Revelation Lecture 3

RESTORE YOUR FIRST LOVE

Revelation 2:1-11

Key Verse 2:4-5a

1. To whom is each of the seven letters addressed (2:1a, 8a, 12a, 18a, 3:1a, 7a, 14a)? What was the historical background of the church in Ephesus (Ac 18:19-21; 19:1-20)? How does Jesus describe himself, and what does this reveal about his relationship with his churches (1b)?
2. What does Jesus commend the believers in Ephesus for (2-3)? What do “the practices of the Nicolaitans” refer to (6)?
3. What does Jesus hold against them (4)? What does it mean that they had “forsaken the love they had at first”? What does Jesus urge them to do, and what warning does he give them (5)?
4. How does Jesus describe himself in his message to the church in Smyrna (8b)? What does Jesus know about their afflictions, poverty, and persecution (9)? In what sense are they rich?
5. How does Jesus encourage them to face their coming suffering (10)? What does it mean to be “faithful, even to the point of death”? What promises does Jesus give to those who are victorious (7, 10b-11)?