bliss; then "the Paradise o
REVELATION II.
The Promise to him that Overeometh.
The Epistle to the Church at Ephesus.
and Tbrttji.l,ian, Prceseriptione Haereticorum 4ij, make these followers of Nicolas, one of the seven (honourably mentioned. Acts 6. 3, 5). They (Clemens Alexandrinus, Stromata 2. 20; 3. 4; and Epiphanius, Hwreses 2-5) evidently confound the latter Gnostic Nicolaitanes, or followers of one Nicolaos, with those of Revelation. MlCHAELis' view is probable: Nicolaos (conqueror of the people) is the Greek version of Balaam, from Hebrew Belang
29. The title of Christ here as "holding fast the seven Btars (from cli. 1. 16: only that, for having is substituted holding fiist in His grasp), and walking in the midst ol the eeven candlesticks," accords with tlie beginning of liis addiess to tlie seven churches representing the universal Church. IFatt-i/ig' expresses His unwearied activity in tlie Cturch, guarding her Irom internal and external evils, as the high priest moved to and fro in the sanctuary. 3.
I know thy works—expressing His omniscience. Not merely " thy professions, desires, good resolutions " (ch. 14.
Am, Destroyer of the people. Revelation abounds in such duplicate J?e6re?o and Greek names: as Apollyou, Abaddon : Devil, Satan : Yea {fih-eek Nai), Amen. The name, like other names, Egypt, Babylon, Sodom, is symbolic. Cf. V. 14, 15, which shows the true sense of Nicolaitanes: they are not a sect, but professing Christians who, like Balaam of old, tried to introduce into tlie Cliurch a false freedom, i. e., licentiousness; this was a reaction in the opposite direction from Judaism, the first danger to the Church combated in the council of Jerusalem, and by Paul in the Epistle to Galatlans. These symbolical Nicolaitanes, or followers of Balaam, abused Paul's doctrine of the grace of God into a plea for lasciviousuess (2 Peter
13, end), thy laboiir—Two oldest MSS. omit " thy ;" one supports it. The Greek mean "labour unto weariness." pntli-nce—persevering endurance, bear Evil men are a 6«jde/i which the Ephesian Church regarded as intolerable. We are to "bear (the same Greek, Galatlans 6.2) one another's burdens " in the case of weak brethren ; but not to he&r false brethren, tried— by experiment; not the Greek for "test," as 1 John 4. 1. The apostolical churches had the miraculous gilt of discerning spirits. Cf. Acts 20.
28-30, wherein Paul presoientlj' warned the Ephesian elders of the coming false teachers, as also iu writing to Timothy at Epliesus. Tertulman, De baptism, 17, and Jerome, in dotal. Vir. Illuslr. in Lucca 7, record of John, that when a writing, professing to be a canonical history of the acts of St. Paul, had been composed by a presbyter of Ephesus, John convicted the author and condemned the work. So on one occasion he would not remain under the same roof as Cerinthus the heretic, say they areaposllcs—probably Judaizers. Ignatius, Ad Ephcsum 6, says subseqvientlj', "Onesimus praises exceedingly your good discipline that no heresy dwells among you ;" and 9, " Ye did not permit those having evil doctrine to sow their seed among you, but closed your ears." 3. borne . . . patience —The oldest MS.S. transpose these woi'ds. Then translate as Greek, "persevering endurance . . . borne." "Thou hast borne" my reproach, but "thou canst not bear the evil" {v. 2). A beautiful antithesis, and . . . hast laboured, and hast not fainted— The two oldest MSS. and oldest versions read, "and . . . hast not lalioured," omitting ',' and hast fainted." The difficulty wiiich transcribers bj' English Version reading tried to obviate, was the seeming contradiction, "I know tliy labour . . . and thou hast not laboured." But what is meant is, "Thou hast not been wearied out with labour." 4. somewhat
2. 15, 16, 19; Jude 4. 11; who both describe the same sort of seducers as followers of Balaam). The difficulty that they should appropriate a name branded with infamy in Scripture is met by Trench: T„c Antinomian Gnostics were so opposed to John as a Judaizing apostle, that they would assume as a name of chiefest honour one which John branded with dishonour. T. He that liath an ear —This clause precedes the promise in the first three addresses, succeeds to it in the last four. Thus the promises are enclosed on both sides with the precept urging the deepest attention as to the most momentous truths. Everyman "hath an ear" naturallj', but he alone will be able to hear spiritually to whom God has given "the hearing ear;" whose "ear God hatli wakened" and "opened." Cf. " Faith, the ears of the soul." [Cj.kmENS Alexandrinus.] the Spirit saith— what Chrii4 saith, tAe Spirit saith; so one are the Second and Third Persons, unto the churclies—not merely to the particular, but to the universal Church, give . . . tree of life —The thing promised corresponds to the kind of fuithtulness manifested. They who refrain from Nicolai tune indulgences (V. 6) and idol meats (,v. 14, 15), shall eat of meat infinitely superior, viz., the fruit of the tree of life, and the hidden manna (v. 17). overcometh—In John's Gospel. . . because translate, "I have against thee (this) Chat," &c. It is not a mere "somewhat:" it is every tiling. How characteristic of our gracious Lord, that He puts foremost all He can find to approve, and only after this notes the shortcomings! left thy first love—to Christ. Cf. 1 Timothy 5. 12, " cast off their first faith." See the Ephesians'
(16. 33) and First Epistle (2. 13, 14; 5. 4, 5) an object lollows, viz., "the world," "the wicked one." Here, where the final issue is spoken of, tlie conqueror is named absolutely. Paul uses a similar image, 1 Corinthians 9. 24, 25 ; 2 Timothy 2. 5; but not the same as John's phrase, except Romans 12. 21. will I give—as the Judge. Tlie tree of life in Paradise, lost by the fall, is restored by the Redeemer. Allusions to It occur Proverbs 3. 18; 11. 30; 13. 12; 15. 4, and prophetically, ch. 22. 2, 14 ; Ezekiel 47. 12; cf. John 6. 51. IV first tone, Ephesians 1. 15. This epistle was written under Doraitian, when thirty years had elapsed since Paul had written his Epistle to them. Their warmth of love had given place to a lifeless orthodoxy. Cf. Paul's view of faith so-called without love, 1 Corinthians 13. 2. 5, whence—from what a height, do the first works—the works which flowed from thy first love. Not merely " feel thy first feelings," but do works flowing from the same principle as formerly, " faith which worketh by love." qnlckly—Omitted in two oldest MSS., Vulgate and Coptic versions: supported by one oldest MS. I will come— Greek, " 1 am coming " In special Judgment on thee, remove thy candlestick out of his place—I will take away the Church from Ephesus and remove it elsewhere. "It is removal of the candlestick, not extinction of the candle, which is threatened here; judgment for some, but that very Judgment the occasion of mercy for others. So it has been. The seat of the Church has been changed, but the Church itself survives. What the East has lost, the West has gained. One who lately visited Ephesus found only three Cliristlans there, and these so ignorant ns scarcely to have heard the names of St. Paul or St. John." [Trench.] 6. But—How graciously, after necessary censure. He returns to praise for our consolation, and as an example to M, that we would show, when we reprove, we have more pleasure in praising than in fault-finding, hatest the deeds—We should hate men's evil deeds, not hate the men themselves. NIcolaltanes — IbenUS, Ucereses 1. 2«. 3; 82 is interesting to note how closely these introductory addresses are linked to the body of Revelation. Thus, </»« tree of life here, with ch. 22. 1 ; Deliverance from the second death (ch. 2. 11), with ch. 20. 14; 21. 8; The new name (ch. 2.
17), with ch. 14. 1; Power over the tiations, with ch. 20. 4; The morning star (ch. 2. 28), with ch. 22. 16; The tvhile raiment (ch. 3. 5), with ch. 4. 4; 16. 15; The name in the book of life (ch. 3. 5), with ch. 13. 8 ; 20. 15; The new Jerusalem its citizenship (ch. 3. 12), with ch. 21. 10. in tlte midst of tlie paradise—The oldest MSS. omit " the midst of." In Genesis 2. 9 these words are appropriate, for there were other trees in the garden, but not in the midst of it. Here the tree of life is simply in the paradise, for no other tree is mentioned in it; in ch. 22.2 the tree of life is"t« the midst of the street of Jerusalem;" from this the clause was Inserted here. Paradise (a Persian, or else Semitic word), originally used of any garden of delight; then specially of Eden; then the temporary abode of separate souls in bliss; then "the Paradise o/ God," the third heaven, the Immediate presence of God. of God—(Ezcklel 28. 13.) One oldest MS., with Vulgate, iSyriac,&m\ Coi>tic,a.ut\ CYPHiyVN, read, "XY God," as in ch. 3. 12. So Christ calls God "Mj/ God and your God" (John 20. 17; cf. Ephesians 1. 17). God
Is our God, in virtue of being peculiarly Chri-Ws God. The