"A Reconfiguration of Revelation 2 and 3, Commentary on Rev. 1

DRAFT: A Reconfiguration of Revelation 2-3 and Commentary on Revelation 1-3

Kuruvilla Thomas
Bangalore
Published on 15 March 2019 *

Introduction

For this study of Revelation 2 and 3, we introduce a new concept: a cryptotranspose. Text that is arranged in the form of a cryptotranspose must be rearranged to be correctly interpreted (as in the case of a cryptochiasmus [1]). The rearrangement of a cryptotranspose is based on patterns and symmetries (as opposed to a cryptochiasmus, where rearrangement is based on chiastic structure and on the time-frame of events in the text). As far as we know, cryptotransposes are only found in the book of Revelation - here, in Rev. 2-3, and in Rev. 4-22. This study treats Revelation 2-3 as a series of 7 cryptotransposes.

In addition, this study has a commentary on the reconfigured Rev. 2-3 and also on Rev. 1 because it is intimately related to these chapters. If you wish to skip the technicalities of a cryptotranspose parse, you may read starting from Part 4 of the Discussion section, which has the reconfigured text.

The apostle John is instructed to send copies of the entire Revelation from Jesus to the 7 churches (Rev. 1:11), but with these different introductory passages in Ch. 2-3 that are tailored to each church.

While Ch. 2-3 may appear to be a relatively straightforward section of Revelation, we notice a few issues with its structure and semantics. For example:

The sentence that begins, "Whoever has ears, let them hear...", and the promises addressed to the "one who is victorious" are in reversed order in some epistles for some reason.
Some of the promises to the "one who is victorious" seem to apply to one individual as they cannot, as we show below, apply to a community.
The sentence that begins, "Whoever has ears, let them hear...", is at or near the bottom of each introductory passage. This exhortation more appropriately belongs near the start of each letter.

We will show that these issues can be addressed with a set of rearrangements of the messages to each of the churches.

Note:
We will use the term "Judahite" to refer to the Israelites - primarily those of the tribe of Judah and their descendants - that remained after the Assyrian exile of the Northern Tribes.

Discussion

1. A Cryptotranspose Parse of Revelation 2 and 3

Each of these 7 letters or epistles from Jesus have 4 parts:

The TITLE section, which is the set of names or titles that is adopted when addressing each church. For example, "These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands."
The MESSAGE to the church. The body of the epistle, which begins with the words "I know...".
The PROMISE section, which has promises to the "one who is victorious".
The SCOPE sentence: "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches." The position of this sentence in the text determines the entity to which the PROMISE section applies.

In the next section, we demarcate the 7 letters into these parts, and also divide some of the verses to facilitate the required reconfigurations.

2. Original Text

We will use the NIV translation for this reconfiguration

We color-code the 4 parts of each letter below for easy visual identification using: green for the TITLE, blue for the MESSAGE, red for the SCOPE and yellow for the PROMISE.

2.1 Revelation Chapter 2

2.1.1 Epistle to Ephesus Vs 1-7: Original Text
1 “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.
2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7a Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
7b To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

2.1.2 Epistle to Smyrna Vs 8-11: Original Text
8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
11a Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
11b The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

2.1.3 Epistle to Pergamum Vs 12-17: Original Text
12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.
13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17a Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
17b To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

2.1.4 Epistle to Thyatira Vs 18-29: Original Text
18a “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God,
18b whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’
26a To the one who is victorious
26b and [who] does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star.
29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

2.2 Revelation Chapter 3

2.2.1 Epistle to Sardis Vs 1-6: Original Text
“1a To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
1b I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.
6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

2.2.2 Epistle to Philadelphia Vs 7-13: Original Text
7a “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy,
7b [(KJV) he that is true], who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
12a The one who is victorious
12b [(KJV) will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.]
13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

2.2.3 Epistle to Laodicea Vs 14-22: Original Text
14a “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen,
14b the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
21a To the one who is victorious,
21b I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.
22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

3. Reconfiguring the text

We propose that two cryptotranspose reconfigurations are necessary to arrange the passages in the correct order for each of the letters, and with these reconfigurations, we show why the SCOPE and PROMISE are in a different order in some of the letters.

3.1 Primary Reconfiguration

For the primary reconfiguration, we perform a simple and consistent rearrangement of the text - that of moving the MESSAGE section below the SCOPE statement and PROMISE section. Because the SCOPE statement now precedes the MESSAGE section, the MESSAGE applies to everybody ("Whoever has ears") and not only to the church addressed.

Since the primary reconfiguration for all the epistles is the same, we perform a reconstruction of the epistle to Ephesus as an example, and we follow the same pattern for the other epistles.

The Epistle to Ephesus after the primary reconfiguration:
1 “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.
7a Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
7b To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.
...[Text Omitted]...
6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

The verse sequence for Ephesus is now:
Ephesus: 1,7a,7b,2-6 (1)

We repeat this reconfiguration for the other epistles:

In Chapter 2:
Smyrna: 8,11a,11b,9-10 (2)
Pergamum: 12,17a,17b,13-16 (3)
Thyatira: 18,26-28,29,19-25 (4)

In Chapter 3:
Sardis: 1a,5,6,1b-4 (5)
Philadelphia: 7,12,13,8-11 (6)
Laodicea: 14,21,22,15-20 (7)

In the next section, we perform a secondary reconfiguration on verse sequences (1) through (7).

3.2 Secondary Reconfiguration

These seven letters are structured according to one of 3 cryptotranspose designs as detailed below. The secondary reconfiguration of these letters are dictated by their design.

3.2.1 Design A: Ephesus, Smyrna and Pergamum

In the letters to Ephesus, Smyrna and Pergamum (the first three), after the first reconfiguration, the SCOPE statement precedes the PROMISE and MESSAGE sections, indicating that the PROMISE and MESSAGE apply to all Christians ("Whoever has ears"). However the rewards in the PROMISE section are only given to those who are faithful to God unto death; so we move the PROMISE section below the MESSAGE to clearly demarcate the two. (This idea is supported by the letter to Sardis, because, in that case, we are constrained by the text to make this same reconfiguration - see Design C below.) Note that in this design, the net effect of the two reconfigurations is merely to move the SCOPE sentence above the MESSAGE section.

The Epistle to Ephesus after the secondary reconfiguration:
1 “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.
7a Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.
...[Text Omitted]...
6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7b To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

The verse sequence for Ephesus is now:
Ephesus: 1,7a,2-6,7b (8)

We apply this reconfiguration to the other two epistles with this design:
Smyrna: 8,11a,9-10,11b (9)
Pergamum: 12,17a,13-16,17b (10)

3.2.2 Design B: Thyatira, Philadelphia, and Laodicea

In the letters to Thyatira, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, after the first reconfiguration, the SCOPE sentence precedes the MESSAGE section but follows the PROMISE section, indicating that while the MESSAGE section applies to all Christians the PROMISE section does not.

But to whom are the rewards, "to the one who is victorious", in the PROMISE section given? In these three letters with design B, we notice that the first name in the TITLE section applies to Jesus, but the rest apply to the coming Messiah, the archangel Michael, who gave this revelation to John (names are similarly mingled in other passages like Rev. 22:13). For example, in the letter to Thyatira, the description in 18b, "whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.", applies to archangel Michael and not Jesus (see commentary on Rev. 1 below). (Note that the coming Messiah is declared victorious when he triumphs to open the seals - see Rev. 5:5).

So for these three letters, the second reconfiguration involves moving the text, "To the one who is victorious", between the name that applies to Jesus and those that apply to the coming Messiah.

The Epistle to Thyatira after the secondary reconfiguration:
18a “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God,
26a To the one who is victorious
18b whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
26b and [who] does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star.
29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet.
...[Text Omitted]...
25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’

The verse sequence for Thyatira is now:
Thyatira: 18a,26a,18b,26b-28,29,19-25 (11)

We repeat this reconfiguration for the other two epistles with this design:
Philadelphia: 7a,12a,7b,12b,13,8-11 (13)
Laodicea: 14a,21a,14b,21b,22,15-20 (14)

3.2.3 Design C: Sardis

The letter to Sardis is the exception that proves the rules - the rules of designs A and B. In this letter, the PROMISE precedes the SCOPE, as in design B; but the TITLE section has only a name for Jesus and none for the Messiah, so a reconfiguration like that in design B is not possible. However we are compelled to perform a reconfiguration like that in design A, as otherwise, the phrase "like them" of vs 5 will not have an antecedent. As in design A, after this reconfiguration, the MESSAGE and PROMISE in the letter to Sardis are for everyone. Note that, as in design A, the net effect of the two reconfigurations is merely to move the SCOPE sentence above the MESSAGE section.

The Epistle to Sardis after the secondary reconfiguration:
“1a To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
1b I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.

The verse sequence for Sardis is now:
Sardis: 1a,6,1b-4,5 (12)

We arrive at the reconfigured passage in the next section by rearranging the verses so they are in sequence (8) through (14).

4. Revelation 2 and 3 Reconfigured

4.1 Revelation 2 Reconfigured

4.1.1 The Epistle to Ephesus: Reconfigured (Rev. 2:1,7a,2-6,7b)

1 “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.

7a Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7b To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

4.1.2 The Epistle to Smyrna: Reconfigured (Rev. 2:8,11a,9-10,11b)

8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.

11a Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
9 I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
11b The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

4.1.3 The Epistle to Pergamum: Reconfigured (Rev. 2:12,17a,13-16,17b)

12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.

17a Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
17b To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

4.1.4 The Epistle to Thyatira: Reconfigured (Rev. 2:18a,26a,18b, 26b-28,29,19-25)

18a “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God,

26a To the one who is victorious
18b whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
26b and [who] does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star.

29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’

4.2 Revelation 3 Reconfigured

4.2.1 The Epistle to Sardis: Reconfigured (Rev. 3:1a,6,1b-4,5)

“1a To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
1b I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.

4.2.2 The Epistle to Philadelphia: Reconfigured (Rev. 3:7a,12a,7b, 12b,13,8-11)

7a “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy,

12a The one who is victorious
7b [(KJV) he that is true], who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
12b [(KJV) will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.]

13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

4.2.3 The Epistle to Laodicea: Reconfigured (Rev. 3:14a,21a,14b,21b,22,15-20)

14a “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen,

21a To the one who is victorious,
14b the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.
21b I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

5 A Commentary on Revelation 1-3

We begin with commentary on the introductory chapter, Rev. 1, because it is intimately linked with Ch. 2-3, before commenting on the reconfigured passages.

5.1 Revelation Chapter 1: Commentary

Prologue

Chapter 1 1 The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who testifies to everything he saw—that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Jesus sent an angel to pass on to the apostle John this prophetic revelation from God. We take the word translated "soon" to mean "at the appointed time", or as predicted by the prophets.

Chapter 1 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

The one who correctly discerns the prophecy (the word translated "reads aloud" can also mean "discerns") and those who heed it are blessed, because, when the prophecy is unsealed and correctly interpreted before the reign of the Beast, then the predictions in it will begin to be fulfilled ("because the time is near" may be better rendered "for then the time is near") (see also Rev. 22:10-11 in [5]).

While all of scripture is a blessing, those who heed this prophecy are explicitly called blessed, especially those living during the reign of the Beast (see [9]), because, based on the detailed revelations in the book that are disclosed ahead of time, they can make wise decisions that lead to eternal life.

Greeting and Doxology

Chapter 1 4 John,
To the seven churches in the province of Asia:
Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5a and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

This greeting from John addresses this prophecy to 7 churches in Asia, a Roman province in the region of Asia Minor (modern Turkey), but we show below that the revelation applies to everyone. John passes on greetings from God ("him who is, and who was, and who is to come"), from the 7 spirits (spiritual beings) before his throne (see also Rev 4:5), and from the resurrected Jesus, the faithful prophet sitting at the right hand of God (Romans 8:34). During his Millennial Reign, Jesus will rule in the New Jerusalem, and will have power over the leaders of the rest of the world (Rev. 2:27).

Chapter 1 5b To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen.

This doxology in praise of Jesus reminds us of his death on the cross, through which faithful Christians and the original Israelites will form a "kingdom of priests" during Christ's Millennial Reign (see Rev 5:10, 20:6).

After the Final Tribulation, Christ will return in glory (2967AD), and all the dead will be raised for the Final Judgement (see Matt. 26:64, 1 Thess. 4:16,17). ( We take the "clouds" to be a mechanism for short-term transport between the spiritual and physical dimensions - see also Matt. 24:30.) All the people of earth who ever lived (except those who were already raptured) will see him, even those Judahites who tortured and killed him at his first coming (Matthew 26:56-67). The wicked of the earth will mourn when they see Jesus, the one they rejected, in all his glory as the true Messiah, for they now face his punishment at the Final Judgement (Rev. 20:12).

Chapter 1 8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

The greeting ends with God, the original source of this revelation, identifying himself as the Almighty (see also vs. 4, Rev. 4:8, 21:6, 22:13). The name, "the Alpha and the Omega", indicates that God is from eternity and the originator of everything (we believe that the meaning of this and other similar epithets lie in the first part of the name and the second part is a sort of literary intensifier or rhetorical flourish).

The Vision of the Angel

Chapter 1 9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

When he was given this prophecy, the apostle John was in exile on the island of Patmos for preaching the gospel - suffering and patient endurance are the lot of Jesus' followers. He was instructed to send out this revelation to 7 churches but with the different introductory sections in chapters 2-3. These 7 churches, listed in clockwise order here, geographically form a rough circle, and they represent the 7 divisions of the worldwide church (see Rev. 1:20), the faithful around the earth. John was given this revelation on the Lord's day, the Sabbath, and this is relevant to the initial vision of Ch. 4-5, in which he sees the Sabbath Assembly in the Heavenly Throne Room.

Chapter 1 12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

The one like a man ("son of man" in this context means "man" - cf. Dan. 7:13) in this passage was the angel who brought this message to John (see vs 1) and not Christ (Christ is described as a Lamb in this prophecy - see Rev 5:6 for instance). Considering that the angel's description closely resembles that of the angel in Dan. 10:5-6 (and for other reasons), we believe the angel is Michael, the coming Messiah (see our parse of Dan. 8 [4] and of the Janus in Dan. 10-11 [6]).

The angel's appearance represents his spiritual qualities: the white hair may represent wisdom; the gold sash, royalty (Dan. 12:1); the robe, priesthood (Exo. 28:31); the blazing eyes, knowledge and insight (see Isa. 11:2, see also Rev. 19:12, Rev. 2:18); the bronze feet, spiritual strength (Zech. 6:1); the loud voice probably indicates that his words will be spread around the world; his face shone like the sun, presumably from being in the presence of God (Exo. 24:39); and the double-edged sword in his mouth indicates that he will destroy the wicked with the truth from Christ (see Rev. 19:15, Isa. 11:4, 49:2, Heb. 4:12). The lampstands and the stars apply primarily to Jesus, as explained in vs. 20 below.

Chapter 1 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

John was deeply affected by the awesome sight of the angel, just as Daniel was in Dan.10. The angel comforts John, and, speaking as Jesus, identifies Christ as the sender of this message (the angel, though he speaks for Jesus, uses the first person pronoun, talking as though he himself were Jesus). Jesus is the First and the Last (see also Rev. 22:13, 2:8), which means that Jesus is the firstborn of all creation (Col. 1:15) and its king (Rev. 17:14). Jesus is also the firstborn from the dead and holds the keys to Thanatos (the word translated "Death") and Hades - regions in the realm of the dead for the good and the wicked respectively (see also Luke 16:23). He will raise the dead from these regions at the First (Rev 20:5) and the Second Resurrections (Rev. 20:13).

Chapter 1 19 “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.

Although the book of Revelation primarily consists of prophecies about the distant future, small sections refer to events of the past and of the time of John, specifically: the fall of Satan and the temptation of Eve (4032BC) (see Rev. 12 in [7]); Jesus' ministry (c. 30AD) and the Judahite's tribulations (c. 70AD) (Rev. 12 [7]); events in the churches of John's time (1st century) in Ch. 2-3 .

Chapter 1 20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

It appears that the worldwide Christian community is divided into 7 "churches" (the lampstands), and Jesus controls these "churches" through 7 angels (the stars). These angels are the "eyes and horns" of the Lamb in Rev. 5:6, the spirits sent out into the world (see also Rev 3:1); we do not. however, believe that these are the 7 spirits of Rev. 1:4 and 4:5. (Note that the metaphor is changed from "stars" in this verse to "eyes and horns" in Rev. 5:6, perhaps to align with the image of Christ as a "Lamb" in chapter 5.)

5.2 Commentary on the Reconfigured Epistles - Chapter 2 & 3

5.2.1 Structural Patterns in the Epistles

We observe some commonalities in the design of these reconfigured epistles:

These letters are addressed to the human messengers ("angel" can also be translated "messenger") responsible for disseminating information to church members - probably clergy: bishops, priests or deacons (it is unlikely that these prophecies from John, a human, are addressed to an angel of God, so these messengers are not the angels of 1:20).
The TITLE section identifies Christ as the source of the prophecy in all 7 epistles, in various ways.
The MESSAGE section in each letter (the section that begins with "I know...") is tailored to one historic church, but everyone ("whoever has ears...”) must pay attention to what is said, because the promises, prophecies, warnings etc. in the MESSAGE section apply universally - the issues these churches faced continued to plague the church through the next two millennia, and the Christians in these churches seem to exemplify those in the worldwide church.
The MESSAGE sections of all 7 letters have a passage that primarily applies to end-times - around the time of the Millennial Reign.
The rewards of the PROMISE section in 4 epistles (those reconfigured letters in which the SCOPE statement precedes the PROMISE section - Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum and Sardis) are given to all Christians who are "victorious" (these rewards are not only for the members of a particular church). The "victorious ones" are those Christians who remain faithful to God under great persecution, even unto death, over the millennia and especially during the Reign of the Beast (Rev. 13:9-10, 14:13). They are declared "victorious" in the first judgement (see Rev. 20:4); they will be resurrected from the dead during the Millennial Reign and will be rewarded during Christ's Millennial and Heavenly Reigns.
The rewards to the "the one who is victorious" in 3 epistles, (those reconfigured letters in which the PROMISE section precedes the SCOPE statement - the letters to Thyatira, Philadelphia and Laodicea) are only given to one individual, the coming Messiah. He is declared victorious when he triumphs to open the seals (see Rev. 5:5). As a victorious human, he may also receive the rewards in the other 4 epistles.

5.2.2 Revelation Chapter 2: Commentary

5.2.2.1 The Epistle to Ephesus: Commentary (Rev. 2:1,7a,2-6,7b)

Chapter 2 1a “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These epistles are to be sent to the messenger ("angel" also means messenger) responsible for presenting information to each church - to the bishops, priests or deacons.

Chapter 2 1b These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.

The angel who brings this revelation, representing Christ, holds the stars in his hand to indicate that Christ controls the guardian angels of the churches and walks among the lampstands to indicate that Christ is closely involved in the global church (Rev. 1:12,13,20).

Chapter 2 7a Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

The text that follows this SCOPE sentence (both the MESSAGE and the PROMISE sections) is for everyone ("whoever has ears") and not just for the church in Ephesus. The "Spirit" here seems to be the angel delivering this message, Michael, supporting our position that he is the Holy Spirit.

Chapter 2 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

Christ commends the hard work, perseverance and discernment of the Christians of Ephesus, but says that their love for God and fellow man has cooled.

Chapter 2 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

We believe this caution in vs 5 is most relevant to the period immediately before the Millennial Reign. Jesus exhorts those who have become indifferent to repent and revert to their former works, failing which he, the one who walks among the lampstands (see TITLE section), will "remove their lampstand", which seems to be a warning that the coming Messiah will dismantle some of the divisions of the worldwide church.

Chapter 2 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

The Nicolaitans appear to be a sect that introduced pagan practices or corrupting doctrines into the church (see also Jude 1:4-13). ( By "pagan practices", we mean the worship of idols or "gods" that are really Satan or his demons in their various forms and with their various names. By "corrupting doctrines", we mean demonic teachings such as Gnosticism.)

Sects like the Nicolaitans may have been particularly active in Ephesus (see Acts 20:28-39) and Pergamum, but the church has continued to face this sort of corrupting influence throughout its history. The Roman Catholic empire ('Babylon') has been particularly instrumental in introducing corrupting practices into Christianity over the last 1500 years. For example: "Mother Mary" and "Baby Jesus" worship is really idol worship dressed up to look like Christianity; the Nicene Creed and the doctrine of the Trinity have corrupted almost all Christian denominations.

Chapter 2 7b To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

The Tree of Life seems to be the tree in the garden of Eden (see Gen. 3:22), which will once again be accessible to the victorious during Messiah's earthly reign, implying that the victorious will live long earthly lives that could span the whole Millennial Reign (see also Rev. 22:14). The coming Messiah will also rule throughout Christ's Millennial Reign. Paradise, which means garden, appears to be a place of bliss on (or under) the earth. According to Paul, in 2 Cor. 12:2-4, it exists in the physical realm (see also Gen 2:8) and spiritual realm (see also Luke 23:43).

The rewards to the "victorious" in this and other epistles are not given to all Christians, but only to those who have suffered grievously, even unto death, for their God.

5.2.2.2 The Epistle to Smyrna: Commentary (Rev. 2:8,11a,9-10,11b)

Chapter 2 8 “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.

Jesus is the firstborn of all creation (Col. 1:15), the earth was created through him (John 1:1-4), yet he came down to earth, suffered and died for the sins of man and was resurrected.

Chapter 2 11a Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Chapter 2 9a I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!

The church in Smyrna seems to have been a relatively poor one, but it was a spiritually wealthy congregation of sincere Christians. Note that the faithful Christian does not necessarily gain material wealth or freedom from suffering.

Chapter 2 9b I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.

Who are these "Jews" of the "synagogue of Satan"? The destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD and the slaughter of the Judahites living therein is mentioned in every chiastically arranged prophetic passage we have seen (for ex., Daniel 9 [2]). We believe that this is an important event because it signals the complete end of the old covenant. The Judahites of the time either converted to Christianity, were killed or got absorbed into other races. These remaining "Jews" in Smyrna were goyim converts to Pharisaic Judaism; Smyrna seems to have had a significant number of them, as evidenced by their slander that, according to Eusebius, resulted in the martyrdom of Polycarp.

Similarly, the "Jews" of today cannot be descendants of the ancient Israelite tribe of Judah - most of them are of the Japhetic (and not Semite) Ashkenazi tribe. They primarily follow a version of Judaism, Rabbinic Judaism, corrupted by the Satanic teachings of Babylon (through the Talmud and Kabbalah), which makes them Pharisees who are of the "synagogue of Satan" (cf. John 8:42-44) and not adherents of pure Judaism. So the "Talmudic Jews" of today are not Judahites by race or by religion, and they continue to covertly, craftily and viciously attack Christians and Christianity worldwide.

Chapter 2 10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.

We believe this passage in vs 10 is primarily relevant to the period of tribulation before the start of the Millennial Reign. During the Devil's tyrannical reign over the earth through the Beast (Rev. 13), Christians will face a short period of persecution and death (apparently, "ten days" proverbially indicates a short period - cf. Genesis 24:55, 1 Samuel 25:38); that is, a short period relative to the everlasting life that they will win for being faithful (see 2 Cor 4:17). Those who choose to suffer for their faith to the point of death will get a victor's crown - this passage clearly identifies the "victorious" of the PROMISE sections.

Chapter 2 11b The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.

Those who are victorious over evil and remain faithful, even unto death, will not face the Final Judgement (see Rev 20:4-6); they are not in danger of being consigned to the Lake of Fire, which is the Second Death (Rev 20:14, Rev 21:8).

5.2.2.3 The Epistle to Pergamum: Commentary (Rev. 2:12,17a,13-16,17b)

Chapter 2 12 “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:
These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.

Jesus wields the double-edged sword of truth that excises Satanic deceit from a corrupt world controlled by the evil one. The coming Messiah will, under Jesus' guidance, use the sword of his mouth (the truth from Jesus) to vanquish the worshippers of Satan and their lies (Rev 1:16, 19:15).

Chapter 2 17a Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Chapter 2 13 I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

Pergamum, known for its pagan temples, was the seat of power from which Satan ruled the world at the time of this prophecy (his capital moved from Babylon to the Vatican by way of Pergamum - see appendix in [4]). The Christians of Pergamum, like Antipas, had been faithful to God in the face of persecution and death.

Many Christians around the world have been similarly faithful to their God in spite of persecution, that primarily has come from Satan's current seat of world power at the Vatican.

Chapter 2 14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. 15 Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

Some of the Christians of Pergamum had been enticed into the abominable practices of the surrounding pagans (idolatry and sexual immorality were part of their worship) by following the teachings of Balaam (as the Israelites did in the time of Balak - Num. 31:16); some had been enticed into following the corrupt teachings of the Nicolaitans (see commentary for Ephesus).

Chapter 2 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

We propose that this passage, vs 16, is a prediction regarding the start of the Millennial Reign, and that the angel delivering this message, the coming Messiah, the one with a sword in his mouth (Rev. 1:16), speaks as himself in the passage.

Over the millennia, Christians around the world have been lured into forbidden practices like witchcraft and Satan-worship for the temporal benefits they offer, and the church has been corrupted through the doctrines of false teachers, doctrines like the prosperity gospel. While faithful Christians have fought these pernicious influences over the years, the coming Messiah, the "Rider on the White Horse" will ultimately vanquish this evil from the Christian world with the sword of his mouth (Rev. 19:11-16) (the sword of his mouth is the truth from Jesus - see TITLE section). The sense of the word "soon" in vs 16 and other places is "promptly", and indicates that the event will take place as predicted by the prophets (see also Rev 22:12).

Chapter 2 17b To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

We believe this passage is figurative - manna and white stones will not be literally handed out.

The hidden manna seems to refer to some secret miraculous sustenance that the victorious can access during the Millennial Reign, likely the Tree of Life (see Rev. 2:7, Gen. 3:22, cf. Exodus 16).

The "white stone" may reference the engraved stone given to victors of Roman athletic games - a token that entitled the recipient to some honour or reward. And a new name, in the Bible, typically represents a spiritual transformation and a new exalted role for the person (for instance, see Gen. 32:28). So the white stone with the secret new name may symbolize a prestigious role during and/or after the Millennial Reign and an accompanying title of honour (see also Rev. 19:12).

5.2.2.4 The Epistle to Thyatira: Commentary (Rev. 2:18a, 26a,18b,26b-28,29, 19-25)

In this letter and the ones to Philadelphia and Laodicea, the promises to the "victorious one" do not apply to all Christians, because the PROMISE section precedes the SCOPE sentence; and the secondary reconfigurations serve to indicate that the PROMISE section in these epistles apply only to the coming Messiah.

Chapter 2 18a “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:
These are the words of the Son of God,

Chapter 2 26a To the one who is victorious

Chapter 2 18b whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

The physical description, "eyes like fire, feet like bronze...", is that of the archangel Michael in Rev. 1 and resembles his description in Daniel 10 (see our comment on Rev. 1:12-16 above, our parse of the Janus in Dan. 10-11 [6], and our parse of Dan. 8 [4]); so the promise in vs 26b-28 below is addressed to the coming Messiah. Even the coming Messiah must overcome before he is given the crown of victory (see Rev 5:5).

Chapter 2 26b and [who] does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— 27 that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father. 28 I will also give that one the morning star.

During his Millennial Reign, Jesus will rule Israel and control the rest of the world through the Messiah ("does my will to the end"), a human ruler (see Dan 7:13-14), the archangel Michael incarnate (see [4]). The iron sceptre will be necessary at that time, because hostile nations outside the new Israel will not willingly obey Jesus and his Messiah (see Psalm 2). The Morning Star, which appears to be an exalted priestly title (see Job 38:7) and previously held by the likes of Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12), will be given to the coming Messiah (see also 2 Peter 1:19). So the coming Messiah, like Melchizedek, will be both priest ("Morning Star") and king ("authority over the nations") (see also Rev. 22:16).

Note the hierarchy implied in this passage: God delegates authority to Jesus, and Jesus delegates some of that authority to the coming Messiah.

Chapter 2 29 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Chapter 2 19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. 21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. 22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.

The prophetess referred to as Jezebel (cf. 2 Kings 9:22,30) was a corrupting influence in Thyatira, teaching pagan religious practices such as sexual immorality and idol worship (like the Baalamites of Pergamum), and so the church of Thyatira is exhorted to reject her ways. The prophetess is to be severely punished for her ways, as are all who follow her.

Chapter 2 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

We take this verse to be the eschatological section of the letter. Satan-worshipping wicked will be punished at the start of the Millennial Reign (Rev 15,16,18), but, in particular, those Satan-worshippers who have covertly infiltrated the churches and are intent on corrupting the faithful face immediate death (these false teachers are "her children") (see Luke 17:1,2). Those who promote and follow Satanic teachings may profess to be Christian, but their hearts primarily yearn for the things of this world, and they worship the gods that give them earthly riches.

Chapter 2 24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets, ‘I will not impose any other burden on you, 25 except to hold on to what you have until I come.’

The spirit behind Jezebel has continued to be active, leading people to worship of demon gods like Baal - with the attendant sexual immorality and perversions - and teaching Satanic doctrines, doctrines that are promoted as "deep secrets", only divulged to initiates of Satanic organizations. One of the primary duties of Christians is to be aware of and vigilant against the pernicious influence of Satan and his minions ("be wise as serpents" - Matt. 10:16), rejecting Satan-worship, witchcraft and the doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1).

5.2.3 Revelation Chapter 3: Commentary

5.2.3.1 The Epistle to Sardis: Commentary (Rev. 3:1a,6,1b-4,5)

The epistle to Sardis is the exception, in that even though the PROMISE section precedes the SCOPE statement in the original text, the promises in this letter apply to all who are victorious and not only the Messiah.

Chapter 3 1a “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

Christ controls the seven powerful spiritual beings before God's throne (Rev. 1:4, 4:5) and the 7 guardian angels ("stars") of the 7 divisions of the worldwide church (Rev. 1:16, 20, Rev. 5:6).

Chapter 3 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Chapter 3 1b I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3a Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent.

The church in Sardis seemed alive on the outside but was spiritually dead because its profession of faith was only in name (i.e., the opposite of the church in Smyrna). The city of Sardis had a reputation in the region for its dissolute, pagan ways, and it appears that the church of the city had gone the same way. The Christians of Sardis are warned to change their ways.

Chapter 3 3b But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

This passage refers to Christ's return for the rapture towards the end of the Millennial Reign (see also Matt. 24:42-44). Christians are to wake up and be true in word and deed, because only those who are spiritually awake will be raptured out at Christ's return (see also Matt. 25).

Chapter 3 4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.

Those in Sardis who have not defiled themselves with the prevailing corruption will be rewarded. They will have the honour of fellowship with Christ in heaven, and they will be "dressed in white", which is a reward and honour for righteousness (see also Rev. 7:9) (unlike our earthly appearance, our heavenly appearance is important, as it will accurately reflect our character).

Chapter 3 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels.

Victorious Christians everywhere - those who remain faithful even unto death - will likewise wear white clothes, indicating that their righteousness will be revealed to all during the Millennial Reign. Their name will always remain in the Book of Life (see Rev. 2:11, Rev. 20:15, cf. Rev 13:8), indicating that they are assured a place in heaven and they need not fear the Final Judgement and the Lake of Fire. Christ will be their mediator and will commend them before God and the heavenly hosts (cf. Matthew 10:32-33).

5.2.3.2 The Epistle to Philadelphia: Commentary (Rev. 3:7a,12a,7b, 12b,13,8-11)

Chapter 3 7a “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy,

Jesus is called "holy" to indicate that he is consecrated to God (cf. Acts 4:30...).

Chapter 3 12a The one who is victorious,

Chapter 3 7b [(KJV) he that is true], who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

The coming Messiah will have the "key of David", indicating that he will control the New Jerusalem of the Millennial Reign, the future capital of the New Israel and the world. The proverbial expression, "What he opens no one can shut...", means that he will have ultimate authority over Jerusalem and the rest of the world and all his decisions will be final and binding (he will, however, be operating under the direction of Christ). In our reconstruction of Isaiah 22 [8], we show that the same language in Isaiah 22:22 also applied to the coming Messiah. The Messiah is called "true" in vs 7b, presumably to refer to his faithfulness (see also Rev 19:11 and our parse of Daniel 8 [4]).

Chapter 3 12b [(KJV) will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.]

In addition to being king in Jerusalem, the Messiah will be a high-priest or leader ("pillar") in the new temple in Jerusalem forever (see also Zech. 6:12,13, he will be both king and priest like Melchizedek) - the phrase, "he will go no more out", presumably means that he will always retain this role. In this passage, writing a name on a person seems to imply consecration (cf. Rev. 7:3) - the coming Messiah is consecrated to God, Jesus and the New Jerusalem from heaven. Writing the name of the New Jerusalem on the coming Messiah seems to imply that will rule for Christ and God in the new kingdom that comes down from heaven (Rev 21:1,2). Jesus' new name "King of kings" will also be written on the Messiah, indicating that he will reign for Jesus on earth (Rev. 17:14, 19:16, 5:12-13).

Chapter 3 13 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Chapter 3 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

Jesus has opened the door to God to faithful Christians (see John 14:6), a door that the "Jews" of the time could not shut through their man-made laws, punishment or excommunication. The Christians of Philadelphia had been faithful in spite of being weak relative to their Roman and "Jewish" persecutors.

The rest of the MESSAGE section in this letter (vs 9-11) applies to the end-times - around the time of the Millennial Reign.

Chapter 3 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.

As detailed in the commentary on Smyrna, the "Jews" of today are not of the ancient Israelite tribe of Judah, and Rabbinic Judaism is a mix of Judaism and Satanic doctrines. These "Jews" are well represented in the Roman Catholic Empire ('Babylon') that runs the world today (see appendix in Daniel 8 [4] for details on this empire), and the Roman Catholic Empire has attacked Christians and Christianity through overt and covert means over the centuries. But when Jesus' Millennial Reign begins, these "Jews" who represent the "elite" of Satan's reign will fall at the feet of true Christians, who are the elect of Jesus' reign.

Chapter 3 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.

As seen in our analysis of several prophecies (for ex., the Olivet discourse [3]), there are two times of tribulation: one at the start of Christ's reign (circa 2027AD); and the more "apocalyptic" one at its completion (c. 2967AD). It is unlikely that the first tribulation will be the "hour of trial" that faithful Christians will escape, because that would contradict other passages (like Rev. 2:10). Instead, it seems to be a reference to the rapture of Christians (Matt. 24:40,41) that will keep them away from second, greater tribulation.

Chapter 3 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

Christians are encouraged to be faithful during times of tribulation so that they may continue to be worthy of victor's crowns (victor's crowns as in Rev 2:10). The text "I am coming soon", is better rendered "I am coming promptly", for the Messiah and Christ will come at exactly the time predicted by the prophets.

5.2.3.3 The Epistle to Laodicea: Commentary (Rev. 3:14a,21a,14b,21b,22,15-20)

Chapter 3 14a “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen,

The word, "Amen", which means "truly", is applied here as a name for Christ to indicate that he serves to confirm that the promises of God are reliable and true (see Rev. 1:2, 2 Cor. 1:19,20).

Chapter 3 21a To the one who is victorious,

Chapter 3 14b the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.

The coming Messiah will be a trustworthy messenger for God and Jesus - a "faithful and true witness" (see also Rev. 19:11). The word translated, "ruler", the Greek word "arche", is one of the root words of "Arch-angel" - Archangel Michael is a "prince" of the world (Dan 12:1, cf. Rev. 22:13).

Chapter 3 21b I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

The coming Messiah will rule for Jesus in the New Jerusalem from heaven (see Rev. 3:12), just as Jesus was victorious through his death on the cross (see Rev 5:9) and reigns over humanity for God (see John 16:14-15, Psalm 110:5-7). Note the implied hierarchy - Jesus is superior to the coming Messiah, God is superior to Jesus.

Chapter 3 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Chapter 3 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Most interpretations of this passage take "hot" to mean zealous, "lukewarm" to mean passionless, and by extension, "cold" to mean non-Christian or Satanic. This reading of the passage leads to the unsettling, unlikely conclusion that Jesus prefers the demon worshipper to the passionless, phlegmatic Christian.

We prefer the interpretation that both "hot" and "cold" are good, in the sense that both hot and cold water are good - both have utility. Those who are "lukewarm" do not possess any additional qualities that sets them apart - they are like plain water. In the Christian context, "lukewarm" refers to those who "live according to the flesh" and do not have the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:13-26) that makes them stand out from the rest of the world, or Christians who are like "salt without saltiness" (Matthew 5:13); these Christians face rejection by Jesus. So "lukewarm" is not an assessment of the zeal of the believer but rather the quality of his character.

The metaphor of this passage seems to allude to the separate pipelines that delivered both hot and cold water to the wealthy Laodicea, and the passage below (vs 17-18) alludes to several other unique aspects of the city.

Chapter 3 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.

Laodicea was a wealthy city, famous for its eye salve, but the worldly success of the Christians in the city made them blind to their spiritual shortcomings, it made them self-sufficient and not needing God. Laodicea had a gold exchange and was know for its black wool cloth, but Jesus instead wants the church to invest in building good character ("gold refined in fire") and righteousness ("white clothes"). This letter is a call to all Christians to repent of an attitude of self-sufficiency that comes with worldly success and become spiritually wealthy instead by returning to the fellowship of Christ.

Chapter 3 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

We adopt an eschatological interpretation of this famous verse, partly because we expect to see at least one end-times passage in each of these letters. We believe that the angel delivering this message, the coming Messiah, speaks as himself in this passage and not as Christ. ( We find that the metaphor of this passage fits the Messiah better - Christ himself, for example, does not "come in" to the church, but rather takes it up to heaven.)

In the tribulation period before the Millennial Reign, the coming Messiah will deliver compelling truth from God, Christ and the prophets to Christians - as represented by him "standing and knocking on the door" of the worldwide church. The Christians that "hear his voice" and choose to be faithful to God during the reign of the Beast will become citizens of the New Israel of Christ's Millennial Reign - they will "open the door" to the Messiah's rule. At the start of the Millennial Reign, the Messiah, the everlasting father (Isaiah 9:6), will take control of the church (he will "come in"), and then he will nurture this family of Christians (family "eats together") into Christ's ever-glorious kingdom on earth.

5.2.4 A Synthesis of the Promises to the Victorious

We consolidate the promises to the victorious in the table below for clarity and convenience - note that each of the promises to the victorious is restated.

Promise	Restated Promise
A) The promises to those faithful unto death:
2:7b The right to eat from the Tree of Life	2:17b The hidden manna
2:11b Will not be hurt by the second death	3:5 Name not blotted from the book of life
2:17b White stone with a new name (exalted role)	3:5 Dressed in white (high status in Christ's kingdom)

B) The promises to the coming Messiah:
2:27 He will rule with an iron sceptre	3:12b I will write upon him my new name (King of kings)
2:28 The Morning Star (priestly title)	3:12b A pillar in the temple of God
3:12b The Messiah will rule the New Spiritual Jerusalem that comes from heaven	3:21 The right to sit on Jesus' throne

Conclusion

With this reconfiguration, we have addressed the issues we brought up in the introduction with regard to the position of the "Whoever has ears, let them hear..." sentence. We have introduced a new concept, the cryptotranspose, a tool for obfuscation that is also used in Rev.4-22. Interestingly, three of the letters are of Design A, three are of Design B, and the letter to Sardis is a mix of the two; this is in keeping with the 3 1/2 and 7 pattern we see in Biblical prophecies (see Dan. 9:27 for example).

These passages, though addressed to some of the first Christians, are relevant today in many ways:

Through these reconfigurations, we have identified the coming Messiah and the prophecies that are specific to him, and we have more clearly shown that the central message of these passages apply to all Christians. We have also identified the passages that are eschatological.
The attacks on the early Christians and Christianity from Satan and his followers have continued to this day and will intensify before the start of the Messiah's reign. Christians are to vigilantly follow the Word and to fight these evil influences to retain their victor's crown; they will soon begin to receive the rewards promised here.
Those who call themselves Jews or Israeli today are unrelated in every relevant way to the ancient Israelite tribe of Judah. Christians who support initiatives like the Zionist movement are working against themselves.

References