Revelation 2:12-29

Amplified Bible

Message to Pergamum

¹²“And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in ^[a]Pergamum write:

“These are the words of Him who has and wields the sharp two-edged sword [in judgment]:

¹³‘I know where you dwell, [a place] where Satan sits enthroned. Yet you are holding fast to My name, and you did not deny ^[b]My faith even in the days of ^[c]Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed (martyred) among you, where Satan dwells. ¹⁴But I have a few things against you, because you have there some [among you] who are holding to the [corrupt] teaching of Balaam, who taught ^[d]Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, [enticing them] to eat things that had been sacrificed to idols and to commit [acts of sexual] ^[e]immorality.^(A) ¹⁵You also have some who in the same way are holding to the teaching of the ^[f]Nicolaitans. ¹⁶Therefore repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will]; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war and fight against them with the sword of My mouth [in judgment]. ¹⁷He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God], to him I will give [the privilege of eating] some of the ^[g]hidden manna, and I will give him a ^[h]white stone with a new name engraved on the stone which no one knows except the one who receives it.’^(B)

Message to Thyatira

¹⁸“And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in ^[i]Thyatira write:

“These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes [that flash] like a flame of fire [in righteous judgment], and whose feet are like burnished [white-hot] bronze:^(C)

¹⁹‘I know your deeds, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your last deeds are more numerous and greater than the first. ²⁰But I have this [charge] against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess [claiming to be inspired], and she teaches and misleads My bond-servants so that they commit [acts of sexual] immorality and eat food sacrificed to idols.^(D) ²¹I gave her time to repent [to change her inner self and her sinful way of thinking], but she has no desire to repent of her immorality and refuses to do so. ²²^[j]Listen carefully, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her [I will bring] into great anguish, unless they repent of her deeds. ²³And I will kill her children (followers) with ^[k]pestilence [thoroughly annihilating them], and all the churches will know [without any doubt] that I am He who searches the ^[l]minds and hearts [the innermost thoughts, purposes]; and I will give to each one of you [a reward or punishment] according to your deeds.^(E) ²⁴But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not explored and known the ^[m]depths of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you, ²⁵except to hold tightly to what you have until I come. ²⁶And he who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] and he who keeps My deeds [doing things that please Me] until the [very] end, to him I will give authority and power over the nations;^(F) ²⁷and he shall shepherd and rule them with a rod of iron, as the earthen pots are broken in pieces, as I also have received authority [and power to rule them] from My Father;^(G) ²⁸and I will give him the ^[n]Morning Star. ²⁹He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Read full chapter

Footnotes

Revelation 2:12 Pergamum (modern Bergama, Turkey) was built on a promontory about sixteen miles from the Aegean Sea. It was famous as a worship center for many pagan gods including Zeus (Jupiter, king of gods), Dionysus (Bacchus, god of wine and intoxication), and Asklepios (god of healing). The enormous altar dedicated to Zeus is on display in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Pergamum also had an important temple dedicated to the worship of Caesar. Refusal to take part in the imperial cult was considered treason. A culturally sophisticated city as well as a center for pagan worship, Pergamum’s library, believed to contain over 200,000 volumes, was second only to the Library of Alexandria.
Revelation 2:13 I.e. your faith in Me.
Revelation 2:13 Antipas was a pastor or leader of the church at Pergamum.
Revelation 2:14 The king of Moab in the time of the exodus, who hired Balaam to curse Israel.
Revelation 2:14 Pagan worship often included the use of temple prostitutes who served as “priestesses.”
Revelation 2:15 See note v 6.
Revelation 2:17 This probably refers to the pot of manna placed in the Ark of the Covenant by Moses (Ex 16:33; Heb 9:4). Manna was a food supernaturally provided to Israel by God during their wanderings in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt.
Revelation 2:17 White stones were sometimes used as tickets of admission to public assemblies. Here the white stone may symbolize admission to the Messiah’s banquet.
Revelation 2:18 Thyatira (modern Akhisar, Turkey) was famous for its dyeing and indigo trade. It was the home of Lydia, the seller of purple fabrics, who was converted under the ministry of Paul (Acts 16:14). Located in a valley, midway between Pergamum and Sardis, it was originally established as a military base by one of the generals in the army of Alexander the Great.
Revelation 2:22 Lit Behold.
Revelation 2:23 Lit death.
Revelation 2:23 Lit kidneys, i.e. inner man. In Jewish thought, the kidneys were considered a source of wisdom (cf Ps 16:7).
Revelation 2:24 I.e. participated in and experienced evil.
Revelation 2:28 In 22:16 this expression designates Christ as the true Messiah, the root and the descendant of David. Here, the gift probably is the privilege of knowing Christ at a much higher level (see Phil 3:8).