In verse 9 He commends the church: “I know your works, tribulation [trials and persecution you're going through], and poverty (but you are rich).” Interestingly, this is the opposite of the church in Laodicea that thinks it is rich but is really poor. Jesus also knows all about the troublemakers who pretend to be followers of God but really are followers of Satan. They no doubt were also a trial for the church.

As far as censure, this one of only two churches that receive no censure.

In verse 10 Jesus begins His counsel to this congregation, to paraphrase: “You are going to be experiencing some periods of severe trials and suffering ahead, but don’t be afraid. In fact, the devil will see that some of you are thrown into prison. You will be tested for sure. There will even be a 10 year period of specially trying persecution. But be faithful, even if it costs you your life in this world, because your resurrection is assured, and I’ll give you a crown of life–eternal life in a better place.”

Finally, in verse 11, the covenant appears. “He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.” That summarizes the previous promise, i.e. you may die the first death in this old world, but you will be resurrected from that (1 Corinthians 15:51-55). But what really couonts is that you will not have to face the second death experience (ch. 20:6, 14) from which there is no resurrection, i.e. you will spared eternal extermination, you will live with Christ forever. The apostle Paul looked forward to that fulfillment of Christ’s promise when he wrote to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:6-8–”For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

This message had special meaning for the congregation in Smyrna–they would have recognized themselves in that message. In the historicist view of prophecy, that congregation would become a symbol of the Christian church as it went through times of terrible persecution. Some scholars give approximate dates of 100-313 A.D. as that time in church history. Today you may be going through tough times. Remember God’s promises in Isaiah 41:10–”Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Hebrews 13:5–”I will never leave you nor forsake you.” He is able to carry you through just as He did Daniel and his friends with the fiery furnace and lions’ den experiences. Yet, even if we should lose our lives in the process, whether through accident, illness, or martyrdom, Jesus’ promise to us is that if we have been faithful to Him (trusting in Him), there is a crown of life in our future, symbolic of life eternal (i.e. without end). What a wondrous assurance!

As we begin our journey through the seven churches, keep in mind we are looking for three types of application. 1) It would be relevant to the local congregation itself–they would recognize themselves in this message 2) This congregation would serve a symbolic role to describe the Christian church’s general characteristics during a particular era of history and 3) There are spiritual lessons to be learned from each congregation that are relevant to us today. In one sense, while exhibiting the qualities of the church characteristic of this era, God’s followers today are also to some degree a composite of all that have gone before.

In the previous posting a basic paradigm, pattern, or outline for each of the church descriptions was listed. Here is how it would look for the church at Ephesus:

Christ:
He holds the 7 stars in His hand and walks among the 7 golden lampstands.

Commendation:
I know your works, labor, patience, you can’t bear those who are evil,
you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not and have found them liars, you have persevered, have patience, have labored for My name’s sake and not become weary, you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate

Censure:
You have left your first love

Counsel:
Remember from where you have fallen, repent and do the first works, (or else I will
come quickly and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent), hear what the Spirit says to the churches

Covenant (promise):
To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

What is the point of all this? Why is it all included here? Jesus had promised in John 14:1-3 that He would come back again to take His followers to heaven to be with Him. But He also knew that they would face many trials and challenges before that time should come, so He wanted to prepare them to “endure to the end.” As He walks among the 7 golden lampstands–representing the 7 congregations/churches–in one sense it is almost like an inspection of the space shuttle before launch when the inspectors want to make sure there is nothing that would destroy the shuttle during the stressful trip about to take place. We know from experience how critical that is. The whole idea is not a final judgment to destroy but an evaluation to enable a successful mission. Jesus has an intense desire to see His church successful.

It is important to note that the first item in this outline is a picture of Jesus. We see that specific characteristics from Christ’s description in chapter one have been selected, and as we go through the outline, we will see that those specific characteristics are the very ones the particular congregation needs to meet its deficiencies and needs. Isn’t that just like Jesus?! He has a solution to every problem before we realize we even have a problem. It is also encouraging to see that Jesus looks for things He can praise the church for before He gets into the problems it has. And then He has sound advice for the church, which if followed, will resolve the problem. And finally, every church, no matter how problematic it is, has the possibility of change and a wonderful promise to those who respond. None are automatically cast out as long as they meet the conditions, not even Laodicea. And that is important for us as individuals as we are not saved by church or denomination, but as we individually have a saving faith relationship with Jesus.

Looking at the description of Christ, why are the 7 stars in His hand significant? Note the problem of the church–you have left your first love. Apparently the church was really in love with Christ and zealous for Him, even being very careful to have sound doctrine and reject those who were false professors. But evidently, while they held to straight doctrine, they lost something they once had–their first love experience. Perhaps it became just routine, they went through the motions without love. Christ makes it plain that while He commends their faithfulness to the truth, love is not optional. Consider 1 Corinthians 13 where the apostle Paul states in verses 1-3: “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.” We know that Paul was also a stickler for true doctrine, but He makes it clear that without love it is all meaningless. The author of Revelation, the apostle John, adds that “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:8

I remember reading a story one time about a couple who were having some difficulty. The husband traveled a lot and the relationship left much to be desired. One Monday morning a local florist delivered a box of a dozen roses to the wife from her husband, who was out of town. She was thrilled. Then the next Monday there was another box of roses. Again she was delighted. The next Monday there was another, the next Monday another, etc. Finally she called the florist about it and was told her husband had left a note to deliver a dozen roses every Monday till further notice. After awhile, the wife came to hate Mondays when the roses were delivered because she came to realize there was no love involved. He didn’t even have to think about her. Apparently God had a similar experience as told in Isaiah 1:10-15–He came to hate all their sacrifices and religious ritual, even though He had told them to do such things. He told them in verses 16-20 what He really wanted from them–true heart service. It is still our hearts and committed service He desires today.

What do the stars in the hands symbolize here? If the members in Ephesus had remained “in Christ,” they would have maintained their first love experience, they would have been allowing Him to keep them in His hands, they would have been abiding in Him. Jesus promised if they would do that, “neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:28 So Jesus wants them to come back to that intimate relationship they once had. In Job 38:31 it talks about God holding the 7 stars in His hands, referring to the Pleiades. He is in control of the heavenly bodies and just so He wants to be our guide, to control us according to His benevolent will. And so He wanted to hold the church leaders in His hands, so to speak.

We have more information about the church in Ephesus than some of the others because the book of Ephesians was written to them. The first three chapters talk all about the close relationship God plans for His followers by being “in Christ.” The last three chapters discuss how that impacts everyday relationships–in the home, in the church, in the workplace, etc. Perhaps we can take a closer look at that book at a later time. It mirrors the two great commandments–love to God and love to man. If the Ephesians had taken the counsel in that letter to heart for the long term, perhaps we would not be reading about them losing their first love experience.

You may be wondering who those Nicolaitans were. As near as I can discover, they were a heretical sect in the early church. Their beliefs apparently included dismissing the law as a guide, i.e. they believed deeds had nothing to do with salvation so you were basically free to do anything you were inclined to. Perhaps they carried the love idea too far–i.e. just love and do as you please? Jesus certainly didn’t approve of their practices.

What about the 3 levels of application? I think you can see from what has been covered so far how the congregation in Ephesus (which was in what is present day Turkey) would find the message to them very relevant for their immediate challenges. Secondly, this church, according to historicist interpreters, would also become a symbol for the Christian church in the apostolic era (to about 100 A.D.–the dates are approximate and not really critical for the interpretation). The early church was in its “first love” experience but in danger of losing it. And thirdly, what lessons are we supposed to learn from this? Actually, the last-day church–Laodicea–seems like it is in need of a good dose of “first love” experience, for it has become very lukewarm and somewhat apathetic. If you are a Christian, perhaps you can remember when you first came to the Lord and how on fire you were, but now you may have lost that early fervor. It is easy for our experience to become like that described in Jesus’ parable of the soils. “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22

So what is the remedy? Jesus said the need was to repent–ask for forgiveness. Then go back to basics, back to the last place you saw the light, when your experience was on fire. Seek to know Jesus personally, study His life in the gospels again, talk to Him about anything on your mind, learn to recognize His voice and trust Him implicitly. Let Him live out His life in you through the power of the Holy Spirit and put your energies on His side to cooperate with Him. Seek His counsel and as He Himself said, “If you love me, keep my commandments,” not as a means to gain salvation or favor, but as an outgrowth of a relationship with Him. After all, if Jesus is living in you (see Galatians 2:20–”Christ lives in me”), what kind of a life will He live? Will He lead us to be obedient or disobedient? But most of all, let’s allow His love to be the controlling force in our lives personally and in the way we relate to others. The counsel to the Ephesians is good for us too.

The stars He says stand for the “angels” of the seven churches (represented by lampstands). In the original Greek language, the word translated as “angels” means literally “messengers.” In other words, this can refer to regular human beings or to heavenly beings. Sometimes the word is indeed used in the Bible refer to a normal human being, though most of the time it appears to refer to angelic beings. But because of the dual meaning, commentators are divided as to its application here. Some believe there is an angel representing each church; others believe it is referring to the human church leader of each congregation. I lean toward the latter, as the messages are directed to very fallible human beings with great needs.

In verse 11 it was discussed that there are three ways of applying these messages to the seven church congregations, all of them equally valid and meaningful. The first is that they apply to the very real congregations in these particular cities in John’s day. They would have recognized themselves and found the counsel to be very helpful. Understanding more about the cities and churches of that day can help us interpret these along those lines. The second is that these unique congregations came to symbolize the Christian church through the following centuries as their particular characteristics seemed to correlate with the state of the church during those eras, as history seems to bear out. The third application is a spiritual one. There are spiritual lessons all of us can learn today from what has gone before. And in a sense, though the last day church is labeled Laodicean, yet in another sense it is also to some degree a composite of all that have gone before. For example, in the church of today you can find those who have lost their first love, those who have apostatized, those who are being persecuted, those who are lukewarm, etc.

Before we go into these seven church letters, there is a paradigm–a pattern or template– which each one follows that will help us in understanding the messages. Here is how I look at this outline:

1. Christ–The first thing we see is Christ presented to the church with a selection of characteristics from the vision in chapter one. The particular characteristics chosen are those which will meet the special needs of this congregation.

2. Commendation–With one exception, Christ looks for something to praise them for before He points out problems.

3. Censure–Now Christ begins to point out problems in the church that are serious hindrances to its growth. There are a couple exceptions to this one.

4. Counsel–Christ doesn’t leave the church hanging by merely pointing out problems. He has a solution for those problems and counsels them what should be done to remedy the problem.

5. Covenant–Finally Christ makes a covenant with the church, a promise He gives them if they submit to Him and become overcomers.

This is the template we will apply to each of these church messages to see what lessons we can learn for our own spiritual growth and walk with Jesus. We can see that Christ is intensely interested in His church on earth and does all He can to uphold and assist His people who still have to live in a messed up world while awaiting His return.

First of all, this verse is really about Jesus, which certainly fits in with the portrait of Him we’ve been studying in this chapter. He now speaks for Himself about a special power He has. First He says He is alive, which seems pretty evident, but then He reminds us that at one time He was dead. Thus He refers to His resurrection, an event so important that the apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:17-19: “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” His unique power is highlighted in John 10:17, 18 when He states: “My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay id down of Myself. I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” Because of this unique power to rise from the dead He can make the statement in Revelation 1:18: “I have the keys of Hades and of death.” What does He really mean by that statement, what does hades mean and what does that mean for us personally?

Some Bible translations render the word “hades” as “domain of the dead”, and others simply call it “the grave,” in other words, He has the “keys” to death and the grave. This seems to fit well with Jesus’ own comments in John 5:28, 29 in looking forward to that day we refer to as “resurrection day.” “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth–those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation.” Because Jesus never sinned and was also divine, death could not hold Him in the grave and He now has authority to also release us from the grasp of death to be with Him forever. That’s good news for us. That’s the bottom line of that phrase. You can stop here. If you want to probe further, keep reading.

An interesting thought crossed my mind the other day. If everyone went directly to heaven, hell, purgatory, or wherever, who would be left in the grave? And what good would a key to death do if no one were dead–if they all were already in heaven, hell, etc. experiencing their reward? It would be like having a key to prison with no prisoners inside–what would be the point? As you can see, there is much more to explore–perhaps more another time.

But back to the key. Today we have a phrase “giving someone a key to the city.” It’s often used regarding a celebrity or dignitary visiting a city, perhaps for the first time, and the mayor presents him with a “key to the city,” usually a large symbolic one which is unable to literally unlock anything. But it indicates the individual is welcome everywhere and has access to all the city has to offer. So here, the key is a symbolic one–there is no literal jail or geographical location it is referring to. Rather is signifies Jesus’ access to “the realm of the dead”==the grave. It represents His power to raise the dead to life again.

Ecclesiastes 9:10 reminds us of our initial destiny as it states: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work of device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” But isn’t there a text somewhere that says something goes back to God? Yes, there is in Ecclesiastes 12:7: “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” The dust part we seem to understand pretty well–the body disintegrates into its original components. But what is that spirit God gave to man? We go back to Genesis 2:7 to discover the original formula God used to create mankind in the very beginning. Here it is: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (the Hebrew word for “breath” is the same word translated “spirit”); and man became a living being (“soul” in the old King James Version).” So after using the dust of the ground to form man, what He gave Him was the breath of life, which enabled him to become a living person. Now if I breathed into a dead person, for example, nothing would happen. But God is the source of life, so His breath does make a difference. So that spirit that goes back to God who gave it is the essence of life. When that returns to God, the person ceases to exist temporarily. There was no conscious being in heaven before his creation and there is no conscious being left after death, at least temporarily. It is like going to sleep. Remember the verse in 1 Corinthians 15:18 which compares death to a sleep. When you are asleep you have no awareness of what is going on. When you wake up you have no idea how long you have slept–whether 10 minutes or 10 hours–until you look at your watch or see the sun coming up. It seems as though it was only an instant of time. Likewise, whether you have been dead a minute or a thousand years, it will seem as though it was just the blink of an eye till you wake up and see Jesus coming for you! There will be no awareness of the passing of time.

There are many other scriptures which use the word “sleep” to refer to the death experience.
This idea of death as a sleep is used by Jesus Himself as recorded in John 11 in the story of Lazarus. He was apparently a close friend of Jesus, so when Lazarus became deathly sick, his sisters sent a message to Jesus about it, expecting Him to come pronto. He didn’t, but waited awhile, with a specific purpose in mind. But in verse 11 He finally told His disciples, “‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.’ Then His disciples said, ‘Lord, if he sleeps he will get well. ‘ However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’”

But another important question comes up: ok, if I go to the grave when I die and am then later resurrected, am I the same person? What happens to my identity, personality, etc., if I have no conscious existence in this interim period? The way I like to think of it is that as part of this “spirit” that returns to God, our life force, included in that package if you please, is my personal identity, my personality, etc., everything that makes up who I am. So, then, my identity is preserved in the mind of God–what safer place could there be?! God has an incredible infinite mind that is never overloaded. And He is like an artist who envisions a picture in His mind and then transfers it onto canvas. In the beginning God did that when He created earth. He simply spoke and what He saw in His mind became reality. So on the resurrection day all God has to do is speak the word and the dead come to life again, with their personal identity package restored. We will know each other in the resurrection–but we will have glorified bodies with no defects. Won’t that be great?! And since God is not dependent on pre-existing matter to create, it won’t matter whether our death came as a result of being burned at the stake or being eaten by wild animals. Our identity is always safe with God.

One thing to keep in mind through all this, is that God loved us very intensely to make all this possible. Jesus risked His own eternal life to come live and die in our behalf and take the punishment for our sins so we could live with Him forever. It was as if He couldn’t bear to live in eternity without us. Yes, He definitely has the keys to death and the grave so we can be assured death does not have the last word–God does. How much we owe in praise to our loving Creator!

That seems to be a typical response of Jesus to human fear. Once when the disciples were in the middle of a terrible storm on the Sea of Galilee (Mt. 14:25, 26) Jesus came walking on the water. They thought He was a ghost and were fearful, but His quick words of comfort were “It is I–be not afraid.” Another stormy event on the same lake (Mk. 4:40) found Jesus asleep in the boat with them. Upon awakening and seeing their fear, He calmed the storm and remarked, “Why were you so afraid–do you still not have faith?” Good question still today for those of us who wrestle with fears and panic attacks. A wonderful promise is in Isaiah 41:10: “Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea I will help thee, yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” There is that victorious right hand again.

There would be some fearful events about to be portrayed in some of John’s visions, so this reminder at the beginning was a good one to hear. Besides, it is best to learn the lessons of trust now, while troubles are relatively minor, before encountering the more severe ones in the future.

But how does the next phrase–”I am the first and the last”–correlate with “don’t be afraid”?
It is stated as though it is the reason John shouldn’t be afraid. We saw that same phrase in verse 11 of this same chapter, so its repetition must mean it is significant. It is a phrase found several times in the Old Testament as well–Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12, 13; 43:1, 11-13 for example. The concept suggests one who can finish what he begins, one who is in control and not thwarted by obstacles. In other words, Christ is able to accomplish His ultimate purposes in spite of all obstacles, so don’t worry, no need to fear the outcome or your personal destiny. Besides, we already know the final results by reading the last part of the book of Revelation. In Hebrews 12:2 it calls Him the author and finisher of our faith and in Philippians 1:6 it says He who began a good work in you will complete it–i.e. He is competent to do so as we cooperate with Him. So don’t be discouraged if you slip up–get beck up and walk with Jesus again. He is able to extricate us from embarrassment and difficulty and ultimately to present us faultless before the throne of God with exceeding joy (Jude 24). Amazing grace! And there is more. He is able to keep what we have committed to Him (2 Timothy 1:12). He is able to aid those who are being tempted (Hebrews 2:18). And He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).

Back in the 60s I was attending school in Germany. One afternoon after church students from our school went into the city to do street ministry with musical instruments, preaching, and giving out tracts. Right above the plaza where we were working was a large billboard advertising the James Bond film “Goldfinger.” The gold-gilded lady was quite a contrast to our activities below. But I still have one of the tracts they passed out then–”Das Letzte Wort Spricht Gott”–God speaks the last word, or in more idiomatic English “God has the last word” or “God has the final say-so.”

Ultimately He who is first and last will indeed have the last word–evil will one day be exterminated (see Hebrews 2:14). Even death doesn’t have the final say-so, for at the final judgment, it, too, will be eliminated (Revelation 20:14). Justice will have been administered, the love of God will have triumphed, and all things will be made new (Revelation 21:5). Even losing our lives here is not the end, for there is a spectacular resurrection at the coming of Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17). What a wonderful future we have to look forward to as we stay close to Jesus during these tumultuous times.