Revelation
Chapter
2 (Continued)
{Church
at Pergamum - verses 12-17 (Church 3 of 7}
{The
fate of a Church that does not follow Laws of Establishment}
12~~And
to the messenger {future pastor}
of
the church in Pergamus/Pergamum write,
"He
{Jesus} Who has
the
very, very sharp double-edged broadsword,
communicates
these things."
{Note: Pergamum was a very prosperous city. This was the city where a ruler dying without a legal heir, willed the city to Rome! It was the first time this had ever happened and Rome gave them great preferential treatment. It had silver and become a center for Roman coin making. It had developed a type of scroll making and became the world's largest library (until Cleopatra had Mark Anthony bring the 200,000 plus scrolls back to Egypt - where they were later burned). It was also a center for many religious cults including the Phallic Cult. "If it was available in the world, you could get it in Pergamum."}
{Note: The broadsword is the sword of divine discipline. The analogy here is a prosperous city/nation must use the Laws of Establishment to administer itself - crime control, good military, fair laws, etc. Otherwise, Jesus Christ controls history and He will come with some form of violence - crime, revolution, outside attack - some form of violent fall here.}
13~~"I
{Jesus} have known where you live
where
the throne of Satan is located.
Nevertheless,
you hold on/hold fast {remain true and faithful}
to
My name
that
is you do not reject/refuse/resist My doctrine
even
in the times/days of Antipas
My
witness . . . My faithful minister
who
was murdered in your city -
where
Satan resides {has his headquarters}."
{Note: Antipas (nickname for Antipater) was the pastor of the church at Pergamus. From this verse, we know that at this time Satan had made Pergamus his headquarters. Satan apparently was embarrassed by the faithful service to the Lord (study and teach, study and teach) Antipas exhibited. The religious cult leaders took Antipas and roasted him to death in a large bronze figure of a bull. Antipas did not scream or cry out for help. Instead he claimed the promises of the Lord and at his end was heard praying for the forgiveness of his persecutors. This greatly impressed the unbelieving priests some of whom found the lord. It impressed the believers who made this church great. It probably made Satan move his headquarters. But mostly it impressed God to immortalize forever his martyrdom in the Word of God - which lives and abides forever!}
{Note: After the death of the pastor Antipas, John became their long-distance pastor. They gathered and read his letters and continued to grow spiritually. The DOCTRINE is the same whether it is face to face or long-distance!}
14~~"But
I {Jesus} have a few things
against
you {those in the cosmic system},
because
you have there {in Pergamum}
those
{believers} that adhere to/hold the doctrine of Balaam,
who
kept teaching/inculcating Balak
to
set a trap {cast a stumbling block}
before
the citizens of Israel
namely,
to eat things sacrificed to idols,
and
to fornicate."
{Note: See Numbers Chapter 22-25 on for more on Balaam. King Balak hired Balaam to 'curse Israel'. But, Balaam could not curse Israel so he got them to go into the Phallic Cult and fornicate and worship Idols - bringing the anger of God. 24,000 Israelites bit and God through Moses ordered them executed.
{Note: Also see II Peter 2:15. The 'way of Balaam' is to find the weakness in another believer and exploit him by means of the cosmic system - in his case, using the sexual lust draw of the Phallic Cult. (and Jude 11 - the 'error of Balaam' - for money!)}
15~~So,
also, in the same manner,
you
have them {believers} that adhere/hold
to
the doctrine/teaching of the Nicolaitans.
{Note: "Which thing I hate" from the context would probably be accurate, but it is not part of the original text so it is omitted.}
{Note: The Nicolaitans were the intellectuals. They combined intellectualism (Gnosticism) and the phallic cult. So it was the lasciviousness crowd.}
16~~Therefore,
change your mind {metanoeo} . . .
otherwise,
I {Jesus} will come to you
soon/
quickly {in divine discipline},
in
fact, I will make war against them
{believers in the cosmic system - reversionism}
with
the broadsword
from
the source of My mouth.
{Note: Metanoeo means to 'change your mind' or repent. It goes hand in hand with 'Rebound' (I John 1:9). Get out of the cosmic system and back into fellowship otherwise you will be disciplined. This means personal or collective discipline depending on how many in the Nation are in reversionism (see numbers above where 24,000 Israelites had to die to stop divine judgment on the entire Jewish nation (see Balaam).}
17~~"He
who has an ear, let him hear {positive volition} what sort of thing
{bible doctrine} the Spirit communicates to the churches,
"He
who is victorious {winner believers - spiritually mature}
will
I give to him blessing from the 'hidden manna' and
will
give him a white pebble {resurrection body for all believers}.
Furthermore, on the pebble, he has a new name written.
No
one knows it except that one {mature/victorious/winner believer
only} who receives it."
{Note: The 'seen manna' was the food God gave to the Exodus Generation to eat every day. Those who believed God and followed His instructions . . . ate well. The hidden manna is still His instructions - bible doctrine. We are to take in bible doctrine as the Jews ate manna - on a daily basis. You can NOT store up for tomorrow 'extra' or it spoiled. You must take it in daily.}
{Note: In the ancient world, not many people could read or write. To vote they would cast a while pebble for Yea or a black pebble for Nea. Here Jesus is casting his positive vote for all believers - the white pebble. For the victorious believers he will give more. In the Roman world particularly, as you reached adulthood, your family would 'adopt you into manhood'. You would receive a toga, a bank account, and be given a new official name. When Rulers passed on the rule, they often adopted in the most qualified candidate even if not related to him. This person was given a new name (after Julius, usually including 'Caesar'). Therefore, this verse says in heaven, winner believers will be given a new name and be in the top level of aristocracy.}
{Church
at Thyatira - verses 18-29 (Church 4 of 7}
18~~And
to the messenger {future pastor}
of
the church in Thyatira write,
"The
Son of God
the
One Who has eyes
like
a flame of fire {judgement related to historical trends} and
His
feet . . .
like
bronze {used in the bible for economic judgement} communicates
these things."
{Note: Thyatira was an important city in the Roman road system. Coins were made here. And, it was the center of labor unions in the Roman Empire and it causes problems for believers to grow - their loyalties were divided.}
{Pros
of the church of Thyatira}
19~~"I
{Jesus} have known
your
accomplishments {Christian production - divine good}
namely
the agape love {motivation - virtue love} and
the
faith {faith rest technique} and
the
ministry {universal ministry of the believer} -
both
your perseverance
{how you live your life - courageous endurance} and
your
production - and
the
last {ministry including perseverance and production}
are
greater than the first."
20~~"But
I have this fact against you,
namely,
that you tolerate that woman Jezebel,
who
calls herself a prophetess
she
both teaches and
seduces
my servants to fornicate and
to
eat things sacrificed to idols."
{Note: Principal of the weak controlling the strong. Jezebel of Thyatira was an unknown believer who was both beautiful and smart. Because of arrogance, she began seducing the other believers in Thyatira to join the Phallic Cult.}
Note: Deuteronomy 23:17-18 gives us an idea of what the name 'Jezebel' implies.}
21~~
"And so I gave to her {Jezebel of Thyatira} time
to
repent of her fornication {porneia}
nevertheless
she did not wish {purpose or will}
to
change her mind/repent."
{Note: Porneia literally means having sex in connection with idolatry - Phallic Cult Sexual activities. But per RBT fornication/promiscuity is a sin (frantic search for happiness). But when you mix in idolatry, it is also EVIL (part of the plan of Satan)!}
{Note: Principal of Grace before judgement. Without using rebound, she is going into deep reversionism and is heading for the sin unto death.}
22~~"NOW
HERE THIS,
I
{Jesus} will throw/cast her {Jezebel}
into
a bed {of discipline},
also
those who commit adultery {moicheuo} with her
into
great disaster
{social degeneration - and this precedes military disaster}
unless
they shall change their minds {repent/rebound}
about
her actions/deeds."
23~~
"Furthermore I {Jesus}
will
execute/put to death
her
followers
by
means of death {sin unto death} and
all
the churches shall know
that
I am He
Who
investigates the emotions and
the
right lobes {hearts} and
I
will administer punishment {divine discipline}
to
each one of you
according
to your activities/deeds {human good, sin, and evil}."
24~~"But
I say to you . . .
the
others {spiritual believers}
those
of you
who
are in Thyatira {the believers remaining out of the cult}
as
many as do not adhere/hold
to
this doctrine {false doctrine of this Phallic Cult} and
such
a category {of mature believers}
who
have not come to know
the
alleged/so called deep secrets/things of Satan . . .
on
you I {Jesus} place no further burden."
{Note: This is a positive mandate to the mature believer to continue what they have been doing - daily intake of doctrine and living in the filling of the Holy Spirit - the divine dynasphere}
25~~"Only
. . . guard/hold fast to what you have
until
I come {2nd Advent}."
{Note: In the syntax of the Greek is the 'non-translated' particle 'an'. With 'hou' make 'hou an' which introduces an indefinite temporal clause. This means the verb 'come' is affected by another event - the rapture. It means it will happen in the future, but the timing is unknown by any man.}
{Verses
26-28 the Reward for momentum and maturity}
26~~"Furthermore,
the winner {mature believer}
even
he who guards/keeps My assignments
unto
the end {phase II time - death or rapture} . . .
to
him, I {Jesus} will give authority over the nations."
{Note: Again it is the 'last' that counts more than the first! The invisible hero in the Church Age is unknown. But, in the millenium, he will rule with Christ.}
27~~"And
so he shall rule them
with
a iron scepter {no horsing around}
as
the pots made of clay
are
shattered {capital punishment in the millennium}
as
I also have received {authority} of my Father."
28~~"Furthermore
I {Jesus}
will
give to him {the winner believer in time}
the
'Order of the Morning Star'
{highest decoration God gives a human being}."
{Note: The highest reward earned in time. The name comes from Jesus Christ Who is called the Morning Star - Numbers 24:7. This includes the privilege of wearing a Uniform of Glory/Light over our resurrected bodies - a Translucent Light.}
29~~"He
that has an ear,
let
him hear
what
sort of thing {bible doctrine}
the
Spirit communicates to the churches
{the 'classroom' for the intake of bible doctrine}."
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