Revelation 2:1-7

Message to Ephesus

1 "To the angel of the church in ¹Ephesus write: The One who holds ²the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks ³among * the seven golden lampstands, says this:

2 '⁴I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot * tolerate evil men, and you ⁵put to the test those who call themselves ⁶apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;

3 and you have perseverance and have endured ⁷for My name's sake, and have not grown weary.

4 'But I have this against you, that you have ⁸left your first love.

5 'Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and ⁹repent and ¹⁰do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your ¹¹lampstand out of its place -unless * you repent.

6 'Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the ¹²Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

7 '¹³He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ¹⁴To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of ¹⁵the tree of life which is in the ¹⁶Paradise of God.'

Revelation 2:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO REVALATION 2

This chapter contains the epistles to the churches at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, and Thyatira. It begins with that to Ephesus, in which the sender of it describes himself by some of his characters mentioned in the preceding chapter; takes notice of some things commendable in this church, Re 2:1-3, reproves her for leaving her first love; gives some advice upon it; threatens her in case of non-repentance; yet notwithstanding commends her for her detestation of some bad practices; and concludes the epistle with a phrase exciting to attention to what is written, and with a promise to them that are constant and conquering, Re 2:4-7, next follows the epistle to the church at Smyrna, in which the sender assumes some of his former titles; takes notice of her works in general, and of her afflictions in particular, and of the blasphemy of others, Re 2:8,9, fortifies her against a great affliction to be endured, described by its author, kind, use, and duration; and exhorts to faithfulness and constancy, with a promise of a crown of life, Re 2:10, and closes the epistle in the same form as the preceding, promising security from the second death to the persevering and conquering Christian, Re 2:11, and next in order is the epistle to the church at Pergamos, in which the sender takes to him one of the above characters in the description of him; observes her works and place of abode, and commends her faithfulness to him in the worst of times and places, Re 2:12,13, yet exhibits a complaint against her for having, and conniving at persons of bad principles and practice, called Balaamites and Nicolaitans, Re 2:14,15, exhorts to repentance, and in failure of it threatens to come and fight against them; and closes the epistle in the same manner as the two former, with a promise of hidden manna, a white stone, and a new name to him that overcomes, Re 2:16,17, and the last epistle in this chapter is that to the church at Thyatira, in which the sender makes use of some other titles and characters of his before mentioned; takes notice of her good works, and yet signifies he had a controversy with her, for permitting a false prophetess to teach in her, who seduced men to fornication and idolatry, Re 2:18-20, whose impenitence is complained of, and which was aggravated by having space for repentance given her, Re 2:21, wherefore, in case of continuance in impenitence, he threatens both her and her followers with tribulation and death, whereby the omniscience and justice of Christ would be manifest to all the churches, Re 2:22,23, and then another and better sort of men in this church are addressed, who are described as not having imbibed the doctrine of the false prophetess, and as not approving the depths of Satan, or her doctrines of devils; and these are told that no other burden should be laid on them than was, and are exhorted to hold fast what they had, until the coming of Christ, Re 2:24,25, and for their encouragement to hold on to the end, many promises are made unto them respecting their power and rule over their enemies, and the happy days that they should enjoy, Re 2:26-28, and the epistle is concluded with the usual epiphonema, Re 2:29.

Cross References

• 1. Revelation 1:11
• 2. Revelation 1:16
• 3. Revelation 1:12
• 4. Revelation 2:19; Revelation 3:1, 8, 15
• 5. John 6:6; 1 John 4:1
• 6. 2 Corinthians 11:13
• 7. John 15:21
• 8. Jeremiah 2:2; Matthew 24:12
• 9. Revelation 2:16, 22; Revelation 3:3, 19
• 10. Hebrews 10:32; Revelation 2:2
• 11. Matthew 5:14f; Philippians 2:15; Revelation 1:20
• 12. Revelation 2:15
• 13. Matthew 11:15; Revelation 2:11, 17; Revelation 3:6, 13, 22; Revelation 13:9
• 14. Revelation 2:11, 17, 26; Revelation 3:5, 12, 21; Revelation 21:7
• 15. Genesis 2:9; Genesis 3:22; Proverbs 3:18; Proverbs 11:30; Proverbs 13:12; Proverbs 15:4; Revelation 22:2, 14
• 16. Ezekiel 28:13; Ezekiel 31:8; Luke 23:43

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "in the middle of"
• [b] Or "steadfastness"
• [c] V 2, note 1
• [d] Lit "first deeds"