Revelation Lecture 4

BE FAITHFUL, EVEN TO THE POINT OF DEATH

Revelation 2:8-17

Key Verse 2:10

1. How does Jesus describe himself in his message to the church in Smyrna (8)? What does Jesus know about their affliction, poverty, and persecution (9)? In what sense are they rich?
2. How does Jesus encourage them to face the suffering ahead (10)? What does it mean to be “faithful, even to the point of death”? What promises does Jesus give to those who are victorious (10b-11)?
3. What is Jesus’ description of himself as the one with the “sharp, double-edged sword”significant for the church in Pergamum (12)? What does “Satan’s throne”mean in the context of Pergamum (13)? What does Jesus commend them for?
4. What does Jesus hold against some members of the church in Pergamum (14–15)? What does the story of Balaam and Balak reveal about the situation in Pergamum? How are the teachings of Balaam and the Nicolaitans related?
5. What does Jesus mean when he says, “I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth” (16)? What do the “hidden manna,” the “white stone,” and the “new name” represent (17)?