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Christ exhorts the congregation at Ephesus to repent and to begin again to love him and each other.
Revelation 2:1-7
1 He also said to me, “Write this message to the leader [MET] of the congregation in Ephesus city: ‘I am saying these things to you: I am the one who firmly holds the seven stars in my right hand. I am the one who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2 I know what you do: You labor for me intensely, and you continue to serve me steadfastly. I know that you cannot tolerate people who teach what is evil [MTY], and that you investigated people who falsely claimed that they are apostles, and you found that they were lying.
3 I know also that you continue to serve me steadfastly. Even when people ◄caused you to suffer/persecuted you►, you continued to serve me because you believe in me, and you have not become too tired to keep on serving me.
4 Nevertheless, I have this complaint against you: You no longer love each other and me as you did when you first [MTY] trusted in me.
5 So, I tell you to remember how you used to love me and each other, and to realize that you no longer love as you did. I tell you to turn away from your sin of not loving me and each other, and start loving each other and me again as you did at first. If you do not turn away from your sinful behavior, I will come to judge you and cause your group to cease to be a Christian congregation [MET].
6 But you have the following good quality: Those Nicolaitans teach you believers that you can worship idols and that you may act immorally. However, you hate such teaching, just like I also hate it.
7 Everyone who wants to understand my message [MTY] must listen carefully to the message that God’s Spirit speaks to the congregations. To everyone who overcomes Satan, I will give the right to eat fruit [MTY] from the tree that gives eternal life, the tree that is in God’s garden.’ ”
Christ exhorts the congregation at Smyrna not to fear what they will suffer, but to trust in him, even if they must die because they trust in him.
Revelation 2:8-11
8 “Write this message to the leader [MET] of the congregation in Smyrna city: ‘I am saying these things to you. I am the one who caused everything to have a beginning and who will cause all things to end. I am the one who died and became alive again.
9 I know that you suffer because of what unbelievers do to you, and that you lack material possessions. But I also know that you are spiritually [MET] rich. I know that people ◄slander/say evil things about► you. They say that they are Jews, but I do not consider that they are Jews. I consider that they belong to the group that Satan controls!
10 Do not be afraid of any of the things that you are about to suffer. The truth is that the devil is about to put some of you in prison, to tempt you to deny that you believe in me. For a short period of time you will suffer because of what people will do to you [MTY]. Continue to trust in me, even if they kill you because you trust in me. As a result, I will reward you with eternal life, just like [MET] people reward a victorious athlete by putting a wreath on his head.
11 Everyone who wants to understand [MTY] must listen carefully to the message that God’s Spirit speaks to the congregations. After those who conquer Satan die, they will live with God. They will never suffer again, even though many others will suffer as though they died a second time.’ ”
Christ exhorts the congregation at Pergamum to stop listening to what the Nicolaitans teach.
Revelation 2:12-17
12 “Write this message to the leader [MET] of the congregation in Pergamum city: ‘I am saying these things to you. I am the one who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 I know where you live: It is where Satan controls [MTY] people. I know that you firmly believe in me [MTY]. You did not deny that you believe/trust in me, not even in the time when Antipas, ◄my faithful witness/who faithfully told people about me►, was alive. He was killed {People killed him} in your city, a city where people habitually obey Satan.
14 Nevertheless, I have this complaint against you: You permit some of your members to teach things like Balaam taught long ago. He taught Balak to persuade the Israeli people to sin. Specifically, he taught them to eat food that had been offered to idols, and to practice sexual immorality.
15 In that way, you are also permitting some of your members to practice what the Nicolaitans teach, which is like what Balaam taught.
16 So you must stop doing this. If you do not stop doing it, I will come to you suddenly. Using the words that I will say I will fight against those who believe this false teaching [MTY], and I will ◄condemn them/say that they must be punished►.
17 Everyone who wants to understand [MTY] must listen carefully to the message that God’s Spirit speaks to the congregations. To everyone who conquers Satan, I will give blessings that will be like the food called manna that is in a jar that is {that someone has} hidden. I will also give them a white stone on which I will engrave a new name, a name that no one but the ones who receive it will know.’ ”
Christ rebukes the congregation at Thyatira for tolerating a teacher who encourages sexual immorality and eating food offered to idols. He warns those who participate in these things that he will punish them unless they repent, and he exhorts the rest of the members to remain loyal to him.
Revelation 2:18-29
18 “Write this message to the leader [MET] of the congregation in Thyatira city: ‘I, ◄the Son of God/the one who is also God►, am saying these things to you: I am the one whose eyes shine [SIM] like a flame of fire, and whose feet shine [MET] like fine brass.
19 I know that you love me and each other, and that you trust in me. I know that you serve others and that you steadfastly endure a lot of difficulties/trials. I know that you are doing these things more now than you have done them in the past.
20 Nevertheless, I have this complaint about you: You tolerate that woman among your members who is like [MET] that wicked queen Jezebel who lived long ago. She says that she ◄is a prophetess/proclaims messages that come directly from God►, but through what she teaches she is deceiving my servants. She is urging them to commit sexual immorality and to eat food that they have offered to idols.
21 Although I gave her time to stop her sexual immorality and pagan practices, she did not want to stop doing them.
22 As a result, I will cause her to become very ill [MTY]. I will also cause those who act immorally as she does [MET] to suffer greatly, if they do not stop doing what she does.
23 Some have become like her children by doing what she teaches [MET]; I will certainly get rid of them. As a result, all the congregations will recognize that I am the one who finds out what everyone thinks and desires [MTY]. I will reward each of you according to what you have done.
24 But I have something good to say about the rest of you believers in Thyatira. It is good that you do not accept that false teaching. It is good that you reject what those teachers call their ‘secret practices’, practices that Satan inspired (OR, what those teachers facetiously call the secret, profound practices that Satan inspires). I will not burden you with any commands other than that which you already have been told.
25 Just keep believing firmly in me, and obey me until I return.
26 As for those who conquer Satan and who (OR, because they) keep on doing what I command until they die, I will give them authority, just like I myself received it from my Father. They will exercise that authority over the nations that rebel against God.
27 They will rule them severely as if they were striking them [HYP] with an iron rod. They will destroy those who do evil things just like people shatter clay pots [MET].
28 I will also enable everyone who conquers Satan to shine gloriously like the morning star does [MTY, MET].
29 Everyone who wants to understand [MTY] must listen carefully to the message that God’s Spirit speaks to the congregations.’ ”