SMYRNA: Alive In Death (Revelation 2:8-11)

When John was recording his revelation, Smyrna had a reputation as the “Glory of Asia.” That was not always the case.

The Lydians destroyed Smyrna in 600 BC; for four hundred years there was no “city,” just scattered villages in the area, yet records show people still talked about Smyrna as a place. The city was restored in 290 BC. Some ancient writers compared the city with the mythical phoenix, a symbol of resurrection. Others literally recorded Smyrna as a city that was dead and yet lived.[1]

Smyrna was famous for (among other things) fantastic architecture and town planning. You can still walk on spectacular streets that ran from one end of the city to the other. The most famous was called the Golden Street.[2] Apollonius referred to a “crown of porticoes,” a circle of beautiful public buildings that ringed the summit of Mount Pagos.[3] Smyrna was often depicted on coins as a seated woman, with a crown patterned after the buildings on the mountain[4] and a necklace representing the Golden Street.[5]

Because Rome had helped them so much in coming back to life, Smyrna proved to be incredibly loyal. At one point, the citizens literally stripped down and shipped their clothes to a desperate Roman army. When their request to build a temple to the Roman Emperor Tiberius was granted, Smyrna became a notable “temple-warden” of the imperial cult. 

By the time of Domitian, emperor worship was mandatory. Burning  incense and saying “Caesar is Lord” earned a certificate such as this one: “We, the representatives of the Emperor, Serenos and Hermas, have seen you sacrificing.” Then, you could go worship any god you wanted. This also gave you a “mark” that opened up the economy for you. If you did not do this, you were a disloyal citizen at best and a traitorous outlaw at worst.[6]

The Jewish people had enjoyed a large degree of freedom under the Roman Rule during the 1stcentury. They were exempt from emperor worship in many cases and possessed the rights of citizenship in some cities. This wasn’t necessarily good for Judaism. There was infighting about how to live with integrity in a Roman world,[7] how to “be in Rome but not of Rome.” The Essenes at one point called the rest of their Jewish neighbors “the congregation of Satan.”[8] 

Christians benefitted from having their roots in Judaism. The freedoms the Jews enjoyed were largely enjoyed by Christians in many areas of the empire. But in Smyrna, the Jewish population was nervous. The Judean war against Rome two decades earlier resulted in a special tax Jews everywhere in the empire had to pay. Many Jewish leaders were uncomfortable with Messianic movements like the movement that followed Jesus - messianic movements often ended with the Roman beast breathing down their neck.

In a time of “don’t ask, don’t tell” for private religious practice for the Jewish worshippers (and by default their Christian cousins), the Jewish leaders were telling even when Rome wasn’t asking.[9]The Romans even had a name for them: delatores, denouncers, who would get the prosecutorial ball rolling. And prosecute they did.[10]

So the church in Smyrna was facing a lot of hardship: locked out of the economy because they wouldn’t do emperor worship; hated by the Jews; on Rome’s radar. This brings us to the letter to Smyrna. 

8 Write down My words, and send them to the messenger of the church in Smyrna. “These are the words of the First and the Last[11], the One who was dead and yet lived[12]: 

 9 “I know [your deeds and] the difficult ordeal you are enduring and your poverty,[13] although you are actually rich. I am aware of the blasphemy[14] preached by those who call themselves ‘Jews.’ But these people are not the Jews they pretend to be[15]; they are actually the congregation of Satan[16] (“a gathering of the Adversary”). 

 10 In the face of suffering, do not fear[17]. Watch; the devil will throw some of you into prison shortly so that you might be tested, and you will endure great affliction for 10 days.[18] Be faithful[19] throughout your life, until the day you die, and I will give you the victor’s crown of life.[20] 

11 “Let the person who is able to hear, listen to and follow what the Spirit proclaims to all the churches. The one who conquers through faithfulness even unto death will escape the second death.”

Whereas “overcoming” in Ephesus required the restoration of love, in Smyrna it demanded withstanding persecution and enduring faithfully through suffering. So, let’s talk about suffering.[21]

There were different types of suffering/trials/hardships for the church in Smyrna:

·      Resisting temptation in general for the sake of Christ

·      Enduring dismissal, derision, and contempt, for the sake of Christ

·      Taking a financial or reputational hit for the sake of Christ

·      Suffering emotional, relational, physical pain for the sake of Christ

·      Dying for the sake of Christ

Christians won’t necessarily face all of these, but “in this world you will have trouble.”[22] There are a variety of ways Christians can and have responded when facing hardship and trials.[23]

1. Quit –Rome and Babylon would love to have your allegiance.[24]

2. Lie –You could lie with words (tell people you aren’t a Christian) or with your body (live as if Jesus has no say in your life) while clinging to the notion that all that matters is that you really are a follower of Jesus deep inside. “Whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33) 

3. Fight – physically protect religious freedom with the sword. Peter tried this. Jesus was having none of it. “ ‘Put your sword back in its place,’ Jesus said to him, ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.  Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?’ … In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, ‘Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me?’“ (Matthew 26:52-53; 55). 

4. Accommodate – try to do Christian worship and empire worship at the same time: let’s call this serving or honoring two masters. That’s what empire worship was doing in Rome; this was one of the key problems facing the church at the time probably more than the others. The compromise that followed Constantine’s legalization of Christianity in the 300s was another. Since critique of nations and concern for accommodation are prominent in Revelation, let’s look at how this sneaks into our own history, which was profoundly influenced by the Enlightenment admiration of ancient Rome.[25]

The rotunda of the US Capitol building has a mural called The Apotheosis of Washington (1865). It depicts Washington as having ascended into the heavens and becoming exalted or glorified. He wears the colors of Roman emperors, with a rainbow arch at his feet, flanked by the goddesses of Victory and Liberty. There are six scenes around him, 5 of which have Roman gods/goddesses:

·  Science, Minerva, surrounded by inventors.

·  Marine,Neptune, with warships in the background.

·  Commerce, Mercury, giving a bag of gold to a financier of the Revolutionary War.

·  Mechanics, Vulcan, with cannons and steam engines.

·  Agriculture,Ceres, with a mechanical reaper.

·  War, Columbia, the personification of  America, aka Lady Liberty.

It’s obviously not the same as 1st century Emperor worship, but there is no doubht that national values and admired leaders are viewed with an awe approaching reverence.[26] We still do it culturally (I’m thinking of the Messianic imagery associated with presidents Obama and Trump in recent years[27]). Francis Schaeffer warned us about this decdes ago:[28]

“The whole "Constantine mentality" from the fourth century up to our day was a mistake. Constantine, as the Roman Emperor, in 313 ended the persecution of Christians. Unfortunately, the support he gave to the church led by 381 to the enforcing of Christianity, by Theodosius I, as the official state religion. Making Christianity the official state religion opened the way for confusion up till our own day.

There have been times of very good government when this interrelationship of church and state has been present. But through the centuries it has caused great confusion between loyalty to the state and loyalty to Christ, between patriotism and being a Christian. We must not confuse the Kingdom of God with our country. To say it another way: "We should not wrap our Christianity in our national flag.”-  Francis A. Schaeffer, A Christian Manifesto

Okay, the first 4 options aren’t good ones. The last two are options are viable options for Christians.

5.  Change the law – demand justice within the rights the empire has given us. This is an option Paul used. He maxed out his rights as a Roman citizen to avoid some pretty nasty punishments.[29] He escaped dangerous situations when he could. Being faithful to Jesus doesn’t mean we have to be gluttons for punishment. 

    But it’s worth nothing that even as Paul claimed his rights, he was still beaten and jailed a lot and killed eventually. One hopes the law would be Christian-friendly; at some point, it won’t be. We can and should work within the system to promote justice and mercy for all. However, when the law turns against our faith, we don’t panic, and we don’t take up the sword to get it back. We knew this day would come.

6. Be patiently faithful even unto death. There are different outcomes to suffering: Smyrna would face greater suffering (2:10), the other persecuted church (Philadelphia) would not experience the same (3:10). James was executed but Peter was released (Acts 12:2 - 7).  Some Christians experienced miraculous release from prison while others died (Hebrews 11:35). Some Christians in Afghanistan got out; others didn’t. Some pastors have hidden successfully; some haven’t.

Revelation reveals a sobering truth in stark terms: when we face persecution, we might suffer a lot, and even die. It’s no surprise that John, surrounded by persecution, expects us to have to endure this also. Fortunately, Revelation shows us how to overcome in the face of persecution: the image of the triumphant lion as a slain lamb:

Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne…” (5:5-6) 

We overcome not by matching hostility and violence and angry vitriol but by laying down our lives figuratively and literally. The path to the crown goes through the cross. “This do in remembrance of me.”[30]

For the Christian, there is always hope through the suffering we experience and reward on the other side of faithfulness. In fact, suffering plays such a vital role in our life in Christ that we are told multiple times that we ought to actually rejoice, because it’s a means by which God matures us. 

 “We also celebrate in seasons of suffering because we know that when we suffer we develop endurance,  which shapes our characters. When our characters are refined, we learn what it means to hope and anticipate God’s goodness. And hope will never fail to satisfy our deepest need because the Holy Spirit that was given to us has flooded our hearts with God’s love.” (Romans 5:3-5) 

“But to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the revelation of His glory you may also rejoice and be overjoyed.” (1 Peter 4:13)

If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.  “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. (I Peter 2:20-23)

We will be granted opportunities to share in Christ’s glory by fellowshipping in his suffering. We will be granted an opportunity to prove our faithfulness through testing. We have been given the gift of being allowed to suffer with Christ so that we can live with Christ. There’s no need to seek out or sprint toward pain, but let’s not waste the opportunity to suffer well when God allows it to become a part of our life. A crown of life awaits.

* * * * *

Let’s #practicerighteousness. I want to offer a practical way for us to patiently and faithfully endure in a way that shows the peace and the hope we have in Christ. We are not being asked to physically die in the United States, but there others ways in which trials test our faith. We can prepare now with what’s in front of us.

I often see anger and fear sometimes verging on panic when THIS LAW or THIS PERSON or THIS MOVEMENT is apparently going to destroy the church. Nothing has had the power to do that for 2,000 years and counting. Dragons and beasts are nothing compared to God’s power and majesty.  God is still sovereign. God will be with His people and supply what they need and hand the faithful a crown of life in the end. It may well make our life hard – but we were warned. “Taking up our cross” is a thing. 

I’m not suggesting we should be apathetic or lazy or even fatalistic. Christians aren’t called to any of those either. I think we can be really engaged in thoughtful and careful ways in all these areas as we name the darkness and light the candle of gospel hope. In fact, part of suffering for the sake of Christ is probably the relentlessly bold (and grace-filled, and loving) promotion of the message and the values of the Kingdom in the face of opposition.

I’m talking about what orients and grounds us and makes us righteously different in the midst of life in a hard and sometimes cruel world. God has granted us the opportunity to patiently endure in the midst of hardship so that we can share in His glory and obtain the crown in the end. We have not yet been called to shed our blood, but we have been called to lay down our lives in different ways honor of the Lamb who conquers by being slain.

I will end with some thoughts from Vaneetha Risner, who speaks with some authority on experiencing suffering:[31]

Watching believers suffer and die well changes a world that lives to avoid suffering. There’s nothing unusual about Christians who are happy in prosperity. That’s natural. Even expected. But joy in suffering is supernatural. The world takes notice. Like Moses and the burning bush, they step aside to see why we are not destroyed (Exodus 3:2–3).[32]

A few of us may end up giving our lives for the gospel. Some of us may proclaim Christ through indescribable and extraordinary suffering. But all of us can show the surpassing worth of Christ to others through our mundane, often daily, trials. People want to see how we respond to our challenging children. Our chronic pain. Our difficult boss. Our financial struggles. Our ailing parents. Our unwanted singleness.  

The situations that we wish were most different are likely the places that others are watching us most closely. They are each, therefore, a precious opportunity to share how Christ meets us in our suffering. 

Don’t waste your suffering. It is far too valuable. God is using it in a thousand ways you will never see or know, but one way is to advance the gospel (Philippians 1:12). Tell people about the hope in you, how God has met you, why your faith has made a difference in your trials. It is the most powerful witness you have.

 _____________________________________________________________________

[1] The Letters To The Seven Churches, by William Ramsey

[2] Hmmm. I think that image might show up later in Revelation?

[3] Halley’s Bible Handbook Notes

[4] Apollonius said, “Though it is the most beautiful of all cities under the sun…yet it is a greater charm to wear a crown of men than a crown of porticoes and pictures and gold beyond the standard of mankind.” 2nd century orator Aelius Aristides said that since Smyrna has been restored after the disastrous earthquakes in her history, “Spring’s gates…are opened by crowns.”

[5] The Letters To The Seven Churches, by William Ramsey

[6] William Barclay notes this was a political act in the eyes of Rome more than a religious act. That might have been a handy excuse: “Rome doesn’t see this as religious; why should I?” Or it might have been very tempting to find a friendly official to bribe so that you had a certificate without having to burn the incense. 

[7] Both Jews and Christians struggled with this. Should they continue to participate in social activities that have a pagan (non-Jewish, non-Christian) religious character? This would include most activities: watching or participating in athletic and rhetorical contests; buying and eating meat in the precincts of pagan temples; and frequenting trade guilds, clubs, and events in private homes, each with their meetings, drinking parties, and banquets. Should they acknowledge the sovereignty of the emperor when asked to do so at a public event in the precincts of his temple, or at another of the many events in his honor? (From “Reading Revelation Responsibly” in Dragons, John, And Every Grain Of Sand: Essays On The Book Of Revelation. Edited by Shane J. Wood.

[8] NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

[9] To them, Christians distorted the Law; the worship of Jesus as Messiah was blasphemy.

[10]  IVP New Testament Commentary Series

[11] Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12

[12] Many commentators see a comparison to Smyrna’s history here. 

[13] Likely because they refused to participate in idolatrous trade guilds.

[14] “Blasphemy "switches" right for wrong (wrong for right), i.e. calls what God disapproves, "right." (HELPS Word Studies) 

[15] “Jews by national descent, but not spiritually of "the true circumcision." Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

[16]  John 8:44  “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

[17] Beale notes that in Isaiah 41 and 44, this is also an encouragement to the Jews.

[18] See Daniel 1:12-15, where Daniel and his friends were tested for 10 days. 

“The number is likely a symbol and not a 10 day time period. The number 10 represents a complete period of testing. Even though you are exiles in a different culture, you will be revealed to be the children of God.” (Shane Wood) Ramsey notes that it could be a literal reference to the time awaiting punishment: “In the Roman world, prison was usually… a prelude to trial and execution; hence the words "Be faithful, even to the point of death." The State would not burden itself with the custody of criminals, except as a preliminary stage to their trial, or in the interval between trial and execution. Fine, exile, and death constituted the usual range of penalties.” From Adam Clarke’s Commentary: “Think of the expression as implying frequency and abundance, as it does in other parts of Scripture.” Genesis 31:7; Genesis 31:41; Numbers 14:22; Nehemiah 4:12; Job 19:3. 

[19] “The expression ‘be faithful,’ again, would inevitably remind Smyrnaean readers of the history of their city, which had been the faithful friend and ally of Rome for centuries.

To Cicero it was ‘the most faithful of our allies’. (William Ramsey)

[20] The promise to Ephesus was “the tree of life” (v. 7).  To Smyrna, it is the “crown of life” (v. 10).

[21] A large amount of the suffering in Revelation is born by followers of the Lamb. In his vision of heaven, John sees martyrs who had conquered the Beast through death. Tertullian famously said in his second century letter to Rome, “The more often we are mown down by you, the more number we grow. The blood of Christians is seed.”

[22] John 16:33

[23] This list is from (drum roll….) Shane J. Wood!

[24] Christian journalist Malcolm Muggeridge once wrote, “If God is dead [or if God is not worshipped], somebody is going to have to take his place. It will be megalomania or erotomania, the drive for power or the drive for pleasure, the clenched first or the phallus, Hitler or Hugh Hefner.”  That’s Rome and Babylon.

[25] Read this informative Senior Thesis from a Liberty University student. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1280&context=honors. Francis Schaeffer’s How Should We Then Live opens with a Rome/United States comparison.

[26] Read this senior thesis from a student at Liberty University on this influence.https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1280&context=honors

[27] Biden doesn’t seem to be inspiring those comparisons. The only example I found was a magazine (Jacobin) that used Christian iconography to satirize the American tendency to have religious devotion for our leaders.

[28] This requires several myths.

a. a “myth of righteousness” that  sets values of the Empire on par with the values of the Kingdom (in which both are seen as part of the euangelion, the good news of God’s plan for the world).

b.a “myth of greatness” as defined by the standards of Babylon and Rome: financial, political, and/or military strength as the markers of success. 

c.   a “myth of innocence” that sees the power, prosperity, and peace of the (apparently) righteous and great Empire as achieved by and sustained by thoroughly righteous means and people. 

d.   a “myth of worthiness” that demands an appreciation of and allegiance to the state as a profoundly moral responsibility for Christians. 

[29] Acts 22:22-23:11

[30] Luke 22:8-20

[31] https://www.vaneetha.com/about

[32] Vaneetha Risner, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-only-suffering-can-say

Regaining Your First Love: Ephesus Part Two (Revelation 2:1-7) [1]

I know your deeds, your tireless labor, and your patient endurance. I know you do not tolerate those who do evil. Furthermore, you have diligently tested those who claim to be apostles, and you have found that they are not true witnesses. You have correctly found them to be false. I know you are patiently enduring and holding firm on behalf of My name. You have not become faint.

Last week, we used that paragraph and the later reference to the Nicolaitans to talk about how the beastliness of Rome and the allure of Babylon offered and will offer challenges to the church throughout history. John’s vision illustrates the clash of the Kingdom of God and the empires of the dragon quite vividly. Today, the clash of that war kind of fades into the background not because it has stopped, but because there is a different kind of battle taking place: the war within.

T.S. Eliot wrote in The Hollow Men, “ This is the way the world ends; not with a bang but a whimper.” John has a warning here: it’s possible for faith to end not with the bang of epic spiritual warfare, but with a whimper of fading love. 

However, I have this against you: you have left/ abandoned your first love. Do you remember what it was like before you fell? It’s time to rethink and change your ways; go back to the deeds you did at first.[2] However, if you do not return, I will come quickly and personally remove your lampstand from its place.

 The part about abandoning your first love is a bit of a cryptic phrase, but everyone seems to agree John is making a point that is made over and over in the Bible: love for God is always expressed in loving acts toward others. The Bible never draws a dividing line between our hearts and our hands, our motivation and action, our intents and our accomplishments.[3] People can work hard in the Kingdom, have a an appropriately righteous hatred of sin, love and protect the truth, and endure trials and hardship for the name of the Lord… but without love, these acts are like a “sounding brass or a crashing cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13).[4]  

We were not created to be segmented or compartmentalized people. The “deeds you did at first” are supposed to be actions that complete an inner desire.[5]  The allegiance of the heart translates into the actions of the hands. Lovers do the things the lovers do.

John is calling them to do something they once did but don’t anymore motivated by a love they once had but don’t anymore. 

Here are the three most prominent understandings of what is happening here. I feel the same way about these options as I do with the 5 options I gave in Week 1 for reading Revelation: They all have something to offer. #don’tdieonthishill

1.THEY STOPPED THEIR COMMUNAL GENEROSITY

In the book of Acts, we read about what the early church did with great excitement. Among other things, they met together regularly and shared love feasts and communion; they lived in radically generous community, they lived with great servanthood. Their early reputation in Rome was remarkable because they lived loving lives of humility and purity marked by pretty radical generosity. In this first reading, their generosity had dried up because they had forgotten the generosity of God.

2. THEY HATED THE SIN AND THE SINNER

2:6But you have this in your favor: You hate (despise; denounce) the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

 William Ramsay notes this of the letter to the church in Ephesus:  

“It shows admiration and full appreciation of a great career and a noble history. Yet it does not leave a pleasant impression of the Ephesian Church; and there is a lack of cordial and sympathetic spirit in it…when, in order to finish with a word of praise… the one thing which he finds to say is that they hated [the deeds of the Nicolaitans].”

This is a hint at the heart of the problem: the heart. In their zealousness to reject things that ought to be rejected, the message of what they were for got overwhelmed by the message of what they were against. It’s not a good look when the best you can say of someone is that they  denounce or despise the right things. It’s the person who offers light in the darkness that makes a difference, not the one who simply keeps pointing our how dark it is. 

Unfortunately, there’s more. Some commentators point out that God hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans; the text doesn’t say he hated the Nicolaitans. Perhaps in their zealousness for protecting the truth, the church in Ephesus began to hate the people along with the problem rather than having hearts broken for those living in sinful darkness.[6] In the midst of their protection of doctrine[7] they forgot that they were supposed to love the people holding the false doctrine. This was Jonah’s problem, right? He didn’t want the Ninevites to escape judgment. There's something in this letter that desires to church in Ephesus to ground orthodoxy and orthopraxy with orthopathy, having the right heart (see 1 Corinthians 13). 

3. THEY LOST THEIR MISSIONAL FOCUS  

In this third reading, “they lost their first love” = “they lost their passion for spreading the message of the gospel.” Passionate love of and allegiance to Jesus leads us to love others so much we witness to them.[8]

You know how when you first start something that is life-changing, you can’t stop talking about it? It’s the running joke about crossfitters. I have a couple friends who have found a person to work with them on their physical health (losing weight, etc), and I am pretty sure they post at least 3 times a day about how amazing their coach is and how good they feel. If you learn how to ride a bike, or find an essential oil that feels like a miracle cure, or start fishing, or find an app that organizes your life, or discover you can draw….anything that has (in some sense) brought you life, there is often a rush at the beginning of excitement that bubbles over into evangelism – the spreading of the good news.[9]Besides enjoying life in a new way, people around you notice something different about you, or it just comes up in conversation, or you purposefully start recruiting.  

This, it seems, was lacking in the church in Ephesus. So what does God advise? Remember (how you loved the reality of salvation), repent (of distraction and disinterest), and do the deeds you did at first  (from a newly focused heart).

REMEMBER 

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is full of language of how life in Christ and in the community of the church changes everything. Some excerpts:

“2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air… 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 

 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions… [and] raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth)10 and find out what pleases the Lord…

When Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, they were on the front end of this life-changing reality that Jesus brought them. They were once children of darkness; now they are children of light. It’s incredible. They are rooted in a love that will fill them with the fullness of God, so that they can do the good works God created them to do: bearing the fruit of goodness, righteousness, and truth. AMAZING!

That passion for the Savior spilled over onto one another and out to those in the culture they inhabited.[10] But…they had forgotten how glorious it was to be pulled into the light.  

• Maybe they had forgotten how deep in the darkness they really were, or how ugly that darkness truly was. Did you know that the act of remembering slowly and subtly changes our memories? The emotions and biases we bring reform our memories, such that over time we can gain a really distorted view of the past.[11] Our memory is like the telephone gameJ And the less honest or precise we are when we remember, the more distorted our memory becomes over time. We can convince ourselves that the darkness in which we were drowning wasn’t that bad. That makes it hard to appreciate the Savior who pulled us from it.

• Maybe they had stopped genuinely appreciating the gospel light into which they were drawn.That can happen when bad orthodoxy leads to disillusionment (“Why isn’t life like what you told me it would be?”) or when bad orthopraxy leads to pain (“How is it possible that transformed people are so mean and hypocritical?”). If they were known for what they hate rather than what they loved, I’ll bet life together in that church was hard. And if the kingdom of God stops feeling like home, Babylon –as trashy as it is – can start to look good. 

• Maybe they had become so busy cursing the darkness that they forgot to light the candle.Witch hunts are easy when you see witches everywhere and there’s lots of wood handy for a bonfire. But somebody needs to pray for, and love, and invite to a meal, and befriend those others want to burn. As Paul wrote in Romans 2:4, “Do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

 Revelation doesn’t tell us the precise dynamic at work in Ephesus. I suspect all three example are reasonable possibilities – and can all probably see ourselves in one of these. So what do we do?

REPENT

“Remember from where you have fallen, and repent.” This is an act of the mind that will lead to a renewal of the heart. I have found that the things I need to revisit are the many times God has been merciful to me, the many times he has pulled me up from the mire of sin and set my feet on the rock of my salvation. It turns out I don’t have to go back decades to see God’s mercy at work. There’s already good examples from this September. 

How did the joy of my salvation stop motivating me to respond to God in a lifestyle of worship and to others with a lifestyle of gospel-oriented service? When did I start hating the sinner rather than praying for them and moving toward them so that they, too, might experience the joy of salvation? When did I stop appreciating the miraculous work of God in my life? Here’s part of David’s prayer after his sin with Bathsheba: 

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me….17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. (Psalm 51:10-17)

DO THE FIRST DEEDS

This is living missionally with a goal to broaden the boundaries of Kingdom. I left out a couple verses from the previous psalm. 

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.

That is God’s intended response to our appreciation of the glorious grace of salvation. How do we do this? There are a lot of ways. There is really only one rule: re-present Jesus wherever you go.

• Talk about Jesus (pray for people; share the gospel; give your testimony; mention life-giving things in your church – let your life in and with Jesus overflow naturally into your conversation).

• Live like Jesus – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good work and glorify your father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

• Introduce people to the Kingdom of Jesus (invite them to church or small group or game times with the people of Jesus; talk about outreach ministries that embody the love of Jesus; share articles on social media about righteous kingdom work happening in the church around our community and the world.) 

* * * * * * * * * *

For our #practicerighteousness this week, I want to offer a condensed version of this message to focus our hearts and minds for the week. 

·      First love = our primary, worshipful allegiance in response to God’s love for us

·      First deeds = “Redeeming the time”[12] to make more and better disciples of Christ.

What will this look like practically for you this week with your family? Friends? Coworkers? Neighbors? Fellow church members?

 _______________________________________________

[1] Key resources that have heavily informed this series:

·      Apocalypse and Allegiance: Worship, Politics, and Devotion in the Book of Revelation,  by J. Nelson Kraybill

·      A teaching series by professor Shane J. Woods on Revelation (shanejwood.com)

·      The Bible Project’s videos, notes and podcast

·      Michael Heiser’s teaching on Revelation (Podcast: The Naked Bible)

·      Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship And Witness: Following The Lamb Into The New Creation, by Michael Gorman

·      Dragons, John, And Every Grain Of Sand, edited by Shane J. Wood.

·      Matt Chandler’s Revelation Series (Village Church)

·      Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture: Revelation, from IVP

·      Seven Deadly Spirits: The Message of Revelation’s Letters for Today's Church, written by T. Scott Daniels

·      The Letters To The Seven Churches: A History Of The Early Church, W.M. Ramsay

·      Commentary from Adam Clarke, Greg Beale’s, Bible Gateway, biblehub.com, and preceptaustin.com

[2] Old Testament connection: “Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote…” (Isaiah 29:13)

[3] Thanks, IVP New Testament Commentary.

[4] People can serve very effectively in a ministry in the church and ignore God or even love their ministry more than God, and inevitably the sound of clashing cymbals will be heard. 

[5]  HELPS Word Studies

[6] “People are not our enemies; our enemies are the powers of evil themselves. We are called in Christ to love all—to hope that God can save even those embracing evil—and we are called to believe that the gospel is good news for all.”  Jamin Goggin, The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It

[7] For what it’s worth, they kept their doctrinal tradition strong. “A decade or two later, Ignatius of Antioch would write to them that their bishop, Onesimus, had praised them because "you all live according to truth, and no heresy dwells among you; in fact you will not even listen to anyone who does not speak about Jesus Christ in truth." "I have learned," Ignatius added, "that some from elsewhere who have evil teaching stayed with you, but you did not allow them to sow it among you, and stopped your ears, so that you might not receive what they sow."  (IVP New Testament Commentary)

[8] Beale talks about this at length in his commentary

[9] Questions Greg Beale asks: “Why is there such a close relationship between lack of love and lack of evangelism? What counts as evangelism? Do we put structures or expectations around evangelism in a way that discourages us from doing it? If we see love for God as the heart of evangelism, how might that change how we view evangelism?”

[10] https://www.gotquestions.org/left-first-love.html

[11] “Your Memory Is Like The Telephone Game.” https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2012/09/your-memory-is-like-the-telephone-game

[12] Ephesians 5:16

EPHESUS, Part One: On Beasts And Babylon (Revelation 2:1-7)

[1] We are told to obey the prophecy of Revelation (1:3) – and how do you obey a prophecy? Well, prophecy in the Bible is usually (like, 85% of the time) a revelation of who God is, what God desires, and what God demands of us rather than a discussion of the future. So think of Revelation primarily (though not exclusively) as a handbook for Christian living in challenging times, with an ending to human history in which the supremacy of Christ is made clear.[2] Revelation is meant to strengthen our faith that God is with us now in our trials, and that He will one day end the groaning of a sin-soaked world and usher in a New Heaven and a New Earth. 

I think we typically focus on the apocalyptic stuff in Revelation when we think of the book, but that’s not how it starts. It starts with personal letters to churches acknowledging their hardship, commending or correcting them as needed, and pointing them toward the goodness of what God offers them in His Kingdom. Then John gives an artist’s illustration of all the dynamics referenced in the letter. 

If you have seen or read A Monster Calls or I Kill Giants,[3] you know how this works. They are stories about grief. Part of the movie is ‘real world’ conflict, but the story quickly bumps into an imaginative fantasy world with giants and monsters in which the same story unfolds in a way that captures our imaginations along with our hearts. 

So we are going to move through the letters, but I will try to bring in the artist’s illustrations as we go along.

THE 7 LETTERS

1:19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. 20 The mystery[4] of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels[5] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

 The letters address 7 congregations in Asia Minor in the order a messenger taking a circuitous route would have traveled. There were surely more churches: weigh the number 7, the number of completion. It’s a message for all churches. There is a pattern in the letters: 

• the 1st and 7th – the bookends – are struggling with a lukewarmness that comes from a lack of passion for Christ and His Kingdom. For the 7th, God has nothing good to say.

•  The 2nd and 6th – the poor, the suffering, the powerless - are doing well spiritually. 

• The middle three are once again in trouble. 

 If these 7 churches represent the ‘church’ at the time (#weighthenumbers) and stand in for churches that are and will be, then we are more likely to be in a church that is struggling with spiritual compromise rather than flourishing in an unadulterated splendor. 

I don’t say this to discourage us. It’s just to point out that we have to be willing to do self-assessment and repent as needed. Odds are good that this needs to be the rhythm or our personal and corporate life, especially if we live in circumstances where we are comfortable.[6] Poverty and persecution do not guarantee holiness, but if this overview of churches is meant to reveal something important to us, it would suggest that cultural hardship has ability to refine the church in ways that cultural comfort does not. 

EPHESUS

Inscriptions record that Ephesus was one of the greatest cities of Asia with libraries, gymnasiums, and ornate administrative buildings. The city was a favorite with tourists of the time.[7] Ephesus was a major center for the worship of Roma, the spiritual embodiment of the Empire. It’s famous temple for Artemis was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.[8] This temple worship meant a lot of prostitutes since Artemis was the goddess of fertility. The economy was dependent on trade associated with trade guilds centered around temple worship.[9] So, Ephesus: beautiful, wealthy, exciting, full of alluring pleasures, the height of what Roman culture had to offer. 

2 The One: Write down My words, and send them to the messenger (angel) [10] of the church in Ephesus. [11]“These are the words of the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand[12], the One who walks and moves among the golden lampstands [13]:

This is to the church in Ephesus. Any interpretation of the book of Revelation needs to have made sense to the readers in those seven churches. We can and do benefit from what these churches were told because this is a Revelation of what was and what is to come, but the revelation was to them first, and it didn’t do them any good if they didn’t understand it :)

“I know your deeds, your tireless labor, and your patient endurance. I know you do not tolerate those who do evil. Furthermore, you have diligently tested those who claim to be apostles, and you have found that they are not true witnesses. You have correctly found them to be false.[14]  I know you are patiently enduring and holding firm on behalf of My name. You have not become faint.

 Okay, kudos to the Christians in Ephesus! They are enduring in the face of the hardships that come with being a Christian in Ephesus. That could be anything from resisting temptation, to paying the social and economic price of not worshipping in the cults of the empire, to physical persecution. They are also guarding the truths of the faith, and they are nailing it. These are big deals. Who wouldn’t want this on their resume?  

“However, I have this against you: you have abandoned your first love[15] [for Christ and others[16]]. Do you remember what it was like before you fell? It’s time to rethink and change your ways; go back to the deeds you did at first. However, if you do not return, I will come quickly and personally remove your lampstand from its place[17].

In Matthew, Jesus had predicted that "many false prophets will appear and deceive many people" and that "the love of most will grow cold" (Mt 24:11-12). Ephesus passed the first test but not the second. (More on abandoning and returning to our first love next week.)

But you do have this to your credit: you despise[18] the deeds of the Nicolaitans and how they concede to evil. I also hate what they do. 

Here’s what we know about the Nicolaitans. They taught that spiritual liberty gave them…well, liberty to pretty much do what they wanted: have multiple wives, do what they wanted sexually, eat meat offered to idols (probably as part of being in a trade guild). They even mixed pagan temple rituals with the Christian ceremonies. In the letter to Pergamum, this type of compromise will be called the teaching of Balaam (vv. 14–15); at Thyatira, it’s followers of Jezebel (v. 20).[19] 

* * * * *

In this first letter, we already see hints of two things that will be themes in Revelation.   

 First, Christians will be tempted to fall away because of hardship. Being true to the faith invited exclusion, expulsion, and even persecution by the Romans.[20] Following Jesus was costing them social standing, access to society, the ability to make a good living, and even personal safety. This letter will end with a reminder that some will be faithful “even unto death.” 

Second, Christians will be tempted to give in to the allure of sinful pleasures offered by the Empire. 

They are going to be intimidated by power and tempted by pleasure. This has been how empires have challenged the people of God for 2,000 years. That’s the text. Here comes the illustration. 

• Revelation 13 will introduce Satan as a dragon (a huge serpent, a snake; imagery beginning in Genesis). Satan is behind the forces of evil in the world. Satan motivates attacks on the church.

• A scarlet beast[21] comes out of ocean in Revelation 14; people will worship the dragon and then the beast: “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?” Pretty sure that’s Rome for the early church, the indomitable power at the time. More broadly, think of earthly empires in general. They were, are, and will be beastly.

•  A second beast (“false prophet” in Chapter 16) then emerges that will get people to worship the first beast. By worship, think allegiance. The empire becomes a source of hope; the empire dictates priorities; the empire establishes what the good life is and how it ought to be lived. This second beast “gives breath” to the Empire: it’s the propaganda machine (media, entertainment, education, politicians, industry heads, civic organizations… anything that promotes the agenda of the Empire.) It has horns like a lamb (leaders who look good to followers of Jesus) but speaks like a dragon. There are parts of the beast that remind people of a lamb. That’s the imagery used to describe Jesus just a couple verses earlier in Revelation 13. There’s at least a part of the false prophet/second beast that will look like home to Christians. It will be easy to compromise: “Yeah, but…look at those lamb-like horns!! I know, I know, it says dragony things, but…look at those little horns!” 

• To make things worse, Babylon rides into the story. The children of Israel were not invited or tempted to become Egyptians when they were enslaved. It was an easy empire to resist. But Babylon offered acceptance, wealth and even power when they were exiled. That was compelling, and thus dangerous. The most effective empire is one that seduces you. The spiritual survival of the early Christians depended on their ability to see Rome as a doomed Babylon (Revelation 19). So the Babylon side of Rome is portrayed as an alluring prostitute, sitting on the beast. She’s drunk with the blood of God’s people – in other words, she has consumed a lot of them. And though the language of prostitution makes us think about sex (and temple worship surely included that), Old Testament imagery of spiritual adultery was always spiritual adultery – that is, idolatry. And John makes clear that Babylon is all about the idol of wealth and power.[22]

How does a beast conquer? Through power and coercion. Even if it looks good at first, it always makes the turn.  How does a prostitute conquer? Through seduction. What two dangers face the Christians in Ephesus and everywhere? Compromising their faith from fear of the empire’s power or love of the empire’s pleasure.  

So let’s talk about Rome (the First Beast) and Domitian (the Second Beast/False Prophet who serves the empire and furthers its agenda). It’s 1st century specific, but Revelation is about what was andwhat is and what is to come. I think the “what was” included previous emperors, with Nero as the violent supervillain. “What is” is Domitian. Fill in as needed with all empires and leaders as history unfolds.  

• Domitian put in place economic, military, and cultural programs to restore the Empire’s splendor. And it was splendid in many ways.[23]

• He bumped the value of Roman currency to new levels.

• He spent lavishly on the reconstruction of Rome. 

• He spent a TON of money on congiaria (vessels filled with wine, grain or money) #bribes

• He revived the practice of public banquets. 

That’s how Babylon (with its love/idolatry of money, luxury and comfort) rides in on the back of the Beast. Now, the horns like a lamb. 

• After nominating himself to the office that supervised Roman morals, Domitian made adultery punishable by exile. When the Vestal Virgins were found to have broken their sacred vows of chastity, they were buried alive.

• Domitian punished people who made eunuchs. 

• Libel and slander became punishable by exile or death.

• He prosecuted corruption among public officials and removed jurors if they accepted bribes.

• He didn’t favor family members for public office. 

• Other religions were tolerated if they didn’t interfere with public order or could assimilate with Roman religions. Jews were heavily taxed, but history records no executions of Jewish worshipers based on religious offenses.

• A lot of the time, Christians were able to avoid physical persecution.[24] Provincial authorities did so occasionally under Domitian, but it was nothing like what Nero did. Most believers suffered more from the stigma of society rather than government harassment. Revelation actually names only one person from seven churches who had been killed. If they could just be ‘good enough citizens’ they might avoid being hurt, and they might even become comfortable.

 When the first century believers looked at Rome under Domitian’s reign, it was easier than it had been in a while to see an alluring goddess - Roma, Babylon -  who offered the potential for privilege, health and wealth to its citizens.[25] Did it not have some horns that looked a bit lamb-like? It can’t be that bad, right? 

John did not write Revelation to manufacture a crisis for people complacent about empire. Rather, at that moment, complacency about Rome was the crisis. Why push them into the arenas their parents experienced when a temple feast will do?[26] 

See, by this time, Christians in Asia Minor were involved in the trade system of Rome. This is clear from historical records. That’s not a bad thing in and of itself, but participating in meals that included worship of the gods or the emperor was typically required to enter a Trade Guild or to build political connections. In order to have a comfortable life economically and socially, followers of Christ had to participate in the guilds and/or pagan ceremonies.[27]

Christians may have figured out how to gain just a part of the world, but it was costing them their soul.[28] This, I believe, is at the heart of what John will later describe as a mark that says “property of the Beast”[29]  – a sign of loyalty to the Empire and to Domitian.[30]  

* * * * * 

This was something that made sense to those churches, but it’s for us also. #whatisandwhatwillbe  So how are we like and unlike them? What can we learn from their experience? (I’m going to talk about losing and regaining our first love next week, so that’s not included here). 

• We will be known by our deeds. What deeds are we known for? Think big picture, patterns of behavior. “I know you, that you are ________. But I have this against you: _________”

• Do people think of us when they think of patient endurance in the midst of trials, or do they think of us as fainting/falling apart? When the going gets tough, who demonstrates patient endurance? When a pandemic storm hits, who models stability? When an election get volatile, who is unruffled? In a world where it’s easy to be blown about by the winds of false, slanderous, and disturbing information, who shows a dedication to accuracy and truth? In a time that feels like we are being forced into “us vs. them” camps more than ever, who builds righteous and godly bridges? Is this the reputation of the church right now?

• Do we protect the foundational teaching and practice of the faith? Do we unthinkingly buy the latest best-selling devotional or hop on the current Christian celebrity bandwagon, or are we purposeful Bereans, searching the Scriptures so that we recognize wheat and chaff when we see it?

• Do we justify mindsets and decisions because we are afraid of our Rome, seduced by our Babylon, or deceived by lamblike horns that front for the voice of the dragon? The United States is not exempt from John’s imagery in Revelation. It’s an empire. It is a Beastly Babylon. So is Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Afghanistan, Haiti, Norway… Are we alert, self-assessing, surrendering our lives to the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit and the Bible to see how we are identifying and rejecting the coercive power and alluring pleasure of the False Prophets that do the bidding of the Beast? It is inevitable that we will struggle. Are we caving in spiritually or morally because it’s just too hard to be a consistent follower of Jesus in this Rome? Because it’s just too costly? Are we crumbling spiritually or morally because the idol of pleasure, comfort, money, sex, power just look so good in this Babylon? What voices are shaping how we think about and live in the world? Practical example: should the US be taking refugees from Afghanistan? How much have you been listening to your favorite news host or politician to get direction? How much have you been diving into your Bible and listening to pastors and theologians and Christian organizations that work with refugees?

• Are our hearts and minds shaped by a focus on a joyful future or on current afflictions? Have you heard the proverb, “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness?” There is a place to curse the darkness – especially if people don’t realize they are in it - but we can become so enamored with cursing the darkness that we forget to light a candle. We can hide the light of Christ under a bushel of anger, and fear, and resentment, and hostility. Surely those of us who have the hope of everlasting joy set before us can let the hope and joy found in Jesus illuminate the darkness around us. We can call the darkness what it is and show the light for what it is at the same time. But the best way to pull people from a spiritual darkness (that they might even love) is to flood it with the compelling glory of the light of Jesus.

• Could people ever look at our life and reasonably say the evidence points toward us having been ‘marked’ by a nation or a cultural leader instead of by Christ and the Kingdom of God?Whose image do we obviously bear when people look at us? We are marked by the image we most prominently display. Here, for example, are things that characterized Jesus. The more they characterize us, the more we are marked as belonging to God. #practicerighteousness

1.    Loving – loving people well   

2.    Peacemaker – bringing order to chaos

3.    Merciful – giving grace wherever possible

4.    Kind – treating others with goodness

5.    Faithful – someone others can count on

6.    Humble – having a modest/honest estimate of ourselves 

7.    Generous – giving appropriately to those in need

8.    Self-controlled – not ruled by our appetites

9.    Godly – constantly mindful of God’s perspective 

10.Prayerful – regularly communicating with God

11.Righteous – doing what God would approve

12.Servant – looking to serve rather than be served

13.Nurturing – caring for those who are hurting or broken 

Is this us? Is this you? Are we marked as followers of Jesus? 

7 “Let the person who is able to hear, listen to and follow [31] what the Spirit proclaims to all the churches. I will allow the one who conquers through faithfulness even unto death to eat from the tree of life found in God’s lush paradise.”[32]

Recommended Soundtrack:

“Zion and Babylon” by Josh Garrels

“Bye Bye Babylon” by White Heart.

_________________________________________________________________________

[1] Key resources that have heavily informed this series:

·      Apocalypse and Allegiance: Worship, Politics, and Devotion in the Book of Revelation,  by J. Nelson Kraybill

·      A teaching series by professor Shane J. Woods on Revelation (shanejwood.com)

·      The Bible Project’s videos, notes and podcast

·      Michael Heiser’s teaching on Revelation (Podcast: The Naked Bible)

·      Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship And Witness: Following The Lamb Into The New Creation, by Michael Gorman

·      Dragons, John, And Every Grain Of Sand, edited by Shane J. Wood.

·      Matt Chandler’s Revelation Series (Village Church)

·      Ancient Christian Commentary On Scripture: Revelation, from IVP

·      Seven Deadly Spirits: The Message of Revelation’s Letters for Today's Church, written by T. Scott Daniels

·      Adam Clarke’s commentary

·      Parts of Greg Beale’s commentary on Revelation

·      The commentaries available at Bible Gateway

·      The commentaries available at biblehub.com

·      The commentaries available at preceptaustin.com

[2] Apocalypse and Allegiance: worship, politics, and devotion in the Book of Revelation, J. Nelson Kraybill

[3] I recommend you watch or read A Monster Calls. Be ready to cry. It’s terribly beautiful.

[4] Beale suggests the “mystery” being revealed is that the reign of Christ and the suffering of the church can co-exist. Triumph is often intertwined with death. (Romans 11:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 3:3-6)

[5] In Daniel 10 and 12, angels are show to help believers on earth.

[6] Hat tip to Beale for pointing this out.

[7]  Thanks to Seven Deadly Spirits: The Message of Revelation’s Letters for Today's Church, written by T. Scott Daniels, for intro material.

[8] Ephesus was known throughout the ancient world as the temple keeper (neōkoros; cf. Acts 19:35) of the goddess Artemis. 

[9] Acts 19:23-41

[10] “Jewish tradition recognized guardian angels of nations (based partly on Da 10:13,20 – 21) and of individuals; here the idea seems to be guardian angels of churches.” (NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)  Beale argues this is to remind readers that their foundation is in heaven; their primary existence is spiritual. That makes sense to me.  However, Adam Clarke has a different perspective worth considering. “Unto the angel of the Church of Ephesus — By αγγελος, angel, we are to understand the messenger or person sent by God to preside over this Church; and to him the epistle is directed, not as pointing out his state, but the state of the Church under his care. Angel of the Church here answers exactly to that officer of the synagogue among the Jews called ציבור שליח sheliach tsibbur, the messenger of the Church, whose business it was to read, pray, and teach in the synagogue. The Church is first addressed, as being the place where John chiefly resided; and the city itself was the metropolis of that part of Asia. The angel or bishop at this time was most probably Timothy, who presided over that Church before St. John took up his residence there, and who is supposed to have continued in that office till A.D. 97, and to have been martyred a short time before St. John's return from Patmos.”  I like what Beale says; Clarke’s view makes a practical sense to me. It’s not a hill I’m going to die on J I’ll probably barely even put up a fight if we disagree.

[11] “The church had been founded by Paul about AD 53–56, and according to tradition, both John the Apostle and Mary (whom Christ committed to John's care at His crucifixion) lived in Ephesus.” (Orthodox Study Bible)

[12] Still making sure everyone knew Domitian’s son was not god….

[13] Churches. 7 of them. Weigh the numbers: it’s the weight of all the churches represented in these 7.

[14] “At Miletus Paul prophesied that even some of the Ephesian elders would tragically betray the cause of Christ by distorting the truth and leading away disciples (Acts 20:29–30). Timothy’s primary duty at Ephesus was to command certain persons to cease teaching false doctrine (1 Tim. 1:3). Hymenaeus, Alexander, and Philetus are even named as Ephesians who wandered from the truth (1:19–20; 2 Tim. 2:17–18).” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Of The New Testament)

[15] “agápē – properly, love which centers in moral preference. So too in secular ancient Greek focuses on preference; likewise… antiquity meant "to prefer."  (HELPS Word Studies) “Jeremiah 2:2  “This is what the Lord says:‘I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the wilderness, through a land not sown.”

[16]  Love for Jesus (Eph 6:24) and/or one another (Eph 5:2).  

[17] “There is here an allusion to the candlestick in the tabernacle and temple, which could not be removed without suspending the whole Levitical service, so the threatening here intimates that, if they did not repent, c., he would unchurch them they should no longer have a pastor, no longer have the word and sacraments, and no longer have the presence of the Lord Jesus.” (Adam Clarke)

[18] Centers in moral choice, elevating one value over another. (HELPS Word Studies)

[19] (NIV Study Bible Notes)

[20] See Revelation 6:9-11

[21] Described as scarlet in Revelation 17

[22] “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins…Your merchants were the world’s important people; by your magic spell all the nations were led astray.” (Revelation 18:4; 23)  Chapter 18 shows an international economic power with clients around the world, all engaging in the unbounded and often immoral pursuit of pleasure.

[23] Got a lot of the info in this list from the Wikipedia entry for Domitian. 

[24] Eusebius maintain that Jews and Christians were heavily persecuted toward the end of Domitian's reign when he Book of Revelation and First Epistle of Clement were written.

[25] Seven Deadly spirits: The message of Revelations letters for today's Church, written by T. Scott Daniels. John says that this goddess is instead the Great Horror who corrupted the Earth with her fornication in Revelation 19 2. She does not hold the cup of life, but rather a golden cup full of Abominations and the impurities of her fornication. Revelation 17:4.

[26] It’s the crisis the Russian church is facing right now. Putin pushes the traditional family model pretty hard, and he’s been pretty easy on the church. This is appealing to Russian Christians. In talking with my pastor friends in the Ukraine, the Russian church has become fond of Putin, a man who does the work of the Russian beast. This is the timeless relevance of Revelation.

[27] Paul does not reject all Christian participation in society. For example, he advocated a “don't ask” policy when believers have food set before them.[27] But this was very, very different from outright Christian participation in pagan rituals and ceremonies.

[28] Matthew 16:26

[29] As noted by Craig Koester, Revelation challenges three intertwined components of life in the Empire: political domination (“beastly side of empire); religion where the church and state distinctions blur (“deification of human power”); economic networks that demanded compromise (“the seamy side of commerce”)

[30] See Revelation 13

[31] Jesus uses this phrase (Matthew 13), borrowing this from Isaiah (6:9-10), Jeremiah (5:21), and Ezekiel (3:27)

[32] Genesis reference. Adam and Eve fellowshipped with God when they ate from the Tree of Life. That promise of fellowship is extended to the faithful who endure.