Search The Scriptures-Revelations

[JPPT1974]

As Christians we will have trouble
Always have and always will
But once we get to heaven, none
Of that will ever exist!

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Rev 1:9 I, John, your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Across from Ephesus, which is where the church was that John pastored, was a desolate island of Patmos on which John had been exiled by the Romans and was a place for the lowest of criminals. It was a volcanic, treeless, rocky island about 6x10 miles. He had been banished there for "the Word of God" and "his testimony to Jesus Christ"

10 I was in the Spirit

In the Spirit

Matthew 22:43
He said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? For he says,

Revelation 17:3
Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.

Revelation 21:10
And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

on the Lord’s Day,


Quote from ~W.E.Vine~

The Day of Christ

A clear distinction is made in the Word of God between the circumstances connected with the coming of the Lord to receive the Church to Himself and His coming with the Church and with all His angels, for the execution of divine retribution upon the foes of God, and for the establishment of His kingdom in the world.

The Resurrection and Rapture of the saints will introduce “the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:8). His coming to the earth in judgment will introduce “the Day of the Lord” (1 Thess. 5:2). The former is otherwise called “the Day of Christ” (Phil. 1:10; 2:16), “the Day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6), “the Day of the Lord Jesus” (1 Cor. 5:5; 2 Cor. 1:14).

These terms are applied, as the context shows in each case, to the period beginning with the Rapture, when the saints will be with the Lord, and will stand before His Judgment Seat to receive the things done in the body. The apostle exhorts them, for instance, to be “sincere and void of offense unto the Day of Christ” (Phil. 1:10). God, who has begun a good work in them, will perform it “unto the Day of Jesus Christ” (1:6).

He assures the saints at Corinth of the confirming work of God in them, so that they may be “unreproveable in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:8). Looking forward to the same time he says, “We are your glorying even as ye also are ours in the day of our Lord Jesus” (2 Cor. 1:14). Believers are so to live now that they may be “sincere and void of offense unto the day of Christ” (Phil. 1:10).
Vine, W. (1997, c1996). Collected writings of W.E. Vine.

Or?

Acts 20:7
On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,

Revelation 4
The Throne in Heaven
1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."

11 saying, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”

tbc

Just to note, some say the "come up here" denotes the raptured church no longer on earth.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

This thread is open for any questions/comments you may have about the posts of that particular day or subject, and not getting ahead of the topic,. Other questions you can PM me about if you like and I can give you my opinion, or wait for it to come up in search the scriptures and then the background will be there. God bless!

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Question 2) We are not for a moment to suppose that Christ literally looks like this. What John sees is a vision, each feature of which is symbolic of some aspect of our glorified Lord. Write down against each feature here portrayed what trait in our Lord's character it suggests. What is the total impression left on your mind?

One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Son of Man in the midst of the churches (1:12-20)

One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

One like the Son of Man,

The first revelation of Jesus about Himself is as the Son of Man. Whenever He is related to the church, He is revealed in His human nature because the church is composed of human beings. The Head of the church is not only the Son of God but also the Son of Man. That the Lord is still the Son of Man after His ascension indicates that He has not put off His human nature after resurrection and that His dealings with us are based upon His humanity. As a man, He succeeded in being God’s testimony. Thus, we in the church today, being human, can also be God’s testimony. The Lord was victorious as a man, and we can be victorious also because He is the way.

Christ today is “in the midst of” the churches. On the one hand, as the High Priest, He is interceding in the heavens for the churches

Hebrews 9:24
For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence.

Hebrews 7:25-26
Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.

Romans 8:34
Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

and, He is moving in the church to care for His own who love His returning.

Verse 13 says, “And in the midst of the lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about at the breasts with a golden girdle.” Christ is not only depicted here as the High Priest, as shown by His garments, but also unveiled “like the Son of Man.” He is still both divine and human. As our High Priest, He is caring for the church in His humanity. When Christ comes to deal with us in the church, He does so not only in His divinity but also in His humanity.

In verse 14, we see that His eyes are as a flame of fire. In Song of Songs 5:12 the eyes of Christ are like doves.

Song of Solomon 5:12
His eyes are like doves
by the water streams,
washed in milk,
mounted like jewels.

That is for the expression of His love. Here “His eyes” are “as a flame of fire.” This is for Him to observe and search in His judging by enlightening. In this book His eyes are not two but seven

Revelation 5:6
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits[a] of God sent out into all the earth.

These seven eyes of His are the “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God”

Daniel 10:6
His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

The “fire burning” equals the “flame of fire” and is for observing and searching and are the seven Spirits of God for God’s move and operation on earth today.

Fire is for divine judgment

1 Corinthians 3:13
his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.

Hebrews 10:27
but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

“Our God is also a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:29)

The main significance of the Lord’s eyes being as a flame of fire is for His judgment

Revelation 19:11-12
The Rider on the White Horse
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.

When He comes to take possession of the earth by exercising judgment over it, even His feet will be like pillars of fire

Revelation 10
The Angel and the Little Scroll
1Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.

Verse 15 says, “His feet were like shining brass, as having been fired in a furnace.” Feet signify the walk. In typology, brass signifies divine judgment. When Christ was on earth, His earthly walk and daily walk were tried and tested. Because His walk was tested, He came out shining. Now the feet of Christ are as shining brass.

Daniel 10:6
His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

To be “fired in the furnace” is to be tried by being burned. Christ’s walk was tried by His sufferings, even by His death on the cross. Hence, His walk is bright as the shining brass, which qualifies Him to judge the unrighteous. This judgement will be the burning of our own works.

John 15:5-6
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Verse 15 also says that “His voice” is “as the sound of many waters.” “The sound of many waters,” a tumultuous sound, is the sound of the voice of the Almighty God

Ezekiel 1:24
When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings.

Ezekiel 43:2
And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.

It signifies the seriousness and solemnity of His speaking .

Revelation 10:3
and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.

Sometimes the Lord’s voice is gentle and tender, but at other times His voice shocks us like thunder. Whenever we are sloppy or sleepy, the voice of the Lord will wake us up. His voice, which is that of the Almighty God, warns us and wakes us up.

(some of this was from Lifestudy of the bible ~ Witness Lee)

I first recognised Christ in scripture thru the tabernacle but we have a much more glorious portrait of Him now but still as human and divine. Every bit of the tabernacle represented Him. This must also be true of the heavenlies.

Like Jesus with the walk away from Jerusalem with the 2 disciples after His death, He is still revealing Himself thru the scriptures of the old testement and beyond.

tbc Jesus amid the churches.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Revelations 1:9-20 Study #2


Question # 3) What does Christ say of Himself? and of His relations to the churches? in verses 17-20.
With verse 17; Cf. Daniel 10:8-11, 15-19; and with the figure of the "lampstands" Cf. Matt 5:14-16.

Revelation 1:16-20
He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.
But He laid His right hand on me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
The things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Revelation 1:17
When 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.

Daniel 10:8-11
So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.
A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.

Daniel 10:15-19
While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. Then something that looked like a man's hand touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak.
I said to the one standing before me, "I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I am helpless. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe."
Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. "Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong."
When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength."

Lampstand

Matthew 5:14-16
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
The things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

In His mouth the 2 edge sword that cutteth to bone and marrow, rightly dividing the Word.The mystery is the church, as His bride, for this is the mystery, for you are to love your wife as Jesus loved the church. The 7 stars are in His right hand (He is at the right hand of the Father) which are the 7 angels of the churches; the lampstands which are the churches next to them it would appear

tbc

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

A) What does Christ say of Himself?

He laid His right hand on me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Re 1:18
Verse 18. I am he that liveth, and was dead. I was indeed once dead, but now I live, and shall continue to live for ever. This would at once identify him who thus appeared as the Lord Jesus Christ, for to no one else could this apply.
He had been put to death; but he had risen from the grave. This also is given as a reason why John should not fear; and nothing would allay his fears more than this.
He now saw that he was in the presence of that Saviour whom more than half a century before he had so tenderly loved when in the flesh, and whom, though now long absent, he had faithfully served, and for whose cause he was now in this lonely island.
His faith in his resurrection had not been a delusion; he saw the very Redeemer before him who had once been laid in the tomb.

Behold, I am alive for evermore. I am to live for ever. Death is no more to cut me down, and I am never again to slumber in the grave.
As he was always to live, he could accomplish all his promises, and fulfil all his purposes. The Saviour is never to die again.
He can, therefore, always sustain us in our troubles; he can be with us in our death. Whoever of our friends die, he will not die; when we die, he will still be on the throne.

Amen. A word here of strong affirmation--as if he had said, it is truly, or certainly so. This expression is one that the Saviour often used when he wished to give emphasis, or to express anything strongly. Compare Joh 3:3; 5:25.

And have the keys of hell and of death. The word rendered hell-- adhV, hades--refers properly to the under world; the abode of departed spirits; the region of the dead.
This was represented as dull and gloomy; as enclosed with walls; as entered through gates which were fastened with bolts and bars.

To hold the key of this, was to hold the power over the invisible world. It was the more appropriate that the Saviour should represent himself as having this authority, as he had himself been raised from the dead by his own power, (compare Joh 10:18) thus showing that the dominion over this dark world was entrusted to him.

And of death. A personification. Death reigns in that world.
But to his wide-extended realms the Saviour holds the key, and can have access to his empire when he pleases, releasing all whom he chooses, and confining there still such as he shall please.
It is probably in part from such hints as these that Milton drew his sublime description of the gates of hell in the Paradise Lost.
As Christ always lives; as he always retains this power over the regions of the dead, and the whole world of spirits, it may be further remarked that we have nothing to dread if we put our trust in him.
We need not fear to enter a world which he has entered and from which he has emerged, achieving a glorious triumph; we need not fear what the dread king that reigns there can do to us, for his power extends not beyond the permission of the Saviour, and in his own time that Saviour will call us forth to life to die no more.

{a} "liveth"

Romans 6:9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

{b} "keys"

Revelation 20
The Thousand Years
1And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

Psalm 68:20
Our God is a God who saves;
from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.

{c} "seven stars"

Revelation 1:16
In 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.

{d} "candlesticks"

Matthew 5:15-16
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

****************************************************************************

B) And of His relations to the churches?

The vision is of Christ representing Himself to the church,

:
Daniel 10:8-11
So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.
A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.

:
Daniel 10:15-19
While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. Then something that looked like a man's hand touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak.
I said to the one standing before me, "I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I am helpless. How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe."
Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. "Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong."
When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, "Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength."

I find it amazing that John, having been with Jesus is so much more strengthened by that association.

:

Matthew 5:14-16
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Nevertheless, we are to make our stand too, in His light and in the light of what He's saying.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Some further reading if you really want to get into it before going on the next study questions.



Larkin
"In His Right Hand SEVEN STARS." We are told in Re 1:20, that the "Seven Stars" stand for the "ANGELS" of the "Seven Churches." These "Angels" are not angelic beings but the Messengers or Ministers of the churches. What a beautiful and solemn lesson is taught here. It is that the ministers of Christ derive their power and office from Him, and that He holds them in His hand. If they are false to Him, no one can deliver them from His power, and if they are true and loyal, no one can touch or molest, or do them harm.
6. HIS MOUTH.
"Out of His Mouth went a SHARP TWO-EDGED SWORD." While the "Sword of the Spirit" is the "Word of God" (Eph 6:17), and the "Word of God" is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any TWO-EDGED SWORD, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow (the body), (Heb 4:12), that is not the sword meant here.
The "Sword of the Spirit" is the Holy Spirit's SWORD, and He alone wields it. The sword meant here is the Sword of the Son of Man (Christ), and it is the "SWORD OF JUSTICE," for the Son of Man, out of whose mouth this sword comes, is the "White Horse Rider" of Re 19:11-15, "out of whose mouth goeth a SHARP SWORD, that with it He should smite the nations." And that sword, like the "Sword of the Spirit" will be TWO-EDGED also, for the protection of His people, and the destruction of His enemies. This is still further proof that John's vision of Christ was as He shall appear in the "DAY OF THE LORD."

***************************************************************************
Larkin

The "Key" to the Book is its
"THREE-FOLD DIVISION."
Re 1:19
The Things Which Thou Hast "SEEN."
The Things Which "ARE."
The Things Which "SHALL BE HEREAFTER."
This is the only book in the Bible where the Divisions are given, and they are here given by Christ Himself.
1. The Things Which Thou Hast "SEEN."
The Vision of the Son of Man in the midst of the "Seven Lampstands." Re 1:10-20.
2. The Things Which "ARE."
The Messages' to the Seven Churches, Re 2:1-3; 22. As these Messages were to seven churches that were in existence in John's day, and to whom he personally wrote, the advocates of the theory that John was in the Spirit on a certain Sabbath or "Lord's Day," naturally claim that John at that time could not have been transported into the "Day of the Lord." But that does not necessarily follow. As we now know (see exposition of chapters 2 and 3) those Churches were REPRESENTATIVE CHURCHES, and were typical of seven well defined periods in Church History, that could not be so understood until the history of the Christian Church would be complete, and that will not be until the "Day of the Lord," so John could have been projected in vision by the Spirit into the "Day of the Lord," and after his Vision of the Glorified Son of Man, the "Messages to the Seven Churches" were dictated to him by the Son of Man Himself, that John when he recovered from his vision and found himself back on the Isle of Patmos could send them to the churches.
3. The Things Which "SHALL BE HEREAFTER."
Literally—"after these." In other words the "Things" which shall come to pass after the "Church Period" ends. The Book naturally divides' into
Seven Sevens.
THE SEVEN CHURCHES. Re 2:1-22.
THE SEVEN SEALS. Re 6:1-8:5.
THE SEVEN TRUMPETS. Re 8:7-11:19.
THE SEVEN PERSONAGES. Re 12:1-13:18.
THE SEVEN VIALS. Re 15:1-16:21.
THE SEVEN DOOMS. Re 17:1—Re 20:15.
THE SEVEN NEW THINGS. Re 21:1-22:5.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Finally, the Notes
A) Verse 17. see also 22:13. Note that Christ applies to Himself words spoken of by God of Himself in verse 8.

Revelation 1:8
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

Revelation 22:13
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

B) Verse 18. "The keys of death and Hades"; according to the teaching of the Rabbis these keys are in the hands of God alone.

C) Verse 20. "Mystery": ie: something with a hidden meaning here explained. Cf. 17:7; Matt 13:11.

Revelation 17:7
The Meaning of the Woman and the Beast

7 But the angel said to me, “Why did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the seven heads and the ten horns.

Matthew 13:11
He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

"The angels of the 7 churches"; sometimes taken to mean the pastors of each church in that day, but more probably denoting a guardian angel. (Cf. Dan 10:21; Matt 18:10)

Daniel 10:21
But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince.

Matthew 18:10
The Parable of the Lost Sheep

10 “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

I'm giving all the views as they present themselves and you can decide which sounds right to you. So, if some things seem to contradict...

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Study #3 Rev 2:1-7

The 7 letters in chapter 2-3 are similar in structure:
beginning with titles discriptive of Christ (repeated from 1:9-20)
then giving Christ's message to the church
closing with a summons to hear
and a promise to ones who conquer

1) State in your own words what Christ found to commend in the church of Ephesus (verses 2,3,6)

2) What was the proof that their love had declined? How could this condition be remedied?
What further danger otherwise beset them? How should we take such a warning to heart?

3) Verse 7a. Note the present tense "says", and the combination of individual appeal and universal application. How does Christ still speak thru these scriptures and to whom? Cf. Mark 4:9,23; 8:18

Notes
A) Verse 6 "Nicilations" see also verses 14-15. Nicholations may mean a gGreek equivelent of Balaam, intended to discribe the system that lays waste the people of God, Cf. 2 Peter 2:15-16

B)Verse 7 "The tree of life" in contrast to the corrupt fruits of idolterious and sensual selfindulgence. Cf. 22:2

 

[abigale]

amen. keepem coming!

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Nicholations
Ephesus~What not to do to overcome~

Revelation 2
To the church in Ephesus
1"To the angel[messenger] 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.

2:15-
Jesus specifically mentions the “doctrine of Balaam” and also the “doctrine of the Nicolaitans.” While the Christians in Pergamos had stood up against external pressures, their doctrine was being corrupted from within. Interestingly, the name Balaam can mean “conquer the people,” as does the title Nicolaitans.


Quote from~1917 Scofield Reference Bible Notes

Re 2:6
1 Nicolaitanes
Margin: Nicolaitanes
1 Nicolaitanes
From nikao, "to conquer," and laos, "the people," or "laity."

If the word is symbolic it refers to the earliest form of the notion of a priestly order, or "clergy," which later divided an equal brotherhood

Mt 23:8 into "priests" and "laity."
Matthew 23:8
"But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.

What in Ephesus was "deeds" Re 2:6 had become in Pergamos a "doctrine Re 2:15.

1 Peter 5:2-3
Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

Matthew 24:45-49
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.


1 Peter 5:2-3
Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

Ps 26:5
I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.

Ps 101:3
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

Ps 139:21
Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

2Jo 1:9
Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.

Stronges concordence
3531 Nikŏlaı̈tēs (2), adherent of Nicolaüs

Quote from~McArthur Study Bible

A problem in Pergamos also (vv. 12–15), this heresy was similar to the teaching of Balaam (vv. 14,15).
Nicolas means “one who conquers the people.”

Irenaeus writes that Nicolas, who was made a deacon in Acts 6, was a false believer who later became apostate; but because of his credentials he was able to lead the church astray.
And, like Balaam, he led the people into immorality and wickedness.
The Nicolaitans, followers of Nicolas, were involved in immorality and assaulted the church with sensual temptations.
Clement of Alexander says, “They abandoned themselves to pleasure like goats, leading a life of self-indulgence.”
Their teaching perverted grace and replaced liberty with license.
2:7 him who overcomes. True believers enjoy the promise of heaven
MacArthur, J. J. (1997, c1997). The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.) (Re 2:6).

Quote from~Family Bible Notes

Re 2:6
Nicolaitanes; a corrupt sect, who seem to have turned Christian liberty into licentiousness.

Quote from~William Burklett's Expository Notes

Note here, 1. That it is not unlawful to call heretics by the name of their leaders; the Nicolaitans are here so called from one Nicolas, supposed to be the deacon mentioned, who having a beautiful wife exposed her as common, to avoid the imputation of jealousy.
Note, 2. That Christ hated all licentious doctrines and loose practices, and so should we.

Note Also

Quote from Adam Clarke's Commentary on The Bible (((((MIXING PAGAN RITES WITH CHRISTIAN CEREMONIES))))))))))))

Re 2:6
The deeds of the Nicolaitanes - These were, as is commonly supposed, a sect of the Gnostics, who taught the most impure doctrines, and followed the most impure practices. They are also supposed to have derived their origin from Nicolas, one of the seven deacons mentioned Ac 6:5 (note).

The Nicolaitanes taught the community of wives, that adultery and fornication were things indifferent, that eating meats offered to idols was quite lawful; and

mixed several pagan rites with the Christian ceremonies.

Augustine, Irenaeus, Clemens Alexandrinus, and Tertullian, have spoken largely concerning them.

quotes from~Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Which I also hate:
God, as a lover of his own order, and of human society, hateth such doctrines and practices as are contrary to the rule of his word, and
tend to add to the confusion of human societies.

Quote from~A. T. Robertson's Word Pictures

Re 2:6
That thou hatest (hoti miseis). Accusative object clause in apposition with touto (this). Trench tells of the words used in ancient Greek for hatred of evil (misoponêria) and misoponêros (hater of evil), neither of which occurs in the N.T., but which accurately describe the angel of the church in Ephesus.
Of the Nicolaitans (tôn Nikolaitôn). Mentioned again in verse Re 2:15 and really meant in verse Re 2:2. Irenaeus and Hippolytus take this sect to be followers of Nicolaus of Antioch, one of the seven deacons (Ac 6:5), a Jewish proselyte, who is said to have apostatized.
There was such a sect in the second century (Tertullian), but whether descended from Nicolaus of Antioch is not certain, though possible (Lightfoot).
It is even possible that the Balaamites of verse Re 2:14 were a variety of this same sect (verse Re 2:15). Which I also hate (ha kagô misô). Christ himself hates the teachings and deeds of the Nicolaitans ((((ha, not hous, deeds, not people))))), but the church in Pergamum tolerated them.

quote from Albert Barnes~Notes on the Bible

I. In regard to the origin of the name, there have been three opinions:

(1.) That mentioned by Irenoeus, and by some of the other fathers, that the name was derived from Nicolas, one of the deacons ordained at Antioch, Ac 6:5. Of those who have held this opinion, some have supposed that it was given to them because he became apostate and was the founder of the sect, and others because they assumed his name in order to give the greater credit to their doctrine. But neither of these suppositions rests on any certain evidence, and both are destitute of probability. There is no proof whatever that Nicolas the deacon ever apostatized from the faith and became the founder of a sect; and if a name had been assumed in order to give credit to a sect and extend its influence, it is much more probable that the name of an apostle would have been chosen, or of some other prominent man, than the name of an obscure deacon of Antioch.

(2.) Vitringa, and most commentators since his time, have supposed that the name Nicolaitanes was intended to be symbolical, and was not designed to designate any sect of people, but to denote those who resembled Balaam, and that this word is used in the same manner as the word Jezebel in Re 2:20, which is supposed to be symbolical there. Vitringa supposes that the word is derived from nikoV, victory, and laoV, people, and that thus it corresponds with the name Balaam, as meaning either HEBREW lord of the people, or HEBREW he destroyed the people; and that, as the same effect was produced by their doctrines a by those of Balaam, that the people were led to commit fornication and to join in idolatrous worship, they might be called Balaamites or Nicolaitanes--that is, corrupters of the people. But to this it may be replied,
(a) that it is far-fetched, and is adopted only to remove a difficulty;
(b) that there is every reason to suppose that the word here used refers to a class of people who bore that name, and who were well known in the two churches specified;
(c) that, in Re 2:15, they are expressly distinguished from those who held the doctrine of Balaam, Re 2:14--"So hast thou also (kai) those that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes."

(3.) It has been supposed that some person now unknown, probably of the name Nicolas, or Nicolaus, was their leader, and laid the foundation of the sect. This is by far the most probable opinion, and to this there can be no objection. It is in accordance with what usually occurs in regard to sects, orthodox or heretical, that they derive their origin from some person whose name they continue to bear; and as there is no evidence that this sect prevailed extensively, or was indeed known beyond the limits of these churches, and as it soon disappeared, it is easily accounted for that the character and history of the founder were so soon forgotten.


II. In regard to the opinions which they held, there is as little certainty.
Irenaeus (Adv. Haeres. i. 26) says that their characteristic tenets were the lawfulness of promiscuous intercourse with women, and of eating things offered to idols.

Eusebius (Hist. Eccl. iii. 29) states substantially the same thing, and refers to a tradition respecting Nicolaus, that he had a beautiful wife, and was jealous of her, and being reproached with this, renounced all intercourse with her, and made use of an expression which was misunderstood, as implying that illicit pleasure was proper.

Tertullian speaks of the Nicolaitanes as a branch of the Gnostic family, and as, in his time, extinct.

Mosheim (De Rebus Christian. Ante Con. 69) says that "the questions about the Nicolaitanes have difficulties which cannot be solved."

Neander (History of the Christian Religion, as translated by Torrey, i. pp. 452, 453) numbers them with Antinomians; though he expresses some doubt whether the actual existence of such a sect can be proved, and rather inclines to an opinion noticed above, that the name is symbolical, and that it is used in a mystical sense, according to the usual style of the book of Revelation, to denote corrupters or seducers of the people, like Balaam. He supposes that the passage relates simply to a class of persons who were in the practice of seducing Christians to participate in the sacrificial feasts of the heathens, and in the excesses which attended them--just as the Jews were led astray of old by the Moabites, Numbers 25.


What was the origin of the name, however, Neander does not profess to be able to determine, but suggests that it was the custom of such sects to attach themselves to some celebrated name of antiquity, in the choice of which they were often determined by circumstances quite accidental. He supposes also that the sect may have possessed a life of Nicolas of Antioch, drawn up by themselves or others from fabulous accounts and traditions, in which what had been imputed to Nicolas was embodied.

Everything, however, in regard to the origin of this sect, and the reason of the name given to it, and the opinions which they held, is involved in great obscurity, and there is no hope of throwing light on the subject.

It is generally agreed, among the writers of antiquity who have mentioned them, that they were distinguished for holding opinions which countenanced gross social indulgences.

This is all that is really necessary to be known in regard to the passage before us, for this will explain the strong language of aversion and condemnation used by the Saviour respecting the sect in the epistles to the churches of Ephesus and Pergamos.
Which I also hate. If the view above taken of the opinions and practices of this people is correct, the reasons why he hated them are obvious. Nothing can be more opposed to the personal character of the Saviour, or to his religion, than such doctrines and deeds.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Note in the Scofield references we have the difference of NT/OT teachings

What in Ephesus was "deeds" Re 2:6 had become in Pergamos a "doctrine Re 2:15.

1 Peter 5:2-3
Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

Matthew 24:45-49
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.


1 Peter 5:2-3
Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.

Then Jesus has told us to love and pray. Where do we pour the old wine?

Ps 26:5
I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.

Ps 101:3
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

Ps 139:21
Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

2Jo 1:9
Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

TO THE CHURCH AT EPHESUS (REVELATION 2:17)

Ephesus was one of the churches founded by the apostle Paul. Politically, Ephesus was the seat of the provincial Roman governor and bore the title of the “Supreme Metropolis of Asia.” Ephesus was also the center of the cult of the goddess Artemis (Diana). Pilgrims from all over the Mediterranean world ventured there to see the magnificent temple, which served as a bank and often financed the projects of kings.
Under Paul’s ministry, multitudes of citizens turned to the Lord (Acts 19). The Christians publicly burned occult books, and the revival was so great that it threatened the income of those who made their living selling religious idols.
A strong and vigorous church had been established, and from the Revelation letter to Ephesus it is clear that the church remained strong and vital.
For thirty to forty years the Christians in Ephesus had persevered and remained patient, laboring for the sake of Jesus’ name and had not become weary (Rev. 2:3).

These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:
“I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have lost your first love. Remember therefore where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

He who holds the seven stars in His right hand (Rev. 2:1).
In this letter Jesus presents Himself as sovereign over the seven churches (stars). Jesus is Lord over the church, a theme Paul developed in his epistle to the Ephesians. Christ as Head of the church not only directs and guides, but He also protects and empowers.
His authority is something that this church and every church must acknowledge, and to which it must submit.

“I know your works” (Rev. 2:2, 3).
The church has remained faithful and active since its founding.
Jesus notes especially that the believers “cannot bear those who are evil” and that they have “tested those who say they are apostles and are not.”
Most believe that “those who are evil” are the false apostles mentioned immediately afterward.

It is unlikely that the evil men claimed to be apostles in the sense that the Twelve or Paul were apostles.
The New Testament also applies the title “apostle” to itinerant teachers and missionaries who traveled from church to church (Rom. 16:7), and it is this sense in which those who troubled the Ephesians presented themselves as apostles.
But Ephesians were not deceived and remained doctrinally pure.

Interestingly, some fifteen years after John’s death, the church father Ignatius wrote to the church at Ephesus and commended them for refusing to provide a “home” to heresy!
You have left your first love (Rev. 2:4, 5). While an outstanding church in many ways Jesus had “this against” the church at Ephesus. Commentators differ on what that first love was, whether love for the brethren within the community (Eph. 1:15; 3:17, 18) or love for the Lord. Either may be correct, or both may be in view. The solution the problem of lost love, however, is clearly stated in three imperatives: remember, repent, go.

This pattern is helpful for us to use in self-examination. Do we remember what it was like when we first came to know Christ? Do we recall the excitement and glow of discovery? And does our heart beat with the same passion now?

Repent is a simple word, like the military command “about face.” It doesn’t mean be sorry for past sins or for our present spiritual state. It does mean change! Reverse course. Then we will do our former works—and our present works—motivated by pure love (1 Cor. 13:1–3).

The threat to remove the Ephesian lampstand is a serious one. Without love, a church is doomed to fall into dead orthodoxy or purposeless activity. No such church will long endure.

“This you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans” (Rev. 2:6).
The identity, beliefs, and practices of the Nicolaitans remains a mystery. Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History indicates that this group existed for only a short time.
“What the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev. 2:7).
The promise made to “him who overcomes” is for all the churches, not just the Ephesians. This and the promises to the other churches are eschatological, having to do with the eternal state as described in Revelation 21 and 22.
Thus eating from “the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God” is parallels to eating from “the tree of life” in Revelation 22:2.

There is a future for the people of God.
And that future is not limited to this tiny planet or by an individual’s brief span of years here.
That future is unlimited, to be lived and enjoyed in the Paradise of God.

Richards, L., Pegoda, D., & Gross, P. (2001). Every teaching of Jesus in the Bible.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Rev 2:4
Yet 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.

1 John 4:19 We love because he has first loved us.

Paul had written to the Ephesus church:

Eph 1:15-16
Wherefore I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is in you, and the love which ye have towards all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention of you at my prayers

The Lord had given further commands:

Deut 10:12
And now, Israel, what doth Jehovah thy God require of thee, but to fear Jehovah thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve Jehovah thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

Col 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; 13 forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any should have a complaint against any; even as the Christ has forgiven you, so also do ye. 14 And to all these add love, which is the bond of perfectness.

Christian conduct consists in truth expressed in love, love which is a Spirit-kindled response to His. “We love because He first loved us”

4:19 We love, because He first loved us.The apostle is not here speaking of our showing love to God in response to His love to us; his point is that no exercise of Christian love on our part is possible apart from God’s love to us.
Collected writings of W.E. Vine.

It is possible to become so familiar with the routine of religious exercises that, while outwardly conformed to what has been learnt from Scripture, real heart devotion to Christ Himself has waned; the first love has been lost, and with it true spiritual power.

The "growth" of the church

“I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love.”
This was the Lord’s remonstrance against the church at Ephesus, and it is indicative of the general trend of things at the close of the times of apostolic testimony.
Clerisy did not attain to its full organization till the fourth century, but its growth, was considerably due to the spirit of indifference to the truth which characterized the churches generally after the times of the apostles.

The existence of that state of things is clear not only in the Lord’s protest to the Ephesian church but in the messages to most of the churches in Asia.
Ministerialism was able to mature easily amidst a decline from the faith, a failure to give ear to what the Spirit said to the churches. Instead of spiritual progress there was a declension from the very first.

They were thus ready to listen to the specious appeals both of the Judaizers and of those prominent teachers, or “Fathers,” as they were later called, the successors of the apostles, who supported and fostered, by tongue and pen, the clerical organization.


Jewish teachers boldly advocated that Christianity was simply an outgrowth from Judaism, whereas in point of fact it was a complete substitute for it, as distinct as the new
creation from the old.

In the entire disregard of the teaching of the apostles, and consequent upon the unscriptural distinction between bishops and elders, an official priestly order arose, and priestly offices were multiplied.

How the spirit of clericalism was fostered is exhibited, for instance, in the epistles of Ignatius, who in earlier years had been under the instruction of the apostle John.


Writing in a.d. 109 to the church at Ephesus he says, “We ought to look upon the bishop even as we do upon the Lord Himself.”

In his epistle to the church at Tralles (also in Asia) he says, “Whereas ye are subject to your bishop as to Jesus Christ, ye appear to me to live, not after the manner of men but according to Jesus Christ.”


In his epistle to the Magnesians he says, “I exhort you that ye study to do all things in a divine concord; your bishops presiding in the place of God; your presbyters in the place of the council of the apostles,” and then to the church in Philadelphia, “Give diligence to be established in the doctrine of our Lord and the apostles, together with your most worthy bishop, and the well-woven spiritual crown of your presbytery.”

Such extravagant utterances, notwithstanding the early teaching which Ignatius received, afford no ground for the supposition that they represented what the apostle taught, for they are entirely contrary to the teaching of the New Testament.

They serve only to show how rapidly the churches departed from apostolic instructions and principles. The rapidity is not surprising after what is recorded in chapters two and three of the Apocalypse.

It is noteworthy that the apostles nowhere commended the people of God to their successors; rather they invariably gave warning concerning such, and commended the saints to God and the Word of His grace.


How gross, too, was the failure to recognize the prerogatives of the Spirit of God!

According to apostolic teaching “there are diversities of gifts but the same Spirit”; “to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit to profit withal. For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom; and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit.” All gifts are wrought by “the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as the Spirit wills” (1 Cor. 12:4–11). Further, oral ministry in the church, instead of being confined on any given occasion to one individual, was open for the leading of the Spirit of God, so that it might be exercised by one and another of those to whom He had imparted spiritual gifts for the edification of the church (1 Cor. 14:29–33).


So in the epistle to the Ephesians, “unto each one of us was the grace given, according to the measure of the gift of Christ,” who gave “some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering, unto the building up of the body of Christ.” This exercise of the variety of gifts in the Church, instead of being a temporary arrangement for apostolic times, was to continue “till we all [that is, the whole Church, the body of Christ] attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:7–13).


What room could there be in a clerical system, molded according to the traditions and ambitions of men, for the recognition of, and obedience to, this teaching?


Clericalism could only be counteractive to such unity. Unity was to be maintained, not framed.

Ecclesiastical despotism has sought to enforce it, and, whatever measure of success such methods have outwardly achieved, they have sooner or later tended toward disintegration, and must meet with divine disapproval and judgment.

The remedy for human failure and for the abuse of divine principles is not the substitution of methods adopted by human devisings, or of means employed to suit human ideas of what is advisable.

Departure from the Word of God calls for a return to it. Failure calls for humiliation, confession and repentance.


The Head of the Church who gave His instructions to His apostles, and through their instrumentality left them on record for us in the New Testament Scriptures, gave therein a body of truth and principles adapted to every age, generation and condition. The pattern is complete, and exhibits the divine wisdom in every part. Human tampering has only marred it in its working.


One of the motives entertained by Ignatius in his injunctions to the churches was the prevention of division, but the end does not justify the means. Nothing can successfully replace the instructions of the Word of God.

Clericalism is Judaism adapted by human device to a faith from which it is essentially different, and to which it is radically opposed.

The era of the Christian faith is the era of a priesthood, not selective as under the Mosaic economy, but coextensive with membership of the Church; an era to be characterized by the exercise of the Holy Spirit’s power in developing gifts in the churches according to His own will.

To interfere with this was presumptuous audacity. It paved the way for that papal travesty of the divine pattern which has stamped its impress upon Christendom.


The context of the command “Quench not the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19) shows that it was directed against prevention or obstruction, on the part of any in the church, of the Holy Spirit’s power and work in other members.


The precepts contained in the passage in that epistle relate to the responsibilities of the believers on the occasions when they were assembled as a church. “The peace, order, and edification of the saints were evidence of the ministry of the Spirit among them (1 Cor. 14:26, 32, 33, 40), but if, through ignorance of His ways, or through failure to recognize, or refusal to submit to, them, or through impatience with the ignorance or self-will of others, the Spirit were quenched, these happy results would be absent. For there was always the danger that the impulses of the flesh might usurp the place of the energy of the Spirit in the assembly, and the endeavor to restrain this evil by natural means would have the effect of hindering His ministry also.

Apparently, then, this injunction was intended to warn believers against the substitution of a mechanical order for the restraints of the Spirit.” *


How wide is the divergence from the instructions given by the Lord and His apostles, when, instead of the exercise of spiritual gifts in the acknowledgment of the Lordship of Christ and under the control of the Spirit of God, the authority for their appointment is relegated to others, whether king, or prelate, or people!


The remedy attempted by Ignatius and his successors did not effect a cure. False teachings abounded, heresies and divisions increased, and the carnal instrument of clericalism became only more carnal in its activities.

Clericalism was like the new cart made for the ark, when King David would fain bring it to its appointed place, not according to the divine ordinance for its conveyance, but after the manner of the Philistines (1 Chr. 13).

As that human device met with the disfavor of God, so must this. The day of retribution is foretold in Scripture. Let the true believer flee out of Babylon.


The humanly arranged priestly order in the churches degenerated grossly in the second and third centuries. Toward the end of the second century there are complaints of the corruption of the bishops. Their purity of motive was not fostered by the system that came into vogue, whereby officiating ministers not only received stipends but were forbidden to engage in any occupation by way of earning their living.

It became their aim also to increase the membership of their congregations, without having regard to whether those who entered into church fellowship were born of God. The thoroughly unscriptural methods adopted by this audacious scheming opened the way, as we shall see, for the influence of heathen religions.
Collected writings of W.E. Vine.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Getting back to the first love.
Restoration of First Love

The church had lost its first love. The tenderness and fervor of the first love, of the personal attachment to the Lord Jesus, was now lacking. The works were still being done, and that in His name, with the acknowledgment of Him as their Lord, but they were no longer the first works, in the spirit of the first love. He calls them to look back, and remember whence they were fallen, and repent, and do the first works. It is possible to work much and earnestly for Christ and His cause in a way which leaves nothing to be desired, as far as man can judge; but there may be lacking that without which the works are as nothing in His sight—that which He counts the greatest of all—love, the love of a personal attachment to Christ.

God is Love. Christ loved us and gave Himself. His love was a tender, holy giving of Himself, a personal friendship and fellowship. That love of His, cherished in the heart in daily close intercourse, responded to by a love that clings to Him, proved by His love pervading all our labor for others—it is this makes our work acceptable. It was this first love and enthusiastic attachment to Christ gave the Pentecostal church its power. It was this Pentecostal love out of which Christ calls them to remember that they were fallen, and to which, in repentance, they were to return. Nothing less can satisfy the heart of Him who loved us. Shall we not give it Him?

It is this Pentecostal love to which we must return in our mission work. We saw how God made the Moravian Church the first church of the Reformation to take the Pentecostal stand, and give itself wholly to bringing the gospel to every creature. And we saw that it was love—a passionate, adoring contemplation of Christ’s dying love, a passionate desire to make that love known, and, still more, to gratify that love by bringing to it the souls it had died to save—that made that least of the churches in this respect the greatest of all.

As we mourn over the state of the church, with all its unfaithfulness to Christ and to the perishing souls of heathendom, let us, above all, penitently make confession of this sin—the loss of the first love. Let us remember how even Peter, after his fall out of his first love, could not be restored till the searching question, “Lovest thou Me?” had deeply wounded him, and he penitently, but confidently, had answered, “Thou knowest that I love Thee.” And as we repent and mourn the past, let us wait before our Lord with the one prayer: Love, Lord! it is Thy love we need.

We know about it; we have preached of it; we have sought to find it; but now we wait in humility and reverence and wonder for Thee, the Loving One, to shed it abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. We look to Thee, at length, to enable us in its power to take the world so into our hearts that, like Thee, we only live and die that love may triumph over every human soul.

Heritage of great evangelical teaching : Featuring the best of Martin Luther, John Wesley, Dwight L. Moody, C.H. Spurgeon and others.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Study 4 Revelations 2:8-17

1) Reconstruct from verses 8-11 the situation with which the believers in Smyrna were confrounted. What does Christ declare concerning (a) their immediate, and (b) their final future? In what ways were they already rich? How were they to conquer? To what result would such conquest lead?

2) Satan could not break the rocklike steadiness of the church in Pergamum by frontal attack (verse 13), so he employed another method, tempting believers to ask " Is it necessary to be so uncomprimising in our attitude towards idoltrous practises and pagan morals?"
What is Christ' answer to this sort of question?

Notes
A) Verse 10. "Ten days" ie; for a short period ((or 10 Emperors?))

B) Verse 11. "The second death" Cf. 20:14-15; 21:8

C) Verse 13. "Where satan's throne is." Pergamum was the official residence of the Roman procouncil of the province, and the chief centre of the worship of the Emperor

D) Verse 17. "The hidden manna" The rabbis taught that the messiah, when He came, would give the people manna to eat, now hidden in heaven.
What is said here is that Christ is the true manna, the bread of life. Cf. John 6:48-51.
"A white stone". Stones engraved with names supposed to posses magical qualities were highly valued in heathen circles.
Christ gave priveliges to each recipient, which exceed all that can be found outside of Him.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

CONTINUED ON NEXT 3 POSTS

There is one thing that moves us from the dawn of mankind's existance to the dusk. The one thing that moves from the tree of life/good and evil of the last question note:

Study #3 Rev 2:1-7

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

to the next section of questions:

C) Verse 13. "Where satan's throne is."

And that is the garden of Eden/ the serpent that lies in wait for whom he may devour.

In it we have the choice/ the beginning and the end.

Before moving on to satan's throne we first have to look at the tree of life in contrast to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.Our lives alone tell us what we've inherited of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,

B)Verse 7 "The tree of life" in contrast to the corrupt fruits of idolterious and sensual selfindulgence. Cf. 22:2

Revelation 22:2In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

On both sides of the river is the Tree of Life yielding fruit every month. All spiritual fruit comes from Christ. He is the Tree of Life. There will be no cherubim to guard the way. The tree will be of free access to all—it grows on either side of the river. The divine restrictions necessarily laid down in Eden, and the curse pronounced when man fell, will be forever removed. The fruit of the tree will impart delight and refreshment to all those who constitute the city, and to all who have access to it, for Christ will forever continue to minister of Himself to all His saints in glory. The leaves of the tree will be for the healing of the nations, so that from Christ Himself, through the instrumentality of the heavenly city, the nations of earth will not only receive their administration and their light, but also the undoing of the works of the devil and all the havoc he has wrought among them.
Vine, W. (1997, c1996). Collected writings of W.E. Vine.

Beginning of the genuine New Age, the eternal state, the everlasting kingdom of God, the paradise of God, the New Eden, the New Jerusalem (1,500 miles cubed, an eternal Holy of Holies), 12 gates never closed (free access to God), River of Life and Tree of Life (knowledge of how creation works, with fruit conferring immortality), a place of light, glory, splendor, truth, universality, salvation, security, worship, work, service, responsibility, abundance, health, joy, enjoyment, the vision of Christ as Alpha and Omega; 12 zodiacal signs of the Old Age permanently reversed (Rev. 21:19–20); a renovated Universe, a renewed Galaxy, a transformed Earth, built on Earth’s different peoples (races), Israel and the church, and “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 2:7; Rev. 2:7, 21–22).
Synan, V. (2001). The century of the Holy Spirit : 100 years of Pentecostal and charismatic renewal, 1901-2001

But what is the tree of life that's waiting for the overcomers, that at this time is guarded by cheribum angels brandishimg flaming swords?

Cherubim are winged angelic beings, often associated with worship and praise of God. The cherubim are first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 3:24. When God drove Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, He placed cherubim at the east end of the garden, “and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”
According to the prophets, cherubim belong to the category of unfallen angels; at one time, however, Satan, or Lucifer, was a cherub (Ezek. 28:14, 16), until he rebelled against God (Is. 14:12–14; Ezek. 28:12–19).
Hayford, J. W., & Snider, J. (1997, c1994). Beyond the Veil : Unveiling Christ's Fullness: A study of Hebrews.

Tree of life of the old testement

God sent Adam and Eve from Eden (Genesis 3:22–24). God’s continuing love is shown in that He was determined to keep Adam and Eve from taking “also of the tree of life” to “eat, and live forever.” So God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden. The Bible says, “He drove out the man,” but adds that “He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”
It’s easy to misunderstand this verse. God didn’t send Adam from the garden to punish him, but to protect him. How horrible an endless life would have been for the first pair! As millennium after millennium rolled on, Adam and Eve would be forced to witness the awful results of their choice in the cruelty and the suffering, the wars and the miseries, that life was destined to bring to creatures unwilling to live in submission to God.

A CHERUBIM ON GUARD IN EDEN (Genesis 3:24)
When God sent Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, “He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life” (3:24; nkjv). The cherubim are a special class of angelic beings associated with God’s presence and with His holiness. Many Jewish and Christian commentators alike assume that the angelic guard was set so that Adam could not eat of the Tree of Life on the way out of the garden, or return to Eden later. In agreement with this interpretation, the Sage Rashi views the cherubim as destroying angels.
A better interpretation, however, is to view the cherubim as guarding the way back to the Tree of Life. This interpretation finds support in the fact that God commanded Moses to shape two golden figures of cherubim to lean over the cover of the ark of covenant. This cover was Israel’s “mercy seat” (Ex. 25:17, 18), the place where God met with Israel and where sacrificial blood was sprinkled once a year on the Day of Atonement, symbolizing the reconciliation of Israel with God. The cherubim stationed at Eden symbolize God’s commitment to keeping the way to eternal life open for human beings through faith in history’s ultimate sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ.
Richards, L. (1997). Every angel in the Bible. Includes indexes. Everything in the Bible series

THE PROMISE OF RESTORATION
The promise: “He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life” (Gen. 3:24).

The context of the promise. This is another statement that implies a promise. After Adam and Eve had sinned, God drove them from the Garden of Eden. Genesis explains that God’s motive was to prevent them from taking the fruit of “the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” (Gen. 3:22).
At first glance, this seems to be a punishment. But how tragic it would have been for Adam and Eve to be doomed to an endless life on earth, witnessing in every generation the injustice and the anguish caused by their act of disobedience! God’s driving the first pair from the garden was actually an act of grace. The hurt they must have felt after Cain killed Abel, knowing that their sin had tainted their children, would not be repeated endlessly. Adam and Eve would be allowed to die.
Understanding the promise. The key to understanding this promise is in the placement of the cherubim and flaming sword to “guard” the way back to Eden. The cherubim and flaming sword were not placed there to keep human beings out of Eden, but to keep the way home open!
In Genesis 3:21, we saw the promise of redemption acted out in the slaying of animals to provide covering for Adam and Eve. Now, just three verses later, we see the promise of a restoration to innocence and perfect fellowship with God which Eden symbolizes. With the whole Bible in our hands, we now know that God will one day raise the saved to eternal life, and at that time will remove every taint of sin. Innocence will be restored and perfected. Once again, human beings will enjoy the most intimate relationship with the living God.
Until that day arrives, cherubim and a flaming sword guard the way to the tree of life. No hostile power can close the highway which Christ has opened through His death. In Christ, we can return to Eden and our fellowship with God is assured.
This is also a conditional promise—one made only to those who by faith approach God in the way He has ordained. Only by following the path stained by the sacrificial blood of Christ can we find our way back to our true home.
How amazing is the love of God! He chose to suffer for us, taking on Himself the penalty of our sin, that we might return to Him.
Claiming the promise. The promise of return is the possession of every person who responds to God’s promise of redemption through the blood of Christ.
Responding to the promise. The apostle John invited us to look ahead to Christ’s return and all this means. When Jesus returns, we will be raised and we will be home at last. And John declared, “It has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” And then John added, “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2, 3).
While we rejoice in the prospect of our return to Eden and a perfected innocence, the prospect creates a desire in us to live in holiness and purity. In the promise of restoration we see our true selves, as God created us to be. Drawn to that true self, we are motivated to live for God here and now.

Richards, L. (1998). Every promise in the Bible.

According to scripture of the text we're studying now
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”

According to Ezek 47:9

“Everything will live wherever the river goes” (v. 9).

Wherever the river of God goes, there is life!
The trees which Ezekiel sees are abundant in fruit and do not wither. John, in Revelation, identifies these trees as the tree of life. And they are indeed full of life! The thrust of this whole vision is life. Wherever God’s river flows, He brings life, and the life He supplies is abundant. This vision of Ezekiel’s is an invitation—an invitation to come and live in the river of God and partake of, and participate in, His life.
Hayford, J. W., & Snider, J. (1997). Experiencing God's Faithfulness in Judgment and Hope. Spirit-Filled Life Bible Discovery Guides.

Ezek 10:1-22 discribe cheribum the fullest.

Mankind "progresses" toward the end.

The primary revelation of God’s sovereign rule is clear from the outset. The first chapters of Genesis indicate God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Therefore, all of His creation is under His authority. He is ruler of all. And to mankind, made in His image, God delegated authority over the earth. But man forfeited this authority, succumbing to the temptation of the serpent. He did not believe God’s word and disobeyed, rebelling against his Creator’s prohibition and eating of the forbidden fruit. As a result, creation came under a “curse” and man under a sentence of death. Mercifully expelled from the Garden of Eden lest he continue to eat of the Tree of Life and live forever alienated from his Maker, man now suffers the consequences of His disbelief and disobedience.
The wages of his sin brings death, both spiritual and physical. Now he is separated from God, and one day his spirit will be separated from his body, and he will die. And such death characterizes the entire human race. Thus the tragic result of the Fall is seen in the Flood, when all died except Noah and his family. Yet God had mercy and repopulated the earth through them. However, their descendants wrongfully used their unity to make a name for themselves, seeking their own honor rather than the honor of their Creator. So God confused their language, and seventy nations were the result. It is painfully evident humankind has rejected God’s sovereign rule. Stubborn self-will rather than humble obedience characterizes mankind from the time of the Fall to the Tower of Babel. Although through Creation man knew of God’s eternal power and divine nature, “they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Rom. 1:21).
Hayford, J. W., & Amstutz, J. (1997, c1993). Life in the Kingdom : Foundations of the Faith. Spirit-Filled Life Kingdom Dynamics Study Guides.

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[Citizen of the Kingdom]

(continued from previous post)

How does obedience to the Word of God and obeying the terms of the blood covenant give us access to heaven and eternal life? (John 5:24)

In Revelation 22:1–3 we read about the return to Paradise.

And He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of the street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

In Genesis 2 we read about the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s Word and rejected it as the final authority in their lives. The result was the fall of humankind and the tragedy of human history that has played out through the centuries. Yet God loved us so much that He provided a way back. The descendants of Adam and Eve have a choice, and they can choose to accept the Word that Adam and Eve rejected. The Word of God is Jesus Christ. When we receive Him into our lives, we receive God’s Word into our lives. Jesus Christ was in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, because Jesus Christ is the Word of God.

But it was only through the blood covenant and the blood of Jesus Christ that the Word could be received into human lives. It is the blood of the Lamb that provides the cleansing so that the Word can become active in our lives. Jesus Christ is the Lamb who was slain for the sins of the world. He is also the Word become flesh.

The release of eternal life in our lives is made possible by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. When we are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb and are regenerated by the Word of God, the flow of God’s life pours through us. God is “life” itself. He is the river of life (Rev. 22:1). The finished work on the Cross, the release of Christ’s sacrificial blood, and the activation of the blood of the covenant through faith in the full authority of the Word of God allow the cleansing streams of heaven’s glory to be poured through our lives.

This glory is released when we worship the Lamb upon the throne and sing a new song out of our inmost being. The worship of the Lamb upon the throne releases the presence of God in our midst. The blood of Jesus Christ paves the way for the release of this glory. This is how we overcome him (Satan) by the word of our testimony and the blood of the Lamb. These two provisions make it possible for us to experience Revelation 22:1, not as just some far-off event, but as a present, moment-by-moment, experiential reality. The power of Satan is mortally crushed when the floodgates of God’s river of glory are released in the lives of believers. The serpent of old, who deceived the human race in the Garden of Eden and who wages war against the saints, cannot withstand the fountains of glory that are released through praise and worship to the Lamb upon the throne!

Question: What was the providence of God toward man in the estate in which he was created?

Answer:The providence of God toward man in the estate in which he was created, was the placing him in paradise, appointing him to dress it, giving him liberty to eat of the fruit of the earth; (Gen. 2:8,15–16) putting the creatures under his dominion, (Gen. 1:28) and ordaining marriage for his help; (Gen. 2:18) affording him communion with himself; (Gen. 1:26–29, Gen. 3:8) instituting the Sabbath; (Gen. 2:3) entering into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience, (Gal. 3:12, Rom. 10:5) of which the tree of life was a pledge; (Gen. 2:9) and forbidding to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, upon the pain of death. (Gen. 2:17)

The Westminster larger catechism : With scripture proofs. 1996 (Question 20).
Hayford, J. W., & McGuire, P. (1997, c1994). People of the Covenant : God's New Covenant for Today. Spirit-Filled Life Kingdom Dynamic Study Guide.

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