Slides for this study

Review of Ephesus and Smyrna.

• Ephesus had desirable characteristics. They were strong in the faith and in the works of God.
  • But they lost their love and zeal along the way.
• Smyrna was the persecuted church.
  • They regained their love for God. And they were rich in faith.
• Ephesus was Ascension to 100 AD. Smyrna from100 AD to 323

 

The Church of Pergamos

Revelation 2:12
And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

Meaning of the name Pergamos:

• “height” or “elevation.”

Pergamos represents the time period from 323 AD to 538 AD.

• Why 323 AD?
  • Constantine now declares that the Roman empire is now a Christian nation.
  • Christian’s are now elevated. Almost flattering them. They are becoming popular.
• Smyrna was the persecuted church. But now persecution stops because of Rome becoming a Christian nation.
• It is a time of transition.

Look at how Jesus is being introduced. He has the sharp sword with two edges.

• It’s almost as if God is trying to tell them that they need to fight!
• Why is that important? What else does the sword represent in the Bible?
• Hebrews 4:12
  For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword…
• It represents the word of God.
• With Christianity becoming popular, masses are flooding into the church. Compromise is creeping in.
• God is asking this church to continue to fight with the word of God.

 

Revelation 2:13
I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Where was Satan’s seat?

• Revelation 12:9
  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan…
  • So we see here that Satan is the dragon.
• Revelation 13:2
  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
  • Where is the seat of the dragon?
  • From Daniel, we studied about this beast already.
  • Who is it? It is the Roman Empire. The dragon was Rome.
• The seat of the dragon, of Satan, is Rome.
• Though Christianity was increasing in popularity with Rome, idolatry and pagan worship had not been totally surrendered. The Christian’s still needed to fight.
• Satan’s tactics had changed.
  • Instead of confrontation and persecution, now he resorted to infiltration and apostasy.

But this church has a commendation.

• They held fast Christ’s name, did not deny their faith.
• Though there was compromise coming in, there was still a group of people that were faithful. There were overcomers in this church. People that would not allow the doctrines of Rome to adhere to them and change them. They were strong in faith and allowed Jesus to shine through their lives still.
• Today, there is a need to being faithful to the truth. To not allow even a small deviance from God’s word and from His law.
• Though people may call you straight-laced, we need to be careful to be faithful, even when persecution is not present. Sometimes, that is the most dangerous time. It is destroying a nation from within.

Who is Antipas though?

• Revelation says that he was a faithful martyr.
• We don’t really know the historical record of who he was. However, we can see into the meaning of his name and what that means for us today.
• His name is composed of 2 parts.
  • Anti – means against.
  • Pas – means father.
  • Antipas – against father.
• The use of the term “father” in the religious realm denotes authority and is contrary to the spirit of Christ.
• Matthew 23:9
  And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
• We see here the development of the hierarchy and authority of the bishops of the church. The church became more top down rather than keeping the power in the hands of the church and its members.
• So we see characteristics of the antichrist coming in already in this church. And we will see this even more in the next verse.

 

Revelation 2:14
But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

What is the doctrine of Balaam? What did he do?

• He taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel. To do two things.
  • Eat things sacrificed to idols.
  • And to commit fornication.
• Balaam was a prophet of God.
  • 2 Peter 2:15
    Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
  • But because he loved money, he left being faithful to God to chase after riches.
• Who was Balak?
  • He was the king of Moab.
• This verse is referencing the experience at Baal-peor in Numbers 25.
• Balak, the king of Maob, enticed Balaam to curse the children of Israel, but instead every time he blessed them.
• Because he was unsuccessful, Balaam came to the king with a different plan. Get the women of Moab to dance before the children of Israel and commit fornication. Then the blessing and the protection from God would disappear because of their unfaithfulness, and then Balak would get his wish.
• God Himself would punish them and destroy them. And that is what happened.
• Numbers 31:15-16
  15 And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive? 16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

There was a spirit of compromise. False believers coming into the church. Lax principles. They came in being friendly, but it really worked destruction among them.

• This is why the Bible counsels this.
• 2 Corinthians 6:14
  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
• We should never enter into such friendship thinking that we will be OK. It worked destruction on God’s people in the Old Testament, and the same for those who lived during the time of Pergamos.
• That’s why God is wanting them to fight!

Balaam and Balak.

• Balaam – false prophet of God – RELIIGOUS
• Balak – king of Moab – POLITICAL
• Does it look familiar?
• When religious and political come together, what happens?
• This is paving the way for the antichrist to arise in the next church.

 

Revelation 2:15
So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

What a contrast to what we saw in the church of Ephesus.

• Revelation 2:6
  But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
  • They hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans.
• But now in Pergamos, they hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans.
• The evil deeds are influenced by doctrine, by teaching.
• If you ever want to change a persons actions, don’t just tell them what they are doing is wrong. We need to study with them doctrine. We need to study with them the Bible. This is the only way.
• Satan understood that.
• Now the doctrine of the heretics had infiltrated the church. Things were changing. The church had let its guard down, but what they needed to do was fight!

We see a progress through the churches.

• Ephesus – hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans.
• Smyrna – the synagogue of Satan arises.
• Pergamos – holding the doctrine of Balaam and Balak and the Nicolaitans.

 

Revelation 2:16
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

What did the church of Pergamos need to repent from?

• From allowing apostasy and God’s enemies to creep in. To allow false doctrine to affect their principles.
• How did that happen? They had let go of their hold of the word of God.
• Friendliness from the world and from Rome made them to let down their guard.
• They needed to come back to the word of God! To fight with the Bible.
• They needed the characteristics of Ephesus to be able to detect those that were liars and false apostles.
• Under the guide of Christian love, false doctrine, worldliness and transgression of God’s commandments crept in. And those who protest these abuses are branded as trouble makers and lacking in Christian love.
  • Antipas gives us a picture of what will happen to the faithful that fight. They are martyred.
• It will take spiritual courage to go against the abuses and vices in the church.

Yet God will have a group of people that are overcomers, that are faithful to Him.

 

Revelation 2:17
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

The overcomer will eat of the hidden manna. What does manna represent?

• John 6:58
  This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
  • That was referring to Christ.
  • How do we eat of Christ? By eating of His word, the Bible.
• The need of the Bible is becoming more and more central in this church – Pergamos.
  • They need to fight with the Bible, the sword.
  • And now there is a promise to the overcomer of hidden manna, the scriptures.

However, where else have we seen manna in the Bible?

• The Israelites were fed with manna for 40 years when they went round and round the desert, in the wilderness.
• It is almost as if Pergamos is forecasting that a wilderness experience is coming and that these people will be given the word of God in secret. They will be fed while everyone around them is perishing.

I don’t totally understand the picture of the white stone and the new name. I’ve read many different interpretations but I don’t see anything conclusive about a white stone in the Bible.

• White we know represents righteousness.
• A new name – we see that with Jacob whose name was changed to Israel. He was an overcomer. The change in name represents a new birth, born again experience, conversion.
• But putting it together has always puzzled me and I don’t want to share something that is not clear. So let’s move on shall we?

 

CONCLUSION to the church of Pergamos:

• Christians are elevated and compromise is creeping in.
• The seed of the Papacy is being planted.
• God wants us to fight with the word of God.

 

The Church of Thyatira

Revelation 2:18
And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;

The time period of Thyatira is from 518-1798 AD.

• This is a familiar date.
• This is the dark ages, the 1260 years of reign of the little horn in Daniel 7. This is the Papacy, and we will see why clearly soon.

The name Thyatira means “odour of affliction”.

• The people are going through affliction as expected if we are in the dark ages.

“These things saith the Son of God”

• This is the only place that Jesus is identified as the Son of God.
• These people need to know that Jesus is the Son of God.
• There would be a people during that time that would take the focus of Jesus and would claim that they are God.
  • The Son of God would be replaced by the son of perdition.
  • The Man of sorrows would be replaced by the man of sin.

“his eyes like a flame of fire”

• Fire represents judgment and vengeance.
  • 2 Thessalonians 1:8
    In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
• But coupled with the eyes, it means that God will avenge His people for what He knows and sees that is taking place in Thyatira during this time period. It will seem that God has all but forgotten His people, but He hasn’t.

“his feet are like fine brass”

• What will God do with His feet?
• Micah 1:3, 5
  3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. 5 For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel…
• Job 40:12
  Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.
• He will tread down the wicked. He will bring judgment on them eventually.
• The people need to know that God sees, and He will avenge one day.

 

Revelation 2:19
I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

This church is strong in works – it is repeated twice.

• On top of that they have service. That’s another word for
• They have charity, love.
• And they have faith just like the church in Smyrna which went through great persecution (Revelation 2:9).
• They have patience. Why patience?
  • James 1:3
    Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
  • They have gone through great trials and tribulation and persecution.

 

Revelation 2:20
Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

Here is how we know that the time period refers to 538-1798 AD.

• A character is introduced – Jezebel.
• From this description we know she is bad, apart from the fact that in the Old Testament she is a bad person as well.
• Jezebel was married to King Ahab who was the king of Israel.
• Jezebel means “Baal exalts.” She was a pagan princess.
• Note:
  • Jezebel (woman) – represents church. In this case it is a bad church.
  • Married to king Ahab – political power.
  • We see the coming together of church and state here. What can we expect? Persecution.
• On top of that, Elijah would come and tell them that there would be no rain because of their wickedness.
• How long was there no rain in the days of Ahab and Jezebel?
  • James 5:17
    Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
  • 3 ½ years.
  • That is how many months? 42 months.
  • Which is how many days? 1260 days.
  • Look familiar? This is why I chose the dates for Thyatira from 538 to 1798 AD.

Look at what Jezebel did though. It was the same as what was mentioned in Pergamos.

• She taught and also seduced God’s servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols.
• What is fornication?
  • It is a union that God cannot bless.
• That union we see from the top.
  • Union of Ahab and Jezebel.
  • It all started with God’s people uniting and having sympathy with those of different beliefs.
• It also resulted in idolatry.

 

Revelation 2:21
And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

How long a space did God give her? 1260 years.

 

Revelation 2:22
Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

Those that commit adultery (or fornication) with her will be cast into a bed.

What does the bed represent? We know it is compared to tribulation already.

• Job 33:19
  He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain:
• They would be avenged. Pain would come upon them. Prophesying of the judgment that would come from God eventually.
• When would that be? 1798 when the beast would receive a deadly would.

 

Revelation 2:23
And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

Gives this idea of vengeance.

• God knows our works. And He will repay according to what we have done.
• It is a promise to those that are faithful that there will be an end one day.
• The children signify all those that follow them.
• If we follow Christ we are called the sons of God. And similarly, if we follow after the devil or Jezebel, we are their children as well.

 

Revelation 2:24-25
But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

So there are faithful people in Thyatira. Those that were not tainted with the doctrine of Jezebel and the Nicolaitans.

• Don’t get this idea that the papacy was God’s church. Absolutely not.
• Thyatira was the church in the wilderness, the church in hiding. Hiding because of persecution. They were not allowed to worship openly in fear for being called heretics.
• There were some that were not tainted with the doctrine of Jezebel, and did not know the depths of Satan.

So they are counselled to hold on, to hold fast. They needed the patience of the saints. They needed to endure.

• Matthew 24:13
  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

 

Revelation 2:26
And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

There are two types of works mentioned in the church.

• The evil works of Jezebel – seducing and teaching people to commit fornication and eat things sacrificed to idols.
• Then there is the works of the saints which is mentioned twice over at the very beginning.
• What were these works?
  • There were great missionary efforts during the dark ages by different groups of people.
• Many lost their lives to advance the truth and the gospel.
• Though there was the possibility of death, it never deterred them from being faithful to God and to the work of saving those who were trapped in the doctrine of Jezebel.
• Such groups:
  • Waldensians.
  • Huegenots.
  • Albagenses.
  • Reformers such as Martin Luther.
  • Zwingli.
  • Wesley brothers.
  • John Calvin.
  • John Huss.
  • Melanchthon.
  • William Tyndale.
  • John Knox.

They are given the promise that they would have power over the nations one day.

• Their day to rule was not that time. But it would be in the future.

 

Revelation 2:27
And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

The tables would be turned.

• The saints will one day have the power and authority.
• 1 Corinthians 6:2
  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?…
• Revelation 20:4
  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them… and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
• The promise is given to those in Thyatira because they are being judged, they are being persecuted. God promises them that there will be an end one day and the tables will be turned.

 

Revelation 2:28
And I will give him the morning star.

What or who is the morning star?

• Revelation 22:16
  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
  • Jesus is the morning star.
• What else is the morning star?
• 2 Peter 1:19
  And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
  • The morning star is the prophetic word.
• How was Jesus given to the world? Through the word of God, the Bible.
• The Bible was translated into a more known language during the dark ages.
  • It started with John Wycliffe.
  • And others would expand on it.
  • People like William Tyndale and Martin Luther.
• People began to read the Bible in their own language whereas before they relied on the priest and his interpretation as many were uneducated in the language of the Bible which was Latin.
• There is the promise of the Bible given.
• Finally, the manna is no longer hidden. The morning star, most prominent just before dawn, just as the darkness is receding.
• The people are coming out of the dark ages. The Bible is shining now.

 

CONCLUSION to the Church of Thyatira:

• The time of the dark ages – Ahab and Jezebel.
• God reminds them that He is the true God, and that He will judge and avenge them.
• The saints will rule and judge one day.
• The morning star, Jesus through the scripture, is given to the world.

 

This book, that has been preserved through hundreds of years, endured the persecution of those that advocated it, God is asking us to hold on to it.

• We need to treasure it.
• Pergamos needed to fight with it.
• Thyatira was nourished with it secretly.
• We need it more than ever today.

 

Revelation 2:29
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Let us go from this place not forgetting the importance of what we have studied tonight. Have you heard the Spirit speaking to you? To come higher. To draw nearer. To spend more time in the Holy Bible, God’s word, His voice speaking to each of us. We need it more than ever today.