Transcript Document

Presentation 02
Presentation 02
Superscription 1v1-3
Note that this Revelation belongs to Christ. The Father gave it
to him. He in turn has revealed it to John. It reveals what is
‘soon’ to happen. When the NT distinguishes between the
presence of Christ here and now and his second coming, it does
not think so much in terms of the passage of time but in terms
of the difference between veiled and unveiled. This is why the
NT constantly thinks of the Day of his coming as imminent.
The revelation given to John was not a private transcendent
experience [ cf. 2 Cor 12:4 ]. It was to be shared and those
who study it with a correct heart attitude are pronounced
‘blessed’ [the first of seven ‘blessed’s found in the book].
It is not enough to read and hear. The words are to be
‘kept’. If God’s word does not shape our daily living then
it has not been received in all its transforming power.
Presentation 02
Salutation And Doxology 1v4-8
The seven churches mentioned were located in the
Roman province of Asia Minor. If you begin in
Ephesus [see map] the places mentioned form an
irregular circle. Since there were other churches in
this area e.g. at Colossae and Hierapolis, has the
choice of only seven some symbolic significance?
All three persons of the Godhead are mentioned in
the salutation the One who ‘is and was and is to
come’ is a description of the unchangeable God of
the covenant [Ex 3:14 ff. God’s self-disclosure to
Moses]. The ‘seven spirits’ are generally taken to
be a reference to the Holy Spirit - the perfect
number seven reflects the perfection and fullness
of the Spirit’s person and operation.
Presentation 02
Pergamum
Thyatira
Sardis
Smyrna
Ephesus
Patmos
Philadelphia
Laodicea
Salutation And Doxology 1v4-8
Jesus Christ is described as ‘the faithful witness’, a
significant description because of the persecution
the church of the day faced. Jesus laid down his
life, he was faithful unto death as he carried out
the Father’s will. The description ‘firstborn from
the dead’ reminds us that he is the first of a new
order of indestructible manhood; he was the first
man to pass through mortal life and death and
emerge into Immortal Manhood.
He is also ‘ruler of kings on earth’ and this by
virtue of his victory over all created powers,
human and angelic. His enthronement took place
after his victory on the cross and his resurrection.
Presentation 02
Salutation And Doxology 1v4-8
The fruit of his death-resurrection-triumph is stated as [1] ‘loosing us from our
sins’ [the ‘washing away of our sins’ is supported in some mss.] resulting in a
change of our state before God, and [2] in making us ‘a kingdom of priests’,
indicating a change in our status before God. The term ‘kingdom of priests’ was
formerly applied to Israel but now the church is the Israel of God.
The magnitude of Christ’s work causes the writer to break
out into praise. Christ’s second coming will not be a secret
appearing. Those who have rejected him will ‘mourn’ but
not in repentance but as they see the hopelessness of their
situation. [ Zech 12:10-13:2 Rev 6:16]. The Lord describes
himself in v8 as ‘Alpha and Omega’. This use of first and last
letters of the Greek alphabet declares him to be the complete,
perfect and eternal revelation of God.
Presentation 02
Inaugural Vision And Commission 1v9-20
John puts himself on the same level with his readers,
‘a fellow sufferer’. Patmos was not a holiday island but
black stone quarry island prison 4x8 miles in size. Was
John there because he refused to drop incense on the
altar of a pagan priest as a token of worshipping the
Emperor? Certainly loyalty to the person of Christ and
obedience to his Word was responsible for John’s exile.
The revelation was given on the ‘Lord’s day’; the day in
which Christians commemorated the resurrection.
John may well have been praying for the churches in
Asia minor when suddenly the earth seemed to sink
away from his feet.
Presentation 02
Inaugural Vision And Commission 1v9-20
John lost consciousness of the world around
him - an experience described here as ‘being in
the Spirit’. In this trance-like state, he saw but
not with his physical eyes and heard but not
with physical ears. He had direct contact with
....God! He heard a ‘voice like a trumpet’. In the
OT. the trumpet was a sound that commanded
attention [ Ex. 19:16,19; Lev. 25:9; Josh. 6:5;
Isa. 58:1]. Christ ordered him to write down the
visions that he saw and send them to the seven
churches. John seems to have written down
these visions while he received them [10v4] or
shortly afterwards [1v19].
Presentation 02
Inaugural Vision And Commission 1v9-20
John turned to see who was speaking and
was confronted with someone he
recognised yet his appearance was
different. It is easy to lose ourselves in the
detail of the symbolism and miss the
glorious unity of the symbol. The Son of
man is pictured as one clothed with
majesty and power. At one and the same
time he strikes awe and terror into the
heart. His long dignified robe, the golden
girdle around his breast, hair glistening
white as snow so that it hurts the eye.
Presentation 02
Inaugural Vision And
Commission 1v9-20
We see his flashing eyes that penetrate ever
hidden corner, his glowing feet that trample
down the wicked, a loud reverberating voice
that sounds like large waves dashing against the
rocks of Patmos. From his mouth a sharp long
sword with two biting edges, a face that shone
like the bright noonday sun too intense for
human eyes to fix on. Taken together this is a
picture of Christ, the holy one of God coming to
purge his church and to punish those
persecuting his elect.
Presentation 02
Inaugural Vision And
Commission 1v9-20
Although the purpose of the vision was
not to terrify but to comfort, John fell at
Christ’s feet as though dead [cf. Ex. 3:6;
Josh 5:14; Isa. 6:5; Dan. 7:15].
Christ’s hand is laid on John, to express
love and impart strength and the words
‘fear not’ are spoken to comfort. The
One who speaks to him is the One who
has overcome death and as a result he
has the keys of death, i.e. authority and
power over death.
Presentation 02
Inaugural Vision And Commission 1v9-20
John is commanded to write :
[1] ‘what is now’ i.e. the current situation
of the Lord of Glory viewed from his
perceptive and
[2] ‘what is to take place later’ i.e. not so
much a historical record of what will take
place between the first and second coming
of Christ, but a summing up of the events
of that age, including various aspects of
God’s judgements both in the rescue of his
own from this present evil world and the
punishment of his enemies.
Presentation 02
Inaugural Vision And Commission 1v9-20
John had seen Christ in the midst of
seven candlesticks and holding
seven stars in his hands. These
mysteries are now revealed.
The seven lamp stands represent
the seven churches. The
encouragement of this symbolism is
that Christ is in the midst of his
people even when their lamps are
burning dimly- as indeed some
were!
Presentation 02
Inaugural Vision And Commission 1v9-20
The seven stars in his hands are the angels
of the churches. The Greek word ‘angelos’
can also mean ‘messenger’ and this
complicates the interpretation. Suggestions
for the ‘angelos’ range from, guardian angels
[cf. Dan. 10:13; Rev. 12:7] to human leaders
or overseers. The last view seems to fit best.
What of the lamp stand [2:5] that is in
danger of being taken away? This must
suggest the light of God, and therefore
the withdrawal of his glory and of the
blessing of his presence in the local church.
Presentation 02
Letters To The Seven Churches
The 7 letters are addressed real church situations and have
an application for the church today. Each of the letters
follow an interesting pattern:
A salutation- ‘To the angel of the church in...’
A description of Christ- ‘He that holds the seven stars...’
Christ’s commendation- ‘I know your works...’
Christ’s condemnation- ‘But I have this against you...’
Christ’s warning and threat- ‘Remember therefore... or else..’
Christ’s exhortation- ‘He that has an ear, let him hear...’
Christ’s promise- ‘To him that overcomes... I will...’
Presentation 02
Letters To The Seven Churches
Churches one and seven, Ephesus and
Laodicea are in real danger. Churches two
and six, Smyrna and Philadelphia are in
excellent shape. Churches three four and
five, Pergamum, Thyatira and Sardis are
middling, neither very good nor very bad.
The value of these descriptions of church life
is that they provide an environmental canvas
of response to persecution. Onto that canvas
this apocalyptic vision is poured.
Presentation 02
Letters To The Seven Churches
Ephesus: 2v1-7
Ephesus was the commercial centre of Asia
and a centre for the worship of Diana. Many
silversmiths found employment making
miniature shrines of Diana. The church, which
had been troubled by false apostles, is
assured that the exalted Christ rules over his
ministers and knows what is happening in the
church - he holds the stars and walks in the
midst of the lamp stands.
The church is praised for her work and for her
‘intolerance’ of false teachers. [They’d clearly
heeded Paul’s warning Acts 20:28-29].
Presentation 02
Letters To The Seven Churches
Ephesus: 2v1-7
The Nicolaitans, whom they are praised for hating,
seem to be a group who advocated compromise
with paganism claiming that Christians should,
without embarrassment, be able to take part in the
social and religious activities on their doorstepincluding pagan sexual laxity.
Hence the reference to Balaam [2:14] the OT
corrupter of Israel [ Num. 22 ] and to Jezebel [2:20]
whose aim was to see Israel transfer her allegiance
from God to idolatry [1Kings 16:31 ff. ]. These
figures are therefore compared to those who were
currently introducing corruption into the churches.
Presentation 02
Letters To The Seven Churches
Ephesus: 2v1-7
It easy to focus exclusively on the faults of those around
us! But where commendation is due to the church, the
Lord is quick to give it [a practice pursued in the Pauline
epistles]. However, Ephesus is accused of leaving her
first love. This is not to be confused with losing the first
emotional experience of conversion, that is almost
inevitable for such loss weans us away from feelings and
makes us more dependable on God himself.
What is in view here is a decay of internal heart
commitment that can leave the external religious duties
and doctrinal belief in place. The situation in Ephesus
warns of the danger of being doctrinally correct but
spiritually unhealthy.
Presentation 02
Letters To The Seven Churches
Ephesus: 2v1-7
The church is exhorted to repent of its formalism lest her
lampstand be removed, i.e. a threat is made against her
continued existence as a place of worship, where the
blessing of God and the presence of God could be found.
[There is no church in Ephesus today!] It is possible for a
group of backslidden Christians to meet regularly
together but for the ‘glory’ to have departed. And that
departure can often take place unnoticed! The church is
encouraged to reform with the promise to those who
conquer that they would ‘eat of the tree of life’. [Gen.
3:22; Rev. 22:2,14 ]. A superior satisfaction to that
promised by the licentious heathen festivals. To those
who remain faithful to Christ there is the promise of
eternal life in the paradise of heaven.
Presentation 02
Letters To The Seven Churches
Smyrna: 2v8-11
The city of Smyrna was a rival to Ephesus and claimed
to be ‘the first city of Asia in beauty and size’. Smyrna
was known for her faithfulness to Rome. Polycarp may
have been bishop of Smyrna at this time. He was
martyred in AD155 for refusing to acknowledge that
the Lordship of Caesar took precedence over that of
Christ. At trial Polycarp said: “These 68 years I have
served him and he never did me any hurt. How then
can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour.”
He was burned at the stake. Such were the conditions
facing the church in the 2ndC, making the words of
Jesus all the more significant; ‘Be faithful to the point
of death and I will give you the crown of life’ v10.
Presentation 02
Letters To The Seven Churches
Smyrna: 2v8-11
The affliction and poverty mentioned in v9 is a reference to the
hardship involved in sustaining a Christian witness 13:17.
Christians were quite literally thrown out of employment as
some Christians are today. But these believers in Smyrna are
not allowed to wallow in self-pity for they are in fact spiritual
millionaires! They are rich in grace and in its fruit.
There was a large Jewish community in Smyrna and as
elsewhere [ cf. Acts 13:50; 14:2,5,19; 17:5; 24:1] who seem to
have been responsible for the hardship some of the Christians
faced. They might have liked to describe themselves as ‘a
synagogue of God’, but their opposition to the gospel and their
persecution of its adherents meant that they were doing devil’s
work and hence the description, ‘synagogue of Satan.’
Presentation 02
Letters To The Seven Churches
Smyrna: 2v8-11
John traces persecution to its source. The Jews were the
instruments of Satan, ‘the devil will have some of you in
prison.’ The imprisonment of Christians was designed by
Satan to put them to the test and cause them to renounce
their faith. But God would use their experience to prove, test,
and strengthen them. They are given courage to endure with
a reminder that the ‘trial’ is for a limited period of time.
[Isa. 26:20; 54:8; Matt.24:22; 2 Cor. 4:17; 1 Pet 1:6 ]
Even though believers may be put to death, the first death,
they are not going to be hurt by the second death, which is
the fate of those who have rejected Christ [ Rev. 20:14 ]. The
believer is given ‘a crown of life’ - lit. ‘a victory wreath’. They
have entered into Christ’s victory over death.
Presentation 02