Synopsis: The messenger of the assembly at Ephesus is
commended for rejecting false apostles but chastised for losing his “first
love" - Revelation 2:1-7.
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Delphi, Greece |
The first three letters to the churches
of Asia form a distinct literary unit. This is indicated by the order of the concluding
exhortation and the promise at the end of each
message to the one who “overcomes” (i.e., the letters to Ephesus,
Smyrna, Pergamum). Each letter ends with the exhortation - “Hear what the
Spirit is saying to the churches,” which is followed by a promise to the “one
who overcomes.” This sequence is reversed in the final four letters addressed
to Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
Although each letter is
addressed to the “messenger” of its church, the exhortation to heat what the
Spirit is saying “to the churches” demonstrates the contents of the letters are
intended for the entire church. The promises made to believers who “overcome”
find their fulfillment in the vision of New Jerusalem at the end of the book.
Ephesus was the largest city in the province of Asia, its chief seaport, and the commercial center of the region. Most of the major roads and trade routes across Asia Minor began in Ephesus. Its most
prominent feature was the Temple of Artemis or Diana, one of the so-called “Seven Wonders” of the
ancient world.
The city was designated the “temple
warden of Asia” (Neokoros),
that is, a provincial center for the imperial cult of the Emperor. It featured temples
dedicated to the emperor and Roma, the patron goddess of Rome (dea Roma).
Emperor Domitian had designated the city as “guardian” of the imperial cult for the entire province.
The Apostle Paul established
the first church at Ephesus around A.D. 52. For a time, it was his base of
operations for evangelizing the surrounding region. From it, “all they who
dwell in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 18:19-21, 19:1-10).
(Revelation
2:1-7)
“Unto the
messenger of the assembly 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
lamps of gold:
I
know thy works, and thy labor, and
endurance, and that thou canst not bear bad men, and thou hast tried them who
were affirming themselves to be apostles,
and they were not, and hast found them false; and thou hast
endurance and hast borne for the sake of my name, and
hast not grown weary.
Nevertheless,
I have against thee that, thy first love,
thou hast left. Remember, therefore,
whence thou hast fallen, and repent,
and do thy first works;
otherwise, I come unto thee,
and will remove thy lamp out of its place, except thou repent.
But
this thou hast,
that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitanes, which I
also hate.
He that hath an ear,
let him hear what the Spirit
is saying unto the assemblies.
Unto him that overcometh—I will give
unto him to eat of the tree of life,
which is in the paradise of God.” - (From the Emphasized Bible).
John was commanded to “write”
to the “messenger” of the church. Everything that occurred within and
about it was open before the eyes of the Risen Christ. He possessed the seven
stars, walked among the seven golden lampstands, and, thereby, cared for and tended
to the needs of his people.
Previously, Revelation described
a priestly figure, “having” the “seven stars” in his right hand, which
represented the “seven messengers” of the churches. A different and
stronger verb is used in this clause – krateô, or, “grasp” (Strong’s #G2902). That is, Jesus is
grasping the “stars” or “messengers” tightly in his
hand (Revelation 1:16).
In the first chapter, John saw
this priestly figure “in the midst of the lampstands.” Now, Jesus
describes himself as “walking among” them. The Greek verb is a progressive
present; this is an ongoing activity of Jesus. The picture
is drawn from the regulations for the Day of Atonement and the activity of the
high priest during the ritual. Before ministering, he put on “a holy tunic of linen and drawers of linen, and with a band of linen.” Likewise, John saw the figure “like
a son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the
breasts with a golden girdle.” The high priest
moved about the Sanctuary applying sacrificial blood to the Holy Place and,
otherwise, performing his priestly functions. Thus, Jesus is the “high
priest” of his people ministering on their behalf in the “Sanctuary” (Leviticus 16:1-18, Revelation 1:12-20).
Jesus praised the “messenger”
of the assembly for his “works.” This is not simply an acknowledgment
that he sees the man’s present efforts and hard labor. “Works” points to
the Lamb as the Judge who will hold all men accountable. At the Great White
Throne of Judgment, the “dead” are judged, according to their
works. When Jesus returns, he will “render to each man according
to his works” (Revelation 20:12-13, 22:12).
“Works, Labor, Endurance.”
All three nouns occur together one more time in the fourteenth chapter of Revelation
in a promise made to overcoming “saints.” Note, also, the similar use in
Chapter 13. Above all in the book, “endurance” is about persevering for
the Lamb when suffering for his sake:
(Revelation 14:12-13) – “Here is the endurance
of the saints, they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
And I heard the voice from heaven saying, Write, Blessed are the dead who die
in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest
from their labors; for their works follow with them.”
(Revelation 13:10) – “If any man is for
captivity, into captivity he goeth: if any man is to be killed with the sword,
with the sword he must be killed. Here is the patience and the faith of
the saints.”
“Endurance.” This
translates the Greek noun hupomoné (Strong’s #G5281), a prominent theme in the book
of Revelation. Previously, John described himself as a “brother
and fellow-participant
with you in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in Jesus”
(Revelation 1:9).
The “messenger” is
commended because he “tried and exposed them who affirm themselves apostles
but are liars.” The text does not identify the false apostles
or their teachings. In Verse 6, Jesus commends the “messenger” for
hating the teachings of the ‘Nicolaitans.’ The context may infer the
“false apostles” were leaders of that group, although the passage does not make
a direct connection between them.
“Liar” translates
the Greek noun pseudés with the basic sense, “false” (Strong’s #G5571). This is the same stem
prefixed to the term “false prophet” and a
connection may be intended (pseudo-prophetés).
Just as the “Great Harlot” persecuted the “holy prophets and apostles,”
so the “Dragon” promotes his counterfeit prophets and apostles,
including the “false prophet,” the “Beast from the earth” (Revelation
13:11-15, 16:13, 19:20, 20:10).
The
function of the “false prophet” is to deceive or force men and women,
the “inhabitants of the earth,” to render homage to the Beast from the
sea and take its “mark.” He does this by performing “great signs” and
applying economic pressure on all who refuse to submit. If there is a
connection between the false “apostles” and the “false prophet,”
it provides a hint at what these false “apostles” were doing –
encouraging members of their congregation to compromise with the surrounding
pagan culture, including its political and religious demands.
Elsewhere in Revelation,
“apostles” refers to a group of servants of the Lamb persecuted by “Babylon.”
The one other mention of “liars” is to a class of men to be cast into
the “Lake of Fire” at the Judgment. That fate will certainly befall
these “apostles,” assuming they persist in their “false” activities
(Revelation 18:20, 21:8).
The “messenger” left his “first love.” The object of this “love” is not specified, whether
God, things, or other human beings. Since a key theme of the book is the call to
faithful perseverance, possibly, the congregation lost its
determination to persevere in a hostile environment.
The “messenger” is
faulted also for not continuing to perform his “first works,” and
suggests the significance of his lost “first love”; he has lost or is
losing his zeal for the “first works” – his “labor,” “endurance,” and
exposure of false apostles. If he does not “repent and do the
first works,” Jesus will remove his “lampstand.” That the “messenger”
is held accountable for his failings suggest further he is human and not an
angelic being.
He is commended for his “hatred”
of the Nicolaitans. The teachings of that group are not described. ‘Nicolaitan’ is a compound of the Greek
nouns niké (“victory”) and laos (“people”). It may denote
“victory people,” “victory over people,” or, “he who conquers people.” The
latter sense is likely considering the later descriptions of the “Beast”
that “conquered” or “overcame” the saints (nikaō). Furthermore,
the Beast had authority over “people” or laos (Revelation 13:7-10).
“He that has an ear, hear
what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” Similar exhortations are found elsewhere
in Scripture. The phrase is repeated at or near the end of each of the seven
letters. The reference to the “churches” extends the application of each
letter’s exhortations and promises to all seven congregations in Asia (Revelation
2:11, 2:17, 2:29, 3:6, 3:13, 3:22, 13:9).
The letter concludes with a promise
- “To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life in the
paradise of God.” This alludes to the “tree of life” from the Garden
of Eden, and the clause is from one or more passages in the book of Genesis:
(Genesis 2:9) – “And
Yahweh God, caused to spring up, out of the ground, every tree pleasant to the
sight and good for food,—and the tree of life, in the midst of the garden,
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
(Genesis 3:14-19) – “And to
the man he said, Because thou didst hearken to the voice of thy wife, and so
didst eat of the tree as to which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat
of it, Accursed be the ground for thy sake, In pain shalt thou
eat of it all the days of thy life.”
(Genesis 3:22-24) – “Then said
Yahweh God—Lo! man hath become like one of us, in respect of knowing good and
evil,—Now, therefore, lest he thrust forth his hand, and take even of the
tree of life, and eat, and live to times age-abiding,—So Yahweh God put
him forth from the garden of Eden,—to till the ground wherefrom he had been
taken.”
In Verse 7, “tree”
translates the Greek noun xulon (Strong’s #G3586). The common noun for a living
“tree” was dendron. Xulon referred to deadwood
from felled trees. Several times in the New Testament it refers to the “tree”
on which Jesus was “hanged.”
This scriptural background
points to the death of Jesus on the Cross as the symbolic significance of the “tree
of life” promised in the letter to Ephesus (Compare, Matthew 26:47,
26:55, Acts 5:30, 16:24, Galatians 3:13, 1 Peter 2:24).
The “tree of life”
also links this exhortation to the city of New Jerusalem in which the tree was found.
Access to what Adam lost is restored in the New Creation, and the original “curse” is reversed:
(Revelation 22:1-3) – “And he
pointed out to me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, issuing forth
out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the midst of the broadway
thereof. And, on this side of the river and on that, was a tree of life, bearing twelve
crops of fruit every several month, yielding its fruit; and the leaves of the
tree were for the healing of the nations, And no curse shall there be any
more; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein,—and his servants
will render divine service unto him.”
(Revelation 22:14) –
“Happy, they who are washing their robes, that
their right may be unto the tree
of life and, by the gates, they may enter into the city.”
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