the OT, the Gentile nations bowed down to Israel (Isa. 43:4; 45:14; 49:23; 60:14). Here, ethnic Jewish people who reject Jesus will bow before true Christians in the Millennial Kingdom. We can either bow to Jesus now, or we can bow to him later. Either way, everyone will bow to the authority of King Jesus (Phil. 2:10-11).

(3:10) “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

(Rev. 3:10) Does this support a pre-tribulation rapture of the church? In short, the language of this passage is universal in scope, and the expression “keep you” doesn’t refer to perseverance through but protection from. Since these promises were delivered to “the churches” (plural), they have universal application for all believers. Hence, we take this as a promise to rescue the Church before the future Tribulation—hence, a pre-tribulation rapture.

(3:11) “I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”

These believers can forfeit rewards if they don’t persevere (cf. 2 Jn. 8).

(3:12) “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.”

These believers with “little power” (v.8) will receive a great reward and become “pillars” in God’s temple. As we noted in the introduction, the city of Philadelphia had regular earthquakes. Thus, Hemer comments, “There is probably the thought of the city’s sufferings from earthquake, especially in view of the contrast with the background of the words.”[110] Mounce writes, “To a city that had experienced devastating earthquakes that caused people to flee into the countryside and establish temporary dwellings, the promise of permanence within the New Jerusalem would have a special meaning.”^[111]

(3:13) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Questions for Reflection

Jesus gives no criticism of this church. What did Jesus see in this church that he liked so much? What did he promise this church as a result?

Read verse 10. Do you think this supports a pre-tribulation rescue of the Church?

(7) Laodicea (3:14-22) Wealth and Deception

Advocates of the chronological interpretation believe that this is the Church of apostasy in the last days.

Laodicea was an incredibly wealthy city. It was “the wealthiest city in Phrygia,”^[112] and “one of the richest commercial centres in the world.”^[113] It contained large banks, manufacturing companies, and a prized medical school. Yet, Jesus said, “You do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked” (Rev. 3:17). Jesus specifically attacked each area where the Laodiceans were so-called experts; thus, he was surely making a “hit at Laodicea’s banking, medical school, and clothing manufacturers.”^[114]

Laodicea had a sizeable Jewish population. Antiochus III brought 2,000 Jewish families to Lydia and Phrygia (Josephus, Antiquities 12.3.4.149), and the city of Laodicea “was a natural centre for the immigration.”[115] One of the proconsuls (Flaccus) stole gold from the Jewish population that was being sent to Jerusalem in AD 62 BC. The amount collected implies a “a population of 7,500 adult Jewish freemen in the district.”[116] The more conservative Jewish population considered these exiles to be choosing luxury, rather than spirituality (see Baba Mezi’a 84a; Shabbath 147b; Shabbath 119a). At the same time, these men were generally “granted the right to preserve their own customs.”^[117]

Epaphras seems like the best candidate for starting the Laodicean church. It seems that Paul didn’t start the church in Colossae or Laodicea (Col. 2:1). So, Epaphras seems most likely to be the church planter because the Colossian church was right next door to Laodicea, separated by only a few miles (Col. 1:7; 4:12-13). All of this means that the church in Laodicea was at least 35 years old (presuming Colossians was written by AD 60).

Laodicea was by far the most unspiritual church that Jesus addressed. Jesus issued his harshest words to this church. Indeed, it’s hard to tell if the majority are even true Christians.

(3:14) “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this.”

Why is Jesus called “the Amen”? The word “amen” was originally a Hebrew adverb that has been transliterated into Greek. The term “means the acknowledgment of that which is sure and valid.”^[118] In other words, John is saying that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises to us (cf. 2 Cor. 1:20). He is faithful in contrast to the unfaithfulness of the Laodiceans.

“The Beginning of the creation of God.” The Greek word for “beginning” (archē) is the root for our modern word “architect.” This doesn’t mean that Jesus was the first being to be created in the beginning, but that he was the Beginner of creation. For more on this topic, see our earlier article, “Was Christ a created being?” (Rev. 3:14).

(3:15-16) “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”

(Rev. 3:15-16) What does it mean to be “hot or cold” for God? For all its wealth, Laodicea had an appalling water supply. The lukewarm water tasted and smelled awful. But its neighbors were known for their excellent “hot” or “cold” water. Hierapolis was six miles north of Laodicea, and it possessed medicinal hot springs. Colossae was nine miles east of Laodicea, and it had clean, cold springs (see Col. 4:13 for a mention of all three cities). Thus, Hemer writes, “The hot waters of Hierapolis were medicinal, the cold waters of Colossae pure and life-giving.”[119]

But Laodicea’s water? It was petrifying and cloudy—being filled with calcium carbonate (Strabo, Geography 13.4.14). Their water was drinkable, but it not palatable. The Laodiceans likely received their water from the hot springs of Denizli—a modern name for the town that was five miles away. The sulfur in the water could be masked by either the heat or the cold. But, of course, lukewarm sulfur water would’ve tasted nauseating—like rotten eggs. This is the imagery Jesus is using: Both symbols of “hot” and “cold” are considered good, and only the symbol of “lukewarm” is bad.[120]

(3:17) “Because you say, ‘I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,’ and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.”

The Laodiceans may have interpreted their material wealth as a blessing from God—much like health and wealth preachers today. It’s interesting how Jesus views the Church compared to how the Church views itself. One of the problems with materialism is that we are often the last people to realize that we have a problem, being unaware of our degrading spiritual health and seeing no need for God. The Laodiceans stand in utter contrast to the Smyrneans who endured “poverty,” but were “rich” toward God (Rev. 2:9).

“Have need of nothing.” The Laodiceans endured a devastating earthquake in AD 60 that destroyed the city. However, because they were so wealthy, they refused government aid. Tacitus wrote, “Laodicea arose from the ruins by the strength of her own resources, and with no help from us” (Annals, 14.27.1). Prideful independence seems like it was a widespread attitude among the people of Laodicea. Archaeologists can precisely date an enormous stadium to AD 79 from a patron named Nicostratus.[121] Thus, even in the immediate wake of a city-destroying earthquake, private benefactors were building sports stadiums within 20 years!

(3:18) “I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. ¹⁹ Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.”

“Buy from Me gold…” Jesus uses language that rich people would grasp. Thomas writes, “This is language that materialistic people can understand.”^[122]

Each of these offers from Jesus aligns with the centers of wealth in Laodicea (e.g. “poor… blind… naked” and “gold… clothe yourself… eye salve”). Hence, Mounce writes, “It is hard not to see here and in the following verse a direct allusion to Laodicea’s banking establishments, medical school, and textile industry.”^[123] To take just one example, the “eye salve” could refer to “the medical school at Laodicea and the ‘Phrygian powder,’”[124] which was a staple of the school. This medical school was established in the first century BC (Strabo, Geography 12.8.20). The founder of the school in Laodicea (Zeuxis) wrote extensively about ophthalmology,[125] and two texts allude to the Phrygians having a powerful eye salve (Pseudo-Aristotle, On Marvelous Things Heard 58; Galen, De Sanitate Tuenda 6.12). After surveying other evidence, Hemer writes that we “find considerable circumstantial reason for connecting the ‘eyesalve’ motif with Laodicea.”[126]

Are these believers or unbelievers? Origen (AD 250) held that the Laodiceans weren’t true, regenerate believers (First Principles 3.4.3). Indeed, this is why Jesus “spits” (emeō) them out of his mouth (literally “vomits them out”). On the other hand, God only disciplines those he loves (Prov. 3:12; 1 Cor. 11:32; Heb. 12:6), and their role is to “repent” and turn to God. In our view, it’s plausible that there was a “mixed bag” of believers and non-believers in the visible church in Laodicea.

(3:20) “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.”

Is this passage evangelistic or not? It might be ambiguous because the church was populated by licentious believers who needed discipline and reproof (v.19), and unbelievers who would be cast out of the church (v.16). Since Jesus refers to “anyone,” this means that we are each responsible before God—whether believer or non-believer. Moreover, Jesus uses the term “door” which repeatedly has eschatological connotations in the NT (Mt. 24:33; Mk. 13:29; Lk. 12:36; Jas. 5:9). Thus, we agree with Thomas^[127] and Johnson who hold the evangelistic view. For instance, Johnson writes, “While most commentators have taken this invitation as addressed to lapsed, halfhearted Christians, the terminology and context (v. 18) suggest that these Laodiceans were for the most part mere professing Christians who lacked authentic conversion to Christ, which is the essential prerequisite for true discipleship. Verse 20 is, therefore, more evangelistic than admonitory.”^[128] Regardless, this is a “remarkably tender appeal to a church far gone from its rightful state.”^[129]

For a visual depiction of this verse, see Holman Hunt’s painting titled, “The Light of the World.” Jesus knocks on the door, but the outside of the door lacks a handle. This implies that Jesus will knock on the door, but he won’t knock down the door. Only those on the inside can open the door, showing the need to respond to Jesus’ initiation.

(3:21-22) “He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. ²² He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Questions for Reflection

What was the central problem with the church of Laodicea?

Read verse 16. Jesus says that he will “spit” (literally “vomit”) this church out of his mouth. Were these people true Christians?

Read verses 15-16. What does it mean to be “hot”? What does it mean to be “cold”? And what does it mean to be “lukewarm”?

After you give your answers, read the article that describes how the Laodiceans received their water from Hierapolis and Colossae. How does this historical information help you interpret what it means to be hot, cold, and lukewarm?

Read verse 20. Many Christians cite this passage evangelistically. Do you agree with this application of this verse?

Conclusions for the Seven Churches

What do we learn about the Church from this study of the Seven Churches? Specifically, what did you notice about how Jesus leads the Church? (i.e. encouragement, rebuke, affirmation, raising problems, warnings, reminding of promises, etc.)

• Jesus actively leads His Church. It’s one thing to say that Jesus is the head of the Church (Eph. 1:22; 5:23; Col. 1:18). But it’s quite another to see how he actually observes, encourages, admonishes, and motivates the Church.
• Jesus didn’t always rebuke or always encourage. Some churches didn’t receive rebuke (Philadelphia) while others didn’t receive encouragement (Laodicea). However, Jesus seemed to be able to find something to encourage—even among the most difficult churches with the most difficult problems.
• Satan hates the Church. Satan is involved in four out of the seven churches: He causes persecution (2:9), he has a throne (2:13), he teaches deep doctrines (2:24), and he influences non-believers (3:9).
• Some churches are better than others. Loving the universal church doesn’t mean that we wear rose-colored glasses or express naïve optimism. Churches have problems because they are filled with people like us.

DEVOTIONAL: “Jesus holds the Church and lives within the Church.”

The book of Revelation describes many horrific and terrifying scenes of the future: A world ruler and regime empowered by Satan, a systematic persecution of Christians, and human civilization on the brink of collapse. Suffering, starvation, sickness, and death fill the pages of Revelation, and frankly, it contains some of the scariest scenes in all of Scripture. Yet, before we read any of this, the book opens with Jesus speaking about a remarkable reality. He says,

(Rev. 1:20) “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

(Rev. 2:1) “The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands.”

Consider Jesus’ first statement: “The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand.” What does this mean? Simply this: Jesus holds the Church in the palm of his hand. Someone might object, “This is apocalyptic symbolism, and we shouldn’t press the language so literally!” That’s quite right. However, this shouldn’t end the discussion. After all, we still haven’t interpreted what this symbolism means. In other words, everyone agrees the imagery is symbolic, but what does it symbolize? What spiritual reality does it describe?

The imagery speaks of total security. After all, Jesus said, “I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (Jn. 10:28). It’s true that we might not feel secure, but there we are in the palm of Jesus’ hand. Likewise, we might feel far from Jesus, but once again, we haven’t moved out of his hand. The same One who predicts a frightful future for the Church is the same One who tells us that we are safe in his hand.

Now consider Jesus’ second statement: “The One who walks among the seven golden lampstands.” Jesus attends our times of fellowship. Sometimes we sense his presence in palpable ways: The Bible teaching is potent and powerful, the prayers flow freely and effortlessly, and a sense of happiness fills the room. It’s simply difficult to describe this kind of love and happiness to those who haven’t experienced it.

Yet, on other occasions, we don’t sense the presence of Jesus. The Bible teacher moves slower than a three-toed sloth, the room is as silent as a funeral parlor, and the people compulsively check the clock every few minutes before they make a polite exit home to “get to be early” or to “work on homework” (i.e. watch TikTok videos until 2am in bed!). Yet, Jesus shows up early, and he’s the last to leave. Again, we might feel the presence of Jesus at our gatherings, and we might not. But what does the word of God tell us? Our psychological state is irrelevant to spiritual reality: Jesus walks among the us whether we feel it or not.

If God’s word tells us that we’re safe and secure in Jesus’ hand, but I feel insecure, who is right? Does my psychological state of mind make Jesus’ words false? Are my personal feelings more inspired than the Scriptures? Likewise, if Jesus says that he’s present in the room tonight, but I can’t feel him near me, is he here or not?

[1] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids, MI: Academie, 1964), 150.

^[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 571.

^[3] These travelled “from the Euphrates by way of Colossae, from Galatia through Sardis, and from the Maeander valley to the south and east.” Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 67.

[4] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 39.

^[5] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 63.

^[6] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 109.

^[7] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 66.

^[8] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 64.

^[9] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 68.

^[10] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 66.

^[11] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 65.

^[12] John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Galaxie Software, 2008), 58.

^[13] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 149.

[14] Church History, 3.29.1.

^[15] Philip Schaff and David S. Schaff, History of the Christian Church (New York: C. Scribner’s, 1907), 2:464.

[16] Against Heresies, 1.26.3; 3.11.1.

[17] Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, 3.4. Philip Schaff considers this account of Nicolas offering to give his wife away to be “extremely improbable.” (see footnote)

[18] Hippolytus, The Refutation of All Heresy, 7.24.

[19] Against Heresies, 1.26.3; 3.11.1.

[20] Church History, 3.29.1.

[21] Ignatius writes, “Flee also the impure Nicolaitanes, falsely so called.” (To the Trallians, 11). The footnote states, “It seems to be here denied that Nicolas was the founder of this school of heretics.”

[22] See Hemer’s extended argument, as well as his interaction with Ephesians imagery of trees. He concludes, “Amid such ideas we may see the Ephesian Christian as finding a picture of refuge in the presence of the Christ who died on the tree, a ‘salvation’ which he might appropriate only there, and an adoption into the citizenship of the kingdom for the repentant sinner and outsider.” Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 36-52.

[23] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 46.

^[24] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 73.

^[25] John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Galaxie Software, 2008), 53.

^[26] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 73.

^[27] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 73.

^[28] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 67.

^[29] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 160.

^[30] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 127.

^[31] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 127.

^[32] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 160.

[33] Paul reached a large amount of Asia Minor in the mid-50s AD due to his ministry in Ephesus (Acts 19:10, 26). However, Polycarp wrote a letter to the Philippians in AD 110, where he states that the Smyrnaeans weren’t believers when Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians in AD 60-61. He wrote, “[You Philippians] are praised in the beginning of his Epistle. For concerning you he boasts in all the Churches who then alone had known the Lord, for we had not yet known him” (Polycarp, Letter to the Philippians 11.3.). Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna. So, his use of the plural “we” refers to the church at Smyrna.

^[34] Alan F. Johnson, “Revelation,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 437.

^[35] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 68.

^[36] John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Galaxie Software, 2008), 61.

^[37] Alan F. Johnson, “Revelation,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 438.

[38] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 10.

^[39] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 68.

^[40] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 69.

^[41] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 172.

[42] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 10.

^[43] Alan F. Johnson, “Revelation,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 438.

[44] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 68.

^[45] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 78.

[46] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 89.

^[47] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 180.

^[48] John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Galaxie Software, 2008), 65.

^[49] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 180.

^[50] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 78.

[51] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 82.

[52] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 82.

^[53] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 139.

^[54] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 70.

^[55] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 138.

^[56] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 139.

^[57] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 184.

^[58] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 80.

^[59] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 142.

[60] Martial, Epigrams 9.16; Philostratus, Life of Apollonius 4.34.

[61] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 82.

^[62] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 184.

[63] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 87.

^[64] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 72.

[65] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 68.

^[66] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 73.

^[67] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 138-139.

^[68] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 201.

^[69] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 202.

^[70] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 151.

[71] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 106.

[72] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 107.

[73] William Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia (Hodder, 1904), 324ff.

^[74] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 151-152.

^[75] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 208.

^[76] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 85.

[77] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 116.

[78] Hemer is quick to note that there is no extant evidence of the statue of Apollos, but this is depicted in coins. Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 116.

^[79] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 214.

[80] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 117.

[81] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 120.

^[82] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 87.

^[83] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 219.

^[84] Alan F. Johnson, “Revelation,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 445.

^[85] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 230.

^[86] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 235.

^[87] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 77-78.

^[88] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 78.

^[89] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 171.

^[90] Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 171.

[91] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 134.

^[92] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 92.

^[93] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 92.

^[94] Alan F. Johnson, “Revelation,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 448.

^[95] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 79.

^[96] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 79.

^[97] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 259.

^[98] Alan F. Johnson, “Revelation,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 450.

^[99] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 263.

^[100] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 97.

[101] Hemer is skeptical on this point—not being sure if Attalus or his brother was indeed the founder. The former inference comes from a late source (Stephanus of Byzantium) and from the similarity of Attalus’ name. This is sufficient for us to think that he was the founder. Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 153-154.

^[102] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 80.

^[103] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 275.

^[104] Alan F. Johnson, “Revelation,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 452.

[105] Ramsay writes, “Philadelphia lay at the upper extremity of a long valley, which opens back from the sea. After passing Philadelphia the road along this valley ascends to the Phrygian land and the great Central Plateau, the main mass of Asia Minor. This road was the one which led from the harbour of Smyrna to the north-eastern parts of Asia Minor and the East in general, the one rival to the great route connecting Ephesus with the East, and the greatest Asian trade-route of Mediaeval times… Philadelphia, therefore, was the keeper of the gateway to the plateau.” William Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia (Hodder, 1904), 404-405.

[106] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 155, 162.

^[107] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 100-101.

^[108] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 278.

^[109] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 81.

[110] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 166.

^[111] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 104.

^[112] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 107.

^[113] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 83.

^[114] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 85.

[115] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 182.

[116] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 182.

^[117] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 84.

^[118] Alan F. Johnson, “Revelation,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 457.

[119] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 188.

[120] See Rudwick and Green, “The Laodicean Lukewarmness,” Expository Times 69 (1957-58), 176-78.

[121] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 194.

^[122] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 313.

^[123] Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997), 111.

[124] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 196.

[125] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 196.

[126] Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in their Local Setting (England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1989), 199.

^[127] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 323.

^[128] Alan F. Johnson, “Revelation,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 12 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 459.

^[129] Leon Morris, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 86.