Apocalipse 2
A.T. Robertson · Citado em PreceptAustin
Apocalipse 2
Robertson on fallen - perfect tense active indicative of piptō, state of completion. Down in the valley, look up to the cliff where pure love is and whence thou hast fallen down. Newell - “Fallen”(perfect tense)! With all their earnestness and activity, the leaving of their first intense love made them a fallen assembly! “Remember—repent—do first works!” Recalling, even with severe effort and anguish, our moments of greatest devotion to our Lord, the hours when we felt most deeply His tender love, and our own response—to remember such times—this is our first task. Thus His love, His goodness, will lead us to repentance (cf Ro 2:4+). Repentance is not mere sorrow (though godly sorrow works repentance—2 Corinthians 7:10+); but repentance is a changed state of soul. It is “the judgment we have passed, in God’s presence, under grace, upon ourselves and all we have done and have been.” In this case especially it will be “the goodness of God that leadeth us to repentance.” (cf Ro 2:4+) Christ’s unvarying, undiminished affection for us, even through our coldness and neglect, will break us up. If not, nothing will! (Commentary on the Revelation) Tony
Apocalipse 2
Robertson observes "Faith is dominant in Paul, victory in John, faith is victory (1 Jn 5:4+)." As Charles Swindoll reminds us "While it is true that believers will receive rewards proportionate to their works at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:10–15; 2 Cor. 5:10), the promises in Revelation apply to ALL BELIEVERS (ED: READ THAT AGAIN BELOVED!!!) who have overcome death, sin, the world, and the devil by faith in Christ alone. The specific promise in Revelation 2:7 refers back to the book of Genesis, tying together the all-but-forgotten original creation and the always-longed-for new creation. What a glorious future we look forward to: enriching fellowship, intimacy with the Almighty, and enduring love! (See Insights on Revelation - Page 36) CHRIST'S PROMISE TO OVERCOMERS I will grant to eat of the tree (xulon) of life (zoe) - I will grant speaks of Christ's authority and sovereignty over everything! This grant denotes a gift of His Own accord and good will! And it is a gift from Christ for all believers, because all believers are overcomers. This particular gift, in a sense, is the realization of the gift promised to Adam in the Garden of Eden, but one regarding which he could not partake because of his sin! What the first Adam loss by sin, the last Adam gained by sacrifice. Overcomers can partake because they are no longer in Adam but in Christ! And one other important distinction is that none of these promises from Jesus to overcomers in the seven letters has even a hint of the dreaded woes depicted in Revelation 4-19. Note Jesus uses the verb eat, indicating that we as overcomers/believers will enjoy eating in our glorified bodies and we can be assured it will be perfectly healthy food! This is a literal tree of life that gives life, both the fullness of life and eternal life, because Jesus on a tree of death, the Cross, in our place. The tree of life is first seen in Genesis 2:9+, in sinless paradise, the Garden of Eden. While the tree of life symbolizes life, but it is a literal real tree in "Paradise Found," just like it was in "Paradise Lost!" The word tree (xulon) is used in 1Pe 2:24+, Peter writing that Jesus "Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross (xulon), so that we might die to sin and live (zao) to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." Christ's death on the tree He created enabled us to become overcomers and to receive life from that the Cross of Christ as the gift of God's grace. Sin had barred man from the tree of life in the Garden (Ge 3:24), but when Christ defeated sin, He restored our right to eat from the tree of life in paradise. Hallelujah! Amen! For victors in the fight there is eternal life without alloy and without fear of failure. -- Herbert Lockyer Tony
Apocalipse 2
Robertson says paradise is "The abode of God and the home of the redeemed with Christ, not a mere intermediate state. It was originally a garden of delight and finally heaven itself as here." Tony
Apocalipse 2
Robertson - Satan not simply resided in Pergamum, but his “throne” or seat of power of king or judge (Mt. 19:28; Lk 1:32, 52). The symbol of Asklepios was the serpent as it is of Satan (Rev 12:9; Rev 20:2, cf 2Co 11:3). There was, besides, a great throne altar to Zeus cut on the Acropolis rock, symbol of “rampant paganism” (Swete) and the new Caesar-worship with the recent martyrdom of Antipas made Pergamum indeed a very throne of Satan. Mounce - Zahn notes that under Diocletian, Christian stonecutters from Rome working in the quarries of Pannonia refused to carve an image of Aesculapius (Latin designation of Asklepios) and consequently were put to death for being followers of Antipas of Pergamum (Zahn, Introduction, 3.421). Andrus - We like to name our cities: St Louis is The Gateway to the West; New York is The Big Apple; New Orleans, The Big Easy; Denver, The Mile High City. But for Jesus to call a place “the City of Satan” indicates the believers there must have faced tremendous opposition. (Sermon) And you hold fast (krateo) My Name - Note that His Name is everything about Him, His attributes, His divinity, His sinlessness, His saving work for sinners. Hold fast is in the present tense indicating they are continuing to hold on! To Whose Name does this refer? Why would Jesus say that in this context? It would be easy to not hold fast Jesus' Name in a place where Satan is ruling. Holding fast Christ's Name speaks of the faithfulness of this church which is underscored by the next commendation that they did not deny Christ. Katoikeo in the letter to the church at Pergamum (3x - Rev. 2:13; Rev. 2:14; Rev. 2:15) Do you see any relationship between the three uses of in this letter? If you are holding fast to the teaching of Christ, you are unlikely to hold fast to false teachings (in this case teaching of Balaam and Nicolaitans. (See the related article Expulsive Power of a New Affection). As Strauss points out "Holding fast His name is not the equivalent of carrying a card or wearing a medal to show that one belongs to some "holy name society." Rather, it is holding to the firm conviction that He is the Lord Jesus Christ—"Lord" [Master], "Jesus" [Mediator], "Christ" [Messiah]. His name suggests His honor, His glorious nature, His holy character, and His redeeming power." (Borrow The Book of the Revelation: Outlined Studies) Walvoord says My Name "seems to embody a personal loyalty and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ with all that this represented." (Revelation 2: The Letters To Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, And Thyatira) 🙏 THOUGHT - "The faithfulness of the church at Pergamos is a challenge to Christians today to stand true when engulfed by the evil of this present world, the apostasy within the ranks of religion, and the temptation to compromise their stand for the truth." (Walvoord - Revelation 2) A T Robertson on holding fast Christ's Name - This church refused to say Kurios Kaisar ("CAESAR [IS] LORD") (Martyrd. Polyc. 8f.) and continued to say [Kurios Iēsous]. They stood true against the emperor-worship." As Paul wrote "no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit." (1 Cor. 12:3). Related Resource: Jesus Name Above All Names - on right side of this page you will find numerous articles regarding various Names of Christ. Strauss observes that Christ praises "those, who were dwelling in the shadow of Satan's throne, for their faithfulness to His name. They might have saved themselves from persecution by merely whispering His name among themselves. Or they might have concluded that they must get along with Satan's crowd, and so, in order to maintain peaceful coexistence and satisfy the enemy, they wouldn't make a spectacle of themselves by identifying themselves publicly with Jesus Christ. But no, they maintained a love for, and loyalty to, Christ's name, and He appreciated their stand." (Borrow The Book of the Revelation: Outlined Studies) Swindoll - Even today, certain places are especially tough for Christians to live. Yet those who remain steadfast are “faithful witnesses.” They refuse to deny Christ’s name, even when Satan moves in next door or sets up shop across the street. Instead, they dig in and hold their ground, regardless of the personal cost. That’s commendable faith! (See Insights on Revelation) 🙏 THOUGHT - Have you ever denied His Name? Most us of have at least in a tacit if not overt sense! We hear a group beginning to mock or denigrate the Great Name above all names and we begin to slink slowly and silently away (I will speak for myself at least - a few times for sure in 36 years!). Gotquestions observes that "The Pergamene believers lived in a difficult place, surrounded by pagan influences, yet they held fast to Christ’s name and did not deny Him during difficult times." And did not deny (arneomai) My faith (pistis) - Not (ouk) is absolutely not. Why does Christ commend the church for not denying My faith? Given the major emphasis the city put on Emperor Worship and their worship of numerous so-called gods, the pressure must have been intense to deny Christ and His teachings. Now don't miss the historical context which helps accentuate their holding fast to Jesus and not denying His teachings, for one of their fellow-believers in Christ had given his life because of his faith. It stands to reason that there was the potential this could happen to any of the Christ proclaimers and "emperor as god" deniers! We are not there yet in America but other countries are (Africa, Middle East, China, etc). Hold on it's coming! Imagine the fearful thoughts that went through the minds of the believers at Pergamum and yet they did not renounce their faith! They buried their dead brother in Christ but did not bury their faith in the living Christ. (ponder Heb 6:12+). What is the idea of "My faith?" Is it their personal faith in Christ (subjective)? Or is it the content of what is believed (objective), ultimately summed up in the Gospel? See faith used to signify the content of what is believer (objective) in Jude 1:3+ (cf Acts 6:7+). Thomas favors that faith here refers to the ACT of believing (their personal trust in Christ) more than to the CONTENT of what they believed. What fact makes it even more commendable that they did not deny the faith? What was Jesus' promise with a warning to His disciples? "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven." (Mt 10:32-33) Did any of His disciples deny Him? Judas denied Him and gained hell. Peter denied Him but repented and returned and became bold to proclaim Him when he was filled with the Spirit (Acts 2:1-3, 14+). MY FAITHFUL MARTYR Lehman Strauss - All we know about Antipas is that he was Christ's faithful martyr. And the Lord commends this assembly that even in the face of such persecution there were those who remained faithful. We shall meet Antipas, and a host of other martyrs, who, having been faithful unto death, will receive a crown of life. We shall witness their coronation when the Lord Jesus Christ shall say to them, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." If your Christian faith and mine were to be exposed to the supreme test, would we stand firm? Would we accept death rather than deny our Lord? Is the name of Jesus Christ more precious to us than life? No trial, however severe, justifies unfaithfulness. "It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:2). (Borrow The Book of the Revelation: Outlined Studies) Even in the days of Antipas, My witness ("My martyr" - martus/martys), My faithful (pistos) one - Antipas is the first named martyr in Asia. Note Jesus use of "My," first person possessive pronoun. Antipas belonged to Jesus (He was Jesus' "possession") and proved it by being willing to die for Jesus (cf Mk 8:34-35+)! Antipas was faithful, trustworthy, reliable and thus surely heard those wonderful words from Jesus' lips "Well done, good and faithful (pistos) slave; you were faithful (pistos) with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master." (Mt 25:21) Some such as Strong's Dictionary suggest that the name Antipas derives from anti meaning against and pas meaning all indicates "against all” which he stood firm against the forces of evil even unto death. Zodhiates writes that Antipas "has been allegorized as antí against, and pás all. The two words would mean against all." Some writes dismiss this possible derivation of his name and prefer to see it as a shortened from of "Antipater." Either way, it would seem Antipas' fate would strongly support the premise that he stood against the false teaching in Pergamum, including the teaching of the Balaamites and the Nicolaitans. Such a stance for righteousness and truth cost him his life. Who was killed (apokteino) among ("by your side" - ATR) you - What is the point of describing this martyr's death among the saints at Pergamum? This would make it every more striking that the believers in Pergamum even when faced with the prospect of martyrdom, they might imitate Antipas and not flinch from the prospect of being martyred! Even Peter denied Christ 3 times when faced with the threat of punishment (or death). Where Satan (satanas) dwells (katoikeo) - Dwells is in present tense (active voice - speaks of choice) which speaks of Satan's continual presence in Pergamum. Recall that Satan in not omnipresent and can only be at one place at a time. However, we know from Job 1:7 that Satan was "roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." Presumably, his throne in Pergamum was his "home base" from which he orchestrated his nefarious operations. Notice that Christ uses almost the identical description of Antipas as He did to describe Himself as "the faithful and true Witness" in Rev 3:14+!(cf Rev 1:5+ = "Jesus Christ, the faithful witness") Gotquestions on the tradition surrounding Antipas - Church tradition says that Antipas was a physician suspected of secretly propagating Christianity. The Aesculapians (members of the medical guild) accused Antipas of disloyalty to Caesar. Upon being condemned to death, Antipas was placed inside a copper bull, which was then heated over a fire until it was red-hot. Robertson on witness - “Witness” as Jesus had said they should be ("you shall be My witnesses" - Acts 1:8+) and Stephen was (Acts 22:20) and others were (Rev. 17:6). The word later (by third century) took on the modern meaning of martyr. What does Jesus call Antipas? MY witness. MY faithful one. If he was "My witness" of whom did he testify? Jesus of course. And why is he referred to as MY faithful one? What is pistos? In this context is speaks of the loyalty of Antipas to Jesus, even willing to die for Jesus. What had Jesus taught His disciples so that they might be better able to stand firm when persecution came? "Do not fear (present imperative with a negative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Mt 10:28+) “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. 23“ But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes. 24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. (Mt 10:22-24+). How sure is persecution to come to a believer? In 2 Ti 3:12+ Paul wrote "Indeed, all who desire (present tense = speaks of their lifestyle) to live godly in Christ Jesus (HOW? "IN" CHRIST) will be persecuted." This is a conditional promise in a sense -- what is the condition? What his the promise? There are not many believers standing in line to claim this promise! Similarly Paul wrote to the saints at Philippi "For to you it has been granted (charizomai - speaks of a gift of God's grace) for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,." (Php 1:29+, cf Acts 14:22+) Dwight Edwards - The word for "desire" (thelo) in 2 Ti 3:12 can also be translated "wish" or "want'. The thought seems to be that any believer with the slightest inkling to break ranks with the world and walk in line behind Christ will feel the heat of this world's rage. If we find that we seldom, if ever, are being persecuted for our faith, then certainly we must question whether we genuinely are "living godly in Christ Jesus." John
Apocalipse 2
Robertson - As in Rev. 2:2 and explained (explanatory use of kai = namely) by what follows. Four items are given, with separate feminine article for each (tēn agapēn, tēn pistin, tēn diakonian, tēn hupomonēn)....More praise is given in the case of Ephesus and Thyatira when blame follows than in the case of Smyrna and Philadelphia when no fault is found.
Apocalipse 2
Robertson - Hold fast (κρατησατε [kratēsate]). First aorist active imperative of κρατεω [krateō], either ingressive (get a grip on) or constative (hold on as a single decisive effort). See present imperative κρατει [kratei] in Rev 3:11 (keep on holding). Until I come - Until is a time sensitive word, which means, in this context, to hold fast up to the point in time mentioned. What "time" is mentioned? The time of Jesus coming back. Some writers favor this refers to the Rapture, but others favor He is referring to His Second Coming. Either way, the point is that the day will come when they (and we) will no longer need to hold fast, because Jesus Himself will hold them (and us) fast for all eternity Hallelujah! Thank You Jesus! Amen! This is when our conflict with evil will come to an end. It is worth noting that this is the first allusion by Jesus to the fact that He would return. Beginning with the letter to Thyatira, all 3 following churches include Jesus referring to His (imminent) return - see Rev 3:3, Rev 3:11 and Rev 3:20. Holding fast until Jesus comes reminds us of John's command in 1Jn 2:28+ - Now, little children, abide (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) in Him, so that (PURPOSE CLAUSE) when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming. Warren