To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, he that walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: I know thy works, and thy toil and patience, and that thou canst not bear evil men, and didst try them that call themselves apostles, and they are not, and didst find them false; and thou hast patience and didst bear for my name’s sake and hast not grown weary. But I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. Remember therefore whence thou are fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the the Nicolatians, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God. Revelation 2:1–7
Read More Than Conquerors, pp. 74–79
A. THE ADDRESS, verse 1a
Among the reasons why the Great Church Visitor, Jesus Christ, addresses the church at Ephesus first of all might be the following:
a. It was the most important of the seven, in that during Paul’s third missionary journey the work of evangelization for this region had started here, and from here on out as a center had reached the other churches of “Asia.” See Acts 19:10.
b. The apostle John. to whom these visions were shown, had labored here for many years, and from here had been banished to the island of Patmos.
c. Of the seven churches mentioned Ephesus was the closest to Pabnos (see a Bible map and locate the seven churches and also the island of PatInos ).
According to historical legend the goddess Artemis or Diana had brought fame and fortune to Ephesus. So its citizens built for her a richly decorated marble temple, still standing in Paul’s day and considered at that time to be one of the seven wonders of the world. But in time the harbor silted up, and malaria-ridden Ephesus sank into oblivion. Today it is merely a ghost-town.
B. CHRIST’S SELF-DESIGNATION, verse lb
Cf. Revelation 1:16. Our Lord protects his true servants against the sinister attacks of “false apostles.” See verse 2 of the present chapter. Note that we are told that he holds the seven “stars” (ministers) “in his right hand.” All through Scripture the right hand is the hand of special honor. See this for yourself by looking up the following passages: Genesis 48:13–19; Ecclesiastes 10:2; I Kings 2:19; Psalm 16:8; 45:9; 60:5; 63:8; 73:23; 108:6; 109:31; 110:5; 118:15, 16; Matt. 20:21, 23; 22:44; 25:33. Moreover, not only is he merely present in the midst of the seven lampstands but he actually walks in the midst of these light-bearers; that is, he is very active in the exercise of his protecting love and care (contrast Rev. 1:13 with 2:1b).
C. THE COMMENDATION OR PRAISE, verses 2, 3, 6
It is surely very comforting to notice that the Lord would much rather praise his people than condemn them. H proof is demanded for this proposition this gem of an epistle surely furnishes it. Note how the divine and human Church Visitor dwells in great detail on the virtues of this church (verses 2 and 3). Then, having rebuked the church for its outstanding sin, in as few words as ever possible (verse 4), and having added a warning (verse 5), the Lord immediately praises it once more (verse 6). What an insight this affords us into the character of the heart of him with whom we have to do! How very comforting this is! Also, what a hint this contains for parents in dealing with their children, and for teachers in getting along with their pupils.
Looked at from the outside, the church at Ephesus seemed. to be flourishing. It could pride itself in “works, toil and endurance under trial and persecution.” It must be borne in mind that this church had enjoyed a remarkable history during its forty years of existence. It had been blessed by the labors of Paul, Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos, Timothy, and last but not least, by the lengthy ministry of the apostle John himself. For details see Mo-re Than Conquerors, p. 75 (bottom) and all of p. 76. False apostles, notably the Nicolaitans, who indulged in immorality and tried to justify their wicked conduct, had been sharply reprimanded and publicly exposed and condemned. The Ephesians had come to hate the works or practices of these lovers of seductive and idolatrous heathen banquets.
What kind of people were these Nicolaitans? They were Gnostics, that is, people who elevated gnosis, knowleclge, to a position of prominence, above faith and love. According to their way of thinking the good God—the God of the new dispensation—could not have created the world, for the world is matter, and matter was by them regarded as being evil in itself. Hence, someone else—maybe the Jehovah of the Old Testament, or perhaps some angel or emanation from the Deity—had made the world. In any event matter, the flesh, being intrinsically bad, must be abused. Some favored abusing the flesh by shunning it (the Ascetic Gnostics); others, by indulging in it (the Licentious Gnostics or Nicolaitans). The apostle Paul, sending his first epistle to Timothy, who at that time (many years before John wrote the Apocalypse) was stationed at Ephesus (1) had warned against the first error (Ascetic Gnosticism, I Tim. 4:3–5); and sending his second epistle to Timothy, still stationed at this very Ephesus a little later, had condemned the latter error (Licentious Gnosticism or the false teaching of the Nicolaitans, II Tim. 3:1–9). Accordingly, if the reader wishes to know just what these Nicolaitans taught and practised let him read carefully II Timothy 3:1–9. Paul (see II Tim. 3:9) had also predicted that the wicked propaganda of these false apostles would suffer a temporary defeat. And John, writing several years later, implies that this is what had actually happened (Rev. 2:2, 6).
D. THE CONDEMNATION, verse 4
Now it can be safely asserted that when the church at Ephesus had brought the false apostles to trial and had condemned them because it hated their wicked practices, this hatred was evidence of at least a certain amount of love for God and for his people. If you do not love God at all you will not even try to carry out any disciplinary action against those who defy his ordinances. But the trouble with the Ephesians was that their first love had disappeared. Their erstwhile devotion to Christ was in the process of becoming dulled. There was not that marvelous enthusiasm and ardor which had marked this church in the days of its early history, when big-hearted Paul and afterward John, the disciple of love, had labored among them.
Is John speaking here of love for the Lord or of love for the brotherhood? Recently someone publicly defended the thesis that he was thinking only of love to the brotherhood. Do you agree?
E. THE WARNING AND THREAT, verse 5
“Do the first works, that is, exercise the mst love…or else I will remove thy lampstand.” Though Christ has promised that the gates of Hades will never prevail against his true Church, he has never promised that every local congregation or even every denomination will remain pure in doctrine and life or even that it will remain in existence!
F. THE EXHORTATION, verse 7a
Ear-culture is far more important than voice-culture, though the latter, too, is very important. Is there ~mything which our Lord stressed more. freq.,uently than giving heed to his words? See Matthew 11:15; 13:9; 13:43; Mark 4:9; 4:23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35 (some of these are duplicates); Revelation 2:7; 2:11 2:17; 2:29; 3:6; 3:13; 3:22; 13:9.
G. THE PROMISE, verse 7b
To the conqueror is promised something better than the food offered to idols, with which the heathen and the Nicoiaitans at their licentious festivals tried to tempt church-members. The conqueror will inherit eternal life in the Paradise of heaven.
Questions
1. In the light of Revelation 2:2 is there such a thing as “Christian intolerance”?
2. Should the church ever excommunicate anybody? If so, why?
3. Psalm 84:7. “They go from strength to strength.” Revelation 2:4, “Thou didst leave thy first love.” Do these two clash?
4. “Christian Reformed Church Centennial, 1857–1957. The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” “I will move thy lampstand out of its place.” Any contradiction here?
5. Who are the present-day Nicolaitans and how should we defend ourselves against their allurements?
6. How does the Spirit speak to the churches today?
7. Where is “the Paradise of God”?