REVELATION CHAPTER 1:9-2:7, “Vision Of Jesus / Letter To Ephesian Church”

Jim Bomkamp

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. In our last study, we gave the introduction to the book of Revelation, and then we looked at the first 8 verses of the book.

1.1.1. INTRODUCTION

1.1.1.1.The book of Revelation is considered to be the last book of the New Testament written, with an authorship date of 95-96AD.

1.1.1.2.It was written by the apostle John while exiled on the island of Patmos.

1.1.1.3.John was the only one of the 12 apostles not to suffer a death of martyrdom because of his faith.

1.1.2. AUTHORSHIP

1.1.2.1.The authorship of the book of Revelation is best proved to be John by the fact that he does not write anything more about himself than the simple name of “John”.

1.1.3. NUMEROLOGY IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION

1.1.3.1.We saw that there were at least 25 occurrences of the number 7 in the book, which shows that this could be no coincidence. The number “seven” signifies “completeness” or “perfection” in the scriptures:

1.1.3.2.Other numbers which appear to have significance are: 3, 4, 10, 12, 666, 1,000, and 144,000.

1.1.4. USE OF SYMBOLS IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION:

1.1.4.1.The book of Revelation is full of symbols to be interpreted.

1.1.4.2.How do we interpret the symbols?

1.1.4.2.1.Interpret passages literally unless the text says to treat it allegorically or unless there is no other way to make sense of it but to interpret it allegorically.

1.1.4.2.2.In most cases in the book of Revelation the symbols are interpreted by the book itself.

1.1.4.2.3.In the case of symbols which are not interpreted by the book, we have to try to look at how those same symbols are interpreted by scripture at large, and come up with our best and prayerful guesses concerning their meaning.

1.1.4.2.4.We cannot be too dogmatic about our interpretations of the symbols because they lend themselves to speculations about which many good commentators disagree.

1.1.5. PURPOSE OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION:

1.1.5.1.We saw that John was merely the recipient of a “revelation” which came to him via an angel who received it from Jesus Christ who received it from God the Father. John is told in several places in the book to write down the “revelation” which he has received, and he is likewise told to send the “revelation” to the churches.

1.1.5.2.The word “revelation” which is a translation of the Greek word from which we get our English word “apocalypse” means “an unveiling”. Jesus Christ is unveiling to John a revelation of Himself, a revelation of the state of seven representative churches which the churches of all ages can relate to, as well as what the future holds in store both for the saved and for the lost. The book looks all the way into eternity.

1.1.6. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BOOK OF REVELATION:

1.1.6.1.The book of Revelation records the summation of everything in which the rest of the Bible points to. In the book of Genesis it is said that there are recorded the beginnings of every major doctrine of the Bible, and in the book of Revelation there is recorded the summation of all of God’s plans for mankind, looking all the way into eternity itself.

1.1.6.2.The book of Revelation is the only book of the Bible in which it is promised (Rev. 1:3) that there is a special blessing for everyone who reads it and hears it read.

1.1.6.3.No one will be able to understand the book of Revelation completely or with complete assurance of understanding until the future time when the events described come to pass.

1.1.7. PORTRAYAL OF JESUS CHRIST IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION:

1.1.7.1.In the book of Revelation, we see the exalted Christ who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, whose eyes are a flame of fire, and before whom John falls as a dead man.

1.1.7.1.1.In the gospels, we see Jesus in humility as the one who is made in the likeness of men in order to suffer the death on the cross. In the book of Revelation we see Him in power as the resurrected Christ who is coming to judge the world and make an end of sin.

1.1.7.1.2.In the gospels, we see Jesus as the lamb without spot or blemish who has come to be the perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind. In the book of Revelation we see Jesus as the “lion of the tribe of Judah” (Rev. 5:5) who will open the book of the 7 seals which contain judgments to come upon the earth.

1.1.8. MAJOR WAYS OF INTERPRETING THE BOOK OF REVELATION:

1.1.8.1.FUTURIST INTERPRETATION:

1.1.8.1.1.We analyzed the various ways of interpreting this book, however we saw that we will be studying it from the perspective of the futurist or pre-millennial interpretation. This view sees the events described in the book of Revelation beginning at chapter 5 as dealing with a time that is yet in the future. This view is based upon what are the most sound Biblical methods for exegesis, including the looking to a literal interpretation of literal accounts unless those accounts are said in the text itself to have an allegorical interpretation, or there is no other logical explanation. For instance, when the book unfolds an event occurring where all of the life is destroyed in the ocean, this view understands that this is a real historical event, and since there has never been a time in recorded history where this has occurred, this event must be future to both the writer of the book as well as the reader.

1.1.8.2.Among those who hold this view are those who believe that the church will be taken off of the earth before the seven year tribulation (pre-trib), during the middle of the tribulation (mid-trib), and at the conclusion of the tribulation (post-trib).

1.1.9. REFERENCE FOR SYMBOLS USED IN THE BOOK:

1.1.9.1.I gave us a handout via John Walvoord which gave his best interpretation of the many symbols found in the book of Revelation.

1.2. In our study today, we are going to observe the vision that John had of the risen and resurrected Jesus Christ, and then we are going to look at the letter from Jesus to the church of Ephesus

1.2.1. In this study, we will see John’s vision of Jesus as He is since the day of His ascension up to God (see Acts chapter 1). He appears in His glory, the glory that the disciples were given a glimpse of at the Mount of Transfiguration. This vision of Jesus gives us Christians hope of being with the Lord one day, hope that is reserved for us in heaven, and hope of our own bodily resurrection which is promised us (see 1 Cor. 15)

1.2.1.1.Jesus in all His magnificent glory and majesty will inspire God’s people for all of eternity to have Him as the object of all of their worship and adoration.

1.2.2. In the study, we will also look closely at the letter from Christ to the church in Ephesus and how that letter should effect our lives.

2. VS 1:9 - “9 I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos, because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” - The apostle John tells us that he had been exiled on the island of Patmos because of his testimony of Jesus

2.1. In this verse, John the apostle again reveals his identity, he is “John.” Any other brother in the church except for the elderly and famous apostle John would have had to explain who he was so that his letter might be accepted by the churches. This signifies his authorship of this letter.

2.2. John tells the churches that he is their ‘brother’ and that he is a ‘fellow partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus’.

2.2.1. In the New Testament, the apostles were men who related to those in the churches as being their ‘brother’ and one who is alongside all who call upon the Lord. They were just fellow partakers of Christ.

2.2.2. John had suffered ‘tribulation’ as all those who are in Christ suffer.

2.2.3. John writes that he shared in the ‘perseverance which is in Jesus’, which means that as a believer who has been placed into Christ, he knew that and was committed to the fact that he would persevere faithful unto the end in serving the Lord.

2.3. John reveals that he had been exiled on the island of Patmos, where the revelation was given to him, and that he had been exiled because of His ‘testimony of Jesus.’ The apostle John was more than a man who had beliefs about Jesus, he was a man who knew Jesus personally and had even lived with and followed Jesus for a period of about 3 ½ years. He had seen the miracles of Jesus, heard the words that He taught, been at the cross when Jesus was hanging upon it, and had been at the tomb the very morning to witness that Jesus had raised from the dead. His preaching of the gospel came from his very personal testimony of the things that Jesus did and taught.

3. VS 1:10-11 - “10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”” - John tells us about how it came about that he had receive this revelation of Jesus Christ

3.1. John writes in verse 10 that he ‘was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day’, and in this statement he is revealing how this revelation came to him.

3.1.1. First of all, John was being enraptured in the Spirit, as he was worshipping the Lord privately, and thus it was through the Holy Spirit giving him visions and letting him see future events that he was able to receive this revelation from Jesus Christ.

3.1.2. John writes that it was ‘on the Lord’s day’, but what exactly does this mean?

3.1.2.1.Some have attributed this phrase to mean that it was Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the dead, when this revelation was given to him.

3.1.2.1.1.If this is the case, then this is the only time in the New Testament where the phrase ‘the Lord’s day’ is signified to mean Sunday.

3.1.2.1.2.Much later in the history of the church this phrase came to be used this way, however to our knowledge it was not the case at this time.

3.1.2.2.The other and perhaps more reliable view is that the ‘Lord’s day’ refers to that particular future day of judgment which is often referred to as, “The Lord’s Day,” in the Bible.

3.1.2.2.1.If this interpretation is true, then this means that when John received this revelation that he was actually taken in the Spirit (and out of his body) into the future so that he could see actual historical events as they were occurring.

3.2. John writes here ‘I heard behind me a loud voice like the sound of a trumpet’ which signifies that the Lord was declaring in a loud and clear fashion the words that he spoke to John so that he would clearly understand and remember them later when he would write them down.

3.3. Jesus tells John to write the revelation ‘in a book’, and then He tells him that he is to send the book to the seven churches to whom Christ personally addresses.

3.4. As I mentioned in my introduction for this study, there were more than seven churches in Asia Minor at the time of John’s writings, so though these churches existed at this time and contained the problems addressed in Christ’s warnings and exhortations, these seven churches are also representative churches which Christ uses as examples in order to correct every church in existence.

4. VS 1:12-13 - “12 And I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; 13 and in the middle of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle.” - When John hears Jesus speaking to him, he turns around and sees Jesus

4.1. When John turned to hear the voice which had spoken to him as a trumpet, he first saw ‘seven golden lampstands.’ As we will see these ‘lampstands’ symbolize the seven churches that he is going to write to.

4.2. The tabernacle that the Israelites built for the Lord, and at His directions, had a single candlestand which had seven candles, however here Jesus appears in the midst of seven separate lampstands.

4.3. It is appropriate that the church is symbolized as a lampstand, for the church is to be a light-bearer. It does not have the light itself, for the light comes from Christ, the church is merely the channel for the light of Christ to shine through.

4.4. The lampstands were ‘golden’ in color since gold is the color that symbolizes the glory of God, which the church is to reflect.

4.5. Christ is described as being one, ‘like a son of man.’ ‘Son of man’ was the obscure Old Testament messianic title that the New Testament records that Christ referred to Himself with most often.

4.6. It is significant that Christ is standing in the ‘middle’ or the “midst” of the golden lampstands, for He is the One who must be present wherever the church is gathered, for it is His church, established for His purposes, and designed by Him to bring Him glory.

4.6.1. For application’s sake, we Christians ought to ask ourselves here a few questions:

4.6.1.1.Is Christ the head of my life today?

4.6.1.2.Is He in the midst of our congregation?

4.6.1.3.Does He have His way in my life and my church, or have I (we) long ago ruled Him out from being Lord over your life and the church?

4.6.2. If you belong to Him, He is to be your Master and also head over the church. It is to Him as your head you should be looking today…

4.7. Christ is described as ‘clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle’. When one’s girdle was across his waist, it was placed there for movement and action. However, Christ’s girdle is placed across his ‘breast’ since now He has come to be the judge of the earth.

5. VS 1:14 - “14 And His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire;” - John describes the features of the resurrected Jesus’ head

5.1. This is an identical vision as Daniel’s vision of “The Ancient of Days” given in Dan. 7:9, which gives us yet another proof of Jesus’ deity, “I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days took His seat; His vesture was like white snow, And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames, Its wheels were a burning fire.”

5.1.1. “The Ancient of Days” in Daniel’s vision had come to judge the world, and Jesus has now appeared to John to tell Him of the end of times and the resulting judgments that will come upon the world.

5.2. This vision of Jesus was previewed by Peter, James, and John upon the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-9), and after seeing Him glorified they were told by Jesus not to tell anyone about what they saw until after He had been raised from the dead.

5.3. Christ’s head and His hair were white like ‘white wool’ or ‘snow’ because of the purity of His holiness, not because of the wisdom that age brings.

5.4. The words, ‘His eyes were like a flame of fire,’ symbolize that Christ now has come as the judge of all the earth, and His eyes see right through everyone. Nothing shall escape His notice, and no evil shall be able to conceal itself.

5.4.1. The author of Hebrews wrote in Heb. 4:13 about the Lord’s seeing through every motive in the heart, “13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

6. VS 1:15 - “15 and His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters.” - John describes the features of Jesus’ feet and voice

6.1. Bronze is a very brightly colored metal that is actually a composite that is formed only through the forging of the intense heat of fire. Christ’s ‘feet were like burnished bronze’ which perhaps is an indication of the fury and heat of His wrath soon to be poured out upon evil.

6.2. Christ’s voice sounding ‘like the sound of many waters’ signifies His might and that nothing can forestall His purposes when He decides to act.

7. VS 1:16 - “16 And in His right hand He held seven stars; and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.” - John tells us that Jesus had seven stars in His hand, a sword for a tongue, and His face was as bright as the sun

7.1. The ‘seven stars’ in Christ’s hand symbolize the angels or messengers for each of the seven churches. In the book of Revelation, ‘stars’ symbolize angels (see also Rev. 1:20).

7.1.1. However, it is possible that the stars, whom Jesus tells us are actually the ‘angels’ of the churches, could refer to the pastors of those churches since ‘angel’ is a word that simply means “a messenger” of God. If this is the case, it is a very intriguing picture seeing the pastors of the churches in the very hand of Jesus, under His control.

7.2. In Heb. 4:12, God’s Word is described as a two-edged sword, “12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart”. Here in this verse, out of Christ’s mouth comes a ‘sharp two-edged sword’, as His Word cuts and divides and pierces “as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow”. It is a sharp, powerful, and effective tool to accomplish His will whenever it is unleashed. In Rev. 19, we see that out of Christ’s mouth when He returns riding the white horse in triumph at the end of the Tribulation that there comes out a sharp two-edged sword that slays the nations who have arisen to fight against Him: Revelation 19:15, “¹⁵ From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty…²¹And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.”

7.3. Christ has been raised from the dead in power and great glory, and thus John writes ‘His face was like the sun shining in its strength’. The power and glory of the ‘sun’ itself is what John uses to describe Christ’s face in this vision in which he sees.

8. VS 1:17-18 - “17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” - John tells us that when He saw Jesus resurrected and in His glory that he fell at His feet as if he were dead

8.1. John was so overcome by Christ’s power and glory as well as his own sinfulness and imperfection, that when he saw this vision of Christ, he writes that he ‘fell at His feet as a dead man’. John’s response to seeing the Lord is identical to the response that several of the people written about in the Bible had when they were suddenly brought into God’s presence.

8.2. John was scared to death by this vision of the Lord, therefore Jesus quickly lays John’s fears to rest as He places ‘His right hand upon’ him, and tells him not to be afraid.

8.3. Jesus then declares about Himself that He is ‘the first and the last’, which is again a reference to His being the “alpha and omega”, the beginning and the end, the creator God and the One in whom will be the consummation of all of the ages.

8.4. Christ then declares of Himself that He is ‘the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore’, which is a reference to His death on the cross and resurrection to life eternal.

8.5. Christ declares to John that He also has the, ‘keys of death and of Hades,’ which is a reference to His power and control of the material as well as the spiritual aspect of every person.

8.5.1. The material body is placed in the grave when a person dies, however the spirit of the person either goes to Hades to a place of torments awaiting the judgment of non-believers, or straight into Christ’s presence, in the case of believers.

8.5.2. Jesus is the One who makes the determinations concerning where a person’s spirit will go after death since He holds the keys.

8.5.2.1.Remember, Jesus is the One who shall give the command which shall cause the dead to be resurrected, for He said of Himself, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me shall live even if he dies.”

8.5.2.2.The dead in Christ shall be resurrected when the “rapture” of the church occurs, the non-believers will be resurrected to eternal judgment at the resurrection to the Great White Throne judgment mentioned in chapter 20 of the book of Revelation.

9. VS 1:19 - “19 “Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall take place after these things.” - Jesus tells John to write down the things the things which he has seen

9.1. For the second time, Christ commands John to write down the things that he has seen in this revelation which has been given to him.

9.2. Now in the latter portion of this verse, Jesus gives the key to understanding the book of Revelation. This is the outline for the book which if not understood will keep one from being able to properly interpret it. The three sections to the book of Revelation:

9.2.1. The things which John has seen.

9.2.1.1.This encompasses the vision of Jesus which John has seen and written down for us in chapter 1.

9.2.2. The things which are.

9.2.2.1.This encompasses the letters to the seven churches found in chapter 2-3, as well as the scene in heaven found in chapter 4.

9.2.3. The things which shall take place after these things.

9.2.3.1.This encompasses the rest of the book of Revelation from chapter 5 on.

9.2.3.2.We hold to a “futurist” interpretation of the book of Revelation and thus we see that everything from chapter 5 on is yet future of us here today.

10. VS 1:20 - “20 “As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” - Jesus explains to John what the seven stars and the seven golden lampstands symbolize

10.1. In this verse, Jesus interprets for John the meaning of each of the symbols which he saw in this initial vision:

10.1.1.Seven stars : angels of the seven churches.

10.1.1.1.As we discussed before, these could be actual angelic beings which guide and protect a church, or they could symbolize the pastors of the churches since this word for “messenger”, “angellos”, is sometimes used for either in the Bible.

10.1.2.Seven lampstands : the seven churches.

10.1.2.1.These are seven actual churches existing in John’s day, and we believe also seven representative churches whom Christ is addressing specifically in this book.

11. BACKGROUND INFO FOR STUDY OF LETTERS TO SEVEN CHURCHES:

11.1. Significance Of The Seven Churches In Revelation:

11.1.1.They are seven churches that existed in Asia minor in John’s day to whom are written verbatim letters from the Lord to address specific matters to each.

11.1.2.The churches are representative churches in that the church in every age can look at the warnings and exhortations given as being for their own edification

11.1.3.It appears that the churches may also represent seven different periods in the history of the church.

11.2. Courtesy of Tim Layhaye and His commentary, “Revelation Unveiled,” the following graphic chart reveals the various eras of church history that possibly are represented by each church (PLEASE BE PATIENT THE GRAPHIC BELOW MAY TAKE A COUPLE MINUTES TO LOAD):

11.3. This graphic courtesy also from Tim Layhaye and his Revelation commentary is a map showing where each of the churches were located in what is modern day Turkey (PLEASE BE PATIENT THE GRAPHIC BELOW MAY TAKE A COUPLE MINUTES TO LOAD):

11.4. Each of These Seven Letters Sent To The Seven Churches Is Comprised Of Seven Sections:

11.4.1.1.It is identical for all of the churches, “Unto the angel of the church at...”.

11.4.1.2.As I mentioned previously, the word ‘angel’ is the word “angelos” in the Greek which is translated as “messenger”. The word therefore can refer to literal non-human creatures commonly known as and called angels in the Bible, or it can refer to the “pastor” or “elder” at the respective church.

11.4.1.2.1.If an angelic creature is addressed, then the letter is meant to be protected and its delivery assured by the creature.

11.4.1.2.2.However, if the pastor or elder is addressed, then the letter is meant for delivery to the respective person in authority.

11.4.2.1.In each letter, Christ is identified in a unique sense, each of which is an attribute in the vision that John had of Christ. Each identification of Christ is also in direct relation to the exhortation which is to be delivered to the church.

11.4.2.1.1.The type of identification of Christ to the church then aids in the interpretation and application of the exhortation that is being given to the particular church.

11.4.3.1.This begins identically in each of the epistles: “I know thy works...”.

11.4.3.2.Christ who is omniscient and in their midst is aware of where each person is in their walk with the Lord.

11.4.3.2.1.In five of the seven letters there are exhortations and warnings given to individuals within the church; however, at Smyrna and Philadelphia there is no exhortation or warning given.

11.4.3.2.2.In the case of the letters which include commendations, those are given to the church in general rather than to individuals.

11.4.3.3.As an application, in light of the fact that Jesus sees all in us, then how do you think that you should be behaving yourself each day?

11.4.3.3.1.Are you different when no one is around than you are when you are with your Christian friends or in church?

11.4.3.3.2.Do you realize that it is the Lord who sees all, and one day you shall give account for all that you do to the Lord?

11.4.3.3.3.Your goal should be to be holy unto the Lord whether or not anyone is looking or not, for you shall give account for every thought that you have let yourself entertain, every idle word which you have spoken, and every deed performed even when no one is looking.

11.4.4.1.This is the actual core of the message. Sometimes it is critical, sometimes it is commendatory, all depending upon Christ’s knowledge of the church’s works. However, all are challenged in their service to the Lord.

11.4.5.2.In each case, His coming will terminate their present circumstance.

11.4.6.1.To each church it is written, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches”.

11.4.6.1.1.I’d like you right now to reach up and touch one of your ears. Do you then have the necessary equipment for listening and heeding these exhortations in the letters to the churches?

11.4.6.1.2.What a tragedy it is to become so hardened to the Lord that we can no longer hear Him when He is speaking to us, God help us to never turn off our hearing or harden our hearts to the Lord.

11.4.6.2.The Holy Spirit is the One whose function is to bring to application what is exhorted in admonition or encouragement for each of the churches.

11.4.6.3.The necessary apparatus required by each individual is simply one for hearing: he who has an ear.

11.4.6.3.1.Jesus often said this same thing when teaching, which challenged His hearers to listen and pay attention to what He was saying.

11.4.7.1.To each church is given a special promised blessing if they will take heed to the things that are being admonished and encouraged. For example, to one is written, “To him that overcometh...”

11.5. As I mentioned in my commentary on chapter 1 of this book, each of these churches literally existed at the time of the writing of the book of Revelation, and the book’s epistles dealt with literal situations occurring in each of the fellowships. In this sense, the letters were like Report Cards issued by the Lord to the churches to show them how well they were doing, commend their good efforts, and show where improvement is needed.

11.6. With the exception of Ephesus, the churches to which the epistles were addressed have remained unknown throughout history, however Sir William Ramsey first brought to light the fact that there is archeological evidence that proves that each of these churches actually existed.

11.6.1.There is also some evidence that some of the problems addressed in the letters were occurring at the time.

11.6.2.The church in Ephesus is the only church which the Bible mentions outside of these epistles.

11.7. There were actually hundreds of townships in the province of Asia Minor at the time of the writing of the book, so it is telling that only seven churches had epistles written to them. The fact that there are only seven churches which are addressed in the province, and, as I mentioned in my commentary on chapter 1 of this book the number seven in the book is used to indicate “perfection” or “completion”, is an indication that the seven letters are written to churches which are to be looked at as being “representative churches”. That is, within these seven epistles we have exhortations which can apply to every church.

11.8. Chuck Misler describes the letters to the seven churches as being like equal orthogonal vectors which are intersecting and pointing in different directions. Within most churches there are evidences of some of these representative churches.

11.9. These letters are then to be read by the church of every age and the exhortations and encouragements which are applicable need to be applied carefully, for these are special epistles given by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

12. VS 2:1 - “2:1 ”To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:” - Jesus tells John to write this next letter He will dictate to the church in Ephesus

12.1.1.Located in present day Turkey, Ephesus was the capital city of the province of Asia and the residence of John before his exile on the island of Patmos.

12.1.2.It was a city of about 300,000, a commercial center and had warehouses which lined the banks of the Cayster River.

12.1.4.It was the home of the temple of Diana, one of the 7 wonders of the world, which was 425 by 220 feet, with 126 pillars of marble 60 feet high (36 of which were overlaid with gold and jewels).

12.1.4.1.The city residents viewed themselves as guardians of the temple and statue of Diana (Acts 19:35), and eunuchs and slaves attended the temple.

12.2.1.Paul visited the city originally on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:18-19), and then returned there for a period of 2 years during the third (Acts 19).

12.2.2.Aquila, Priscilla, Apollos, Timothy, and the apostle John were some of the Ephesian church’s spiritual leaders.

12.2.3.It was at Ephesus where the church had the big burning of the occult books whose value was equal to the yearly wage of 138 people.

12.3. As I mentioned, Ephesus was the capital city of this province, being very large, and it had a huge and very active sea port. The apostle Paul spent more time in the city of Ephesus than at any other city mentioned in his missionary journeys in the book of Acts. Paul spent a tremendous amount of time with them seeing that the church became established with the best possible foundation in Christ, as is indicated when he addressed the elders from the church upon his leaving in Acts 20:25-31, “25 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will see my face no more. 26 “Therefore I testify to you this day, that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose [OR COUNSEL] of God. 28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. 29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears”.

12.3.1.Paul had preached to the Ephesian church, “the whole counsel of God” (as the American Standard translation reads), which indicates that he had taught all the way through God’s Word in order to build in them the best possible foundation for their Christian lives.

12.3.2.As we see from these verses in Acts, Paul also warned them about the fact that it was from WITHIN the church that they need to beware of wolves coming and devouring the sheep. This epistle to the Ephesians in the book of Revelation which was written some 35 years later than Paul’s epistle to the church and much later than the writing of the book of Acts indicates that the church had given heed to Paul’s exhortation to them in Acts 20 to turn out false apostles and teachers who would rise up and try to lead people astray from Christ. This is one of the commendations which Christ will give the church in this epistle to them.

12.4. The letter to the church in Ephesus contains the deepest well full of golden nuggets of truth than any of the other epistles in the New Testament. The Ephesian church in Paul’s time was well grounded in the faith, and was actually the local hub for missionary activity, and therefore Paul could write to them about the deeper things of the faith.

12.4.1.In contrast, Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians dealt with rebuke for enduring very immature Christian conduct, and in that book he writes that he was not able to lead them into deeper truth because they were babes in Christ and not able to receive anything deeper.

12.5. In this letter, Christ’s introduction of Himself as sender is rather innocuous, ‘The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands’. In this introduction, Christ primarily introduces Himself as the One who is in absolute authority by saying that He, ‘holds the seven stars in His right hand.’

12.6. The messenger to the church, be it the pastor or an angelic overseer, is under Christ’s sovereign rule, being seen there in His right hand. Likewise, Christ is the One who is also shown in this introduction to be ‘among the seven golden lampstands’, as He is walking in and among this church.

12.7. Perhaps the Holy Spirit’s fingerprint can be seen in the fact that the name “Ephesus” means “darling”, a term of endearment for a lover, and the letter to the Ephesians contains the exhortation to return to their “first love”.

12.8. Those who look at the seven churches as also representing seven historical ages of the church see the Ephesian church as symbolizing the church of the first century that existed during the lives of the twelve apostles, 30-100A.D..

13. VS 2:2-3 - “2 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot endure evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.” - Jesus tells the Ephesian church that He knows their deeds, toil, and perseverance

13.1. Christ lists seven good traits of this Ephesian church in these two verses. These are traits that are admirable in the Ephesian church and which many other churches lack:

13.1.1.1.The Ephesian church was one which did not just rely upon lofty words, but they had ‘deeds’ which backed up their words. They were “doers of the word.”

13.1.1.2.They showed their genuine faith by their works, and they had many good works for Christ.

13.1.2.2.The church was evidently of a fair size, which is seen by the city itself being large.

13.1.2.3.The church was a hub of missionary activity and thus Paul saw fit to spend a few years of his life seeing that the church be given a proper foundation (something which he did nowhere else).

13.1.2.4.I imagine that the church had a ministry occurring every night of the week, and that every facet of the church’s ministry was growing. They probably ministered to a wide variety of needs, with people busy in serving the Lord.

13.1.3.Christ says that He knows of their ‘perseverance’ in ministry for Him.

13.1.3.1.This He repeats also in these verses. Not only had they embarked on many ministries by faith and seen the Lord begin to move, but many had also persevered in ministry and gotten through many of the pitfalls and snares which the enemy might have placed in front of them to hinder their progress and effectiveness.

13.1.3.2.‘Perseverance’ is such a key ingredient in a Christian’s life as it really separates the spiritually mature and immature.

13.1.4.1.This is a good thing for a church to have in practice. Many times in churches it is allowed that people with evil motives and lifestyles are allowed to go unchecked and be involved in ministry. In many churches, a person’s credibility and witness is not even an issue to be considered. Some church leaders figure that eventually the Lord will deal with a person and bring change in their life, so it is allowed that they cause others to stumble and fall into sin as a result of the person. However, this is not at all what Christ wants for His church.

13.1.4.2.The scripture is clear that we in the church are not to put up with people who come in and lead people astray into heresy and sinful living:

13.1.4.2.1.Titus 2:10-11, “10 Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, 11 knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.”

13.1.4.2.2.Romans 16:17-18, “17 Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. 18 For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.”

13.1.4.2.3.1 Tim. 6:3-5, “3 If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain”.

13.1.4.3.It is from within the church that people will arise who will be destructive, not from without, and the Ephesian church had heeded Paul’s exhortations to them concerning ‘avoiding’ and turning away evil men who would come from within the church and cause trouble.

13.1.5.Christ says that He is aware that the church has ‘put to the test those who call themselves apostles.’

13.1.5.1.It is interesting that it was the apostle John Himself, who had once lived in Ephesus before being banished to the island of Patmos from where he is writing the letter to the Ephesians, who exhorted us in 1 John 4:1 to put the spirits to the test in the church, “4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

13.1.5.2.Behind every teacher there is an animas which is motivating and energizing him, which for those in doctrinal error is an evil spirit. Thus, John wrote that the church was to put every teacher who would arise to the test to see whether or not they are really from God.

13.1.5.3.When we as Christians listen to someone teaching the Bible or preaching from the Bible we should ask questions such as, “How does what this person is teaching match up with what the scripture says?” And, “What is the fruit in this person’s life that qualifies them to be an apostle and teacher for Christ?”

13.1.6.Christ says that He knows that they ‘have endured for My name’s sake.’

13.1.6.1.That is, the Ephesian church had suffered long for the cause of Christ in their lives and ministries. Suffering and hardship had not deterred the church from pursuing the course that the Lord had laid out for them.

13.1.7.Christ says that He knows that they ‘have not grown weary’ in ministry.

13.1.7.1.They had learned the secret of Isaiah 40:31, “31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary”.

13.1.7.2.The Ephesian church had waited upon the Lord for His strengthening and thus they had not ‘grown weary’ in their many labors in which they had ‘toiled’ and ‘endured’ For Christ.

14. VS 2:4 - “4 ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” - Jesus comments about the church and exhorts them because the Lord was no longer their first love

14.1. There was one thing that the Lord was concerned about with this church, and if this attitude were to go unchecked it would destroy all usefulness in the church forever. That is, they had left that sense of love for Christ that they once had as new Christians, they had left their ‘first love’.

14.2.1.1.This is the love that a man and wife have for each other when engaged and first married.

14.2.1.2.There is a freshness and a joy which makes life full in a way that it never has been before.

14.2.1.3.The Christian’s relationship to the Lord is a direct parallel to the relationship of a husband and wife. In fact, the scripture is very clear that the church is the virgin bride of Christ, and we will see later in the book of Revelation the marriage supper of the Lamb when He is finally united forever with His bride, the church.

14.2.2.Our love for God is actually the most important thing that we as Christians should concentrate upon, and thus the first and most preeminent of the commandments is to “love the Lord thy God with all of thy heart, strength, and might”.

14.3. The Ephesian church was a frenzy of activity for the Lord, however even though they were doing many things for the Lord, they didn’t have the personal devotion to the Lord that they should have had. They were not worshipping the Lord as they should, and they had forgotten why it was that they were doing the things they were doing for the Lord.

14.4. The Ephesian church was very much like Martha rather than Mary in the story which Luke:41-42 records. Martha was spending all of her time in preparation for a fancy dinner for their guest, Jesus, however Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to Him. Martha began to rebuke Mary, however Jesus had the following conversation with Martha, “41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.””

14.5. I have to say in studying the epistle to the church at Ephesus that I have come to be greatly disturbed by it. This is because on the outside this church at Ephesus looked, smelled, and felt like it was doing really well. I would probably want to attend it. However, it was a church that had compromised in an area that to many probably seemed very insignificant, yet it proved to be deadly. Likewise, I have for many years seen in my own heart and life the same tendency as had the church in Ephesus. It is so easy for a Christian to gradually lose that fire of love for the Lord that they had when they were first saved. It is so subtle when it happens that most don’t even realize that it has occurred. However, if the letter reveals that if the sin of losing one’s first love is not repented of, then eventually the Christian will compromise in his life in one area after other. As a result, we in the church in every age need to always take into account whether or not we are having that same love and devotion to Christ that we had when we were first saved.

14.6. The Ephesian church was one which should have spent more of its energy concentrating upon being usable to the Lord rather than being used by the Lord. They had the order wrong.

14.6.1.We Christians must never think to ourselves that because we are busy for the Lord, and about His business, that we are OK in our walk?

14.6.1.1.Busyness is never a substitute for devotion, ministries are never a substitute for prayer and personal quiet times with Christ.

14.6.1.2.Substantive and effectual ministries are never a substitute for faith, hope, and love in Christ.

14.6.2.We Christians must never allow ourselves to be like the Ephesians and have motives that are wrong, for the Ephesians had forgotten why they were doing things for the Lord.

14.6.3.We Christians must never allow our works for the Lord to be “half-hearted” as I’m sure that the Ephesian’s works had become.

14.6.4.Let’s pray that we regain the white-hot zeal for the Lord that we (and they) once had as new believers.

15. VS 2:5 - “5 ‘Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.” - Jesus admonishes the church to repent and to do the deeds that they did at first

15.2. It is always the case in the life of a Christian that when he has gotten away from the Lord or fallen into any sin, that he must go back in his mind to the point where he went astray so that he can repent of the sin that first led him away. Then, he must repent of every subsequent sin that he has committed once he left the path. A partial or half-hearted repentance is not going to bring back fellowship with he Lord.

15.3. In order to get back into fellowship with the Lord, a Christian must repent of all his sins and he must turn over complete control of his life to the Lord. He must at least repent of every sin that he is conscious of, and for those sins which he may not be conscious of, he should do as David and ask for forgiveness for any secret sins he may have committed, for which he is not presently conscious.

15.4. Christ then gives the promise (rather threat) that He will come for the purpose of judgment, ‘else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent’. Each of the churches had a lampstand in the vision that John first had, and for the church in Ephesus Jesus gives the warning that He is going to come and when He comes He will remove the church’s ‘lampstand’, that is , if they will not repent of the sin of losing their first love.

15.4.1.Today, if one visits the city of Ephesus in Turkey, all that remains is a rubble heap. The church did not heed this exhortation and warning from Christ, and thus it was judged and removed from before His presence. It no longer could be a light-bearer, for it no longer was in love with its bridegroom Jesus.

16. VS 2:6 - “6 ‘Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.” - Jesus commends the Ephesians because they hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans

16.1. In this verse, Jesus commends the Ephesians for one more thing, they ‘hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans’ which He also hates. There is one problem with interpretation here and that is defining who the Nicolaitans were and what their deeds consisted of?

16.2. The letter to the church in Pergamum, Rev. 2:15, reveals that in that city there were those in the church who held to the teaching of the ‘Nicolaitans’, but not so here in Ephesus, they hated their deeds.

16.3. Note that the Ephesians didn’t hate the people, they hated their deeds. This shows spiritual maturity on their part, for this is the way the Lord reacts towards those in sin.

16.4.1.Some have taught that this group taught licentiousness, that Christians did not need to worry about how they lived since they were saved by grace.

16.4.2.It is also possible that the group is named after some individual named Nicholas.

16.4.3.There is a theory however that the name of Nicolaitans reveals something about their practices. The name means “hold over laity” or “rule over laity”, which could indicate a separation between the laity and those in ministry. If this is the case, then perhaps this group had begun to leave the example of servant leadership which Christ exemplified and the leaders began to practice lording it over those who were merely laity. They could then have thought of the ministry as being for their benefit instead of seeing themselves as servants of the people.

16.4.3.1.Perhaps then the Nicolaitans was the first denomination that was created, and a small group of men were then attempting to set up rules and regulations that all of the churches had to follow.

16.4.3.2.You may ask why this could be a problem? If a small group of men themselves fell away from the Lord they could then by the existence of their organization cause the entire denomination to fall away.

16.4.3.2.1.This is the real problem with the existence denominations as such, is it not?

17. VS 2:7 - “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.’” – Jesus gives a promise to the church in Ephesus

17.1. The exhortation to heed in this letter begins the same as in all of the letters, ‘he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’.

17.2. This exhortation to heed reveals something about the purpose of the letters. I mentioned in my commentary on chapter 1 that each of the letters has been written for all churches of all time to pay attention to and heed, and this exhortation to heed is given to all Christians, and it is intended that every Christian hear what is sent to all of the ‘churches’ (plural), not to the particular church in which they belong.

17.2.1.This is internal evidence of the fact then that the letters to the churches in Revelation are letters to representative churches for which all Christians for all time are to pay particular attention.

17.3. Christ gives the promised blessing in the latter part of this verse ‘to him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God’.

17.3.1.The ‘tree of life’ corresponds to eternal life itself. When Adam and Eve were kicked out of the garden of Eden, angels were commissioned to guard the way to the ‘tree of life’ so that no one could eat of the tree and live forever.

17.3.2.When Christ returns, all of His people will be able to eat of the ‘tree of life’ in Paradise, as is revealed in Rev. 22:14,2, “14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. 2 ...in the middle of its street. And on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”