Revelation: Letter to the Church of Ephesus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPLJXaytgTQ&feature=related
http://www.ephesus.us/
http://www.abrock.com/Greece-Turkey/ephesus.html




Revelation 2:1-7
The Letter to the Church of Ephesus


Background on Revelation


- "Revelation" is singular


- It's not a collection of visions. It's THE UNVEILING of one person, Jesus Christ.


- Revelation is the Consummation of all things


- Revelation is the only book promising a special blessing to the reader: "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand (Revelation 1:3)."


- Revelation contains 404 verses containing over 800 allusions from the Old Testament


- Revelation presents the climax of God's plan for Mankind




7 Features of the Risen Christ (Revelation 1)


1. Hair and Head (Daniel 7:9)


2. Eyes like a flame of fire (Hebrew 1:13, 4:13; 1 Corinthians 3:13; Malachi 3:2)


3. Feet (a symbol of walk) that are brass (symbol of judgment, cf. brazen serpent, Numbers 21)


4. Voice of many waters (Ezekiel 1:24, 43:2; Daniel 10:6)


5. Right hand holds 7 stars; Jesus is also pictured to stand amidst the 7 lampstands. That is, Jesus is in control, yet He is amongst us.


6. Mouth is a two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17; Isaiah 49:2) that judges unbelievers (John 12:48); smites the Earth (Isaiah 11:4); consumes the Anti-Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:8)


7. Countenance like the sun (Matthew 17)




Revelation 2-3 are the most important chapters because they pertain to Christian lives on Earth. Revelation 4 and on are events that will take place after the Rapture, and though they are important, Christians will be viewing the prophesied events from Heaven, as opposed to having to live through God¡¦s Wrath (or die trying). [This paints the picture of a "pre-Tribulation Rapture", a view that I personally agree with. Check out my earlier notes on Revelation, and you'll see that there are two other main theories. Don't take my word or anyone else's word for how it¡¦s supposed to be. Study the Bible yourself and come to your own conclusions. The reason why there is no consensus is because the Bible does not directly say when the Rapture would occur. Clues can be found within the Bible, and theologians piece together the clues to come up with the three theories that exist today. Which one of the three you believe in will not affect your salvation. As long as we believe that we are sinners and are saved only through Jesus Christ, we are saved. And as long as we are on the look out for Jesus' return, we will be Raptured when Jesus comes back for His church.




7 Elements of the Letter to the Church of Ephesus


1. Name of the Church (relevant to the theme of the church): Ephesus = the Desired One (term of endearment)


2. Title of Christ Chosen: "These things saith be that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the amidst of the seven golden lampstands" (Revelation 2:1)
Emphasis that God is in control, but He also walk amongst us.


3. Commendation (Revelation 2:2-3): Did a great job cleaning out heresy; adhered to sound doctrine
- Works
- Labor
- Patience
- Did not bear those who are evil
- Tried those who claim they are apostles and found them to be truthful, aka tested doctrines of those who claimed to follow God
- Had borne and patience
- And for Jesus' name, had labored and not fainted


Concern: "Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love" (Revelation 2:4); "First" = protos in greek, meaning first in rank, influence, honor; the chief, principal; the superlative; that is, they were too busy with the business of the King to have time for the King! God would rather have devotion than doctrine! (Read Luke 10:38-42 for Jesus response to the sisters Martha and Mary)


4. Exhortation (specific advice): "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 lampstand out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolatians, which I also hate" (Revelation 2:5-6). (Ephesians' lampstand is no longer here on Earth today.)


5. Promise to the Overcomer: "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 2:7); Written as a post script, a pattern true for the first 3 letters; the last 4 letters have this promise cited prior to the close (reason will be revealed as we continue our studies)


6. Close: "He that hath an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the churches."




Testing Doctrines


- Paul's farewell warnings given to Ephesian Elders (Acts 20:25-31; 2 Corinthians 11:14-15; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21)


Paul's principal warning in his farewell to the Ephesian elders: "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of 3 years, I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears" (Acts 20:31); Ephesus elders heeded this warning, because 35 years later, Jesus praised them for keeping heretics out.


- John's warnings (1 John 4:1-3; 2 John 9:10)


John' s principal warning in his 1st epistle:
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world" (1 John 4:1-3); Ephesus elders heeded this warning, because 35 years later, Jesus praised them for testing those who claimed to be followers of God.


Epistles by John:
1 John: Epistle to Ephesus
2 John: Personal letter to Mary
3 John: Personal letter to Gaius




Love of Espousal


- Joy of their salvation (Psalms 41:12; Jeremiah 2:2; 2 Corinthians 11:2; 1 John 4:19)


- First-named fruit of the Spirit is love (Galatians 5:22)


- God uses the marriage to communicate His most intimate truths


- 20 references to this grace are found in Paul¡¦s epistle to the Ephesians (Ephesians 5)




Application of the Letter to the Church of Ephesus


- There really was a local church of Ephesus


- Paul visited Ephesus multiple times (Acts 19:24-41, 20:1)


- 1 Corinthians was penned during Paul's 2nd visit to Ephesus


- Paul's Epistle to Ephesus was written from Rome


- John may have finished his closing year in Ephesus after leaving Patmos (where he was imprisoned for his work for Christ)


- John's Gospel was written in Ephesus


- First bishop of Ephesus: May have been Timothy (1 Timothy 1:3)


- Timothy, John, and Mary's tombs are in Ephesus


- in 431 AD, the debate of whether the Virgin Mary should be described as the mother of God led to the "Third Ecumenical Council" at the Ephesus; the Council decided in the affirmative. Proponents of "Nestorianism" emphasized the separateness of the human and divine in Christ, claiming in effect that He was actually two separate persons, the one divine and the other human. Accordingly, Mary was considered the mother of the man Jesus, not of the divine Jesus. This was opposed to the accepted doctrine that Christ was a single person, at once God and man. The Council ultimately termed Mary as the "God-bearer" as opposed to "mother of God" (which could be misunderstood by implications of the terminology)


- Admonitions: doctrinal purity (abhorrence of heresy); devotion to our King; The epistle to Ephesians addressed this problem (this letter was written by Paul, indicting his earnest desire that Ephesians should be fully instructed in the profound doctrines of the gospel); devotion, not just doctrine


- Personal application: The people of Ephesus neglected their priorities. God wants devotion not just doctrine! First commandment is to love God (Deuteronomy 6:5); FIRST love is the abandonment of all for a love that has abandoned all; no thought of self (1 Corinthians 13); devotional life is our first priority


- Prophetic: Church of Ephesian fits the profile of the Apostolic Church (very diligent on doctrine and yet lacking on devotion)




About the Nicolaitans


Nicolaitans believe there is a hierarchy in the Church, which Jesus rebukes. John 13:14-16 shows a humble Jesus who washes His servants' feet. Jesus views us all as equals.


http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/why-does-god-hate-practices-of-the-nicolaitans.html


What are the DEEDS and TEACHINGS of the Nicolaitans? 


In the book of Revelation it is both "the deeds" and "the doctrine" of the Nicolaitans, who affected two separate churches, that the Lord addresses: "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: . . . But this you have, that you hate THE DEEDS of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate" (Revelation 2:1, 6).


"And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, 'These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword: . . . Thus you also have those who hold THE DOCTRINE of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate" (Revelation 2:12, 15).


The Lord demands repentance on the part of those who hold and practice these things and He threatens drastic punishment if they do not obey Him: "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent" (Revelation 2:5).


"Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth" (Revelation 2:16).


What does the word NICOLAITAN mean?


The word Nicolaitan (Greek: or Nikolaites, Strong's Concordance Number #G3531) is a compound word which is composed of THREE Greek words. Because of it being a proper noun, the word Nicolaitan is TRANSFERRED instead of being translated into English. Thus, it is subject to the laws of Greek construction in regard to ellipsis, contraction and phonetics.


The three Greek words used in the construction of the word Nicolaitan are:


NIKOS, of which we use the English equivalents instead of the Greek letters, as we shall also of the other two. Nikos is defined as "a conquest; victory; triumph; the conquered; and by implication, dominancy over the defeated." Another transferred name in which this term is used is "Nicopolis," which is composed of Niko, which means conquest and polis, which means city. Hence, the city of conquest, or city of victory.


LAOS, which means people. Another use of this word is found in NICOLAS, which is transferred and is composed of Nikos-laos and means one who is "victorious over the people," the letter "s" being in both words the nominative case ending, which is retained only at the end of the word to denote the case, while "a" short and "o" short are contracted into "a" long. A still further transferred use of LA S is found in the name Lao(s)diceans (Greek: or Laodikeus, Strong's Concordance Number #G2994), compounded with DIKE or DICE as the Greek "k" is the equivalent English "c." Thus, in the name Laodiceans, we have LAOS, meaning the people, and DICE, meaning judgment or vengeance, i.e., the people of my judgment, or of my vengeance. Also the Greek word la(ic)os, which means "laymen," of which LA-OS is the root and stem, which selfsame word, with the "o" short contracted to "i", to which root and stem the plural definite article TON is joined to form LAITON, which is a Greek phrase meaning "the laity."


TON is the third and last word entering into the construction of the proper name Nicolaitans. TON, in which Omega, the long "o", is contracted into long "a", thus making the word TAN which is the genitive case plural in all the genders of the definite article 'the.' We therefore have, without the legal Greek construction, the English hyphenated word NIKOS-LAOS-TON, but which, with its lawful elisions and contractions, becomes the English name: Nicolaitans.


Is there a FULLER meaning to the word NICOLAITAN?


The full meaning of Nicolaitans, in its native tongue and in its ecclesiastical setting, is that the bishops and prelates of the Church have gained a triumphal victory or conquest over the LAITON, the laity, until they have been compelled to submit to the arbitrary dominion of men who have become that thing which God hates - 'Lords over God's heritage': "The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly,not for dishonest gain but eagerly; NOR AS BEING LORDS OVER THOSE ENTRUSTED TO YOU ('lords over [God's] heritage' in the KJV Bible), but being examples to the flock;" (1Peter 5:1-3).


The evidence of this full meaning is found in all our common school dictionaries, among which we find the following definition of the term "hierarchy: the power of dominion, government by ecclesiastical rulers," to which the following is introduced in evidence: "If anyone shall say that there is not in the Catholic Church a hierarchy established by the divine ordination, consisting of bishops, presbyters and ministers, let him be anathema, Council of Trent (translation) XXIII 6" (Century Dictionary).


In other words, let anyone who has the audacity to say there is not a hierarchy, not a collection of human beings who have been given the power by other men of dominion, as ecclesiastical rulers over churchmen who are declared God's heritage, let that man be ACCURSED --- let death and hell and the devil get him. Surely, the thing in which that ecclesiastical company is glorying is their shame!


Webster's dictionary defines the word "episcopal" as "the power of government, belonging to, or invested in, bishops or prelates. Government of the church by bishops." Also, "in episcopacy, the order of bishops is superior to the other clergy, and has exclusive power to confer orders."


In this definition it is affirmed that a certain portion of presbyters (elders) were even "in apostolic times superior in authority to ordinary presbyters," and also mentions the fact that episcopacy recognizes "episcopal rank" which is created by the institution thus governed; all of which affirms that any church in which episcopal government obtains is practicing the very carnal and fleshly iniquity of creating "Superiors" in what should be a holy brotherhood. The use of this appellation makes INFERIORS out of brethren who are in the selfsame clergy.


How can RANK and HIERARCHY destroy a church?


The approbation of "ordinary elders" demands a set of elders who are extra special, thus creating "rank" (caste) in the otherwise Divine brotherhood, all of which DESTROYS holy fellowship, creates division and strife, and fosters envy. No marvel that our Lord should hate a thing like that, condemn it, and demand that those who are guilty repent.


But will they? Yes, some will when the tribulation is on. Others, however, will stick to their ecclesiastical crowd, vainly imagining that their boasted "superiority" will carry them through that time of the greatest trouble the world has ever known, or will know. They must go down with the rest of the hosts of Antichrist.


And yet, one of the most unfortunate features of all this is that there are those in the Christian Church who do not hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, but who practice "their deeds" of dominating the laity by lording it over the Church of Jesus Christ, which should be subject only to one Divine Master. It is often true that these have assumed this lordship because they are esteemed very highly in love for their work's sake, but have become vainly puffed up in their fleshly mind. Beloved, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees" (Matthew 16:6).