Verses 1-7 (Ephesus)
The Early Christian Church
- 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;
- 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:
- And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
- Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
- 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.
- But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
- 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.
The name "Ephesus" means "first" or "desirable." It represents the early period of the Christian church, between AD 27 until around AD 100.
Description of Christ
- 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;
Each letter emphasizes a different aspect of Christ's appearance, that is relevant for that message. In this letter, Christ is depicted as having the seven stars in His right hand, meaning He holds them in His care and He continually watches over them.
16. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
He is also described as walking in the midst of the candlesticks. This is related to the counsel to repent, lest they lose their place among the seven churches.
Praise
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:
3. And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
Christ appreciates the hard work of the early church. They were on fire for God. In one generation, the Gospel reached all the ends of the then-known world.
20. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
23. If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
They were also ardent Bible students.
10. And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11. These 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.
Because of their diligence in Bible study, they were able to rightly hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which stemmed from faulty theology. The early Christians were filled with God's love; they were able to hate sin, but not the sinner.
6. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.
The Nicolaitans were a branch of the Gnostics. "Gnosis" in Greek means "knowledge." They thought they had a special knowledge or revelation from God. The Gnostics mixed Greek philosophy with Christian doctrine. One fundamental principle, in particular, influenced many of their beliefs, and that was Greek dualism. This gave birth to several doctrinal errors:
- Allegorical way of interpreting Scriptures.
- Undermining the authority of the Old Testament.
- Christ did not come in the flesh.
Greek dualism holds, among others, that spirit is good, and matter is evil; if this was true, Christ could not have come in the flesh, because He would have taken evil matter on Himself. Therefore, when He died, it was only an appearance of death.
The apostle John warned the church of this heresy in several places in his letters:
- 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.
7. For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
This doctrinal error gave birth to practices which were not in accordance with God's Word:
- Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
- Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
- Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
Greek dualism was the basis for many doctrinal and practical errors which corrupted the church and developed the "man of sin" in the first centuries. It is the basis of many errors today. It may surprise you, but it is the root cause for many doctrinal controversies in our church:
- Nature of Christ
- Overcoming sin
- Heavenly sanctuary and the investigative judgment
- The Trinity
- Medical practice
- True Education
- Etc.
Let's be like the Bereans, studying the Word with all diligence, and leading each other to the truth in love.
Problem
The problem with this church is that their zeal and their love have started to dwindle.
4. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
The Amplified Bible puts it this way: "You have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me." Sin is always the reason for a dwindling love for God:
12. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
- Have you ever had that deep love for God that would surpass every other thing or person you love in this life?
37. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
- Do you enjoy spending time with Him?
3. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
4. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
5. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.
- Would you be willing to dedicate your entire life to serve God, out of love for him?
14. For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
15. And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
- Would you be willing to obey anything that the Lord would ask you to do?
15. If ye love me, keep my commandments.
- Do you love people? Is your life dedicated to serving others and doing them good?
13. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Admonition
Christ's admonition is for heart-searching and putting sin out of the life and do the first works.
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.
Promise
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.
Tree of life = wisdom of God (read study on the Tree of Life)
18. She (wisdom) is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
God's wisdom is in contrast with the wisdom of the Greeks, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
8. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.