Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

Therefore repent! Otherwise I will come to you shortly and wage war against them with the sword of My mouth.

“The three oldest manuscripts read, "Repent, therefore." Not only the Nicolaitanes, but the whole Church of Pergamos is called on to repent of not having hated the Nicolaitane teaching and practice.”

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna.

“As Phinehas was rewarded with "an everlasting priesthood" for his zeal against these very sins to which the Old Testament Balaam seduced Israel; so the heavenly high priesthood is the reward promised here to those zealous against the New Testament Balaamites tempting Christ's people to…”

To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like a blazing fire and whose feet are like…

“Son of God . . . eyes like . . . fire . . . feet . . . like fine brass--or "glowing brass" (see on Re 1:14,15, whence this description is resumed). Again His attributes accord with His address.”

I know your deeds—your love, your faith, your service, your perseverance—and your latter deeds are greater than your first.

“Similarly, faith and persevering endurance, or "patient continuance (the same Greek as here, Ro 2:7) in well-doing," are connected.”

But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess.

“Like her father, she was swift to shed blood. Wholly given to Baal worship, like Eth-baal, whose name expresses his idolatry, she, with her strong will, seduced the weak Ahab and Israel beyond the calf-worship (which was a worship of the true God under the…”

Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds.

“I will--Greek present, "I cast her." a bed--The place of her sin shall be the place of her punishment. The bed of her sin shall be her bed of sickness and anguish. Perhaps a pestilence was about to be sent.”

Then I will strike her children dead, and all the churches will know that I am the One who searches minds and hearts, and I will repay each of you…

“So palpably shall God's hand be seen in the judgment on Thyatira, that the whole Church shall recognize it as God's doing. I am he--the "I" is strongly emphatical: "that it is I am He who," &c. searcheth . . .”

But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan: I will place…

“Exaggerating and perfecting Paul's doctrine of grace without the law as the source of justification and sanctification, these false prophets rejected the law as a rule of life, as though it were an intolerable "burden." But it is a "light" burden.”

And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations.

“The image is perhaps from the race, wherein it is not enough to enter the lists, but the runner must persevere to the end. give power--Greek, "authority."”

He will rule them with an iron scepter and shatter them like pottery—just as I have received authority from My Father.

“From Ps 2:8, 9. rule--literally, "rule as a shepherd." In Ps 2:9 it is, "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron." The Septuagint, pointing the Hebrew word differently, read as Revelation here.”

“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of the One who holds the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.

“This attribute implies His infinite power by the Spirit to convict of sin and of a hollow profession. and the seven stars-- (Re 1:16, 20).”

Wake up and strengthen what remains, which was about to die; for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God.

“Translate, "complete." Weighed in the balance of Him who requires living faith as the motive of works, and found wanting. before God--Greek, "in the sight of God."”

Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent.

“The word "keep" (so the Greek is for English Version, "hold fast") which follows, accords with this sense. "Keep" or observe the commandment which thou hast received and didst hear. heard--Greek aorist, "didst hear," namely, when the Gospel doctrine was committed to thee.”

But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white.

“The Greek is not "to stain" (Greek, "miainein"), but to "defile," or besmear (Greek, "molunein"), So 5:3. they shall walk with me in white--The promised reward accords with the character of those to be rewarded: keeping their garments undefiled and white through the blood of…”

Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white. And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before…

“Salvation is open to all and is pending (humanly speaking) in the case of those mentioned here. 21:27, exhibit the book of the elect alone in the narrower sense, after the erasure of the others. before . . . before--Greek, "in the presence of."”

To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David.

“None but God is absolutely holy (Greek, "hagios," separate from evil and perfectly hating it). In contrast to "the synagogue of Satan" (Re 3:9).”

I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut.

“I prefer the view given above. The Greek verbs are in the aorist tense: "Thou didst keep . . . didst not deny My name": alluding to some particular occasion when her faithfulness was put to the test.”

Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead.

“I will make--Greek present, "I make," literally, "I give" (see on Re 3:8). The promise to Philadelphia is larger than that to Smyrna.”

Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those…

“My endurance is the endurance which I require, and which I practice. Christ Himself now endures, patiently waiting until the usurper be cast out, and all "His enemies be made His footstool."”

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Originator of God’s creation.

“"Faithful," that is, trustworthy (2Ti 2:11, 13). "True" is here (Greek, "alethinos") not truth-speaking (Greek, "alethes"), but "perfectly realizing all that is comprehended in the name Witness" (1Ti 6:13).”

I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other!

“For then there would not be the same "danger of mixed motive and disregarded principle" [ALFORD]. Also, there is more hope of the "cold," that is, those who are of the world, and not yet warmed by the Gospel call; for, when called, they may…”

So because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!

“But two oldest manuscripts, Syriac, and Coptic transpose thus, "hot nor cold." It is remarkable that the Greek adjectives are in the masculine, agreeing with the angel, not feminine, agreeing with the Church.”

You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.

“Self-sufficiency is the fatal danger of a lukewarm state (see on Re 3:15). thou sayest--virtually and mentally, if not in so many words. increased with goods--Greek, "have become enriched," implying self-praise in self-acquired riches.”

I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not…

“As "gold tried in the fire" expresses faith tested by fiery trials: so "white raiment," Christ's righteousness imputed to the believer in justification and imparted in sanctification. appear--Greek, "be manifested," namely, at the last day, when everyone without the wedding garment shall be discovered.”

Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.

“I in My dealings, so altogether unlike man's, in the case of all whom I love, rebuke. The Greek, "elencho," is the same verb as in Joh 16:8, "(the Holy Ghost) will convince (rebuke unto conviction) the world of sin." chasten--"chastise."”