Rev 2:11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.'
We saw the first part of verse 11 eariler in Rev 2: 7. Same start but the finish of verse 11 has a reference to a second death. No where in the New Testament (except in Revelation) does it mention a second death.
There is a speculation of two different possibilities of where this mystery may have an explaination.
1. Many Jews and the early Christians believed in an state which we passed through until the time of judgment. Kind of an intermediate state, between heaven and here. If this was so, then there would be two deaths, one from the world, physical, and one from the intermediate level where the wicked would die again, spiritually. It said in Rev 2:11 that "the one who conquers" would not be hurt by the "second death" therefore, only the wicked would experience this.
2.Ecclesiastes 9:4,5 4But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. From this passage, the Sadducees and the Epicureans believed that the latter portion,(...but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.) this would mean there is no live after death. That there is nothing after death. Ecclesiastes 2:15,16: & 9:2 brings more confirmation to their speculation. The orthodox Jew interpreted it to mean there was two deaths, physical and an after death which was to be the judgment of God which could lead to the spiritual death depending on how you had lived.
We are not to understand this at this moment, it is one of the things that will be reviled to us. It is to remain a mystery until Christ comes again and then we gain the certain knowledge. I chose to believe Romans 8:38 & 39 - 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We need to follow Him, love Him ( and each other) and stay faithful.
Blessings on all,
Calabash
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Revelation 2: 9 & 10
Rev 2:9.... and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.10Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Notice the term "synagogue of Satan" that it used to describe the Jews. It is taking a favorite term of the Jews and twisting it. The term was utilized when the Jews gathered and called themselves " the assembly of the Lord". The Jews were the major instigators of the persecution of the Christians. It is seen several times in the book of Acts alone. There were six main reasons for the slanders of the Christians at that time.:
1. The taking of the Sacrament- (this is my body, this is my blood) lead to stories of cannibalism.
2. Common meal was titled Agape, or Love Feast. This lead to stories of orgies.
3. The Christians did not worship an image. Many could not (and still do not) understand the worship of a god that you cannot see.
4. Families were split (and again still are today) with the belief of Christ and those in the family who do not.
5. The Christians told of the end of the world in flames, this is being incendiary.
6. And finally, they would not state "Cesar is Lord" so there was disloyalty politically.
The Christians were told not to fear and the suffering would continue. And it did, two centuries of Roman persecution, starting with Nero. There were many governors that put many Christians to death just because they were Christians. (This still happens today...look at China and Egypt). The last Roman "lord" to do this was Diocletian, he was the 10th. the early Christians believed he would be the last and was. Ironside in his Book, Lectures on Revelation puts it the best, "The testimony of the dying again and again led their very persecutors to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior because of the convincing power of the truth manifested in the martyrs. Satan's effort to destroy Christianity by persecution was in vain."
The crown of life is mentioned several times in the New Testament. Crowns were a sign of honor, victory, accomplishment .....a real winner! They were presented to not only athletes but to the man who faithfully performed the work of a magistrate.
Crown in the Greek has two words in discription. One diadema, meaning royal crown and two, Stephanos having a meaning to do with joy and victory. Stephanos associates with many meanings, all of them have something to do with riches to thought the word. It is not a royal crown we will be offered in the final victory.
Notice the term "synagogue of Satan" that it used to describe the Jews. It is taking a favorite term of the Jews and twisting it. The term was utilized when the Jews gathered and called themselves " the assembly of the Lord". The Jews were the major instigators of the persecution of the Christians. It is seen several times in the book of Acts alone. There were six main reasons for the slanders of the Christians at that time.:
1. The taking of the Sacrament- (this is my body, this is my blood) lead to stories of cannibalism.
2. Common meal was titled Agape, or Love Feast. This lead to stories of orgies.
3. The Christians did not worship an image. Many could not (and still do not) understand the worship of a god that you cannot see.
4. Families were split (and again still are today) with the belief of Christ and those in the family who do not.
5. The Christians told of the end of the world in flames, this is being incendiary.
6. And finally, they would not state "Cesar is Lord" so there was disloyalty politically.
The Christians were told not to fear and the suffering would continue. And it did, two centuries of Roman persecution, starting with Nero. There were many governors that put many Christians to death just because they were Christians. (This still happens today...look at China and Egypt). The last Roman "lord" to do this was Diocletian, he was the 10th. the early Christians believed he would be the last and was. Ironside in his Book, Lectures on Revelation puts it the best, "The testimony of the dying again and again led their very persecutors to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior because of the convincing power of the truth manifested in the martyrs. Satan's effort to destroy Christianity by persecution was in vain."
The crown of life is mentioned several times in the New Testament. Crowns were a sign of honor, victory, accomplishment .....a real winner! They were presented to not only athletes but to the man who faithfully performed the work of a magistrate.
Crown in the Greek has two words in discription. One diadema, meaning royal crown and two, Stephanos having a meaning to do with joy and victory. Stephanos associates with many meanings, all of them have something to do with riches to thought the word. It is not a royal crown we will be offered in the final victory.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Revelation 2: 8-first part of 9
Rev 2:8 And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: 'The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life .9I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) .....
Kind of a neat thing here, Smyrna means mryyh. Myrrh is the dried gum resin of a species of tree. It is unusual in that it needs to be crushed to give its fragrance. There is an irony here in that Smyrna was deeply under the heal of the Roman empire and being "crushed" yet it was giving off the sweet smell of the word and power of God leading to much martyrdom. It is believed this is where the text is the churches tribulation and poverty yet, they are rich. The church didn't have the huge ornate buildings in which to worship. they went to caves, hidden places, and catacombs, and always with someone watching for the Roman enemies approach. They were outcasts, persecuted by Rome and poor. Yet in the eyes of God, they were rich, in faith.
the poverty of the Christians were do to two things:
One, they were usually a lower class of society, at that time the range between the upper and lower society was wide. Second, there were mobs that woudl just suddenly attack and wreck homes...especially Christian homes. Wow what a test of faith. How would we hold up under that?
Blessings on all!
Calabash
Kind of a neat thing here, Smyrna means mryyh. Myrrh is the dried gum resin of a species of tree. It is unusual in that it needs to be crushed to give its fragrance. There is an irony here in that Smyrna was deeply under the heal of the Roman empire and being "crushed" yet it was giving off the sweet smell of the word and power of God leading to much martyrdom. It is believed this is where the text is the churches tribulation and poverty yet, they are rich. The church didn't have the huge ornate buildings in which to worship. they went to caves, hidden places, and catacombs, and always with someone watching for the Roman enemies approach. They were outcasts, persecuted by Rome and poor. Yet in the eyes of God, they were rich, in faith.
the poverty of the Christians were do to two things:
One, they were usually a lower class of society, at that time the range between the upper and lower society was wide. Second, there were mobs that woudl just suddenly attack and wreck homes...especially Christian homes. Wow what a test of faith. How would we hold up under that?
Blessings on all!
Calabash
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Pre Revelation 2 8-11 Symrna
Symrna was known for it's beauty, of all the cities of Asia, it was the most beautiful. It was frequently called the crown of Asia or the flower of Asia. There was a west wind that blew almost constantly through the streets of Symrna, a type of gentle breeze. However, the breeze sometimes contained the odor of the cities sewage which drained into the gulf. In addition it would blow the sewage itself back into the city rather than out to the water.
Symrna was located at the end of a road that crossed Lydia and Phygia. The road continued on east for trade with Hermus valley. The city was in a land locked harbor and was noted to be one of the safest and most convenient of all harbors. Symrna smartly figured out a way to chain the harbor off in time of war so access could be denied.
To add to the cities picturesque beauty, with the sea in front, and the rolling foothills surrounding, there was a back drop of the Pagos, (a hill covered with temples and buildings). Symrna was actually a planned city, founded as a Greek colony around 1000 B.C. Then about 600 B.C. the Lydians came in from the east and destroyed it. For 400 years it laid as a collection of villages, no city. Then the Lysimachus rebuilt it, with wide, straight streets. Most famous for the streets due to the care and planning put into them. Highly noted was the Street of Gold which began at the Temple of Zeus and ended at the Temple of Cybele.
Symrna, in the life of a city, actually died and came back to life. Symrna was a free city and placed it's undying loyalty in Rome. It was the first city in the wold to build a temple to the goddess Roma. In addition, it was granted permission to build a temple to the godhead of Tiberius. Symrna had the games, had a public library, a theater and was the birthplace of Homer.
Symrna was numerous in the Jewish population and was especially hostile to Christians. One of the most famous martyrdom occurred there. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna was the martyr. It happened on a Saturday Feb. 23 155 A.D. Polycarp did not flee, and would not say Ceasar is Lord reguardless of the numerous request from the citizens, friends and famly. The proconsul gave him a choice of cursing the name of Christ and a sacrifice to Caesar or, Death! Polycarp's words were, "Eighty and six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" At that, the proconsul was promising to burn him. His reply, "You threaten me with the fire that burns for a time, and is quickly quenched, for you do not know the fire which awaits the wicked in the judgment to come and in everlasting punishment. Why are you waiting? Come, do what you will." The crowds went wild, started gathering fire wood. They went to bind Polycarp who said to leave him be, God would give him power to endure the fire! So, they left him unbound. Then Polycarp went into prayer, it is told the flames made a tent around him, not harming him. Seeing this, the executioner stabbed him to death. It was told a dove came out of his chest, and so much blood that killed the flames. What is sure in the story is that Polycarp died a martyr for the faith.
Blessings to all !
Calabash
Symrna was located at the end of a road that crossed Lydia and Phygia. The road continued on east for trade with Hermus valley. The city was in a land locked harbor and was noted to be one of the safest and most convenient of all harbors. Symrna smartly figured out a way to chain the harbor off in time of war so access could be denied.
To add to the cities picturesque beauty, with the sea in front, and the rolling foothills surrounding, there was a back drop of the Pagos, (a hill covered with temples and buildings). Symrna was actually a planned city, founded as a Greek colony around 1000 B.C. Then about 600 B.C. the Lydians came in from the east and destroyed it. For 400 years it laid as a collection of villages, no city. Then the Lysimachus rebuilt it, with wide, straight streets. Most famous for the streets due to the care and planning put into them. Highly noted was the Street of Gold which began at the Temple of Zeus and ended at the Temple of Cybele.
Symrna, in the life of a city, actually died and came back to life. Symrna was a free city and placed it's undying loyalty in Rome. It was the first city in the wold to build a temple to the goddess Roma. In addition, it was granted permission to build a temple to the godhead of Tiberius. Symrna had the games, had a public library, a theater and was the birthplace of Homer.
Symrna was numerous in the Jewish population and was especially hostile to Christians. One of the most famous martyrdom occurred there. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna was the martyr. It happened on a Saturday Feb. 23 155 A.D. Polycarp did not flee, and would not say Ceasar is Lord reguardless of the numerous request from the citizens, friends and famly. The proconsul gave him a choice of cursing the name of Christ and a sacrifice to Caesar or, Death! Polycarp's words were, "Eighty and six years have I served him, and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" At that, the proconsul was promising to burn him. His reply, "You threaten me with the fire that burns for a time, and is quickly quenched, for you do not know the fire which awaits the wicked in the judgment to come and in everlasting punishment. Why are you waiting? Come, do what you will." The crowds went wild, started gathering fire wood. They went to bind Polycarp who said to leave him be, God would give him power to endure the fire! So, they left him unbound. Then Polycarp went into prayer, it is told the flames made a tent around him, not harming him. Seeing this, the executioner stabbed him to death. It was told a dove came out of his chest, and so much blood that killed the flames. What is sure in the story is that Polycarp died a martyr for the faith.
Blessings to all !
Calabash
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Revelation 2:5,6 & 7
Rev 2:5Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place, unless you repent. 6Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.'(esv)
Verse 5;
Ephesus church was doing good works, fighting the good fight and trying to endure. But, something was missing......love had left! Therefore, Christ makes three requests here. First to remember. For those of us who know Christ and believe, the first step is to remember where we came from, what we went through to get here and the rewards Christ has so generously given us already.
Then Christ ask that we repent. Figure out where we have fallen away and fix it! Acknowledge we are to blame, take personal responsibility and ask for forgiveness.
Finally Christ ask us to go on and "do". Get back on track, sin no more, accept the grace of God and do what needs to be done.
Verse 6:
Nicolaitans in the Greek is made up of two words: Nico meaning "overcome" and Laitanes which means "lay people". There has always been people who want to build a hierarchy within the church. A righteous ruling group, making themselves better than the common person. Fornication was prevalent among the leaders of the Nicolaitanes. Here we read the Lord commending the church of Ephesus for not allowing these type of leaders in the church.
Verse 7
We read here that all the letters were meant to be read to all the churches. There are great principles in each letter that are helpful for all churches everywhere.
In 1 John 5:4 we see that a believer who has the Holy Spirit within automatically has the power to overcome by being born again by faith. For those of us who overcome, there is a promise, "to eat of the tree of life". This reference takes us back to the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:9), there we find the tree of life which was forbidden to be eaten because the fruit would make a man like God.
This concludes the first letter! Plenty to think about here and hopefully, act on!
Blessings to all,
Calabash
Verse 5;
Ephesus church was doing good works, fighting the good fight and trying to endure. But, something was missing......love had left! Therefore, Christ makes three requests here. First to remember. For those of us who know Christ and believe, the first step is to remember where we came from, what we went through to get here and the rewards Christ has so generously given us already.
Then Christ ask that we repent. Figure out where we have fallen away and fix it! Acknowledge we are to blame, take personal responsibility and ask for forgiveness.
Finally Christ ask us to go on and "do". Get back on track, sin no more, accept the grace of God and do what needs to be done.
Verse 6:
Nicolaitans in the Greek is made up of two words: Nico meaning "overcome" and Laitanes which means "lay people". There has always been people who want to build a hierarchy within the church. A righteous ruling group, making themselves better than the common person. Fornication was prevalent among the leaders of the Nicolaitanes. Here we read the Lord commending the church of Ephesus for not allowing these type of leaders in the church.
Verse 7
We read here that all the letters were meant to be read to all the churches. There are great principles in each letter that are helpful for all churches everywhere.
In 1 John 5:4 we see that a believer who has the Holy Spirit within automatically has the power to overcome by being born again by faith. For those of us who overcome, there is a promise, "to eat of the tree of life". This reference takes us back to the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:9), there we find the tree of life which was forbidden to be eaten because the fruit would make a man like God.
This concludes the first letter! Plenty to think about here and hopefully, act on!
Blessings to all,
Calabash
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Revelation 2 1:4
Rev 2 :1To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lamp stands 2 I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false 3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Verse one:
This is the identification that the Risen Christ is talking.
Verse two & three:
John was the founder and pastor of the church of Ephesus. It may have been the finest churches of the first century. Last blog we discussed where and what made up the city of Ephesus, and yet the church was "on fire for Christ", smack in the middle of one of the most pagan cities in Asia. Here Christ commended them for their good works, their patients and "bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary". The new testament is full of the need to test those who claim to "come from God" by asking them to accept the Incarnation in all its fullness (1 John 4:1-3). The new testament mentions the need to test repetitively making it a necessity for the church. To continue, Paul tells Thessalonians to test all things and then hold onto what is good (1 Thess. 5:21). Paul also says the prophets are subject to testing each other.(1 Cor. 14:29). William Barclay in his book "The Revealtion of John (which much of my material is from) says a "man cannot proclaim his private views in the assembly of God's people: he must abide in the tradition of the Church." I agree with this statement and feel the proclamation and acceptance of Christ risen should be warn on your sleeve like a a badge of honor, for all to see and hopefully want as well. There is always room for more!
Verse four:
This phrase "that you have lost your first love", may mean a couple of things:
1. Lack of enthusiasm
2. The heart was slowly moving away from Christ.This second meaning is more plausible for the context. The decline that started in the first days of the church continued until the Laodicean days (until now). The Laodicea Church was charged with being "lukewarm" neither hot nor cold. Many feel this is the way the church is today. Now is a good time to evaluate one's self, are you luke warm? Is your relationship with Christ what it needs to be, are you doing what Christ wants you to do? Or, are you feeling there are things you should be doing but, are not. Rev 3:16 says that you will be spit out of Christ's mouth if you continue to be luke warm and not "on fire" or hot for Christ and his purposes.
Well, this is enough for this Blog.....Remember, you can contact me through the e-mail or, feel free to write a comment on the blog!
Blessing to all,
Calabash
Verse one:
This is the identification that the Risen Christ is talking.
Verse two & three:
John was the founder and pastor of the church of Ephesus. It may have been the finest churches of the first century. Last blog we discussed where and what made up the city of Ephesus, and yet the church was "on fire for Christ", smack in the middle of one of the most pagan cities in Asia. Here Christ commended them for their good works, their patients and "bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary". The new testament is full of the need to test those who claim to "come from God" by asking them to accept the Incarnation in all its fullness (1 John 4:1-3). The new testament mentions the need to test repetitively making it a necessity for the church. To continue, Paul tells Thessalonians to test all things and then hold onto what is good (1 Thess. 5:21). Paul also says the prophets are subject to testing each other.(1 Cor. 14:29). William Barclay in his book "The Revealtion of John (which much of my material is from) says a "man cannot proclaim his private views in the assembly of God's people: he must abide in the tradition of the Church." I agree with this statement and feel the proclamation and acceptance of Christ risen should be warn on your sleeve like a a badge of honor, for all to see and hopefully want as well. There is always room for more!
Verse four:
This phrase "that you have lost your first love", may mean a couple of things:
1. Lack of enthusiasm
2. The heart was slowly moving away from Christ.This second meaning is more plausible for the context. The decline that started in the first days of the church continued until the Laodicean days (until now). The Laodicea Church was charged with being "lukewarm" neither hot nor cold. Many feel this is the way the church is today. Now is a good time to evaluate one's self, are you luke warm? Is your relationship with Christ what it needs to be, are you doing what Christ wants you to do? Or, are you feeling there are things you should be doing but, are not. Rev 3:16 says that you will be spit out of Christ's mouth if you continue to be luke warm and not "on fire" or hot for Christ and his purposes.
Well, this is enough for this Blog.....Remember, you can contact me through the e-mail or, feel free to write a comment on the blog!
Blessing to all,
Calabash
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Pre Chapter 2:1-7
Before we dive in, we need to know that the first letter was to Ephesus. So, what kind of place was the letter addressed to?
Ephesus was a providence of Asia and not the capitol but, was Asia's greatest city. It was considered "The Light of Asia". One large reason making it great was its location. It was on the coast making it the greatest harbor in Asia. The majority of the roads converged there, from major cities such as Mesopotamia, Cayster Valley, Euphrates, Colossae and Laodicea. The road from Galatia actually reached the sea through Ephesus. This made the city a huge market place. All major travel and Roman elite came by way of Ephesus. Ignatius called Ephesus the Highway of the Martyrs. The position of Ehpesus alone made it the greatest and wealthiest city in Asia.
If a city gave "service" the the Empire, it was considered a "free city". This allowed Ephesus to be self-governing, and was not forced to have Roman troops there. The Roman governors toured most of the provinces and tried many important cases at Ephesus during their tours. In addition, there was sports! Yearly games in Asia were held in Ephesus drawing people from all around.
The Temple of Artemis was there and people worshiped Diana of the Ephesians there. This temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Don't forget the temples made for the godhead of the Roman Emperors such as Nero, Claudius, and Hadrian were located there as well. Of Ephesus religion, paganism was by far the strongest. Ephesus produced the Ephesian Letters, charms and amulets used for illness, to bring pregnancy, to ensure prosperity and similar things. These were big selling items, and people came from all over to buy them.
So, I would guess you could imagine that with the huge city population, and an ecclectic group of persons traveling into the city for, worshiping , celebrating, visiting, traveling, selling and buying comes immorality, crime and deviance. The Temple had a special place of "right of asylum", which meant that any criminal was safe there...if only they could reach the area. The temple also housed many priestesses who were sacred prostitutes! I would venture to say that Ephesus could be a very evil crime filled immoral place.
This was a perfect place for Christianity to have some wonderful "wins"! Paul stayed in Ephesus for an extended time, Timothy was call its first bishop (1 Tim 1:3), Aquila, Priscilla and Apollos was there. John was familiar with Ephesus and Ephesus familiar with John. It was the place to find the lost and to spread the gospel.
What of Ephesus today? Nothing! It is all in ruins. But it was a great place to prove the power of Christ and Christianity.
I will leave it there for tonight. Next, we start with the letter.
Blessings to all,
Calabash
Ephesus was a providence of Asia and not the capitol but, was Asia's greatest city. It was considered "The Light of Asia". One large reason making it great was its location. It was on the coast making it the greatest harbor in Asia. The majority of the roads converged there, from major cities such as Mesopotamia, Cayster Valley, Euphrates, Colossae and Laodicea. The road from Galatia actually reached the sea through Ephesus. This made the city a huge market place. All major travel and Roman elite came by way of Ephesus. Ignatius called Ephesus the Highway of the Martyrs. The position of Ehpesus alone made it the greatest and wealthiest city in Asia.
If a city gave "service" the the Empire, it was considered a "free city". This allowed Ephesus to be self-governing, and was not forced to have Roman troops there. The Roman governors toured most of the provinces and tried many important cases at Ephesus during their tours. In addition, there was sports! Yearly games in Asia were held in Ephesus drawing people from all around.
The Temple of Artemis was there and people worshiped Diana of the Ephesians there. This temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Don't forget the temples made for the godhead of the Roman Emperors such as Nero, Claudius, and Hadrian were located there as well. Of Ephesus religion, paganism was by far the strongest. Ephesus produced the Ephesian Letters, charms and amulets used for illness, to bring pregnancy, to ensure prosperity and similar things. These were big selling items, and people came from all over to buy them.
So, I would guess you could imagine that with the huge city population, and an ecclectic group of persons traveling into the city for, worshiping , celebrating, visiting, traveling, selling and buying comes immorality, crime and deviance. The Temple had a special place of "right of asylum", which meant that any criminal was safe there...if only they could reach the area. The temple also housed many priestesses who were sacred prostitutes! I would venture to say that Ephesus could be a very evil crime filled immoral place.
This was a perfect place for Christianity to have some wonderful "wins"! Paul stayed in Ephesus for an extended time, Timothy was call its first bishop (1 Tim 1:3), Aquila, Priscilla and Apollos was there. John was familiar with Ephesus and Ephesus familiar with John. It was the place to find the lost and to spread the gospel.
What of Ephesus today? Nothing! It is all in ruins. But it was a great place to prove the power of Christ and Christianity.
I will leave it there for tonight. Next, we start with the letter.
Blessings to all,
Calabash
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)