Open Bible -https://www.open-bible.

ch- ©

The 7 Letters of the Apocalypse - Letter to Ephesus

(1/7)
Studies by Gilbert Aellig, pastor

As an introduction
From the very first reading, one notices that the author, Jean, deported to the island of
Patmos uses the same writing plan for each of its seven letters. The
variations are minimal. Each letter contains:

1. The presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ with one or more

attributes.
2. A common statement. 'I know your works. I know...' Nothing is
hidden in the eyes of God who takes pleasure, for our benefit, in evaluating the
local churches market.
3. The analysis of the qualities of each, except for that of Laodicea.
4. The list of reproaches and faults, except for those of Smyrna and
Philadelphia. Unfortunately, a local church is not a perfect organization...
5. An exhortation, an encouragement so that the members of these Churches
remedy the flaws, seek solutions to the problems, reform
Those who must, regain victory.
A promise to the victor. 'To the one who conquers...'
7. The phrase always repeated and that resonates like a refrain: 'Let he who'
He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." This shows
the extreme importance of the Words of God conveyed to John by the Spirit.

In his book on the Apocalypse (The Apocalypse verse by verse, ed. House of the
Biblewww.maisonbible.net) John Alexander sees three biblical analogies that
concerning these seven letters.

a. A double historical analogy: Each letter corresponds chronologically to

a period in the history of Israel and a period in the history of the Church. By
for example, the Church of Ephesus at the exit of Egypt of the people of Israel and to the Churches of
first century.

b. The aforementioned author also sees a correspondence between these seven letters and seven
Parables of the Gospel.

Why seven letters?

Of course, because God wanted them and inspired them to John in a vision.
To show us that God is deeply concerned about what is happening in
the local Churches.

1/6
 Open BibleThe provided text is a URL and does not require translation.- ©

In order for us to have a standard, a measure by which to evaluate the state of

our Church and, why not? that of others. But let's start with ours...

To know how to develop and reform our Churches. So that we

let us be informed about the activities or ways of doing things in our communities and
that we may bring remedies suitable to this or that situation.

These seven letters provide a precise and detailed photograph of what our
Churches can be and what they should be. They show us that in
ultimate purpose the Lord is judge, that He has the final word. These judgments can
be serious and we have a great advantage in listening to his voice.

The attentive reading of the seven letters of the Apocalypse urges us to fear God.
one should not trivialize the service of the faithful, whether within the framework of the local Church or
outside. He who serves God does very serious work. It is about avoiding being
superficial and to work professionally. I am often dismayed to realize
so much amateurism among the leaders and members of local churches. The
the service of the Lord requires as much rigor and even more than the exercise of
our profession. Let us remember, the Lord is very near.

He watches. He is the Master. He has an opinion. He judges. He rewards. It is obvious: these seven
Letters have a very important function even today. Let's read them again.
attentively and serve the Lord better and better:

Read: Revelation 2:1-7

Write to the angel of the Church of Ephesus, Here is what he says who holds the seven stars
in his right hand, he who walks among the seven golden lampstands,
I know your works, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot
support the wicked; that you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not
are not, and that you found them liars;
3 that you have perseverance, that you have suffered for my name, and that you
you are not tired.
But what I have against you is that you have abandoned your first love.
Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the first works;
Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
suddenly.
6 Yet you have this, that you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, works that I
you too.
7 Let him who has ears hear what the Spirit says to the Churches, to him who
To the victor I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

At the Church of Ephesus

This letter is addressed to the 'angel' of the Church of Ephesus. The understanding of this
Word is not obvious. Angel means "messenger". It can be an angel, a

2/6
 Open Bible -The provided text is a URL and cannot be translated.- ©

celestial creature that fulfills a ministry of God in this Church, a

guardian angel sort as well. But this word could also be understood as
being a human leader of this Church, an elder or a messenger.

The city of Ephesus

Her name means 'desirable'. It was founded around a thousand years before Christ.
on a commercial maritime and land route connecting Rome to Greece and
in the East. Three very famous buildings give this city exceptional brilliance:
The Temple of Artemis (Diana of the Romans, goddess of the hunt), one of the seven
wonders of the world, the theater and the Library of Celsus. The ruins of the temple
still exists today.

They are in poor condition, but they still allow us to get an idea.
of the immensity of this sanctuary. It should be noted that it was served by a crowd of
courtesans, barely less famous for their immorality than those of
Corinth.

On the other hand, the theater is very well preserved. This is where the riot described in
detail in Acts 19. We owe it to Lysimachus, general of Alexander (around 300 BC
A.D.), the reconstruction of the city. The theater was remodeled by the Romans and can
to accommodate about 24,000 people, which suggests for Ephesus a
population of 240,000 souls, at the time of its greatness.

But in Paul's time, the port was already beginning to silt up, which hastened the decline.
from this commercial, industrious, and pagan city. The Roman historian Tacitus
Tell that in the year 65 (a few years after Paul's passage) they tried to
to drag the port. Impossible work at the time... Today, the visit of the ruins of
this prestigious metropolis remains an unforgettable experience.

This city housed a very vibrant Church. It was served by servants of

God of a great consecration: Paul, Apollos, Aquila and Priscilla, very
probably the apostle John.

They passed through, stopped, and worked there. A letter from Paul was addressed to
this Church and which epistle, that bathes in Christian maturity and fullness:
In the Acts, on the other hand, Paul's tone is more solemn: "Wolves"
The formidable ones will not spare the herd..." Thus Paul speaks to the elders.
from Ephesus gathered in Miletus.

The attributes of Jesus Christ

He holds the seven stars in his hand. The stars represent the messengers of
this Church (Revelation 1:20).

The Lord is very near, He designed this Church, built it, loves it, takes care of it,

3/6
 Open Bible -Invalid input. Please provide text for translation.- ©

takes care of it. Whatever its condition, it remains his good shepherd. Moreover, he walks, he
is not static. The Church is supposed to be a candlestick, not the light itself.
even, but a light holder, in order to abundantly spread that of the Lord.
What about our local Church? Is it competent in fulfilling
this ministry?

The qualities of the Church of Ephesus

She has a lot. It doesn't surprise us, given the servants of God.
remarkable individuals who have passed through its walls.

She practices a lot of works. These are not qualified, but we

we have no reason to believe that they are bad. As long as the faithful of
this Church holds the belief that they are saved by grace and only by
thanks, they are right to work.

She cannot stand the wicked. Discernment is practiced and the false apostles.
are unmasked. At least initially, Paul's warnings to
The elders of Ephesus gathered at Miletus have been put into practice. One does not let just anyone...
who preach anything in the Church. It is essential to control the accuracy
doctrinal teaching provided to the faithful.

She has perseverance and does not get discouraged by the slightest obstacle. She endures
victoriously the adversity, the tribulation, the persecution. The Roman emperor
Diocletian persecuted Christians at that time. This is undoubtedly the reason that has
forced John to exile in Patmos.

She has hatred for the works of the Nicolaites. This term remains obscure. Is it about
of a sect, of a deviation whose leader would have been a certain Nicolas? Is it about
priests who would have tried to seduce the Church and introduce heresy?

Is it about occultism, impurities related to the story of Balaam and Moab?

Mystery, but the Ephesians acted correctly in these circumstances.

The reproach

Alas, there is one: "What I have against you is that you have abandoned the first
love." Oh! It is not a doctrinal deviation, nor an ambiguous position regarding
to certain questionable theologies. It is not about infidelity, a scandal,
in the manner of that of Achan who jeopardized all of Israel. Not at all.

At first, the Church of Ephesus showed a overflowing love for its Lord. The
Chapter 19 of Acts lets us guess.

Extraordinary miracles were accomplished there. Books of witchcraft worth

fortunes have been burned. By the power of the Lord, the Word was spreading

4/6
 Open Bible -https://www.bible-ouverte.ch- ©

effectively. Paul's teaching in the school of Tyrannus - the Biblical Institute

of Ephesus - the passage of the other servants of God has borne fruit which has
beyond the perimeter of Ephesus. Consequently, although other Churches have been
founded in the hinterland, for example those of Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis.
A great radiance, remarkable zeal, a powerful spiritual life, a
deep enthusiasm characterized the beginnings of this Church. But that did not
lasted. Time, habit, routine, perhaps the emerging tradition have acted and the
first love has unfortunately diminished. Why? The Bible does not say. After my visit
the impressive ruins of Ephesus, I suspect an easy life, comfort,
materialism of having been able to cool the Ephesian people. But, I admit, it is a
simple supposition.

We cannot speak directly with the Lord to know

his opinion on our AB Churches. We are obliged to go through Scripture. Several
of our Churches are old, the one I attend probably dates back to the
the 20s of this century. The faithful of the first generation are no more, we
let's possibly count a few survivors from the second or third
generation. We are probably in the fourth or fifth. The factor
time has largely been able to accomplish its work and the risk is very real of falling
in the same way as the Ephesians. We are no better than them.
So let us be vigilant.

The remedy, the reform

Remember where you fell from. The fall was great between the time of Acts 19 and
the one from writing the letter. Fifty, sixty years? The Ephesians should
reflect on the initial spiritual state, analyze the difference with the one described in
this letter, make a serious effort to reflect because God's interests have been
trampled. This requires repair through repentance. It consists of
to regret the mistakes, to desire a profound change, to confess
infidelities, to humiliate oneself and ultimately to ask for forgiveness from Above. The practice
from the end of the first century sclerosed, degenerated must be changed and replaced by
the old one which was better. "Practice your first works." We need to come back to it.
Today, a similar approach would certainly not be useless...

The threat of judgment

I will move your candlestick from its place. It will be relocated to a cupboard or behind.
a piece of furniture and will become useless. The Church will no longer spread the light of the Lord.
The assembly will not necessarily disappear immediately, it may operate in
free wheel at the level of its organization and its meetings.

But life and light will no longer be present. I don't know what happened to
the Church of Ephesus. On the other hand, the evolution of the city is known. The port has
ensabled, the sea has withdrawn and decadence has settled in. She has been supplanted.
by Smyrna (Izmir) which did not suffer from the same ailment.

5/6
 Open Bible -Invalid input. No translatable text provided.- ©

The following phenomenon is common. Many Churches function well as long as

love, zeal, enthusiasm are cultivated. But if these characteristics
fade and disappear, the Churches persist for a while, lose the
their influence and eventually disappear. This explains why the inhabitants of
some regions of the globe, once Christian and rich in Churches, have
abandoned the biblical faith to embrace other non-Christian religions. What
Drama! It is possible to explain the same phenomenon on an individual level, but that
out of our context.

The promise to the winner

I will give to eat from the tree of life which is in the paradise of God.
sublime, especially when we compare this passage with Revelation 22:1-5. Here is the
Verse 2: In the middle of the town square and on both sides of the river, there is
the tree of life, which produces twelve crops and bears its fruit every month. The
The leaves of the tree serve for the healing of the nations.
But be careful, we cannot automatically be granted the benefit of
this promise. It is conditional and is addressed only to those who are saved
By grace. Let us therefore be victors in Jesus Christ and through Him.

6/6