Revelation 2 (NIV)

Summary:

To the Church in Ephesus
Verses 1-7

Description of Christ:  Holds 7 stars in His right hand, walks among 7 golden lampstands
Praise:  For their deeds, hard work, perseverance; do not tolerate wicked men; tested and found false apostles; endured hardship for His name; hate Nicolaitan practices, as He does
Warning:  Had forsaken their 1st love - must remember the height from which they fell; must repent and return to their initial deeds, or He will remove their lampstand
Reward:  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Verse 7a); to them that overcome - He will give the right to eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God

To the Church in Smyrna
Verses 8-11

Description of Christ:  The First and the Last, died and came back to life
Praise:  Despite their afflictions and poverty, they are rich
Warning:  He knows the slander of those who say they're Jews, but are a synagogue of Satan (that is, these "Jews" were slandering the Church of Smyrna); don't fear what they're (Smyrna) about to suffer - the devil will put some of them in prison to test them; some will be persecuted for 10 days
Reward:  Be faithful, even to the point of death; He will give you the crown of life; "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Verse 11a); to them that overcome - they won't be hurt at all by the 2nd death

To the Church in Pergamum
Verses 12-17

Description of Christ:  Has a sharp, double-edged sword
Praise:  They live where Satan has his throne, but remain true to God's name; they did not renounce their faith, even when His faithful witness, Antipas, was put to death in their city, where Satan lives
Warning:  Some follow the teachings of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and to practice sexual immorality; some follow the practices of the Nicolaitans; repent or He will soon come and fight them with the sword of His mouth
Reward:  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Verse 17a); to them that overcome, He will give them some of the hidden manna and a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the individual receiving it

To the Church in Thyatira
Verses 18-29

Description of Christ:  Son of God; eyes like blazing fire, feet like burnished bronze; searches our hearts and minds and will repay us according to our deeds
Praise:  Knows their deeds, love, faith, service, perseverance, and that they're now doing more than what they had initially done
Warning:  They tolerate Jezebel, the self-proclaimed "prophetess", who misleads His servants into sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols.  God had given her time to repent, but she is unwilling.  He will cast her onto a bed of suffering.  Those that commit adultery with her will suffer intensely, unless they repent.  He will strike Jezebel's children dead, then all the churches will know that He is the searcher of hearts.
Reward:  Those that do not hold to her teachings and haven't learned Satan's so-called "deep secrets", God will not impose more burdens on them.  Hold on to what you have until He returns.  Those that overcome and do His will, He will give authority over the nations, as He has received authority from His father.  " 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; He will dash them to pieces like pottery...' " (Psalm 2:9; Verse 27a)   He will also give them the morning star.  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Verse 29)

Lori's Thoughts:

Another Summary

Description of Jesus Christ:  He holds the 7 stars and walks among the 7 golden lampstands.  These are the 7 angels and 7 churches, respectively (see Revelation 1 posting).  He has a sharp, double-edged sword in His mouth.  This is a symbol of the Word of God.  "Take...the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."  (Ephesians 6:17).  He is the First and the Last.  "In the beginning was the Word...and the Word was God."  (I John 1:1 New American Standard Version)  "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  (Matthew 28:20b)  Christ died and came back to life.  He is the Son of God.  His eyes are like blazing fire and His feet are like burnished bronze.  He is the searcher of hearts and the repayer (I just made that word up) of deeds.

We have chosen salvation, but we must reap what we have sown.  "The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."  (Galatians 6:8)  If we have opened doorways for the devil to have access to us, then ask God to close those doorways, after you have accepted Him as your Savior and Master.  You can be sure the devil will be pissed off and attack you for shutting him out.  Ask God for the strength to stand and accept the consequences of your previous actions.

I opened doorways for the devil through the occult - horoscopes, studying my astrological sign, having my tarot cards read, listening to rock music used in devil worship (even though this is not what I was consciously doing).  The Holy Spirit instructed me to destroy all articles associated with the occult - CDs, books, writings on astrology, DVDs, and a t-shirt with my sign on it.  I then asked God to bind the demons, expel them, and close any doorways to the devil.  I will not go into the details, but I have been attacked, spiritually, by demons, as recently as two days ago.  But, I know who holds me and sustains me.  He has always seen me through and will see me through in the future, for as long as I desire and choose Him.  (If you would like further reading about expelling sin from your life, I encourage you to read "Prepare for War" by Rebecca Brown ***only if you are already reading the Bible daily.)

Praise:  What Jesus praised the churches for are what we should practice now.  We should work hard and persevere in our faith.  We should not tolerate wickedness, such as being around people that sin, even if we're not participating.  "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."  (Galatians 5:19-25)

We should test the spirits.  Don't believe everyone claiming to know Jesus.  Christ Himself just told us who He is.  Don't be deceived by anyone claiming He is anything more or less.  Although we live in the world, Satan's domain, we must stay true to our Father in heaven by what we do and believe.  Keep your faith, especially when things go wrong.  Love, serve others, and grow in faith.

Warning:  Likewise, we can learn from these churches about what to avoid.  We should not forget where we started from, becoming prideful and thinking that we're better than other sinners.  We should not be involved in idolatry or sexual immorality.  We shouldn't fear persecution, because Christ has promised to be with us always.   We should be wary to not be deceived by those claiming to be prophets or apostles.  This is why we must test the spirits.  If we do not repent of our sinful ways, we will suffer and be struck down by Christ.  He is patient, even with Jezebel.  If we reject Him, as she did, we will pay the price - death.

Reward:  This is what we have to look forward to, if we stick with Christ through the end.  We will be with God in paradise and eat from the tree of life.  That is, we will live forever.  We will not experience the second death.  (See I Thessalonians 4:13-18)  We will also eat manna, which is the bread of heaven.  (See Exodus 16:15)  We will receive a new name on a white stone and a crown of life.  For our perseverance, Christ will hold back more persecution, to help us stand.  We will receive authority over nations and the morning star.  (I'm not sure about the meaning of these two, but they're from God and I know He is good, so what He gives us is good.)

Other Thoughts

I googled the Nicolaitans, but what I found I cannot verify as fact.  These are educated opinions.  The English meaning of this Greek word is "conquerors of the lay people".  In other words, those in authority over regular Joes and Janes.  This may refer to the hierarchy of some churches, that place people in authority to mediate between them and God.  Christ is the only mediator, since He abolished the old covenant (the one given in Moses' time) when He died on the cross.  Another interpretation of the Nicolaitans are people that practice sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols.

Sexual immorality is a main theme in this chapter.  Now, sex is a gift from God.  God gave Eve to Adam, because He knew Adam was lonely.  Adam and Eve had sex as husband and wife.  Sexual immorality is anything else aside from how God intended it to be.  If you pay attention to the news, you can see how the devil is using demons of lust to attack Christians.  It has now become a joke that priests and children are a bad combination.  [The devil wants you to believe that you will experience no pleasure with God.  Not so!  If anyone has interest in our well-being and enjoyment, it is God!  For example, I heard this great analogy a little while ago - God did not have to give us taste buds when He created us.  We don't need to taste to nourish our bodies.  But, He wanted us to enjoy the food He provided for us, so He gave us the ability to taste.]  The demons of lust are the most prevalent.  Surrender your temptations to Christ.  He will fulfill you in His time and in His way.  "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen."  (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Another theme is the repetition of the verse:  "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."  We need to train ourselves to listen to God's voice.  I am learning how to differentiate between my voice, the negative thoughts the devil puts in my head, and the instructions God gives me.  During my Bible studies, or throughout my day (during which I talk to God as a friend), ideas occur to me and they just make sense.  I don't hear a voice or have visions, I just know.  The problem I have is when I think something and I'm not sure where it came from.  I'm pretty sure those are my thoughts, which are confusing.  I think I've gotten pretty good at recognizing the devil's thoughts, after having been plagued by them during my 25 years of depression.  Here's some words of encouragement - the devil can't read your mind while you are in communication with God.  So, "pray continually."  (I Thessalonians 5:17)

Christ quotes a verse from Psalm, in verse 27.  God promised David that He would make him king over Israel, and that " 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; He will dash them to pieces like pottery...' ".  (Psalm 2:9)  Christ prophesies that those that overcome will also rule.  We will dash the nations like pottery...  the only thing I can think of to explain this is humility before God.

I commend you if you stuck through this long posting.  Take it to heart.  Search for yourself God's instructions for you.  Grace, peace, joy, and love be your in Christ!