The book of Revelation contains seven letters addressed to seven different churches. The first church is the church of Ephesus, a Greek name which means:
«Bitter».
«Desirable».
«Lukewarm».
«Desolate».
The renown of the local church of Ephesus is summarized in this passage of the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians : «I also, after I heard of your in the Lord Jesus, and to all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers.»
Unfortunately, there were many dangers lying in wait for the local church of Ephesus. This is why, in the Acts of the Apostles , the apostle Paul gives the following warning to the elders of the church of Ephesus: «For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore .»
In the letter to the church of Ephesus, in the book of Revelation , Jesus is portrayed as follows, «These things said He that holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the middle of the seven golden candlesticks.» The book of Revelation explains the meaning of this symbolic description, which gives us the following message:
Jesus will impose His will to the Church unfaithful to Him.
Jesus quickly forsakes the Church that disobeys Him.
Jesus promotes the union of all the world’s religions.
Jesus holds the reins of His Church and protects it.
In His letter to the church of Ephesus, Jesus mentions the positive points of this church. Among these positive points, we find the following ones (check off all the right answers):
«You can not bear them which are evil.»
«You have tried them which say they are apostles, and are not.»
«You have borne, and have patience.»
«You have labored for My name’s sake.»
Among the positive points of the church of Ephesus, Jesus also emphasizes what follows, «You hate the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.» One of the main teachings of the Nicolaitanes has unfortunately deceived a lot of believers through the centuries. What is that teaching?
The soul is mortal.
The soul and the spirit are the very same thing.
The body is independent of the soul.
The combination of the body and the spirit forms the living soul.
In the letter to the church of Ephesus, Jesus also mentions the main negative point of this church: «Nevertheless I have somewhat against you, because you have your first .»
The letters to the seven churches also contain a message addressed to each one of us. In the letter to the church of Ephesus, Jesus invites us to be:
perfect.
persevering.
pure.
prudent.
The letters to the seven churches also have a prophetic application, describing the seven stages of the Christian Church history, from the days of John until the end of times. Which period is prophetically described by the letter to the church of Ephesus?
The Apostolic Church, from A.D. 31 to A.D. 100.
The Persecuted Church, from A.D. 100 to A.D. 313.
The Compromising Church, from A.D. 313 to A.D. 538.
The Corrupt Church, from A.D. 538 to A.D. 1517.
The letter to the church of Ephesus ends with this promise for those who persevere until the end: «To him that will I give to eat of the of life, which is in the middle of the of God.» And Jesus offers us the power we need to overcome!