World English Bible · Under Rome
Revelation 2
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"To of in write: "He who holds the seven stars in his , he who walks among the seven golden lamp stands says these things: "I know your works, and your toil and , and that you can't tolerate evil men, and have those who call themselves , and they are not, and found them false. You have and have for my name's sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and and do the first works; or else I am coming to you swiftly, and will move your lamp stand out of its place, unless you . But this you have, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from , which is in the of my . "To of in write: "The first and the last, who was , and has come to life says these things: "I know your works, , and your (but you are rich), and the blasphemy of those who say they are , and they are not, but are a of . Don't be afraid of the things which you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be ; and you will have for ten days. Be to , and I will give you the of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what says to the assemblies. He who overcomes won't be harmed by the second . "To of in write: "He who has the sharp two-edged says these things: "I know your works and where you , where is. You hold firmly to my name, and didn't deny my in the days of my , my one, who was killed among you, where dwells. But I have things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of , who taught to throw a stumbling block before the , to eat things to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. So also you likewise have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. therefore, or else I am coming to you quickly and I will make war against them with of my . He who has an ear, let him hear what says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes, to him I will give of the hidden , and I will give him a , and on the stone a new name written which no one knows but he who receives it. "To of in write: "The Son of , who has his eyes like a , and his feet are like burnished brass, says these things: "I know your works, your love, , , , and that your last works are more than the first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate your woman , who calls herself a . She teaches and seduces my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat things to idols. I gave her time to , but she refuses to of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her and those who with her into a bed of great , unless they of her works. I will kill her children with , and all the assemblies will know that I am he who searches the and . I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. But to you I say, to the rest who are in —as many as don't have this teaching, who don't know what some call 'the deep things of '—to you I say, I am not putting any other burden on you. Nevertheless, hold that which you have firmly until I come. He who overcomes, and he who keeps my works to the end, to him I will give over the nations. He will rule them with a , shattering them like pots, as I also have received of ; and I will give him the . He who has an ear, let him hear what says to the assemblies.
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.