Revelation Chapter 2 Part 1 – John Karmelich

1. My title for this lesson is "Jesus gives a mid-term". ☺

a) If you are not familiar with that term, it is a big test usually given half way through a high school or college semester. The point is to measure the progress of the student and make sure the student is comprehend the material being taught to that student.

b) I’m also using the term "mid-term" to mean a mid-term report. It would be like a boss giving a company status report or an employee evaluation. The idea is a leader is telling his or her subordinates the things they are doing right and wrong.

c) This leads us to Revelation Chapters 2 and 3: They are seven specific letters to seven specific churches. The Lord Jesus is dictating this to John, the Revelation "scribe". In each case, each church is told what they are doing right and wrong. Three churches have "perfect scores" in that two churches are doing nothing wrong and one is doing nothing right. The other four churches have mixed reviews where they are told good things that they are doing and bad things they are doing. This lesson covers the first two letters.

2. Let’s back up a little to the last part of Chapter 1 and understand Chapters 2 and 3 in context:

a) Chapter 1 Verse 19 says, ""Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later". This verse is an outline of the whole book of Revelation.

i) "What you have seen" describes the vision(s) as described in Chapter 1.

ii) "What is now" describes the positive and negative aspects of the seven churches to who this letter is addressed. This is Chapters 2-3.

iii) "What will take place later" describes the remainder of the Book of Revelation.

3. Now comes the most important part of this lesson. Time to pay attention! ☺

a) By the same standards Jesus judges these churches, He is judging you and me.

b) I call this chapter a "mid-term" report because it is describing a work-in progress. The people in these churches are continuing to live their lives. These letters are designed to be written to Christians to evaluate their work in progress.

c) There is a key phrase in Chapters 2 and 3 that is repeated to each of the seven churches:

i) To each church Jesus says, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Now go look in the mirror and see if you have ears. ☺ If you believe Jesus is the Lord of your life and you have ears, these letters are for you! I’ll even add that this applies to those who are born without ears as one can read these letters. The principal is the same.

d) Now let’s get back to why this is so important. Stop and think about Chapters 2 and 3 this way: These are Jesus first words to "everyone" (all believers) since he was taken into heaven after the resurrection. Yes, the bible records Jesus spoke some words to Paul after that, but this is Jesus’ first words to the church in general since the resurrection.

i) As of the time Revelation was written, it is roughly 60 years since the resurrection.

a) By this time some doubted Jesus’ Second Coming (See 2nd Peter 3:4).

ii) Now here is Jesus giving a "report card" to seven specific churches.

e) Remember that the main purpose for Jesus Second Coming is for judgment. Before Jesus can "judge the world", which is the bulk of Revelation, Jesus first has to "judge the church". Peter said, "For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? (1^st Peter 4:17, NIV). Revelation 2 and 3 lays out standards for Christian church judgment.

4. Let’s talk a little more about Jesus and judgment.

a) When we get to Revelation Chapter 20, we will read of a specific time era where two judgments occur. One is for Christians and one for unbelievers. The judgment standards are different for each group. The judgment for believers is to give our rewards in heaven and the judgment for unbelievers is to determine whether to go to heaven or hell.

b) In essence, we as Christians will be held accountable for what we know about Jesus and what we did with that knowledge. For those wondering about people who die young or people who never have heard of Jesus, the simple answer is a perfect God will judge perfectly. I have faith a perfect God will work all of that out.

c) These two chapters lay out the standards by which these churches are judged. We as Christians are subject to the same judgment standards. We need to read each line of these letters and apply it to ourselves.

d) I also need to give a brief discussion of "group" judgment: Not only are we accountable as individuals, but also as "groups". These seven letters make it real clear that God judges churches. The idea is that we may still be saved, but if our actions are not up to God’s standards, our individual church may come to an end. It may come to a physical end or it may simply become an ineffective witness for Jesus. In that sense, these seven letters become models for how to have a vibrant and effective church for Jesus Christ!

5. Hopefully by now you will understand why I consider Chapters 2 and 3 the two most important chapters in the bible when it comes to understanding God’s standards for Christian judgment.

a) From Chapters 4 through the end of the book is describing events tied to Jesus Second Coming and God judging unbelievers.

b) Most Evangelical Christians see Chapters 4-21 as all future events from our time frame. Another common view that is popular among traditional denominations is that most of Chapters 4-19 describes world judgment over the last 2,000 years of church history and then, in the future Jesus returns. We’ll discuss each view much more in future lessons.

i) No matter which view you hold, most of the remainder of Revelation deals with judgment on nonbelievers and then with rewards for the believer.

ii) Only Chapters 2 and 3 focus on the "rules" for Christian judgment. That is why for the "here and now" they are the most important chapters in the book.

6. Finally, let’s talk about the different "levels" of the seven letters:

a) First, one can read each letter from a historical aspect. These letters are dealing with seven churches that actually existed at that time. Each church is in a different city. Understanding a few historical facts about each city give us some additional clues as to what the verses mean. We'll discuss those facts as we go.

b) There is also the universal application. This is how the letters apply to you and me.

i) I encourage you to memorize is the meaning of the name of each city. Those actual city names are a word-picture of the key point or theme of each letter. The way I recall the theme of each letter is I simply recall what that city name means. For example the first letter is to the church in Ephesus. That word "Ephesus" means "darling". The main theme of this letter is that the church has lost its love for God. That is why "darling" is a word-picture tied to one's love for God.

c) The letters also follow a pattern that outline the last two thousand years of church history. Some commentators see this, others think it is a stretch of the imagination.

i) For example, many see the first letter as a generalization of the church of the first century. Many see the second letter describing the next several hundred years when the Romans persecuted the church. This continues to present times.

ii) I’ll explain this view as we go. If you agree with this view, terrific. If not, it’s not a key issue. Remember you and I will face a judgment day before God. Therefore, it’s vital to understand what God considers "good and bad" in each of the letters.

d) My last bit of advice when studying these letters is to remember some basic bible rules:

i) Rule #1: "The plain things are the main things and the main things are things". This means that the big or obvious things are what are most important as opposed to some of the trivial details.

ii) Rule 2: "A text taken out of context becomes a pretext". The best interpretation of any bible verse is always to read it in context of the surrounding verses.

iii) With all that said, may the Holy Spirit "hover" over these studies and teach us the things He wants us to learn from them, in Jesus name, Amen.

7. Chapter 2, Verse 1: "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

a) Let’s start with a quick discussion of who this letter is to and from:

i) The "from" is given in Chapter 1: The last half of Chapter 1 gave a physical description of the resurrected Jesus Christ. That description is full of word-pictures that are going to be used in Chapter 2, including this verse.

ii) The "from" of Chapter 2 is Jesus himself. He was the one who started speaking in Verse 17 of Chapter 1, and it continues through all of Chapter 2 and 3. The writer John, (Same writer as Gospel of John) then took dictation.

iii) The "to" is stated in Chapter 2, Verse 1. It is the church in Ephesus.

b) The church of Ephesus was founded by Paul in his missionary journeys. It is mentioned in the Book of Acts, Chapters 18 through 20. It was one of the largest cities in the ancient world. If you recall from Acts, it was home of the temple to the goddess "Diana". The worship of this pagan god included sexual acts. The temple was full of prostitutes. That temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. In Chapter 19 of Acts, as Christianity grew, Diana-worshipped decreased. This affected the Ephesians’ economy and anti-Christianity sentiment grew. The point of all of this is that the church of Ephesus had to deal with paganism and all of this immorality in the background.

8. Verse 1, Second Sentence: (Jesus is still speaking) "These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:"

a) Let’s break down the word-pictures of this sentence:

i) "These are the words of him": This is Jesus speaking. Chapter 1, Verse 18 said in effect "I was dead and now alive", making it Jesus.

ii) "Seven stars in his right hand": Chapter 1, Verse 20 says the stars are the angels of the seven churches. "Seven golden lampstands": Chapter 1, Verse 20 says the lampstands are the seven churches.

b) Putting it all together, this is a colorful way of saying Jesus is speaking to the angels of the seven churches. Why does Jesus use these word pictures?

i) Both stars and lampstands give off light. Jesus calls us the "light of the world" (Matthew 5:14) in that we are to illuminate Jesus to the world.

ii) "Stars" give off a small amount of light, and "work in the background" of our sky. It makes a nice picture of a function of angels.

c) Time for a quick word on angels: The word angel means messenger. The letters are written to the "angel" of each church. Does that refer to some angelic being in charge of each church or some human messenger sent to each church? Scholars debate this stuff. Personally I find the debate irrelevant because no matter which way you look it at, the point is these letters are being delivered to these seven churches.

d) OK, Jesus is dictating letters to seven churches. What’s the point? Glad you asked! ☺

i) The verse says that Jesus "walks" among the seven churches (lampstands).

ii) To paraphrase Jesus, He is saying, "I know that you have your doubts at times. I know it is hard to have faith in Me when you can’t physically see Me. I know you think that in the whole world of people and places, you sometimes wonder if I know what is happening in your church. Let me, Jesus Christ reassure you, that I am aware of what is happening in your church, your town and your life every day. I "walk" among the seven churches and among your church!"

iii) Remember my key point is what "happens" to the Christians of these seven churches also happens to you and me as believers in Jesus. What Jesus considers a good or bad thing in the "status reports" is a good or bad thing for you and me.

9. Verse 2: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. ³You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

a) OK, here comes the first of the actual "performance status" comments of Chapters 2-3. In these verses, we get the positive accommodations given to the church in Ephesus.

b) It starts by saying "I know your deeds". It doesn’t say, "I’ve got great second hand knowledge of what you’re doing by my staff memos". ☺ The idea is Jesus is personally aware of what is going on in our lives.

c) The first accommodation is "deeds". That refers to what we have accomplished.

i) Is your church supporting missionaries? Jesus is aware of it.

ii) Is your church doing some special charity project? Jesus is aware of it.

iii) Is your church spending time just worshipping Jesus? He is aware of it.

iv) Finally notice that "deeds" is a good thing. The tone of Verses 2 and 3 are that these are positive accommodations for the churches actions.

d) The second accommodation is "hard work". Let’s face it, ministry is hard work. I’ve yet to meet anyone in "professional" ministry who only puts in a 40 hour week. I’ve yet to see any project that has made an impact for the Gospel that didn’t require a lot of hard work. Don’t get me wrong, doing God’s will gives far greater joy than anything we can accomplish in life. Sometimes it just takes plain old hard work to get the job done.

e) The third accommodation is "perseverance". The idea is that we "stick through it". There is always a temptation to quit when things get tough. Persevering is about keep on going toward the goal even when the work gets routine, tough or boring. Remember this is an accommodation. Jesus is aware how tough it can be in the middle of a project when there is no end in sight. Jesus is saying He is aware how tough it is and is encouraging us to keep moving forward.

f) The fourth accommodation has to do with "wicked men" and "false apostles". In other words, the Ephesus church didn’t tolerate those who are not sincerely following Jesus.

i) Remember that Ephesus was the home of the temple of Diana. The temple featured male and female prostitutes to encourage others in sex in order to entice Diana. The temple priests would then sell souvenirs to the tourists, which where silver replicas of Diana to take home. The Ephesus church had deal with all this in the background. I suspect that is the key reference to dealing with "wicked men".

ii) This verse also stated there were "false apostles". Think about this for a second: Does a false teacher or a false apostle (i.e., one who claims they were sent by God) wear a button that says, "Hello, I’m John and I’m a false teacher, follow me!" ☺ Of course not! The only way to tell a false teacher is by what they teach. The positive accommodation of this church (Hint! Hint!) is they watch the behavior of new members. They watch what they teach and judge their behaviors in comparison to what Jesus has taught.

iii) People who work in banks know the best way to spot counterfeit money is to spend a lot of time with real money. Bank tellers spend a lot of time holding and counting money. You get to a point where it gets easier to spot fake money because you spend so much time with the real thing. The same applies to false teachers. The more time you spend with "the real thing" (i.e., studying your bible and learning truth), the easier it is to spot counterfeits.

iv) Notice the church was given positive remarks for not tolerating false teachers. They did not say, "Well, Jesus loves everybody and maybe they’ll change one day, come on in and teach us your views!" ☺ This is not say to "sinners" are unwelcome in church. The idea is newcomers or false teachers are not allowed to teach false doctrines in church.

g) Let me give a quick comment on Verse 3: It reads, "You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary."

i) This is very similar to what was stated in Verse 2. It is as if Jesus is saying, "Let me tell you one more time how I notice your perseverance".

ii) Again, Chapter 20 of the Book of Acts records anti-Christian sentiment in Ephesus because Christian worship was "bad for business" for Diana-statue manufacturers. A lot of people are willing to tolerate other religions until it affects their wallets.

iii) This church had to deal with this problem for years. Its one thing to endure hardship for a week or a month. When it goes on for year after year, it wears you out. People who have gone through long term suffering need to take verses like Verse 3 to heart. They (we) need to know that Jesus is there and He is aware we are persevering through whatever hardship we are enduring.

iv) On a related work, any work for Jesus that is making a difference will encounter demonic spiritual resistance. There is a great true saying that goes, "If you don’t believe the devil is real, try opposing him for awhile". That is another reason Jesus is accommodating this church.

v) OK, time for the bad news, verse 4. ☺

10. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.

a) You can read the first word "yet" and you can just feel the pink slip coming. ☺ (The "pink slip" is a cliché for getting fired or laid off work). For those who ever sat through an employee evaluation session, you listen to all the good things, knowing that the "yet" or the "however" is about to drop. This does not mean all of the positive comments in Verses 2 and 3 were just lip service. Those comments were as sincere as the criticism of Verse 4 and should be treated as such.

b) One of the things to catch is that each of the seven churches were "clueless" about some aspect of their relationship with God. With this church, it is that they lost their first love.

c) Also recall how the name of each church is a clue to the key point of the church. The word Ephesus means "darling". The key point to this letter is about losing one’s love.

d) So what does "forsaken your first love" mean? Most men who have been married awhile can understand this verse. When we were dating our wives to be, we made all sorts of romantic efforts. We wanted to know everything about them. We though about pleasing them all the time. Now it's, "Hi honey, what’s for dinner?" ☺ This is an example of forsaken one's first love.

i) On a related note, think back to when you first dedicated your life to Jesus. You loved going to church and talking to other Christians. You loved to soak up knowledge about Jesus just so you can learn more about that. You loved to pray to just spend time talking to God. Let’s face it, all veteran Christians go through periods of time where we are telling God in effect, "Hi honey, what’s for dinner?" We take God for grant it and that’s the criticism of this letter.

e) Notice the word "forsaken" is not the word abandoned. Remember that this church is still doing good things in the name of Jesus. As one commentator put it, "They spent so much time doing the king’s business, they forgot about the king".

i) This goes back to one of my favorite cliché’s: "Without God, we can’t." We need to draw upon God’s love in order to accomplish anything for Him. Without having that "vertical" relationship between God and ourselves, we eventually will burn out. The church in Ephesus appeared to be running on willpower and self-discipline. Jesus complimented that, but is saying in Verse 4 (and Verse 5) that eventually we "run out of gas" unless we draw upon Him.

f) OK, once the novelty of Christianity wears off, how do we reclaim our "first love"?

i) Jesus gives us the answer in Verse 5. Speaking of which…

11. Verse 5: Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

a) Jesus himself gives the remedy to reclaim one’s first love: The key word is "remember".

i) Imagine saying, "I’ve been involved in this project at church for months now and I’m beat. I’m tired of doing all the work. It seems like no one is helping me and I can’t go another day."

ii) A similar line is "I can’t take another day with the kids without some help. I feel like I’m going to collapse". Yes, God understands we need both help and rest.

iii) The question to ask God is, "Are You big enough to handle my problems?" The point is we are trying to fix it ourselves without God’s help. We need to draw upon His strength.

iv) "Remember" how much easier it was when we prayed regularly. "Remember" how much better our perspective was when we made time for God every day!

v) To "remember" starts with the mental decision to want to stay close to Jesus. We then make the effort to draw closer to Him. We then let the emotions follow. The key is not emotions, it is commitment. The emotions will naturally follow.

vi) To use a crude analogy, we need to "suck carpet" regularly, which means spending time on our knees before God. Once we get into that habit of making time for God, I promise the emotions will follow.

b) Now let’s go on the last sentence of this verse: "If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."

i) Remember the word "lampstand" refers to the local church (Rev. 1:20). The point is Jesus is saying that if we don’t make time for Him ("our first love"), He is going to take away that church.

ii) Notice what Jesus does not say, "If you don’t repent, you’re all going hell". My point is this is not a salvation issue. Our salvation is based on our trust in Jesus as payment for our sins, not our daily behavior in life.

iii) Remember that judgment in the bible can be either individual judgment or group judgment. This is a case of "group" judgment. Jesus is saying in effect that if the church in Ephesus as whole does not change their ways in terms of spending more time worshipping Him, then they will cease from being a church.

iv) Again, we are back to our theme of "without God, we can’t". If we try to run a church based on self-discipline we will burn out. We need to draw upon God’s strength on a regular basis in order to do whatever is God’s will for our lives.

v) This is why regular church attendance is so necessary. Can one be saved and never go to church? I supposed so, but I’ll also argue that in order to be effective witnesses for Jesus, it needs to be a group basis. God never intended Christianity to be millions of solo-efforts. It is designed to be teamwork. We are to collectively draw upon God’s strength to minister (help) each other grow in our faith and trust in Him. That is the basic purpose of ministry and that is why Christians should belong to some sort of church community.

c) So let’s say you and I go to a local church and we are happy there. What do we do to keep it thriving and growing? The answer is not found in a marketing program. The answer is here in Verse 5: "Repent and do the things you did at first." God’s word promises that a church will continue to have its lampstand (i.e. be an effective witness to the world around that church) by "Remembering our first love". That means to individually and collectively spend time worshipping God. That means singing songs as if Jesus is seated right in the middle. You are singing to Him as well as about Him! It means hearing God’s word taught so it sinks in one’s heart. Think of the local church as one’s "gas station" to fill up our vehicle’s so it can perform through the rest of the week.

12. Verse 6: But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

a) The criticism of "lost your first love" is sandwiched between other positive comments. Verses 2-3 are positive things said to this church in Ephesus and here in Verse 6 we have this other positive comment, that they hate the practice of the "Nicolaitans".

b) OK, who are these Nicolaitans and why should I hate them? ☺

i) This is an untranslated (transliterated) Greek term. If we break down the word, it will make sense.

ii) The first syllable "Nico" is the same as the word as "Nike", as in the shoe and clothing company. Nico or Nike means "victory". It doesn’t mean we are to hate Nike shoes. ☺ It just means this word means victory. The second part of the word is Nico-laitan. It is the same word we get "laity" which means "people".

iii) Putting it together, it means "victory over the people". The idea is somebody who rules "by victory" over people. It can be ruler over the people by victory.

iv) OK, John, why does Jesus hate those who have "victory over the people?" What the Nicolaitans refer to (they probably were a sect at that time) is about one group of people ruling over Christian church congregations. It teaches against those who are full time in ministry having power over the "common" people in the ministry.

a) There is the distinct possibility the Nicolaitans were some sort of false teachers. That would fit in context with some of the earlier verses. The fact they "ruled over the people" would imply they were in charge.

v) The word "minister" is one who is a servant of all. It means one who is at the bottom rung of the organizational chart. The main purpose of those who are in the professional ministry is to encourage and help all the church members in their "flock" to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. The leaders are not to rule over them, but to serve their congregation and encourage them in their faith.

vi) The Nicolaitans ruled over the people. They set themselves over the congregation. They probably had the best parking spaces reserved for themselves at church. ☺ They may have been false teachers as well. Jesus point is he can’t stand church leaders who consider themselves a higher class than the "flock".

13. Verse 7 (Part 1): He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

a) The term "he who has an ear, let him hear" is a common cliché used by Jesus. It is recorded eight times in the Gospels. Jesus must have used it often enough that the Gospel writers included it in their Jesus' quotes.

b) Here is the important part of this sentence: Notice the last word is plural: "churches".

i) In other words, it does not say, "Hey everyone, listen to what God has to say to these Christians living in Ephesus". These judgment rules are for all Christians.

ii) The tourism board of the city of Las Vegas, Nevada had a cliché that goes, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". The opposite is true for these letters. The idea here is "what applies to the church in Ephesus also applies to you and me." That is what Jesus is saying by this sentence.

c) Finally, notice the word "Spirit". Remember Jesus is the one dictating the letters, but Jesus is specifically saying to note what the (Holy) Spirit is saying to the churches.

i) A function of the Holy Spirit is to help us understand what God's word says. That includes encouraging us in things we are doing right as well as convicting us in what we are doing wrong. That is why His name (i.e., the Holy Spirit) gets the credit here and not Jesus himself.

14. Verse 7, Part 2: To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

a) First, let's discuss the word "overcome". Just what is it we have to overcome? The good news is the writer-John defines "overcome" for us in one letters:

i) "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." (1st John 5:4-5 NIV)

a) The term "born of God" refers a direct creation of God. Adam was born of God. We as humans are "born of Adam". When we become born-again, we become "new creatures" with the spiritual nature. (See 2nd Cor. 5:17). Thus, we as saved believers are now called "born of God".

b) Therefore, anyone who is born-again "overcomes" the world. The word "world" refers to nonbelievers. Therefore, "overcome" refers to salvation. Remember Verse 7 is addressed to the churches, not just the Christians who lived in Ephesus two thousand years ago. To paraphrase Jesus, "He who gives allegiance to Me, and accepts My payment for their sins, has at that moment overcome the world and has eternal life."

b) Remember the warning of "losing their first love" was not being sent to hell, but just the loss of their church, or the loss of the effectiveness of their church. That negative comment was not a salvation issue.

i) In Verse 7, we do have a salvation issue. The focus is on the Gospel fundamentals (believing Jesus as Lord, payment for our sins, salvation by faith, etc.).

ii) The idea of Verse 7 is to study what Jesus is saying to all seven churches and use that as a yardstick to measure our life as a Christian. Remember, this is a "midterm" report to see how we are doing as Christian. It still begins with the fundamentals, which is the reminder of Verse 7.

c) OK, now to the interesting part: Jesus says that if we are saved, "I (Jesus) will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God".

i) Back in the Garden of Eden, people miss the fact that two trees were mentioned:

a) "In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2:9 NIV)

b) It was the other tree (good and evil) of which Adam & Eve ate the fruit.

c) This verse in Revelation focuses on "the other tree", the tree of life