Revelation 2:1 “Write A Letter to The Leader of The Church at Ephesus and Tell Him This: “I Write to Inform You of a Message from Him Who Walks Among the Churches and Holds Their Leaders in His Right Hand.”[1]

YOUR CHURCH CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

Does God care about your church? If you are tempted to doubt it, look more closely at these seven letters. The Lord of the universe knew each church and its precise situation. Jesus told John to write about specific people, places, and events. He praised believers for their successes and told them how to correct their failures. Just as Jesus cared for each of these churches, he cares for yours. He wants it to reach its greatest potential. The group of believers with whom you worship and serve is God’s vehicle for changing the world. Take it seriously—God does.[2]

Chapter 2 B.        The Message to Ephesus: The Church That Is Orthodox (Doctrinally Correct) but Without Love, 2:1–7
1.   There Are the Recipients of This Letter (v.1). 2.   There Is the Speaker, Jesus Christ Himself (v.1).
1.   The recipients’ a.   The messenger of the church b.   The Ephesian churchhDS1 2.   The speaker: Jesus	1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
3.   The commendation a.   For works & labor b.   For steadfastness c.   For not tolerating evil people d.   For testing & rejecting false apostles	2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
e.   For persevering & not growing weary	3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4.   The complaint: They had left their first love—love for Christ & for the people	4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5.   The counsel: Remember & repent—return to your first works & former service 6.   The warning a.   Your church, the lampstand, will be removed	5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
b.   Your doctrinal purity is not enough	6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
7.   The promise: To the overcomers a.   The tree of life b.   Paradise	7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Revelation 2

This and the next chapter of Revelation are composed entirely of the letters (or messages) to the seven churches mentioned in the previous chapter. These letters are “the things which are” (Revelation 1:19), which is the second of three main divisions of the book of Revelation. Revelation 2 can be divided into four main parts as follows:

A.  The Declining Church (Revelation2:1–7)

B.  The Dependable Church (Revelation 2:8–11)

C.  The Defiled Church (Revelation 2:12–17)

D.  The Defiant Church (Revelation 2:18–29) 

A. THE DECLINING CHURCH

Revelation 2:1–7

The church of Ephesus is the first church addressed. It was a declining church because they had “left thy first love” (Revelation 2:4). Leaving one’s first love is a mark of decline and will cause further decline in the spiritual health of the church. 

1. The Church (Revelation 2:1)

“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus” (Revelation 2:1). As with each of the seven churches, two entities are addressed here in this letter to the church in Ephesus.

• The angel. “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus.” We noted in the previous chapter that some believe the “angel” represents the pastor. With the “angel” being addressed in each of the seven letters, it certainly makes sense to see the “angel” as representing the pastor. Who else in the church would be so appropriate and prominent to address with the letter?

• The assembly. “The church of Ephesus.” Of the seven churches, this is the most famous. It has a history recorded in the book of Acts which none of the other churches do. Ephesus was where Apollos was corrected and instructed by Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:24–28). It was where Paul ministered for two years (Acts 19:10). Also, it was where the great anti-Gospel riot occurred which was inspired by the silversmiths who made much money making and selling religious mementos related to the great Temple of the idol Diana (Acts 19:24–41) which was located in Ephesus and was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. 

2. The Christ (Revelation 2:1)

“These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks” (Revelation 2:1). In each of the letters, the letter’s author, Jesus Christ, will be described differently, but each description will be a repeat of some of what was said in Revelation 1 of Christ or a statement that is closely related to how Christ was described in Revelation 1. The description of Christ in this letter to Ephesus is comparable to Revelation 1:13 and 16. It shows Christ’s close relationship with the church.^[3] 

 

B.        The Message to Ephesus: The Church That Is Orthodox (Doctrinally Correct) but Without Love, 2:1–7

(2:1–7) Introduction: This Passage Begins the Great Message of Christ to The Seven Churches of Asia. But note a significant point: verse one says that Jesus Christ is addressing the church at Ephesus, but He is in the midst of all the churches. This means a most wonderful thing: Revelation is for all the Lord’s servants and followers. He gave Revelation so that all believers could know the things that are to take place in the end time. But note: if Jesus Christ was making the Revelation to all of His servants, why is the letter addressed to only seven churches in Asia? Why was it not addressed to all the churches down through the centuries? The following chart clearly shows what we are asking: 

Revelation was addressed to these churches in Asia	Revelation was not addressed to these churches in Asia
⇒   Ephesus	⇒   Troas (Ac. 20:5; 2 Co. 2:12)
⇒   Smyrna	⇒   Miletus (Ac. 20:17)
⇒   Pergamos	⇒   Colosse (Col. 1:2)
⇒   Thyatira	⇒   Hierapolis (Col. 4:13)
⇒   Sardis
⇒   Philadelphia
⇒   Laodicea

 Church history even tells us that there were other churches in Asia beyond these eleven. John certainly knew of them all. Why then address the Revelation to only seven of the churches? There has to be a reason, for Jesus Christ was giving the Revelation so that all of His servants would know about the events of the end time (v.1). What is the reason? Note that John does not say. He does not even give a hint. But two things tell us. 

⇒   Thinking about the matter leads to one clear conclusion. The seven churches must be representative of other churches. The characteristics that are found in these churches must be the same kind of characteristics that are found in other churches. Each of these churches must represent a certain type or kind of church. In speaking to the seven churches, Jesus Christ expects every church to identify itself and to heed the exhortation given to each. He wants all followers to heed the truths of Revelation; therefore, He has selected seven churches that are representative of all churches.

⇒   The characteristics of the churches clearly show that the churches are representative of other churches. The conditions that existed in each of the seven churches differed, and as we study the different types of churches in society and throughout history, we clearly see that there are seven types of churches. Therefore, in addressing the seven churches, Jesus Christ was addressing all the churches of the earth. Each church, no matter its condition, can discover what kind of church it is by honestly taking inventory of its major traits and checking those traits against these seven churches. This is clearly seen as we study the messages to the churches. 

The point is this: the messages to the seven churches were given for personal application. Jesus Christ expects us—all churches and all believers—to apply the messages to our own situation. Jesus Christ expects us to search our hearts and to heed the messages given to these churches. The first message is to Ephesus, an orthodox church, a church that was faithful to Christ and to the Word of God, but it was a church without love.

1.   The Recipients (v.1).

2.   The Speaker: Jesus (v.1).

3.   The commendation (vv.2–3).

4.   The complaint: they had left their first love—love for Christ and for the people (v.4).

5.   The counsel: remember and repent—return to your first works and former service (v.5).

6.   The warning (vv.5–6).

7.   The promise: to the overcomers (v.7). 

1 (2:1) Church—Minister: There Are the Recipients of This Letter. The letter is addressed to the minister of the church as well as to the church. This is striking, for it means that the Lord holds the minister responsible for the church and its welfare. Christ expects the minister to study and heed the message himself and to lead the believers to heed the message. 

 

DEEPER STUDY # 1

(2:1) Ephesus: at its height, Ephesus was the most important city along the coast of Asia Minor. Two hundred and thirty cities dotted the coastline of Asia Minor. Many had ideal harbors, but Ephesus was the queen among these coastal communities. The city had been founded to command one of the main highways of Asia Minor. Its attraction was not only its natural harbor, but the rich, fertile land that covered the inland area. Ephesus was, of course, a great commercial city. Its natural harbor and strategic location on one of the main roads of the world made it such. However, in the middle of the first century, the harbor had silted up so badly that trade had declined dramatically from the days of Ephesian glory. There had been attempts to drag the silt out, but the efforts were half-hearted and finally abandoned. The people’s hearts were just not in the effort. Part of the reason for this attitude was the successful and profitable trade Ephesus enjoyed from its religious cult. The great temple of Diana, or Artemis, was there. Diana was the goddess who had a grotesque head and many breasts and focused upon the sensual pleasure of the flesh. The worshipping pilgrims found their satisfaction in prostitution with a host of priestesses who plied the cult of the goddess. A great trade of silversmiths had developed over the years, and tourist commercialism boomed year-round. This accounts for the guild of silversmiths finding the crowds an easy mark for arousing opposition against Paul (Ac. 19:24). As the years went by, the great harbor silted up more and more, and the Ephesians depended more and more upon the trade that came from their religion and superstition. The natural harbor of Smyrna, which lay close by, became a more suitable port and began to take away more and more of the commercial traffic of Ephesus. As a result, Ephesus became a dying city, living on its past reputation as a religious and philosophical center. The great city of Ephesus had a disease, the disease of sensual unrighteousness, and the disease did its work: it corrupted the people. The people, sensual and self-centered, lost their will and willingness to ply a commendable trade. Thus, the disease of Ephesus proved mortal. The “lampstand” of Ephesus crumbled, and the light of Ephesus died out (see Re. 2:1–7, esp. 5). The church in Ephesus had a small beginning. When Paul visited Ephesus, he found only twelve believers in the city. They had been won to the Lord by the immature but impressive preacher Apollos. As a result, they had been misinformed about the presence of the Holy Spirit; they seemed to lack a consciousness of the Spirit in the life of the believer and the awareness that He had already been sent into the world (Ac. 19:1–7). After Paul’s instruction to these twelve, he began to teach in the synagogue. He taught for three months. But the Jews were hardened and refused to believe. They murmured against the message. Therefore, Paul moved the church into the school of a philosopher, Tyrannus. There he preached Christ for two whole years. During this time, it is said that the church was instrumental in sounding forth the Word throughout all of Asia: “So all they which dwelt in Asia heard the Word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews, and Greeks (Ac. 19:10). The Lord worked special miracles by Paul in Ephesus and the church witnessed some amazing things. From all evidence, the spectacular was necessary in order to get through to the people. As always, God did everything He could to reach a people. These experiences show the great love and movement of God toward man (see Ac. 19:11–20). In viewing these accounts, we must keep the background of the city in mind. Ephesus was a hotbed of Oriental magic and superstition. The people were an emotional and sensual lot, easily moved by feelings. They were devoted people, expressive people, loving people, and equally lovable people (Re. 2:1–7, esp. 4). As Paul preached and God worked miracles, many believed, and the church grew mightily. The believers gave a great evidence of changed lives by living for Christ right in the middle of an immoral and pagan society. On one occasion, the church demonstrated its newfound faith by building a great bonfire and setting aflame all of its pagan and magical literature.

 

2 (2:1) Jesus Christ—Church: There Is the Speaker, Jesus Christ Himself. Note two significant facts.

1. Jesus Christ is the One who holds the ministers of the churches in His hands. This means that the minister …

•     is chosen and picked out of the world by the hand of Christ

•     is nourished and nurtured by the hand of Christ

•     is placed where he is by the hand of Christ

•     is cared for, secured, and protected by the hand of Christ

•     is given a very special closeness to Christ by being held in His hand

•     is expected to be an instrument in the hand of Christ

•     is responsible to the hand of Christ

•     is to be held accountable by the hand of Christ

2. Jesus Christ is the One who walks in the midst of the churches or the golden candlesticks. This means …

•     that Christ is present in the very midst of the church

•     that Christ sees and knows all about the church

•     that Christ is present to teach and grow the church

•     that Christ is present to provide and protect the church

•     that Christ is present to guide and direct the church

•     that Christ is present as the Light of the world to give light to the church

Note also that Christ is in the midst of all the churches. He has no favorites; He shows no partiality whatsoever. There are no denominations and no barriers with Christ. If a body of believers truly follows Christ, He is in their midst, right there with them.^[4] 

Revelation 2 

In a sense, the letters to the seven churches are like form letters. Each letter is formulated with seven elements:

1.   They all begin by stating the addressee— “To the angel of the church in …”

2.   The speaker, Christ, is mentioned— “These are the words of him who …”

3.   Christ’s knowledge about each church is noted.

4.   Christ’s evaluation of each church’s condition is declared.

5.   Christ’s command to the congregation is noted.

6.   Christ’s call is given: “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen.”

7.   Finally, Christ’s promise is given: “To the victorious, I will give.”

Two letters have no commendation; two letters have no rebukes.

The letters comprise a literary unit tied to the vision of Christ in chapter 1, for each letter includes a distinct portion from the description of Christ. For example, in one letter Christ is described as the one who is the First and the Last (2:8), and in another, he is described as the one who has the sharp two-edged sword (2:12).

“Classical dispensationalism” contends that these letters picture different periods in the history of the church and do not refer to actual churches. Dispensationalism understands these letters to describe seven “ages” of the church. Scholars acknowledge that these seven churches existed in John’s time; the messages to the churches, however, apply to the church through the ages. Each letter calls believers to listen to what the Spirit says to the “churches” (plural). The commendations and rebukes recorded in each letter were to be applied by each of the churches (see 2:7, 11, 17, 23, 29) as well as by churches today. Although each letter describes an actual situation in an individual church, the letters serve as warnings to all churches through the ages.

A chart at the end of chapter 3 summarizes the letters to these seven churches. 

 

CHAIN LETTER

Christians reading these opening chapters of Revelation invariably ask, “Which church is ours like?” Actually, a particular church may share positive and negative traits with several of the Asian churches. This is probably why Jesus had John write one letter to seven churches. They all got to read each other’s mail. What a neighboring church was struggling with today, they might face tomorrow. Taken together, the letters give us a good picture of what Jesus expects from his church—faithful gatherings made up of believers who overcome. Jesus still expects us to overcome, and he promises his help along the way. Rather than trying to decide which church yours resembles, focus on faithful obedience to Christ.

 THE LOVELESS CHURCH / 2:1–7

The first letter is addressed to the church in Ephesus—the crossroads of civilization—considered to be a city of great political importance. Aquila, Priscilla, and Paul had planted the church in Ephesus (see Acts 19); Timothy had ministered there (1 Timothy 1:3); John, the writer of this letter, was closely associated with the church. The carrier of this letter to the churches would have landed at the port of Ephesus and begun his journey by visiting the church there.

The basic problem with the church in Ephesus is that even though church members had stood fast against evil and false teaching, they had left their “first love”—their basic love for Christ and for one another. 

THE SEVEN CHURCHES

The seven churches were located on a major Roman road. A letter carrier would leave the island of Patmos (where John was exiled), arriving first at Ephesus. He would travel north to Smyrna and Pergamum, turn southeast to Thyatira, and continue on to Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea—in the exact order in which the letters were dictated.

 

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.” ^{2:1 NIV} Ephesus was a center of land and sea trade, for three major land-trade routes converged in the city, and a large port sat on its coast on the Aegean Sea. Along with Alexandria in Egypt and Antioch in Syria, Ephesus was one of the three most influential cities in the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Ephesus had been accorded an advantage given to a few cities in the Empire—it was a “free” city, meaning that it enjoyed a certain amount of self-rule. The city boasted a huge stadium, marketplace, and theater. The theater, built on the slope of a mountain that overlooked the harbor, seated twenty-five thousand people.

The temple to Artemis (the Roman name is Diana), one of the ancient wonders of the world, was located in Ephesus. According to Pliny, the temple was 425 feet long, 220 feet wide, and 60 feet high. There were 127 marble pillars, some of them overlaid with gold and jewels. The temple employed thousands of priests and priestesses; many of the priestesses were temple prostitutes, for Artemis was the goddess of fertility. A major industry was the manufacture of images of this goddess (see Acts 19:21–41). This city also was proud of its temples to the emperors—a growing cult called the “imperial cult,” viewed the ruling Caesar as a god, so the city had built temples to the succession of ruling Caesars. In short, Ephesus was a city known for its idolatry.

Paul had ministered in Ephesus for three years and had warned the Ephesian believers that false teachers would come and try to draw people away from the faith (see Acts 20:29–31). False teachers did indeed cause problems in the Ephesian church, but the church resisted them, as we can see from Paul’s letters to Timothy, who stayed in Ephesus when Paul left for Macedonia. John spent much of his ministry in this city and knew that these believers had resisted false teaching (2:2).

Although John was writing, the words are clearly from Christ, the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands (1:13, 16). Christ controls the churches. Christ is described differently in every letter, mainly because each description is tied to the problems of the specific church. Ephesus, the mother church of all the other churches, was filled with pride. That Christ held these churches in his hand shows that he was in control over the churches. Ephesus had become a large, proud church, and Christ’s message would remind them that he alone is the head of the body of believers. 

In each of the seven letters, Jesus Christ passes moral judgment upon the church concerned. To the church in Smyrna, He gives unmixed praise, but to the church in Laodicea, He expresses unrelieved condemnation. The Philadelphian church is more praised than blamed and the church in Sardis is more blamed than praised, while in the letters to Pergamum and Thyatira and this first one to Ephesus, approval, and disapproval are fairly evenly balanced.

John Stott

  

YOUR CHURCH CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

Does God care about your church? If you are tempted to doubt it, look more closely at these seven letters. The Lord of the universe knew each church and its precise situation. Jesus told John to write about specific people, places, and events. He praised believers for their successes and told them how to correct their failures. Just as Jesus cared for each of these churches, he cares for yours. He wants it to reach its greatest potential. The group of believers with whom you worship and serve is God’s vehicle for changing the world. Take it seriously—God does. [5]

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Revelation 2:1 “Write A Letter to The Leader of The Church at Ephesus and Tell Him This:  “I Write to Inform You of a Message from Him Who Walks Among the Churches  and Holds Their Leaders in His Right Hand.”[1]

^[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible, Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

^[2] Barton, Bruce B. 2000. Revelation. Edited by Grant R. Osborne. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.

^DS Deeper Study

^[3] Butler, John G. 2010. Analytical Bible Expositor: Revelation. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications.

^[4] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 1996. Revelation. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

^NIV Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version^®. NIV^®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

^[5] Barton, Bruce B. 2000. Revelation. Edited by Grant R. Osborne. Life Application Bible Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.