Revelation 2:1-7 - Ephesus (Lesson)

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: "The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.' "

The things which are...

     The book of Revelation was written to believers at large, although it was directed to seven specific churches. God delivered this book to the churches by imparting the message to His Son, Jesus Christ, who then passed it along to angels, who in turn told it to John, who wrote it down and mailed it to the seven churches, and from there it spread throughout all of Christendom. Chapter 1:20 of Revelation ends the section named in chapter 1 and verse 19, "the things which have been", and chapter 2 commences the section entitled "the things which are". This section is further broken down into seven sections; each section is mini-letter composed to one of the seven churches to which the entire book is addressed. These churches are: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. At this point, a question can be raised: Why these seven churches? God does not explain to John to us why, but we can hypothesize. A feasible reason could be that it is because although these churches were not all the biggest and best churches (even though some were), they represented the gamut of church conditions that God wanted the universal church to be aware of and know how to respond to. All seven letters are written with a similar construction. Each is composed with a Commission, Commencement, Commendation, Condemnation, Command, Coming, and Challenge; although, there are a few letters missing an element of this list or with a couple elements switched in order. We will be studying the first of the seven churches, Ephesus, and chapter 2 verses 1-7 are written to this particular church.

Revelation 2:1-7 - Ephesus (Outline)

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: "The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.' "

The things which are...

1. Commission - To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
1. Evidence angel leaders, God not write to angels, multiple elders complicates
2. 7 churches, not biggest/best, maybe based on condition

Revelation 1:12-21 - The Son Of Man (Lesson)

"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."

     We've looked at John's greeting, introduction, and prayer of praise in the beginning of the book of Revelation. We saw to whom he wrote, and we heard the voice. Now we will begin to try to grasp what he saw when he turned around.
     At first glance, John sees seven golden lampstands. The first thing to observe is that it is a plurality of lampstands, the image that popped into my mind when I first read this is the Jewish menorah, the lampstand with seven candlesticks. This is different though, it does not mention multiple candlesticks, but rather multiple lampstands. Each of these lampstands represents an individual church. It's interesting the way in which the number seven is related to the church. There are seven lampstands for the seven churches, the book is addressed to only seven churches, and, as a sidenote, the apostle Paul wrote to exactly seven churches. John also see Someone in the midst of the lampstands. This is Christ, and it is comforting to see Him in the midst of the lampstands because we will see Him in this vision as our Great High Priest. Here He is tending to the churches: an OT priest would be responsible to trim, clean, and refill the lampstands in the temple, and in the same way Christ maintains the church by trimming out those who do not belong, cleaning out sin, and empowering us with grace.

Revelation 1:12-21 - The Son Of Man (Outline)

"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."

1.  Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me
2. On turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and
1. Seven churches - Christ in the midst (Paul Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Collosse, Philippi, and Thessolonica)
2. Separate lampstands, not the one lampstand described in OT
3. OT priest would trim, clean, and refill with oil the lamps. Christ maintains the church by trimming out those who do not belong, cleaning out sin, and empowering us with grace.