The Strand Study Bible

R EVELATION 2:1  2:7

2146

Written From the Island of Patmos

1 Unto the 1 angel of the church of 2 Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh 3 in the midst of the seven golden 4 candlesticks; 2 I know thy works, and thy 5 labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast 6 tried them which say they are apostles, 7 and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast 8 borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, 9 and hast not fainted. 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quick- ly, and will 10 remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the 11 Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. 7 12 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 13 tree of life, which is in the midst of the 14 paradise of God.

1. or, “messenger; pastor” - Mal 2:7 2. Note - Paul started the church of Ephesus c. AD 53, while on his second missionary journey (Acts 18:19-21). 3. Note - Jesus ought always be the "center of attraction" ( in the midst ) in our churches, not the pastor, the people, or the property. 4. or, “churches” - Rev 1:13,20 5. that is, “energy to do the work” 6. I Jn 4:1 & Acts 20:27-31 7. II Cor 11:13-15 8. or, “seen people saved” - Jn 1:13 & 3:1-3 & I Pet 1:23 9. I Cor 15:58 & Gal 6:9 & II Thess 3:13 10. or, “remove the church’s influence” 11. Rev 2:15 12. Mt 11:15 & 13:43 & Acts 7:51 & Rev 13:9 13. Rev 22:2,14 & Gen 2:9 & 3:22 14. that is, “Heaven” - II Cor 12:1-4 & Lk 23:43

BLACK SEA

ASIA MINOR

Pergamon • Smyrna •

• Thyatira • Sardis

• Philadelphia • Laodicea

Ephesus

•

•

Antioch •

Island of Patmos

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Jerusalem •

EGYPT

John addresses 7 churches in Asia - Map #74 Revelation 2 “The things which are” A message to the pastor at Ephesus “Energetic but Egotistical” (Lesson - Churches need to learn to serve CHRIST out of devotion, not duty) Date Written - c. AD 96

2:2,3 There are two characteristics concerning a believer that impress our LORD immensely: (1) labor (κ ο π ο ν - kopon ); and (2) patience (‘υπ ο μ ο νην - hupomonen ). Although there are other characteristics that impress CHRIST : works (εργα- erga , taking a stand ( canst not bear them which are evil ), knowing one’s Bible well enough to defend the faith ( tried them which say they are apostles ), and winning people to Jesus ( And hast borne ), these two ( labor and patience ) seem to stand out above the rest. *The first word ( labor - κ ο π ο ν) means “ to strike or cut; to toil till weary . ” Which means: Jesus loves to watch believers who “wear” themselves out for Him (I Cor 16:15). *The second word ( patience - ‘υπ ο μ ο νην) means “ to abide under; to endure trials and temptations .” Meaning: Jesus loves to watch believers who “persevere” for His sake (Phil 4:14-18, II Tim 4:6-10 and II Cor 4:8-11). 2:4 Although the church at Ephesus was steadfast in desire (vs 2), strict in discipline (vs 2), strong in doctrine (vs 2), and sound in duty (vs 3), they were sorry in their devotion to God ( they had left their first love ). Meaning: Their motive was wrong for "why" they did what they did for God. The Christians at Ephesus loved what they could do for God more than what God had done for them ( I Sam 15: 1- 15 , Mt 6:1 & 20:1 , I Cor 3:13 b and II Cor 5:14 ). Greg Laurie in Revelation (The Next Dimension) notes: 2:7 While it is true that John uses the term “ overcometh ” in I John 5:4-5 to describe the salvation of those who come to know Jesus as Savior, the “ overcoming ” spoken of here refers to pastors and their people bringing their churches back in line with God by “ overcoming ” the Devil, the world, and the flesh ( Rev 3:21 b ). Henry Jacobsen in The War We Can’t Lose notes: The seven messages of Revelation 2 and 3 were sent to the churches as corporate bodies, but notice that the final appeal is always to each individual church member–“to him that overcometh” is the call, not “to them that overcome.” The Lord says, “ He who has an ear”–the individual who is ready to respond to the call of God–“let him hear what the Spirit says.” 2 Meaning: Everything that’s born (be it a human, a business, a country, or a church) is born to die. Thus, we need to learn to “slow down” the inevitable. Jesus reminded us how to do that in verse 5: Remember , repent , repeat ( do the first works ). NOTE - Christians who “overcome” the Devil, the world, and the flesh and remain faithful to Jesus will experience a personal audience with God in the future (the meaning behind: " will I give to eat of the tree of life " - I Jn 5:4-5 and Rev 2:7 ). Within these seven letters, many commentators through the years have seen the whole story of the church unfold, with each of the seven churches representing an era of history. Sadly, it is more of a regression than a progression. Jesus starts with an apostolic church and ends up with an apostate church. We begin with Ephesus, where the church is in danger of leaving its first love, and we end with the church of Laodicea, where Jesus is on the outside, trying to get back in again. 1

1 Laurie, Greg. Revelation , South Korea, Allen David Books, 2014. Print. 2 Jacobsen, Henry. The War We Can't Lose , USA, Victor Books, 1972. Print.