The Churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, and Thyatira (Revelation 2)

Review

We learned in the previous chapter that Revelation is a book with which we need to be familiar, because our time is short. We do not know when the events of the Great Tribulation are coming, but we do know that they very well could happen in our lifetime. Therefore, we need to be ready for them now.

We also can see that this book is a letter to seven actual churches in Asia Minor. It has all the marks of an epistle, including a standard greeting, and encouragement in what Christ has accomplished and what he will accomplish in the future. In addition, like other epistles, we also can seek admonishment from the Lord by the message given to the seven churches.

Revelation 2:1-7: The Church of Ephesus

Attributes of Christ (2:1)

Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

In 2:1, Jesus is depicted as the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand. We know from the previous verse that the seven stars are the seven angels of the churches. Throughout the Bible, being at the right hand of another means the same is a place of prominence. Take, for example, the famous example of Psalm 110:1: “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” This is also quoted in the New Testament, since this foretells Jesus Christ ascending to the Father, to be at his right hand until the day of judgment.

In addition, the fact these angels are in his hand means that he upholds them and protects them. By extension, the churches clearly also have this protection.

Jesus is also seen as walking in the midst of the candlesticks, which we know are the seven churches from 1:20. His people are in his presence, and he walks in the midst of them. This reminds us of Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” This is further evidence that these are literal churches Jesus is speaking to, and not church eras.

Commendation (2:2-3)

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

This is clearly a serious church, working hard to do what is right to please God (labor), and have great endurance in doing so (patience). When you look at this section, it appears to be a chiasm. This literary device is used to show emphasis. For example, if you have a five-lined poem, lines one and five would be parallel, lines two and four would be parallel, and the middle line would be emphasized. You work your way into the main point, and then work your way back out. This is used elsewhere in the Bible. A great example is the oracles of God found in Genesis 3. When God is walking in the garden, and begins his rhetorical questioning of the sinners to elicit confession, he confronts Adam first, and then confronts Eve, then he condemns the serpent, then condemns Eve, and then condemns Adam. Look at this visually:

Adam
     Eve
         Serpent
     Eve
Adam

So what is the Bible emphasizing? When God condemns the serpent, he gives us a notable prophecy of the Messiah, who would destroy the devil and his works (Genesis 3:15). This is worth great emphasis!

So this applies here as well:

labour
     patience
          (not) bear
             tried false apostles
          borne
     patience
labour

Their good works can be emphasized in the area of searching the Scriptures to see through false doctrine and identify the false apostles. They did well in keeping apostasy out of their church. We must do the same as well.

Rebuke (2:4-6)

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”

Though they were diligent in their study of God’s word, they had left their “first love.” Please forget everything about today’s use of the word “love.” Hollywood has destroyed it, and “first love” might conjure up images of television couples. Forget all of that, and let us review the Biblical definition of love:

John 15:13: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Love has a great cost when perfected: it calls for laying down your life. Jesus perfected this kind of love. Before we fault the Ephesians, we should look into our own lives as to what kind of love we have.

John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” This places a far higher standard than Leviticus 19:18 provides. Whoever feels like the Old Testament’s laws are more austere than what we find in the New Testament should think again. We need to love like Jesus loves. Once again, we see that love means the forfeiting of our lives.

These Ephesians used to have great love for one another. What happened? The most logical conclusion we can deduce from the context (discussed previously in the commendation) is that they became hyper-critical and suspicious of people holding to false doctrine.

Because of this backsliding, Jesus commands them to repent. Repent simply means to change, and not necessarily from sin, since God repents in Jonah 3:10. Here, however, the context demands that repentance must take place, namely, a change of mind and action regarding their lack of love.

If they do not repent, they will have their candlestick taken from its place. This could mean that the church would disband, or perhaps they would lose their testimony, such as the case in John 15:6: “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”

This here ties in the characteristic of Christ previously discussed, that he walks in the midst of the candlesticks. He has the authority over the churches, and can judge the church for lack of abiding in his commandments.

From here, it appears that there is a return to a commendation, that they do not have any people that have the deeds of the Nicolaitans. We do not really know what this means. Certain Church Fathers associate this with Nicolas, “a proselyte of Antioch,” found in Acts 6:5. He allegedly lived a lascivious lifestyle. Since we know nothing about Nicolas other than this one verse in the Bible, this accusation mere hearsay. According to Acts 6:3, these seven men were chosen because they were of “honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom.” Maybe they had made a mistake about his character, who knows. Let us look at what we do know.

The Nicolaitans are brought up twice. Here in 2:6 is the first time. The second time is in 2:15, when Pergamos actually had some of these people in their congregation. Compare the two instances:

Revelation 2:6: “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”

Revelation 2:15: “So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.”

First, in 2:6, the concern is the deeds of the Nicolaitans, while in 2:15, the concern was the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. In other words, the doctrine you believe will lead you to the things you do. Do you believe the right things about God’s character, and the atonement for sin found in Jesus Christ? Then your deeds will follow suit. I do not want to imply that people who are saved have perfect lifestyles. What I do want to emphasize is that we must have continual repentance that takes place in our minds about Bible doctrines, for the mind is where the battle of our spiritual lives is either lost or won.

Second, it is good to note that God actually hates this doctrine and its corresponding deeds. Should it surprise us that God hates things? Here is a sobering verse: “The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth” (Psalm 11:5).

Overcometh (2:7)

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 tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Every believer in the Lord Jesus will eat of this (or these) tree(s). Here are some passages about the tree of life:

Genesis 2:9: “And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Before sin came into the picture, humankind ate of this tree.

Genesis 3:22: “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.” Eating of this fruit would have caused them to live forever.

Genesis 3:24: “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” When Adam sinned, he was cast out of the garden. It was obviously judgment, but it was also an act of grace, that he would not live forever in a sinful and diseased state.

Ezekiel 47:12: “And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.” This tree provides food and medicine for those who have access to it.

Revelation 22:1-2: “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” This is parallel to Ezekiel 47:12.

Revelation 22:14: “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Here are some reassurances: “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment” (1 John 3:23).

So what does this mean for us? When we get to eternity, we will die no more. For what reason? Because Jesus gives us eternal life. We will live forever, and be nourished, and be healed of all things.

Revelation 2:8-11: The Church in Smyrna

Attributes (2:8)

And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

Previously, we saw that Jesus Christ as “the first and the last” is a merism (two opposite extremes that signify a whole) meaning his eternality. He always was before time, and always will be after time. Being eternal makes him God, because only God is eternal; everything else was created by God.

Also, the fact that Jesus had died, and is now alive, is the good news of salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ paid our sin debt in full, and we are no longer debtors to God. Praise God for the sacrifice of his own son for our eternal life.

Commendation (2:9-10)

I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

This is one of the two churches that has no rebuke. To not have a rebuke from God means they were doing all the right things. Consider what he says of them.

They suffered a lot of tribulation. Previously, we had seen that tribulation was the mark of a saint, as even the Apostle John was exiled to the island of Patmos because of Gospel preaching and witness. These people of Smyrna were exactly the same way. They were about to suffer some very hard times, and Jesus was warning them of what was coming. He encouraged them to remain faithful, which will result in a great reward. We cannot quote 2 Timothy 3:12 enough: “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”

Likewise, these people were very poor. We think of 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” These people were not trying to climb the corporate ladder to gain a name for themselves. These people were obviously humble because of their troubles and poverty. God calls us to be content with what we have. In 1 Timothy 6:8, we read, “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”

This is not what you hear from the prosperity preachers today. We even think that those types of preachers are kooky, but then we worry about our churches providing for all of our felt needs, providing a dynamic preacher, and having enough programs for our families. Smyrna did not concern themselves with any of that. They loved one another, they had impeccable character, and preached the Gospel. And guess what... the world hated them for it, especially these false Jews that Jesus calls the “synagogue of Satan.”

These false Jews need some sort of explanation. First, let us examine what a “Jew” is according to the Scriptures:

Romans 2:28-29: “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” A true Jew is spiritual, not racial. See also Romans 9:6: “For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.”

Esther 8:17: “And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.” People that are not physically descended from Abraham can become Jews.

Matthew 3:9: “And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.” See also Luke 3:8 in a parallel passage.

Galatians 3:29: “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Belonging to Christ is to be the seed of Abraham.

Now all of this does not mean that God does not have a future plan for physical Jews; this is evident later in Revelation. However, all of salvation and the power of God comes through Christ, for 1 John 2:23 says, “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.” The majority of those today who are descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have rejected Christ, and this is tragic. Ethnically Jewish people were the main persecutors of Christians in Bible times, though in subsequent centuries, this was no longer the case and is not the case today. But without Christ, how can anyone be one of God’s people?

In the first century, likewise many physical Jews had rejected Christ, and many believed that people had to keep the law of Moses to be saved (see Acts 15:5). The whole issue in Galatians was that people were being compelled to be circumcised (Galatians 5:1-4). This is likely what was going on here. These Smyrna believers were ostracized because they did not do the religious rituals of the law of Moses such as circumcision. It appears that they were going to be arrested by these folks (the phrase “the devil” follows “the synagogue of Satan” which suggests that they were behind the persecution). Remember that Saul had authority to do this (Acts 9:2).

Their reward for persevering during persecution is a “crown of life.” This ties back to Jesus being he “which was dead, and is alive” in 2:8. This crown is a often a symbol of authority, but also is the case of winning a competition (1 Corinthians 9:24-25). The latter is likely the case here, as we see this same usage in Revelation 3:11. Just as an interesting aside, the Greek word in these cases is the same as the name Stephen, who was the first recorded martyr in Acts 7:60.

Overcometh (2:11)

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

What is this second death, other than eternal judgment in the lake of fire?

Hebrews 9:27: “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

Revelation 20:14-15: “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

However, those who are saved will not be affected by this judgment. Praise God that he has delivered us from the second death.

Revelation 2:12-17: The Church in Pergamos

Attributes of Christ (2:12)

And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

This sharp sword, which we previously know (1:16) proceeds from his mouth, is clearly the word of God. Being God, his words are God’s words. Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “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.”

Commendation (2:13)

I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

The believers of Pergamos lived in a very wicked land... wicked enough to be the locale of Satan’s seat. Nonetheless, they have not turned from God. This otherwise unknown Antipas was murdered by the wicked people there, yet they do not turn away from the hope of the Gospel.

We do not have people being killed often for the cause of Christ in western society, but it is common in many parts of the world. We do have prevalent infanticide in our society, which people call abortion, and over a million are killed every year because of it. These numbers dwarf the murders of the Holocaust, yet we fail to think of the unborn as people like us. Satan has as much of a seat here, too.

Rebuke (2:14-16)

But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the 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. 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 sword of my mouth.

Among this church, they were not immune to their surroundings. Like Lot living in Sodom, some of the worldly surroundings of society got into their daily lives. Some of this is likened unto Balaam, the sorcerer in the Old Testament. His story is in Numbers 22-24.

To summarize a familiar story, Balaam was hired by Balak, the king of the Moabites, to place a curse on Israel. Balaam, however, could not do it. He knew he could only do what the LORD told him to do. In fact, he could only bless them, and in the end, gave very notable prophecies about the coming Messiah (Numbers 24:16-24). He then immediately parted with Balak.

Following this narrative, in Numbers 25, the Israelites are found committing wicked acts with the Moabites, which led into bowing down to their gods. However, we learn later (Numbers 31:16) that Balaam was behind organizing this wickedness.

Somehow, the church in Pergamos had people among them that were led astray by someone, being led into both idol worship and fornication. The eating of things sacrificed to idols is a subject in itself, but the main problem here was that they were actually involved with the worship of false gods.

In Balaam’s case, the sexual wickedness led the Israelites into idol worship. Curiously, in this case, the idol worship is mentioned first, then the fornication. We do not know how, but these two things were related in the case of Pergamos because of the reference to Balaam here. Did they marry amongst the pagan peoples there? Though we are not for certain, we know that fornication and intermingling Christ with false religion is abhorrent to God. We are told to “flee fornication” (1 Corinthians 6:18).

Unlike the Ephesians, this church had people that had the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. Since I discussed this a bit in that section, I will not go into detail again here.

Because of this wickedness that was taking place, Jesus commands them to repent. They are to have a change of mind about this and forsake their practices. If they do not, judgment will be pronounced upon them. The word of God, which is the mighty sword Jesus wields, will take them away and their light to the world will be snuffed out. We know that when God speaks, it happens. God spoke the world into existence in Genesis 1, and he will pronounce judgment with the same authority. We have to be careful as to whom we listen, or we also can have the same fate.

Overcometh (2:17)

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 stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

There are two promises to the believer in this letter to the church in Pergamos. The first is that we receive from God “hidden manna.” Manna, as we well know, was the sustenance provided to the Israelites directly from God in the wilderness. Jesus explained what some of this meant in John 6, and here is the focal point concerning this bread from heaven:

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:32-35)

Jesus alone sustains us. He is our real food and drink, and he will never fail to sustain us. His manna is hidden, because it is not apparent to everyone; we know of it because of what he has done on the cross.

The second promise is this new name we shall receive on a white stone. First, it is good to mention something about names in the Bible. The names of people in the Bible often very much coincide with their plight in life. Consider Exodus 3:13-14:

And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

God’s name is linked with who he is: he is eternal. He always was, he is right now, and always will be. That is what distinguishes him from everything else in the world. Jehovah (or Yahveh) literally means “He Is,” and every time you see Jehovah or the LORD in all caps, it is that covenant name of God expressing his eternality. It is important in keeping this in mind when reading the Bible.

Jesus likewise has significance in his name: “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus means Jehovah saves, and he as God saved us from our sins. For many people in the Bible, their names have significance: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ishmael, Samuel, the twelve patriarchs, and Moses are just a few examples.

In addition, the giving of a new name to someone often came at someone’s conversion. Here are some examples: Abram became Abraham, Jacob became Israel, Levi became Matthew, Joses became Barnabas, and Saul became Paul. This is consistent with 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

From this evidence, we can know that the receiving of this new name will have something to do with our nature and experience. We also know, however, that this will be quite personal between ourselves and the Lord, in that nobody else will know what it is. What great things the Lord has planned for us.

Revelation 2:18-29: The Church in Thyatira

Attributes of Christ (2:18)

And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;

There are people out there that say that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God. Those people never read this verse. Jesus is still speaking with John, telling him what to write in the letter, and here he calls himself the Son of God. John 10:36 is another example:

Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? (John 10:34-36)

If people still cannot get it from these, refer to Titus 3:10: “A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject.”

Next, Jesus has “eyes like unto a flame of fire.” He is omniscient. His burning eyes can pierce through anything, and all things are laid bare before his eyes. This trait will be referenced later in the passage.

I have no good reason as to why his feet are like brass, so I will not comment on this at this time.

Commendation (2:19)

I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

On charity (1 Corinthians 13:13): “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” It is greater than faith and hope! The folks in Thyatira are doing something very right.

On service (Matthew 23:11): “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” Being a servant is central in the Christian life.

The church in Thyatira have faith and endurance, and persevere in living a life of servanthood. Not only are these noble things, but they seem to be doing better with each day in this service. This needs to be our heart as Christians, both in serving each other in our churches, but also being of service to the world.

Rebuke (2:20-25)

Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

The church in Thyatira, despite their great works, did have the situation of a woman preacher, who was causing many people to stumble. First, it is good to mention that a woman should not hold the office of pastor or teacher, because the Scriptures teach us so. In 1 Timothy 2:11-12, we read, “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” This may not sit well with us. Honestly, this bothered me for a while, because in North America, anyone can grow up to be anything they want, right? That may be true in the world, but God specifically tells us that this is not the way that churches should be run.

In 1 Corinthians 11:10, we read, “For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.” This automatically should remind us of Eden, when Eve took it on herself to make a spiritual decision without Adam by the encouragement of a fallen angel. She could not accurately quote God’s command, and caused great destruction because of her choices. When Adam heeded her leadership, he outright rebelled against God in favor of his wife. This verse is in 1 Corinthians because this is how the enemy can infiltrate churches today.

This woman preacher in Thyatira apparently was doing much like what was happening in Pergamos with the teachings of Balaam, which was discussed previously. This so-called prophetess had no regard for God’s Word at all. It is interesting to note, that in my personal experience, women preachers always have some bizarre doctrinal quirks apart from the obvious disregard for 1 Timothy 2:11-12.

Nevertheless, God gave this woman a chance to change her ways, but now judgment was imminent. This judgment will be seen by other churches, and they will know that Jesus Christ, in his omniscience, “searcheth the reins and hearts” and will reward all according to their works. This brings to remembrance Jesus’ eyes like a flame of fire described in the attributes section. People may only see what we do, but God sees into in our innermost thoughts and being. This should cause us to be careful even about our own thoughts, day and night.

Overcometh... and ??? (2:26-29)

And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

This is a departure from the “Overcometh” refrain, as we see this group that overcomes also “keepeth my works unto the end.” The simple reason is that those who believe and do not fail in living for Christ their lives through will also reign with Christ:

Luke 19:17: “And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.”

2 Timothy 2:11-13: “It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” This is also a chiasm, as discussed above. The two middle lines demonstrate antithetical parallelism, which simply means that they have opposite meanings. If we suffer, we reign, if we deny him to escape suffering, we will be denied this reward. Keep on following Christ, even to the point of suffering and death, because this is what God expects of us.

The morning star is mentioned a little bit later in Revelation: “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:16). What greater reward is there than Jesus himself?

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