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Thursday, November 28th, 2024
the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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Read the Bible

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

Revelation 3:22

He that hath an ear, let him hear what, the Spirit, is saying unto the assemblies.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Laodicea;   Thompson Chain Reference - Churches, the Seven;   Seven;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Laodicea;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ascension;   Laodicea;   Revelation, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Asia;   Laodicea;   Magi;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Angels;   Apocalypse;   Laodicea;   Type;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ear;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Sepharvaim;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Laodice'a;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Ear;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Moses;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Revelation of John:;  

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Everyone who hears this should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches."
Revised Standard Version
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Lett him yt hath eares heare what the sprete sayth vnto the congregacions.
Hebrew Names Version
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies."
New American Standard Bible
'The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
New Century Version
Everyone who has ears should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches."
Update Bible Version
He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Webster's Bible Translation
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
World English Bible
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies."
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
Weymouth's New Testament
Let all who have ears give heed to what the Spirit is saying to the Churches.'"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He that hath eeris, here he, what the spirit seith to the chirchis.
English Revised Version
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
Berean Standard Bible
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
Contemporary English Version
If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
Amplified Bible
'He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
American Standard Version
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
Bible in Basic English
He who has ears, let him give ear to what the Spirit says to the churches.
Complete Jewish Bible
Those who have ears, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to the Messianic communities."'"
Darby Translation
He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.
International Standard Version
'Let the person who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.'"Revelation 2:7;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
He who hath ears, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
Murdock Translation
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
King James Version (1611)
Hee that hath an eare, let him heare what the Spirit saith vnto the Churches.
New Living Translation
"Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches."
New Life Bible
You have ears! Then listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
New Revised Standard
Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches."
English Standard Version
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Let him that hath an eare, heare what the Spirit saieth vnto the Churches.
George Lamsa Translation
He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Let hym yt hath an eare, heare what the spirite sayth vnto the Churches.
Good News Translation
"If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!"
Christian Standard Bible®
“Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”
King James Version
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Lexham English Bible
The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
Literal Translation
The one who has an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.
Young's Literal Translation
He who is having an ear -- let him hear what the Spirit saith to the assemblies.'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Let him that hath eares, heare, what the sprete saith vnto the cogregacios.
Mace New Testament (1729)
he that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.
THE MESSAGE
"Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words, the Spirit blowing through the churches."
New English Translation
The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
New King James Version
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.""'
Simplified Cowboy Version
If you've got ears, you best be listening to what the Spirit is saying to the outfits."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

Contextual Overview

14 And, unto the messenger of the assembly, in Laodicea, write: - These things, saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness the beginning of the creation of God: 15 I know thy works; - that neither, cold, art thou, nor hot: I would that, cold, thou hadst been, or hot. 16 Thus, because, lukewarm, thou art, and neither hot nor cold, I am about to vomit thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, Rich, am I, and have become enriched, and, of nothing, have I need, and knowest not that, thou, art the wretched one, and pitiable, and destitute, and blind, and naked, 18 I counsel thee to buy of me, gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich, - and white raiment, that thou mayest array thyself, and, the shame of thy nakedness, may not be made manifest, - and eye-salve, to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see. 19 I, as many as I tenderly love, I convict and put under discipline: be zealous, therefore, and repent. 20 Lo! I am standing at the door, and knocking; if anyone shall hearken unto my voice, and open the door, I will come in unto him, and will sup with him, and, he, with, me. 21 He that overcometh, I will give, unto him, to take his seat with me in my throne, as, I also, overcame, and took my seat with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what, the Spirit, is saying unto the assemblies.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Revelation 3:6, Revelation 3:13, Revelation 2:7, Revelation 2:11, Revelation 2:17

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 15:2 - Hear ye me Nehemiah 8:3 - ears Proverbs 5:1 - attend Jeremiah 7:2 - Hear Jeremiah 29:1 - of the letter Ezekiel 44:15 - the sons Micah 1:2 - hearken Matthew 11:15 - General Matthew 13:9 - General Matthew 24:15 - whoso Mark 4:9 - General Mark 7:16 - General Acts 1:2 - through Romans 1:7 - To all 2 Corinthians 3:3 - the epistle Galatians 6:9 - if 1 Timothy 4:1 - the Spirit Hebrews 10:15 - General 1 John 2:14 - ye have overcome Revelation 1:19 - and the things which are Revelation 4:1 - After Revelation 10:4 - I was Revelation 22:16 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 1:26
And God said - Let us make man in our image after our likeness - and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the bird of the heavens and over the tame-beast - and over all the land, and over every creeping thing, that creepeth on the land.
Genesis 2:9
And Yahweh God, caused to spring up, out of the ground, every tree pleasant to the sight and good for food, - and the tree of life, in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 3:5
For God doth know, that in the day ye eat thereof, then shall your eyes be opened, - and ye shall become like God, knowing good and evil.
Genesis 3:6
And, when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was desirable to the eyes and the tree was pleasant to make one knowing, then took she of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and she gave to her husband also, along with her, and he did eat.
Genesis 3:7
Then were opened the eyes of them both, and they knew that, naked, they were, - so they tacked together fig-leaves, and made for themselves girdles,
Genesis 3:12
And the man said, - The woman whom thou didst put with me, she, gave me of the tree, so I did eat.
Genesis 3:13
Then said Yahweh God to the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, the serpent, deceived me, so I did eat.
Psalms 22:26
The patient wronged-ones shall eat and be satisfied, They shall praise Yahweh, who are seekers of him, Let your heart live for aye.
Proverbs 3:18
A tree of life, is she, to them who secure her, - and, they who hold her fast, are every one to be pronounced happy.
Jeremiah 22:23
O inhabitress of Lebanon that makest thy nest in the cedars, - How hast thou bemoaned thyself Now that pangs have overtaken thee, Anguish, as of her that giveth birth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He that hath an ear, let him hear,....

:-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He that hath an ear ... - See the notes on Revelation 2:7.

This closes the epistolary part of this book, and the “visions” properly commence with the next chapter. Two remarks may be made in the conclusion of this exposition:

(1) The first relates to the truthfulness of the predictions in these epistles. is an illustration of that truthfulness, and of the present correspondence of the condition of those churches with what the Saviour said to John they would be, the following striking passage may be introduced from Mr. Gibbon. It occurs in his description of the conquests of the Turks (“Decline and Fall,” iv. 260, 261). “Two Turkish chieftains, Sarukhan and Aidin left their names to their conquests, and their conquests to their posterity. The captivity or ruin of the seven churches of Asia was consummated; and the barbarous lords of Ionia and Lydia still trample on the monuments of classic and Christian antiquity. In the loss of Ephesus, the Christians deplored the fall of the first angel, the extinction of the first candlestick of the Revelations: the desolation is complete; and the temple of Diana, or the church of Mary, will equally elude the search of the curious traveler. The circus and three stately theaters of Laodicea are now populated with wolves and foxes; Sardis is reduced to a miserable village; the God of Muhammed, without a rival or a son, is invoked in the mosques of Thyatira and Pergamos; and the populousness of Smyrna is supported by the foreign trade of Franks and Armenians. Philadelphia alone has been saved by prophecy or courage. At a distance from the sea, forgotten by the emperors, encompassed on all sides by the Turks, her valiant citizens defended their religion and freedom above fourscore years, and at length capitulated with the proudest of the Ottomans. Among the Greek colonies and churches of Asia, Philadelphia is still erect, a column in a scene of ruins; a pleasing example that the paths of honor and safety may sometimes be the same.”

(2) The second remark relates to the applicability of these important truths to us. There is perhaps no part of the New Testament more searching than these brief epistles to the seven churches; and though those to whom they were addressed have long since passed away, and the churches have long since become extinct; though darkness, error, and desolation have come over the places where these churches once stood, yet the principles laid down in these epistles still live, and they are full of admonition to Christians in all ages and all lands. It is a consideration of as much importance to us as it was to these churches, that the Saviour now knows our works; that he sees in the church, and in any individual, all that there is to commend and all that there is to reprove; that he has power to reward or punish now as he had then; that the same rules in apportioning rewards and punishments will still be acted on; that he who overcomes the temptations of the world will find an appropriate reward; that those who live in sin must meet with the proper recompense, and that those who are lukewarm in his service will be spurned with unutterable loathing. His rebukes are awful; but his promises are full of tenderness and kindness. While they who have embraced error, and they who are living in sin, have occasion to tremble before him, they who are endeavoring to perform their duty may find in these epistles enough to cheer their hearts, and to animate them with the hope of final victory, and of the most ample and glorious reward.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Revelation 3:22. He that hath an ear, let him hear — Mr. Wesley has a very judicious note on the conclusion of this chapter, and particularly on this last verse, He that hath an ear, c. "This (counsel) stands in three former letters before the promise, in the four latter after it clearly dividing the seven into two parts, the first containing three, the last four letters. The titles given our Lord in the three former letters peculiarly respect his power after his resurrection and ascension, particularly over his Church; those in the four latter, his Divine glory and unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Again, this word being placed before the promises in the three former letters excludes the false apostles at Ephesus, the false Jews at Smyrna, and the partakers with the heathens at Pergamos, from having any share therein. In the four latter, being placed after them, it leaves the promises immediately joined with Christ's address to the angel of the Church, to show that the fulfilling of these was near; whereas the others reach beyond the end of the world. It should be observed that the overcoming or victory (to which alone these peculiar promises are annexed) is not the ordinary victory obtained by every believer, but a special victory obtained over great and peculiar temptations, by those that are strong in faith."

The latest account we have of the state of the seven Asiatic Churches is in a letter from the Rev. Henry Lindsay, chaplain to the British embassy at Constantinople, to a member of the British and Foreign Bible Society, by which society Mr. Lindsay had been solicited to distribute some copies of the New Testament in modern Greek among the Christians in Asia Minor. The following is his communication, dated:-

"Constantinople, January 10, 1816.

"When I last wrote to you, I was on the point of setting out on a short excursion into Asia Minor. Travelling hastily, as I was constrained to do from the circumstances of my situation, the information I could procure was necessarily superficial and unsatisfactory. As, however, I distributed the few books of the society which I was able to carry with me, I think it necessary to give some account of the course I took:

"1. The regular intercourse of England with SMYRNA will enable you to procure as accurate intelligence of its present state as any I can pretend to offer. From the conversations I had with the Greek bishop and his clergy, as well as various well-informed individuals, I am led to suppose that, if the population of Smyrna be estimated at one hundred and forty thousand inhabitants, there are from fifteen to twenty thousand Greeks, six thousand Armenians, five thousand Catholics, one hundred and forty Protestants, and eleven thousand Jews.

"2. After Smyrna, the first place I visited was EPHESUS, or rather (as the site is not quite the same) Aiasalick, which consists of about fifteen poor cottages. I found there but three Christians, two brothers who keep a small shop, and a gardener. They are all three Greeks, and their ignorance is lamentable indeed. In that place, which was blessed so long with an apostle's labours, and those of his zealous assistants are Christians who have not so much as heard of that apostle, or seem only to recognize the name of Paul as one in the calendar of their saints. One of them I found able to read a little, and left with him the New Testament, in ancient and modern Greek, which he expressed a strong desire to read, and promised me he would not only study it himself, but lend it to his friends in the neighbouring villages.

"3. My next object was to see LAODICEA; in the road to this is Guzel-hisar, a large town, with one church, and about seven hundred Christians. In conversing with the priests here, I found them so little acquainted with the Bible, or even the New Testament in an entire form, that they had no distinct knowledge of the books it contained beyond the four gospels, but mentioned them indiscriminately with various idle legends and lives of saints. I have sent thither three copies of the modern Greek Testament since my return. About three miles from Laodicea is Denizli, which has been styled (but I am inclined to think erroneously) the ancient Colosse; it is a considerable town, with about four hundred Christians, Greeks, and Armenians, each of whom has a church. I regret however to say that here also the most extravagant tales of miracles, and fabulous accounts of angels, saints, and relics, had so usurped the place of the Scriptures as to render it very difficult to separate in their minds Divine truths from human inventions. I felt that here that unhappy time was come when men should 'turn away their ears from the truth, and be turned unto fables.' I had with me some copies of the gospels in ancient Greek which I distributed here, as in some other places through which I had passed. Eski-hisar, close to which are the remains of ancient Laodicea, contains about fifty poor inhabitants, in which number are but two Christians, who live together in a small mill; unhappily neither could read at all; the copy therefore of the New Testament, which I intended for this Church, I left with that of Denizli, the offspring and poor remains of Laodicea and Colosse. The prayers of the mosque are the only prayers which are heard near the ruins of Laodicea, on which the threat seems to have been fully executed in its utter rejection as a Church.

"4. I left it for PHILADELPHIA, now Alah-shehr. It was gratifying to find at last some surviving fruits of early zeal; and here, at least, whatever may be the loss of the spirit of Christianity, there is still the form of a Christian Church; this has been kept from the 'hour of temptation,' which came upon all the Christian world. There are here about one thousand Christians, chiefly Greeks, who for the most part speak only Turkish; there are twenty-five places of public worship, five of which are large regular churches; to these there is a resident bishop, with twenty inferior clergy. A copy of the modern Greek Testament was received by the bishop with great thankfulness.

"5. I quitted Alah-shehr, deeply disappointed at the statement I received there of the Church of SARDIS. I trusted that in its utmost trials it would not have been suffered to perish utterly, and I heard with surprise that not a vestige of it remained. With what satisfaction then did I find on the plains of Sardis a small Church establishment; the few Christians who dwell around modern Sart were anxious to settle there and erect a church, as they were in the habit of meeting at each other's houses for the exercise of religion. From this design they were prohibited by Kar Osman Oglu, the Turkish governor of the district; and in consequence, about five years ago they built a church upon the plain, within view of ancient Sardis, and there they maintain a priest. The place has gradually risen into a little village, now called Tatar-keny; thither the few Christians of Sart, who amount to seven, and those in its immediate vicinity, resort for public worship, and form together a congregation of about forty. There appears then still a remnant, 'a few names even in Sardis,' which have been preserved. I cannot repeat the expressions of gratitude with which they received a copy of the New Testament in a language with which they were familiar. Several crowded about the priest to hear it on the spot, and I left them thus engaged.

"6. Ak-hisar, the ancient THYATIRA, is said to contain about thirty thousand inhabitants, of whom three thousand are Christians, all Greeks except about two hundred Armenians. There is, however, but one Greek church and one Armenian. The superior of the Greek Church to whom I presented the Romaic Testament esteemed it so great a treasure that he earnestly pressed me, if possible, to spare another, that one might be secured to the Church and free from accidents, while the other went round among the people for their private reading. I have, therefore, since my return hither, sent him four copies.

"7. The Church of PERGAMOS, in respect to numbers, may be said to flourish still in Bergamo. The town is less than Ak-hisar, but the number of Christians is about as great, the proportion of Armenians to Greeks nearly the same, and each nation also has one church. The bishop of the district, who occasionally resides there, was at that time absent, and I experienced with deep regret that the resident clergy were totally incapable of estimating the gift I intended them; I therefore delivered the Testament to the lay vicar of the bishop at his urgent request, he having assured me that the bishop would highly prize so valuable an acquisition to the Church. He seemed much pleased that the benighted state of his nation had excited the attention of strangers.

"Thus, sir, I have left at least one copy of the unadulterated word of God at each of the seven Asiatic Churches of the Apocalypse, and I trust they are not utterly thrown away; but whoever may plant, it is God only who can give the increase, and from his goodness we may hope they will in due time bring forth fruit, 'some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred fold.'

"HENRY LINDSAY."

In my note on Acts 19:24, I have given an account of the celebrated temple of Diana at Ephesus, to which building, called one of the seven wonders of the world, St. Paul is supposed to allude in his epistle to this Church, particularly at Ephesians 3:18, where I have again given the measurement of this temple.


 
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