The seven epistles to the seven churches of Asia have a remarkable agreement in their structure. They all begin with the same form of address, with which is connected one or more of the attributes of the Son of God, as given in the first chapter. Then follow the words, "I know thy works," with repro... [ Continue Reading ]
EVIL; corrupt in doctrine and practice. WHICH SAY THEY ARE APOSTLES; false teachers who claimed for themselves the authority of apostles, such as are described by Paul in his second epistle to the Corinthians, chap 2 Corinthians 11:13, etc, and foretold in his address to the elders of Ephesus, Acts... [ Continue Reading ]
LEFT THY FIRST LOVE; for the abatement of which no steadfastness in outward services can be a compensation, since it is the heart that Christ desires.... [ Continue Reading ]
DO THE FIRST WORKS; devote thyself as earnestly and heartily to my service as at the beginning. REMOVE THY CANDLESTICK; extinguish the light of thy church-an awful warning which Christ fulfilled long ago to the church in Ephesus, that has been for centuries extinct, and which he has fulfilled to ma... [ Continue Reading ]
NICOLAITANES; a corrupt sect, who seem to have turned Christian liberty into licentiousness.... [ Continue Reading ]
OVERCOMETH; in the conflict with sin. Compare Matthew 24:13; EPHESIANS 6:13. THE TREE OF LIFE; compare chap Revelation 22:2. To eat of the tree of life in the earthly paradise was to our first parents the token. By sin they lost the right to eat of it, and fell under the sentence of death. But Chri... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT THOU ART RICH; spiritually rich, notwithstanding thy deep poverty in temporal things. Here, as in all the epistles, the angel of the church represents the church itself, and what is said to him is said to the church also. SAY THEY ARE JEWS; a corrupt sect of Judaizers seems to be referred to. T... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DEVIL SHALL CAST SOME OF YOU INTO PRISON; you shall be cast by his instigation. TEN DAYS; a symbolical designation for a short time. The persecution of Christians on account of their religion is instigated by Satan; and those who engage in it are his servants, doing his work, and ripening for t... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SECOND DEATH; the punishment of the wicked in the future world.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SHARP SWORD WITH TWO EDGES; see note to chap Revelation 1:16.... [ Continue Reading ]
SATAN'S SEAT; the place in which and from which he exerts great influence.... [ Continue Reading ]
HOLD THE DOCTRINE OF BALAAM; imitate Balaam in their spirit and teachings. When Balaam could not obtain permission to curse Israel, he counselled Balak to seduce the Israelites to fornication and idolatry through the agency of the women of Moab. Numbers 25:1-9; Numbers 31:16; 2 PETER 2:15-16; Judges... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HIDDEN MANNA; the true spiritual manna laid up in heaven for Christ's faithful servants; alluding to the literal manna that was laid up before the Lord in holy of holies. Exodus 16:32-34. A WHITE STONE; there is a reference here to the practice in common use among the ancients of making inscrip... [ Continue Reading ]
LAST-MORE THAN THE FIRST; instead of declining, they had increased in good works.... [ Continue Reading ]
JEZEBEL; a wicked woman like the wife of king Ahab; pretending to be a religious teacher, yet seducing the people into error and sin. The doctrine that she taught was the same as "the doctrine of Balaam," chap Revelation 2:14.... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL CAST HER INTO A BED; a bed of sickness, instead of the bed of fornication which she encourages. Thus Christ will punish her and her followers with great judgments.... [ Continue Reading ]
HER CHILDREN; her followers. The discrimination of character which Christ will make as to each individual, will show his complete knowledge of the heart, and that nothing has ever been thought, said, or done, with which he was not perfectly acquainted.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DEPTHS OF SATAN, AS THEY SPEAK; this Jezebel and her followers were in the habit of speaking of the depths of knowledge which they possessed; but the apostle calls them the depths of Satan.... [ Continue Reading ]
OVER THE NATIONS; they shall not prevail against him, but he shall prevail over them.... [ Continue Reading ]
HE SHALL RULE THEM; reign with Christ over all his foes. AS I RECEIVED OF MY FATHER; Psalms 2:8-9.... [ Continue Reading ]
GIVE HIM THE MORNING - STAR; to shine in glory with Christ the true Morning-star. Chap Revelation 22:16.... [ Continue Reading ]