So here goes:
Revelation chapter 2
As we continue to study, chapter
looks at four of the seven churches that John is addressing. As you have read what John has said, it is
interesting to think about the churches that you have belonged and whether or not
there were some similar traits. John was
addressing concerns that he saw that effected the community of faith and could
lead to problems worshipping God.
The first church he addresses is
Ephesus. The city was at that time a
major sea port for the Roman Empire. Goods
from all the other cities (except Smyrna) would have been transported there to
be shipped. Chief among the glories of
Ephesus was the great temple to Artemis or Diana, one of the seven marvels of
the ancient world.
John begins by describing the Lord as
“who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden
lampstands.” Here the Lord is saying
that all the churches, even that of Ephesus, are in his hands and that he walks
amid them. This a sort of warning, so
that the church will take what follows seriously. As we read, there are some good traits. It know how to distinguish between true and
false teachers, false prophets and “Nicolaitans.” They seem to be zealous believers, upholding
true doctrine. They are praised for the patience
and good works.
The problem was they had abandoned
the love they had at first. Perhaps due
to their zeal they no longer loved one another as they did earlier. In spite of all they do in defense of correct
doctrine, and in spite of all their works and their patience, the Lord
threatens to remove their lampstand from among others that is to destroy them
as a church.
The second church is Smyrna which was
also a sea port north of Ephesus. This
city still exists today as the Turkish city of Izmir. It was a center for emperor worship and it was
proud of its loyalty to Rome. Apparently
there were serious conflicts between Christian and some Jews, “judaizers” who
might be Christians of Gentile origin who insisted on following the laws of
Moses and living as Jews.
Christians in Smyrna were in a
precarious situation. Amid a fabulously
rich city, Christians were generally poor.
For that reason the message tells them, “I know.. your poverty, even
though you are rich.” Social pressure and the threat of persecution were
serious. The “ten days” of affliction
may refer to a long time, but one that would end. Because of the theme of life and death, the
letter refers to Jesus as the one “who was dead and came to life.” The central exhortation is “be faithful until
death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
The third city is Pergamum north of
Smyrna which was important as the Roman Empire governed the province from
there. This could be why the letter says
the church dwells “where Satan’s throne is.”
There also was a great temple to Zeus.
It was here that Antipas had died as a witness of Jesus Christ. The church had remained strong despite the
local persecution.
The problem was that the church had
not been as careful in sifting the various doctrines circulating among its
members. What John calls attention to is
the teachings of Balaam. It is not so
important to know what these teachings were as it is important to know that
they were drawing people away from the true God. The use of fornication is one of the imagery
common to prophets of ancient Israel: those who go after other people’s gods
fornicate and commit adultery against the true God.
The sharp two edge sword is used
relating back to chapter one that such a sword came out of the mouth of the
Lord. In that time there were two terms
for sword. One was the sword used in
combat. The Greek here refers to a
heavier sword that executioners employed.
Such a sword was a symbol of the power of the empire and the authority
of its rulers. The letter is saying that
power of life and death is the Lord’s and is not ultimately in the hands of the
imperial authorities. He warns the
church that if they do not get rid of false doctrines, Jesus will come and
punish them with the same sword.
The last city for this week is
Thyatira southeast of Pergamum. It was
not a major city but one who was the center of crafts and metallurgy and dyeing
of cloth. Lydia was from Thyatira (Acts
16.14). Because of the interest in the
practice of metallurgy the text emphasizes that the Lord, who sends the message
is one “who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished
bronze.” The latter was an alloy of
copper, tine, and zinc that was produced in places like Thyatira. In that time most crafts and small industry
were organized around religious guilds.
So if you opted to follow Jesus, you could not belong to the guild and
would not have a market for their products or sources for their materials. This led some to look at arrangements or
compromises that would allow believers to make a living without giving up their
participation in the church. Such was
the position of a prophetess whose name is not known but whom John calls
“Jezebel”. He gives her that name
because Jezebel was the Canaanite who married King Ahab and led Israel astray.
(2 Kings 9:22) The fornication of
Jezebel is not physical adultery but rather theological adultery.
The church is not wholly
condemned. The Lord praises them for
their love, faith, service, patience, and time.
Those who follow “Jezebel” are a minority. It is against them that the harsh words of
the letter are addressed.
Next week:
We will be looking at chapter 3
focusing on the last three churches.
Again note what the letter says to each church and how that may inform
us about our faith and our churches.
No comments:
Post a Comment