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Rev.2:1-4: "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this: 'I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.'"
             This whole passage of Revelation points to the faithfulness of God. He, in turn, requires faithfulness in His followers. See the purity of God and the impurity of the creature, and how His penetrating light finds defects even in the angels. You who are called of God into His service, please note: God will not ask you for an exact account of your virtues in any way to be compared to His measure of your love for the flock. What faithfulness-- a faithfulness in loving Him-- He expects from the soul; know that His divine light would find darkness and impurity even in the sun!
             There is none so virtuous as this church. However, the Lord reproves her for one thing. She is weakened in her first love. It seems to me that there is not a Christian who does not deserve this blame! Where are those who have kept themselves in their first fervor? Alas, where are they? How rare they are! Only at first do we show fervency and love; after a while we respond to life's troubles with cowardliness.
             Dear one, never take, as examples of love and fervor, the eagerness and desires of beginners, which often are very imperfect.
             Your love must have a firm faithfulness to always do the will of God without getting tired of it, without leaving your consecration...in spite of hardships, dangers, fears, and persecutions.

Rev. 2:7: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God."
             Our God is seen here as the victory, the conqueror.
             No one can overcome but by You. You are, oh Jesus, this Lamb victorious over Satan and the flesh. And no one can overcome but in You and through You. But he who will conquer in You, will do so by the loss of self; this one will eat of the fruit of the tree of life. You will give that Tree to him. And what is this fruit of life? It is Yourself, oh Jesus! Inwardly You feed the believer who receives You as life. As the believer gets lost in You, You quicken him, becoming his very life, his food.

Rev. 2:8, 9, 10: "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this: 'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
             This Jesus Christ is the first and the last. He is in the bosom of the Father, yet He became the least of men. He was dead but He is alive. Thus, those people who partake of death will partake of His life. Oh, men who are afflicted, in death, think! He who died for you (and like you), is alive for you. His life is in you. Eat of that Tree, partake of that life in you...and you will live by Him- and you will live as He does! Is there anything more comforting for a poor afflicted follower of Christ?
             "I know your tribulation," says your Lord. "I know it." Is that not the greatest comfort?
             I know your poverty, but you are rich.
             What does this statement mean? It means that the greatest riches are found in the greatest poverty. A man who being deprived of all goods does not wish them. He finds in his bereavement an extreme satisfaction. Without any other stay, this follower of Christ trusts in God so much that he has no ground for his trust! He, therefore, possesses a treasure and vast riches. A wealthy man can desire for something, not being satisfied with his wealth. But the poor Christian just mentioned, being perfectly satisfied, has no need for anything. Having no need, he is perfectly rich!
             But these people who are so at peace and satisfied are not known. God hides them in His sanctuary. He hides them from other eyes and even from their own eyes. Their holiness will be known only in eternity. They are slandered and condemned by all in this life. And by whom are they thus persecuted?
             "By them which say they are Jews and are not." Whatever does this mean?
             By those who are said to be pious, their piety consisting of outward forms and setting themselves against the lowly and spiritual ones.
             The dear forsaken ones, living deep within the sanctuary of their spirits...the true children of Abraham, and the true children of faith, do not fear what they must suffer.
             This state is an advantage to you.
 You will be persecuted even by saints, because they will have faith in slanders; but fear nothing. Darkness knows that its kingdom is more and more destroyed by the followers of Christ who aim at allowing God to reign in them, and aim at having Him reign in others. The kingdom of darkness raises against these strange persecutions. The dearest to God will find themselves in prison. Judges will be blinded...the most innocent will appear guilty and the most devoted to the church, seen as enemies of her.
             Fear not, it is but atrial.
             "Ye shall have tribulation ten days."
             How long is ten days? As long as your Lord deems that persecution must last. So, be faithful till death, if need be. For the interest of God, be faithful even to death. And in dying, do not lose faith and confidence. Your death will be crowned with everlasting life.

Rev.2:11: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death."
             Two deaths have to be met, an internal, spiritual...and the more natural death. Only by the first do we overcome. This death allows Jesus Christ to conquer in us. He who is fortunate enough to overcome by this first death will not suffer the torments of the second death. That is, the second death is for him a pleasure, a refreshing. It is not said that these do not die, but only that they will not be hurt by the second death. This death is simply a passage from death to life.

Rev. 2:12-15: "And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two edged sword says this: I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith, even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality. Thus you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans."
             Please note that your Lord takes a name fitting the state of the persons whom He addresses. To  those who are in affliction or in death, He shows them He was dead and He is alive. Why? So that he may give them the hope of a higher plane of life after having suffered a cruel death.
             Now...to this group of believers...who have allowed heresy, tolerating it, and suffering with it, He only speaks of His sword. This sword, the Word, destroys heresy.
             "I know that for you, your faith is good, that you have kept it, being in fear when those of your faith were put to death. However, that cannot please Me, since you suffer Satan to share the ministry of the Church, tolerating a mixture which is offensive to Me. Oh God, You are extremely tender! Speak! You are the Word.

Rev.2:16-17: "Repent therefore; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it."
             Oh Lord, You give the overcomer the hidden manna. And what is this hidden manna but Yourself? It is the intimate, secret, inward and unknown possession of Yourself. This manna is hidden in the sacred darkness of faith. Oh Word, so mysterious yet so real!
             You give also to those who overcome...Your white stone. This is simply divine stillness. The believer is established in a most exquisite grace.
             There is also a new name given to this one. The name is engraved on this white stone. The stone speaks of quietness and the whiteness of purity; the name shows the new life in God...and that name is engraved there. This name was given to Abraham, father of the believers and faithful souls, to Sarah, to Israel, and, in the New Testament, to Peter and to Paul. It is a name which none other than God Himself can give, since no other but He can place one in this state. Oh, great and wonderful state! Who will understand this? Only he who experiences it.

Rev. 2:18-19: "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: 'I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first."
             My God, what wonderful expressions are in this book! The fire from the Lord's eyes shows the unsurpassed love He has for men (the eyes also represent all His knowledge of His Father). The feet like brass indicate His humanity which, joined to the Divinity, produced such great fires that they could have set ablaze a million worlds. However, where are those who will allow themselves to be filled, to be glowing in the flames? Alas, we all are like ice near such a blazing volcano.
             The similarity of the qualities a person has, and the qualities which Jesus takes when with that one, is wonderful. So here, too, to a church. Here is a group of believers great in burning love. He places Love before her eyes, not so much to encourage them in such an unparalleled love, but to have them realize that-- if they have such love-- their Savior has infinitely more for them. But for what does He commend this people? For their works! Love, a work? They are alive with a perfect love and a living faith. He commends first their faith because the measure of faith is the measure of all graces, and the true measure of all outward and inward progress.
             (According to your faith may it be done unto you, says Jesus Christ).
             He then commends their love. Faith and love go hand in hand. Where there is not much faith there is not much love, and where much love is, there is much faith. Love must not be measured by a shallow eagerness and fervency, but by faith!
             One may ask: How do we know this faith?
             By being generally, continually and steadily detached from what is inward or outward. The most annoying states will not move you. You do not express. You do not suppress. No. Not at all. Rather, you are simply unaffected. This faith will be faithful and full of confidence even in its apparent loss. Behavior is unaltered even in the greatest disasters. By this can the strength of faith and the truth of love be recognized!
             Now  we see the church commended for her patience in suffering wrongs and evils. You see, it is from faith and love that patience is born. But above all, this gathering of believers is commended for not slackening. Her last works have surpassed the first, her watchfulness having been stronger toward the end than at the start. Oh, where will we find such a body of believers? How rare they are! How rare their bishops.

Rev. 2:20-21: "But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray, so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent; and she does not want to repent of her immorality."
             Oh, pure Love, divine exacting One, from Your omniscience nothing can be hidden. What blame can You bring against such a pastor whom You commended so highly? Oh God, next to Your purity every other purity is impure! Oh, ministers of the flock of Jesus Christ, how terrible is your charge, and what an account you will have to give! It is not enough for you to be holy; you must see to it that others are holy also. God is not satisfied for you to banish all kinds of sin from your heart, if you do not also banish them from His Church and from the midst of His flock.
             The wording of the Scriptures is praiseworthy; all is fornication and adultery which is opposed to God's honor, stealing the honor due to Him to give it to others. A fornication of the heart and an adultery of the mind is more dangerous-- and worse-- than that of the body. Here you see the results of a heart and mind withdrawn from God...the God to whom they belong.
             Who is this corrupt Jezebel? This unfortunate Jezebel represents the corrupted nature which takes away the mind from being attached to God...and directs that mind toward unruly desires. In His desire to save a man, God arrests a wayward one with sicknesses. (This is often God's procedure).
             Your Lord declares that He "searches the reins and hearts." Oh Lord, judgment belongs to you. How blind we are of ourselves! We hide our true heart. With the finest excuses, we hide from our very own selves our real intentions. We act for ourselves, in self love, persuading ourselves-- and others-- that we are really acting for God alone.
             However, God "will give everyone according to your works." Works are not counted by their quantity but by the presence of grace, of goodness, of Christ...deep within that man. That is why this gathering of believers is weighed in the balance and not accepted.
             How many more will be thusly surprised!
             Some who believe they have a great many works, will be without. And others, who have appeared useless, will have a heavy weight of good works. It is not the outward works themselves...NO...it is the amount of grace, the extent of Christ, in the inward heart...from which came that work! Oh God, how right You are to hold justice in Your hands!

Rev.2:26-28: "And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My father; and I will give him the morning star."
            He who has overcome through dying inwardly (in whom all is destroyed) has a wonderful advantage reserved for him by God. In this band of believers the Lord Jesus alone reigns. Their souls have the faithfulness to give Him all the glory of the victory without claiming anything for themselves. This is right indeed since He alone is victorious in us. The victory is there. They have not prevented the victory. These, who did not prevent this victory-- because they have let everything go to be destroyed -all these (but how rare, and how few, they are) will "have power over the nations."
             They will have this power in several ways.
             First, they will have a great authority over the souls of men and even over their persons.
             Secondly, they will have power over themselves.
             Thirdly, after they are dead, God uses them to govern His Church. God takes them as Pastors. God wants those who have kept His will till the end...then "will they govern them with a rod of iron." Why? Because their authority is so strong, nothing can oppose them. It is not a hard authority however! These believers, dead to love of self, have divine power. They handle things as they please, even the most inward and hidden things.
            As time goes by, they reveal that a divine power has been communicated to them. The Lord now adds something else: "I will give him the morning star." This morning star precedes dawn. The believer who "receives the morning star" has a right and an advantage given by God: He moves and He instructs in the true spirit of Jesus Christ. Your Lord is the morning star announcing a day in which the travelers may walk in the inward way.
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^{(1) Guyon, Mme. Jeanne, CHRIST OUR REVELATION, Gardiner, Main, Reprinted 1987 Christian Books Publishing House (Book is now out of print)}

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