Revelation 2:1-7
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Important messages
General considerations concerning the churches
Before
we begin the study of the individual churches in chapter 2 and 3, I want to
give an overview of these seven churches in Asia Minor. John is the apostle,
who has outlived all the others and the only one to die a natural death. The
Holy Spirit is intricately involved in all the circumstances, surrounding the
Revelation, in order to carry out perfectly the eternal plan of God. With this
book, the total canon of inspired Scripture is complete and blessed are all
those, who have the privilege of prayerfully studying its pages. Consider this:
eleven apostles did not have this privilege, including the apostle Paul.
The
Gospel of John is considered to be the most spiritual of the four Gospels and,
when we pore over it, sometimes we find spiritual truth inserted in a rather subtle
form among the events that he recorded. That is one reason, that he is the most
suited of the apostles to write the Revelation. His age and experience are also
to be taken into consideration, as well as the timing of the book, almost at
the end of the first century, decades after all the other New Testament books
have been completed. The apostle John is watching the unfolding of the second
generation of Christianity.
The
Revelation is a fitting end to the canon, because it continues the accounts of
the principles and prophecies of the entire Bible. As I have tried to show, it
also completes the revelation of Jesus Christ, beyond what is revealed in the
Gospels. I want to say with some care, that the book carries many symbols.
Whereas that is true, we still want to take it as literally, as possible. It is
especially true in this book that the Holy Spirit fulfills the role, which
Christ said of Him, of showing things to come (Jn.16:13). There will be no more
Scripture written, but the prophetic Scriptures will continue to live, as their
predictions are fulfilled.
I
repeat something, to which I have earlier referred three times: There is a
spiritual mystery to be uncovered in the number of the churches, to which John
writes. There were more than seven churches in Asia Minor and one of them, the
church of the Colossians, is of tremendous importance, because, of course, Paul
wrote a letter to it. Why is no message sent from the Lord to the Colossians;
in fact, why is it not even mentioned in Revelation? The same question could be
asked of the other churches in Asia Minor.
We
conclude that the Holy Spirit has a particular purpose in limiting the number
of churches to seven. Seven, as already said in earlier articles, is the number
of perfect completion, and symbolizes the sovereign hand of God, in bringing
about a perfect end, in this case to the church. Whereas literal, historical
churches are the first recipients of the messages of Christ, they are meant for
the church of all ages.
Some
carry this symbolism even further. They believe that each church, of the seven
in Asia Minor, represents the body of believers, which predominated in seven
different periods of church history. I hold that opinion and I will teach it in
these next two chapters. I do so by openly declaring that this is a matter of
opinion and is not to be presented as Bible truth. It is only given for the
reader to take into consideration and ponder. I will do it at the conclusion of
my comments about each church.
When
writing in this way, a great deal of tolerance must be given to different
opinions. I will censure no one, who does not see these churches as I do. When
we are considering prophecy, we must be very flexible and open to change in our
viewpoints, as events unfold in these end times. Tolerance must be given to
more basic and important prophecies, such as that of the rapture of the church
and the literal thousand-year reign of Christ upon the earth. However, because
of the greater importance and the clarity of the teaching on the rapture by
Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and that of John on the Millennium in
Revelation 20, I hold more firmly and dogmatically to my views. I believe every
Christian should believe in the rapture and in the literal Millennium, but even
so, I have respect and remain in fellowship with those, who believe otherwise.
These are not essential doctrines.
Having
clarified these issues, let us go on to see the messages, which Christ commands
John to write to the individual churches. We will notice some general
similarities in all the messages. 1) In each case, He will present Himself in
one aspect, among those that we have already seen in chapter one. That aspect
is especially relevant to that particular church. 2) If there is a
commendation, it will come first, followed by a constructive criticism. 3) In
each case, He commands, “He who has an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”. 4) After
addressing the whole church, he speaks to the individual member.
Chapter 2
Chapter 2
The church in Ephesus
1. To the angel of the church in
Ephesus write: The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand,
who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2. I know your works, your toil
and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil,
but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them
to be false.
3. I know you are enduring
patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
4. But I have this against you,
that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
5. Remember therefore from where
you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come
to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
6. Yet this you have: you hate
the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7. He who has an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant
to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
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| Ephesian ruins |
John
is very familiar with the church in Ephesus. After his exile on Patmos, he went
to live in Ephesus and there is where he died, probably being close to 100
years of age. As all these churches, Ephesus is beginning its second generation
and will soon enter the Second Century. (Please notice, how the centuries are
numbered, beginning at the time of Christ.)
The
apostle Paul, along with Priscilla and Aquila, came to Ephesus first briefly in
about 54 A.D., and spoke in the synagogue, then left his friends and companions
there, when he continued on to the church in Antioch, Syria. A great Old
Testament scholar and eloquent orator, Apollos, from Alexandria, Egypt,
preached the gospel, only up to the baptism of John. Aquila and Priscilla
taught him a much more complete gospel and he went from Ephesus to Achaia,
Greece (Ac.18:18-26).
Paul
returned to Ephesus and found some of Apollos’ disciples, whom Apollos had
taught all that he knew concerning the
gospel, previous to the more complete instruction of Aquila and Priscilla. Paul
had to expound the full gospel to these disciples and then re-baptized them,
including the name of Jesus in their baptism. Then, he laid his hands on them
and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit, spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Paul taught for three months in the local synagogue and lived in Ephesus for
over two years, longer than in any other city. He wrote his epistle to them
around 64 A.D., as a prisoner in Rome.
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| All that is left of the temple of Diana |
As to
the city of Ephesus, it was by far the greatest and most famous metropolis of
Asia Minor, with a population of around 250,000, and was situated on the shores
of the Aegean Sea. The city was particularly devoted to idolatry and home of
the magnificent Temple of Diana or Artemis, one of the wonders of the ancient
world. In fact, the city was greatly enriched by tourism, as worshipers of Diana
came to Ephesus from many places. Paul taught that those, who sacrifice to
false gods or goddesses are really sacrificing to demons, so it is no wonder
that the city was infested with demonic manifestations (Ac.19:12-17). Paul
battled with these spiritual forces, stating “I fought with beasts at Ephesus” (1 Co.15:32). We can see the
significance of the repentance of the pagan Ephesians, when they burned their
occult books and fetishes, the value of which was 50,000 pieces of silver,
equivalent to the yearly salaries of 150 men
(Ac.19:18-20). There must have been a very large body of believers in
the city.
Jesus
presents Himself from chapter 1, verses 13 and 16, “Holds the seven stars… walks among the seven golden candlesticks.”
He establishes His position in relation to the Ephesian church. It is a
depiction of one, who is personally present and in charge of the affairs. It is
what this church needs to see (v.1), and we will learn the reason in the
message that is sent to them.
For
Jesus to say, I know your works, is to say that He sees the manifestation of
the condition of their heart. Their deeds are laudable in Ephesus, and they are
crowned with patient endurance, an important characteristic of a Christian.
John said to the collective churches in 1:9 that he was a partner with them in
this inner strength, which is a fruit of faith and leads to victory. They have
a repulsion for sin and deception and possess a discernment, which detects the lack
of genuineness in professing leaders. They have rejected them (v.2).
They
are loyal believers, who have no intention of shaming the name of Christ. They
are plodding faithfully forward against opposition and show no signs of letting
up (v.3). However, there is a serious flaw in this church, and Christ, as the
faithful witness, will point it out, so that they can correct it.
“I have this against you”… If the church is willing to
listen, He will uncover every obstacle that might detain them from spiritual
progress. A proper attitude towards rebuke is of utmost importance. People who
grimace and draw back from pointed preaching are missing a necessary ingredient
in the process that will bring spiritual revival. If they are offended at
rebuke and find it difficult to humble themselves, they have eliminated
themselves from the good that God intends to send their way.
The
following clause, “you have abandoned
the love you had at first”, is frequently misquoted, “you have lost your
first love”. Love has not wandered off somewhere and left the Christians to
themselves. They have walked away from it and gone forward on their own.
Passionate love is the only acceptable Christian motivation; a sense of
responsibility, righteous zeal, and loyalty are never enough.
When
the Lord informed Moses that He would send an angel in place of His person from
that point on, in order to continue on their way towards the Promised Land,
Moses would have none of it, “If your
presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here” (Ex.33:15). He
determined that he would not take another step forward without the personal
presence of the Lord. He was going nowhere without his Friend: “The Lord used to speak to Moses face to
face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex.33:11).
Before
the Israelites went into battle in the land that they were to conquer, Joshua
had an encounter with the Commander of the Lord’s army. “Now I have come,” He said (Jos.5:13), indicating that He would be
in charge from that point on and Joshua would step aside. However, at some
place, the Ephesians went right on with church business, without noticing the
absence of the Head of the church, and this is the reason that Jesus revealed
His position in the midst of the candlesticks to them. This is why He showed
them the stars (the leadership) in His right hand. They had left that, which
had been an inseparable love relationship with the Lord.
Lack
of love was the first flaw; pride was the second. Ephesus was a beautiful city
and the Ephesians had built it from scratch. They thought themselves capable of
functioning on their own as Christians (v.4). Regardless of our earthly
capabilities, it takes a humble spirit in a Christian to recognize that the
church cannot really progress spiritually without the Captain of salvation at
the helm of the ship. He is the Head and He must personally lead. He must
control the leadership and they must never act without His command. All eyes
must be fixed on Him.
This
is a serious fall before the Lord and requires deep repentance. The next
portion, “Do the works you did at
first”, is an important step that we must observe. I have noticed that
after a particular fall, God’s people will slow down, shift to a lower gear,
give some advice about everyone examining their own personal life, then
gradually pick up speed again, and shift back into the gear that they were
running in before the fall. This will never do! Everything must grind to a
screeching halt, all activity must cease, and the transmission must be thrown
into reverse, in order to return to the point where the fall took place. The
Lord is commanding the Ephesus church to go back to the beginning, and not stop
at any point in between! That is biblical repentance. It repentance does not
take place, the candlestick will be removed (v.5)
Jesus
said that the Ephesians hated the works of the Nicolaitans, which He also hated
(v.6). This is written in our Bibles and we must have understanding concerning
this sect in order to avoid similar teaching and practices in our day. Since
there are two opinions concerning them, we will take both into account. 1) One
opinion is that they were followers of a man named Nicolas and his name means, one who conquers the people. It is
typical that sects have leaders that are authoritarian and dominate their
members. This is never acceptable in Christ’s eyes and He hates that work. 2)
The other opinion is that the name stems from nicolah, a Greek word meaning let
us eat. This is a term that suggests licentiousness, which is also hateful
to the Lord. We do well to avoid both possibilities.
The
church must hear this entire message in the Holy Spirit, before it can
genuinely be received (v.7). This is up to every individual: “Take heed how you hear,” Luke records
the command of Christ (Lk.8:18). Ears of the heart are necessary, in order to
adequately hear spiritual principle. We cannot learn them, as we learn earthly
things. In every case, each church is reminding to hear with spiritual ears, by
the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
Should
the church fail to pay serious attention to this message from Christ, the
individual is still responsible for his own life. Jesus addresses the
individual church member and gives him the opportunity to act for his own good.
Joshua decided, “If it is evil in your
eyes to serve the Lord… as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Jos.24:14).
He and Caleb had stood alone many years before, when the overwhelming majority
in Israel rebelled.
The
individual may conquer, when the whole church goes down in defeat. The Ephesian
candlestick eventually was removed and the entire, once beautiful city of
Ephesus, lies in ruins today. However, there are still individual Ephesians,
who are eating from the tree of life in the paradise of God.
………………………..
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| The disciples didn't allow Paul to enter the theater- Acts 19:31 |
Though
in imperfect form, I believe I have laid Bible truth before you, to the point,
in which people should respond, because they will be held accountable. However,
as I said in the beginning of this article, I will now delve a little into what
I think is a good position concerning these seven churches. You may agree with
me or you may not. In any case, I do hope you will give serious thought to what
I am now writing.
Of
course, the following ideas are not original with me, but I am presenting a
teaching from reputable teachers that I have heard from my youth and seems to
me very reasonable. I am suggesting this
first message from the Lord is particularly addressed to the church period from
70-170 A.D. These are disciples of the apostles, many of which have lost the
fire, passionate love, and the sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that their
founders had. They are faithful to the doctrine and the work that they learned
from them, but Jesus shows them what they lack and what they must retrieve.
The
dominating church in Asia Minor in the time of John was the Ephesian church. It
was founded and tended by apostles, but was now entering into its second
generation. Paul warned the elders in Ephesus, “After my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing
the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted
things, to draw away the disciples after them (Nicolaitans?)”
(Ac.20:29-30).
Not
long ago, I read from a certain Second Century writer, who spoke of an
acquaintance of the apostle John. The writer said that he held, not only the
doctrine of the apostles, but the inner life, which they manifested. Therefore,
it would seem that a contemporary in that day, saw that, generally speaking,
there was a noticeable fall in Christianity from the level lived by the first
generation of believers.
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