Messages to 7
Churches
of Revelation
The church
identification
(location)
A name or
description of
Jesus
Commendation
Rebuke and
Exhortation
A promise as an
incentive for
faithful obedience
Ephesus was a leading seaport and the capital of the
Roman province of Asia. Paul had evangelized it and
then used it as a base of his ministry for at least three
years (Acts 18:19-21; 19; 1 Cor. 16:8).
Timothy had labored there (1 Tim. 1:3) as had the
Apostle John.
It was the largest city in Asia Minor.
Ephesus was the first recipient of four New
Testament books (Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and
Revelation) and possibly four more (John's Gospel
and his three epistles).
Paul also wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus. It was a
very important city in the early history of the church
as well as in the Roman Empire.
Rev 2:1a
Ephesus
According to the writings
of several early church
fathers (i.e., Irenaeus,
Clement of Alexandria,
Eusebius, and
Victorinus), the Romans
sent John as a prisoner
from Ephesus, where he
pastored, to the island of
Patmos in A.D. 95
Isbon Beckwith
Rev 2:1b
The One who
holds the seven
stars in His right
hand, the One
who walks among
the seven golden
lampstands, says
this:
From 1:20 –What do the stars and
lampstands symbolize?
Why does this passage tell us that Jesus
holds the 7 stars (or angels-messengers of
the 7 churches) in His right hand?
"When kratein, [the Greek word translated holds]
does take a direct accusative after it [as it does
here], it means that the whole object is gripped and
grasped within the hand. … And that means that
Christ clasps the whole of the seven stars in His
hand; and that means that Christ clasps the whole
of the Church [as opposed to just a few churches] in
His hand.“ William Barclay
Rev 2:1b
The One who
holds the seven
stars in His right
hand, the One
who walks among
the seven golden
lampstands, says
this:
What can we surmise from the
statement that Jesus walked
among the golden lampstands
(churches)?
What is Jesus role in our church?
How active is He in our:
Worship
Service
Relationships
Prayers
Commendation
Rev 2:2-3
What was this church good at
doing?
Why is it important to test
preachers?
How can we stay vigilant
(persevere) in protecting the
truth of scripture?
Why is it so tempting to let
“little” things go?
You have left your first love.
The Ephesians, however, were serving Jesus Christ and
maintaining orthodoxy as a habit or tradition, rather than out
of fervent love for their Savior.
The first love may be either first in time or first in importance,
though the latter alternative seems more likely.
They did what was correct, but for the wrong reason. Service
and orthodoxy are important, but Jesus Christ wants our love
too.
You have left your first love.
"It may well be that heresy-hunting had killed
love; it may well be that the eagerness to root out
all mistaken men had ended in a sour and rigid
orthodoxy. It may be that orthodoxy had been
achieved, but at the price of fellowship.“
William Barclay
Rev 2:5
Exhortation Remember –your first love
for Jesus
Repent –a change of
heart/attitude
Return –do the deeds you
did at first
Why did the
Ephesians need
to be reminded
of their love for
Christ?
Rev 2:5
Exhortation Remember –your first love
for Jesus
Repent –a change of
heart/attitude
Return –do the deeds you
did at first
How can we
remind each
other of our
love for Christ?
Rev 2:7
The Promise
Who is an overcomer?
"The one who overcomes" probably
refers to all Christians (cf. vv. 2-3, 10c, 13,
19, 25; 3:3, 8, 10; 1 John 5:4-5).
Chafer, Cook, Manahan, Newell……
The promises given to overcomers, in all
seven letters and in 21:7, bear this
interpretation out. Some interpreters
who hold this view and wish to support it
appeal to 1 John 2:13; 4:4; and 5:4-5,
where John referred to his readers as
overcomers.
Rev 2:7
The Promise
Who is an overcomer?
Some students of Revelation have
concluded that the overcomers are not
all Christians but only faithful
Christians. I (Constable) believe that the
Lord held out a reminder of what would
inevitably be the Ephesians' reward in
the future in order to motivate them to
follow Him faithfully in the present.
Similarly other New Testament writers
wrote of our blessings as believers in
Christ in order to motivate us to live in
harmony with our calling.
Rev 2:7
The Promise
I will grant to
eat of the tree
of life which is
in the Paradise
of God.
There is a connection between the tree
of life and people's rule over the earth.
Adam and Eve in their unfallen state had
access to this tree, but when they fell,
God kept them from it (Gen. 1:26-28;
3:22).
In the future believers will have access to
it again (cf. 22:14).
This promise suggests that
overcomers will experience the
fellowship with God that Adam and
Eve enjoyed before the Fall.
Revelation
2:7
Messages to 7
Churches
of Revelation
