Revelation 2
Letter to the Church in Ephesus, Smrna, Pergamum, Thyatira
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; (Rev. 2:1 KJV)
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: (Rev. 2:2 KJV)
And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. (Rev. 2:3 KJV)
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (Rev. 2:4 KJV)
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. (Rev. 2:5 KJV)
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (Rev. 2:6 KJV)
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. (Rev. 2:7 KJV)
And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; (Rev. 2:8 KJV)
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. (Rev. 2:9 KJV)
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. (Rev. 2:10 KJV)
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. (Rev. 2:11 KJV)
And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
(Rev. 2:12 KJV)
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. (Rev. 2:13 KJV)
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. (Rev. 2:14 KJV)
So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. (Rev. 2:15 KJV)
Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. (Rev. 2:16 KJV)
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. (Rev. 2:17 KJV)
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; (Rev. 2:18 KJV)
know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. (Rev. 2:19 KJV)
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. (Rev. 2:20 KJV)
And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. (Rev. 2:21 KJV)
Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. (Rev. 2:22 KJV)
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. (Rev. 2:23 KJV)
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. (Rev. 2:24 KJV)
But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. (Rev. 2:25 KJV)
And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: (Rev. 2:26 KJV)
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. (Rev. 2:27 KJV)
And I will give him the morning star. (Rev. 2:28 KJV)
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Rev. 2:29 KJV)
The chapter contains direct messages to four churches:
Ephesus
Remember, you had lost the warmth and devotion of their early love for Christ and
others. Return to the works they did at first.You will eat from the tree of life in the
paradise of God.
Smyrna
Smyrna is one of only two churches in Revelation that receives no rebuke.
They will not be hurt by the second death an receive the crown of life
Pergamum
Repent you tolerated false teaching and followed the teachings of Balaam and
Nicolaitans
Thyatira
They tolerated a false prophetess called "Jezebel," who led believers into sexual
immorality and idolatry.
The region associated with Ashkenaz overlapped with territories later inhabited by Khazars. Their Khagan (King) Bulan converted to Judaism (Rabbi Yehuda haLevi’s [c. 1075-1141] famous text, Kuzari) and much of his kingdom had become Jewish within about a century and they joined the Idumean (Esau’s descendants). After the kingdom of Khazaria came to an end they fled westward settling in Poland and Hungary and spread then into Western Europe.
The overwhelming majority of modern Jews identify themselves as Ashkenazi Jews. Arthur Koestler writes in his book 'The Thirteenth tribe' "In the 1960's the number of Sephardim was 500,000, whilst the Ashkenazim numbered 11,000,000. Thus in common parlance the term Jew is synonymous with Ashkenazi Jew."
A study analyzed the DNA of Ashkenazi Jews concluded that Ashkenazi are close as fourth or fifth cousins, and “everyone is a 30th cousin. “Instead of being primarily the descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel, present-day Jewish populations are… primarily the children of a Turkish people who lived in what is now Russia, north of Georgia, east of Ukraine.”
Even the common language of the European Ashkenazi Jews, the Yiddish language, is reported by Abraham Harkavy (The Jews and Languages of the Slavs 1867) to have originated with the Khazars and not the Hebrews.
According to Gen 10:1-3, Ashkenaz was the great-great grandson of Noah through his son Japheth. If the region of Ashkenaz is founded by the son of Japheth, then he is the ancestor of Ashkenazi Jews and they’re not semitic people. Only descendants of Noah’s son Shem that became known as Hebrews, and later, Israelites, are semitic.
A minority of Jews, less than 10% ar Sephardic and Mizrachi Jews.
Sephardic Jews descend from the Jewish communities of Spain and Portugal. After the Spanish Inquisition expelled Jews in 1492, Sephardic Jews settled throughout the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Ottoman Empire, and the Americas.
Mizrachi (meaning "Eastern") Jews come from the Middle East and North Africa — Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Morocco, Tunisia, Syria, and beyond. Some people group Mizrachi and Sephardic Jews together because they share certain halachic traditions, but their cultures, languages, and histories are quite different.
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