The Letter to the Church at Ephesus
Revelation 2:1-7
2:1 “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.
2 “ ‘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. 3 I know you are enduring patiently
and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 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. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 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.’
2 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; 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. 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 quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 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.
2.1 Τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τῆς ἐν Ἐφέσῳ ἐκκλησίας γράψον· Τάδε λέγει ὁ κρατῶν τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἀστέρας ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ αὐτοῦ, ὁ περιπατῶν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἑπτὰ λυχνιῶν τῶν χρυσῶν· 2 Οἶδα τὰ ἔργα σου, καὶ τὸν κόπον καὶ τὴν ὑπομονήν σου, καὶ ὅτι οὐ δύνῃ βαστάσαι κακούς, καὶ ἐπείρασας τοὺς λέγοντας ἑαυτοὺς ἀποστόλους, καὶ οὐκ εἰσίν, καὶ εὗρες αὐτοὺς ψευδεῖς· 3 καὶ ὑπομονὴν ἔχεις, καὶ ἐβάστασας διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου, καὶ οὐ κεκοπίακες. 4 ἀλλὰ ἔχω κατὰ σοῦ ὅτι τὴν ἀγάπην σου τὴν πρώτην ἀφῆκες. 5 μνημόνευε οὖν πόθεν πέπτωκας, καὶ μετανόησον καὶ τὰ πρῶτα ἔργα ποίησον· εἰ δὲ μή, ἔρχομαί σοι, καὶ κινήσω τὴν λυχνίαν σου ἐκ τοῦ τόπου αὐτῆς, ἐὰν μὴ μετανοήσῃς. 6 ἀλλὰ τοῦτο ἔχεις ὅτι μισεῖς τὰ ἔργα τῶν Νικολαϊτῶν, ἃ κἀγὼ μισῶ. 7 ὁ ἔχων οὖς ἀκουσάτω τί τὸ πνεῦμα λέγει ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις. τῷ νικῶντι δώσω αὐτῷ φαγεῖν ἐκ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς, ὅ ἐστιν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τοῦ θεοῦ.
As the contents of the letters are analyzed, it is clear that they are, first, messages to these historic local churches in the first century. Second, they also constitute a message to similar churches today. Third, individual exhortations to persons or groups in the churches make it clear that the messages are intended for individuals today. Fourth, some believe that the order of the seven churches follows the order of various eras in church history from the first century until now.
This portion of Scripture has been strangely neglected. While many turn to the epistles of Paul and other portions of the New Testament for church truth, often the letters to these seven churches, though coming from Christ Himself and being climactic in character, are completely ignored. This neglect has contributed to churches today not conforming to God’s perfect will.
EACH of the epistles to the seven churches contains: 1. A. command to write to the angel of the particular Church. 2. A. sublime title of our Lord, taken, for the most part, from the imagery of the preceding vision. 3. An address to the angel of the Church, always commencing with I know, introducing a statement of its present circumstances: continuing with an exhortation either to repentance or to constancy; and ending with a prophetic announcement, mostly respecting what shall be at the Lord’s coming. 4. A promise to him that overcometh, generally accompanied with a solemn call to earnest attention: “He that hath an ear,” etc. (Alford).
In two churches, Smyrna and Philadelphia, the Lord finds matter for praise only. In two, Sardis and Laodicea, with a very slight exception in the former, for rebuke only. In Ephesus, Pergamum, and Thyatira the condition is a mixed one, calling for mingled praise and rebuke.
these messages are more like royal proclamations from the sovereign. Each letter connects the church’s situation to the vision of Christ (
If the traditions about John are correct, his pulse would have quickened as he heard that the first of the seven Letters was destined for the church at Ephesus, for there, it is widely believed, he himself was for many years bishop
Ephesus was one of the great cities of the ancient world and by far the largest in Asia Minor. It was proud of its title ‘Temple Warden’, which originally referred to the temple of Artemis (Diana) but later included two temples devoted to the worship of the Roman emperors. The temple of Artemis was a famous place of refuge for fugitives, but its vaunted ‘salvation’ was greatly abused, and the surrounding area gave the criminal a sanctuary beyond the reach of the law, becoming the headquarters of organized crime. The interest of the populace in magic and superstition is illustrated in
This large city was thoroughly stirred by Paul’s message (
Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla evangelized and founded the church at Ephesus (
Ephesus was a city of significance in the first century politically, commercially, and religiously, though its significance was waning. Politically, it was the capital of Asia and known as the “Supreme Metropolis of Asia.” Commercially, the great highways converged there, and a major seaport was still in place, but silt deposited by the Cayster River was building in the mouth of the harbor and would eventually be the death of the city’s importance. Some have referred to Ephesus as “the Vanity Fair of the Ancient World” (Barclay, Revelation, 59). Religiously, the city was the center for the worship of the fertility goddess Diana (Roman) or Artemis (Greek). The temple dedicated to Diana came to be known as one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World” and a source of intense civic pride. Thousands of priests and priestesses served in the temple, many as religious prostitutes.
Ephesus was built near the sea, in the valley of the Cayster, under the shadows of Coressus and Prion. In the time of Paul it was the metropolis of the province of Asia. It was styled by Pliny the Light of Asia. Its harbor, though partly filled up, was crowded with vessels, and it lay at the junction of roads which gave it access to the whole interior continent. Its markets were the “Vanity Fair” of Asia. Herodotus says: “The Ionians of Asia have built their cities in a region where the air and climate are the most beautiful in the whole world; for no other region is equally blessed with Ionia. For in other countries, either the climate is over-cold and damp, or else the heat and drought are sorely oppressive” (1:142).
In Paul’s time it was the residence of the Roman proconsul; and the degenerate inhabitants descended to every species of flattery in order to maintain the favor of Rome. The civilization of the city was mingled Greek and Oriental. It was the head-quarters of the magical art, and various superstitions were represented by different priestly bodies. The great temple of Diana, the Oriental, not the Greek divinity, was ranked among the seven wonders of the world
Next to Rome, Ephesus was the principal seat of Paul’s labors. He devoted three years to that city
famed for the temple of Diana, one of the seven wonders of the world. For three years Paul labored there. He subsequently ordained Timothy superintending overseer or bishop there: probably his charge was but of a temporary nature. John, towards the close of his life, took it as the center from which he superintended the province.
Ephesus Ephesus, the largest city in Asia Minor, was situated where the Cayster River meets the Aegean Sea. Ephesus was both a major port city and the site of many temples, including a large one dedicated to goddess Artemis (see
2 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;
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 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. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 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.
17 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, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 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.
These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand,
the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches
Who were these messengers? The best suggestion is that they were pastors. The responsibility of pastors is to “shepherd the flock” entrusted to their care. What could be more pastoral than to convey safely a direct message from Christ, the great Shepherd?
Ladd says,
The Greek verb used here … [indicates] that Christ holds his churches firmly in his hand, that they should not be snatched away (see
and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
walking in the midst of the seven candlesticks,” accords with the beginning of His address to the seven churches representing the universal Church. Walking expresses His unwearied activity in the Church, guarding her from internal and external evils, as the high priest moved to and from in the sanctuary.
This is based on the portrait of Jesus in chapter 1—as is the particular characteristic of Christ noted at the beginning of several of the other letters. In this instance, however, the characteristic is strengthened. In
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
John says, secondly, Christ “walks [present tense] among the seven gold lampstands.” Our Lord walks about among His people, His church. He is no absentee landlord or disinterested deity. He is there, up close and personal, intimately present.
2 “ ‘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. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
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.
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
“ ‘I know your works,
I know thy works,
your toil
and thy labour
thy labour—Two oldest manuscripts omit “thy”; one supports it. The Greek means “labor unto weariness.”
This community was busy for the Lord. Mounce says, “The Ephesians had toiled to the point of exhaustion and borne patiently the hostility of a society at odds with their goals and efforts” (Mounce, Revelation, 68).
and your patient endurance
and thy patience,
patience—persevering endurance.
Swindoll notes:
The Ephesian Christians faced special challenges. Because they refused to bow the knee to the goddess Diana or the images of the emperor, they found themselves maligned, slandered, boycotted, and abused. Not unlike Jewish merchants in Berlin in the 1930’s Christians in Ephesus would have been the objects of physical violence, social ostracism, and economic repression. Yet they endured. They bore up under the load. Clearly, Ephesus had been taught well by its predecessors, Paul, Timothy, and John. (Insights, 38)
These were not fair-weather fans of Christ and His cross, and the Lord took note of their dedication.
and how you cannot bear with those who are evil,
and how thou canst not bear them which are evil:
βαστάζω, (a) I carry, bear; (b) I carry (take) away,
We are to “bear (the same Greek,
κακός, bad, evil, in the widest sense. “harmful”
but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.
and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
πειράζω - “examine, put to a test, tempt, attempt”
The Ephesian Christians were still being admired for their doctrinal purity some years after Revelation was written. Ignatius, leader of the church in Antioch, wrote them: “You all live according to truth, and no heresy has a home among you; indeed, you do not so much as listen to anyone if they speak of anything except concerning Jesus Christ in truth” (Letter to the Ephesians, 6).
I suspect the tests or theological exams they gave related to things like these:
• What do you believe about Jesus—His person and work?
• What is the gospel, and how are people born again?
• Do you believe a holy life should complement our confession of Christ?
• Do you teach anything contrary to or in addition to the Word of God and the witness of the 12 apostles?
I know you are enduring patiently
And hast borne,
ὑπομονή, stedfast endurance, the virtue shown by martyrs
and bearing up for my name’s sake,
and hast patience,
βαστάζω, (a) I carry, bear; (b) I carry (take) away, “carry, bear” “endure”
and you have not grown weary.
and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
κοπιάω, (a) I grow weary,
6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
From νικᾶν to conquer, and λαός the people. There are two principal explanations of the term. The first and better one historical. A sect springing, according to credible tradition, from Nicholas a proselyte of Antioch, one of the seven deacons of Jerusalem (
The other view regards the name as symbolic, and Nicholas as the Greek rendering of Balaam, whose name signifies destroyer or corrupter of the people. This view is adopted by Trench (“Seven Churches”), who says: “The Nicolaitans are the Balaamites; no sect bearing the one name or the other; but those who, in the new dispensation, repeated the sin of Balaam in the old, and sought to overcome or destroy the people of God by the same temptations whereby Balaam had sought to overcome them before.” The names, however, are by no means parallel: conqueror of the people not being the same as corrupter of the people. Besides, in ver. 14, the Balaamites are evidently distinguished from the Nicolaitans
Alford remarks: “There is no sort of reason for interpreting the name otherwise than historically. It occurs in a passage indicating simple matters of historical fact, just as the name Antipas does in ver. 13.”
2. Possible Identity
3. Why Did Jesus Hate Their Works?
4. Application Today
There are two principal explanations of the term. The first and better one historical. A sect springing, according to credible tradition, from Nicholas a proselyte of Antioch, one of the seven deacons of Jerusalem (
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
more correctly, rendering the aorist, didst leave. The verb originally means to send away or dismiss.
The sin Christ charged this church with, is, not the having left and forsaken the object of love, but having lost the fervent degree of it that at first appeared. Christ is displeased with his people, when he sees them grow remiss and cold toward him.
How characteristic of our gracious Lord, that He puts foremost all He can find to approve, and only after this notes the shortcomings!
Some interpreters think this refers to the love (Greek agapé) they had for Christ when they were new converts. In the context, however, it refers mainly to their love for one another which Christ had said was the hallmark for his disciples (
They were in danger of a legalism that in time would be their death. They were still doing all the right things, but sometime in the past they had forsaken the right motivation. They didn’t have a head problem but a heart problem. Obedience out of duty had replaced obedience out of love for Christ.
What is the love they had abandoned? Various views have been proffered: (1) their original love for one another; (2) their love for God; (3) their love for the gospel; (4) their love for Christ. There is a sense in which we need not choose because all four are so interrelated as to prevent separation. The two great commandments would seem to support this (
He wants their obedience, yes. But He also wants their affection
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen,
The present imperative form of this verb beckons them to “keep on remembering.”
Lit., hast fallen out
5. whence—from what a height.
repent, and do the works you did at first.
and repent, and do the first works;
μετανοέω, I change my mind, I change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God by the νοῦς (mind) instead of rejection)
To repent is to undergo a change of mind resulting in a change of attitude and action. It is to think differently about your sin—sins of indifference, religious formalism, legalistic routine. It requires that we change our minds from thinking that our good deeds are meritorious and earn God’s favor.
and do the works you did at first.
and do the first works;
If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. ESV
or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
quickly—omitted in two oldest manuscripts, Vulgate and Coptic versions: supported by one oldest manuscript.
I will come—Greek, “I am coming” in special judgment on thee.
μετανοέω, I change my mind, I change the inner man (particularly with reference to acceptance of the will of God by the νοῦς (mind) instead of rejection)
I will take away the Church from Ephesus and remove it elsewhere. “It is removal of the candlestick, not extinction of the candle, which is threatened here; judgment for some, but that very judgment the occasion of mercy for others. So it has been. The seat of the Church has been changed, but the Church itself survives
Although Christ has promised to build his church worldwide (
The church continued and was later the scene of a major church council, but after the 5th century both the church and the city declined. The immediate area has been uninhabited since the 14th century.
7 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.’
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.
The commitment Christ makes at the end of each of the seven letters always includes three elements: the one who overcomes is praised; he who has an ear is addressed; and the message is commended as one that the Spirit says to the churches.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches;
He that hath an ear—This clause precedes the promise in the first three addresses, succeeds it in the last four. Thus the promises are enclosed on both sides with the precept urging the deepest attention as to the most momentous truths. Every man “hath an ear” naturally, but he alone will be able to hear spiritually to whom God has given “the hearing ear”; whose “ear God hath wakened” and “opened.”
ἀκούω, I hear, listen - “hear, receive news, pay attention, hear with understanding”
what the Spirit says to the churches.
the Spirit saith—What Christ saith, the Spirit saith; so one are the Second and Third Persons.
The Spirit is a distinct Person from Christ. The inspired words spoken objectively by the Son of God will be communicated to the members of the churches by the subjective personal illumination of the Spirit of God.
To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’
To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
To overcome is more literally “to conquer,” a reminder that the original recipients of Revelation were in spiritual combat. Such overcoming is defined in John’s first epistle: “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (
“The victor” is a reference to the one who “conquers” (ESV; see
παράδεισος, a quarter of heaven conceived by the later Jews to be in or just above the ‘third heaven’, paradise (lit. an enclosed orchard or garden with fruit trees).
The term paradise is a Persian loan word, denoting especially a park surrounded by a wall. The term was used in the LXX to translate the word ‘garden’ (Eden). In Jewish literature ‘Garden of Eden’ and ‘paradise’ were both used for the dwelling of the righteous in the future life. Jewish teachers therefore spoke of the paradise of Adam, the paradise of the blessed in heaven and the paradise of the righteous in the coming kingdom of God. It is the last of these meanings which is in mind in this promise.
the paradise of God Paradise represents the ultimate place of rest and refuge with God. The new earth and arrival of the final kingdom of God is later cast in language like that used to describe Eden (
“Paradise” (see
The tree of life in Paradise, lost by the fall, is restored by the Redeemer.
A frequent term for the cross of Jesus in the NT is ‘tree’ (especially on the lips of Peter; see
The thing promised corresponds to the kind of faithfulness manifested. They who refrain from Nicolaitane indulgences (
Paradise (a Persian, or else Semitic word), originally used of any garden of delight; then specially of Eden; then the temporary abode of separate souls in bliss; then “the Paradise of God,” the third heaven, the immediate presence of God.
This is a figurative expression, taken from the account of the garden of Eden, denoting the pure, satisfactory, and eternal joys of heaven; and the looking forward to them in this world, by faith, communion with Christ, and the consolations of the Holy Spirit.
To eat from the Tree of Life symbolizes eternal life with God. Paradise is a rare New Testament synonym for heaven (
The “tree of life” takes us back to
“The tree which disappeared with the disappearance of the earthly Paradise, reappears with the reappearance of the heavenly.” To eat of the tree of life expresses participation in the life eternal.
