The Revelation of St. John the Divine

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 2 -

(Acts 19:8–12; Ephesians 1:1–2)

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.

I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles.

Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name.

But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love.

Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

But you have this to your credit: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of God.

To the Church in Smyrna

To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, who died and returned to life.

I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.

Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death.

To the Church in Pergamum

To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of the One who holds the sharp, double-edged sword.

I know where you live, where the throne of Satan sits. Yet you have held fast to My name and have not denied your faith in Me, even in the day when My faithful witness Antipas was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.

In the same way, some of you also hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.

To the Church in Thyatira

(Acts 16:11–15)

To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like polished bronze.

I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latter deeds are greater than your first.

But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols.

Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling.

Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds.

Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan: I will place no further burden upon you.

Nevertheless, hold fast to what you have until I come.

And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations.

He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery (a)—just as I have received authority from My Father.

And I will give him the morning star.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Footnotes

(a)2:27 Psalms 2:9 (see also LXX)

(Acts 19:8–12; Ephesians 1:1–2)

“To the angel of the assembly in Ephesus write: “He who holds the seven stars in his right hand, he who walks among the seven golden lamp stands says these things:

“I know your works, and your toil and perseverance, and that you can’t tolerate evil men, and have tested those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and found them false.

You have perseverance and have endured for my name’s sake, and have (a) not grown weary.

But I have this against you, that you left your first love.

Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I am coming to you swiftly, and will move your lamp stand out of its place, unless you repent.

But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of my God.

To the Church in Smyrna

“To the angel of the assembly in Smyrna write: “The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life says these things:

“I know your works, oppression, and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Don’t be afraid of the things which you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested; and you will have oppression for ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. He who overcomes won’t be harmed by the second death.

To the Church in Pergamum

“To the angel of the assembly in Pergamum write: “He who has the sharp two-edged sword says these things:

“I know your works and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. You hold firmly to my name, and didn’t deny my faith in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.

But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to throw a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.

So also you likewise have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. (b)

Repent therefore, or else I am coming to you quickly and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes, to him I will give of the hidden manna, (c) and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows but he who receives it.

To the Church in Thyatira

(Acts 16:11–15)

“To the angel of the assembly in Thyatira write: “The Son of God, who has his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like burnished brass, says these things:

“I know your works, your love, faith, service, patient endurance, and that your last works are more than the first.

But I have this against you, that you tolerate your (d) woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. She teaches and seduces my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols.

I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.

Behold, I will throw her and those who commit adultery with her into a bed of great oppression, unless they repent of her works.

I will kill her children with Death, and all the assemblies will know that I am he who searches the minds and hearts. I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

But to you I say, to the rest who are in Thyatira—as many as don’t have this teaching, who don’t know what some call ‘the deep things of Satan’—to you I say, I am not putting any other burden on you.

Nevertheless, hold that which you have firmly until I come.

He who overcomes, and he who keeps my works to the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.

He will rule them with a rod of iron, shattering them like clay pots, (e) as I also have received of my Father;

and I will give him the morning star.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.

Footnotes

(a)2:3 TR adds “have labored and”

(b)2:15 TR reads “which I hate” instead of “likewise”

(d)2:20 TR, NU read “that” instead of “your”

(e)2:27 ℘ Psalms 2:9