02.07. LECTURE No. 7 -- Rev_2:1-7
LECTURE No. 7 -- Revelation 2:1-7 The Message of the Risen Christ to the Church at Ephesus - These Messages to Be Applied in a Three-fold Way - Important Facts About the Message to Each of the Seven Churches - Commendation and Rebuke IN THIS WONDERFUL first chapter of the Revelation, Jesus is presented as being both LORD and JUDGE among the Churches, observing everything and passing judgment upon all we do.
We have given considerable time and study also to the DIVINE TITLES which Christ assumed, and spoke to John about, in this chapter, in order to reveal to him His true nature, and His eternal character and divine authority!
In the preceding chapter, we spoke chiefly concerning the words of our Lord to John, when He commanded him to write concerning THE THINGS WHICH HE HAD SEEN, i.e., the vision of the glorified Christ: And “THE THINGS WHICH ARE.”
This statement refers prophetically to the entire Church Age, or day of Grace, which began then, and which will continue until the resurrection and rapture of the Church: and the THINGS WHICH SHALL BE HEREAFTER, i.e., those things which shall be AFTER THE CHURCH AGE IS FINISHED, and the Church has gone to be with Christ.
We also called your attention to the importance of the number SEVEN, which is used so frequently in the Scriptures, and especially in the Book of Revelation.
The number SEVEN signifies perfection, or completeness! It is the number of dispensational fullness. Therefore, whether it refers to grace, or judgment, or to the churches, it symbolizes completeness, or fullness, of the subject in question.
Since, in our present case, the number SEVEN is used in reference to the Churches, we may rightly assume that the SEVEN messages to the SEVEN Churches cover the whole of the Church age, and, that which is spoken here, in these messages, represents God’s message to ALL CHURCHES during the present age of Grace.
Now let us advance in our study by reading and considering what is written in Revelation 2:1-7, where it says:
The Message To Ephesus
“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.”
This, my friends, is indeed a remarkable passage of Scripture, which contains much truth that rightfully demands our prayerful and careful consideration.
But before we take up our study of what is written here, I wish to impress upon you again the fact, that what we have in these SEVEN MESSAGES to the SEVEN CHURCHES is in reality a PROPHETIC FOREVIEW of all Church History!
In other words, they represent WHAT THE CHURCH WAS TO BE LIKE from the beginning, on through the entire Church age, and what it WILL BE LIKE in the end. In these seven messages, the glorified Christ gave to the Apostle John a PROPHETIC OUTLINE of Church history from the day of Pentecost to the rapture of the saints. These seven messages are therefore a COMPOSITE WORD PICTURE of the Church from then until now, and on to the close of the Church age. A Threefold Application These messages have a threefold application-
(1) First of all, to the local churches addressed;
(2) Secondly, to the entire church, addressed as a composite whole;
(3) And thirdly, the truth given here may be applied to the individual believer, for the entire Church is made up only of individual Christians.
Now to clarify what we mean-
(1) The message to EPHESUS, which we shall study today, was symbolic of the APOSTOLIC CHURCH PERIOD.
(2) The message to SMYRNA represented the period of great persecution.
(3) The message to Pergamos represented that period of Church history when WORLDLINESS crept in, and the Church received the favor of IMPERIAL SANCTION.
(4) The message to THYATIRA portrayed the Church in the DARK AGES, as it was then filled with corruption!
(5) The message to the Church of SARDIS was symbolic of the Church during the period of the GREAT REFORMATION.
(6) The message to the Church of PHILADELPHIA represented the great MISSIONARY PERIOD of the Church, which seems just now to be coming to a close.
(7) And the message to the Church at LAODICEA clearly represents the apostate Church of the last days of the present Church age.
Therefore, we are compelled to look upon these seven messages to the seven churches as a PROPHETIC FOREVIEW of the entire Church age. A Definite Division Of Truth
Viewing them in this light, we must acknowledge that they constitute a very DEFINITE DIVISION OF TRUTH in the Book of Revelation.
They constitute, in fact, one of the most enlightening and most unique portions of literature to be found anywhere. Why? Because they reveal to us THE END from THE BEGINNING. They make known to us, in advance, just what to expect as history unfolds before our eyes.
What is written here has always helped Christians to understand WHAT NEXT in the divine plan for the Church.
Such truth, such foreknowledge, my friends, is priceless to the child of God because it serves as a BEACON LIGHT to guide our steps, and it serves to COMFORT us as we labor on in a world of sin and sorrow, with tares among the wheat, and with difficulty on every hand.
It helps us to understand that our present circumstance is not to be the eternal state of things, but that some time the long dark night will end, and a new day will dawn, both for the Church, and for the world. The Day Of Peace The new day of peace cannot come, however, until GOD’S PURPOSES IN GRACE have been accomplished, and the Church has been called out and raptured away to be with Christ.
The new day of peace for all the world cannot come until GOD’S PURPOSES IN JUDGMENT against the wicked have also come to pass. A Birds-eye View
It was very important and very necessary for the Christians of the apostolic church, as well as for those in every period of church history, to have an understanding of these things. It was necessary for them to catch a birds-eye view of the entire Church age, so that they might labor on in hope, and conform their hearts and their work to the will and the purposes of God.
Four Important Facts
Now, since we are about to study the seven messages to the seven churches, and we are considering them AS A WHOLE, let us notice also FOUR IMPORTANT FACTS which are found in each of the seven messages.
(1) In each of them Jesus REFERS TO SOME PARTICULAR ATTRIBUTE of His own person, thus describing His own nature, and the character of His work in every period of the entire church age.
(2) Also in each message the Lord makes A SPECIAL APPEAL, and utters a warning which fits the need of the local church addressed. Here again the appeal and warning were symbolic of the respective periods of Church history.
(3) Also each of the seven messages contains the important exhortation- “He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”
(4) And EACH MESSAGE to EACH CHURCH closes with a special promise to those who overcome.
About Ephesus Now, let us return to a study of the message of our risen Lord to the Church at Ephesus recorded in Revelation 2:1-7.
Each of the seven churches addressed were local churches, which actually existed in Asia Minor at that time.
Of the seven churches, Ephesus was the one nearest to the Isle of Patmos, where John received this vision, and was commanded to write these things.
It was once an important and magnificent city. It is described as being the center of trade, for a rich and beautiful country. It was a center of government, and was widely known for its learning, wealth, art and religion!
It has been of interest to all Christians in every period of the Church Age, because it was here that the APOSTLE PAUL lived for two whole years, and accomplished some of the greatest works of his entire career, as the great missionary to the Gentiles.
It was here also that the APOSTLE JOHN himself had lived and laboured, and where he died.
MARY, the Mother of Jesus, may have spent her last days upon earth in this city with the Apostle John. For, you will remember, that while Jesus hung upon the cross, He said to her, “Woman behold thy Son,” and to John He said, “Behold thy Mother.”
Therefore when John went to Ephesus to labor there, did Mary, the Mother of Jesus, accompany Him? Well, be that as it may, it is an interesting point of conjecture.
It was also in Ephesus that APPOLLOS was converted.
And TIMOTHY also labored there as a faithful servant of God in the ministry of the early church.
Ephesus Today But Ephesus is only a mere desolation now. The market place is in ruins. Only a trace of the great theater of the Ephesians still remains to remind us of the ancient glories, which the Ephesians once possessed. They tell us that it is impossible to locate with certainty, the great Temple of “Diana of the Ephesians.”
In that great city of ancient times was the first of the Churches to which Jesus, the glorified, risen and ascended Lord, commanded John to send the words of the entire book of Revelation of Jesus Christ, which we are now studying. The Message To Ephesus Now let us turn our attention to the message itself, as given in Revelation 2:1-7.
To John, on the Isle of Patmos, Jesus, the risen and glorified Lord, said, “Unto the Angel (or messenger or pastor) of the Church of Ephesus, write; These things saith He that holdeth the Seven Stars (or as we have explained, the true Ministers of His Word) IN HIS RIGHT HAND; who walketh in the midst of the Seven Golden Candlesticks,” which are the Seven Churches.
With these unusual words of salutation, Jesus sought to impress the Pastor of the Church at Ephesus, and the entire Church with the DEITY and LORDSHIP, and THE AUTHORITY of the one who was speaking to them in the message. This was in keeping with the truth presented in Revelation 1:1-20, where Christ is presented as the Lord and Judge among the Churches, and as the one who holds all true ministers of His Word in His own right hand.
Desired The word Ephesus means “desired.” No doubt those early Apostolic Churches were very precious to our Lord, for to Him they were the beginning of an eternal plan and purpose! Jesus knew that it was God’s plan to call out the Church, which is the Body of Christ, from among both Jews and Gentiles, through the preaching of the Gospel during this age of grace. And what for?
“To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. According to the eternal purpose which He proposed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ephesians 3:10-11).
Knowing, therefore, the great future and eternal purposes of God for the true Church, is it any wonder that Jesus looked upon those early churches with LOVE and PASSIONATE DESIRE for their success? They were to become a very part of Himself. He was Lord and Judge of all they did, and therefore He was in a position to commend them for their faith and good works. And he was also in a position to censor them and to rebuke them for any wrong, or failing, or short coming which He saw in them.
And so in all of these messages we find that our Lord both commends and rebukes the Churches, according to their state. And we may be assured that He rebuked them only because it was necessary, and because He desired their success, and that they might bear much fruit and be pleasing unto God.
The Lord opened His message to the CHURCH AT EPHESUS with words of commendation.
I Know Thy Works The first thing He said was:
“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 labored and hast not fainted.”
What a sobering thought, my friends, when we are made to realize that Jesus, the true LORD and JUDGE of all the churches, knows our works! Indeed, there is not a thing in the PULPIT, or in the PEW that He does not observe and judge. He knows the sincere, loving desire of every true child of God. He knows their trials, and pain and heart aches. He knows their works, both good and bad.
Likewise Jesus knows all of the wicked unbelief, and the awful hypocrisy, and the hatred, and malice and backbiting of those who are hypocrits, and have received neither forgiveness of their sins, nor the grace of God in their hearts, yet who make a profession of religion.
Apparently the Christians at Ephesus had been faithful workers for Christ, for He seems to commend them for their work and labor of love, and for their Patience.
Commendation
He also commended them because they could not bear with those who were evil. Apparently there was a true spirit of Church discipline in that early Church at Ephesus. No doubt, if a man who Professed to be a follower of Christ, did not live right, and walk straight, and do the Lord’s work, he was barred from the fellowship of the church, until he repented, and straightened up and behaved himself. And Jesus was well pleased with this condition at Ephesus.
But how about today? The churches today seem to have lost the idea of rejecting from their numbers those who are evil. Today the churches seem to want a large attendance at ANY PRICE! In consequence our churches today are filled with those who are evil at heart, who have only a mere profession of faith, and a form of godliness, that is all! And in most cases both the preacher and the official board, and the Christians of the Church, are afraid of saying anything about it, for fear of offending some one!
Indeed, how very sad that the churches of our day have lost their desire and POWER TO REBUKE EVIL and to reject those who bring shame upon the work of the church, by evil deeds.
Rebuke
Now, in spite of all the words of commendation which Jesus had for the Church at Ephesus, He also had some words of rebuke.
Therefore, in Revelation 2:4-5 He said:
“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.”
How very sad indeed that a Church which had won so much commendation from their Lord was found to be at fault at this particular point, i.e., they had “left their first love.”
And, what, may we ask, is the nature of that FIRST LOVE which Jesus referred to here?
FIRST LOVE toward Christ, my friends, is not mere emotion, with tears and godly sorrow for sin.
That is a part of it, of course. But FIRST LOVE toward Christ will consistently, day by day, PUT CHRIST FIRST in all of our lives. The newly converted man or woman, as a rule, is willing to do this. But WITH MANY who have known Christ in the forgiveness of their sins, and who have received an experience of grace in their hearts, IT IS NOT LONG until their FIRST LOVE dies, because they no longer put Christ, and His work, and God’s will FIRST in their lives! Therefore they allow SELF LOVE, or SELFISH LOVE, to kill that FIRST LOVE which they had, when they were converted, which made them willing TO PUT CHRIST FIRST in their lives.
Therefore, FIRST LOVE means CHRIST FIRST in everything, all the time!
Jesus warned those Christians at Ephesus to repent and do the first works, or else He would come quickly and remove their Candlestick.
What an earnest call to repentance that was which Jesus gave-not to unconverted sinners-but to the professed followers of Christ in that early Church!
And, my friends, the SAME CALL and the SAME WARNING have held true in every period of the Church Age.
Church History
Every period of Church History has been strewn with churches who received THIS SAME CALL, and who FAILED TO REPENT and return to their FIRST LOVE, and to their first works! In consequence their Candlesticks were removed, and the light of their testimony for Christ went out, and instead of being a blessing, they became a reproach, and a stumbling block to the cause of Christ.
God pity such churches when our Lord, who is judge of all we do, comes again. Alas! What then?
~ end of lecture 7 ~