Revelation 1:17 -- 2:7
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.
I. As God's children, redeemed by our Savior, we need not fear Him.
18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.
II. Jesus is alive.
III. Jesus holds the keys of death and hades.
He is in charge of death. He decides who will die, and when and how. Likewise He is in charge of the afterlife. He decides who will live with Him in Paradise, and who will live in the Lake of Fire forever.
19 "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.
IV. This verse is an outline of the Book of Revelation.
This is the crucial verse for the interpretation of the prophecies of the Book of Revelation, and everything hinges on the date John wrote the book. If he wrote it in 69 AD, then all the prophecies of the future MAY have been fulfilled in 70 AD, when Nero was emperor, and when Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Jewish people killed by the tens of thousands, and driven away from the Holy Land. If he wrote it in 95 AD, in the reign of Domitian, then the prophecies of future events had nothing at all to do with the events of 70 AD, but refer to what happened after 95 AD, and perhaps even what will happen in OUR future.
So, which date of authorship is correct? This will make everyone mad at me, but the truth is: We cannot know for sure. MOST Bible scholars believe that John wrote the Book of Revelation around 95 AD. This is supported by the ancient historian Eusebius, who quotes Irenaeus, who was a disciple of Polycarp, who was John's disciple.
But there are some good Bible students who hold out for 69 AD, too, and they have good reasons for their opinion. Their chief reason is that Jesus says many times that the events predicted in Revelation will happen SOON!
Those who hold to the 69 AD date can say, "Yes, under Nero, the events of Revelation happened only one year after they were predicted. Jesus returned in judgment on the Jewish nation in 70 AD." That's what Revelation is all about.
Other Bible students say that "soon" can have a broader meaning, because "a day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day." Soon to God may not be soon to you and me.
If we can't settle the date for sure, does that mean we should quit reading revelation? No, but it means we should be humble, and admit that we don't have all the answers. It also means that we should go to the Book of Revelation, not necessarily as a way to find out what the future holds, but as a source of knowledge about Jesus Christ.
V. Now let's look at what Jesus has John write to the angel of the church of Ephesus.
20 The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
"I know." Jesus is among the churches. Jesus holds the "angels" in His hand. He is not distant. He is always with us, and He always knows in detail what we are doing, and why.
The church in Ephesus had some good points.
a. They were a hard working and persevering church.
There is much we do at church that is WORK, and that takes patient stick-to-it-ive-ness!
b. They would not tolerate wicked men.
"Wicked" in Greek is kakous, and this is a broad general word for "bad." It can mean immorality. It can mean sin. It can also mean "mistakes," and it can mean "criminal activity."
The word "tolerate" is the Greek bastasai, which means: to pick up, to carry, to bear patiently for a long time.
c. They confronted false apostles. There are many who claim to be apostles. Put them to the test! What are the signs of an apostle?
"I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I am not at all inferior to these superlative apostles, even though I am nothing. The signs of a true apostle were performed among you in all patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!" (2 Cor 12:11-13)
"He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mark 16:15-18)
The church in Ephesus had forsaken it's first love. What does that mean?
I believe this verse is about emotional passion and zeal. Human beings are not just head, we are also heart. We are more than thinking machines, we are also feeling persons. Christ wants us to love God with all our hearts and minds, not just minds. The church in Ephesus was a faithful church. They were an obedient church. They were doing all the right things. Only one thing was lacking: zeal, or passion.
As an illustration, compare how you feel about your spouse NOW to how you felt about your spouse WHEN YOU FIRST FELL IN LOVE. You not only loved, you were IN LOVE. You couldn't eat or sleep for the love you had for your fiancee. You were exhilerated at a loving smile or word. Your first love put a sparkle in your eye and a bounce in your step. Being together was all you cared about. And you looked to the future together with great joy and anticipation. But that is gone now. You still love each other. You still do the right thing, but the passion has cooled.
The same thing happens with the Christian life for many people. When you first believed in Christ you devoured the Bible. You couldn't hear enough about the Lord. You revelled in your salvation. You even relished studying theology! But now you have been a Christian for decades. You have been going to church your whole life. Your passion has cooled. You believe in Jesus, but you are not that excited about Him as you once were.
This is what Jesus is talking about. The cure: REMEMBER and repent (next verse)
Spend a little time trying to remember what your feelings were when you first became a Christian, or when you first gave your life to the Lord to do with as He pleased. Remember, and repent (turn around, change).
The seriousness of passion. Jesus doesn't want churches who are doctrinally correct, who do the right things, but who have no passion for Him. Again, think of the husband/wife analogy. What husband would be happy with a wife who cleaned house, fixed supper, bathed the kids, etc. etc: but who had no feelings, no passion for him?
Jesus wants churches who love Him passionately! He says, do this, OR I WILL REMOVE YOUR LAMPSTAND from its place. Jesus will get rid of local churches who have no passion for Him!
Jesus is a master of human relations. He is handing a "sandwich" to the church in Ephesus.
Nice words.
Scolding.
More nice words. This is a "sandwich." It is a good way to talk with people, and get them to listen and obey.
The Ephesian church hated the "practices of the Nicolaitans." Who were the Nocilaitans, and what did they do?
It is possible that "Nicolaitans" is simply an untranslated word, or "transliteration". The Greek word nikao means 'to prevail, overcome or conquer' (example Rom 12:21). laos means 'the people'. So, English translators could have just as well translated the word nicolaitans 'those who prevail over the people' or 'overcome the people' or even 'lord it over the laity'. The verses would then translate as follows:
The Early church father Iranaeus, identified the Nicolaitans in his treatise "Against Heresies" in the second century as they who are an "offshoot of the knowledge which is falsely so-called," mentioning that they "lead lives of unrestrained indulgence." This sounds like an early form of Gnosticism.
Others have suggested that the Nicolaitans were especially involved with the sins of the flesh.
The Church of Ephesus was commended for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans. Note, not the DOCTRINES of the Nicolaitans. The fault of the Nicolaitans was in what they DID (immorality). God has called us to live lives of purity, not immorality. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid!
Who will overcome? All those who have been saved. And how does a person get saved? He repents and believes. His life demonstrates that he really has repented, and he really has believed. All who have been saved shall overcome, and we shall all eat from the tree of life.
In Genesis, Adam and Eve plunged the human race into sin, and we lost the tree of life, and were cast out of Paradise. In Revelation, the 2nd Adam, Christ, redeems us to Himself, and the way to the tree of life is open, and we will live with God in Paradise forever.
AMEN!