Revelation: Church at Ephesus in danger of decline

Bible End Times Prophecy Series – Week 46

The Letter to Ephesus

John's tomb at Ephesus. Public domain photo by Wikipedia.

To the church at Ephesus

Revelation 2:1-7(NLT) - 

1 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:

² “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars.  

³ You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.

⁴ “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 

⁵ Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.

⁶ But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.

⁷ “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.”

Background and commentary

John, the writer of Revelation, is believed to have spent his last days at Ephesus, after ending his exile in Patmos, according to historians. Mary, the mother of Jesus, may also have lived there under John’s care. Other traditions hold that Mary Magdalene possibly also lived in Ephesus. See Ephesus in history

John the apostle continues writing down what the risen Lord Jesus Christ both told and showed him in a series of visions of the future. The letters to the seven churches in Asia Minor are messages that applied then to all the churches and that apply at any time to the Christian church and individual believers.

A lot of things can get in the way, when we allow these to happen, that contribute to a decline of our Christian walk. Christianity is all about receiving Jesus Christ as savior and maintaining a quality relationship with Him. Although numerous books have been written to explain and encourage it, faith is not an abstract notion. In the Christian context, faith is believing in and trusting Jesus Christ, who is faithful beyond any measure.

When we take our eyes off Him, our hearts start to cool off, and we find ourselves less in love with Him than at the beginning. That’s the message for professing Christians who are being admonished through the message to the church at Ephesus. It applies today to all of us.

John 15:4 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”

1 John 2:16 (NIV) – “For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world.

1 John 2:16 (NLT) – “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.”

The letter in Revelation contains a promise to those who repent or turn around. 

Rev. 2:7 - "To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God."

Where else have we seen the "tree of life?" in the Garden of Eden before the fall of Adam and Eve. 

Genesis 2:9 - "The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

For those who don’t know Jesus, my prayer is that you can receive a revelation of what Jesus actually went through to save us. It is more than what was witnessed during His torture and crucifixion – much more than what we suppose of the physical suffering. 

What His followers couldn’t see back then because it occurred in the unseen spiritual realm was the worst part. It is no wonder that Jesus anguished in the Garden of Gethsemane; He knew what He was facing.

Matthew 26:38-39 (NLT) –

28 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

29 “He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 

Luke 22:44 (NLT) – “He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood.”

Today is the day of salvation

The sinless Jesus Christ took on the sins of the world AND the punishment for those sins. As John the Baptist had proclaimed, He was the Lamb of God. Only Jesus could do this. I don’t think that in our limited humanity we could ever truly fathom the magnitude of what Jesus did for us; if we could, it would devastate us.

When we begin to meditate on the suffering and death of

Jesus Christ for us, we will also come to see and sense how truly sinful and without hope we are. When we realize the degree of our depravity, really see it for what it is, we will also see our need and come running to Him.

Today, if you do not know Jesus, receive His free offer of salvation and put all your trust in Him.

John 1:29 (NLT) – “The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

2 Corinthians 6:2 – “ For God says,

“At just the right time, I heard you.
    On the day of salvation, I helped you.”

Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”

Acts 2:38 (NLT) – “Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

Shalom

Faith Today Christian Ministries