Revelation Study - Verse by Verse

[Major1]

Revelation 2:1-7.........
Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.

In every church listed, the "Angel" of the church is the local Pastor. This 1st church is the one in Ephesus and remember....this is the glorified Lord Jesus Christ speaking.

Please take notice and you may already have done that....the letters to the churches were inserted by God between the vision of the glorified Christ in Chapter #1 and what appears to be the glorified Church in Chapter #4. Any thoughts on WHY that is the case?????

The Church at Ephesus had several good qualities which Jesus commends them for:
1. It was a Working Church.
2. It was a Laboring Church.
3. It was a Patient Church.
4. It was an Intolerant Church.
5. It was a Cautious Church.

This Church had many "Stars" involved in it.
1. Aquilla and Priscilla ministered.
2. The Apostle Paul preached there for 2 years.
3. Apollos ministered there.
4. The Apostle John also was there.

What does that mean????
It means that they were "exposed" and taught correct doctrine!

One of and maybe the #1 reason why the church today is floundering is that correct Bible Doctrine have been placed on the back burner so as to appease the members of the liberal church of today????

Jesus commends them for being "cautious".
Cautious means...... Careful.

Jesus says in verse #2.........
" hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars".

Direct, simple to understand language! Oh my friends, do we ever need that these days. We desperately need preachers to say what GOD SAID and not what they think God said!

Today, people tend to believe whatever a charismatic speaker says. And when he says...."God Spoke To ME and Said", now we know he is a man of God and would never lie to us!!!!!

1 Thess. 5:21..........
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

1 John 4:1..............
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."

Why does God say this. Why the focus on false Apostles??????

Because, whether you like it or not, there are NO Apostles today. It is Biblically impossible!
There are lots and lots of people today working real hard to counterfeit the "signs and wonders" of the Apostles today, but not a single one of them is legitimate.

Why??? Because the Bible says that the Apostles had to have seen Jesus, been alive at His resurrection and seen Him FACE TO FACE!
There are no exceptions to that Bible Doctrine!

There is an excellent book written by Hank Hanagraff called......"Counterfeit Revolution" and I would recommend it to everyone!

This church had many good qualities but they also had one devastating flaw! THEY LEFT THEIR 1st LOVE!

They did things out of DUTY with METHODS and SYSTEMS but they forgot about JESUS!

Jesus is our 1st and best love and without Him the church is nothing more than a social club!

In verse # 5, Jesus gives the formula for this church that applies to every church.......
REMEMBER - The thrill when you 1st got saved and wanted to tell everyone you knew!
REPENT - Stop polishing your halo. Face your sin! Break the false god of vanity!
RESPOND! - CHANGE! Do what is the right thing to do because it is the right thing to do.

Verse #6. Who were the NICOLAITIANS????

There are at least two schools of thought on that.
1.They were the followers of Nicolas who was one of the 1st 7 deacons. He went on to teach the false doctrine that indulgences of the body did not hurt the spirt of man. That turns out today to be the teaching that the Christian Liberty means that the man/woman can use that
as an excuse to practice KNOW - WILLFUL sin and still call themselves a Christian.
2. The actual word "NICOLATAITANES" comes from two Greek words and when used together they mean "To Conquer the Common Laity".
This teaching then became a specail priest class of indivuals in a special position ruling the paity or the average believer.
Take the time to read.....1 Peter 5:3-4; 1 Corth. 12:7-27; Heb. 10>19.

Verse #7.
The Holy Spirit speaks!

Him speaking has never been the problem. However, US hearing Him has always been a problem.

I will stop here and allow you to consume, digest all of this and make comments. It is my sincere prayer that some of this will help someone somewhere!

Remember............we can talk but we can not argue. If you do not agree..........Simply say, God bless you old man, but I do not agree and then we can still have lunch together.

 

[Major1]

REVELATION 2:8-9.....
"And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; 9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."

"Smyrna".....not New Smyrna, Fl..

It is the PERSECUTED Church.

They are said to be poor but rich. To me, it has always been interesting to notice how God looks at us. We tend to think that because we do not have money in the bank, we are poor. If we do not have "things", we think that we are poor! But God says that when we have Christ WE ARE RICH!
God says that if we have love we are rich.

Somewhere along the line of life, the church bought into the Satanic teaching that MORE and BIGGER is Godly.
We tend to believe that a big crowd means that God is blessing that church more than the little old white country church in the valley.
We tend to look at the stained glass, and big organ and TV screens and think that God is blessing this place more than any other place.
We tend to observe a big crowd standing and cheering and clapping and think, God is really in that church. Look at the emotions!!!!

It would benefit every person to remember that the 1st Temple that God visited man in on this earth was a TENT!

ALL of us would be a lot happier in our lives today if we would be satisfied with what we do have instead of trying to get more of what we do not have.

 

[Major1]

REVELATION 2:10:
"Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."

Here in this verse we learn that Jesus predicted further suffering for the church at Smyrna. Some of the believers would encounter imprisonment and death. The Devil would be responsible for this hateful treatment, but Jesus told the believers not to fear. Early in His earthly ministry Jesus had counseled in Matthew 10:28.....
"Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell".

He continued His counsel by asserting that our heavenly Father's eye is on the sparrows and He values us more than many sparrows in Matthew 10:29............
"Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father."

Now for the "ten days" .

The scholars I have studied have stated that the "10 Days" = 10 periods of time when intense persecution was done by 10 different Roman Emperors........
1. Nero.........64-68 A.D.
2. Domitian...81-95.
3. Trajan.......104-117
4. Aurelius.... 161-180
5. Severus.....200-211
6. Maximus....235-237
7. Decius.......250-253
8. Valerian.....257-260
9. Aurelian......270-275
10Dicoletian...303-312

We should all remember that as Christians, we are not promised to be kept from persecution, or pain or suffering. I realize that that flies in the face of some of your denominational teaching but that is the Bible fact!!!! However, God promised us that we are kept in—or through—persecution. Jesus never leaves us or forsakes us; therefore
we can say, Heb. 13:5-6..........
"I will not fear; what can man do to me?".

The Church in the USA does NOT KNOW about persecution! The REAL church left after the Rapture will be but not today because of its religious stand.

In fact, the U.S. doesn’t even make the top 50 countries in the world according to Open Doors’ World Watch List. Worldwide, persecution of Christians is rising, but evangelicals’ claims of persecution in the U.S. are unfounded and rooted in intersecting legacies of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and denominational teachings rejected by the majority of society,.........ex. Handling Rattlesnakes.

 

[Major1]

REVELATION 2:12-17.........
“And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, ‘These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: 13 “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. 15 Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.“He 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 to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”

PERGAMOS. The name in the original means ....."Thoroughly Married" = A Marriage of the world with the Church.

The "prophetic" application is 313-590 AD.

Satans's Seat = Babylonian religious headquarters was moved here in 133 B.C.

This city had a Throne like alter to the god Zeus, a temple to Asklepios, symbolized by a Serpent along with others to the Roman Emperor.

Pergamos is also the home of the temple of DIONYSUS where the god BACCHUS lived. He is the god of wine and alcohol and is pictured as the 1/2 man and 1/2 goat with cloven feet and tail but his upper body as a human man.

Pergamos is also the home of the temple of AESCULAPIUS. This was the Greek god of "healing". The area around the temple was covered with thousands of snakes and the thought was that by touching them or them rubbing you would heal you. In time, tame snakes ( ? ) were kept in his temples as this animal was regarded as a symbol of regeneration.

Hygieia, A Goddess who was the daughter of Asclepius tended to his temples. Her symbol became a bowl containing a medicinal potion, with the serpent of Wisdom drinking from it. She is a goddess of health, healing, and hygiene.

I said all of that to point your attention to the AMA medical symbol which is a STAFF with two Snakes coiled around it.

Doctrine of Balaam = a compromise of Christianity with Paganism resulting in idolatry and immorality.
Balaam, for those who do not know, once succeeded in leading many Israelites into these sins with false teachers.
(Numbers 31:16; 2 Peter 2:15 and Jude 11)

Can anyone reading these words grasp the idea that the USA specifically and the world in general is exactly in the same position?

As a society, including many in the church worship TV, Hollywood movies, violent sports, political correctness, CRT and yes.......False teachers !

Dont we all tend to tolerate those who tell us that if we are SINCERE about God, whoever He/she is, we will be OK because we do not want our friends and family to reject us?????

 

[throughfiierytrial]

If there is a person out there who can honestly explain Matt 24:34 then I would like to meet him or her. The context, that when Jesus said "generation", that he was speaking of His contemporaries, is beyond doubt, the context proving it. If He meant a future generation then that would have to mean a secondary fulfillment.

Can tell you what you can intuit...to my way of thinking...and other "scholars"...whom you can always choose to believe or disbelieve:
We know Jesus only speaks the Truth...God does not lie. God is not a man that He should lie as Bible says. So when Jesus says this generation shall not pass away until all these things are fulfilled He is telling the Truth. We know the sun and moon continue to shine and so the last day and the last events specified in Christ's discourse did not come to pass as of yet. Therefore we must look at the meaning of the word "generation" as having another meaning in this context...such as those yet living until the end...God's time...God's definition of generation here.
Perhaps "a people" or "type" fits. For Jesus often has incriminating things to say about "this generation"...a sinful and adulterous generation...etc. It may be likely He is speaking of all earthly peoples and they are of one generation while peoples in the Age to Come being a new generation. This generation passes away with the Judgement Day while the next generation is Heaven.

 

[Major1]

REVELATION 2:18-29.........
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;
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.
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.
21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
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.
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.
24 But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
25 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
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.
28 And I will give him the morning star.
29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

This church is commended for their work, faith and service.

Then they are rebuked for allowing a certain WOMAN named "Jezebel" to teach the false doctrine of Balaam. We discussed in the past section and it is again....a teaching which marries fornication with idolatry.

This begs this question. Should women be pastors of churches today?????

Now if you are a woman, and want to post a response please read this before you post something that will embarrass you.

Now remember, I teach the BIBLE not opinions and what I WANT TO BELIEVE.

1 Timothy 3:1-5.......
"This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; 4 one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); "

In the Greek.....all the highlited are "Masculine" and can not be interpreted as HUMANITY.

This was the "Corrupt" church.

It is the least important of all the churches. It was deep in the OCCULT.

OCCULT = Fortune telling/divination/ witchcraft.

It is the prophetic time frame of the Roman Emperor Constitine who declared himself the 1st Catholic Pope!!!!

The word CATHOLIC = Universal!

In verse #20, the word "seduce" means a departure from BIBLICAL truth where rituals and tradition took the place of personal faith in Christ.

This was the beginning of the worship of the Virgin Mary and her child.

It was in this church that the 1st Mass was given for the dead.

Power and authority rule was in the hands of the POPE. It was when the Roman Inquisition began which led to the death of approx. 22 million people.

Of all the church's, the most severe warning given to any of the church's was given to this one.

Do you think that this church listened to Christ's warning??????????

 

[Major1]

REVELATION 3:1-6........
"And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

Three churches are left to be discussed. In the verses above we see the church at SARDIS.

Jesus makes the same statement He did to the other churches...."I KNOW THY WORKS"!

This church has a reputation of being alive, but Jesus says they are DEAD!

1. God does not want dead churches.
2. A church may grow in numbers but if its people are not growing spiritually, the result will be a dead church.
3. A church may have a lot of activity/programs but if there is no COMMITTMENT to service, there can be no spirituality.

Jesus has always had a 5 fold plan for any church to have a revival.

1. "Be Watchful.
2. "Strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die".
3. "Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard".
4. "Hold fast".
5. "Repent".

Then Christ gives them a warning = Stay alert and be watchful or he will come on them as a theif in the night and they will not know the hour He is coming.

Now cross reference that with Revelation 16:15 and Matthew 24:36.

Rev. 16:15........
“Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

Matthew 24:36..
" But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. "

Jesus then gives them and US some glorious promises to the over comer........
1. A White raiment.
2. Our name will not be blotted out of the book of life.
3. Jesus will confess our name before the Father and the angels in heaven!!!!!

May I say to all of you....our goal, our hope is that when we stand before the Father, He will look at us and see the blood of our dear Lord Jesus Christ on us, and look us in the eye and say............."Welcome home my child, welcome home"!!!

 

[Major1]

REVELATION 3:7-13............
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

It is MY understanding that this is the church to be RAPTURED. The Prophetic application is from the Resurrection to today!

Remember, this is NOT a message from John. All of this is direct from the Lord Jesus Christ, GOD!

HE identifies Himself in verse #7 as --
“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.”

This description of Jesus emphasizes His holiness, His sovereignty, and His authority. The reference to the key of David is an allusion to the Messianic prophecy Isaiah 22:22............
"And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open."

Jesus is the one who opens and shuts, and no one can say Him nay. It also confirms that He who wrote Isaih also wrote the Revelation.

Verse #8 says .....
“I 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” .

The church of Philadelphia was weak in some respects, yet they had remained faithful in the face of trial. Because of this, the Lord promises them an “open door” of blessing.

In verse #9 we see ............
“I 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” .

Those who persecuted the believers (the persecutors were religious hypocrites in this case) would one day realize Christ loves His children. The church of Philadelphia would be victorious over its enemies.

Now right here in verses #10-11 is the reason I present my understanding the Philadelphia church will be the Raptured church.

Jesus encourages the Philadelphian believers regarding His future coming: ........
“Since 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. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown”.

The church’s faithful endurance would serve as a blessing. Jesus would take them to be with Him before the coming tribulation.

1 Thess. 4:13-18.............
"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

He also exhorts them to remain faithful, because this would lead to rewards in the afterlife. Based on this and other passages, many Bible interpreters conclude that the RAPTURE is an event distinct from the 2nd Coming of Christ. The fact that the Philadelphians are promised to be preserved from the time of the tribulation corresponds with the pre-tribulation view of the timing of the Rapture.

Jesus provides a final promise to the believers in Philadelphia and to all believers: verse 12.......
“Him 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 from out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name”.

Professor Thomas Constable notes------
“God promised that He will not just honor overcomers by erecting a pillar in their name in heaven, as was the custom in Philadelphia. He will make them pillars in the spiritual temple of God, the New Jerusalem (21:22; cf.).
Gal. 2:9; 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Pet. 2:4-10. (Source: Thomas Constable, Notes on Revelation )