will fight against them with the of the hidden manna, and will sword of my mouth. 17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches: To him that overcometh will I give to eat the Hebrews employs a comparison instead of a metaphor. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart;" Heb. iv. 12. The word of God being the sword, is said to be the sword of the mouth. By that word they would be condemned, if they did not reform. give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it. 18 And unto the angel of the let. It was a sign of worth and purity. The figure perhaps was drawn from the breast-plate of the high priest, which had four rows of precious stones, three in each row, and on each stone was engraved the name of one of the tribes. In this way Aaron bore the names of the children of Israel in the breast-plate of judgment upon his heart, when he went in before the Lord. He thus presented them justified in God's sight; Exod. xxviii. 29, 30. God 17. He that hath an ear. - See threatened the Jews who showed signs the remarks on verses 7 and 11 of of idolatry, that he would destroy this chapter. ¶ Hidden manna.—' - The them, "and blot out their name from manna was that food from heaven by under heaven;" Deut. ix. 14. Here which the children of Israel were sus- are the opposites. Those who fortained in their forty years' journey sook the true God, and turned to idolthrough the wilderness. It was a atry, were to have their names blotted favorite custom of the apostle John to out; while those who were faithful to represent the gospel under the figure the end, and kept themselves free of food. He learned it of his Master. and uncontaminated by the idolatry Jesus called himself the bread of God, by which they were surrounded, that came down from heaven to give should have a new name, a more life to the world. It was the same honored name, which, like the names style of metaphor to represent the of the tribes on the breast-plate of gospel by manna, -- hidden, not visi-judgment, should be engraved on a ble manna. This may have reference to the manna being kept in a pot in the temple; or it may mean spiritual manna, such as is not visible to the outward sense of sight. In ver. 7 we read that he who overcame should "eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." The hidden manna is another metaphor to describe the same thing. The intention was, to signify that the Christians who were faithful under 18. Thyatira. - This was a considthe trials described in the Apocalypse, erable city, not a great distance from should be entitled to, and should Pergamos, and in the way from the enjoy, the highest delights of the gos- latter place to Sardis. It is menpel. White stone. This was a tioned in Acts xvi. 14, where we are mark of honor. The stone here told that the pious Lydia, who rereferred to was a beautiful white tab-ceived Paul and Silas at Philippi, stone, white as a sign of purity and honor. And this name should be a pass-word to glory and distinction. None should know it, except him who received it. It could not, therefore, be counterfeited; and it was a sure security to the individual who possessed it that his honors should never be lost. EPISTLE TO THE CHURCH AT THYATIRA. church in Thyatira write; These | and thy patience, and thy works; things saith the Son of God, and the last to be more than the who hath his eyes like unto a first: flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; 19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, belonged to Thyatira. The modern name of it is Akhissar. Smith and Dwight, the American missionaries at Armenia, state that its aspect is poor and mean, that it has of late been built up of wood, and that it probably has not more than five thousand inhabitants, of whom fifteen hundred may be Greeks. Mr. Elliott, in his Travels, gives a more favorable account, and represents the inhabitants to be nearly double the number given above. Perhaps, says McCulloch, the truth may lie between these conflicting statements. Son of God. - This is the only instance of this phrase in the Apocalypse. We find the expression in all the New Testament; but no writer employs it so often as John; see Gos. i. 34; iii. 18; v. 25; ix. 35; x. 36; xi. 4; xix. 7; xx. 31; 1 Epis. iii. 8; iv. 15; v. 5, 10, 13, 20. By the use of this phrase in the case before us, we are distinctly told that the glorious personage mentioned in chapter i. as being "like the Son of man," was the Lord Jesus Christ. Compare i. 14, 15, with ii. 18. This will verify the fact completely. In both cases his eyes are said to be as flames of fire, and his feet as fine brass. 19. I know thy works. It will be seen that works are twice referred to in this verse. We think the sense of the verse is this: "I know thy works in general, thy charity, thine administering to others, thy faith, thy patience, these are thy works. And the last more than the first.Two seasons are here referred to, viz., the season before, and the season during, tribulation, In the last, the church at Thyatira appeared to more advantage than in the first. This 20 Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a was an excellent commendation, and was the reverse of what was said to the church at Ephesus, verses 4, 5. Still the church at Thyatira was not perfect. Their last state, on the whole, was better than the first, but it was not wholly without fault. -- 20. That woman Jezebel.. The Jezebel, by way of distinction, was the wife of Ahab, mentioned in the 1st and 2d books of Kings. She led her husband into idolatry, slew the prophets of the true God, entertained the prophets of Baal, in great numbers, at her own table, and at last came to a miserable death. She was a woman of great impurities. The name Jezebel occurs only once in the Apocalypse. It is not probable there was a person at Thyatira by that name; but it is used metaphorically, either for some corrupt woman who had so great an influence in the church that she could not be expelled, or for a body of false teachers. As the Jezebel mentioned by the revelator is said to have claimed to be "a prophetess," she was probably some influential female, called by that name, because her character and influence were like those of Jezebel of olden time, exceedingly bad. seduced God's servants to commit fornication, which may be understood literally or metaphorically, for unfaithfulness to God, and impurity in the matter of faith. ¶ Eat things sacrificed unto idols. Among other vices she seduced God's servants to eat things sacrificed unto idols. This has been before mentioned as one of the errors of Balaam; see ver. 14. When the early Christians became convinced that it was the purpose of God to receive the Gentiles into the She prophetess, to teach and to seduce tribulation, except they repent my servants to commit fornica- of their deeds. tion, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. 21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not. 22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great church, the first among the duties impressed upon them seems to have been, that they should "abstain from meats offered to idols" Acts xv. 20, 29. This prohibition was not given, probably, because the church supposed the food was in itself rendered injurious, but because the reception and constant use of it would lessen the horror of idolatry, which all the holy men of old had sedulously sought to preserve in God's people. The hope of redeeming the world_from idolatry was vested in them. Every barrier, therefore, to the ingress of that species of false religion was kept up. The influence of the Gentiles, at their admission into the church, was feared on these accounts. They were required, therefore, as a matter of great importance, that they should not eat the food that had been connected with idolatrous sacrifices; see Acts xxi. 25. Paul did not regard the eating of this food as vicious in itself, but the influence of it was decidedly bad; see the whole eighth chapter of the 1st Epistle to the Corinthians; see also same Epis. x. 19, 28. The influence of Jezebel, then, was decidedly heathenish. The fornication mentioned was perhaps that which was metaphorically so called; for when the Jews worshipped the idols of the heathen, they were said to go a whoring after other gods; Exod. xxxiv. 15, 16; Lev. xx. 5, 6; Deut. xxxi. 16; Psa. lxxiii. 27; Ezek. vi. 9. We are inclined to think this is the sense in which fornication is to be understood in the case before us, 23. And I will kill her children with death. - Children seems here put for followers. To kill with death is a Hebraism, signifying utter, thorough death. Her name shall rot; her followers shall die; and her punishment shall be so signal and remarkable that "all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts; and I will give unto every one of you according to your works." Such was to be her fate. According to her works. This is the principle on which divine retribution is inflicted, as we shall take occasion to show in another place, if our limits will allow; see, for our present purpose, Psa. lxii. 12; || Jer. 1. 29; Hos. xii. 2; Matt. xvi. 27; Rom. ii. 6; 2 Cor. xi. 15; Rev. xx. 12. Thus we see that the principle referred to is recognized both in the Old Testament and the New. 24. This doctrine.-Viz., the doc unto the rest in Thyatira, As many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden: 25 But that which ye have already, hold fast till I come. trine of Jezebel, which she had taught. They had suffered her to teach her errors, ver. 20, by which she had seduced God's servants to spiritual fornication, and led them to eat things sacrificed to idols. Upon those in Thyatira who had not this doctrine, God would put no other burden than that which he had already enjoined upon them, viz., that of rooting the influence of Jezebel out of the church. Depths of Satan, as they speak. They, of course, did not acknowledge them to be depths of Satan; but they called them depths, i. e., profound matters. The Greek word for depths is not of very frequent occurrence in the New Testament. It may be found, Matt. xiii. 5; Mark iv. 5; Luke v. 4; Rom. viii. 39; xi. 33. In 1 Cor. ii. 10, it is put for "the deep things of God." See also 2 Cor. viii. 2; Eph. iii. 18. The heathen boasted much of their deep mysteries, which were connected with their idolatrous practices, and to this boasting it seems probable the revelator refers. 25. But that which ye have already. -Viz., those things which had been commended in them, their works, their charity, their service, faith and patience; ver. 19. They were directed to hold these fast until the coming of the Son of man. Till I come. This is the language Christ employed to denote his coming at the destruction of Jerusalem; John xxi. 22, 23. "The time was not far distant when they might expect this." -(Prof. Stuart.) See also the long and valuable note of Dr. Hammond on this place, who defines the end, (ver. 26,) and the coming, (ver. 25,) 26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 (And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers :) even as I as referring to the coming of Christ for the destruction of the Jews, and the judging of the nations according to their works, 26. He that overcometh, to him will I give power over the nations. - You shall go out and propagate the gospel, and reign spiritually in the hearts of men. 27. Rod of iron. - The power of the gospel shall break them in pieces, like a potter's vessel. This is evidently a quotation from the 2d Psalm, where it is said of Jesus that he shall break the nations with a rod of iron, (or iron sceptre,) and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel; and hence it is said in Revelation, "He shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers." ¶ Even as I received of my Father. Is not this a direct reference to the authority given him in that Psalm? Wherein does Jesus rule the nations and dash them in pieces? Not as an earthly mon arch, but as a spiritual ruler. How are the kingdoms of this world to become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ? In what sense is Jesus to reign forever and ever? Not as an outward prince. He reigned when in his flesh, in all his humility; he reigned even on the cross; yes, when dying, he reigned with greater power than at any other time. His followers shall reign with him; the saints shall judge the world, and overturn the ancient order of things, until Jesus shall be everywhere acknowledged. 28. The morning-star.· To get the sense here, observe that the Son of God was encouraging the faithful received of my Father. 29 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. A CHAPTER III. ND unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and CHAPTER III. See the EPISTLE TO THE CHURCH IN SARDIS. Christians at Thyatira with the prom-xxii. 16. But even this glory he was ise that they should share the glories willing to share with his followers. and honors belonging to himself. He "I will give him that overcometh and shared the glories and honors of the keepeth my works unto the end," i. e., Father, and they should share the unto the time when I come, "the glories and honors of the Son. Jesus morning-star." "He shall share my said, when on earth, "And now, full glory, the glory which I had with O Father, glorify thou me with thine thee before the world was. I will own self, with the glory which I had clothe him with radiance like that of with thee before the world was;" the morning-star." John xvii. 5. This primitive glory 29. He that hath an ear. — might be called the glory of the morn-notes on verses 7, 11, 17. ing stars, because it was when the foundations of the earth were laid, that "the morning-stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy;" Job xxxviii. 6, 7. The same glory was to be shared by Christ's faithful followers. "Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world;" John xvii. 24. "And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one;" Idem. 22. Hence Jesus promised to his followers, that they should reign with him in his kingdom, and like him sway the nations with an iron sceptre. Their glory should be like his glory. Daniel, whose style the revelator closely imitates, had said, "They that be wise, shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever;" xii. 3. In chap. i. 16, it had been said of the Son of man, "his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength." The Christians were called "the light of the world," Matt. v. 14. Jesus, being preeminently the light of the church, called himself "the bright and morning-star;" Rev, 1. Angel. The angel of the church was its minister, or presiding officer. See the notes on ii. 1, 8, 12, 18. Paul was an angel of God; Gal. iv. 14. T Sardis. In the Scriptures we find Sardis mentioned only by the revelator; i. 11; iii. 1, 4. It was an ancient city of Lydia, the capital of the monarch of the country. It was situated at the foot of Mt. Tmolus, on the river Pactolus, which run through the place. It was a city of great wealth, Croesus the rich being one of the Lydian kings; and the influences which were exerted here were almost altogether unfavorable to the prosperity of Christianity. A miserable village called Sart is now found on the site of this once famous city. The seat of royalty, of wealth, of human greatness, we ought not to be surprised to learn that the gospel declined more rapidly here than in either of the seven churches. ¶ Seven spirits of God. We have largely considered this form of expression under ch. i. 4, to which we refer. It is not designed to represent God as septiform; but the figure is drawn from the customs of ancient mon |
