The Book of
Revelation 2
29 verses≈ 6 min2 peopleBSB
Images are artistic interpretations.
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In this chapter
Where we are
- 1–3Seven churchesChrist among His lampstandsChapter 2
- 4–11Seals & trumpetsThe Lamb opens the scroll
- 12–16The great conflictThe dragon, the beasts, the bowls
- 17–20The King comesBabylon falls; the Lamb wins
- 21–22All things newA new heaven and a new earth
To the Church in Ephesus
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles. Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name.
Revelation 2:1–3
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Stylised map · locations approximate
On the map
The road of the letters
From Patmos the letter crosses about 60 miles of sea to Ephesus. From there a messenger could follow the road north along the coast to Smyrna and Pergamum, then turn inland to Thyatira. Many think that is why the letters come in this order. Chapter 3 carries on to Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Each church hears its own letter, and all hear “what the Spirit says to the churches.”
How each letter goes
Whiteboard
All seven letters follow the same shape. Each opens with a title for Christ drawn from John’s vision in chapter 1. Then “I know your deeds,” praise, and “I have this against you.” Then a call to repent or hold fast, the call to hear “what the Spirit says to the churches,” and a promise to the one who overcomes. Smyrna hears no rebuke at all.
To the Church in Smyrna
To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life.
I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.
Revelation 2:8–9
Jesus
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days.
Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Revelation 2:10
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.
Reflect
First love
Ephesus worked hard and stood firm, yet Jesus said, “You have abandoned your first love.” Smyrna was poor and about to suffer, yet He said, “you are rich!” Think back to when you first came to know Jesus. What has grown cold since then, and what would it look like to “perform the deeds you did at first” this week?
To the Church in Pergamum
To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword.
Revelation 2:12
Jesus
I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits, yet you hold fast to My name. You did not deny your faith in Me, even in the days of My faithful witness Antipas, who was killed among you where Satan dwells.
But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.
I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.
Revelation 2:17
Question
Quick question
Pergamum held fast in a hard place, but some there were drifting. Jesus still ends with a promise.
What does Jesus promise the one who overcomes in Pergamum?
To the Church in Thyatira
To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze.
I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latest deeds are greater than your first.
Revelation 2:18–19
But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.
Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds. Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
hold fast to what you have until I come
Revelation 2:24–25
And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery—just as I have received authority from My Father. And I will give him the morning star.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
0:21
Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain
Pray
Hold fast
Thank Jesus that He walks among His churches and says, “I know your deeds.” Ask Him to rekindle your first love, to keep you faithful when it costs you, and to make you quick to repent. Pray for believers who suffer for His name today: “Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.” And ask for grace to “hold fast to what you have until I come.”
You’ve experienced
Revelation 2
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A verse to carry with you
Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Revelation 2:10
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