1: To the messenger[1] [of
the] Called-out of Ephesus write
These things says he who holds the seven stars the messengers of the seven
Called-Out Revelation 1:20] in his right hand who walks in the midst of
the seven golden candlesticks the seven Called-Out are located in what is
now modern-day Turkey 2: I know your works and your labor and your
patience and how you can not bear those who are evil and you have tested them who
say they are apostles and are not and have found them [to be] liars[2] 3:
And have borne and had patience and for my name's sake have labored and have
not fainted 4: Nevertheless I have somewhat against you because you have
left your first love[3] 5:
Remember therefore from where you have fallen and repent and do the first works
or else I will come to you suddenly and
will remove your candlestick out of its place unless you repent[4] 6:
But this you have that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans[5]
which I also hate 7: They that have ears hear what the SPIRIT says to
the Called-out To them that overcome will I give to eat of the tree of life
which is in the midst of the Paradise of God 8: And to the messenger of
the Called-out in Smyrna write These
things says THE FIRST AND THE LAST which was dead and is alive 9: I know
your works and tribulation and poverty But you are rich And I know the
blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not but are the synagogue of
Satan[6] 10:
Fear none of those things which you shall suffer Behold the devil shall cast [some]
of you into prison to tempt [you] James 1:13 And you shall be afflicted
ten days[7] Be
faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life[8] 11:
[Do you] have ears? [Then] hear what the
SPIRIT says to the Called-out [assemblies] They that overcome shall not be hurt
of the second death Revelation 20:10-14 12: And to the messenger
of the Called-out in Pergamos write
These things says HE WHO HAS THE SHARP SWORD WITH TWO EDGES 13: I know your
works and where you dwell even where Satan’s seat is and you hold fast my name
and have not denied my faith even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful
martyr [9]
who was slain among you where Satan dwells 14: But I have a few things
against you because you have there consider to be of you? Tolerate?
them that hold the doctrine of Balaam who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock
before the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit porneuō[10]
15: So also you have consider
to be of you? Tolerate? them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (overthrow
[the] laity) Which things I hate[11] 16:
Turn with your whole hearts from these things or else I will come on you
suddenly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth[12] 17:
They that have ears let them hear what the Spirit says to the Called-out
[assemblies] To them that overcome will I give to eat of the hidden manna and
will give them a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no one
knows except they that receive it [13] 1
Corinthians 2:9-10 18: And to the messenger of the Called-out in Thyatira write, These things says THE
SON OF GOD who has his eyes like unto a blaze of fire and his feet are like
fine brass 19: I know your works and love and service and faith and your
patience and your works and the last to be more than the first 20:
Notwithstanding I have a few things against you because you tolerate that woman
Jezebel who calls herself a prophetess [who] teaches and seduces causes to
stray my servants to porneuō and
to eat things sacrificed to idols 21: And I gave her space to repent of her
porneia and she repented not 22: Behold I will cast her into a
bed [of affliction] (/)[14] and
[them that commit] adultery with her[15]
into great affliction except they repent of these [evil] deeds 23: And I
will kill her children with death[16]
and all the Called-Out shall know that I AM who searches the reins and hearts
and I will give to every one of you according to your works 1 Corinthians
3:10-17 24: But to you I say and to the rest in Thyatira as many
as have not this doctrine and which have not known the depths of Satan (as they
say) I will put upon you none other burden 25: But that which you have
already hold fast till I come James 1:12-16, Revelation 22:20 26: And they that overcome and keep my
works to the end to them will I give power over the nations 27: And they
shall rule them with a rod of iron As the vessels of a potter shall they be
broken to shivers even as I also have obtained beside the Father of me scrTR
Interlinear, Psalm 2:6-11 28: And I will give to them
the star of the morning 29: They that have ears let them hear what the
Spirit says to the Called-out
[1] The Greek word, Aggelos (pronounced angelos), most often translated as angel, can
also mean: messenger[s] or envoy. Since we do not write letters to angels,
translating angelos to messenger in these verses is an option that makes more
sense.
[2] It does not say here, that there were
no more apostles after the twelve, because if that had been the case, Matthias
and Paul could not have been called apostles. It says false apostles [those
evil ones the Ephesian Christians would not tolerate] who claimed to be
apostles were tested and proved
false.
[3] The Christians of Ephesus, whom Jesus
lauded for contending for the faith, in not tolerating false apostles and and
the deeds of the Nicolaitans [whose teachings he hated], had left their first
love by making a shift from soul winning and discipleship [the Great
Commission], to rooting out and exposing falsehood. In this, it is like Jesus
said to the Pharisee’s concerning tithing, “You pay tithes…and omit weightier
matters…These [paying tithes] you ought to have done but not left the other [justice,
mercy, faith] undone Matthew
23:23.” In other words, “Don’t let contending for the faith, which is
commanded in scripture, become your primary objective, over-shadowing the
weightier command of love in winning souls and making disciples.”
[4] The church at Ephesus had become so
obsessed with rooting out and exposing false teachers, that they had almost
completely stopped shining the light of Christ. This had become a grievous sin
them, to the point that Jesus threatened to “remove their candle-stick” [their
Called-out assembly] from out of its place among the other Called-out
assemblies. The church at Ephesus was the only entire assembly to be warned of
such a consequence Matthew 5:13.
[5] Several of the Church Fathers mention
the Nicolaitans, associating the heretical sect with Nicolaus, who was one of
the seven named in Acts 6:5. There is some debate about the exact nature of the
heresy, ranging from the sin of Balaam in overthrowing the people through
intermarriage with unbelievers and Pornea
with temple prostitutes associated with idol worship to promoting polygamy and
gross immorality among Christians. Other early Christian writers claim that
Nicolaus’ did not defect from the faith and his name was slandered and borrowed
by the sect. Larkin wrote the following about the Nicolaitans: “They were not a
sect but a party in the church who were trying to establish a priestly order.
Probably trying to model the church after the Old Testament order of priests, Levites,
and common people. This is seen in the meaning of the word, which is from
‘Nico’ to conquer, to overthrow, and ‘Laos’ the people or laity. The object was
to establish a holy order of men and place them over the laity, which was
foreign to the New Testament plan, and call them not pastors, but—clergy,
Bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals, Popes. Here we have the dogma of Apostolic
Succession, and the separation of the Clergy from the Laity, a thing that God
hates.”
[6] Luke 3:8, Galatians 3:6-7, Galatians
3:29, Romans 2:28-29, Romans 9:6
[7] The reference to “Ten Days,” is
obviously symbolic. Though the number ten is mentioned many times in the Bible,
there is no consensus on the actual length of time the ten days represents or
why a symbolic number was used instead of a literal length of time being
stated. It has been suggested the ten days simply represents a short-lived time
of suffering.
[8] This is not speaking of salvation in a
general sense but rather of a reward given those who endure temptation
[including martyrdom] James 1:12.
[9] Antipas was sentenced
to death on the Altar of Zeus. Most of that altar still survives today, and
surrounding it are some of the world's most famous marble friezes. They depict
the Gigantomachy, or the battle between the Greek gods and the giants.
At the top of the altar was a hollow bronze bull, designed for human sacrifice.
Renner describes the method of execution suffered by Antipas. “They would
take the victim, place him inside the bull, and they would tie him in such a
way that his head would go into the head of the bull. Then they would light a
huge fire under the bull, and as the fire heated the bronze, the person inside
of the bull would slowly begin to roast to death. As the victim would begin to
moan and to cry out in pain, his cries would echo through the pipes in the head
of the bull so it seemed to make the bull come alive.” Even in the midst of the
flames, the elderly bishop Antipas died praying for his church. The year was AD
92.
[10] The Greek contains several variations
of the word “porn…,” which refers to sexual immorality. In this case, the
sexual immorality is connected with the worship of false gods and temple
prostitutes.
[11] Balaam’s teaching was that he advised
the King of the Moabites [whose worship of Baal Numbers 22:41 was
carried out through child sacrifice and worship of false gods through temple
prostitutes] to make friends with the Israelites and inter-marry with them. A
thing which the Israelites were forbidden to do. God hates the doctrine of
Balaam, which involved a deliberate encouragement and seduction of God’s people
to intermarry with idol worshipers for the express purpose of causing their
downfall 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. This produced not only tolerance of pagan
ways but becoming involved in the practice of them as well. God also hates the
ways of the Nicolaitans, which was a separate group from those who practiced
the liberal, and radically ecumenical, doctrine of Balaam. The Nicolaitans were
not a short-lived sect as is commonly taught. The sect began by “that woman
Jezebel” (probably not her real name) grew in power and numbers by absorbing
and importing into Christianity the doctrine and practices of Balaam, merged
with the hierarchical system of the Nicolaitans, creating a powerful religious
and political entity that would transcend government and nationality for
centuries to come. The end of the woman, her religious system, and her city is
portrayed in Revelation chapters 17-18.
[12] The Sword of His Mouth is the Word of
God, which pronounces blessings and curses for obedience and disobedience to
His WORD Exodus 23:20-30, Deuteronomy 28, . The Sword of His Mouth
is the same as the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God Ephesians
6:17.
[13] 1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written
What eye has not seen nor ear heard neither has entered into the heart of audawm, God has prepared these things
for those who love him Now God has revealed to us by his Spirit for the Spirit
searches all things yes the deep things of God
[14] This verse is parenthetical, meaning
there is a time-gap between the literal woman Jezebel, who is both a real woman
and also represents the false religion portrayed by the Whore of Babylon in
Revelation chapter 17. She is associated with the Christianized Babylonian sect
she successfully ported into the early Church and also with the city that would
become synonymous with the sect. The message of The Revelation is to her and
her first century followers but also to those who are later seduced by the
Babylonian sect she became prophetess of. Here we see its beginnings as early
as the first century and whose inglorious end is portrayed in chapters 17 and
18 of The Revelation. We know from Revelation 17 and 18, that the religious
system this woman, Jezebel, successfully imported from paganism into the early
church, survived and thrived to varying degrees throughout the centuries. The
sect itself became synonymous with both a woman and a city. She is still with
us today. Her sect has always been a political power to some degree, and during
The Great Tribulation will rise to an unprecedented pinnacle of religious and
political power, only to see her ultimate destruction at the very hands of globalist
leaders who treacherously used her in their own rise to power.
[15] The blind lead the blind and all fall
into the ditch
[16] “Her children” are those she begets
through the Christianized Babylonianism she teaches. These symbolize those who
down through the centuries follow the Christian sect she introduced so early in
Church history. Revelation 17 and 18 portray their end. The phrase “kill with
death,” could refer to the second death Revelation 20. The
scriptural definition of death is separation from the power and presence of God
2 Thessalonians 1:9.
Additional
commentary pending for this chapter
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