Revelation 2: Pergamum remain true to the name of Christ - Author: Evert Jan Hempenius

Transcription

1 Revelatin 2: Pergamum remain true t the name f Christ - Authr: Evert Jan Hempenius Fr any questins abut this Scripture passage r the ntes, please cntact us thrugh the Cntact Us tab n the website. Intrductin This is a message fr Christians wh are a religius minrity amng ther religius grups. This is als a message fr Christians wh are living in a predminantly secular cuntry. Christ wrte: I knw where yu live. I knw yur situatin, the struggles, the adversities, the ppsitin, the lies, the persecutin. Remain true t my name. Dn t renunce yur faith in me, even in days f severe persecutin f ppsitin. Dn t be t tlerant t thse, wh cmprmise Christianity with a wrldly lifestyle r with the predminant religin r with flk religin and witchcraft. I will give yu eternal life and a new name. The cntext, frm and structure, thelgical ntes, technical and hermeneutical ntes given in this sermn utline shw sme verlap with ther sermn utlines taken frm the Bk f Revelatin. This makes it pssible t use this sermn utline as a stand alne. Cntext The message f Jesus Christ t the church f Pergamum is part f the Bk f Revelatin. The Bk f Revelatin is like a large painting. Yu need t lk at the whle in rder t understand the details.

2 A brief utline f the Bk f Revelatin: 1 Intrductin (Rev 1:1-3) The rigin and cmmand t write this Revelatin dwn. The Bk f Revelatin (Rev 1:4-22:21) Rev 1:4-8 The pening liturgical setting. Rev 1:9-3:22 PART 1 Rev 4:1-22:11 PART 2 Rev 22:12-21 The clsing liturgical setting. PART 1: The visin f the risen and exalted Christ and his seven messages t the seven churches in the Rman Prvince Asia. PART 2: The visin f the heavenly curtrm and the judgment f Gd, ending with the descent f the new heaven and earth. Part 1 (Rev 1:9-3:22) Rev 1:9-20 Rev 2:1-3:22 The risen and exalted Christ reveals himself t Jhn and t the churches. The seven messages t the seven churches f Asia. Jesus Christ knws the wrks f each church and f each individual. He calls them t repent where necessary t prepare them fr the things t cme, which they need t vercme. There is much discussin abut the date f writing f the Revelatin. Sme cmmentatrs prpse a date near the reign f emperr Ner (54-68 AD). 2 Others prpse a date during the reign f Emperr Dmitian (81-96 AD). 3 1 This utline fr sermns is very brief and des nt discuss all the (many) different theries abut the structures and utlines f the Bk f Revelatin. Beale (1999) prvides a detailed utline. Fr discussin see Garrw (1997). 2 Ner. (2017, August 12). Retrieved August 14, 2017, frm 3 Dmitian. (2017, August 10). Retrieved August 14, 2017, frm

3 In the case f the message t Church in Pergamum, the utcme f this discussin is f sme imprtance. The persecutin at the mment f writing. One f their members, Antipas, had been killed because f his witness t Christ (Rev 2:13). There has been n widespread persecutin during the reign f Emperr Ner. His persecutin was limited t the city f Rme. There might have been sme incidental persecutin during the reign f Emperr Dmitian. The persecutin during the reign f Emperr Trajan ( AD) 4 at the beginning f the secnd century has been mre severe, accrding t letters f Ignatius 5 and the letter f Pliny the yunger, 6 as a Rman gvernr f Bithynia et Pntus (nw in mdern Turkey), t Emperr Trajan 112 AD. Reading the letter is instructive. The sci-ecnmical and histrical-gegraphical cntext f 1 st century Pergamum is als imprtant. See belw. Frm and structure Each message t ne f the seven churches has the same structure: reference Cmmissin t write Rev 2:12 Presentatin f the exalted Christ Rev 2:12 Rev 1:16 Praises and cmmendatins Rev 2:13 (Rev 1:5) Call t repentance Rev 2:14-16 Call t listen Rev 2:17 Prmise Rev 2:17 (Rev 19:12, 13) Thelgical ntes The Bk f Revelatin is trinitarian (Gd Hly Spirit Jesus Christ; Rev 1:4-5) in character. Gd is the first and the last (Rev 1:8) Jesus Christ is the first and the last (Rev 1:17). Jesus Christ speaks t the churches (Rev 2:1-6) and the churches are summned t listen t what the Spirit (Rev 2:7) says. The Bk f Revelatin is fremst a liturgical bk with prayers, dxlgies, cnfessins, prphecies and visins. It shws the heavenly liturgy in images and this liturgy affects the histry f this wrld when the plagues f Gd strike this earth. Rev 4:11 explains why: Yu are wrthy, 4 Trajan. (2017, August 12). Retrieved August 14, 2017, frm 5 Ignatius f Antich. (2017, August 11). Retrieved August 14, 2017, frm 6 Pliny the Yunger n Christians. (2017, June 25). Retrieved August 14, 2017, frm

4 ur Lrd and Gd, t receive glry and hnr and pwer, fr yu created all things, and by yur will they were created and have their being. The first pririty in the life f every human being is t glrify Gd. This liturgical bk reminds us f the liturgy in the tabernacle (especially) and the temple f the Old Testament. This explains the many references t the altars and the priestly appearances f Christ and sme f his angels. The Bk f Revelatin is als a prphetic bk abut the past, the present and the future. It sheds light n the past, the present situatin f the seven churches in Asia Minr, and the future, culminating in the prmise f the new heaven and the new earth. Frm chapter 4 nwards the judgment f Gd is the dminating theme. He will d justice (Rev 4-5; Rev 6:10; Rev 21:1-15 and ther passages). The Bk f Revelatin has als an ften verlked religius-plitical aspect. The language, especially the figurative language, and the frequent use f metaphrs, makes the Revelatin nly accessible fr insiders, Christians. A nn-christian reader will have even mre difficulty with the understanding f the message. The Bk f Revelatin mentins Babyln as a metaphr fr Rme and her cming destructin. This is a highly subversive message fr a Rman gvernr. By using Babyln instead f plainly speaking f Rme, the Bk f Revelatin cntains a message in disguise. Technical and hermeneutical ntes Sme remarks abut reading and understanding Reading and understanding the Bk f Revelatin requires: Prfund knwledge f the Old Testament. The bks f Exdus and Numbers, Ezekiel and Daniel are f particular imprtance in this regard. These bks bear witness t ppressin and deliverance f the peple f Gd (Egypt and Babyln). Knwledge f the Greek-Rman wrld f the first century. Knwledge f figures f speech, because f the use f metaphrs and ther figures f speech. Knwledge f the structure f Revelatin (see abve). (Elementary) knwledge f Hermeneutics. Jhn received this Revelatin frm Jesus Christ and at the same time, this Revelatin reveals the risen and exalted Christ, wh hlds the keys f (life and) death and Hades (Rev 1:17). Jhn

5 understd the wrds he heard and the visins he saw, thugh smetimes they needed t be explained t him (Rev 1:19-20). Jhn wrte dwn what he heard and saw in this bk and sent it t the seven churches in Asia Minr, an imprtant prvince f the eastern part f the Rman Empire. In these seven messages t the churches f Asia, Jesus Christ addresses majr aspects f church life. He praises and rebukes them and gives them prmises f the life t cme. Christians, members f these churches, understd these messages. Twice, peple are mentined by name and they were warned against a mvement called the Niclaitans (Rev 2:6; 2;15), active amng the churches. These Christians were far mre familiar with the figures f speech used in the Revelatin than we are nwadays. Figures f speech are nt always easily understd by 21st-century readers. Smetimes they are explained, mre ften nt. Figures f speech allw fr mre than ne explanatin and applicatin. That explains partly the multitude f cmmentaries and theries. In the prcess f explaining and applying the prphecies f this bk, the interpreter shuld ask himself tw questins: T which exegetical traditin d I belng? There are a plethra f traditins, especially in the Angl-American Wrld. T mentin nly three: Amillennialism; Pstmillennialism; Premillennialism. Secndly, the interpreter shuld be aware f his wn situatin and f the lcal Christian cmmunity. What is my wn plitical-religius situatin and hw des this situatin affect my reading and understanding f the Bk f Revelatin? Backgrund f the city f Pergamum (Pergams) In the 2 nd century, B.C. Pergamum emerged as ne f the great artistic and intellectual centres f the Greek wrld. It was nly in the reign f Augustus that Pergamum began t recver frm decline. The sanctuary f Asclepius (Asclepeium, gd f healing) just utside the city became a majr intellectual centre. In the early years f the 2 nd century, Pergamum was nce again ne f the great cities f the regin. There is sme evidence that, despite the presence f a Christian cmmunity in the city since the 1 st century, the city as a whle was very slw t adpt the new faith. One reasn fr this may have been the

6 Emperr Cult imprtance t the city f the cult f Asclepius, wh was himself a gd f healing, and the feeling amng many pagans that the healing miracles that Asclepius was believed t have perfrmed prved that he was a true prtectr f his peple. 7 There were majr temples in this city. The mst famus prbably being the altar dedicated t the Greek gd Zeus. In 88 BC king Mithridates VI came int pssessin f the realm and was greeted as bth gd and savir. This title was nthing new since king Eumenes II, wh ruled frm 197 t 159 BC, had als desired t be referenced as bth gd and savir. All f this descriptin is sufficient t establish the prevalence f the wrship f rulers in the envirnment f Pergamum. 8 Asclepius, the gd f healing Pergamum was particularly cnnected with the wrship f Asclepis, s much s that Asclepis was knwn as the Pergamene gd. Asclepis was the gd f healing, and his temples were the nearest thing t hspitals in the ancient wrld. Frm all ver the wrld, peple flcked t Pergamum fr relief frm their sicknesses. The mst cmmn and mst famus title fr Asclepis was Asclepis Ster, Asclepis the Saviur. It might well be that the Christians felt a shudder f hrrr that the name Saviur shuld be given t anyne ther than Jesus Christ, the Saviur f the wrld. The emblem f Asclepis was the serpent. Many f the cins f Pergamum have Asclepis serpent as part f their design. 9 This emblem passed thrugh time and tday it is still the medical symbl. In pagan debates with Christianity, Asclepius as savir and healer played a distinctive rle. Bth Celsus and later Julian prtrayed his activity as clearly parallel t Christ. Christian plemic disparaged many details f the myths attached t Asclepius, and even when pwerful deeds were cnceded t him (such as driving the plague ut f Rme), these were attributed t the pwer f the devil, since Asclepius himself was a demn. In spite f Christian persecutin, the cult cntinued until the 5th century A.D Ptter, D. S. (1992). Pergamum (Place). In D. N. Freedman (Ed.)(Vl. 5, pp ). 8 Pattersn, P. (2012, p. 100). 9 Barclay, W. (2004, p ). Pattersn, P. (2012, p. 101). 10 Rbinsn, T. L. (1992, Vl. 1, p. 476). Asclepius, Cult f. In D. N. Freedman (Ed.).

7 Figure 1. Artist impressin f the Acrplis f Pergamum. The use f a Semantic Dmain In lexicgraphy, a semantic dmain r semantic field is defined as "an area f meaning and the wrds used t talk abut it... Fr instance, English has a dmain Rain, which includes wrds such as rain, drizzle, dwnpur, raindrp, puddle." 11 The fllwing wrds belng t the dmain administratin f justice : The sharp, duble-edged swrd = metaphr: the (final) judgment f the judge. Cmpare Hebrews 4:12. (Rman gvernrs had the ultimate right f the swrd. See als Rmans 13:1-7, especially verse 4: the gverning authrity des nt bear the swrd fr nthing.) Thrne = θρόνος 5. judge s bench. 12 The seat f the judge (Rev 20:4; Mt 19:28; Lk 22:30). Put t death = ἀποκτείνω : 2. f judges, cndemn t death. 13 Capital punishment. 11 Semantic dmain. (2016, December 23). Retrieved July 11, 2017, frm 12 Liddell, H. G., Sctt, R., Jnes, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1996, p. 807). 13 Liddell, H. G., Sctt, R., Jnes, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1996, p. 205).

8 White stne = tken f acquittal. ψῆφος : 1. a pebble used in vting: a black ne fr cnvictin, a white ne fr acquittal, vting-pebble, used in cases f injuries and in ther circumstances. See als Acts 26: Satan = Σᾰτάν : Hebrew wrd fr adversary, ppnent; als accuser, translated by ὁ διάβολος (devil) in Jb 1.6-2:10, Za 3:1. 15 Verse 13 Renunce = ἀρνέομαι : 3. t disclaim assciatin with a persn r event, deny, repudiate, diswn (verbally r nnverbally). 16 Verse 14, 15 Balaam = : Bileam. There is sme discussin abut the meaning f this name. T be preferred is the view f Simnis and Hengstenberg: belaʿ and ʿām destructin f peple which accrds with his reputatin as a charmer and cnjurer. (Sme have suggested that Niklas cnquerr f the peple in Rev 2:6,15 is a translatin f this name.) 17 Or Niklas is a Greek equivalent t the Balaam. Verse 17 T him wh vercmes = νικάω : 1. t win in the face f bstacles, be victr, cnquer, vercme, prevail. The Christian as ὁ νικῶν the ne wh is victrius. 18 A new (name) = καινός : 3. that which is recent in cntrast t smething ld, new. b. In the sense that what is ld has becme bslete, and shuld be replaced by what is new. In such a case the new is, as a rule, superir in kind t the ld, the new cvenant r declaratin, the new Jerusalem. 19 Expsitin Verse T the angel f the church in Pergamum write : The identity f the angel is unknwn. It might be a heavenly being, but als a human messenger: 14 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000, 3rd ed., p. 1098). 15 Liddell, H. G., Sctt, R., Jnes, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1996, p. 1585). 16 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000, p. 132). 17 Kaiser, W. C. ל ע (1999). 251.ב In: R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.). 18 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000, 3rd ed., p. 673). 19 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000, p. 497).

9 a human messenger serving as an envy, an envy, ne wh is sent. 20 By humans r by Gd; prphets. a transcendent pwer wh carries ut varius missins r tasks, messenger, angel. 21 By Gd. The mst bvius explanatin is a messenger sent by Jhn t the church f Pergamum, carrying nt nly this message but als a cpy f the Bk f Revelatin in rder t read it alud in frnt f the cngregatin. S that the members f this church can hear what the Spirit says t the churches (Rev 2:17). These are the wrds f him wh has the sharp, duble-edged swrd. This refers t Revelatin 1:16, where Jesus Christ revealed himself t Jhn as the ne wh is cming t judge the living and the dead. He will judge this wrld and the church(!). He will d justice t all wh are faithful t the gspel and t witness f Christ and wh have suffered persecutin. (See als Rev 6:9-11 and Rev 20:1-6.) The faithful and true witness refers t Rev 1:5 and t the crucifixin f Christ. Jesus Christ is the faithful witness unt death (cf. Antipas; Rev 2:13). The swrd prbably refers t I knw where yu live where Satan has his thrne. Christ has in mind nt nly the city f Pergamum as such, but the cnditins religius, scial, and mral in which the Christians in Pergamum live. 22 In brief, Satan is wrking here thrugh the pressures f nn-christian sciety. He persecutes; he seduces. 23 These cnditins might refer t idlatry, persecutin, false accusatins, scial and ecnmic pressure, seductin. Especially false accusatins are the weapn f Satan. The thrne pssibly refers t the judgment seat f the Rman gvernr. It indicates strng ppsitin against the Christian church. Since the phrase where Satan s thrne is may nly indicate lcatin, it may be better t translate where Satan is king, where Satan rules. 24 The cncluding phrase f v 13 ( where Satan dwells ) is a cntrast with the first clause f the verse ( I knw where yu dwell ) in rder t accentuate the idea that light and darkness cannt dwell tgether in peaceful cexistence. Therefre, a witnessing church will be a persecuted church. 25 Yet yu remain true t my name. Cmpare Mk 14:30: I tell yu the truth, Jesus answered, tday yes, tnight befre the rster crws twice yu (Peter) yurself will diswn me three times. Yu did nt renunce yur faith in me. (ESV: deny my faith ) 20 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000, 3rd ed., p. 8), 21 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000, 3rd ed., p. 8), 22 Bratcher, R. G., & Hattn, H. (1993, p. 52). 23 Wilcck, M. (1986, p. 47). 24 Bratcher, R. G., & Hattn, H. (1993, p. 52). 25 Beale, G. K. (1999, p. 247).

10 In a letter frm Pliny the gvernr f Bithynia t emperr Trajan, we have an example f a persuasin f Christians t renunce their faith: In the meanwhile, the methd I have bserved twards thse wh have been brught befre me as Christians is this: I asked them whether they were Christians; if they admitted it, I repeated the questin twice, and threatened them with punishment; if they persisted, I rdered them t be at nce punished: fr I was persuaded, whatever the nature f their pinins might be, a cntumacius and inflexible bstinacy certainly deserved crrectin. There were thers als brught befre me pssessed with the same infatuatin, but being Rman citizens, I directed them t be sent t Rme. 26 renunce yur faith in me (NIV) / deny my faith (ESV). Bth translatins are crrect. yur faith in me = persnal faith in Christ, the faith by which it is believed. my faith = what the church believes abut Christ, especially: Jesus is Lrd and Christ (Acts 2:36), the faith which is believed. Bth meanings shuld be held tgether. even in the days f Antipas. Sme time ag Antipas has been put t death. At the time f writing, there is less pressure in the sciety. But still, it is difficult fr the Christian church, because Satan is king in the city. He is exercising his pwer thrugh the religius and plitical leaders (Eph 6:10). The death f Antipas desn t indicate that there has been systematic persecutin f Christians. But, a gvernment culd have set an example by executing Antipas. Antipas might have been a leader f the church. The purpse f his death might have been t weaken the church. He was my faithful witness. He was just like his Lrd Jesus Christ a faithful witness unt death (Rev 1:4, 5). Christ is identifying himself with this martyr. The phrase my witness (see 1:5) means nt a witness wh belngs t me but ne wh witnesses abut me, nt as a witness in curt but as a faithful believer wh bears witness t Christ by means f wrds and actins. 27 Cmpare NIV and the ESV (2:13): NIV wh was put t death in yur city ESV wh was killed amng yu Wh are these yu. The NIV clarifies yu by yur city, the lcatin. The ESV leaves rm fr anther pssibility, which might carry a strnger meaning: amng yu : yu were the witnesses at the mment f his death. Yu: the members f the church, and als thse wh hld t the teaching f Balaam, and 26 (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2017, frm 27 Bratcher, R. G., & Hattn, H. (1993, p. 52).

11 wh hld t the teaching f the Niclaitans. In this case, the faithfulness f Antipas is cntrasted with the tlerance f the church (Rev 2:14-16). Verse Nevertheless, I have a few things against yu: There are tw grups active in the church. The tw grups are slightly different frm each ther. The first grup cnsists f individuals ( Yu have peple there wh hld t the teaching f Balaam ), the ther grup is rganized and is als fund in ther churches (Ephesus, Rev 2:6; Likewise yu als have thse wh hld t the teaching f the Niclaitans. Hebrews 4:12 is illuminating: Fr the wrd f Gd is living and active. Sharper than any duble-edged swrd, it penetrates even t dividing sul and spirit, jints and marrw; it judges the thughts and attitudes f the heart. the teaching f Balaam, wh taught Balak t entice the Israelites t sin by eating fd sacrificed t idls and by cmmitting sexual immrality : While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began t indulge in sexual immrality with Mabite wmen, wh invited them t the sacrifices t their gds. The peple ate and bwed dwn befre these gds. S Israel jined in wrshipping the Baal f Per. And the Lrd s anger burned against them (Num 25:1, 2). Have yu allwed all the wmen t live? he asked them. They were the nes wh fllwed Balaam s advice and were the means f turning the Israelites away frm the LORD in what happened at Per, s that a plague struck the LORD s peple (Num 31:15, 16). Cmpare Acts 15:19-20: It is my judgment, therefre, that we shuld nt make it difficult fr the Gentiles wh are turning t Gd. Instead we shuld write t them, telling them t abstain frm fd plluted by idls, frm sexual immrality, frm the meat f strangled animals and frm bld. Repent therefre! This is a repentance frm tlerance. There is still sme time left: Otherwise. There is duble repentance needed: Once the church has repented frm its tlerance, the church will call fllwers f the teaching f Balaam and the Niclaitans t accunt and t repent I will cme t yu sn: this is a cming fr judgment and punishment (see cmments n the Verse 17 similar expressin in 2:5). 28 And will fight against them with the swrd f my muth. The wrds f Christ will separate the faithful frm the unfaithful. If the church wn t take actin against these tw grups, I will d it myself. This message is nt nly meant fr this church, but fr all the churches. These are wrds f the Spirit, wh is the Spirit f Christ and f the Father. 28 Bratcher, R. G., & Hattn, H. (1993, p. 55).

12 T him wh vercmes I will give sme f the hidden manna. I will als give him a white stne with a new name written n it, knwn nly t him wh receives it. There is a sharp cntrast between the hidden manna and eating fd sacrificed t idls. Hidden manna refers t the ark f the cvenant, the symbl f the thrne f Gd, where sme manna was kept. (Ex 16:32-34; Heb 9:4) Hidden manna may implicitly mean eternal life in the presence f Gd because Christ himself will give this manna. A new name the meaning f this prmise, Victrinus f Petvium remarked: The white stne is the adptin as a sn f Gd. The new name is that f Christian. Cmmentary n the Apcalypse The new name refers t the age t cme (Isa 62:2). Applicatin Remark It is pssible t write tw r mre sermns based n Revelatin 2: Pay attentin t the religius-plitical and scietal situatin. What is the predminant religin? What is the predminant philsphy? Which rle des flk religin play in daily life? Seductin, r persecutin a chice f evils which the wrld ffers the church. Fr a sftcentred permissive sciety can be curiusly hard n thse wh refuse t g alng with it. They are surprised that yu d nt nw jin them in the same wild prfligacy, and they abuse yu (1 Pet 4:4). The gay streets f Vanity Fair can still lead t prisn and a stake: either yu buy r yu burn.... Antipas was apparently the nly member f the church at Pergamum wh had actually been martyred. But hw des Christ s cmmendatin read? Yu did nt deny my faith even in the days f Antipas ; implying that it was always a temptatin, thugh especially f curse at that time. Fr sme, the temptatin is t strng, and they give way. Cmprmise creeps in; the distinctin between the church and the wrld is blurred; there is t much tlerance, t little discipline. 30 Persecutin might ccur in cuntries and areas where the predminant religin has a strng hld n the gvernment. Intlerance might ccur in cuntries where the gvernment is prclaiming its strict neutrality and is banning all kinds f religius signs frm public life. Seductin might ccur where materialism and wealth are high standards in sciety. A witnessing church will be a persecuted church Weinrich, W. C. (Ed.). (2005, p. 29). 30 Wilcck, M. (1986, p. 48). 31 Beale, G. K. (1999, p. 247).

13 Satan lives in the city. He is exercising his pwer. In this situatin Christians need t be equipped with the spiritual armur: Finally, be strng in the Lrd and in his mighty pwer. Put n the full armr f Gd s that yu can take yur stand against the devil s schemes. Fr ur struggle is nt against flesh and bld, but against the rulers, against the authrities, against the pwers f this dark wrld and against the spiritual frces f evil in the heavenly realms. Therefre put n the full armr f Gd, s that when the day f evil cmes, yu may be able t stand yur grund, and after yu have dne everything, t stand. Stand firm then, with the belt f truth buckled arund yur waist, with the breastplate f righteusness in place, and with yur feet fitted with the readiness that cmes frm the gspel f peace. In additin t all this, take up the shield f faith, with which yu can extinguish all the flaming arrws f the evil ne. Take the helmet f salvatin and the swrd f the Spirit, which is the wrd f Gd (Eph 6:10-17). Jesus taught us: But I tell yu: Lve yur enemies and pray fr thse wh persecute yu, that yu may be sns f yur Father in heaven. He causes his sun t rise n the evil and the gd, and sends rain n the righteus and the unrighteus. If yu lve thse wh lve yu, what reward will yu get? Are nt even the tax cllectrs ding that? And if yu greet nly yur brthers, what are yu ding mre than thers? D nt even pagans d that? (Mt 5:44-47). Qutes Prayer f Plycarp (AD ), a martyred 2 nd -century Christian bishp f Smyrna. 32 Befre Plycarp was martyred he prayed: 33. 'Father f yur belved and blessed Sn Jesus Christ, thrugh whm we have received the knwledge f yu, the Gd f angels and f pwers and f the whle creatin and f the entire race f the righteus wh live in yur presence, I bless yu that yu have deemed me wrthy f this day and hur, that I might receive a prtin in the number f the martyrs, in the cup f Christ, unt resurrectin f eternal life, bth f sul and f bdy, in the immrtality f the Hly Spirit. 34. Amng these may I be received befre yu this day, in a rich and acceptable sacrifice, as yu, the faithful and true Gd, have befrehand prepared and revealed, and have fulfilled. 35. Wherefre I praise yu als fr everything; I bless yu, I glrify yu, thrugh the eternal high priest, Jesus Christ, yur belved Sn, thrugh whm, with him, in the Hly Spirit, be glry unt yu, bth nw and fr the ages t cme, Amen.' Plycarp. (2017, August 12). Retrieved August 14, 2017, frm 33 Eusebius. Church Histry (Bk IV). (n.d.). Retrieved August 14, 2017, frm Als Eusebius f Caesaria. (1890). The Church Histry f Eusebius. In P. Schaff & H. Wace (Red.), A. C. McGiffert

14 Other qutes I believe that ne reasn why the church f Gd at this present mment has s little influence ver the wrld is because the wrld has s much influence ver the church. (Spurgen) The chief danger f the Church tday is that it is trying t get n the same side as the wrld, instead f turning the wrld upside dwn. Our Master expects us t accmplish results, even if they bring ppsitin and cnflict. Anything is better than cmprmise, apathy, and paralysis. Gd, give t us an intense cry fr the ld-time pwer f the Gspel and the Hly Ghst! (A.B. Simpsn) 34 Bibligraphy Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicn f the New Testament and ther early Christian literature (3rd ed., pp ). Chicag: University f Chicag Press. Barclay, W. (2004). The Revelatin f Jhn (3rd ed. fully rev. and updated, Vl. 1). Lndn: Westminster Jhn Knx Press. Beale, G. (1999). The bk f Revelatin: A cmmentary n the Greek text. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Bratcher, R. G., & Hattn, H. (1993). A handbk n the Revelatin t Jhn. New Yrk: United Bible Scieties. Freedman, D. N., Herin, G. A., Graf, D. F., Pleins, J. D., & Beck, A. B. (Eds.). (1992). The Anchr Yale Bible Dictinary. (6 Vls.) New Yrk: Dubleday. Garrw, A. (1997). Revelatin. Lndn: Rutledge. Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., Jr., & Waltke, B. K. (Eds.). (1999). Thelgical Wrdbk f the Old Testament (electrnic ed.). Chicag: Mdy Press. Hemer, C. (2001). The letters t the seven churches f Asia in their lcal setting. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Liddell, H. G., Sctt, R., Jnes, H. S., & McKenzie, R. (1996). A Greek-English lexicn. Oxfrd: Clarendn Press. (Vert.), Eusebius: Church Histry, Life f Cnstantine the Great, and Oratin in Praise f Cnstantine (Vl. 1, p. 191). New Yrk: Christian Literature Cmpany Qutes Abut Cmprmise. (n.d.). Retrieved August 14, 2017, frm

15 Osbrne, G. (2002). Revelatin. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic. Pattersn, P. (2012). Revelatin. (E. R. Clendenen, Ed.) (Vl. 39). Nashville: B&H. Walvrd, J. (1966). The Revelatin f Jesus Christ: A cmmentary. Chicag: Mdy Press. Weinrich, W. C. (Ed.). (2005, p. 29). Revelatin. Dwners Grve: InterVarsity Press. Wilcck, M. (1986). The message f Revelatin: I saw heaven pened. Dwners Grve: InterVarsity Press.