Jesus, identified as the Alpha and Omega of Time, has some words for seven different churches in Asia. The first church John is to write to is in Ephesus, where John apparently ministered for many years.
Ephesus was a large city in the first century but was partially destroyed by the Goths in 263 AD and then finished off by a great earthquake in 614 AD. It is now an archeological site about 3 miles from the sea. I have been there as a tourist, traveling by bus from the cruise ship port at Kusadasi.
Revelation 2: 1-6, Instructions to the Church in Ephesus
"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. 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.
3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.
5 Consider how far 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.
6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
This vision is immersed in the number seven, presumably a sign of completion and perfection.
The seven lampstands represent the churches to whom Jesus ministers and the seven stars are angels or messengers. The church in Ephesus, where John apparently ministered for some time, has many good qualities, including its patience pursuit of truth and perseverance in hardship. (This fits John's letters and their emphasis on acting in both truth and love.) Yet it has some weaknesses, turning away from its first love and enthusiasm for the gospel. It is told to look back and notice its lack of energy and love.
We don't really know who the Nicolaitans were. There are some ideas here at Wikipedia and here at BibleHub.com but these are conjectures.
The Greek word translated "angel" here, and throughout the book, simply means "messenger."
Given the supernatural aspects of this vision, it probably means a divine being, but that is not necessarily implied by the Greek word. It could even be someone who visited John in Patmos and is being sent back to his church.
I give this church a B– grade?
Revelation 2: 7, Promise of victory and paradise
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Ephesus was a large city in the first century but was partially destroyed by the Goths in 263 AD and then finished off by a great earthquake in 614 AD. It is now an archeological site about 3 miles from the sea. I have been there as a tourist, traveling by bus from the cruise ship port at Kusadasi.
Revelation 2: 1-6, Instructions to the Church in Ephesus
"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. 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.
3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.
5 Consider how far 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.
6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
This vision is immersed in the number seven, presumably a sign of completion and perfection.
The seven lampstands represent the churches to whom Jesus ministers and the seven stars are angels or messengers. The church in Ephesus, where John apparently ministered for some time, has many good qualities, including its patience pursuit of truth and perseverance in hardship. (This fits John's letters and their emphasis on acting in both truth and love.) Yet it has some weaknesses, turning away from its first love and enthusiasm for the gospel. It is told to look back and notice its lack of energy and love.
We don't really know who the Nicolaitans were. There are some ideas here at Wikipedia and here at BibleHub.com but these are conjectures.
The Greek word translated "angel" here, and throughout the book, simply means "messenger."
Given the supernatural aspects of this vision, it probably means a divine being, but that is not necessarily implied by the Greek word. It could even be someone who visited John in Patmos and is being sent back to his church.
I give this church a B– grade?
Revelation 2: 7, Promise of victory and paradise
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
"Whoever has ears" is a phrase emphasizing the need to pay attention. Those who hang on, following Jesus even in persecution, look forward to the "tree of life".
This passage continues to emphasize completion/perfection by focusing on the final "tree of life", to be described at the end of the letter.
Each message to a church ends with promises. Here it is "eating from the tree of life".
This passage continues to emphasize completion/perfection by focusing on the final "tree of life", to be described at the end of the letter.
Each message to a church ends with promises. Here it is "eating from the tree of life".
No comments:
Post a Comment