John, the apostle, was told by God to write three things: the things that he had seen, or the vision in which our Lord appeared to John, the things which are, or the seven letters to churches then in existence and finally the things which shall be after that, or events in the Tribulation period and following. In chapter 1, after the title and introduction to this book, John recorded what he had seen, the vision of his Lord, Jesus Christ. We have now come to the second major section or the letters to the seven churches found in Revelation chapters 2 and 3.
The letters to these churches are similar to one another in that they all follow a general pattern. This pattern has the following items:
| 1. | A Description: John gives a description of Jesus Christ, the author of these letters. |
| 2. | A Declaration: Our Lord declares He knows something about the church, usually, but not always, something praiseworthy. This typically begins, "I know your…." |
| 3. | A Problem: Our Lord points out something wrong in the church, which He addresses. This may begin, "I have somewhat against you…." |
| 4. | A Warning and/or Encouragement: The Lord gives a warning of judgment to those who are disobeying or encourages those who are struggling. |
| 5. | An Exhortation: Our Lord gives an exhortation to understand and heed the message. This is stated as, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches!” |
| 6. | A Promise: Christ gives a promise to those who obey. This begins, "To him who overcomes…." |
The term church, as used here, refers to the collection of believers in a particular city. The churches to which John conveyed our Lord's message did not look like what we think of as churches today. The church at Ephesus was the collection of all the believers in Ephesus. They did not meet in buildings constructed and dedicated for use by the church. They were not, as a rule, very large, since for the most part, they met in private homes. Individual house churches seldom had their own paid pastor. Rather the people themselves carried on the work of the ministry. Elders taught and shepherded the flock; deacons saw to the physical needs of those in the church. Pastors, men such as Titus and Timothy, were much like the Methodist circuit riders of the past, going from city to city, house church to house church, teaching and training the people to do the work God called them to do.
Ephesus was the most prominent city on the western end of the peninsula that at that time was called Asia, but today is known as Turkey. It was a very old city at the time of its conquest by Rome. Caesar Augustus made it the capital of Proconsular Asia, and it was probably second only to Rome in both size and importance. The Apostle Paul used Ephesus as a base of operations spending several years there. From Ephesus, he wrote the Epistle of 1 Corinthians and later wrote the epistle of Ephesians to the believers in this city. Tradition tells us that the apostle John also resided there during the last years of his life. It had, not surprisingly, therefore a very strong Christian community.
Our Lord, through John, writes this to the church at Ephesus.
Revelation 2:1-7
| 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: |
| 2:2 | ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; |
| 2:3 | and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. |
| 2:4 | ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. |
| 2:5 | ‘Therefore remember 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 lamp stand out of its place—unless you repent. |
| 2:6 | ‘Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. |
| 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.’ |
Each of these letters begins with the command to John to write "to the angel of the church at…." The word translated as angel is the Greek word (ἄγγελος) from which we get our word angel. However, it can also be translated as messenger, for the angels were messengers of God. Furthermore, it can be used of human messengers. Now, how is it to be translated here? Is it an angelic or a human messenger? Did each of these churches to which a letter was directed send a messenger to John at Patmos? If these are angelic beings, does this mean all churches have a specific angelic being assigned to them? If it refers to a human messenger, why is John commanded to write to the messenger since the messenger was right there? If the messengers had returned to the churches, why address the letters to them rather than the church as a whole? If these were angels, why is John commanded to address the letter to them rather than the church, since the letter's content is addressed to the church? There are many questions one could ask.
I am inclined to see this as an instance where John uses a word in a double sense. He does this occasionally. For example, in John 3:3, where He tells Nicodemus that he must be “born again,” the Greek word for “again” can also be translated as “from above.” Which meaning did he intend, to be born again or to be born from above? Both are true and make perfect sense.
In John 1:5, he writes, “and the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” It could just as well be translated, “and the darkness did not extinguish it.” Which is it? Both are true and make sense. He probably, under the influence of the Spirit of God, chose these words since both senses are valid!
So too here, I am inclined to believe the Spirit of God used this word because it seems likely there were messengers sent to John from these churches to see to his needs in exile. I also believe that God has assigned to us angelic beings for our protection from the enemy. There seem to be indications from Scripture that individuals have their personal guardians. Were it not for them, I am convinced believers would not have lasted very long at all. Angelic powers are associated with nations and struggle against each other; we know this from Daniel. Why not assigned to churches as well?
The message is directed to the human messengers to give to the churches they represent. It is also directed to the angelic powers who must carry out the will of the One they serve, serving and protecting those churches. That, at least, is how I understand this at this point in my life and study.
The Description
After directing the message to a messenger, whether human or angelic, our Lord begins with a description of Himself. In this letter, He is described as the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. He describes Himself in these letters in such a way, it seems, to relate to some aspect of the church that He is addressing. Here He is pictured as the one in authority. He controls the churches. If the seven stars represent angelic powers that watch over and care for the church, then it is our Lord who directs them. He walks among the lampstands, which we are told from chapter one represent these seven churches. He is there among the various and different churches, not just the strong ones, but also the ones struggling, the weak ones and those with major problems. He is there, and He is here today, walking by His Spirit among the individual local churches that make up the body of Christ. Is your local church a small church, a large church or somewhere in between? Is it a strong church spiritually, or is it struggling? Is it a suffering church undergoing persecution, or is it a comfortable church? Is it a poor church or a rich church? Just as our Lord walked among these seven different churches, so He walks among all the different churches today. He is just as in control today as He was in John’s day.
The Declaration
He finds many things praiseworthy about this church. He states in verses 2 and 3 that He knows:
| 1. | Their deeds |
| 2. | Their toil |
| 3. | Their perseverance |
| 4. | That they dealt with sin in the church |
| 5. | That they addressed false teaching |
| 6. | That they have endured and not grown weary |
| 7. | And from verse 6, that they hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans. |
This is quite an impressive list. Any church or individual then and now would be highly honored to have our Lord state that of them. And not many can do that! They were a church that did not just talk the talk. They acted upon what they said. These people worked. Moreover, they stuck at what they were doing. They persevered even when things grew rough. When trials and persecution came, they endured it to honor their Lord. They did not deny Him. They were a church that dealt with sin in their midst and did not overlook it. Doctrinally, they were right on target. If a teacher visited them, they were examined. Separated from the first list is that they hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans. I do not think John added this as an afterthought, but to make it stand out. It was something our Lord specifically stated He hated! In a list of items, the one that stands out the most, of course, is the first item. It is the one we are most apt to remember. The next item that stands out and remains in our memories is the last on the list.
While not much is known about this last group, it seems likely from the name that they advocated the separation of people into two classes, the common people, the laity, and the religious people, clerics, those in authority over the laity. But, whoever these people were, our Lord hated what they did or advocated. The church in Ephesus rejected what this group did and taught at this time. Ephesus was doing all the right things, more so than any of the other churches! And one must note this was done without a church budget, without music directors and youth ministers, without church buildings, without missionary organizations and probably for the most part without full-time pastors! I am not saying these things are bad and ought to be done away with at all; I am saying that the work of the ministry does not and ought not to depend upon them!
The Problem
However, there was a problem. The problem with this church was not what it was doing but their motives for doing it. Their motive for doing all the right things they did was no longer love for our Lord; they were doing good things for other motives now. The Lord does not specify what their motives were. There might have been some legitimate and good reasons for their actions, such as concern for others or obedience to human authority. But as good as a motive might be if it is not the love of Jesus Christ our Lord, it is simply not good enough. This certainly ought to force us to examine ourselves.
Why do you do what you do? Why do you attend church? Why do you contribute? Why do you sing specials? Why do you serve on some church committees? Why do you teach that lesson? Is it to gain social standing with those around you? Is it because you feel you ought to do it; it is a responsibility? Is it simply because you have done it for years and it is a good habit? Is it because there was or is no one else who will or can do it? Or, is it because you love Jesus Christ, your Lord?
Now they were doing all the right things. It could have been far worse! They might not be doing any of these things after all. So how serious is this problem really, you ask? Listen to what our Lord said to them.
The Warning
Remember, repent and do the deeds you did at first (that is, deeds motivated by love for our Lord), or I will come and remove your church! Judgment would come if they did not change, serious judgment. Their church would cease to exist! This ought to cause us to deeply inspect not only what we do as a church or as individuals but also why we do it.
The Exhortation
Next, our Lord states, “He that has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches,” which He does in each of these seven letters. What is He saying here? He is saying let those who have the spiritual capacity to understand (Ears to hear or believers) the message heed the message. Our Lord also said this to the crowds to which He ministered during His earthly ministry. The fact He gives this exhortation to each of these churches tells us something about these churches. They were not totally comprised of believers. There were those among them who obviously did not have the ears to hear. Those who were not believers would not be expected to comprehend what our Lord was saying. Thus, it certainly is today. Our churches are indeed mixed congregations.
The Promise
The promise made to this church is this. To the one that overcomes, our Lord would grant the right to eat of the tree of life. We should ask a few questions at this point. How does one overcome? What if a believer does not overcome? Does this mean he or she cannot eat of the tree of life? John himself answers these questions. Not here or in this book, but in another epistle which he wrote through the inspiration of the Spirit of God. 1 John 5:4-5 states this:
| 5:4 | For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. |
| 5:5 | Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? |
The one who overcomes is the one who has placed their faith in our Savior. Those who are indeed believers will overcome. This is the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints. Note the various things our Lord promises to those who overcome from all seven of these letters:
| 1. | Eat of the tree of life |
| 2. | Will not be hurt by the second death |
| 3. | Will be given the hidden manna, a white stone and a new name on that stone |
| 4. | Authority to rule the nations, be given the morning star |
| 5. | Be clothed in white garments, name not erased from the book of life, name confessed by our Lord before God and the angels |
| 6. | Be a pillar in the Temple of God; have the name of God, the name of the New Jerusalem and the new name of our Lord be written on him |
| 7. | Sit with Christ on His throne |
Of these from Scripture elsewhere, we know that 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7 or parts thereof are true for all those who place their faith in Christ. It is reasonable to believe that all seven will be true of those who believe, and by believing, overcome.
The letters to the churches not only address issues in seven churches existing in John’s day, but they also seem to be prophetic of the whole church age. Why do I say this? First of all, this book states, in its title, to be about "things which must soon take place." In 1:3, John says, "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy." It is reasonable then to assume that chapters 2 and 3 are also prophetic in that they are also about things that would take place.
Next, in 4:1, John is told that he would be shown “what must take place after these things.” One asks, after what things? Something is going to take place after something else. What is that something else? If you take the events in chapter 4 and following as prophetic of the Tribulation Period and beyond, then what takes place before this can only be the church age. So what comes before chapter 4 and following, the letters to the churches in chapters 2 and 3, must refer to this church age. There are seven churches addressed, and therefore we look at the church age and see it in seven stages, from its inception at Pentecost to its being taken home at the rapture. Each church represents one of the stages.
Prophetically, the church in Ephesus seems to represent the early church from its beginning at Pentecost to the beginning of the great persecutions around A.D. 64 or possibly to about A.D. 100 when John, the last of the apostles, is thought to have died.
What lessons are we to learn from the letter to this church? There are many lessons, of course, but one thing stands out. We ought to continually be checking our motives. The WHY is crucial. It is not just what you do; it is why you do it. There are wrong, selfish motives, and there are good, altruistic motives, but the only motive that validates the good things we do is our love for the Lord Jesus Christ.
The following chart summarizes the elements of this letter.
