Revelation Chapter 2 Commentary

This book contains four of the seven messages addressed to the seven actual churches, including Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, and Thyatira.  We’ll speak about each of them particularly as we get to them but let’s cover some commonalities that they all share:

(1) They all open with the same address with the only difference being the name of the Church involved. “Unto the angel of the church of ________, write;”

(2) And all begin by referencing some attribute or another of the Lord; in other words to Ephesus Jesus is described as 

“he who speaks to them holds the seven stars in his right  hand, and walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;” to the church at Smyrna, he who "is the first and the last, who was dead and is alive;" to the church at Pergamos that he is the one "which hath the sharp sword with the two edges;" to Thyatira we read he is "the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet like fine brass;" to Sardis, (which will be covered in the next Volume and is mentioned in Revelation 3:1) that He is who "hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars;" to the church at Philadelphia, (Revelation 3:7,) it says, "He that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth;" and to the church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14) it is he who is the "Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God."

Because this is the Revelation of Jesus Christ is makes sense that in every specific directive to a specific church Jesus would be described (revealed) in a unique way.  But at this point in the verse by verse study we have yet to discern whether there is any more purpose for these descriptions than this.  We also note that after each introduction Jesus says to each church, "I know thy works" which is then followed by some sentiment or another about their conduct – both approving or disapproving. Generally speaking, we see that:

Two of the churches - Smyrna (Revelation 2:9) and Philadelphia (Revelation 3:10) He gives great praise but to the churches of Sardis (Revelation 3:3) and Laodicea (Revelation 3:15-18) he gives a stern rebuke.  Then finally to the churches of Ephesus (Revelation 2:3-6) Pergamos (Revelation 2:13-16) and Thyatira (Revelation 2:19,20,24,25) he intermingles both praise and rebuke.  In all cases, however, His praise proceeds His critique, showing that the Lord has an order or disciplining, the old stroke and stab.

After we work through all Seven churches, we’ll provide a chart that details all the commonalities and all the dissimilarities in His words to each of them.

I do want to say something about a phrase the Lord uses toward each church.  That phrase is, “I know thy works.”  Over the course of teaching the Word (verse by verse) I have shifted in my thinking about the purpose and meaning of salvation by grace through faith.

When I personally entered the Kingdom, I was infused with sharing and promoting the joys of His grace. Quite frankly most of my outreach to the people of my former faith was to promote and emphasize the fact that God saved me a sinner, as I was, and from nothing that I could do. It’s an important and principled message because it is the Good News and its recipients are all equipped with its benefits freely.  What I didn’t understand (as a babe in Christ) was the overwhelming amount of information, direction and counsel toward good works in the New Testament.  I would go so far to say that it’s a ten to one ratio in the text but in many Evangelical churches it is either ignored or it is emphasized in a manner disconnected from the principles of faith and the spirit-led life.  What I mean by this is on the one hand we have a reiterated message of “grace, grace, grace!” (even hyper-grace – which is sometimes deemed “cheap grace” by some) but at the other extreme we have burdens of religious labors heaped upon the souls of those claiming to believe.  In all of this we cannot help but notice that to the seven churches Jesus repeats the same line, “I know thy works.”

From the Greek word, “ergon,” meaning, “I know thy labors, efforts, toil, deeds, works.” This cannot be ignored and it often takes all we have, to the point of discomfiture, to reasonably and rationally analyze his words relative to Paul.  As an attempt in brief to summarize:

We are all, in our sin, saved by God’s grace through faith.  I’m not gonna mince words here as I believe that this is a synergist exchange rather than a monergist appointing (meaning “God offers and we accept” rather than “God demands and we are forced to receive.”)  I mention this not only because free will was present with Adam and Eve (and therefore it is present with us) but because once we have received His gift (by faith) we are also free to follow Him in labors of love – or not.  The revolving implication is those who have truly received the gift of salvation will produce fruit.  Not, “produce fruit and you will be saved;” not “produce fruit to prove to people that you are saved,” but, again, those who have been truly saved will (will) to some extent or another, bear fruit (which Jesus is categorizing as “their works”) to the Seven Churches.

I think we are able to see this “order” played out in the life of Paul who said:

1^st Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” 

The question then becomes not how or what our labors really amount to but how much do we allow, in the synergist fashion, God’s grace to operate through us.

Paul here, speaking of himself here, says, “more abundantly than they all.”

In Philippians, Paul wrote first the directive: 

“work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”  But then explained how this happens, adding: “for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

So again, the works and labors, while expected to happen, are the result of how much a person was willing to let God operate through them.  This was the same for the Churches here in Revelation as Jesus addresses them corporately and expresses his approbation for some, his disappointment with others, and both with the remaining.   The inescapable fact remains however, that those who are Christ’s will – will – bear fruit, which are defined as labors of love, because they choose to abide in Him and He will assess the works of us at the end of the day, age or life of every soul.

If the book of Revelation makes anything plain, it is this uncomfortable fact.  I must admit, as I frequently do, that there is a direct correlation to faith and labors of love.  Because of this I also see a direct correlation between the active presence of the Word of God in a persons life to their faith and therefore to their labors of love wrought by God in them through Christ.  It is almost an irrefutable cycle in my estimation, that those who hear, read, and love the Word are strong and mature in the faith, and operating by such, ripe with selfless love.   A simple formula really but infrequently observed.

So, let’s go to the first church mentioned – which in all probability was also the largest – Ephesus.

Revelation 2:1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 2 I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast labored, and hast not fainted. 4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. 5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

A general summary of the contents of the epistle to the church at Ephesus are as follows: 

First, the attribute assigned to the Lord of Lords is that He "holds the stars in his right hand, and walks in the midst of the golden candlesticks." Then He commends them for their “patience,” and for their “opposition to those who are evil,” for carefully examining the character of some who claimed to be apostles (but who were in fact impostors), for their perseverance in bearing up under trial, for not fainting in his cause, His last commendation was for “their opposition to the Nicolaitanes,” whom he says “he hates.”

Then He reproves them for “having left their first love” (Revelation 2:4) And He admonishes them to remember “when they had fallen; to repent, and to do their first works.” (Revelation 2:5).  He then threatens them that if they do not repent he will come and remove the candlestand out of its place, and then He assures them that whosoever overcomes, he would "give him to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”  So, there is the summary of His words to the Church at Ephesus.  Let’s now get into the specifics.

(NOTE: The following coverage of Jesus words to the church at Ephesus is going to cover a lot of elements also found in his word to the six remaining churches of Asia minor – try to be patient – we are building an overall case).