The Future According to GodSample

REVELATION 2: Letters to Churches

Revelation 2 is the beginning of the seven letters to the churches in Revelation. Jesus speaks to churches then and to us now. Have you lost your first love, suffered tribulation, or gotten caught up in sexual immorality? Need a way back? Please read or listen to Revelation 2.

COMMENTS

In 1995, I read Revelation 2 in two days. I read the first eleven verses on the first day, and wrote, “Concerning the church at Ephesus, you test evil men and find them false. You have endured and not grown weary. But you left your first love. Repent and do your first deeds. Overcome and eat of the tree of life. Concerning the church of Smyrna, you have had tribulation and poverty. You will be tested. Be faithful until death, and you will receive the crown of life. Overcome and live forever."

The next day, I read the rest of Revelation 2 and wrote, “Concerning Pergamum, you stood against Satan, but some have followed Satan, false teaching. Repent. Overcome and receive manna and a new name. Concerning the church of Thyatira, you have persevered and have done better as you grew, but you followed false gods, sexual immorality, and won’t repent. Those who did not follow that teaching, I place no other burden on you. That’s how it is if we obey Christ. Overcome and receive authority.”

In 2008, I wrote, “Don’t let love fade. Repent and do the deeds you did at first. Resist the temptations of the devil. Be faithful. Don’t compromise with false religions. Don’t water down the gospel. Expel evil from the church. Stay pure, hold fast until I come.”

In 2013, I wrote, “John is to write to the angel of the churches? What does that mean? The angels of the seven churches were in John’s vision of Jesus in Revelation 1. Jesus says, the seven stars He holds in His right hand are the angels of the seven churches, according to Revelation 1:20 ESV. So, John, a human, is writing to angels in heaven?”

Then I wrote, “Ephesus: ‘abandoned the love you had at first’ (Rev 2:4 ESV). Many who get saved are very evangelistic at first, but that fades away. Me, too. Jesus says repent and go back to the works you did at first. If not, Jesus would remove you from heaven. Once saved, always saved? Smyrna is to be tested by the devil. Be faithful until death. The first death doesn't matter. It's the second death we want to avoid. Pergamum: God knows where Satan's throne is. Satan dwells among us: sexual misconduct and idol worship. Repent. Jesus will ‘war against them with the sword of my mouth’ (Rev 2:16 ESV). Thyatira: sexual immorality and idol worship, the deep things of Satan. Hold fast, keep my works until the end.”

DIGGING DEEPER

Let’s see if we can find a life application from each of these lessons to these churches. Related to the church of Ephesus, have you abandoned the love you had at first? When you became a Christian, were you excited, but now the red has been licked off your candy? Has the fire faded?

God is telling us, go back to the works you did at first. Go back to the excitement of the day you got saved. Go back to the excitement of when Jesus reached down and plucked you out of the pit of hell.

From the church at Smyrna, have you suffered in your life? Most of us have. But God reminds us to be faithful until death. Regardless of your tribulation, regardless of your suffering, regardless of your test, remain faithful.

From the lesson from the church of Pergamum, has Satan fooled you in your life? Has Satan tempted you? Have you been led away to false worship or false idols? What this lesson says is repent. Come back. Do not stay there. Return to Jesus. Do not get caught up in and do not get lost in false teaching.

From the letter to the church at Thyatira, have you been caught up in sexual immorality? That could be truly the physical act of sexual immorality, or it could be just the immorality, the adultery of what the world has to offer versus what God has to offer. Jesus reminds us that He is the one who searches our minds and our hearts. He is the one who will give us our rewards according to our works. He is the one who tells us to hold fast, to keep my works until the end. If you have suffered under sexual immorality or you have gone the way of the world rather than the way of the Word, repent. Jesus always hears a prayer of repentance. Then hold fast to the truths that we are learning in God’s Word.

Each letter closed with this phrase, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:7, 11,17, 29 ESV). That is our lesson today. That is our prayer today. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says” (Rev 2:7, 11,17, 29 ESV) to us as we read Revelation.

PRAYER

Lord, we do not read just for the sake of reading. We read to know what You expect from us, what You want us to do in our lives. We get some lessons here from these letters to the churches. We can all improve our walk with You. That is what these letters remind us to do. Help us go back to our first love. Help us be faithful. Help us repent. And help us hold fast. We love You. Thank You for loving us enough to give us lessons in the Book of Revelation. Amen.