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; Each of the seven commences with, "I know thy works." Each contains a promise, "To him that overcometh." Each ends with ... [ Continue Reading ]
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: I KNOW THY WORKS - His omniscience. Not merely 'thy professions, desires, good resolutions' (Revelati... [ Continue Reading ]
And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. BORNE ... PATIENCE. 'Aleph (') A B C, Vulgate, transpose. 'Thou, hast borne' my reproach ('Aleph (') adds 'all afflictions' [ thlipsis (G2347) pasas (G3956)]), but 'canst not bear the evil' (Revelation... [ Continue Reading ]
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. SOMEWHAT ... BECAUSE - rather, 'I have against thee (this) that,' etc. Not a mere "somewhat:" it is everything. How characteristic of our gracious Lord, that He puts foremost all He can find to approve, and only af... [ Continue Reading ]
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. WHENCE - from what a height. DO THE FIRST WORKS - which flowed from thy first love. Not merely 'feel... [ Continue Reading ]
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. BUT. How graciously He returns to praise for our consolation, and as an example to us, that we should show, when we reprove, we have more pleasure in praising than fault-finding. HATEST THE DEEDS - hate men's... [ Continue Reading ]
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. HE THAT HATH AN EAR. This clause precedes the promise in the first three addresses, succeeds to it in the last f... [ Continue Reading ]
And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; SMYRNA - in Ionia, north of Ephesus. Polycarp, martyred in 168 AD, eighty-six years after conversion, was Bishop: probably "the angel of the church in Smyrna." The allusions... [ Continue Reading ]
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. THY WORKS, AND - so 'Aleph (') B; But A C, Vulgate, and Coptic, omit. TRIBULATION - owing to persecution. POVERTY - owing... [ Continue Reading ]
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. NONE. So 'Aleph ('), Vulgate, Syriac; but A B C, Coptic, 'Fear... [ Continue Reading ]
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. SHALL NOT BE HURT - `shall not by any means be hurt.' THE SECOND DEATH - `the lake of fire.' 'The death in life of the lost, contrasted with the life in death of... [ Continue Reading ]
And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; Trench prefers Pergamus, or Pergamum: on the river Caicus. Capital of Attalus the Second's kingdom, bequeathed by him to the Romans, 133 BC Famous for its library, founded by Eumenes... [ Continue Reading ]
I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. I KNOW THY WORKS. So B; but 'Aleph (') A C, Vulgate, Coptic... [ Continue Reading ]
But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. FEW - in comparison of many tokens of thy faithfulness.... [ Continue Reading ]
So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. THOU - `so THOU also hast,' etc. As Balac and the Moabites of old had Balaam's followers literally, so hast thou also them that hold the same Balaamite or Nicolaitane doctrine spiritually. Literal eating of ido... [ Continue Reading ]
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. A B C read, 'Repent, therefore' [ oun (G3767)]; 'Aleph (') h, Vulgate, Syriac, omit 'therefore.' Not only the Nicolaitanes, but all Pergamos, is called on to repent of not having hated the Nicol... [ Continue Reading ]
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. TO EAT. Omitted in 'Aleph (') A B C, V... [ Continue Reading ]
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; THYATIRA - in Lydia, south of Pergamos. Lydia, the purple seller of this city, converted at Philippi, a Macedonian city (with whic... [ Continue Reading ]
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. A B C, Vulgate, transpose, and read, 'faith and service.' The four are subordinate to "thy works:" 'I know thy works, even the love and the faith (forming one pair, as ... [ Continue Reading ]
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. A FEW THINGS. So oldest Vulgate; omitted in A B C: 'I have against t... [ Continue Reading ]
And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. SPACE - `time.' OF HER FORNICATION; AND SHE REPENTED NOT. 'Aleph (') omits "and she repented not;" A reads, 'she willed not;' B C, Vulgate, 'she willeth not to repent of [ ek (G1537), out of] (i:e., so as to come out of) h... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. BEHOLD - calling attention to her awful doom. I WILL - present, 'I cast her.' A BED. The bed of her sin shall be her bed of anguish. Perhaps a pestilence was t... [ Continue Reading ]
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. HER CHILDREN - (Isaiah 57:3; Ezekiel 23:45; Ezekiel 23:47.) Her proper adherents: not those who suffer, but t... [ Continue Reading ]
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. YOU ... AND UNTO THE REST. A B C omit "and," 'unto you, the rest.' 'Aleph (') [ en (G1722)], 'among the rest.'... [ Continue Reading ]
But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. THAT WHICH YE HAVE ALREADY - (Jude 1:3, end.) HOLD FAST do not let go from your grasp however they try to wrest it from you HOLD FAST - do not let go from your grasp, however they try to wrest it from you. TILL I COME - when your conflict... [ Continue Reading ]
And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: AND - implying the close connection of the promise with the exhortation, Revelation 2:25. AND KEEPETH - `and he that keepeth:' alluding, as in Revelation 2:24, to Acts 15:28, end. MY WORKS -... [ Continue Reading ]
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. RULE, [ poimanei (G4165)] - 'rule as a shepherd.' In Psalms 2:9 it is, "Thou shall break them with a rod of iron." The Septuagint, pointing the Hebrew differentl... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will give him the morning star. THE MORNING STAR - i:e., Myself (): so that, reflecting my brightness, He shall shine like me, the morning star, and share my kingly glory (of which a star is the symbol, ; ). Compare , 'I will give him the hidden manna,' i:e., Myself (John 6:31).... [ Continue Reading ]