Originally posted at A Little Perspective.
Read Revelation 2 at Bible Gateway.
Each individual letter to the seven churches forms its own chiastic structure:
Rev 2:1-7, The letter to the assembly in Ephesus
1a) Rev 2:1, To the angel of the assembly in Ephesus write: He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, He who walks among the seven golden lampstands says these things;
1b) Rev 2:2-3, Commendation: Perseverance + non tolerance of evil men;
1a) Rev 2:2a, I know your works, and your toil and perseverance;
1b) Rev 2:2b, You can’t tolerate evil men/ have tested those who call themselves apostles;
central axis) Rev 2:2c, And they are not;
2b) Rev 2:2d, And found them false;
2a) Rev 2:3, You have perseverance, have endured for My name’s sake, have not grown weary;
1c) Rev 2:4, But I have this against you, that you left your first love;
central axis) Rev 2:5a, Remember therefore from where you have fallen;
2c) Rev 2:5b-d, Repent and do the first works, or else I will move your lampstand;
1a) Rev 2:5b, And repent and do the first works;
central axis) Rev 2:5c, Or else I am coming to you swiftly/ will move your lampstand out of its place;
2a) Rev 2:5d, Unless you repent;
2b) Rev 2:6, Commendation: You hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate;
2a) Rev 2:7a, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies;
conclusion) Rev 2:7b, To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of My God.
Some of the letters also form single structures when combined:
Rev 2:12-29, The letters to the assemblies in Pergamum + Thyatira
1a) Rev 2:12, To the angel of the assembly in Pergamum write: He who has the sharp two-edged sword says these things;
1b.1) Rev 2:13a, I know your works and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is;
1b.2) Rev 2:13b, You hold firmly to My name, and didn’t deny My faith in the days of Antipas My witness, My faithful one;
1c) Rev 2:13c, Who was killed among you, where Satan dwells;
1d.1) Rev 2:14-15, But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to throw a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans likewise;
1d.2) Rev 2:16, Repent therefore, or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth;
1e.1) Rev 2:17a, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies;
1e.2) Rev 2:17b, To him who overcomes,
central axis) Rev 2:17c, To him I will give of the hidden manna + white stone with a new name written, which no one knows but he who receives it;
2e.1) Rev 2:18, To the angel of the assembly in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has His eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished brass, says these things;
2e.2) Rev 2:19, I know your works, your love, faith, service, patient endurance, and that your last works are more than the first;
2d.1) Rev 2:20, But I have this against you, that you tolerate your woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. She teaches + seduces My servants to commit sexual immorality + eat things sacrificed to idols;
2d.2) Rev 2:21-22, I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her into a bed/ those who commit adultery with her into great oppression, unless they repent of her works;
2c) Rev 2:23, I will kill her children with Death/ all the assemblies will know that I am He who searches the minds + hearts. I will give to each one of you according to your deeds;
2b.1) Rev 2:24, But to you I say, to the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as don’t have this teaching, who don’t know what some call ‘the deep things of Satan,’ to you I say, I am not putting any other burden on you;
2b.2) Rev 2:25-28, Nevertheless, hold that which you have firmly until I come. He who overcomes, and he who keeps My works to the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with a rod of iron, shattering them like clay pots; as I also have received of my Father: and I will give him the morning star;
2a) Rev 2:29, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.
Then there are multiple overlapping structures crossing over multiple letters, of which this is just one example:
Rev 2:1-25 chiastic structure
1a) Rev 2:1-4, To you I say: I know your good works, but you have left your first love;
1a) Rev 2:1-2a, To the angel of the assembly in Ephesus write: He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, He who walks among the seven golden lamp stands says these things: I know your works;
1b) Rev 2:2b, And your toil and perseverance;
central axis) Rev 2:2c, And that you can’t tolerate evil men, and have tested those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and found them false;
2b) Rev 2:3, You have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary;
2a) Rev 2:4, But I have this against you, that you left your first love;
1b.1.a) Rev 2:5, Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I am coming to you swiftly, and will move your lamp stand out of its place, unless you repent;
1b.1.b) Rev 2:6, But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate;
1b.2) Rev 2:7, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies/ To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of My God;
1c.1) Rev 2:8, To the angel of the assembly in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life says these things;
1c.2) Rev 2:9, I know your works, oppression, poverty (but you are rich)/ the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan;
central axis) Rev 2:10-11, Don’t be afraid of the things which you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested; and you will have oppression for ten days. Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. He who overcomes won’t be harmed by the second death;
2c.1) Rev 2:12, To the angel of the assembly in Pergamum write: He who has the sharp two-edged sword says these things;
2c.2) Rev 2:13-14, I know your works/ where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is;
1a) Rev 2:13a, I know your works;
1b) Rev 2:13b, And where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is;
central axis) Rev 2:13c, You hold firmly to My name, and didn’t deny My faith in the days of Antipas My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you;
2b) Rev 2:13d, Where Satan dwells;
2a) Rev 2:14, But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to throw a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality;
2b.1.b) Rev 2:15, So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans likewise;
2b.1.a) Rev 2:16, Repent therefore, or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth;
2b.2) Rev 2:17, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies/ To him who overcomes I will give of the hidden manna + white stone with a new name written, which no one knows but he who receives it;
2a) Rev 2:18-25, To you I say, I know your love + your last works that are more than the first, but you tolerate a false prophetess, Jezebel;
1a) Rev 2:18-19, To the angel of the assembly in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has His eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished brass, says these things: I know your works, your love, faith, service, patient endurance, and that your last works are more than the first;
1b) Rev 2:20, But I have this against you, that you tolerate your woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. She teaches + seduces My servants to commit sexual immorality + to eat things sacrificed to idols;
1c) Rev 2:21, I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality;
central axis) Rev 2:22a, Behold, I will throw her into a bed/ those who commit adultery with her into great oppression;
2c) Rev 2:22b, Unless they repent of her works;
2b) Rev 2:23, I will kill her children with Death/ all the assemblies will know that I am He who searches minds + hearts/ I will give to each one of you according to your deeds;
2a) Rev 2:24-25, But to you I say, to the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as don’t have this teaching, who don’t know what some call ‘the deep things of Satan,’ to you I say, I am not putting any other burden on you. Nevertheless, hold that which you have firmly until I come.
This structure, crossing the letters to multiple churches, has an interesting central axis. It is a prophecy of coming tribulation, lasting for ten “days,” with the exhortation to remain faithful to death – the death of the body, for the one who overcomes the testing will not be subject to the second death – the death of the soul – but will receive the crown of life. These letters were delivered to the churches in ~96 AD, and it just so happens that the primitive Church established by the apostles suffered a great tribulation, where believers were hunted and put to death by the Roman State, until 313 AD, in ten waves of persecutions. Could each of the ten “days” of the prophecy indicate each of the deadly persecutions? I think so.
Other multiple letter structures have different matching elements which highlight a different message. Two such elements are what the churches of Ephesus and Thyatira will not or will tolerate:
Rev 2:2, I know your works, and your toil and perseverance, and that you can’t tolerate evil men, and have tested those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and found them false;
Rev 2:19-20, I know your works, your love, faith, service, patient endurance, and that your last works are more than the first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate your woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. (The implication being that she is a false prophetess, but Thyatira doesn’t know it yet.)
My Introduction to the Letters to the Seven Churches study notes
Revelation index of studies
Revelation Scripture Pictures (terms of use)
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