We now dive into the seven letters to the seven churches in the Roman province of Asia, modern-day Turkey. Some respectable Bible scholars maintain that each of these churches represent a period of time in the history of the church. The believe the letter to the church in Ephesus covered the period A.D. 30-100, the Apostolic church. The church in Smyrna was the church of Roman persecution from A.D. 100-313. The church in Pergamum represents the church during the reign of Constantine, A.D. 316-600. The church in Thyatira represents the church during the Dark Ages, A.D. 600-1517. The church Sardis represents the church during the Reformation period, A.D. 1517-1648. The church in Philadelphia represents the church during the missionary movement, A.D. 1648-1900. And finally, the church in Laodicea represents the church from A.D. 1900 and includes our current time. There is a compelling argument made here but I have a different take on this.
I believe these seven letters were written to the seven churches in the Roman province of Asia but are applicable to all churches, from the First Century through the Twenty-first Century and until the Lord returns.
That being said, here are my thoughts on these seven letters starting with the church in Ephesus.
The city of Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia—modern day Turkey. It was the third largest city in the Roman Empire with an estimated population of 250,000 during the First Century. It was a city with a major commercial port and commerce. The city also hosted a number of artisans that crafted, among other things, idols of the Roman gods. It was a city steeped in paganism.
During one of the Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys, he went to Ephesus and he found a group of disciples meeting there. He asked if they received the Holy Spirit when they became believers in Jesus. They had no idea what Paul was talking about. Paul began teaching the people, they received the Holy Spirit and the church began to grow. Paul spent over two years in Ephesus teaching every day. The first three months were in the synagogue but Paul ran into resistance so he met with the disciples in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
(Rev 2:1a)
I mentioned before that the word “angel” means messenger. God used celestial beings to carry messages. These are familiar stories of angels speaking to people such as the angel that spoke to Mary and told her she would conceive a child through the Holy Spirit. But angel can also mean a human messenger. I believe that the angel of the church in Ephesus was the pastor. If the messenger were a celestial angel as we understand them, they would not need John, a human, to tell them what God said and commanded. Celestial angels have access to the throne room of heaven and would receive their messages directly from God.
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his
right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
(Rev 2:1b)
In each of these letters John reaffirms that this letter is not from him but from Jesus. He pulls from some of the descriptions found in the first chapter of Revelation. It is another reminder that God is speaking and when God speaks, His people should listen. The description goes on to describe Jesus as walking among the seven golden lampstands.
It is also important to note that these seven messengers were held in Jesus’ right hand, an expression that means they were important to Jesus. As members of any church, we should remember this. Our pastors are called by God and are special but only as long as they remain Godly pastors. They are special to Jesus but they are also held to a higher standard.
I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance.
(Rev 2:2a)
The church in Ephesus apparently had a good reputation. They were against obstacles right from the beginning. After two years of preaching in Ephesus, Paul had to leave since a riot started and he was no longer safe. One of the issues involved the artisans who made idols. People coming to know the Lord quit buying these idols and the artisans’ businesses suffered. The church apparently continued to persevere even after Paul left.
I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested
those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
(Rev 2:b)
One of their strengths was that they stood fast on sound doctrine. Many false teachers came looking to cash in on the Jesus industry. Even today, Jesus is a multi-billion dollar (euro) industry and false teachers are just trying to make a name for themselves in an effort to make money. They do not seek to glorify Jesus but themselves.
The church in Ephesus called them out. They did not allow false prophets or false teachers to corrupt the true teaching of scripture.
Churches today face the same challenges. There are many prosperity gospel preachers around the world getting rich while leading people from the truth. Every church has a duty to safeguard the truth and sound doctrine but to do that the church needs to know sound doctrine.
There are also cults that claim to be Christian but are from sound doctrine. These cults were started by men with self-centered interests. Many of their followers continue to advance false teachings; why they do this and why people follow them can only be explained as the work of Satan. He seeks to keep mankind—God’s most treasured of all creation—from following God. Like many leaders of criminal organizations, Satan goes after God’s children.
Verse one through three give us the accolades Jesus gave to the church in Ephesus. They endured much because of Jesus’ name, they did not grow weary in doing the work He called them to do. They stood up to false teachers and protected sound doctrine within the church.
The next post will look at their shortcomings.
