⁴John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, ⁵and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.  To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

⁷Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

⁸"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

⁹I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. ¹⁰On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, ¹¹which said: "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."

¹²I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. ¹⁴His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. ¹⁵His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. ¹⁶In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.  ¹⁷When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

¹⁹"Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. ²⁰The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Revelation 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ 

vs. 1-3  prologue           

·         1: Revelation (apokalupsis) = unveiling  

·         1: This is the revelation OF Jesus Christ.  It is from Jesus and it is about Jesus.  When Jesus came the first time, we saw Him mostly as a servant.  When He comes the second time, we will see Him as a coming KING.  Revelation unveils to us a fuller picture of who Jesus is!  You can’t read Revelation and believe that Jesus was merely a nice human teacher. 

·         3: Revelation is the only book of the Bible that specifically promises blessings for those who read it!  Let this be an encouragement to you as you work to understand this difficult book.  It also promises blessings for those who “hear it and take to heart what is written.”  We need to implant God’s Word in our heart for it to fully bless our lives.  Taking it to heart means believing it so much that it affects our life. 

·         3: The time is near: these things are “imminent.”  That means they could begin at any moment. 

vs. 4-8  Jesus unveiled

·         4: This letter was addressed to seven literal churches that were in Asia Minor (modern Turkey.)  Some see these as both literal churches and as symbolic of the stages the Christian church would take throughout history.   

·         4: What does it mean that God is “He who is, who was, and who is to come”?   

·         4: Seven spirits: Some believe these are seven spirit beings that live near God’s throne.  Others would translate this as “the seven-fold Spirit” and see it as a reference to the Holy Spirit.  Some see the number seven as symbolic of perfection; others would suggest that there is some literal seven-fold aspect to the Spirit or His ministry.  (It does not mean that there are seven Holy Spirits.) 

·          5-6: What five things do verses 5 & 6 say about Christ?  What do they mean and why are they important?  [1. He is the faithful witness.  2. He is the firstborn from the dead (first to be resurrected, and first in authority like a firstborn son) 3. He is  the ruler of the kings of the earth. 4. He loves us!  5. He freed us from sin by His blood. 6. He made us (Christians) to be a kingdom and priests (ALL Christians are priests!) to serve God.] 

·         7: Coming with the clouds: have someone read Daniel 7:13-14, also read Matthew 26:62-65!   (This is rich!) 

·         7: What will be the reaction when Jesus comes? 

·         8: Alpha and Omega: Alpha A is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and Omega W is the last letter.  Jesus was saying He is the “A” to “Z”  What do you think this means?   

·         8: This also identifies Jesus as the one who was, who is and who is to come, the Almighty!  (Jesus is GOD!) 

vs. 9-20  ”One like a son of man”

·         9: How does John identify himself?  What is he our companion in? 

·         9: John was exiled to the rocky island of Patmos, about 50 miles off shore from the city of Ephesus.  Eusebius, an ancient historian, reports that John spent 18 months on Patmos during the persecution of Emperor Domitian around A.D. 95.  Domitian was more anti-Christian than even Nero and demanded that all people in the empire worship the emperor.   

·         10: On the Lord’s Day (Sunday when Christ rose from the death) John was in the Spirit (he was receiving a vision.)  As you read account of what John experienced, try to imagine each of the details of what John was experiencing. 

·         11: Someone “like a son of man.”  Look back at Daniel 7:13-14 again and notice the same phrase. 

·         12-16: John tried to put into words, as best as he could, what it was like to see Jesus.  Why do you think Jesus was pictured in this way?  What do you think the details mean?  (Below are some educated guesses.)   

o        Golden lampstands: Vs. 20 tells us these stand for the seven churches 

o        Dressed in a long robe: pictures Jesus as a leader 

o        Gold sash across his chest: pictures Jesus as the high priest who goes into God’s presence to obtain forgiveness. The sash across the chest also indicated leadership and authority in the first century. 

o        Glowing white hair indicated wisdom, and divine nature (see Daniel 7:9) 

o        Eyes like blazing fire: symbolized judgment over evil and deep insight 

o        Feet like bronze: an exalted person of great power (like a description in Dan. 10:6) 

o        Voice like rushing water: (Ever been to a big waterfall?)  His voice is powerful and awesome.  When He speaks, nothing else can be heard. 

o        Double edges sword out of His mouth: (Read Ephesians 6:17 and Hebrews 4:12-13.) What God says is like a double-edged sword.  Why?  

o        Seven stars: Vs. 20 tells us these are the seven “angels” of the seven churches. 

o        Face shining like the sun: glory 

·         17: What was John’s reaction to seeing Jesus like this?  Let me ask, what image do you usually have of Jesus when you picture Him in your head?  Is it like this, or is it some nice little Sunday School drawing?   

·         18: Jesus is the Living One who was dead but is now alive forever and ever! 

·         18: keys = authority.  We don’t need to be afraid, because our God Jesus holds the authority over death and the afterlife (hades).  It is in His control.   

·         19: What is now: chapters 2-3.  What will take place later: chapters 4-22. 

·         20: Jesus explains the meaning of the seven stars (angels/messengers) and the seven lampstands (7 churches.)  The word for angel means “messenger.”  Jesus may have meant seven angelic beings that watch over the seven churches, or He may have meant seven human messengers (preachers or leaders?) who were leaders in those churches.  

¹"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: ²I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. ³You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. ⁴Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. ⁵Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. ⁶But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ⁷He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

⁸"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. ⁹I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. ¹⁰Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. ¹¹He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Revelation 2:1-11 What Christ Thinks of the Church (Ephesus & Smyrna) 

vs. Intro          

·         These seven letters were written by Christ and are directed to seven literal churches that existed in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) at the time.  They were each along a major Roman road and they were written in the order that a messenger would travel while delivering them.  Although each of the letters is written to one specific church, Christ repeats the phrase, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  All churches should learn from what is written in these letters.  As we study them think about this: What would Jesus write to our church?  What would He write to our youth group?  (On the last day we study the 7 letters, we will have the teens and sponsors write what they think Christ might write to us!) 

·         Each of these letters is written like a form letter with the following parts:

o        City: “To the angel of the church of _________”

o        Christ describes Himself 

o        Positive things about the church (all except for 2)

o        Negative things about the church (all except for 2)

o        A command is given to the congregation

o        A call is given to “he who has an ear”

o        A promise is given to “him who overcomes” 

vs. 1-7  Ephesus: Losing Your First Love

·         1: The City of Ephesus: At the time of John, Ephesus was the greatest harbor city in Asia.  The major roads that came through Asia Minor connected to the sea at Ephesus, thus the city was known as the Gateway of Asia and was very prosperous because of it.  It was a “free city” meaning that it had special rights and privileges from Rome.  Ephesus was the center of worship for Artemis, the goddess of fertility.  The temple of Artemis was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.  It was 425 feet long, 220 feet wide, and had 120 columns, each sixty feet high, some overlaid with gold and jewels.  The temple employed thousands of priests and priestesses, many of whom were temple prostitutes.  The city was known for its idolatry.  Paul, Timothy, and John each ministered in Ephesus for good amount of time, making the church in Ephesus one of the most foundational churches in the world at the time. 

·         1: Christ described:  Christ holds the seven starts in his right hand and walks among the seven lampstands.   

·         2-3: Positive Evaluation:  (1) hard work, (2) perseverance, (3) that they don’t tolerate wicked men, (4) they tested false apostles and weeded them out, (5) endured hardships in Jesus’ name without growing weary.  Why are each of these things  good?  How are they an example to us? 

·         4: Negative Evaluation:  They have forsaken their first love.   

·         4: What do you think it means that they have forsaken their first love?  What is it like for us to forsake Jesus, our first love?  How does this happen?  Is it quick or slow?  Do we usually notice?  Why not?  This is an important topic for discussion because it is something that can easily happen, and often does.   

·         4: Notice that the church at Ephesus was DOING a lot of good things and had great DOCTRINE, but their HEARTS weren’t passionately in love with Jesus anymore… and they were probably too busy to notice.  Just because you are busy for Jesus doesn’t mean that your relationship with Jesus is healthy.  This is an easy trap to fall into.   

·         5: Command: Remember, Repent, and Do.  They were to…

o        remember the height from which they fell  (remember how much you used to love God and notice how much you have changed)

o        repent, turning back to their first love

o        do the things they did at first (live it out) 

·         5: How do we return to our first love?  What might we need to do?   

·         6: Another Positive: They hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which Jesus also hates.  The Nicolaitans were heretics who, as Clement of Alexandria said, “abandoned themselves to pleasure like goats… leading a life of self-indulgence.”  They argued that because Christians are saved by grace, we can do anything we want.  (What do you think about that?) 

·         7: Call to hear: Christ wants us to listen and really hear what He is saying. 

·         7: To him who overcomes: He will give the right to eat the tree of life in the paradise of God.  The Bible starts with Adam and Eve in Paradise, eating from the tree of life.  In the end, things will be restored.  He who comes will receive eternal life with God.   

vs. 8-11  Smyrna: Church Under Persecution

·         8: The City of Smyrna: Thirty-five miles north of Ephesus, Smyrna was called the Crown of Asia because it was the most beautiful city in Asia, and one of the most wealthy.  It had been founded as a Greek colony in 1000 BC, but was destroyed by invaders in 600 BC and was not rebuilt for 400 years.  Great detail and effort went into rebuilding Smyrna, making it so beautiful.  Like Ephesus it was a free city and was very loyal to Rome.  They were chosen, even ahead of Ephesus, for the honor of building a temple to the dead Roman Caesar Tiberius.  Once a year, all citizens were required to come to the temple, burn a pinch of incense as an offering to Caesar and say, “Caesar is Lord.”  Once they did this, they would receive a certificate proving their loyalty to Rome.  Many Christians refused to do this.  There was also a large Jewish population there which was hostile to the Christians. 

·         8: Christ described: He is the First and Last.  (People in Smyrna loved to call their city “the first in Asia.”)  He died and came to life again.  (People in Smyrna could identify with this because their city was destroyed and rebuilt.) 

·         9: Positive Evaluation:  Even though they are poor and persecuted, they are rich!  There are two words in Greek that mean poor:  Penia means that someone is not wealthy; they don’t have extras.  Ptocheia, the word used here, means that they don’t have anything at all.  Although these Christians lived in the wealthy city of Smyrnia, they were poor.  Although they were poor in the world’s eyes, they were rich in what is really important!  They were rich in God’s eyes! 

·         Negative Evaluation: none! 

·         10: Command: Christ encouraged them to (1) not be afraid of what they were about to suffer.  He told them to be (2) faithful, even to the point of death, because He would give them the crown of life.   

·         10: What do we usually pray for when we hear about persecuted Christians or a captured missionary?  I heard someone make a comment in a message that really impacted me.  He pointed out that when we hear about something like this in other parts of the world we usually pray for things like their safety, their lives, and that they would be quickly be released unharmed.  These things aren’t bad to pray for, but they show what our real values as Americans really are.  We value life, comfort, and prosperity.  However, what would be the most important thing that we would pray for if we had a truly Biblical world-view and value system?  We would pray that they would be FAITHFUL!  …even unto death (to the glory of God.)  (Why is faithfulness even more important that these other things?) 

·         10: How faithful to God are you in your “persecutions”?  Do you fold? 

·         11: To him who overcomes:  He will not be hurt at all by the second death!  What is the difference between the first death and the second death? [The first death is physical death; the second death is eternal spiritual death.]  The Greek is very strong: He will not be hurt IN ANY WAY by the second death!  Yes, they might be hurt by the first death (physical death) but the second death (spiritual death, hell) can’t hurt them at all!   

·         11: But who is an overcomer?  See what John wrote in 1 John 5:5.

¹²"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. ¹³I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. ¹⁴Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.  ¹⁵Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ¹⁶Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. ¹⁷He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

Revelation 2:12-17 What Christ Thinks of the Church (Pergamum) 

vs. 12-17  Pergamum: Where Satan Lives

·         12: The City of Pergamum: Pergamum had been the capitol city of Asia Minor for the past 400.  It was built on a hill 1000 feet high which gave it a great natural defense and a very majestic look.  From the top of the hill, you could see the Mediterranean Sea even though it was 15 miles away.  It was a center for culture, with the second largest library in the world (second only to Alexandria, Egypt) which contained 200,000 parchment scrolls.  Pergamum regarded itself as the custodian of the Greek way of life and Greek worship.  The city contained four temples to Greek gods: Zeus (the king of the gods), Athena (wisdom), Asclepios (healing, the chief god of Pergamum), and Dionysus (wine and “partying”… usually drunken, sexual partying).  The temple of Athena and the alter of Zeus were built on the hillside in such a way that they looked exactly like a giant throne on the hillside, smoking all day long from the sacrifices to Zeus.  The temples were centers for worship, but also for social interaction.  As the capitol city of Asia, it was also the center for Caesar worship.  The proconsul of Pergamum had what was called “the power of the sword” which meant the right to perform executions.   

·         12: Christ described:  He who has the sharp double-edged sword (in contrast to Pergamum and their “power of the sword”) 

·         13: Positive Evaluation:  Christ knew they lived in a city where there were a lot of forces against Christianity.  Christ said that Pergamum was where “Satan had his throne.”  This could be a reference to the temples that looked like a giant throne.  It could also be because it was the center for Caesar worship.  Christ was very proud of these Christians for remaining true to Christ even in the midst of difficult circumstances.   (Satan probably didn’t actually live in Pergamum.  What it probably meant was that Satan had a strong influence there… but then again, who knows.) 

·         13: We know nothing about Antipas except that he was a believer from Pergamum who was put to death because of Jesus.  Tertullian reported that Antipas was killed by being placed in a giant brass bull and slowly roasted alive.   

·         13: The Greek word for “witness” is martus from which we get the word martyr.   

·         13: Some people don’t realize that West Michigan is a Christian bubble.  Most of the rest of the country is not this friendly to Christianity.  If we can’t stand up for God here, how do we expect to stand up for Him somewhere difficult?  (Have any of you lived somewhere else?  What was it like?) 

·         14: Negative Evaluation:  They have people who “hold to the teaching of Balaam.”  Balaam is written about in the book of Numbers 22-25.  To study the story of Balaam, quickly read Numbers 22-25, Numbers 31:16, 2 Peter 2:15, and Jude 11) 

·         14: Balaam was a prophet-for-hire.  One of the enemies of Israel, Balak the King of Moab, tried to hire Balaam to curse Israel.  However, God made it so that whenever Balaam tried to utter curses, he actually uttered blessings instead!  Because the original plan didn’t work, Balaam told Balak that if he could tempt the people of Israel to worship idols and commit sexual immorality, it would spell disaster for Israel.  So Balak sent Moabite women to seduce the men of Israel.  

·         Balaam’s sin was that he caused others to be led away from the Lord and led into sin by what he did.  (Nm. 31:16)  We need to make sure we don’t do the same thing!  (Examples?) 

·         15: There were also those who held to the teachings of the Nicolaitans: that Christians can do whatever they want because they are saved by grace.  (Interesting note: The name Nicolaus means “the conquer the people” in Greek.  The name Balaam means “to conquer the people” in Hebrew.) 

·         15: Eating meat sacrificed to an idol was a “gray area.”  Read 1 Corinthians 8 for a great discussion about this.  (Also see Romans 14:1-18.)  When the people brought a sacrifice to the pagan temples, most of the meat was not burned.  The priests would keep some and the person who brought the sacrifice might take some home.  Much of the extra meat was sold in the marketplace.  It was difficult for a person to know if the meat had been sacrificed to an idol or not. 

o        Paul taught in 1 Cor. 8 and Romans 14 that it really wasn’t a big deal that the meat was sacrificed to an idol, but if you DID consider the meat “tainted” because of the idol, then YOU shouldn’t eat it because it would be sin for you.   If you were a guest at someone’s house, it was probably best just to not ask questions about the meat.  (Don’t get into the issue.) 

o        In Acts 15:19-20 the Council at Jerusalem confirmed that fact that Gentiles (non-Jews) could be saved without becoming Jews and obeying Jewish laws.  However in the letter to the churches about that decision (recorded in Acts 15) James tells the Gentiles that they didn’t have to obey the Jewish law, but they should abstain from (1) food polluted by idols, (2) sexual immorality, (3) the meat of strangles animals, and (4) blood.  James did not say this because these things were always wrong, but because these four things were particularly offensive to the Jews and would cause them to stumble in their conscience.  (Note: Sexual immorality is always wrong.)  If the Gentile Christians and the Jewish Christians were to get along and be one, the Gentiles needed to respect the Jews by not doing these things in front of them.  This goes along with what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 8:9-13.  Even if something is okay for you as a gray area, you shouldn’t do it if you are going to hurt someone else’s walk with Christ.  It’s not worth it.

o        However in Christ’s letter to Pergamum, He says that eating food sacrificed to idols is sin.   The difference is probably that the people in Pergamum were eating the meat AT THE TEMPLE at the banquets for the pagan gods.  They probably told themselves, “I’m here for the meal and to see my friends.  I’m not worshipping these gods.”  However, Christ viewed their compromise as sin.  By being there, it would seem to the watching world that these Christians were endorsing pagan worship.  (This was no longer a “gray area” but a “black area!”)  It was probably a big deal for these Christians to give up meeting at the temple.  It was a place of a lot of social and business interaction in addition to the food.  If they give up meeting at the temples, they will be giving up a lot of their social status.  Some of them might be blackballed in their professions because of it. 

·         15-16: Like the Israelites who were led into sin by the Moabite women, there were people in Pergamum who were sinning by eating in the temples.  By doing so, they were compromising with the world.  What are some ways in which we compromise with the world in the same way?  (Possible examples: parties, drinking, movies, music, jokes, dating) 

·         16: Command: Repent, or Christ will fight against them with the sword of His mouth. 

·         17: To him who overcomes: He will give some of the hidden manna, and a white stone with a new secret name written on it. 

o        Manna was the special food that God daily provided for the Israelites when they were wandering in the desert after they left Egypt.  A pot of manna was placed in the arc of the covenant.  Jewish tradition held that Jeremiah hid this golden pot of manna before the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem (and probably the arc) and that it still existed and would be restored in the messianic age.  Manna represents God providing for our needs.  Remember, these Christians had a problem with eating food because of idol worship.  It is appropriate that Jesus is telling them that He will provide food for them.  In the same way for us, following Christ means giving up many of the pleasures and perks of the world.  However God will supply us with greater things that will meet out needs or give us true and lasting fulfillment. 

o        Scholars are unsure exactly what the reference to the white stone means.  There are several good guesses:

§         In the ancient world, stones were often used by juries to register their verdict.  Black meant guilty and white meant innocent.  Therefore, the stone could mean that we have been found innocent in God’s court.

§         In the ancient world a tessera was a small tablet made of wood, metal, or stone with writing on it.  It gave special privileges to the one who possessed it, such as the right to certain free gifts or free entry into public events.  Therefore, if the stone were a tessera, it would be our “pass” into heaven to receive the free gift of salvation.  Tessera were also used as invitations, with the name of the invited person written on it.  Instead of going to the pagan idol banquets, believers can look forward to God’s banquet!

§         Some think the main point of the stones is the new name for believers, their new identity in Christ.  I wonder if perhaps this is meant to replace or overcome the fact that many of these Christians would be killing their social status when they stop going to the pagan temples.  Their identity in the eyes of the city would be tarnished, but their new identity in Christ would be as pure as the color white.  We need to remember this, because following Christ will also cost us in the same way, but our new identity in Christ is more important.

¹⁸"To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. ¹⁹I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. ²⁰Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. ²¹I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. ²²So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. ²³I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. ²⁴Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you): ²⁵Only hold on to what you have until I come. ²⁶To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—
 ²⁷'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'— just as I have received authority from my Father. ²⁸I will also give him the morning star. ²⁹He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 2:18-29 What Christ Thinks of the Church (Thyatira) 

vs. 18-29  Thyatira: The Church that Tolerates Sin 

·         18: The City of Thyatira: Although the city of Thyatira was the least important of the seven cities Jesus wrote to, it received the longest letter.  Thyatire was a garrison set up to defend Pergamum, the capitol.  However Thyatira was in a plane and not on a hill and thus had poor defenses.  Thyatira had no special religious significance and was not a center for Caesar worship or the worship of Greek gods.  Pergamum was a working man’s town.  As the gateway to Pergamum it was a center of commerce, especially the dyeing industry and the production of woolen cloth.  In Acts 16, Lydia, a sell of purple cloth, was from Thyatira.  People working in these industries needed to be in certain trade guilds, and refusing to join one of these guilds would be like refusing to join a union today.  (You can’t work in certain careers unless you join the union.)  The problem is that often these guilds would have meetings in the pagan temples or would, at least, begin and end with a formal sacrifice to the Greek gods.     

·         18: Christ described: His eyes are like flaming fire and His feet are like burnished bronze.  The eyes probably indicate deep insight and judgment of evil.  The bronze feet probably indicate an exalted person of great power. 

·         19: Positive Evaluation:  Christ commended them for four things: (1) Their love, (2) faith, (3) service, (4) and perseverance.  He also indicated that they were doing more than they were at first.   The NLT translated this, “I can see your constant improvement in all these things” which captures the meaning.  How are we doing in these four areas?  (Individually?  As a youth group?)  AND, are we IMPROVING, staying the same, or getting worse? 

o        Love: Our love for Christ?  Are you/we more in love with God than you were in the past? How about our love for other Christians?  What about our love for non-Christians?  

o        Faith: What is faith?  How do you grow in faith?  We need faith to be saved, but we also need faith every day!  Faith in TRUSTING GOD.  As a Christian, you have trusted God for your salvation, but are you trusting Him to help you grow?  Are you trusting Him to help you love Him more?  Are you trusting Him that He will take care of you and do what is truly best for you?  (Rm. 8:28)   Trust means to depend upon.  Are you depending upon God for your joy and fulfillment in life?   When we seek our happiness from other things, it is because of unbelief.  We don’t really believe that God can make us happy!  We don’t really believe that He has our best interest in mind!  We don’t really believe that He will take care of us!  (You could also look at Romans 8:28, Matthew 6:25-34, and Mark 9:14-29, especially vs. 24.  In Mark 9:19 & 23: Notice the importance Jesus puts on belief vs. unbelief.  Mark 9:24: We can/should  grow in our level of trust.  Keep improving your confidence in God.  Mark 9:29: The power of prayer isn’t in the words, but in depending on God.) 

o        Service: What does it mean to serve God?  How are we serving God?  How are YOU serving God?  Are you growing in your service of God?  How can we help the youth group as a whole to grow in serving God?   

o        Perseverance:  How do runners increase their perseverance?  Training!  By running longer and longer each time they practice.  By being consistent.  By cutting food out of their life that will make it harder to persevere.  So, how can we increase our spiritual perseverance?  If you’re spiritually lying on the couch and spiritually eating Twinkies all day, don’t be so surprised that your perseverance is pathetic!  Work in increasing your perseverance.  Work on consistency.  Work on going longer and longer between dry spells or failures.   

·         20-24: Negative Evaluation: They tolerated the woman Jezebel who claims to be a prophetess but leads Christ’s servants into sexual immorality and idolatry.  Thyatira had the opposite problem that Ephesus had.  Ephesus didn’t tolerate wickedness or false teaching, but had lost their first love.  Thyatira was growing in love, but tolerated Jezebel’s false teaching and the wickedness she promoted.   

·         20: This woman might have been actually named Jezebel, or maybe Christ was calling her this because she was like the wicked Jezebel of the Old Testament.  (For a summary of the life of Jezebel, read 1 Kings 16:30-33; 19:1-2; 21:1-15: 2 Kings 9:6-10, 30-37.) 

·         20: Many Bible scholars think that what was happening was this: Most of the people in Thyatira were craftsmen and needed to belong to the guild for their specific trade (potters, tentmakers, etc.)  There was a guild house for each of the trades where they would have their meetings.  However, these meetings would feature idolatry, sacrifices to idols which were then eaten, and also probably sexual license as part of the revelry.  Jezebel was probably helping others in the church justify continuing to go to these things rather than face certain economic hardship.   

o        Would you keep your job even if it meant compromising your walk with Christ?  What if it was a really good paying job?  What if you were a parent with a family to support and a house payment to make? 

o        What about a school activity that was really important to you like a sport, the musical, or band?   

o        What if America changed and you couldn’t even go to school or college with out compromising Christ? 

·         22-23: God usually gives people an amazingly gracious amount of time to repent and change.  Sadly, many people take God’s mercy as a sign that their sin doesn’t matter and there will never be consequences.  This isn’t true.  Sin has hard consequences!  (Note: the “children” of Jezebel that will be struck dead could be her followers, her “spiritual children.”) 

·         23: What does it mean that Jesus is the one who searches hearts and minds?   

·         24: These “deep secrets” were possibly “deep insights” that Jezebel and her followers used to justify their sin.  When people choose to sin, they often concoct a “deep” rationale to make them feel better and to justify themselves to others.   

o        Examples?  

§         “Lust is the same thing as adultery, so if I’m lusting I might as well have sex.” 

§         “God wants me to be happy and this makes me happy, so how could it be wrong?” 

§         “What goes on inside my heart is what really matters, so I can do whatever I want with my body.” 

§         “I’ve prayed about it and God told me this was okay.” 

§         “I’ve got to go to do these things so that I can make relationships with unbelievers to help them to Christ.”   

·         25: Command: “Hold on to what you have until I come.”  Hold on tight and endure until Christ returns.  

·         26-29: To him who overcomes:  Authority over the nations, and the morning star. 

o        Authority over the nations: Some scholars believe this means that these believers will receive special authority in Christ’s Kingdom during the earthly millennium.  They also point out that this is the only promise that is made to those who overcome and do Christ’s will to the end.   No real Christian will totally fail spiritually, but there are certainly Christians with really lame and disappointing spiritual lives.  Other scholars would interpret this as applying promise to all Christians.  They believe that Christ will empower all genuine Christians to do His will to the end. 

o        The morning star: Christ is often called the Morning Star in the Bible.  (Rev. 22:16, 2 Peter 1:19.)  The planet Venus, the “Morning Star” is the brightest right before dawn, when the sky is the darkest. 

¹"To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. ²Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. ³Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. ⁴Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. ⁵He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. ⁶He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

 ⁷"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. ⁸I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. ⁹I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. ¹⁰Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. ¹¹I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. ¹²Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. ¹³He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 3:1-13 What Christ Thinks of the Church (Sardis & Philadelphia) 

vs. 1-6  Sardis: Unguarded decay

·         1: The City of Sardis: Sardis was a city of degeneration and decay.  Seven hundred years ago, it was one of the greatest cities in the world.  Sardis had incredible natural defenses.  The city was built on a plateau that was fifteen hundred feet above the valley below.  On three sides of the plateau were almost completely vertical, making attack impossible from that direction.  Approach was only possible on one side and even that was hard and steep.  Because of this, Sardis thought that it was invulnerable.  The wealth of ancient Sardis was legendary.  As the city grew, there wasn’t room for all of it on top of the hill, so another section of Sardis was build at the bottom of the plateau.  In the event of an attack, the people of lower Sardis would quickly flee to upper Sardis for safety.  The greatest king of Sardis was Croesus, who embarked upon a war with Cyrus, the King of Persia.  Croesus’ army suffered a huge defeat, but Croesus was unworried.  He thought he would retreat back to Sardis, regroup, and attack again when they were ready.  However, after they returned to Sardis, Cyrus the King of Persia initiated a siege of Sardis for fourteen days.  He offered a large reward for anyone who could find a way to enter the city.  Eventually, one of Cyrus’ soldiers happened to observe one of the Sardian soldiers accidentally drop his helmet over the side of the cliff.  The Persian soldier then watched as the Sardian soldier made his way down the side of the cliff, retrieved his helmet, and made his way back up the cliff.  Thus, they discovered the place where there was a crack in the rock face of the cliff where an agile man could climb.  They waited until night and then a small group of Persian troops climbed the cliff and found the city completely unguarded.  The people of Sardis were so confident that they were safe that they were not even bothering to place guards even though they were under a siege!  Thus Sardis fell to the Persians.  A few hundred of years later, the city was again under a siege that lasted a year.  This time is was the army of Antiochus who again climbed the cliffs at night with a band of brave men.  The people of Sardis had forgotten their lesson and had left the city unguarded once more.  Again, Sardis fell.  By the time Revelation was written, the city of Sardis was run down, lazy, and lifeless, much like the church Christ describes there.

·         1: Christ described:  He who has the seven spirits and the seven stars.  (The seven stars are the seven churches.) 

·         1: Positive Evaluation:  None!

·         1: Negative Evaluation:  They have a reputation for being alive, but they are dead.  Describe what you think this church might be like.  Describe what a church like this would be like today.  (A church with a great past often can think it is thriving and doing God’s work, when really it is just resting on the reputation from the past.)  What would this look like in a youth group? 

·         1: Sometimes it is easy for a Christian to rest on their reputation from the past to let people assume that they are growing in Christ and doing well as Christians... even when they aren’t currently. Do you ever notice this? 

·         2-3: Command:

o        (1) Wake up, remember, the city had been captured twice because they were NOT watching!  If a church (or a youth group) isn’t awake and keeping watch, it will always plummet into decay. 

o        (2) Strengthen what remains and is about to die. 

o        (3) Remember what you have received and heard, and obey it. 

o        (4) Repent.    

·         2: Jesus did not find their deeds complete.  But we often like to think we have done enough. 

·         3: Read verse 3.  If you were someone who lived in Sardis and knew your city’s history, what kind of special meaning would this verse have for you?  [Twice the city of Sardis was captured because they were not watching!] 

·         4: Those who have not soiled their clothes will walk with Jesus, dressed in white. 

·         5-6: To him who overcomes:

o        (1) Will be dressed in white

o        (2) Will never have their name blotted out of the Book of Life.  Read Rev. 20:11-15.  This is a great evidence for eternal security.  (Note: Rev. 3:5 does not say that Christ will blot out the name of anyone.  It says that He won’t.  Also remember 1 John 5:4-5.) 

o        (3) Christ will acknowledge his name before His Father and the angels 

vs. 7-13  Philadelphia: the Church with an Open Door

·         7: The City of Philadelphia: The name Philadelphia means “brotherly love” in Greek.  (phileo = love, adelphos = brother)  As a city, it was the youngest of the seven cities that Christ wrote to, being founded a little over two hundred years ago as a center for promotion of Greek culture.  Philadelphia was located on a volcanic plane.  These long extinct volcanoes left the land very fertile and ideal for vineyards and the production of wine.  Unfortunately, it was also very prone to earthquakes, such as the one in 17 A.D. that destroyed the city.  Tremors were felt for four years, causing most of the people to abandon the city and live outside of it during this time for fear of falling masonry off of buildings.  After the earthquake, Emperor Tiberius gave money to rebuild the city.  Out of thanks, Philadelphia renamed itself Neocaesarea, which means “New City of Caesar.”    Later in the time of Emperor Vespasian, the city changed its name to Flavia beacuase Flavius was the Emperor’s family name.  Although neither of these names stuck, the city knew what it was to receive a new name. 

·         7: Christ described: 

o        Holy:(hagios = separate)  Christ is separated from sin.

o        True: There are two Greek words for true.  Alethes means real as opposed to what is false.  Alethinos, the word used here, means real as opposed to what is unreal.  Christ is the ultimate reality.  Other things are but mirages.   

o        Holds the key of David:  This is a reference to Isaiah 22:15-25.  Jesus has the ultimate authority (key = authority) over the coming kingdom. 

·         8-10: Positive Evaluation: 

o        Open door placed before them: Open door = opportunity.  God has given them a great opportunity which no one can take away.  This probably means that they have a great opportunity to do ministry and make a big impact on their world, and even around the world.  (Verse 9 might indicate that there was a great opportunity for successful evangelism to the Jews in the city who were currently against them.)  What kinds of open doors has God given you?  What kind of open doors has He given our youth group?  …What happens if there is an open door but you don’t walk through it?

o        Little strength, yet faithful:  They may have been small in number and/or influence.  However, they have remained faithful to God and therefore He was going to give them an open door to do great things!  How powerful do we have to be in order for God to use us? 

·         10: Kept from the hour of trial:  This is an important verse for those who hold to the pre-tribulation rapture view.  In this view, the “hour of trial” that is going to come upon the world is the Tribulation, the seven year period described in Revelation where God pours out His wrath on the world.  If this interpretation is correct, Christ is saying that He is going to keep Christians from this trial.  This would mean that the “catching up” of Christians (the rapture) described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 will occur for those who are in Christ before the Tribulation begins.  1 Thes. 5:9 states, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  The “wrath” in context here is “the Day of the Lord” mentioned in 1 Thes. 5:2.  The phrase “the Day of the Lord” is prophesied often in the Old Testament as well as a time of great wrath and destruction.  (Suggestion: Sometime go to BibleGateway.com and do a search on the phrase “day of the Lord”.)  Other Christians have different views concerning the end times.  There is no official Reformed view spelled out in the creeds, but Reformed scholars typically hold to the amillennial view in which there is no literal 1,000 year reign of Christ on the earth.  Some view the Tribulation period described in Revelation as symbolic of the entire period from the time of the early church to the return of Christ.  Others believe that it will be a specific period of time before the return of Christ.  In this view, the “kept from the hour of trial” would mean something like being preserved through the hour of trial rather than being removed from the hour of trial.   

·         10: Negative Evaluation:  none!  

·         11: Command: Hold on to what they have.  Why?  [Because Christ is coming soon.  (soon = suddenly)  And, so no one will take your crown.  (Loss of joy or reward, not salvation).] 

·         12-13: To him who overcomes:

o        God will make them a pillar in the temple of God.  Never  again will he have to leave it.  Many of the people in Philadelphia remember living outside of the city for years because of the earthquakes.  It would be very meaningful to them that they would never have to leave the temple of God.

o        I will write on Him the name of God, city of God, and Christ’s new name:  The people of Philadelphia knew what it was to receive a new name; their city had been renamed twice within the last 100 years.  A new name means a new identity. 

¹⁴"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. ¹⁵I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. ¹⁹Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. ²⁰Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. ²¹To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²²He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Revelation 3:14-22 What Christ Thinks of the Church (Laodicea) 

vs. 12-17  Laodicea: The Lukewarm Church

·         14: The City of Laodicea: Because of Laodicea’s position on the most important road in Asia Minor, it was one of the wealthiest cities in the world.  Thirty years ago, when most other cities needed to receive financial aid to recover from the earthquakes of AD 17 and 61, Laodicea was able to recover using its own resources, refusing any help (unlike Philadelphia and other cities).  Besides being a center for banking, they were also known for their production of fine wool clothing and a medical eye ointment.  The city did not have a good water supply and needed to receive its water from an underground aqueduct which piped water in from a hot spring six miles away.  It is not certain if the Apostle Paul ever visited Laodicea, although it is mentioned in Colossians 4:16 that the Colossians were supposed to circulate the letter known as “Colossians” to the church in Laodicea, and the Colossians were also to look forward to reading the letter that would be coming from Laodicea.  This letter which was coming from Laodicea might have been a letter that isn’t in the Bible; but some scholars believe that it was the letter to the Ephesians which was a circular letter that was to be copied and passed from church to church. 

·         14: Christ described: 

o        He is the “amen” Amen is what you say when something is true and you agree to it.  Jesus Christ is the true and “agreeable” one.

o        He is the faithful and true witness

o        He is the ruler of God’s creation 

·         14: Positive Evaluation:  none.  What would it be like for God to have nothing good to say about you?  :( 

·         15-17: Negative Evaluation:

o        They are lukewarm.  Why do you think Christ would rather that they we hot or cold… but not lukewarm?  (Background: The lukewarm water was especially significant because the people in Laodicea were used to drinking the bad tasting lukewarm water that was piped into the city.)

§         Some interpret cold and hot to both be very good things.  Hot is good because it is therapeutic.  Cold is good because it is refreshing.

§         Others interpret these to mean that God would rather have people either be totally committed and alive Christians, or just not Christians at all.  Why would that be?  [Because lukewarm Christians are a pathetic joke.  Believing that God is the Lord but not living like it is pathetic.  Believing that Jesus died for you, but not caring enough to be thankful is sick.  Not having faith to trust God to give you satisfaction, but to seek it from the world is absurd.  Lukewarm Christians rob God of his glory and honor and strip salvation of its greatness.  Also—this is very important—lukewarm Christians are terrible for evangelism!  (Why?)

§         Lukewarm Christians literally make God want to puke.  Lukewarm Christians are so repugnant to God, that it makes Him want to puke us out of His mouth!  (Remember though, this letter was written to an entire church, not individual Christians.  He isn’t going to puke out individual Christians, as if they would lose their salvation; He is going to puke out the entire church.)  God is literally saying, “Your church makes me want to puke.”  How would you react if God said this about us?

§         Question: If you leave a glass of water sitting in a room, what temperature will it always end up being if left on its own?  Answer: room temperature.  Left on our own, we will end up simply conforming to our environment.

o        They thought they were rich.  Why is negative?

§         Background: Remember, Laodicea was a very rich city and they refused money from Caesar to help rebuild the city. Its riches made it independent, self-sufficient and arrogant. 

§         They did not realize their true condition.  They were wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked!  They thought they were great, but they were wretched.  They thought they needed no pity or help, but they were pitiful.  They thought they were rich, but they were poor.  They thought they could see (the city was famous for eye ointment) but they were blind.  They thought they were clothed well (the city was known for its wool clothing) but spiritually they were embarrassingly naked. 

·         18-20: Commands: Buy “gold refined in fire” and white clothes to cover their nakedness.  I think this means that they were to seek true riches and righteousness through Christ. 

·         19: What does it mean that “those who I love I rebuke and discipline”?  Aren’t those bad things to have happen to you?  Why is discipline a good thing?  HOW does God discipline us?   

·         20: Stand at the door and knock: Remember, this is written to the church, not specifically to individuals.  We live our lives and think we’re doing great, but we’ve left Christ out Christ although He is willing to be with us personally and intimately.  Especially in that culture, eating and drinking with someone was very personal and intimate.  How wrong it is for Christ to not be invited in one of His own churches!  But that is what some end up doing, although they might not realize it.  How does this happen?   

·         21-22: To him who overcomes: He will give the right to sit with His Father on His throne!   It is difficult to imagine a greater honor!  It is difficult to imagine something we deserve even less! 

·         This is the last of Christ’s seven letters to the churches.  Commentator John Walvoord calls these seven letters a “comprehensive warning in which spiritual dangers are brought home with amazing relevance to today’s churches as well.  Spiritual dangers we all face are: 

o        Losing out first love (Ephasus)

o        Fear of suffering (Smyrna)

o        Doctrinal compromise (Pergamum)

o        Moral compromise (Thyatira)

o        Spiritual deadness (Sardid)

o        Failure to hold on (Philadelphia)

o        Lukewarmness (Laodicea) 

Take the rest of your time to write out what you think Christ might write to US if he were to write us now.  You can either write it specifically for our church, our youth group, or the church in America.  Give the letters you write to another group to read (anonymously) when you are ready!

Revelation 4-18

Revelation 19-22