E-Book, Englisch, Band 19, 192 Seiten
Henry / McGrath Revelation
1. Auflage 1999
ISBN: 978-1-4335-1682-5
Verlag: Crossway
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection
E-Book, Englisch, Band 19, 192 Seiten
Reihe: Crossway Classic Commentaries
ISBN: 978-1-4335-1682-5
Verlag: Crossway
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection
Building upon a stream of exact exegesis beginning with the Reformation, MATTHEW HENRY (1662-1714) achieved a standard of applied analysis that has long marked his work as superior. He is best known for his seven-volume commentary on the Bible, which C. H. Spurgeon declared was 'rich in analogies . . . superabundant in reflections . . . suitable to everybody, instructive to all.'
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Revelation
Chapter 2
Introduction
The apostle John, having in the previous chapter written about the things he had seen, now writes about the things then present, as God had commanded him: “Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now . . .” (1:19)—that is, the present state of the seven churches of Asia, with whom he had special acquaintance, and for whom he had a tender concern. He was directed to write to each of them according to their particular circumstances and to dedicate each letter to the angel of that church, that is, to the minister, or rather ministry, of that church, called angels because they were God’s messengers to mankind.
In this chapter we have:
1.The message to Ephesus (verses 1-7).
2.The message to Smyrna (verses 8-11).
3.The message to Pergamum (verses 12-17).
4.The message to Thyatira (verses 18-29).
Verses 1-7
To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your ?rst love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at ?rst. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
We have here:
1. The inscription, where we notice:
a. To whom the ?rst of these letters is sent—to the angel of the church in Ephesus (verse 1). This famous church in Ephesus was planted by the apostle Paul (see Acts 19) and after that was watered by St. John, who lived there for quite some time. We can hardly suppose that Timothy was the angel or sole pastor and bishop of this church at this time, or that he who had such an excellent spirit and naturally cared for the good state of the souls of people should become so remiss as to deserve the rebukes given to the ministry of this church.
b. Notice who wrote this letter to the Ephesians. Here we have one of those titles given to Christ when he appeared to John, as recorded in chapter 1. “I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone . . . In his right hand he held seven stars” (1:12-13, 16). This title has two parts.
(1) Him who holds the seven stars in his right hand (verse 1). Christ’s ministers are under his special care and protection. It is to God’s honor that he knows the number of the stars and calls them by their names. “Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion?” (Job 38:31). And it is due to the Lord Jesus Christ’s honor that the ministers of the Gospel, who are greater blessings to the church than the stars are to the world, are in his hand. He directs all their ?ights and orbits, ?lls them with light and power, and supports them, or they would crash to the ground like falling stars. They are instruments in his hand, and all the good they do is done through his hand being with them.
(2) He walks among the seven golden lampstands (verse 1). This refers to Christ’s relationship to his churches, just as the stars spoke about his relationship to his ministers. Christ is present with his churches in an intimate way. He knows and observes their state; he takes pleasure in them, just as a person takes delight in walking around his garden. Although Christ is in heaven, he walks in the middle of his churches on earth, observing what is wrong with them and what they lack. It greatly encourages those who care for churches to know that the Lord Jesus has engraved them on the palms of his hands (Isaiah 49:16).
2. The contents of the letter, in which, as in most of those that follow, we have:
a. The commendation Christ gave to this church, both its ministers and members. He refers to this by declaring, I know your deeds (verse 2), and therefore both his commendation and his rebuke are to be carefully noted, for he does not speak from ignorance—he knows what he is talking about. The Ephesian church is commended:
(1) For their diligence to duty: I know your deeds, your hard work (verse 2). Dignity calls for duty. Those who are stars in Christ’s hand always need to be moving about, dispensing light to everyone around them. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary (verse 3). Christ keeps an account of each day’s work, of each hour’s work, that his servants do for him. This work is never in vain. “You know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
(2) For their patient suffering: your hard work and your perseverance (verse 2). It is not enough just to be diligent; we must persevere and endure. “Endure hardship . . . like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3). Ministers must have, and must exercise, great perseverance; no Christian should be without it. You must have perseverance to endure attacks from people and the rebukes of providence. You must wait with perseverance so that when you have done God’s will, you may continue and ?nish the race.
(3) For their zeal against what was evil: I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men (verse 2). Not to be involved with or even tolerate evil ?ts in well with perseverance. While we must show everyone how meek we are, we must demonstrate that we actively oppose the sins of the wicked. This zeal of theirs was the more commendable as it was based on knowledge and built on previous observations of evil people. This is in contrast to: “I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge” (Romans 10:2).
You have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false (verse 2). True zeal goes hand in hand with discretion. Nobody should be thrown out until they have been tried. Some people rose up in the church who pretended to be more than ordinary ministers, even claiming to be apostles. But their claims were examined and found to be vain and false. People who impartially search after truth will come to distinguish between falsehood and truth.
b. The rebuke given to this church: Yet I hold this against you (verse 4). People who have a great deal of good in them may also have a great deal of evil in them. Our Lord Jesus, as an impartial Master and Judge, takes notice of both good and evil. He starts by noting what is good and is most willing to mention this, but he also observes what is wrong and will faithfully reprove his followers for this. The sin of which Christ accused this church is their decline of zeal and holy love. You have forsaken your ?rst love (verse 4). They have not forsaken the object of their love but have lost the fervent desire with which their love started. Notice:
(1) The ?rst affections of people toward Christ and holiness and heaven are usually lively and warm. God remembered Israel’s love when she followed him wherever he went.
(2) These lively affections cool down unless great care and diligence is taken to keep them exercised constantly.
(3) Christ is displeased and grieved with his people when he sees them grow remiss and cold toward him. Christ will one way or another make them realize that he does not accept this behavior from them.
c. The advice and counsel Christ gives them: Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at ?rst (verse 5).
(1) Those who have lost their ?rst love must remember how far they have fallen. They must compare their present state with their previous state and re?ect on how much better they were than they are now. They must recall how much peace, strength, purity, and pleasure they have lost because they have forsaken their ?rst love. They must remember how much more comfortably they used to be able to lie down and sleep at night, how much more cheerfully they could wake up in the morning, how much better they were able to bear afflictions, and how much more they were able to enjoy the favors of providence. They must remember how much easier it was for them to think about death and how much more they used to desire and hope for heaven.
(2) They must repent. They must be inwardly grieved and ashamed of their sinful decline. They must blame themselves for the state they are in, humbly confess this before God, and judge and condemn themselves for this.
(3) They must return and...
