Ephesus

Revelation 2:1-7 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things said he that holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou cannot bear them which are evil: and thou have tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and have found them liars: And has borne, and has patience, and for my name’s sake has laboured, and has not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou have left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou are 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. But this thou have, that thou hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said unto the churches; To him that overcome will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. 

Ephesus was a great commercial centre of Asia Minor, at the mouth of the Cayster River and on the shore of the Aegean Sea, about 80, 5 kilometres south of Smyrna. These are the Ephesians Paul wrote to in his epistle.

‘These things said he that holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks’ This portrays the rightful place of Christ as head of the body of Christ and His ministry to the congregations.

The facts about the Ephesians are summarized as follows: Ten points of commendation are given: their works, labour, patience, that they didn’t tolerate them which are evil: and have tried [tested by their fruit] them which say they were apostles, and were not, and have found them, liars. They have endured and had patience, and for Christ’s name’s sake have laboured, and have not fainted.  One point of condemnation: They had left their first love. They were commanded to repent and do their first works to be restored to God and their first love (2:2-3, 6). If they would not do so they were to be removed – the whole congregation would be destroyed if terms were not met (2:5). This would also be true of individuals (1 Cor. 5:2, 13). Only the over-comer was promised heaven.

‘I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place,’ the 2nd New Testament prophecy in Revelation that was fulfilled for Ephesus was destroyed by an earthquake. The Greek word kineo means to be removed. Removing a congregation because of sin indicates judgment and destruction, for this is the only penalty for sin (Rom. 6:23; 8:12-13).

‘Nicolaitans’ were followers of Nicolaus, a heretic. They are thought to have been a sect of Gnostics who practiced and taught impure and immoral doctrines, such as the community of wives, that committing adultery and fornication was not sinful, and that eating meats offered to idols was lawful. This was similar to the doctrines of Balaam and Jezebel of Thyatira (2:6, 14-15, 20).

‘Eat of the tree of life’ this is the 3rd New Testament prophecy in Revelation that is unfulfilled. Saints will eat even when their bodies are glorified after the rapture (2:7, 17; Luke 22:16, 18, 30). ‘Paradise of God’ – before the resurrection of Christ, all righteous souls went to paradise where they were held captive by the devil against their wills (Heb. 2:14-15). When Christ died His body went to the grave, but He went to paradise and liberated those righteous captives taking them to heaven with Him when He ascended on high (Matt. 12:40; Eph. 4:8-10). Now when a Christian dies he is no longer held captive by the devil in the lower parts of the earth, but he goes immediately to heaven awaiting the resurrection of the body (2Cor. 5:8; Php. 1:21-24; Heb. 12:22-24; Rev. 6:9-11). Christ now has the keys of hades (hell) and of death (Rev. 1:18). Paradise under the earth is now empty, but the torment department of hades is being filled more every day. It will hold all the wicked dead until the end of the Millennium when hades will deliver up the souls in it, and the graves will give up all the bodies in them. Then the bodies, souls, and spirits of the wicked will be cast into the lake of fire or eternal hell (Rev. 20:11-15).