RSV ~ Revelation 2 Notes
Rev 2:1-3 | ISB Notes
John addresses seven churches in Asia Minor that lie within a 50-mile radius of one another. (1) Traditionally, it is held that the Apostle John settled in this area and ministered to these very churches in the later years of his life. (2) Geographically, the sequence of churches moves clockwise from Ephesus to Laodicea and may reflect the postal route of the day. (3) Structurally, each letter begins with an image that appeared in chap. 1 and ends with an allusion to chaps. 19-22. (4) Spiritually, the zeal of these churches is declining, with Ephesus in the best shape and Laodicea in the worst. (5) Historically, these letters allude to concrete circumstances and experiences of Asian Christians in the first century.
Rev 2:1 | ISB Notes
Ephesus: The most prestigious cultural, commercial, and religious center in the Roman province of Asia. Paul established the Church there (Acts 19:1-10) and later commissioned Timothy to build on his foundation (1 Tim 1:3). It is uncertain as to when John assumed pastoral responsibility over Ephesus and the other churches in the region.
Rev 2:4 | ISB Notes
abandoned the love: The Ephesians had turned their hearts away from Christ and let their enthusiasm for Christian living die down (Mt 24:12). According to Jesus, this constitutes a spiritual “fall” from which they must recover (Rev 2:5).
Rev 2:5 | ISB Notes
remove your lampstand: The price of impenitence is divine judgment. The threat of removal may recall the historical plight of Ephesus, a city that was twice forced to relocate because of the silting of its river and harbor.
Rev 2:6 | ISB Notes
the Nicolaitans: Early tradition links these heretics with Nicolaus, one of the seven deacons ordained in Acts 6:5. Whatever their background and origin, the Nicolaitans are said to have had a dangerously casual attitude toward idolatry and sexual immorality. Their corruptive influence was already at work among believers in Pergamum (Rev 2:15).
Rev 2:7 | ISB Notes
him who conquers: The one whose commitment to Jesus triumphs over every temptation to compromise or lose faith. The seven letters reveal the eternal rewards that await the saints who persevere (2:11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21).
tree of life: Signifies everlasting life and communion with Christ (22:14). Perhaps the promise is a strike at the Greek fertility goddess, Artemis, whose temple was located in Ephesus and who was sometimes depicted as a fruitful tree.
• Humanity was barred from the tree of life after the rebellion in Eden (Gen 3:22), but access has been regained through Christ, who gives a foretaste of its blessings in the Eucharist. See note on Jn 6:58.
Rev 2:8 | ISB Notes
Smyrna: Thirty miles north of Ephesus. Smyrna was fiercely loyal to Rome, a supporter of emperor worship, and home to a large Jewish community openly hostile to Christianity. Destroyed in 600 B.C. and refounded in 300 B.C., the city is addressed by him who truly died and came to life again.
Rev 2:9 | ISB Notes
synagogue of Satan: The perpetrators of Christian persecution in Smyrna are Jewish. Because Jews were the only ones in the Roman Empire legally exempt from worshiping the emperor and participation in the imperial cult, they could easily betray Christians to the Roman authorities for confessing Jesus as Lord (instead of Caesar) and practicing what was still an unauthorized religion in the eyes of Rome (Acts 14:2; 17:5-8). For Paul’s estimate of what constitutes a true Jew, see Rom 2:17-29.
Rev 2:10 | ISB Notes
ten days: Possibly an allusion to the pagan rites of Niobe, practiced in Smyrna, whose devotees underwent ten days of mourning.
• Daniel and his friends were also tested for ten days lest they compromise their faith by eating foods contaminated by idolatry (Dan 1:8-14).
the crown of life: Means the crown that is (eternal) life. See note on Jas 1:12.
Rev 2:11 | ISB Notes
the second death: The eternal death of hell, described as a “lake of fire” (20:14; 21:8).
Rev 2:12 | ISB Notes
Pergamum: Forty-five miles northeast of Smyrna. Pergamum distinguished itself as the earliest and most enthusiastic center of emperor worship in the region. This and other forms of pagan religion made it the seat of “Satan’s throne” (2:13).
Rev 2:13 | ISB Notes
Antipas: An early Christian martyr of whom nothing else is known.
Rev 2:14 | ISB Notes
teaching of Balaam: Certain troublemakers were permitting what the Jerusalem Council had prohibited: the consumption of idol food and the practice of sexual immorality (Acts 15:29). On the relation between this prohibition and Paul’s teaching in 1 Cor 8-10, see essay: Paul, Idol Food, and the Jerusalem Council at 1 Cor 9.
• Balaam appears in Num 22-24 as a Mesopotamian magician who counseled Moabite women to seduce the men of Israel into sexual and idolatrous sin (Num 25:1-3; 31:16). The warning that perpetrators of sin will face Christ’s word of judgment, symbolized as a sword (Rev 2:16), recalls how Balaam was eventually slain with the sword (Num 31:8).
Rev 2:17 | ISB Notes
the hidden manna: Refers to Christ himself, whose glory is concealed in heaven but whose coming in history (Incarnation) and liturgy (Eucharist) was foreshadowed in the gift of the manna given to Israel.
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• Manna was the bread that Yahweh gave to the pilgrims of the Exodus, a sample of which was hidden away in the Ark of the Covenant (Ex 16:31-34; Heb 9:4). a white stone: Used in the ancient world to cast a vote of acquittal or carried as a pass to gain en
trance into invitation-only assemblies. The believer is thus shown to be righteous or innocent, as well as invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb (19:7-9). a new name: A new identity in Christ (19:12) that admits believers into the heavenly presence of the Lord and the Lamb (22:3-4; Is 62:2) (CCC 2159).
Rev 2:18 | ISB Notes
Thyatira: Forty miles southeast of Pergamum. Thyatira was originally a military outpost that evolved into a commercial city famous for its trade guilds (Acts 16:14). These guilds had patron deities that its members were expected to honor in idolatrous ways. Failure to do so could mean both social disgrace and financial disaster for the conscientious Christian objector.
Rev 2:20 | ISB Notes
Jezebel: A false prophetess leading believers astray into religious idolatry and sexual impurity. These sins are direct violations of the pastoral decree issued by the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:29).
• The “Jezebel” of Revelation harkens back to Jezebel, the Sidonian wife of Ahab, king of Israel (1 Kings 16:31), and the chief adversary of the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-2). Jezebel ruthlessly slaughtered the innocent (1 Kings 21:1-16) and was infamous for her harlotries and sorcery (2 Kings 9:22).
Rev 2:23 | ISB Notes
as your works deserve: Christ will judge the churches for their deeds, rewarding the righteous with eternal life and repaying the wicked with everlasting death (20:12). The doctrine of judgment according to works is also taught by Paul (Rom 2:6-8) and the OT (Ps 62:12) (CCC 679).
Rev 2:24 | ISB Notes
the deep things of Satan: May suggest that the followers of Jezebel dabbled in sorcery and astrology, i.e., occult arts that lead practitioners to spiritual ruin (21:8).
Rev 2:27 | ISB Notes
rod of iron: Conquerors will possess in full what they already possess in part: a share in Christ’s reign over the world (5:10; 22:5).
• The iron rod calls to mind Ps 2:8-9, where David’s royal heir is offered dominion over all nations. Solomon’s empire, though the largest of any Davidic king in the OT, was only a faint approximation of the worldwide kingdom ruled by Christ (Mt 28:18-19; Rom 1:3-5). A rod or scepter figures in other messianic prophesies, as well (Gen 49:10; Num 24:17).
Rev 2:28 | ISB Notes
morning star: A name for the planet Venus, visible just before daybreak. It was a symbol of victory in pagan antiquity that later became a symbol of Christ’s Resurrection and victory over death (22:16; 2 Pet 1:19). The promise here is a bodily resurrection and may also allude to the believer’s triumph over the dark forces at work in pagan astrological practices.