so that you, along with all the saints [i.e., God's holy people], will be [spiritually] strong enough to grasp how wide and long and high and deep [Christ's love is];

Height

[for] he opposes [the true Gospel message] and exalts himself against everything that is called "God" or that which is worshiped. So, he sits in God's temple [i.e., the church ?] displaying himself as [though he were] God.

And I saw a beast coming up out of the ocean. It had ten horns and seven heads, and [it had] ten crowns on his horns and on each head there was a blasphemous name [i.e., a name that slandered God].

Depth

O, how deep is the richness of God's wisdom and knowledge! How difficult [it is for us] to explain His judgments and how impossible [for us] to accurately track how He operates!

For false Christs and false prophets will appear and they will perform great [miraculous] signs and [supernatural] wonders in order to lead astray even the elect [i.e., God's people], if possible.

[I do this] so that Satan cannot take advantage of us, for we are not unaware of his schemes.

But I am afraid that somehow, just as the snake tricked Eve by his cunning, your minds might [also] be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

The coming [of this lawless person] is according to the work of Satan, [and will be] attended by all kinds of powerful [i.e., miraculous] signs and false wonders,

But I say to all the rest of you there in Thyatira who have not followed this [false] teaching [See verse 20], that is, those who have not known "the deep things of Satan," as people call them --- I will not burden you with anything else [i.e., beyond this problem about Jezebel's false teaching].

Then the great dragon was thrown out [of heaven]; he is the snake from ancient times who is [also] called "the Devil," and "Satan," the deceiver of the entire world. He was thrown down to earth along with his angels.

[And] by being given [power] to perform these signs in the sight of the [first] beast, he deceived the people on earth. He told them to make a statue to [honor] the [first] beast, who had been wounded by a sword and yet lived [through it].

But the beast was captured, along with the false prophet [See 16:13], who performed [supernatural] signs in his presence. [He had performed these signs] to deceive those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his statue. [See 13:15-16]. The beast and the false prophet were both thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur.

He threw him into the pit, and closed it and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that time, he must be released for a short while.

Shall be

I give them never ending life and they will never be destroyed, and no one will [be able to] steal them out of my hand.

For you died [with Christ, See 2:20], and your life is [now] hidden with Christ in [fellowship with] God.

Love

Who [i.e., what] can separate us from Christ's love [for us]? [i.e., what unfortunate circumstance of life might suggest that Christ does not love us?] Would [it be] trouble? Or distress? Or persecution? Or inadequate food? Or inadequate clothing? Or danger? Or [even] death?

But God demonstrates His own love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

For God loved the world [of sinners] so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that every person who believes in Him would not [have to] be destroyed, but have never ending life.

for the Father Himself loves you [i.e., and will grant your requests without my persuasion], because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.

And I declared your name to them and I will continue to declare it, so that the love you have for me will be in them [also], and that I [will be] in them."

Even before the creation of the world God chose us, who are in [fellowship with] Christ, to be dedicated [to Him] and to be without just blame in His sight. Out of love

But God, who has great love for us and abundant mercy [toward us],

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared,

Here is the way God's love for us was demonstrated; He sent His one and only Son into the world so that we could have [spiritual] life through Him.

General references

interpretations given to this very difficult verse. Other possibilities are: a) "immersed in view of (being raised from) the dead," b) "immersed in view of being dead (to sin)," c) "immersed in view of (having to suffer) death," d) "immersed in view of (someday joining) the dead"].