Introduction:
 
As the letters to the seven faith communities continue, a familiar refrain forms a rhythm for the listener, “I know your deeds.” The only exceptions have been Smyrna (mourning), “I know your afflictions,” and Pergamum (Pride), “I know where you dwell.”
 
These exceptions tell us two things:

• First, in affliction we are challenged to accept or reject trust in God from a place of powerlessness.
• Second, where we dwell doesn’t have to affect who we are.

 
In any case our actions, be they right or wrong, are an indication of the focus of our core being. Hence, Yeshua doesn’t say, “I know your thoughts,” or “I know your plans,” rather He says, “I know your deeds,” because our deeds are either the result of our own thoughts and plans or they’re a result of His thoughts and plans at work in us.
 
“Our weapons of warfare are not of the flesh but are of divine power to demolish strongholds, arguments that seek to overthrow, and every high thing that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and in taking captive every thought, submitting all to the Messiah.”
 
-2 Corinthians 10:4-5 [Author’s translation]
 
The Messiah continues to name that aspect of His character which is most relevant to the body of believers in question. He continues to reflect back to each assembly the issues associated with their respective names. In the mirror of His truth the darkness is illuminated and shown for what it really is.
 
Yeshua speaks warning, not with the desire to destroy but with the love that offers reconciliation. He disciplines those He loves, the wrath of God is born of His love.
 
1.)    Thyatira, “Odour” (Consequence of Sin)
2.)    Sardis, “Deep orange/red” semi-precious stone used in making jewellery (façade)
3.)    Philadelphia, “Brotherly love” (love & Faithfulness)
4.)    Laodicea, “People under Judgement” (Judgement)
 
These last three letters follow Yeshua’s rebuke concerning the odour of sin (Thyatira) with His indictment against the façade (Sardis) 1 of self-deception, then from holiness and through love He offers an opportunity for faithfulness (Philadelphia) 2 to bring right action, prior to the coming judgement (Laodicea).3
 
In conclusion, Yeshua reminds us that the one who has ears to hear will be clothed in white, named with belonging and given a place to sit beside Him.
 
The Text Revelation 3:
 
1 “To the messenger of the assembly in Sardis (façade) write:
He who holds the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, and that you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.
 
It’s important to remind ourselves that the messenger in question is a human being belonging to the community who both receives messages for the community and travels to deliver messages from the community. With this in mind we can discern that all seven communities of faith must have had some knowledge of the issues facing them as a whole in addition to their individual challenges and successes.
 
Sardis derives its name from the Greek for a reddish semi-precious stone used in costume jewellery. The symbolic meaning presents a façade, the illusion of costly beauty. Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia and a city of great wealth. It is said to be the birthplace of coinage (6th century BCE), and it was at one time famous for the great wealth of its last king, Croesus.
 
Yeshua names Himself here as, “He who holds the sevenfold (Holy) Spirit of God,” an allusion to the fact that the רוח הקודש Ruach Ha-Kodesh (The Holy Spirit) is imparted by the Father and the Son in order to bring glory to the testimony of the Son and in turn to the Father (John 15:26; Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6; 1 John 5:7).
 
“However, you are not in flesh but in Spirit—if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. However, if anyone does not have the Spirit of Messiah, that one does not belong to Him.”
 
-Romans 8:9
 
Yeshua also names Himself as, “the one who holds the seven stars,” that is, the messengers of the assemblies. The messengers and the message they bring are secure and unwavering, maintained in the right hand of Yeshua’s strength.
 
‘I know your deeds, and that you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.’ The symbolism is rich, just as the name of the city itself denotes a pretence, so too the illusion of good deeds, wealth and prosperity cover the spiritual sickness beneath. Their makeup is covering up the signs of a life threatening condition.
 
This can be seen in our own lives when we take on the false theological doctrines of prosperity teachers and claim absolute authority over healing based on the magical use of communion. When we use all the right spiritual jargon and present ourselves as pure while practicing sin in what we believe to be hidden places. The aforementioned actions are pretence and are soon exposed by the reality of poverty and sickness, both spiritual and physical.
 
Many religious people give generously to charities and advocate for social justice groups, but beneath the façade are the dark motives of acclaim and false humility. It’s important to note that in their modern iterations many of the so called “Christian NGO’s” are in fact humanitarian (born of humanism) pseudo-Christian political advocacy groups who thrive on antisemitic rhetoric disguised as critique of the modern state of Israel. They love to claim Micah 6:8 as their mantra and yet they act unjustly toward the Jewish people, show no mercy for the Jewish people, and full of self-righteous pride level false accusations against the Jewish people. In short, they are the very antithesis of Micah 6:8. Those Christians who fail to do their due diligence in vetting these pseudo-Christian, satanic organisations will be judged by God as being complicit.
 
In many cases the western church has foolishly elected to believe that we are rich because we are deserving and that God has blessed us as a result, when in fact we are the poorest of people, temporarily satisfied by an illusion of faith in place of true faith. Vain religion is a façade.
 
In many cases what fallen humanity sees as blessing is in fact curse, and vice versa.
 
A reputation is formed before an audience of human beings, but God sees the intent of the core being. As a community of believers we can’t hide our motivations from HaShem. Those who seek applause are idolaters, while the truly righteous receive honour from God.
 
2 Wake up and stay awake, strengthen and turn with resolve toward the remnants of your faith, which are about to die; for I have not found your deeds full in the sight of My God.
 
Waking is a response to the presence of light and sleeping a kind of escape from the absence of it.
 
This exhortation is one that is familiar to the people of Israel. The prophet Isaiah reminds her of the future hope of the resurrection with the same words. This warning is just that, a warning intended to inspire repentance.
 
“Your dead will live;
Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the dawn,
And the land will give birth to the departed spirits.”
 
–Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 26:19
 
The plain meaning notwithstanding Yeshua appears to be combining the meanings of two passages from the prophet Isaiah, the second being the one employed by Rav Shaul (Paul the Apostle) in Ephesians 5:14. 
 
“Arise, shine; for your light has come,
And the glory of HaShem has risen upon you.”
 
–Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 60:1
 
When bright light—in this case Yeshua, The All Existing Light of the Universe—shines on the closed eyes of a sleeping person, eventually they can’t help but open their eyes: the question is, will that person choose to stay awake? In order to stay awake, a person prone to sleep must act, by acting the heart is stirred and the day is spent in good purpose.
 
The congregation of Sardis has slept too long, so much so that only a small remnant of true faith is available to them. Therefore Yeshua exhorts them to wake, stay awake and act in righteousness from a pure heart in order to dissolve their spiritual façade in the strength of the living Word.
 
11 “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead expose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14 For this reason it says,
 
“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Messiah will shine on you.” [Ref. Isaiah 60:1]
 
[“Arise, shine; for your light has come,
And the glory of HaShem has risen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1)]
 
15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
 
–Ephesians 5:11-18 
 
Notice that Yeshua is compared to YHVH by Shaul (Paul), the writer of the letter to the Ephesians.
 
“I have not found your deeds full in the sight of My God.” Deeds that are not full are empty, in the same way that a half-truth is a whole lie. Incomplete good deeds are nothing more than good intentions. The aphorism applies, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” As does the Lyle Lovett lyric, “She wasn’t good, but she had good intentions.” Good deeds that are not full fail to meet the goal. When our good deeds miss the mark set by God’s holiness the motivation behind them is exposed.
 
3 So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and return. Therefore if you do not wake up and stay awake, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.
 
When we take time to remember what God has done, we become aware of what He is doing and find hope in what He has promised He will do. In this case that hope is in the resurrection and the עולם הבא Olam Haba (World to come).
 
Yeshua repeats the call to awaken, “wake up and stay awake,” emphasising the immediacy of the situation. This is compounded by the phrasing, “I will come like a thief,” which draws on the imagery of His second coming (Matt. 24:42-50; Lk 12:39-46; 1 Th 5:2-8; 2 Peter 3:8-13—Day of the Lord), but here denotes a temporal judgement that will take place prior to the final judgement unless the assembly in Sardis returns (repents). A just father begins judgement with His children.
 
4 But you have a few people in Sardis (façade) who have not soiled their garments (are authentic, righteous); and they will walk with Me in white, for they are deserving.
 
Yeshua doesn’t make a blanket judgement here. Like the Father, He is just and rewards all according to their deeds. There are those in Sardis who have not dirtied the garments of their good deeds with the pretence of prosperity and false humility, these few are promised that they will continue walking with Messiah in the white garments of their righteous actions. They have been redeemed by Yeshua and as a result they act out of love by doing what is right before God. This is the counterpoint to the empty deeds of their pairs. The deeds of the righteous are full in the sight of God.
 
White clothes are used throughout the Scriptures as a symbol for the righteous deeds of the people of God (Isa. 61:10; Eph. 2:10; Rev 3:18, 4:4, 6:11, 7:9-14, 16:15, 19:8-14).
 
These white garments (deeds motivated by Messiah in us) are contrasted against the, “filthy rags” (the appearance of good deeds) described in Isaiah 64:6 (5).
 
“For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like used menstrual rags;
And all of us wither like leaves,
And our perversity, like the wind, takes us away.”
 
–Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 64:6
 
5 He who overcomes (in Me) will be clothed in white garments; and it’s not at all possible for Me to blot out his name from the book of life, and I will acknowledge his name openly before My Father and before His angels/messengers. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.’
 
It’s essential to a holistic understanding of the Scriptures that we read, “The person who overcomes” as, “The person who overcomes in Messiah.”
 
As a result of this illuminated understanding we’re able to better understand what follows, that is, that the white clothing (good deeds) are a result of our having overcome in Messiah. The clothing is not a reward, rather it is the appropriate attire for those who belong to the King.
 
The ספר החיים Sefer Ha-Chayim Book of Living is referred to in the key passages Exodus 32:32-33; Psalm 69:28 and Daniel 12:1.
 
It is not the one who does good deeds who is securely etched into the book of life, rather it is the one who has overcome in Messiah. This same person will be announced before the Father and His messengers, celebrated before the community of God like a Jewish boy at His Bar Mitzvah. (Matt. 10:32-33; Luke 12:8-9; John 10:3)
 
Therefore, in much the same way that it’s impossible for God to sin—because it goes against His character—it is also impossible for those who have overcome in Messiah to be blotted out of a book in which their names are written in Messiah’s eternal blood before the creation of the world (Rev. 13:8 & 17:8).
 
We note that so far as Scripture is concerned names are written in the book of life prior to the creation of the world and are subsequently blotted out upon perpetual rejection of God’s atoning love (Exodus 32:32-33; Psalm 69:28, Daniel 12:1, Rev. 13:8 & 17:8). We note that where Scripture speaks of the Book of Life names are (not will be) written or will be (not have already been) blotted out. Because Messiah’s atoning blood is everlasting, it’s impossible for one who has been redeemed by Him to have their name blotted out. Only those who perpetually and wilfully reject the atoning love of God will have their names blotted out of ספר החיים Sefer Ha-Chayim (The Book of Living).
 
7 “And to the messenger of the assembly in Philadelphia (Brotherly love & Faithfulness) write: The Holy One, Who is true, Who has the key of David, Who opens and no one will shut, and Who shuts and no one opens, says this:
 
Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love has a faithful assembly of Messiah followers and is unique among the seven assemblies because this congregation receives only praise from Yeshua.
 
“The Holy One,” הקדוש Ha-Kadosh in Hebrew, is a term that refers to God Himself. The Talmud and prayer book (siddur) refer to God in this way, as do a number of other prominent Jewish historical writings. It’s common in Judaism to refer to God as, הקדוש ברוך הוא Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu (The Holy One blessed is He). Acts 6:10 uses this phrase to designate God the Father, here however the phrase is used by Yeshua to describe Himself, there is therefore no need to add the, ברוך הוא Baruch Hu “blessed is he” because God with us the Messiah need not call Himself blessed.
 
“Who is true” The Scriptures also refer to God as the God of truth (Psa. 31:5; Isa. 65:16; Rom. 1:25; 3:7). Here Yeshua uses this phrase to name Himself. This also relates to Rev 1:5, which describes Yeshua as the faithful witness.
 
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
 
-Yeshua (John 14:6)
 
“Who has the key of David, Who opens and no one will shut and Who shuts and no one opens…”
 
Yeshua is quoting Yeshayahu (Isaiah) the prophet, who prophesied over 600 years prior to the recording of the Revelation concerning Eliyakim (My God Who Rises) the son of Hilkiyah (A part of YHVH), who is to be given the key to the house of David (Beloved):
 
“20 Then it will come about in that day, that I will summon My servant Eliyakim (My God Who Rises) the son of Hilkiyah (A part of YHVH), 21 And I will clothe him with your tunic and tie your sash securely about him. I will entrust him with your authority, and he will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Flood of Peace) and to the house of Judah (Praise). 22 Then I will set the key of the house of David (Beloved) on his shoulder, when he opens no one will shut, when he shuts no one will open.”
 
–Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 22:20-22
 
Isaiah is speaking of the kingdom and authority of David being taken back from an illegitimate ruler and given to Eliyakim (My God Who Rises), whose name reflects the nature of the Messianic King Who will reign over Judah, Israel and the nations.
 
Therefore, “The key of David,” is the key that unlocks all earthly authority. It is the key of the beloved Son of God, Yeshua the rightful King of Israel.
 
The opening and shutting is under the immutable governance of the One Who holds the key of David. This means that the open and shut doors are a matter of firm resolve on the part of the Messiah, within the plans of the Father God.
 
8 ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have little strength, and have kept My word, and have not denied My Name. 9 Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.
 
As in the other letters the deeds of the community are acknowledged. In this case they’re deeds of righteousness performed in spite of affliction and limited resources. Yeshua affirms the unchangeable future hope that He has laid out before them, an open door to the Olam Haba that no one can shut.
 
The phrase, “you have little strength” could be read, “you have little wealth.” Though they were weak in worldly wealth they were strong in the Word and the Name of Yeshua.
 
Yeshua also promises imminent judgement against those Gentiles who have lied about being Jews and are teaching false doctrine and persecuting the assembly of believers in both Smyrna and Philadelphia. It seems that their evil actions had spread throughout the diaspora. The good news is that the judgement will bring about repentance on their part and that the final outcome will be that they submit to the authority (Key of David) of those who are following Messiah diligently.
 
This is reminiscent of the prophetic words of the TaNaKh (OT) regarding the humbling of the nations before Israel:
 
“The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you,
And all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet;
And they will call you the city of HaShem,
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.”
 
–Yeshayahu/Isaiah 60:14
 
(See also: Isaiah 45:14, 49:23, 60:14 and Ezekiel 36:23, 37:28).
 
It’s possible that the assembly of Philadelphia had a large number of Jewish members who would receive the repentance of those Gentiles who had lied about being Jewish and had participated in the assembly of Satan. This acknowledges the legitimate role of Jewish Messianic believers as guides and older brothers to their Gentile counterparts.
 
10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep my eye on you and guard you from the hour of trial, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
 
“The time of trial” which is coming on the world is spoken of in the TaNaKh:
 
“Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.”
 
–Daniel 12:1 (Ref. Romans 11:25-27)
 
The phrase, “keep you from the hour of trial” is best rendered, “I also will keep my eye on you and guard you from the hour of trial” meaning that those being kept are being shielded/rescued from the trial that the people of the earth will undergo (9:4) and will be warned to flee the impending judgement (18:4).
 
“Come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth”: In this context the equivalent Hebrew phrase, יושבי הארץ Yoshvey ha-aretz is understood to reflect the meaning of the text of Isaiah 26:18 which refers to all human beings except those who are devoted to God. In other words, those who follow the Beast/Satan (13:3, 8) and have refused to return to God. This means that the pagan world will be put through trial by experiencing God’s judgement upon the earth (Chapters 6-18). The remnant of Israel (Jews) will respond to the trial by repenting (11:13) in alignment with the promise of Romans 11:25-27, which is the desire of HaShem (1 Peter 3:9); but the remainder of the people among the pagan nations will not (9:20-21; 16:8-11, 21).
 
“I am coming without delay” seems to indicate the immediate judgement of those non-Jews who are the assembly (synagogue) of Satan.
 
The crown is a competitors laurel given to participants of the Roman games. Here it symbolizes a believer’s commitment to completing the race (2 Timothy 4:7), and reminds the believer that the crown of the Greater Son of David informs the royal identity of the believer.
 
12 He who overcomes (in me), I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never leave it again; and I will write on him the Name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem (flood of peace), which comes down out of the heavens (Third heaven outside of time and space) from My God, and My new Name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.’
 
This obvious parallel to the pillars of Solomon’s temple is full of rich meaning for the believer of Philadelphia. This is a promise of eternal glory and established strength in Yeshua. This everlasting spiritual strength is the counterpoint to the weakness found in earthly wealth which is temporary.
 
“He set up the pillars in the porch of the temple; and he set up the right pillar and named it יָכִין Yachin (He will establish), and he set up the left pillar and named it בֹּֽעַז Boaz (In him is strength, or Coming Strength).”
 
–1 Kings 7:21
 
The pillars of Solomon’s temple were fashioned from bronze by חוּרָמ אָבִי Churam Avi (Faithful Witness of My Father), an obvious figurative allusion to Yeshua, Who is named the, “Faithful Witness” in Revelation 1:5.
 
“Churam Avi (Faithful Witness of My Father), fashioned the two pillars of bronze; eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits measured the circumference of both.”
 
–1 Kings 7:15
 
This is a wonderful figure for our relationship in Messiah, like Churam Avi it is Yeshua the faithful witness of our Father God, Who has fashioned us to be pillars in His Father’s House.
 
The bronze pillars seen here as the righteous children of God are also linked to the feet of bronze as from a furnace, belonging to Messiah, as described in Revelation 1:15; 2:18. We are the functioning body of Messiah on earth (Hence feet), tested by fire and proven as bronze pillars.
 
Peter describes the Jewish believers in this way:
 
“You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Yeshua our Mashiach.”
 
–1 Peter 2:5
 
The New Jerusalem (Downpour of Peace) will descend from the third heaven outside of time and space and will be presented with its inhabitants as the bride of Messiah (Rev 21:2). God Himself and the Lamb will be the temple and light of the city and believers will be its pillars (Rev. 21:22).
 
The names we bear indicate who we belong to. In the Torah God placed His Name on the people of Israel, commanding Aaron the High Priest to bless them (Numbers 6:24-27). Those who are faithful to Messiah Yeshua will bear the Name of God (Rev 22:4) and the Name of the Messiah (Rev 14:1), including Yeshua’s own new Name (Rev 2:17, 19:12). In opposition to this the followers of the Beast will bear its name (Rev 13:17), indicating that they belong to the evil one.
 
On his forehead the High Priest of Israel would wear a gold plate that read, “Kadosh l’Adonai,” Holy to The LORD (YHVH). This represents the fact that both the Priest and the people of Israel are Holy unto God. This is true of all who admit their guilt before God and accept Messiah’s saving sacrifice. He has become our Great High Priest, we belong to Him and bear His name. He is our God, not because He belongs to us but because we belong to Him.
 
1.)    The Name of My God: we belong to the Father
2.)    The Name of the City of My God: we are citizens of the New Jerusalem
3.)    My New Name: we belong to Messiah and His fully illuminated identity
 
14 “To the messenger of the assembly in Laodicea (People under Judgement) write:
The אמן Amen/Aman (Faith, agreement, belief, trust), the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
 
The congregation of Laodicea are a people under judgement. In contrast to Philadelphia who received only praise, Laodicea receives only rebuke.
 
Rav Shaul (Paul) the apostle worked hard for the assembly of Laodicea (Colossians 2:1, 4:13) and considered them brethren, writing them a letter (Colossians 4:15-16). It’s interesting to note that we have no copies of this lost letter, perhaps an indication of how little respect it was given by its recipients. The letters written by Shaul to the other congregations were carefully copied and distributed by the early Ecclesia. Whereas Laodicea’s Pauline letter has been lost to history through neglect.
 
The Hebrew word, אמן Amen/Aman (Faith, agreement, belief, trust) shares the same Hebrew root that informs the feminine form אֱמוּנָה emunah (faith) and is also connected with the word אֶמֶת emet meaning “truth” because it is sometimes understood to bear the quality of truth and therefore in certain passages is translated into English as “truth.” The meaning it expresses is of established trust, acceptance, and agreement. Many translate it, “So be it” or, “So say we all.”
 
אמן Amen/Aman is found in a number of different contexts in the Hebrew Bible (Numbers 5: 22; Deuteronomy 27: 15; 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26; I Kings I: 36; Isaiah 65: 16; Jeremiah II: 5; 28: 6; I Chronicles 16: 36; Nehemiah 5: 13; 8: 6; Psalms 41: 14; 72: 19; 89: 52; 106: 48).
 
A late second-century teacher in the Talmud takes the initial letters of amen as an acronym representing  אל מלך נאמן “El Melekh neman”, (God, Faithful King). This reflects Yeshua’s descriptions of Himself in Revelation 1:5, 3:7.
 
A later Jewish commentator of the siddur (prayer book) interprets the initial letters homiletically as, אני מוסר נאפשי ani moser nafshi, literally: I surrender my soul (I offer up myself as a sacrifice). A clearer description of the life of Yeshua we could not find.
 
“Because he who is blessed in the earth
Will be blessed by the God of אָמֵן Amein (truth);
And he who swears in the earth
Will swear by the God of  אָמֵן Amein (truth);
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My sight!
 
–Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 65:16
 
Yeshua is the faithful אֱמוּנָה (emunah) witness to the truth אֶמֶת (emet), the agreement אמן (Amein/Aman) with HaShem (Rev. 1:5-6)
 
Yeshua defines faith as the אמן Aman (Agreement, Trust, Faith).
 
The first use of the Hebrew root אמן Aman is recorded in Genesis 15:6:
 
וְהֶאֱמִ֖ן בַּֽיהוָ֑ה וַיַּחְשְׁבֶ֥הָ לּ֖וֹ צְדָקָֽה
 
“Abraham אֱמִן emin trusted God and it was accounted to him as righteousness.”
 
Therefore, Yeshua is the אמן Faith within Abraham to which Abraham responds in אמן Faith and in Whom Abraham receives an accounting of righteousness. In short, Abraham’s saving faith is in Yeshua the King Messiah, Who is the Word essence of God and the Lamb Slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8).
 
“The Beginning of the creation of God” The Greek ἀρχὴ archē, “Ruler, Beginning” is equivalent to the Hebrew רֹאשׁ Rosh, “Head, First, Beginning” which affirms Yeshua’s role as the דָבָר Davar (Word) of John 1:1. This title Names Messiah Yeshua as the All Existing Son of God Who was in the beginning with God and Who is God with us. Yeshua is both the Author and Ruler of creation, the Word essence of the Father.
 
Therefore to the Laodiceans Yeshua is the:
 
1.)    Amen: He agrees with God that their spiritual condition is shameful
2.)    Faithful and true witness: His testimony concerning them cannot be refuted
3.)    The Beginning and the Ruler of God’s creation: Able to bring judgement against them if they don’t return to God
 
15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
 
First we note that neither hot nor cold are bad things in and of themselves. Yeshua wishes that the Laodiceans were either hot or cold. Yeshua would never wish someone to be cold toward God in a faith sense, and therefore this cannot refer to the fire of those with zeal and the coolness of those without it, which is a common misteaching of this text.
 
Second, historical record tells us that there were medicinal hot springs in nearby Hierapolis and freshwater tributaries in the surrounding area. This could indicate that Yeshua desires that the assembly of Laodicea provide healing to the spiritually sick and the life giving water of Yeshua to the spiritually thirsty.
 
Third, the position between hot and cold is a place of ineffectiveness. Faith in Yeshua is marked by an uncompromising commitment to Him as King of the Universe. We are to effectively minister both the healing of the hot spring and the life giving water of the cool fresh spring. Therefore, to stand in a redundant position between the two is distasteful to Messiah.
 
The Greek ἐμέσαι emesai means to, “vomit.” This is a fierce metaphor, there is no room for ineffective faith born of lazy compromise in the assemblies of God. Put simply, if one were to take some of the sulphur rich hot mineral water of the one source and mix it with the cold spring water of the other, and then give it to another to drink, what would be the result? Vomit!
 
17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
 
The purpose of Yeshua’s exhortation is repentance (18-20). The physical wealth and self-sufficiency of the Laodiceans is compounded by the spiritual beliefs they have adopted in light of what they see as prosperity. They claim to be rich, self-made and self-sufficient. Each of these beliefs stands in direct opposition to the Gospel of Messiah.
 
13 “Lead, go to, now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we’ll go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and buy and sell and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For your life is a vapor, a mist, smoke that appears, is seen for a short time, gone in a moment, and then is corrupted, disfigured, vanishes, perishes, [Heb. then its canopy will depart]. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord YHVH wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you rejoice, glory, boast, praise in your pride, arrogance; all such boasting, praising is evil, wicked.”
 
–Yaakov (James) 4:13-16
 
The boasting of the self-made men of the Messianic Jewish Diaspora, is rebuked by Yaakov (James). They had failed to trust in God’s provision.
 
8 [9] And  Ephraim said, “Surely I have become wealthy, I have attained vigour for myself; in all my toil they will find no iniquity in me, which is sin.” 9 [10] And I am YHVH the Lord your God, from the land of Egypt; again I will make you dwell in tents like the days of an appointed time (festival). 10 [11] And I have spoken upon the prophets, and I multiplied visions, and in the hand of the prophets I used likenesses, comparisons, parables [alt. I appeared as likenesses].
 
–Hosea 12:9-10
 
The result of Ephraim’s pride was that God returned her to desert wandering.
 
From Yeshua’s perspective the Laodiceans are wretched rather than rich, miserable and poor rather than wealthy, and naked rather than in need of nothing. In fact they were in great spiritual need. It’s true to say that the western Church is in the same position today?
 
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
 
Yeshua is gentle here, He offers advice, instruction, rather than an ultimatum. A righteous groom would never force Himself on his bride to be, the wedding chamber is sacred.
 
Yeshua uses the term, “buy” as a means of countering the, “buying” power of the Laodiceans: He doesn’t intend to infer that the gifts of God can be purchased, on the contrary His point is, “You can’t buy these spiritual things with your worldly wealth” (Rev 22:17; Isaiah 55:1; Romans 3:24).
 
“Hey! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
And you who have no money come, buy and eat.
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”
 
–Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 55:1
 
Laodicea was known for its prosperous trade guilds and had a famous medical college where, “Phrygian powder” was refined and used to make an eye salve. It also boasted an extensive textile industry.
 
The Laodicean assembly boasted:
 
1.)    I’m rich (from my own business dealings)
2.)    I’m wealthy (from medicinal profiteering)
3.)    I’m in need of nothing (I have all the modern clothing I could want)
 
Yeshua says:
 
1.)    You’re wretched (because you have trusted in your own ability)
2.)    Miserable and poor (because your wealth is temporary)
3.)    Blind and naked (because you have chosen not to see Me and have failed to clothe yourself with the righteous deeds of the saints)
 
Yeshua offers a way of return (teshuvah):
 
1.)    Buy from Me (without money) Gold refined by fire (a metaphor for refining and purifying from sin, Proverbs 27:21).
2.)    Eye salve that will heal your spiritual blindness
3.)    White clothing (the righteous deeds of the faithful)
 
19 Those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline; therefore be zealous and return.
 
Yeshua loves the errant Laodicean Ecclesia, His purpose is to discipline them and reconcile them to the Father.
 
“Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Hashem,
And whom You teach out of Your Torah;”
 
–Tehillim (Psalm) 94:12
 
“I know, O HaShem, that Your judgments are righteous,
And that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.”
 
–Tehillim (Psalm) 119:75
 
“For those whom HaShem loves He disciplines,
And He scourges every son whom He receives.”
 
–Hebrews 12:6
 
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
 
In the context of this letter Yeshua is knocking at the door of the errant Laodicean believing community. This is not intended as a general evangelistic invitation to all people, but as an invitation to blinded believers who have gone astray and have shut the door to Yeshua.
 
Throughout the letters to the assemblies Yeshua has repeated the phrase, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.” Here he offers an opportunity to wayward believers to hear anew, He is calling out and knocking, but He will not force His way in. The door can be seen as a metaphor for the access point at the core of our being, Yeshua is standing in the midst of the assemblies but is calling on the individual members, the building blocks of the community of faith. He is presenting each one with an opportunity for revival.
 
The dining analogy is one of powerful importance to every culture. Food is the centre of family and community interaction and an opportunity for building intimate relationships. Food warms the body and fills it with fuel for life, it provides a foundation of physical contentment upon which we build lasting friendships.
 
God is ever ready to receive repentant sinners:
 
“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says HaShem of heavens armies, “Return to Me,” declares HaShem of heavens armies, “that I may return to you,” says HaShem of heavens armies.”
 
 –Zechariah 1:3
 
21 He who overcomes (in Me), I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.’”
 
Yeshua has overcome sin and death by His atoning work on the cross and has therefore, made it possible for anyone who would receive Him to overcome sin and death. It is only in Him that we are able to overcome, therefore we shouldn’t fret about how we will find the strength, because He is our strength.
 
9 But now we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels /messengers, Yeshua, through His suffering death crowned with glory and honour, splendour, so that by the grace, unmerited favour, practical love of God He might eat death for everyone, individually and collectively. 10 For it was fitting for Him, for Whom are all things individually and collectively and through Whom are all things individually and collectively, in bringing many sons into glory, splendour, genius, the Author, Originator, Prince of their salvation through sufferings, to perfect, consecrate, fulfil, complete. 11 For both He who sanctifies, consecrates, atones and those who are sanctified, consecrated, atoned for, are all from one Father; for this reason He is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,
 
–Hebrews 2:9-11
 
15 For we do not have a high priest Who is unable to sympathize, have compassion with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted, tried, examined, proved in all things just as we are, yet without sin [missing the mark set by God’s holiness]. 16 Therefore let us come freely with boldness, confidently to the throne of grace, unmerited favour, practical love, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.
 
–Hebrews 4:15-16
 
“That we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need,” refers not only to sickness and physical suffering but also regards our struggle to resist sinful actions, we have need of grace and mercy in Messiah when we are faced with moral choices, when we are tempted or in despair, depressed or feeling overwhelmed. Whatever our need may be, we’re able to receive mercy and find grace in Him at any time.
 
Believers who overcome in Yeshua will actually sit with Him on His throne (Rev 20:4-6, 11; Matt 19:28), which He shares with God the Father.
 
“For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we reject Him, He will also reject us;
13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot reject Himself.”
 
–2 Timothy 2:11-13
 
Just as in the case of Abraham, where faith was given by and reflected back to Messiah, making it impossible for Abraham’s name to ever be blotted out of the Book of Living, so too it is with those of us who have received Messiah through His atoning work.
 
“We love him, because he first loved us.”
 
-1 John 4:19
 
Copyright 2026 Yaakov Ben Yehoshua

Introduction:

The letters to the various believing communities are each given a similar structure and form, with some slight differences regarding the messages to Laodicea, Smyrna and Philadelphia.
 
The pattern of writing is as follows:

1.)  An address to the, “Messenger/Angel” of the specific congregation. (Perhaps proof of a human messenger, given that Yochanan is instructed to “write” to each messenger).
2.)  Yeshua names Himself (speaking of Himself in the third person, He uses the symbolic titles of the previous chapter in reverse order, beginning with the final title, “Who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven menorot” [seven communities]).
3.)  The congregation is praised for her virtues (except Laodicea).
4.)  The congregation is warned to turn from its sinful practises (except Smyrna and Philadelphia).
5.)  Yeshua promises good things to those in the congregation who are overcoming in Him. The rewards/blessings to come are related to the issues faced by each congregation, e.g. Pergamum must refuse food sacrificed to idols (2:14), their reward, “Hidden Manna” (2:17).
6.) Yeshua reminds His Ecclesia that only those who have ears to hear will hear (Shema: listen, perceive, understand, absorb, practise, take to heart), what the Spirit (Ruach) is saying to the communities of believers.

Apart from being an exceptionally well ordered historical record and proof of Messiah’s gracious character, the rhythm of the letters affords us a foundation for our communications with other believers, both individually and corporately.

Each of the letters is addressed to the angel/messenger for the purpose of being delivered to the respective communities. In addition, each of the community’s names have both historical and symbolic value:

1.)    Ephesus, “Permitted” (Free will)
2.)    Smyrna, “Myrrh” (Mourning, Intimacy, Royal luxury, Joy)
3.)    Pergamum, “High Tower” (Pride)
4.)    Thyatira, “Odour” (Consequence of Sin)
5.)    Sardis, “Deep orange/red” semi-precious stone used in making jewellery (façade, pretence)
6.)    Philadelphia, “Brotherly love” (Faithfulness)
7.)    Laodicea, “People under Judgement” (Judgement)

It's no coincidence that each of the city’s names correspond to the issues and consequences alluded to in the letters pertaining to them. This gives us a strong remez (hint at something implied) that can be applied to the entire Ecclesia (The entire body of believers).
 
Each of the issues addressed to these seven communities is equally relevant today in our lives as both individuals and believing communities. The challenge of Messiah remains and the threat of the removal of His menorah (manifest Light presence) from the midst of certain communities also remains. So too do the promises of reward and overcoming in Him.

The Text:

Revelation 2:

1 “To the messenger of the assembly in Ephesus write:
The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, Who walks in the midst of the seven menorot, says:

This message is dictated to Yochanan for the messenger to Ephesus, the city whose name means, “Permitted.” The purpose of a messenger is to deliver a message, therefore the letter is intended specifically for the believing congregation in the city of Ephesus.
 
It's unlikely that the messenger is an angel because Yeshua need not convey a message through His Angel to Yochanan in order for Yochanan to relay that message to an angelic being, who will then pass it on to the Ephesian community of faith.
 
What is most likely is that Yeshua is instructing Yochanan to “write” to a human messenger related to the community in question, who will in turn relay the message to the community. This applies to all seven letters.

Ephesus, is the first/head/chief of the communities, therefore the Messiah names Himself as the One Who is over all the communities, by identifying with the present Shekinah (feminine glory) and the oil of the Ruach Ha-Kodesh, seen symbolized by the menorot. He also presents Himself as the One Who holds the messengers of the communities of faith securely in His strong, and safe right hand. Therefore, He effectively begins by saying, “I Am the One Who with The Father imparts the Ruach to you, I Am the One Who holds you securely in my right hand, See, I have engraved (atoned) you on the palm of my hand (a reference to the crucifixion).” [Yeshayahu/Isaiah 49:16]

2 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 

The Ephesians exhibit an ability to remain faithful to the ketvi (written word), testing those who are false and through the truth of the Instruction of God and the revelation of His Spirit, proving them to have evil intentions. They have been very careful not to tolerate evil people or permit them to remain within the Messianic community. This is to their credit.

3 and you have exhibited perseverance and have endured for My Name’s sake (The name of both HaShem and Yeshua His Messiah), and have not grown weary. 

The community has stood up for both their belief in Yeshua as Messiah and for the God of Israel. It’s important to remember that both Jews and members of the Jewish sect called The Way (which included Jewish and Gentile followers of Yeshua a.k.a Christians) were being persecuted at this point in Roman history.
 
It's interesting to note that the community of believers in Ephesus have persevered and stood up for the Name of Messiah and that they have not grown weary. However, the following critique exposes something further, something that is extremely serious.

4 But I have this against you, that you have forsaken your first love (ἀγάπην agapēn: all-encompassing love אהבה Ahavah: all existing love). 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen and were driven off course, and return and act out the mitzvot (right actions) that you did from the first; Or else I am coming to you and will remove your menorah (sevenfold Temple lamp stand) out of its place—unless you return (to your first love).

The Ephesian believers have not permitted false apostles to enter their midst, however, they have permitted themselves to forsake their first (chief) love.

What is, “First love”? The Greek text reads, “τὴν ἀγάπην σου τὴν πρώτην” (tēn agapēn sou tēn prōtēn) literally, “The love of you the head.” Which best translates into English as, “Your chief love.” This alludes to the love of God in Messiah as Head/Chief. It can also infer that the community of faith in Ephesus had a role among the other communities as the head or leader of the spread of the love of Messiah to the other six communities.
 
The Greek, ἀγάπην agapēn is an all-encompassing altruistic love that touches on aspects of all the other Greek forms but is outside them, holding them together (we note that the Greek Έρως Eros [associated with a sex deity and expressing sexual “love,” is never used in the New Testament.] In fact from a Biblical perspective love informs relationship, whereas sex is to do, not with love but with knowledge יודע yada).
 
All of the diverse forms of love expressed in New Testament Greek are summed up in the Hebrew, אהבה Ahavah which denotes a connection to all forms of love, excluding sex, but is primarily a composite of intentional commitment and authentic emotion.
 
God defines love. The love of God has an inexplicable quality that transcends definition, however, as His love interacts with the sin affected world it is expressed as a decision, established through sacrifice and maintained by commitment.
 
It’s foolish to demand that the word love (in its Greek and Hebrew context) must represent one element of its meaning over another, after all the Ephesians exhibit commitment and intentional devotion and yet have forsaken their first/chief love. While they’re doing good things, they are not doing those things that give evidence of first/chief love.
 
First love is the love of God. We are commanded to first love God with all that we are and only then to love others out of the overflow of God’s love. Love that neglects intimacy with God in order to show love to others harms both ourselves and others because it is expressed out of our own strength and not from the power of Messiah in us.
 
Therefore, First Love is expressed as certain security, an all-encompassing desire for the Head (Yeshua) and an intentional commitment. It’s the first taste of the Messiah’s lips and the receiving of His wedding proposal, it’s the complete awareness of our frailty and the freedom to accept His protection, and it’s the humility of returning and the confession of guilt, the trust that opens the gift of salvation. First/Chief love is a Person, His name is Yeshua. Sadly it’s often true to say that we as believers have forsaken Yeshua, reasoning that doing for Him is more important than being in Him. Godly love is expressed in relationship and right actions flow from it.

Given the full meaning of the text understood contextually, we could paraphrase it to read:

“I have this against you, that in spite of all your efforts to refute evil, you haven’t bothered to take time to just sit with Me. Remember when we used to dance barefoot in the long grass and picnic on the beach away from the maddening crowed? Sit with me, return to me.”

Yeshua reminds the Ephesians that they have allowed themselves to be driven off course. They’ve fallen from a great height to their own detriment. He implores them to remember Him and their First Love for Him unto the Father, and to simply return תְשׁוּבָה teshuvah.

We see in the actions of the Ephesian believers the same error that we ourselves perpetuate today. In our zeal for righteousness we leave behind the root of that same righteousness. Our good deeds must come from our First Love (Yeshua), they cannot come from our fallen need to prove ourselves righteous. Isaiah 64:6 teaches us that righteous acts born of a wrong motivation are like used tampons (menstrual cloths).

“Or else I am coming to you and will remove your menorah out of its place—unless you return.” This is not a threat to the salvation of individuals within the Ephesian Ecclesia (or any other for that matter). What Yeshua is saying is that He will remove His present power and Shekinah, kevod Adonai (feminine glory), the manifestation of the Ruach Ha-Kodesh, from the midst of the community of believers in Ephesus.
 
To follow the symbolism with a practical observation we could say, “If the menorah is not tended to the lamps will burn out.” This corresponds to the Temple Menorah which was first lit at its inauguration and then kept alight by the priests with oil supplied by the community, the light is born of fire and oil, cleansing and spirit. If the Menorah is not tended to it will cease to provide light to the Temple, this happened during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, who desecrated the Temple leaving it pitch black, and subsequently during the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, which happened at least ten years prior to the writing of the scroll of Revelation. The same will be true of any Messianic community today, that turns from authentic Messiah ignited, Spirit filled faith.

The alternative is simple, return to first love in Messiah, and the menorah’s light will remain.

6 Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

The Nicolaitans are thought to have been a libertine sect that taught there followers to “sin that grace may abound” (hyper-grace). They compromised their faith by merging it with pagan forms of worship that included idolatry and sexual immorality. They may also have adopted aspects of the mystery religions of the period.

Notice the use of the Greek, μισῶ misō meaning, “detest.” Evil actions are detestable to God.

7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the believing communities. To the person who overcomes, I will give the right to eat of the עץ החיים Eiytz Chayim (tree of life) which is in the גן עדן Gan-Edan (Paradise) of God.’

The meaning of the phrase, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the believing communities” is clear. These are the same words that Yeshua used during His earthly ministry. He often used the phrase, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear (שְׁמוֹעַ Shema: take to heart, understand, implement etc.)” [Mark 4:9]. This phrase regularly followed the exposition of משלים mashalim (parables) by Yeshua, and was intended to denote the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“They may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.”
 
 –Mark 4:12 & Yeshayahu/Isaiah 6:9-10

The famous aphorism, “No one is blinder than he who refuses to see” is the perfect modern representation of this prophetic Hebrew concept. The message of the Messiah is clear, He intends His letter to be understood, not by everyone in the community—for there are surely goats among the sheep—but by everyone who has been given the ability by Yeshua Himself to take the words to heart. This is seen in the context of Mark 4:9-12: Yeshua explains to His talmidim (disciples) that the secrets of the Kingdom have been given to them—that is those who have accepted Him as Messiah (by extension, all believers). This is a preface for the Revelation of Yeshua, where He unveils the past, present and future to His Ecclesia (Worldwide community of believers). To all others the Revelation remains a difficult parable that is beyond the understanding of natural human intellect.

The phrase, “to the person who overcomes” needs to be understood in reference to the story of Israel (ethnic) and his beginning as one who wrestled with God and man and overcame. Jacob’s name was changed from, “to follow, grasp at the heal” to Israel, the one who “overcomes in God.” Yeshua Himself gave Jacob his new name, He also gives every believer a new name, in that it is in Yeshua that we overcome in God. This is a better translation than, “to him who is victorious,” because it is not us but Messiah Who is the Victor, we overcome through the victory won by Yeshua Himself.

The reward is the counterpoint to the possible punishment. Where the punishment was the removal of the community menorah, the reward is the assurance of the individual’s access to eternal life.

עץ החיים Eitz Chayim (Tree of life) is a powerful Hebrew symbol that connects the creation and the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:9; 3:22, 24) to גן עדן Gan Edan (Paradise: the distinct part of Sheol set apart for the righteous, also known as the bosom of Avraham. Luke 16:19-31; Luke 23:43). It also connects the believer to the future unifying of גן עדן Gan-Edan (Paradise) and the עולם הבא Olam Haba (World to come), in that the Eitz Chayim (Tree of life) seems to act as a conduit between the temporal Gan-Edan of Sheol and the eternal city which is outside of the universe in the third heaven awaiting the time of the end when eternity will consume time and the New Jerusalem will come down to engulf the righteous.

It's interesting to note that modern Rabbinical Judaism refers to the Torah as, “Eitz Chayim” and that the prayers chanted in acknowledgement of this affirm the intrinsic connection between the everlasting aspects of the Torah (Written Word) of HaShem and eternal life.

8 “And to the messenger of the community of believers in Smyrna write:
These are the words of The first and the last, Who was dead, and has come to life:

Smyrna means, “Myrrh” a perfume used to dress the dead and a symbol of mourning, intimacy, royal luxury and joy. Due to the fact that Myrrh is derived from a bitter sap, it can be understood as a symbol of the joy that is born through suffering. It’s therefore poignant that Yeshua identifies Himself to the Ecclesia of Smyrna as The One Who is all existing (Royal), Who was dead (Mourning), but is resurrected, alive (Joy).

9 ‘I know your afflictions and your poverty (but you are rich), and the slander (blasphemy) by those who call themselves Jews but are not, rather they are a gathering (synagogue) belonging to the Accuser (Satan). 

The Suffering Messiah, Who from birth was marked by myrrh in anticipation of His sacrificial death, acknowledges the shared suffering of His people in Smyrna. He is present in their suffering, by His own admission He walks in the midst of the communities. He also illuminates the spiritual reality of their present/future glory in the Olam Haba (World to come), saying, “But you are rich!”

Like the false apostles—that is, people who were not apostles at all but proven to be liars—the people indicted here as slanderers/blasphemers, are not Jews but Gentiles pretending to be Jews. They identified as Jews but were not. They are a gathering (συναγωγὴ synagōgē: this ancient Greek word is used to describe both a gathering of people and a building or meeting place, not necessarily a traditional Jewish Synagogue), or organised group.

These Gentiles may have been influenced by the Judaizers whom Paul rebukes in Galatians 6:12-13. They appear to have focused only on certain aspects of Judaism, claiming to be delivered by their observance of Torah rather than by grace through faith in Messiah. In spite of their many claims they failed to live devoted lives according to the Torah, making them hypocrites of the worst kind. They were probably subject to a false legalistic observance of the Torah like that refuted by Shaul/Paul the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 9:20. These Gentiles may have been responsible for drawing other Gentile Christians away from the freedom of the Gospel and into a pseudo-Messianic Synagogue version of faith that desecrated both Judaism and Christianity.
 
The βλασφημίαν blasphēmian “Slander (blasphemy)” of the aforementioned non-Jews, a synagogue (gathering, collective) of Satan (the slanderer) could have covered a number of things from desecrating the Holy Name YHVH to denying that grace through faith alone saves, and even as abhorrent as denying the deity of Messiah. It may also refer to the slandering of individuals within the body of believers at Smyrna, and the faith community as a whole.

I’m sad to say this very thing is happening in my own city today, where there are groups of Gentiles, who are so desperate to win their own salvation that they have begun to pretend to observe the Torah devotedly in order to show themselves superior to the so called apostate Church. This is the very antithesis of the Gospel of Messiah:
 
“for it is by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
 
–Ephesians 2:8-9

Myself and other members of our community have been slandered and are hated by some Gentile Christian/Hebrew Roots/Messianic (Not Jews) for our firm stance in Messiah upon the Scriptures and the freedom that the Gospel brings. If this present situation weren’t so sad it would be hilarious. What irony, a Group of Gentiles claiming to be Jewish (but are not) and accusing actual Jews and other Gentile followers of Messiah of not being Jewish enough (among other things). The tragedy is that this type of thinking makes room for the lie of Replacement theology (a.k.a Supersessionism), which these same groups seek to refute; given that they themselves are literally seeking to replace the Jewish people, appropriating our identity as a result of their own perceived lack of identity.

We should not steal from the Kingdom of God the beauty of the cultural worship of the Gentile nations, who through Yeshua have been set free to honour God in unique and powerful ways. Yeshua Himself reminds us that He has, “sheep from other sheep pens.” That which is godly in every culture has value, while that which is not is to be cast aside.
 
With the aforementioned in mind, the heights of stupidity reached by the modern pseudo-Christian antisemites are beyond comparison. One of their common antisemitic tropes relies on the present verse being taken out of context, and by ignoring its literal and plainly obvious meaning. They say to us Jews, “You are not Jews, you are a synagogue of Satan” failing to understand that the verse they’re referencing doesn’t refer to Jews in any way, hence “who say they are Jews but are not.” The irony continues when one observes  that the pseudo-Christian antisemites who say these abhorrent things consider themselves chosen and in turn claim that the Jews (contrary to Scripture) are no longer chosen. Therefore, they prove themselves to be the very people described in Revelation 2:9 who claim to be chosen (Jews) but are not.

10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil (Slanderer) is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be proved, and you will be tortured for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 

The Greek διάβολος diabolos, is used here rather than the title Σατανᾶς Satanos, Satan. διάβολος diabolos can refer to the particular aspect of Satan’s character, “slander,” or to a demonic spirit. Therefore, given the fact that the definite article is used, “the slanderer” could  refer to Satan as “slanderer,” and could also refer to the demonic strongman in charge of slander. In either case the entity is being sent to instigate the persecution. We must keep in mind that Satan is not omnipresent, He can’t be everywhere at once.

God is in control of this proving and has already established its outcome. The ten days are both literal and symbolic; they represent the completion of the trial of this specific community and the limit set upon the time allowed for the enemy to touch the believers of Smyrna. This is similar to the account of Job in that God was in control of Satan’s participation from beginning to end.

Smyrna is symbolic of death and mourning, here her faithfulness even unto death (temporary) is rewarded with a victor’s wreath of life (eternal). The Victor is Messiah, and the crown of everlasting life is given to His spiritual sons and daughters, crowned as princes and princesses.

11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’

Ears are designed to hear, however hearing (Shema) from the Hebrew perspective must result in understanding and action. The phrase “He who has an ear, let him hear” means “He who has the ability to hear must act in acknowledgment of what’s said.” Therefore, everyone hears but some refuse to listen and still others refuse to act.

The person who overcomes in Messiah will not be hurt by the second death (Myrrh). This makes two things clear, there is both a death and a life beyond this one, and only those who rely on Messiah Yeshua will overcome.

12 “And to the messenger of the community of believers in Pergamum write:
The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:

Pergamum means, “High Tower,” symbolizing pride. In fact the city was built on a high hill, giving it wonderful views of the not too distant coastline.

The sword is the word of God, able to divide soul and spirit. It is the word of God that will slice pride free from the believers of Pergamum. In this case it is a broad sword that divides between the bone and marrow of an entire community.
 
As explained in the previous chapter:
 
The Greek ῥομφαία rhomphaia, translated “sword” is a double-edged broad sword, a long Thracian sword, designed for cutting and piercing. It’s said to have been an imposing weapon.
 
The same word is employed throughout Revelation and is used in Luke’s Gospel to describe the metaphorical sword that will pierce Miriam’s (Mary the mother of Yeshua) heart in both grief and revelation:
 
“34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Miriam (Mary) His (Yeshua’s) mother, “Behold, now, pay attention, this One is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that is spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed (this word shares its root with Apokalypsis [Revelation]. (And even for you, a sword [ῥομφαία rhomphaia] will pierce through your soul.)”
 
-Luke 2:34-35 [Author’s translation]

13 ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast to My Name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 

Pergamum was a centre of emperor worship in the Roman province of Asia, therefore, given that the worship of the Roman emperor was tantamount to the worship of an antichrist, the city is rightly identified as the place, “Where Satan’s throne is.”

The faith that the Pergamum believers have held on to is the faith that comes from Yeshua. They hold fast to all that Yeshua’s Name and Person mean, “God is our salvation, God with us, King of kings” etc.

Antipas, whose name means, “substitute father” may well have been a father in the faith to many of the believers in Pergamum. He is an example of one who suffered unto death and overcame. In Hebrew this is called, על קידוש השם al Kiddush HaShem (upon the sanctification of The Name). Less than 40 years later the same Roman government put 10 prominent Jewish leaders to death, among them were Gamliel II (Grandson of Gamaliel the Elder [Acts 2:33-34, 22:3]) and the famous Talmudic Rebbe Akiva.

Not only is Σατανᾶ Satana, Satan’s throne there, He also spends much of His time there. This is because the focus of emperor worship is such that it sets itself up in direct opposition to Messiah. The satanic modus operandi is antichrist. Satan longs to rule, and will not. It’s worth asking, “Where is the ultimate seat of power sought today?” If we live under its temporary dominion, how are we to respond to times of proving?

14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam (Greek) [Bil’am (Hebrew)], who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit immorality. 

God wouldn’t allow Bil’am to curse Israel (Num. 22-24; ref. 2 Peter 2:15-16), however Bil’am, having been afforded the opportunity to enter into relationship with HaShem, chose instead to placate the king of Moab by tempting Israel to engage in idolatry and sexual immorality with Moabite women (Num. 25:1-3; 31:16). Bil’am is the perfect example of one who claims to hear from YHVH but is ultimately only interested in opportunities to seek to use what he hears of YHVH to facilitate his own prowess and spiritual power. This is not unlike many in the modern body of faith who are spiritual but not godly.

This text is not referring to the issue of eating meat, as addressed in 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, 10:21; rather, it refers to the act of participating in the pagan rituals of sacrifice to false gods, eating at love feasts (orgies) and engaging in sexually immoral activity in worship of these same deities. These acts are in direct opposition to the mitzvot/instructions/commands given to Israel, and in a concise form concerning the abstaining from idolatry, are also given to Gentile believers by the Jewish Church fathers in Acts 15:28-29.

15 You also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

The Nicolaitans were a libertine sect that taught there followers to sin that grace may abound. There is a direct correlation between the sin of Bil’am and the Nicolaitans. They are pseudo-spiritual false guides who encourage debauchery while calling also claiming to be worshippers of the High God YHVH.

“1What shall we say then, ‘Let’s keep on sinning, so that there can be more chesed (mercy, loving kindness, grace)?’ 2 A curse on it! How can we, who have died to sin, still live by it?”
 
-Romans 6:1-2 [Author’s translation]

16 Therefore return; or else I am coming to you quickly (immediately), and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.

The Greek, ταχύ tachy means immediate, without delay. Yeshua will not stand for this type of abomination within the believing community any more than HaShem would stand for such actions in the community of ethnic Israel. Just as HaShem took immediate action, so too will Yeshua. He will rebuke the offenders using His word, bringing swift judgement against them.

Yeshua’s word contains both warning and discipline, hope and destruction.

This war of His word is being carried out against the Ecclesia in order to purify the soon to be bride of Messiah.
 
Note that Yeshua says that He is coming quickly to make war against the evil in question. Yeshua is both the Prince of Peace and the Conquering King. He is no pacifist.
 
Note further that the threatened punishment reflects the associated description of Yeshua.

17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the community of believers. To the person who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a light/white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.’

Pergamum (Pride), has been rebuked and humbled by the word of Yeshua, the sword that divides the righteous from the unrighteous. The High Tower (Pergamum) of pride is now replaced with the promise of true heights of faith found in the third heaven. The High city of Pergamum (earthly temporary) may stand in its pride temporarily but the transcendent city of Jerusalem in the Olam Haba (World to come) awaits the people of God outside of time in the third heaven, the highest of heights.

Hidden Manna:

Manna, from the Hebrew מָן maan, derived from the phrase מה זה Ma zay? (What is it?), is first referenced in Exodus 16:4, 15-31, 35 and is also referred to as the “bread from heaven,” [Exodus 16:4; John 6:31-35]. Messiah uses this image as a symbol of His own body. A portion of this manna was preserved in the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 16:32-34; Hebrews 9:4).

The Talmud claims that in the third heaven (outside of time and space), “mills grind manna for the tzadikim (righteous ones)”
 
– Chagigah 12b

The Jewish apocalyptic writing of 2 Baruch 29:8 speaks of the Messianic age to come when, “the treasury of manna will again descend from on high, and those who live in that time will eat of it.”

It's recorded that when the first Temple was destroyed, either Jeremiah (2 Maccabees 2:4-8) or an angel/messenger (2 Baruch 6:5-10) rescued the ark with its pot of manna, and both the ark and the manna are being kept for the days of the Messiah, when God’s people will eat manna once again.

Yochanan relays the message of Messiah, which uses these traditional Jewish beliefs as a platform for showing that those who believe in Him will gain access to the, “Wedding Banquet of the Lamb” (19:19).

The white stone, or stone of light relates to the use of stones as tickets of entry into the public events of the time. The message is one of admission, the believer is symbolically given a stone of light that bears either the Messiah’s unknown name or that of the believer and is an affirmation of the believer’s rightful entry into the Olam haba (World to come). This stone has been purchased on our behalf by the Messiah Yeshua.

It's important to note that no one except the believer who receives it (and God), knows what is written on the stone.
 
There is perhaps a connection between the stone of light mentioned here and the urim and tumim of the TaNaKh, which are named “lights” and “completions” respectively. These stones of light operated as a means of communicating direction to the High priest and the people of Israel in perplexing circumstances. Perhaps there is a sense in which the new name written on the stone of light and given to those who overcome in Messiah, also acts as a type of directing of identity in Him.

18 “And to the messenger of the body of believers in Thyatira write:
The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:

Thyatira means, “Odour.” This title may have derived from the fact that the town was known for its many trade guilds, perhaps some of those trades involved tanning and meat culling, resulting in a pungent odour. Regardless, the symbolic meaning is clear, the odour of sin was present in Thyatira.

Yeshua is Ha-Ben Elohim, the Son of God. The rightful King over all the earth. The present verse affirms the fact that Yeshua remains The Son of God even after His resurrection (Matthew 4:3).

His eyes like flames of fire symbolize refining judgement, sacrifice, fore vision, penetrating vision and a unity with the Shekinah. His feet glowing like bronze in a furnace symbolize the refining strength of the spreading Gospel, feet firmly planted on earth but intrinsically connected to the wisdom and purity of the heavens through the One Messianic King. (Daniel 10:6)

19 ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. 

Unlike the Ecclesia of Ephesus, the believers of Thyatira have retained their first/chief love and have surpassed even there first righteous acts.

20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, And she teaches and leads My servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

There may well have been a literal woman named Jezebel who fellowshipped among the believers and claimed to be a prophetess (this is not the same as claiming to have the gift of prophecy, this claim is to the contrary a boast that equates the speaker with one of the prophets of the TaNakh. The irony here is that Yochanan, the writer of these words from Yeshua, is the true prophet of God in this context).

However, what is most likely is that the woman is being named after the Jezebel of the TaNakh who lead Ahab and Israel into idolatry and immorality and sought to eliminate completely the true worship of HaShem (1 Kings 16:30-33; 18:4, 13, 22; 2 Kings 9:22). Jezebel’s name means, “Chaste,” an ironic representation of the complete hypocrisy of the woman in question.

Like her namesake, this particular woman is leading the Ecclesia into sexual immorality and idolatry. These are abhorrent to God.
 
We note that the phrase, “you tolerate the woman Jezebel” reflects the prophet Elijah’s rebukes of Ahab and the people of Israel. The Thyatirans are being charged as enablers of sin. As far as God is concerned, those who enable sin in others are complicit, no matter how well meaning they may be.
 
Sadly, there are many Jezebels throughout the global Ecclesia today who are being enabled by their respective Ahabs. And the Ecclesia is largely silent, instead focusing on calling those with true prophetic voice “divisive!”

21 I gave her time to return, and she does not want to turn away from her immorality. 22 Behold, now, pay attention, I will throw her on a bed of sickness (Aramaic: ערסא arsa, Coffin), and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they turn away from her deeds. 

Yeshua has been gracious toward this woman, giving her time to turn back to Him, however, she has refused to do so and is therefore punished by sickness which will lead to death. The Aramaic text illuminates this meaning by using the word, ערסא arsa which means both bed and coffin.

Those who have engaged in her teachings and have committed similar sins under her guidance are being given an opportunity to repent immediately and avoid the affliction promised to those who continue in their sin.

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

Those given the opportunity to repent in the previous verses were believers who were swayed by Jezebel’s deception and drawn into her sin, where as those being called her, “children” are those who like her are instigators of the same deception, blood of her blood, both physically and metaphorically. Therefore, due to their wilful resistance toward God, they will suffer physical and spiritual death. Because God knows the end from the beginning it’s true to say that contrary to the popular evangelical aphorism, there is such a thing as an unredeemable person. One who willfully and perpetually resists God is by their own choosing and God’s foreknowledge, irredeemable.

The physical deaths of these wolves who have lived among the sheep, will act as a deterrent to others who would seek to harm the congregation. This is a show of God’s power like that of Acts 5, where Ananias and Sapphira are killed in the presence of the Holy Spirit as a manifest expression of the awesome holiness of God with us.

24 But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. 25 Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.

Those who have maintained their relationship with God in righteousness are asked only to continue in the same way. They are like Elijah and the 7000 prophets preserved by God for Himself (1 Kings 19:18). They haven’t sought to “know the deep secrets of Satan,” which is a reference to the mystery religions that claimed secret access to the mysteries of the universe through an intimate knowledge of the dark angel Satan.

The irony here is that Yeshua is unveiling His mystery freely to all who would receive Him, Yeshua doesn’t require His followers to jump through hoops and perform foul rituals in order to know the truth, on the contrary, He reveals it freely to His bride as an engagement gift. This present Revelation utterly refutes the lies and so called mysteries of the evil one.

26 He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; 27 and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; 

Yeshua says here that just as He has been given authority from the Father (as prophesied in Psalm 2, below), He will bestow ruling authority over the nations to His servants who overcome in Him.

1 Why do the nations rage, and the people ponder emptiness?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against HaShem, and against his anointed (people), saying,
3 Let us break what binds them apart, and throw away their cords from us.
4 He that sits in the heavens shall laugh: HaShem derides them.
5 Then shall He speak unto them in his wrath, and agitate them inwardly because of His burning anger.
6 Yet I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: HaShem has said unto me, “You are my Son; this day have I begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give you the nations for your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
10 Be wise now therefore, O you kings: be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve HaShem with fear (Awe), and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.
 
–Tehillim/Psalm 2:1-12 [Author’s translation]

28 and I will give him the morning star. 

Yeshua offers the, “Morning Star” to those who overcome in Him. This is the planet Venus, the brightest star in the morning sky, and is symbolic of the Messiah. Ironically it was Bil’am who prophesied, “A star shall step forth from Jacob” (Numbers 24:17). This same phrase is used to refer to Messiah Yeshua in Revelation 22:16.
 
While Satan was a bright morning star (Isa. 14:12) and is now fallen and irredeemable, Yeshua is the bright morning star Who can redeem all who come to Him in faith.
 
The use of the morning star as a metaphor relating to both Yeshua and Satan does not infer a connection between the two anymore than the use of a lion as a metaphor used to describe both the Lion of Judah and the devil prowling like a lion infers a correlation between the two. These are simply metaphors, nothing more.

29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Ecclesia (all believers).’

As this chapter ends we are faced with the same choice, will we receive belief or embrace unbelief? Will we allow our Groom to unveil us, or will we demand a different suitor?

No one is as deaf as he who refuses to listen.
 
Copyright 2026 Yaakov Ben Yehoshua