Chapter VIII REVELATION 2, 3: THE SEVEN LAMPSTANDS
REVELATION 2, 3: THE SEVEN LAMPSTANDS
THE Apocalypse is a work of art, marvellous art, divine art. By subtle bands its various parts are tied together. One is unable to understand chapters 2 and 3 unless he has read chapter 1. And chapters 2 and 3, in turn, form the setting, as it were, for the later portions of the book. The promises found in these two chapters return and are explained more fully in later passages.
Do you wish to know what is meant by the words: ‘To him that overcomes, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God’? Then turn to Revelation 22: 2, 14. Again, are you looking for a definition of ‘the second death’ in view of the glorious promise: ‘he that overcomes (or conquers) shall not be hurt of the second death’? Revelation 20: 14 offers you just what you are seeking. The ‘new name’ which is promised to the ‘conquerors’, 2: 17, reappears again and again: 3: 12; 14: 1; 22: 4; cf. 19: 12, 13, 16. The authority over the nations of 2: 26 receives its commentary in 12: 5; 20: 4. The morning star of 2: 28 re-occurs at 22: 16; and so it is with all the other promises.[1] The seven epistles belong to the very essence of the book. The book is one.
These seven epistles, moreover, reveal—with slight modifications—one pattern. This pattern appears most clearly in the epistles to Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira and Sardis. The seven parts are as follows:
1. The salutation or address; e.g., ‘To the angel of the church in Ephesus...’
2. Christ’s self-designation; e.g., ‘he that holds the seven stars in his right hand...’
3. Christ’s commendation; e.g., ‘I know thy works, and thy toil, and thy patience...’
4. Christ’s condemnation; e.g., ‘But I have this against thee...’
5. Christ’s warning and threat; e.g., ‘Remember therefore... or else...’
6. Christ’s exhortation; e.g., ‘He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.’
7. Christ’s promise; e.g., ‘to him that overcomes... I will give to eat of the tree of life.’
In each church—with the single exception of Laodicea—Christ finds something to commend. In five of the seven He finds something to condemn. The laudable exceptions are Smyrna and Philadelphia.
These seven epistles are divided into two groups: one of three and one of four.[2] In the first three letters the exhortation is followed by the promise. In the last four this order is reversed.
The notion that these seven churches describe seven successive periods of Church history hardly needs refutation.[3] To say nothing about the almost humorous—if it were not so deplorable—exegesis which, for example, makes the church at Sardis, which was dead, refer to the glorious age of the Reformation; it should be clear to every student of the Bible that there is not one atom of evidence in all the sacred writings which in any way corroborates this thoroughly arbitrary method of cutting up the history of the Church and assigning the resulting pieces to the respective epistles of Revelation 2 and 3.
The epistles describe conditions which occur not in one particular age of Church history, but again and again.
1. The letter to Ephesus (2: 1–7)
Ephesus was wealthy, prosperous, magnificent, and famous for its shrine of Diana. The city was located near the western coast of Asia Minor, on the Aegean Sea and near the mouth of the Cayster River. Its harbour—in the days of its glory—accommodated the largest ships. Moreover, it was easily accessible by land, for Ephesus was connected by highways with the most important cities of Asia Minor. Ephesus was for a long time the commercial centre of Asia. The temple of Diana was at the same time a treasure house, a museum, and a place of refuge for criminals. It furnished employment for many, including the silversmiths who made miniature shrines of Diana.[4]
Paul visited this city (Acts 18: 19–21) on his way from Corinth to Jerusalem. This was during his second missionary journey, about AD 52. Here it was that he left Priscilla and Aquila (18: 19); and that Apollos taught with burning zeal (18: 25). On his third missionary journey Paul spent three years here (Acts 20: 31). His work was greatly blessed, not only in Ephesus proper but also in the surrounding region. The sale of silver shrines began to fall off, and when the temple of Diana was burned in AD 262 it was never rebuilt. Homeward bound from his third missionary journey, Paul bade farewell to the elders of the church at Ephesus in a very touching manner (Acts 20: 17–38). This was about the year AD 57. During his first imprisonment, AD 60–63, Paul sent his letter to the Ephesians from Rome.[5] After his release, the apostle in all likelihood made some more brief visits to Ephesus and left Timothy in charge of this church (1 Tim. 1: 3). A few years later, in all probability very soon after the beginning of the Jewish war, say in AD 66, we find the apostle John in Ephesus.[6]
It was during the reign of Domitian (AD 81–96) that John was banished to Patmos. He was released and died during the reign of Trajan. Tradition relates that at a very old age John, too feeble to walk, would be carried into the church and would admonish the members, saying, ‘Little children, love one another.’
Thus it will be evident that the church at Ephesus was more than forty years old when Christ dictated this epistle. Another generation had arisen. The children did not experience that intense enthusiasm, that spontaneity and ardour which had been revealed by their parents when the latter first came into contact with the gospel. Not only this, but they lacked their former devotion to Christ. A similar condition occurred in Israel after the days of Joshua and the elders (Jdg. 2: 7, 10, 11).[7] The church had departed from its first love.
Notice Christ’s self-designation: ‘He that holds the seven stars in his right hand, he that walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands.’ What is the reason for this designation? It is given because the seven stars indicate the ministers of the churches, Christ’s true ambassadors, and the church at Ephesus had been troubled by ‘false apostles’ (2: 2), who had tried to counteract the work of the true ministers. So to this church is given the assurance that the Son of man, exalted in glory, rules the ministers and knows what happens in the churches: He holds the stars and walks in the midst of the lampstands. Thus we find that in each separate instance Christ’s self-designation has its bearing on the church to which the epistle is addressed.[8]
The church at Ephesus is praised for its work, toil, and endurance. With respect to these things it was a lampstand, causing the light of the Saviour to shine in the midst of the darkness of the world. It is worth special note that this church is also praised for its ‘intolerance’. It had examined the would-be apostles, and, upon finding them false, had rejected them. In all these trials this church had been loyal to the true doctrine and had not become weary. It had heeded Paul’s warning (Acts 20: 28, 29; cf. 1 Jn. 4: 1).
Then, suddenly, we read the accusation: ‘But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love.’ We have already explained the meaning of this serious reproach. To be sure, there were works, toil, and endurance in Ephesus; but all these may be present even though there has been a decay in love. A wife, for example, may be very faithful to her husband and may give evidence of bustling assiduity in all matters pertaining to him—and yet there may be a lessening of love. Her sense of duty alone may cause her to remain faithful in all the details of attention which she bestows upon him. Similarly, a church member may be very regular in his attendance at the services but, in spite of that, may not be as devoted to the Lord as he formerly was.
The church is urged to reflect on its fall, to come to a ‘change of mind’, so that it may again perform the first works. The threat ‘or else I come to thee, and will move thy lampstand out of its place’, was fulfilled. There is today no church in Ephesus. The place itself is a ruin.[9]
Then, very tenderly, the Lord resumes His praise: ‘But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans which I also hate.’ It is probable that these Nicolaitans and ‘those that hold the teaching of Balaam’ (2: 14), and the followers of the woman Jezebel (2: 20), represent in general the same group or school of heretics. We shall meet them again. It would seem that they were individuals who not only refused to stay away from the immoral and idolatrous banquets of the heathen, but also tried to justify their sinful practices.[10] The Lord hates any compromise with the world. He praises the church at Ephesus for its firm stand against the works of the Nicolaitans.
Then follows the exhortation ‘he that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches’. Note the plural. Each epistle must be read by all the churches and not merely by the one for which it is primarily intended.[11]
The expression ‘to him that overcomes’ means ‘to the conqueror’. It is the same word used in 6: 2: ‘and he came forth conquering and to conquer’. The conqueror is the man who fights against sin, the devil, and his whole dominion and in his love for Christ perseveres to the very end. To such a conqueror is promised something better than the food offered to idols, with which the heathen at their licentious festivals probably tried to tempt church members. The conqueror would be given to eat of the tree of life (Gn. 3: 22; Rev. 22: 2, 14); that is, he would inherit eternal life in the paradise of heaven. Thus the promise is adapted to the general character of the epistle, as is true with respect to each of these seven messages.
2. The letter to Smyrna (2: 8–11)
This city, located on an arm of the Aegean Sea, was a rival of Ephesus. It claimed to be the ‘First City of Asia in beauty and size’. A gloriously picturesque city, it sloped up from the sea, and its splendid public buildings on the rounded top of the hill Pagos formed what was known as ‘the crown of Smyrna’. The westerly breeze, the zephyr, comes from the sea and blows through every part of the city rendering it fresh and cool even during the summer. From the very beginning of Rome’s rise to power, even before its days of greatness, Smyrna was its loyalally and was recognized as such by Rome. The faithfulness and loyalty of the Smyrnians became proverbial.[12]
In all probability the church at Smyrna was founded by Paul during his third journey, AD 53–56. We are not sure of this, but it would seem to be a safe conclusion from what we read in Acts 19: 10, ‘...so that all they that dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks’.
It is possible that Polycarp was bishop of the church at Smyrna at this time. He was a pupil of John. Faithful to death, this venerable leader was burned at the stake in the year AD 155. He had been asked to say, ‘Caesar is Lord’, but refused. Brought to the stadium, the proconsul urged him, saying, ‘Swear, and I will set thee at liberty, reproach Christ.’ Polycarp answered, ‘Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?’ When the proconsul again pressed him, the old man answered, ‘Since thou art vainly urgent that... I should swear by the fortune of Caesar, and pretendest not to know who and what I am, hear me declare with boldness, I am a Christian...’ A little later the proconsul answered, ‘I have wild beasts at hand; to these will I cast thee, except thou repent. I will cause thee to be consumed by fire, seeing thou despisest the wild beasts, if thou wilt not repent.’ But Polycarp said, ‘Thou threatenest me with fire which burneth for an hour, and after a little is extinguished, but art ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. But why tarriest thou? Bring forth What thou wilt.’ Soon afterwards the people began to gather wood and faggots; the Jews especially, according to custom, eagerly assisting them. Thus Polycarp was burned at the stake.[13]
We have purposely included this brief account of Polycarp’s martyrdom so that the reader may become better acquainted with actual conditions which existed in the church during the first and second centuries AD.
It is to this church that Christ addresses Himself as follows: ‘These things declares the first and the last, who became dead, yet lived’,[14] that is, the One who was alive even while He was dead: the ever-living One. As in all the other epistles, so here: Christ’s self-designation is in beautiful harmony with the general character of the message. Christ, the conqueror of death, the ever-living One, was able to say, as He does in this letter, ‘Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life’ (2: 10).
‘I know thy tribulation and thy poverty.’ Extreme poverty is meant. These people were often thrown out of employment as a result of the very fact of their conversion. Besides this, they were usually poor in earthly goods to begin with. Becoming a Christian was, from an earthly point of view, a real sacrifice. It meant poverty, hunger, imprisonment, often death by means of the wild beasts or the stake.[15]
The Lord tells these believers at Smyrna that they must not begin to pity themselves. They may seem to be poor but in reality they are rich, namely, in spiritual possessions, in grace and its glorious fruits (Mt. 6: 20; 19: 21; Lk. 12: 21). What a comfort for these persecuted believers to realize that their Lord ‘knows’ all this.
‘... And the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.’ These Jews had very likely chosen Smyrna as their place of residence because it was a city of commerce. They not only vilified the Messiah but eagerly accused the Christians before the Roman tribunals. As always, they were filled with malign antagonism against Christians. (Cf. Acts 13: 50; 14: 2, 5, 19; 17: 5; 24: 1.) These so-called Jews might consider themselves to be ‘the synagogue of God’; in reality they constituted ‘the synagogue of Satan’, the chief accuser of the brethren. How anyone can say that the Jews of today are still, in a very special and glorious and pre-eminent sense, God’s people, is more than we can understand. God Himself calls those who reject the Saviour and persecute true believers ‘the synagogue of Satan’. They are no longer His people.
‘The devil is about to cast some of you into imprisonment, that ye may be tried.’ Behind the Roman persecutors we see the Jews, filled with malign envy and hatred against believers and accusing them before the Roman tribunals. And these Jews in turn, are the instruments used by the devil himself. The devil would cast some into imprisonment, which very often meant death. But while Satan would be tempting the believers, God, by this selfsame affliction, would be proving, testing, or trying them: ‘that ye may be tried’. This tribulation would last ‘ten days’, that is, a definite, full, but brief period.[16] The fact that the trial is but for a ‘short season’ is often given as an encouragement to endurance (Is. 26: 20; 54: 8; Mt. 24: 22; 2 Cor. 4: 17; 1 Pet. 1: 6).
‘Be thou faithful unto death’, does not merely mean be loyal until you die, but ‘be faithful even though it costs your life’. Said the pilot, sailing his boat on a tempestuous sea, ‘Father Neptune, you may sink me if you will; you may save me if you will. But, whatever happens, I’ll keep my rudder true.’ A similar attitude is urged here—whatever happens, keep the rudder true; be faithful unto death. To those who are faithful is promised the wreath of victory, namely, the life of glory in heaven.[17] Even though believers may be put to death, namely, the first death, they are not going to be hurt by the second death, that is, they will not be cast, body and soul, into the lake of fire at Christ’s second coming (Rev. 20: 14).
Smyrna was true to its calling to be a light-bearer. The testimony of Polycarp, given in the presence of Jews and heathen, was emulated by others.[18]
3. The letter to Pergamum (2: 12–17)
This city was located upon a huge rocky hill which, as it were, plants its foot upon the great surrounding valley. The Romans made it the capital of the province of Asia. Here Aesculapius, the god of healing, was worshipped under the emblem of a serpent, which to believers in Christ was the very symbol of Satan. Here were to be seen the many pagan altars and the great altar of Zeus.[19] All these things may have been in the mind of Christ when He called Pergamum the place ‘where Satan dwells’. Yet, it seems to us that the obvious purpose of the Author is to direct our attention to the fact that Pergamum was the capital of the province and, as such, also the centre of emperor-worship. Here the government was carried on and here were the temples dedicated to the worship of Caesar. Here believers were asked to offer incense to the image of the emperors and to say ‘Caesar is Lord’. Here Satan has his throne; here he has free rein. ‘These things declares he that has the sharp two-edged sword.’ Again the self-description is in harmony with the general tone of the letter. Christ is here said to have the sharp two-edged sword because He is going to war against the Nicolaitans, unless they repent (verse 16).
But in spite of the fact that Satan’s throne was located here and the fact that Antipas had been put to death here because he refused to become unfaithful to his Lord, believers at Pergamum still clung tenaciously to their confession, to their Christ.
They made one big mistake, however, probably owing to the fact that they emphasized individual salvation at the expense of a Christian’s duty to be concerned about the welfare of the church as a whole: they neglected discipline.[20] Some of the members of the church had attended heathen festivals, and had, in all probability, even participated in the immoralities that characterized these feasts. Similar practices had occurred among the children of Israel in the days of Balaam (Nu. 25: 1, 2; 31: 16). Like Israel, too, Pergamum had its Nicolaitans. Let us not think too lightly of this temptation. Refusing to partake of idol-meats, and especially refusal to attend the heathen feasts, meant withdrawal from a great part of the whole social life of that time. For one thing, the trades had their tutelary deities which would be worshipped at the feasts. Refusal to join in these feasts often meant that a man would lose his job, his trade; he would become an outcast.[21] Hence, some people began to argue that, after all, one might attend the feasts and partake of meats offered to idols, and perhaps even offer incense to the gods of the heathen, provided that he constantly bear in mind—a kind of mental reservation—that an idol is nothing! Others might carry this line of reasoning even farther and say, ‘How can you condemn and defeat Satan unless you have become thoroughly acquainted with him?’
The church at Pergamum was not fully awake to the dangers of this compromising attitude, this half-way covenanting with the world. It should have disciplined these erring members. If it fails to do so, Christ is going to war against them with the sword of His mouth. We do not believe that this refers to a merely verbal condemnation. The verbal condemnation is contained in this epistle. It signifies destruction: Christ is going to destroy those who persist in their worldly practices: He will carry out His sentence of condemnation.
The conqueror, on the other hand, will receive the hidden manna’, that is, Christ in all His fullness (Jn. 6: 33, 35), hidden from the world, but revealed to believers even here on earth and especially in the life hereafter. In other words, those conquerors who overcome the temptation to participate in the heathen festivals and to eat food sacrificed to idols shall be fed by the Lord Himself; the grace of Christ and all its glorious fruits will be their food, invisible, spiritual, and hidden, indeed, but nevertheless very real and very blessed. They receive the bread from heaven.[22]
‘And I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knows, but he that receives it.’ Commentators are greatly divided in their opinions with respect to the meaning of these words. After lengthy study we have come to the conclusion that there are only two interpretations which are worthy of serious consideration. All others are objectionable on the surface.[23]
Each of the two remaining theories has so much in its favour that we have not been able to make a definite decision. We shall, therefore, state the theories and the arguments in support of each and then leave the reader to make his own choice, or to remain undecided.
According to the first interpretation the stone represents the person who receives it, just as in Israel the twelve tribes were represented by twelve precious stones in the breastplate of the high priest (Ex. 28: 15–21). Now this stone is white. This indicates holiness, beauty, glory (Rev. 3: 4; 6: 2). The stone itself symbolizes durability, imperishability. The white stone, therefore, indicates a being, free from guilt and cleansed of all sin, and abiding in this state for ever and ever. The new name written upon the stone indicates the person who receives the stone. It expresses the real, inner character of the person; his distinct, individual personality. Every one of the blessed is to have a particular and unique consciousness of that personality: a knowledge given to none but the recipient himself.[24]
The following arguments may be presented in favour of this view:
a. The words ‘which no one knows but he that receives it’ must mean ‘which no one knows but he that receives the name’, not the stone. The believer himself receives this name and it must be his own new name. This is entirely in harmony with Revelation 19: 12, where we read this concerning the Christ: ‘and he has a name written which no one knows but he himself’. The name, then, indicates the person who receives it.
b. If this new name had indicated the name of God or of Christ, this would have been plainly stated as in other cases (e.g. 3: 12; 14: 1; 22: 4).
c. This explanation rests upon the firm foundation of Old Testament parallel passages, for example:
‘And thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall name’ (Is. 62: 2);
‘And he will call his servants by another name’ (Is. 65: 15).
d. According to Scripture the name indicates the character or position of the bearer. On that account, very often, a person whose character is changed is given a new name to correspond with it. In glory we shall receive a new holiness, a new vision, etc. Therefore we shall receive a new name.
According to the second interpretation the pellucid, precious stone—a diamond?—is inscribed with the name of Christ. Receiving this stone with its new name means that in glory the conqueror receives a revelation of the sweetness of fellowship with Christ—in His new character, as newly crowned Mediator—a fellowship which only those who receive it can appreciate.[25]
In favour of this explanation the following arguments have been offered:
a. In all other passages of the Apocalypse, without a single exception, the new name refers to God or to Christ. This name is said to be written on the forehead of believers (3: 12; 14: 1; 22: 4).
b. The view that this name refers to Christ is supported by both the preceding and following contexts: the hidden manna refers to what Christ is for the believer; moreover, in this very series of epistles we find a parallel passage (3: 12) in which the name, though written on the believer, is definitely said to belong to Christ.
c. Granting that the expression ‘which no one knows but he that receives it’ means ‘he that receives the name’, this does not prove that the name is the believer’s own new designation. The believer may be said to receive Christ’s name inasmuch as Christ’s name is written upon his (the believer’s) forehead. In this connection it is interesting to observe that unbelievers receive the devil’s imitation of the new name. They are said to ‘receive a mark upon their foreheads’ (20: 4) just as believers receive the name of Christ upon their foreheads (14: 1). Yet this ‘mark’ indicates ‘another’, namely, the beast. It is the mark of the beast, which unbelievers are said to receive. Similarly, in our present language (2: 17), believers receive the name of Christ, that is, His name is written on their foreheads, in the sense explained under d.
d. This view is in harmony with Old Testament symbolism which is embedded in several passages of the Apocalypse. On the forehead of the high priest—to be exact, on the front of the mitre—a name was written. It was the name not of the high priest himself but of Jehovah. This name designated the high priest as being the consecrated servant of Jehovah, as belonging to him. We read: ‘And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLY TO JEHOVAH. And thou shalt put it on a lace of blue, and it shall be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. And it shall be on Aaron’s forehead...’ (Ex. 28: 36 ff.).
The meaning, then, is as follows. Just as during the old dispensation the name of Jehovah was written on the forehead of the high priest to indicate that he was the specially consecrated servant of Jehovah; so believers—who are constantly called priests in the Apocalypse—shall have a new name written on their foreheads, namely, the name of Christ, His new name. This name is not written on a plate of pure gold, but, even better, upon a precious, pellucid stone. It indicates that the conqueror belongs to Christ, is His servant, rejoices in His fellowship, in His new glory and dominion. Moreover, just as in the old dispensation only the high priest knew how to pronounce, and had learned the secrets connected with the name Jehovah, so in the new, only believers know the blessed meaning of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. They—and they alone—know the meaning of fellowship with Him. In principle, they know it even here on earth; but a further revelation of the meaning of this name is reserved for them in heaven where for evermore those who here on earth were sealed with the seal of the living God on their forehead shall be designated as Christ’s very own. They receive His name, that is, His new name is on their forehead.
Let us not exaggerate the difference between these two views. On the basis of the first, the believer receives a new name, that is, a new relation to his Saviour revealed in a gloriously transformed character. On the basis of the second interpretation, Christ reveals His new name to the believer, especially in the hereafter. We should like to ask, therefore, ‘Does not Christ’s new name—which He certainly has received—imply the believer’s new name—which, again, he most assuredly shall receive?’
4. The letter to Thyatira (2: 18–29)
This place was situated in a valley connecting two other valleys. Lacking natural fortifications and being wide open to attack and invasion, a garrison was generally stationed here in order not only to defend the town but also to obstruct the path of the enemy to Pergamum, the capital. Being a centre of communication, with many people passing through it, Thyatira became a trading city. Here were to be found the trade-guilds: wool-workers, linen-workers, makers of outer garments, dyers, leather-workers, tanners, potters, etc.[26] These trade-guilds were associated with the worship of tutelary deities: each guild had its guardian god. The situation, therefore, was somewhat as follows: if you wish to get ahead in this world, you must belong to a guild; if you belong to a guild, your very membership implies that you worship its god. You will be expected to attend the guild-festivals and to eat food part of which is offered to the tutelary deity and which you receive on your table as a gift from the god. And then, when the feast ends, and the real—grossly immoral—fun begins, you must not walk out unless you desire to become the object of ridicule and persecution!
In this difficult situation what must a Christian do? If he quits the union, he loses his position and his standing in society. He may have to suffer want, hunger, persecution. On the other hand, if he remains in the guild and attends the immoral feasts, eating things sacrificed to idols and committing fornications, he denies his Lord.
In this difficult situation the prophetess Jezebel pretended to know the real solution of the problem, the way out of the difficulty. She, apparently, argued thus: in order to conquer Satan, you must know him. You will never be able to conquer sin unless you have become thoroughly acquainted with it by experience. In brief, a Christian should learn to know ‘the deep things of Satan’. By all means attend the guild-feasts and commit fornication... and still remain a Christian; nay rather, become a better Christian!
But if church members can persuade themselves that this course is right, they cannot deceive the One who has eyes ‘like a flame of fire’ and feet that are ready to trample upon the wicked. The Lord praises whatever is worthy of commendation: works, love, faith, ministry—loving service rendered to the brethren—and endurance. He also praises them for this, ‘that thy last works are more than the first’. With respect to all of these Thyatira was, indeed, a lampstand, a light-bearer. But this does not constitute an excuse for failure to exercise discipline with respect to members who make a compromise with the world. Hence, we read: ‘But I have this against thee, that thou sufferest the woman—not “thy wife”—Jezebel’. Her name is a synonym for seduction to idolatry and immorality (1 Ki. 16: 31; 18: 4, 13, 19; 19: 1, 2). If this Jezebel of a woman remains impenitent—how gracious of the Lord that He gave her time to repent!—she is going to be cast upon a bed, that is, stricken with sickness; her natural children are going to die a violent death and her spiritual followers will also suffer punishment. Thus all the church shall know that Christ is He who searches the reins and hearts. His penetrating eyes see the hidden motive that makes people follow Jezebel, namely, unwillingness to suffer persecution for the sake of Christ.
On those who remain faithful Christ will impose no fresh burden (cf. Acts 15: 28, 29). In their relation to the world they must take care not to commit fornication and not to eat things sacrificed to idols.
By and by the tables are going to be turned. At present the world oppresses the church member who desires to keep a clear conscience. By and by the church member who has remained loyal to his Lord is going to rule over the world and, being associated with Christ in the final judgment, is going to condemn the sinner. He is going to share in Christ’s dominion over the nations—which Christ, in turn, had received from the Father (Ps. 2: 8, 9); and on the day of the final judgment the wicked will be ‘broken to shivers’. The potters of Thyatira were able to grasp the meaning of this symbol.
‘And I will give him the morning star.’ Here again the primary reference is to Christ Himself (Rev. 22: 16). As the morning star rules the heavens, so believers will rule with Christ; they will share in His royal splendour and dominion. The star is always the symbol of royalty, being linked with the sceptre (Nu. 24: 17; cf. Mt. 2: 2).
5. The letter to Sardis (3: 1–6)
Sardis, the impregnable, was situated upon a nearly inaccessible hill, overseer of the Hermus Valley, and in ancient times the proud capital of Lydia. Its people were arrogant, over-confident. They were sure—too sure, alas!—that no-one could scale this hill with its perpendicular sides. There was only one point of access: a very narrow neck of land toward the south and this could easily be fortified. But the enemy came, in 549 BC and again in 218 BC, and... took Sardis. One unobserved, unguarded weak point, an oblique crack in the rockwall, the one chance in a thousand for a night attack by skilful mountain-climbers, was all that was necessary to deal a crushing blow to the arrogance of the overconfident citizens of this proud capital. The hill upon which Sardis stood was too small for a growing city. Therefore the ancient Sardis, the acropolis, began to be deserted and a new city arose in its vicinity. When the Apocalypse was written, Sardis was facing decay, a slow but sure death.[27] In the year AD 17 the city was partly destroyed by an earthquake. Thus, again and again, the self-satisfied and boastful inhabitants of Sardis had seen destruction coming upon them ‘as a thief in the night’, most suddenly and unexpectedly.
Sardis was sinking into spiritual stupor. This explains Christ’s self-description: ‘the One who has the seven—life-giving—spirits.’ He also has in His right hand the seven stars. By means of the ministers of the Word and their message the life-giving spirits are able to revive a dead church.
‘I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead.’ Sardis enjoyed a good reputation but it did not deserve this reputation. Whereas in Pergamum and in Thyatira a small element of the congregation had fallen into the temptation of the world, in Sardis the congregation as a whole had ‘defiled its garments’. Sardis, too, was in the world. It should have been a light-bearer. It failed in its duty. Neither the Jews nor the Gentiles seem greatly to have troubled the people of Sardis. Sardis was a very ‘peaceful’ church. It enjoyed peace, but it was the peace of the cemetery! Christ tells these dead church members that they must wake up and remain awake and must make firm the rest of the things that are on the verge of death. The lamp on the stand is beginning to burn more and more dimly. Soon the tiny flame will have been completely extinguished.
‘I have found no works of thine filled full before my God.’ The forms were there, the ceremonies, the religious customs, the traditions, the services; but the real essence was lacking. The forms were empty. They were not filled full of essence. Faith, hope, and love, genuine and sincere, were lacking. The reality was gone. In the sight of men, Sardis may seem to be a splendid church. ‘Before my God’ this church is dead. Therefore the people of Sardis should recall the past. With ardour and sincerity they had received the gospel; let them return to a life of obedience to the gospel as it was preached to them and as they—their parents—had received it.[28]
‘If therefore thou wilt not watch, I will come as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee’ (Mt. 24: 43). Sardis certainly would know what this meant.
‘But thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments; and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy.’ ‘A few names’—these individuals were known by name to the Father in heaven. They were known individually, each separately. God knew exactly who and what they were. He knows His own. They are as shining lights in the midst of the darkness of this world. These few who kept unspotted the garment of grace here would by and by wear the white garment of glory. White indicates holiness, purity, perfection, festivity (Is. 61: 10; Rev. 19: 8).
When earthly citizens die, their names are erased from the records; the names of the spiritual conquerors would never be blotted out; their glorious life would endure. Christ Himself would publicly acknowledge them as His very own. He would do this before the Father and before His angels. (Cf. Mt. 10: 32; Lk. 12: 8, 9.)
6. The letter to Philadelphia (3: 7–13)
This city was situated in a valley, on an important road. It derived its name from Attalus II, 159–138 BC, whose loyalty to his brother Eumenes won him the epithet ‘brother-lover’. It was founded with the intention of being a centre for the spread of the Greek language and manners in Lydia and in Phrygia and so from the very beginning it was a missionary city and very successful in its purpose.[29]
To this church Christ addresses Himself as the holy and true One. The pretensions of the false or non-genuine—that is, unbelieving—Jews are not pleasing to Him. Christ alone has ‘the key of David’, that is, the highest power and authority in the kingdom of God. (Cf. Is. 22: 22; Mt. 16: 19; 28: 18; Rev. 5: 5.) Christ knows that although this church has but little power, being small in number and in wealth, it has remained loyal to the gospel and has not denied the name of its Lord.
‘Behold, I have set before thee a door opened, which none can shut.’ The open door means, first, a wonderful opportunity to preach the gospel, and secondly, the operation of God’s grace creating willing ears to listen and eager hearts to receive it. (Cf. 2 Cor. 2: 12; Col. 4: 3; Acts 14: 27.) Philadelphia’s church, though of small account in human eyes, was great in God’s eyes. Over against Jewish scoffers and accusers it had ‘kept the word of Christ’s patience’, which probably means the gospel of the cross in which the Lord’s patient suffering is set forth. Already it had obtained a wreath of victory in trial, which it is urged to hold fast. Notice that divine protection—‘I will also keep thee’—and human exertion—‘hold fast that which thou hast’—go hand in hand. A fourfold glorious reward is promised to this church which exhibits in such an adequate manner what it means to be a light-bearer.
First, over against the Jewish accusers and scoffers it will not only prevail—like Smyrna—but will gain the victory, a victory in which the vanquished, through their conversion, will share! Secondly, it will be kept safe through the hour of trial. (Cf. Is. 43: 2; Mk. 13: 20.) Thirdly, the conquerors will be made ‘pillars’ in God’s temple. A pillar is something permanent. They will obtain the one thing which David desired (Ps. 27: 4). No earthquake will ever fill them with fear or drive them out of the heavenly city. They will abide there. Finally, Christ will write upon the conqueror the name of His God, and the name of the city of His God, the new Jerusalem... and His own new name. In other words, to the conqueror will be given the assurance that he belongs to God and to the new Jerusalem and to Christ, and that he will everlastingly share in all the blessings and privileges of all three. For an explanation of the phrase ‘which comes down out of heaven from my God’, see p. 199.
7. The letter to Laodicea (3: 14–22)
Laodicea was situated in the neighbourhood of hot springs. Emitting lukewarm water from the mouth was a figure which its citizens could easily understand. A famous school of medicine grew up here, producing, among other things, a remedy for weak eyes. In this city the soft black wool from the sheep of the valley was woven into garments. But Laodicea was especially famous for its wealth. Located at the confluence of three great highways—be sure to consult a map—it grew rapidly into a great commercial and financial centre. It was the home of the millionaires. There were, of course, theatres, a stadium, and a gymnasium equipped with baths. It was a city of bankers and finance. So wealthy was this city that its inhabitants declined to receive aid from the government after the place had been partly wrecked by an earthquake.[30]
The citizens of Laodicea were rich—and they knew it! They were unbearable. Even the church people manifested this same proud, defiant, conceited attitude. Perhaps they imagined that their wealth was a sign of God’s special favour. At any rate they began to think that they were ‘all it’. They had imbibed the spirit that characterized the city as a whole. They boasted of their spiritual riches.[31] If the inhabitants of Laodicea would have said what they were thinking, their speech would have been as follows; listen carefully to one of these unbearable boasters, one who represents the rest: ‘Rich am I—in spiritual goods—and all along I have been getting richer and richer, and whatever I have gained I still possess, and not one single need have I’ (verse 17).
It is easy to see that these people were not troubled with any consciousness of sin. They would never even think of standing afar off with downcast eyes and drooping head, smiting their breast, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, the sinner’. They had ‘arrived’! Hence, to their own way of thinking, they were not in need of any admonition and they could afford to be lukewarm with respect to any exhortation. ‘Lukewarm’, that is the word. The people of Laodicea knew exactly what that meant. Lukewarm, tepid, flabby, half-hearted, limp, always ready to compromise, indifferent, listless: that ‘we’re-all-good-people-here-in-Laodicea’ attitude. The author of this book has become personally acquainted with this attitude on the part of some church members. You cannot do anything with such people. With the heathen, that is with those who have never come into contact with the gospel and who are therefore ‘cold’ with respect to it, you can do something. With sincere, humble Christians you can work with joy. But with these ‘we’re-all-such-very-good-folks-here-in-Laodicea’ people you can do nothing. Even Christ Himself cannot stand them. An emotion, a feeling is here ascribed to the Lord which is not predicated of Him anywhere else in the Good Book. We do not read that He is grieved with them. Neither do we read that He is angry with them. No, He is disgusted with these straddlers. And not just slightly disgusted but thoroughly nauseated. ‘So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth.’ Knowing very well that their entire religion is just so much sham and pretence, so much hypocrisy, the Lord introduces Himself to them as their very opposite: ‘These things saith the Amen, the faithful and genuine witness.’ In other words, the Lord reveals Himself here as the One whose eyes not only see exactly what is going on in the hearts of these people of Laodicea but whose lips also declare the exact truth as seen. He states, moreover, that He is the ‘beginning of the creation of God’, that is, the source of the entire creation (cf. 21: 6; 22: 13; Jn. 1: 1; Col. 1: 15–18). ‘People of Laodicea, you need to become new creatures: you need new hearts. Turn to me, therefore, that ye may be saved.’
Even though the Lord is thoroughly disgusted with this church because it fails in its duty as light-bearer, nevertheless, there is grace here: wonderful, tender love and admonition. Christ does not really say: ‘I will spew thee out of my mouth’, but ‘I am about to spew thee out of my mouth’. The Lord is still waiting. He sends this epistle in order to drive out that lukewarm spirit. He is very severe in His condemnation because He is very tender and kind, loving and gracious.
To this congregation, and therefore to its typical member, the Lord says, ‘You say that you are rich and have become richer right along, and have kept whatever you have gained, and that you have need of nothing whatsoever; but you do not know that you, yes you yourself, are the one who is wretched and pitiable and beggarly and blind and naked.’ Notice, it is not ‘miserable’ but ‘pitiable’. Who is more to be pitied than an individual who imagines that he is a fine Christian, whereas in reality the Christ Himself is utterly disgusted with him? Read those words very slowly and try to see the picture of an individual who has all these five characteristics combined—wretched, pitiable, a cringing beggar, blind, and naked!
‘I counsel thee.’ How tenderly He speaks—not ‘I command’ but ‘I counsel’. Christ counsels this church to buy of Him—‘of me’ is very emphatic—gold refined by fire, white garments, and eyesalve. In brief: ‘buy of me salvation’, for salvation is gold because it makes rich (2 Cor. 8: 9); it is white robes because it covers the nakedness of our guilt and clothes us with righteousness, holiness, and joy in the Lord; it is eyesalve because when we possess it we are no longer spiritually blind. Salvation must be bought, that is, we must obtain rightful possession of it. But how can those who are poor, and so on, buy anything? Read Isaiah 55: 1 ff. and you have the glorious answer!
Is there anything more wonderful in the entire Bible than this, that to these lukewarm people, with whom the Lord is so thoroughly disgusted that He is about to spew them out of His mouth, He now addresses Himself in these words: ‘As many as I love, I reprove and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent... be zealous, therefore; and once for all repent... Behold, I am standing against the door and I am knocking.’
Notice that the Lord, as it were, is pressing against the door that it may be opened. Not only that but—as is evident from the next clause—He not only knocks again and again but He also calls the sinner. Notice the phrase ‘if any man hear my voice’. It is not the person who is inside who takes the initiative. No, this text is in complete harmony with the entire Bible in its teaching concerning sovereign grace. It is the Lord who is standing at, or rather, against, the door—no-one has called Him—it is He who is knocking, not once but again and again: it is He who is calling, and this voice of the Lord in the gospel as applied to the heart by the Spirit is the power of God unto salvation. In this way we find that this passage does full justice both to divine, sovereign grace and to human responsibility.[32]
‘If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.’ Notice it is ‘if any one...’ The Lord addresses Himself to individuals. Salvation is a very personal matter. ‘... Hear my voice and open the door’; when the heart has been opened by the voice of the Lord, this principle of regeneration becomes active so that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the regenerated individual opens the door and receives the Christ. This opening of the door is what is generally called conversion. Do not confuse regeneration (Jn. 3: 3 ff.; Acts 16: 14) and conversion. Here, in the expression, ‘if any man opens the door,’ the reference is to conversion, to repentance and faith in Christ, as the context clearly indicates. The Lord enters (Jn. 14: 23). How wonderful! He, as it were, descends from the throne of His glory in order to dine with this individual who in himself is so poor and pitiable. Christ and the believer dine together, which in the East was an indication of special friendship and of covenant relationship. In other words, the believer has blessed fellowship with his Saviour and Lord (Jn. 14: 23; 15: 5; 1 Jn. 2: 24). That fellowship begins even in this present life. It is perfected in the hereafter when the conqueror shall sit with Christ on His throne, just as Christ, the Conqueror, sat down with His Father on His throne. Not only will the conqueror reign by and by; he will reign with Christ (Rev. 20: 4), in the closest possible fellowship with Him.
‘He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.’
The sevenfold condition of these churches actually existed at that time. It exists today. It has existed during the entire intervening period. These seven churches represent the entire Church during the entire dispensation. It has become abundantly evident that the one great question is this, are these churches faithful to their charge? Do they hold fast the name of the Lord in the midst of the darkness of this world (Rev. 1: 20)? In other words, are they lampstands, light-bearers? In Sardis and in Laodicea the world seems to have triumphed. We see but a tiny flicker of light; the light has nearly—yet not entirely—gone out. In Ephesus the light is still shining but the flame is diminishing. In Pergamum and in Thyatira, where the temptation coming from the side of the world was very real, the light is shining but not as brightly as it should be. In Smyrna and in Philadelphia the true character of the church as light-bearer is revealed and here one finds loyalty to Christ; therefore real influence for good is being exerted upon the world. Is this church a real light-bearer? That is the one, main question in all these epistles. Is it true to its Lord in the midst of the world?
The temptation to become worldly and to deny the Christ came from three directions.[33] First, from the side of anti-christian persecution, the sword, the wild beasts, the stake, imprisonment (2: 10, 13; 2: 9 and 3: 9), and the Jews who were constantly accusing the Christians before the Roman courts. Secondly, and very closely related to the first, from the side of the Roman religion, emperor-worship (2: 13). The first source of temptation cannot be separated from the second; yet the two can, and should, be distinguished. Thirdly, there was the temptation of the flesh: the constant invitation to join in the immoral feasts of the heathen in order to make one’s social position secure and to enjoy the pleasures of the world. And this form of temptation, as we have seen, was very closely related to the second, religious, form. The church is in the world. That was true then. It is still true today. The church should shine in the midst of darkness.
‘Ye are the light of the world—and the seven lampstands are seven churches.’