REVELATION SIMPLIFIED

 

 CHAPTER 2.2

Gleanings from the Book of Revelation:

A Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series

 

The

REVELATION TO JOHN

(The Apocalypse)

 

LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES

 

CHAPTER 2

 

 

Outline

1. The Addressee – To whom the letter is addressed (2:1)

2. The Address – To where the letter is addressed (2:1)

3. The Addresser – From whom the letter is addressed (2;1)

4. The Approval – The acclamation of good qualities (2:2-3)

5. The Accusation – The presentation of bad qualities (2:4)

6. The Appeal – The application to change (2:5-6)

7. The Advice – The recommendation to change (2:7)

 

 

1. The Addresser – From whom the letter is addressed

(Verse 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.

 

Ephesus

Despite the enveloping heathenistic society, at the time of this letter, the Ephesian Christians were hearing the Word of God, and salvation through Jesus Christ firsthand from His disciples. Their preaching and teaching so affected the worship:

1. A revival took place

2. The congregation began to grow

3. The church folk began to love and live for Jesus

4. The people renounced their old lifestyle

5. The believers threw away their idols, amulets, and charms

6. They burned their occultic books (cf. Acts 19)

7. They turned the economy of Ephesus into chaos

 

 

(Verse 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.

 

4. The Approval – The acclamation of good qualities:

At the beginning of all seven letters, the risen Lord will commend and offer positive feedback to each assembly for their good qualities. Observe:

1.   I know your works

2. I know your labor

3.  I know your patience

4.  I know your intolerance for evil

5.  I know your spiritual discernment

6.  I know your perseverance and love for My name’s sake

7.  I know your hatred of Nicolaitan deeds

 

I know thy works

1.  Their works – (Greek, ergon – toiling service).

The assembly at Ephesus had an exceptional zeal for the Word. They toiled mentally, emotionally, and physically. They were also earnest, fundamental, and orthodox, separated from the world, spirit-filled, and cheerfully expressed themselves in brotherly love.

 

And thy labour

2.  Their labor – (Greek, kopos – labor to the point of weariness [by implication]).

The Ephesian church was experiencing a honeymoon period with Jesus. Their devotion to the Lord is likened to a young male who loves his new bride, such as this church espoused to Christ. He was their first love. However, a labor of love for Jesus Christ needs to be sustained throughout one’s life. Characteristic of these Christian converts:

1. They worked and practiced their faith

2. They set aside time for worship

3. They praised Him in song

4. They heard and acted upon the Word

5. They held Bible studies

6. They prayed together

7. They evangelized

 

All the above elements made this church a dynamo in the community, a light in a dark world. Therefore, if Jesus is first in our lives, others will see the love of Him in us.   

Jeremiah 2:2 - The LORD says: "I remember how eager you were to please Me as a young bride long ago, how you loved Me and followed Me even through the barren wilderness.” (NLT)

Ponder: If our forgiveness was through Him, then our future hope is in Him. Even though there may be times when we wander from Him, the most comforting thought is He will ne’er wander from us.

 

And thy patience

3.  Their patience – (Greek, hupomonē – steadfast endurance).

Often it is easy to give in to temptations of worldliness and stop serving Christ. There is a certain amount of suffering that transpires in doing so. Simply giving up old habits or addictions takes a toll on your commitment to Christ. We are not the first. Temptation started with Eve in the Garden. Jesus desires us to hang in there. The eternal rewards are far greater than what is temporal.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 -There is nothing new under the sun. (NIV)

Many of our cities enjoy the equivalency and diversity of the Ephesian culture of paganism. It is quite easy to backslide and be lured into worldliness. We are under continuous attack by the enemy, especially through social and multi-media. Despite outside influences, the Ephesian Christians had patience, and perseverance, and steadfastly held to biblical, moral, and theological standards.

 

 

And how thou canst not bear them which are evil

4.  Their Intolerance for Evil

Jesus commended this assembly for their suppression of evil. They could not tolerate sin. When sin was detected, it was dealt with immediately. Because they were strong in their sensitivity toward sin, they continued to maintain a sweet fellowship with one another. Recall Paul’s words:

1 Corinthians 5:6 - Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

A rotten apple spoils the whole bunch connotes the above saying. Therefore, their abhorrence to sin was substantiated.

They also remembered Paul’s words in his address to them:

Ephesians 4:27 - Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil.

 

 

Acts 20:29 - For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

 

The congregants and officers of this church did not tolerate evil in their midst. They painstakingly judged the character and motives of the new converts and weeded out those who were heretically opposed to the teachings of Christ.

 

And thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars

5.  Their Spiritual Discernment

This church was critically careful not to corrupt the truth of the Word of God. They opposed error. If visiting so-called preachers entered claiming to be apostles, they immediately would be scrutinized (as wolves in sheep’s clothing), just as Jesus, the Apostles Paul, and Peter had warned.  

Matthew 7:15 – Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

 

Matthew 16:6 - Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

 

Philippians 3:2 – Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. (false circumcision: Legalizers attempted to force Christians to keep the Law of Moses for salvation).

 

2 Peter 3:17 - Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

 

There were three qualifications to become an Apostle:

1.  An Apostle needed to be with Jesus from His baptism to His ascension

2.  An Apostle had to be a witness to the glorified Christ.

3.  An Apostle, most importantly, had to be chosen by God:

__God being in control, Matthias was chosen to replace Judas:

Acts 1:24, 26 - And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen…And they gave forth their lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Although Paul did not meet all three requirements (not being with Christ): However, he does fit the other two prescriptions. Therefore, he was considered an Apostle to the Gentiles. [Paul's conversion and commission from God are found in Acts chapter nine].

 

When vetting, I suppose their first question would have been, “Have you seen the resurrected Christ?” The Ephesians, being filled with the Holy Spirit, had enough spiritual insight to discern whether or not they were true apostles or simply false teachers. They questioned their doctrine and found them to be false. These false teachers and prophets were then rejected and asked to leave. The Ephesians passionately possessed and adhered to the truth of Scripture as the Bereans had in Acts chapter seventeen.

Acts 17:9 – These (the Berean Christians in Greece) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

 

 

(Verse 3)

 

And hast borne (endured), and hast patience (perseverance), and for My name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted (grown weary).

 

6.  Their Perseverance and Love

Mentally, physically, and emotionally wearied out to the point of exhaustion characterized the Ephesian Christians. The Church did not faint. Apart from persecution, these congregants possessed:

1.  Strength in their beliefs

2.  Spirituality

3.  Resoluteness

4.   Servitude

5. Separation from the world

6.  Patience

7.  Love

 

Question: What motivated them?

Answer: For His Name’s sake.

The primary reason for anyone to serve the Lord is to have a passionate desire to honor and glorify God - to exalt Him. The church at Ephesus was doing exactly that: They did everything in the name of Jesus. He was their first love. It should be ours likewise.

 

 

(Verse 6)

 

But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.

 

7.  Hatred for the Nicolaitanes’ Deeds

Nicolaitanes: [Compound word, Greek: Nikos (G353), meaning triumph or victory. Laos means people, specifically laity: Victory over the laity].

 

It is believed the Nicolaitanes were a gnostic group of followers formed by Nicholas of Antioch (observed in Acts 6:1-7); He was a convert to Judaism chosen to help distribute food to widows and serve tables. This alleviated that particular burden on the disciples so they could better attend to spreading the Word of God. 

 

One of his doctrines taught: Through human reasoning, one must indulge in sin to understand sin. This philosophy adulterated the teachings of Christian liberty. He and his followers seduced the Church into idolatry and immorality to the point that Christians were participating in immoral adventures.

 

Early Church Father and Theologian Clement of Alexandria said this regarding the Nicolaitanes:

"They abandon themselves to pleasure like goats – leading a life of self-indulgence, immorality, and loose living."

 

In this passage, moral departure is mentioned as only deeds (works). However, by the time it reached the church at Pergamum, their deeds became full-blown doctrine. The Church at Ephesus hated these things. And Christ says, “I hate them and their deeds.”

 

Observation: We are to be diligent in observing what is truth. To spot counterfeit truth, we must first know sound biblical truth.

 

 

In our next lesson, we will receive advice and counsel from Jesus Himself on how to build up resistance toward these defects.

 

 

QUESTIONS:

1.  What was the founding principle of the church at Ephesus?

2.  How do they stand apart from some churches today?

3.  Explain their intolerance for evil.

4.   Name three qualifications for an Apostle.

5. How did they recognize false teachers?

6.  Name some attributes of the Ephesians believers.

7.  Discuss why the Nicolaitanes were hated so much?

 

 

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