Revelation 2 Part 2 Table Revelation 2:12-17 And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which 12 hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou 13 holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein An- tipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the 14 doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. 15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the 16 sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white 17 stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. See Dr Ruckman’s commentary The Book of Revelation pp 51-59 and the Ruckman Reference Bible pp 89, 128-129, 752, 766, 818-819, 1067, 1196, 1466, 1513, 1646-1647, 1657-1658. 1. Revelation 2:12. “These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;” refers to “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” Ephesians 6:17 of which Paul declares “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” Hebrews 4:12. Therefore the Lord uses the expression “let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29, 3:6, 13, 22 seven times i.e. one for each church showing that whatever the spiritual condition of a church it always needs: “the word of God” 1 Samuel 9:27, 1 Kings 12:22, 1 Chronicles 17:3, Mark 7:13, Luke 3:2, 5:1, 8:11, 21, 11:28, John 10:35, Acts 4:31, 6:2, 7, 8:14, 11:1, 12:24, 13:5, 7, 44, 46, 17:13, 18:11, 19:20, Romans 9:6, 10:17, 1 Corinthians 14:26, 2 Corinthians 2:17, 4:2, Ephesians 6:17, Colos- sians 1:25, 1 Thessalonians 2:13 twice, 1 Timothy 4:5, 2 Timothy 2:9, Titus 2:5, Hebrews 4:12, 11:3, 13:7, 1 Peter 1:23, 2 Peter 3:5, 1 John 2:14, Revelation 1:2, 9, 6:9, 19:13, 20:4, 46 refer- ences “the words of God” Numbers 24:4, 16, 1 Chronicles 25:5, Psalm 107:11, John 3:34, Revelation 17:17 “the word of the LORD” Genesis 15:1, 4, Exodus 9:20, 21, Numbers 3:16, 51:4:45, 15:31, 22:18, 36:5, Deuteronomy 5:5, 34:5, Joshua 8:27, 19:50, 22:9, 1 Samuel 3:1, 7, 21, 15:10, 23, 26, 2 Samuel 7:4, 22:31, 24:11, 1 Kings 2:27, 6:11, 12:24 twice, 13:1, 2, 5, 9, 17, 18, 20, 26 twice, 32, 14:18, 16:1, 7, 12, 34, 17:2, 5, 8, 16, 24, 18:1, 31, 19:9, 20:35, 21:17, 28, 22:5, 19, 38, 2 Kings 1:17, 3:12, 4:44, 7:1, 16, 9:26, 36, 10:10, 14:25, 15:12, 20:4, 16, 19, 23:16, 24:2, 1 Chron- icles 10:13, 11:3, 10, 12:23, 15:15, 22:8, 2 Chronicles 11:2, 12:7, 18:4, 18, 30:12, 34:21, 35:6, 36:21, 22, Ezra 1:1, Psalm 18:30, 33:4, 6, 105:19, Isaiah 1:10, 2:3, 28:13, 14, 38:4, 39:5, 8, 66:5, Jeremiah 1:2, 4, 11, 13, 2:1, 4, 31, 6:10, 7:2, 8:9, 9:20, 13:2, 3, 8, 14:1, 16:1, 17:15, 20, 18:5, 19:3, 20:8, 21:11, 22:2, 29, 24:4, 25:3, 27:18, 28:12, 29:20, 30, 31:10, 32:6, 8 twice, 26, 33:1, 19, 23, 34:4, 12, 35:12, 36:27, 37:6, 39:15, 42:7, 15, 43:8, 44:24, 26, 46:1, 47:1, 49:34, Ezekiel 1:3, 3:16, 6:1, 3, 7:1, 11:14, 12:1, 8, 17, 21, 26, 13:1, 2, 14:2, 12, 15:1, 16:1, 35, 17:1, 11, 18:1, 20:2, 45, 47, 21:1, 8, 18, 22:1, 17, 23, 23:1, 24:1, 15, 20, 25:1, 3, 26:1, 27:1, 28:1, 11, 20, 29:1, 17, 2 30:1, 20, 31:1, 32:1, 17, 33:1, 23, 34:1, 7, 9, 35:1, 36:1, 4, 16, 37:4, 15, 38:1, Daniel 9:2, Hosea 1:1, 2, 4:1, Joel 1:1, Amos 7:16, 8:12, Jonah 1:1, 3:1, 3, Micah 1:1, 4:2, Zephaniah 1:1, 2:5, Hag- gai 1:1, 3, 2:1, 10, 20, Zechariah 1:7, 4:6, 8, 6:9, 7:1, 4, 8, 8:1, 18, 9:1, 11:11, 12:1, Malachi 1:1, Luke 22:61, Acts 8:25, 11:16, 13:48, 49, 15:35, 36, 16:32, 19:10, 1 Thessalonians 1:8, 4:15, 2 Thessalonians 3:1, 1 Peter 1:25, 258 references “the words of the LORD” Exodus 4:28, 24:3, 4, Numbers 11:24, Joshua 3:9, 24:27, 1 Samuel 8:10, 15:1, 2 Chronicles 11:4, 29:15, Psalm 12:6, Jeremiah 36:4, 6, 8, 11, 37:2, 43:1, Amos 8:11, 18 references plus Acts 20:35 “the words of the Lord Jesus.” Paul therefore exhorts today’s believer according to 2 Timothy 1:13 “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” 2. Revelation 2:13. The Lord states “I know thy works” Revelation 2:2, 9, 13, 19, 3:1, 8, 15 seven times, once for each of the seven churches. The statement for the Church Age believer points to 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” that depict what happens at “the judgment seat of Christ” concerning believers’ works not their salvation as Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” “gold” is steadfast commitment “to worship the King, the LORD of hosts” Zechariah 14:16, 17 because gold is associated with royalty in scripture according to 1 Kings 10:18 “Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.” Note further “the golden sceptre” with respect to royal authority. “All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live...And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre” Esther 4:11, 5:2. “silver” is steadfast commitment to redeeming or ransoming souls as depicted in Exodus 30:11- 13 “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, When thou takest the sum of the children of Is- rael after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD” “the shekel of the sanctuary” identified as “shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary” Leviticus 5:15, 27:3. “precious stones” is the actual redeeming of precious souls as the Lord describes them in Mala- chi 3:17 “And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.” “wood, hay, stubble” is an attitude of “For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s” Philippians 2:21 “And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful” Mark 4:18-19 and “...that which 3 beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned” Hebrews 6:8.