Revelation Chapter 2
Now we will begin with the letters of Jesus to the seven churches. Why did Jesus pick these seven
particular churches? Why not the Apostle Paul’s home church at Antioch or the headquarters church in
Jerusalem? The chu
rch in Ephesus is the only one of the seven that is also prominent in other parts in
the NT. Before we get into the first letter, I want to give an overview and some background. In these
seven letters there are at least four levels of meaning or applicat
ion.
l) Local: They were actual churches with valid needs there in the first century.
2) Admonitory: "Spirit says to the.churches" ...(plural) all seven letters apply to all seven churches of the
first century, all churches there would ever be, including o
ur local church here.
3) Personal:"He that hath an ear." It applies to you and me personally. If you have an ear to hear with,
then the Lord wants you to listen, because what he is saying applies to you individually.
4) Prophetic: In their particular order
, they lay out the entire history of the church. They fill the gap
implied in Daniel 9:26, and between Rev 12:5 and 6, etc. The Book of Acts covered the first 30 years of
the church, the Book of Revelation takes it from Acts to His Second Coming (covering
about 2000
years).We are now looking back and as we shall see in subsequent studies, the order in which the seven
churches are listed fits church history.
Since the church is not complete, the last 4 churches also are yet future, and therefore apply to us.
We
will see how this fits in subsequent studies.
Letter
Church Age
Dates (A.D.)
•The city of Ephesus at that time
Before we get into the text, I want to give some background on this beautiful city of the first century
R
oman world.
•History
Tacitus records that the city was founded in 1400 B.C., with an early temple to the Mother Goddess and
ancient Hittite fertility deity who subsequently became identified with Diana. Ionian colonists from
Athens settled there about 1100
B.C.
In the middle of the 6th century B.C., the Lydians captured the city. Croesus, their king, was routed by
the Persians in 541 B.C. and Ephesus was joined to other cities in the Ionian confederation. It was at
this time that the tutelary deity became i
dentified with Diana (daughter of Zeus, sister of Apollo) also
sometimes called Artemis. (Acts 19:34
-
35) Ephesus was involved to its own disadvantage in the
Peloponnesian and Persian wars
and served as a key naval base. In 334 B.C. it fell to the Macedonians under Alexander. After his death,
Lysimachus became master of the city and added great improvements.
Ephesus unwisely sided with Antiochus of Syria against the Romans. It eventually became the Roman
capital of the province of Asia. But as a free city, Ephesus had its own municipal government and senate.
•Geography