Revelation Chapter 2
II. “…what is…” (2-3)
a. The letters to the churches, part 1—Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum and Thyatira (chap 2)
i. Preliminary Considerations
1. “To the angel of the church of ______, write…”
a. The “angels” are the postal carriers (i.e. the messengers delivering the message to the churches).
i. ______
b. The angels are pastors or bishops
i. ______
c. The angels are angels
i. ______
1. See: Job 38:7; Psalm 8:3-5; 148:1-3; Dan 8:9; Zeph 1:4; Luke 2:6; Eph 6:2; Rev 6:13; Rev 12:4, 7-9
2. ______
3. ______
ii. The Letter to the Church in Ephesus (2:1-7)
1. to whom it is written-1a
2. from whom; the title of Jesus-1b; Rev 1:12-13a, 16a
3. the words of support-v2-3
4. the words of reproof-v4
5. the words of repentance-v5a
6. the words of consequence-v5b
7. the words of encouragement-v6
a. “The Nicolaitanes are the followers of that Nicolas who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the apostles. They lead lives of unrestrained indulgence. The character of these men is very plainly pointed out in the Apocalypse of John, [when they are represented] as teaching that it is a matter of indifference to practice adultery, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.”
— Irenaeus, Adversus haereses, i. 26, §3
8. the call-v7a
a. ______
9. the promise-7b; ______
iii. The Letter to the Church in Smyrna (2:8-11)
1. to whom it is written-8a
2. from whom; the title of Jesus-8b; Rev 1:18
3. the words of support-v9
4. the words of reproof- none
5. the words of repentance- none
6. the words of consequence- none
7. the words of encouragement-v10
8. the call-v11a
9. the promise-11b; ______
iv. The Letter to the Church in Pergamum (2:12-17)
1. to whom it is written-12a
2. from whom; the title of Jesus-12b; Rev 1:16b
3. the words of support-v13
a. ______
b. ______
4. the words of reproof-v14-15
a. ______
b. ______
5. the words of repentance-v16ac
6. the words of consequence-v16b
7. the words of encouragement- none
8. the call-v17a
9. the promise-17b; ______
v. The Letter to the Church in Thyatira (2:18-29)
1. to whom it is written-18a
2. from whom; the title of Jesus-18b
3. the words of support-v19
4. the words of reproof-v20
a. ______
b. ______
5. the words of repentance-v21
6. the words of consequence-v22
7. the words of encouragement-v23-25
8. the call-v29
9. the promise-26-28; ______
Study Questions
1. Dig Deeper: other than what was presented, what can you learn about each of these churches/places mentioned in Rev 2-3? Why do you think Jesus wrote to these, and not other churches (like Colossae) in Asia Minor?
2. Based upon what has been presented, what is meant by “to the angel of the church of ______, write” means? Who are the “angels”?
3. The church of Smyrna had no reproof or call to repentance. It was also a very persecuted church. What is it about persecution that causes that?
4. Pergamum was host to one of the seven ancient wonders of the world—the great temple to Zeus. It also had the second largest library in the ancient world. Why do you think Jesus called this city the “throne of Satan” (v 13)?
5. Look ahead: Read the messages of the last three churches—Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Which of these seven messages do you think Jesus would write to the “angel of the church of St Charles in North Hollywood”?