REVELATION LESSON 5

    We will begin this lesson with chapter 2 verse 1,
    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;"
    Revelation 2:2 "I know thy works, and thy labour, 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:"
    Revelation 2:3 "And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my
name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted."

    There are many things that we must note about these verses.
First, they are in red, so this is the Lord Jesus speaking.  Literally
there was just such a church sixty miles north east of the isle of
Patmos. So there was a literal church of Ephesus.  Many believe that
this particular church was symbolic of the apostolic age.  I believe
after viewing it carefully, we can see some of the churches in our own
day falling into just this category.  Here again, this message is sent
to the ministering spirit of this church.

    Second, we are reminded again here that Jesus holds these stars in
His right hand. Jesus walks in the midst of this church; so we know
quickly, it falls into the category of Christianity.

    Notice Jesus always starts off by telling something good.  Here He
commends them for their hard work, and patience. To be patient is
certainly a virtue, and one that most of us do not possess. This
leader of this church and the people, seem to be working for the Lord.
This spiritual leader hates evil.  Note that this leader seems to do
as the Scripture suggests, and tries the spirits to see whether they
are of God or not. This church does not just accept everyone who says
he is an apostle. They judge the message before they accept the
apostle. It seems that this church is well grounded in the Word. This
church (the physical church) was one of the older churches founded by
St. Paul and nurtured by Timothy.  This physical church of Ephesus was
located in a busy city.

    From the spiritual standpoint of churches today, we would see this
church located in the midst of a very worldly surrounding but being a
church holding up a standard against the evil surroundings.  This
church would be a spiritual church guided and taught through the Holy
Spirit of God. This church will be found working when the Lord comes
back.  They have been full of the power and presence of God.  Jesus,
first, tells them the good, then tells them of their weakness, as we
see in the next verse. Even though this church has worked hard and not
given up, we will see here that they have a few short-comings.

    Revelation 2:4 "Nevertheless I have [somewhat] against thee,
because thou hast left thy first love."

    Our first love, if we are believers, is putting Jesus ahead of
everything else. This church's problems, spiritually, can be seen in
most of our churches today. God will not allow compromise, but on
every hand we see just that.

    In II Timothy 3:5 It says, "Having a form of godliness, but
denying the power thereof: from such turn away." Probably this church
has gotten too sophisticated for healing and deliverance.  Perhaps
some of the world's music has crept in unaware.  Perhaps this church
has begun to entertain more than teach. This church is more appealing
to the world than to God.

    As we look at all of these churches, we must examine ourselves and
our church and see just what category we fall into.

    Revelation 2:5 "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."

    God expects holiness and righteousness of His people, and even
more than that, He wants our pure love for Him.  If you are going to
church for any other reason than to fellowship with God and to learn
of His will in your life, then you must ask yourself this question:
    Is what I am doing pleasing to God or me?

    The wonderful thing about God is that He will allow us to repent.
If we repent, He will forgive us, and give us another chance.  We have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

    Jesus, in the verse above, is telling the physical church at
Ephesus and the spiritual church of our day, to stop all of the
worldly carrying on, and get back to church, like our ancestors.  The
church must love and reverence God. Just as Moses was told to remove
his shoes because he was on Holy Ground, we must realize that in God's
presence we, too, are on Holy ground.  Too many churches have
forgotten humbleness before God.  Few even kneel anymore. Church
should not be a frivolous party, but rather a holy communion with God.
It seems that one church can figure out some new scheme to keep their
people happy, and pretty soon a large majority of churches are all
copying them. All of these 'HOW TO' books published have encouraged so
much of this.

    The things of the Spirit are from God as a gift.  They cannot and
should not be taught.  The things of the Spirit are not received,
because we have figured out a way to make God give them to us. They
are received by us as a gift from God, because we are humble enough to
receive them. Nothing is more wonderful, than for the Spirit of God to
move in His church.  The gifts of the Spirit are to be sought from
God, but not to be used for our purposes. God still heals. God still
saves. God still raises the dead.  God still delivers the oppressed.
God does it; the power is His. We may be the instrument He uses, but
it is not our power. It is His.

    The worst thing in all the world would be to have walked closely
with God, and because of worldliness lose out with God.  We read in
this verse, if this is the condition of you or your church, REPENT.
Jesus, having said this one thing that He has against them, goes
immediately back to praising them as we see in the very next verse.

    Revelation 2:6 "But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of
the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."

    Notice here that Jesus, as this church, hates the sin and not the
sinner. The deeds are hated, not the doer.  There seems to be no
record of the Nicolaitans except for this mention here. It is possible
to hate evil and still not be living a pleasing life in God's sight.
Worldliness is something we must avoid entirely.

    Nicaulous and Baalam are in the same category.  Probably evil with
no certain root.  The doctrine of Baalam, Nicaulous, and the Jezebel
church thought that being Christians freed them from the moral law.
They believed that idolatry and fleshly things would not be held
against them, because they had been set free by Christ.  Some of the
liberalism we see in the churches today stem from this very belief.

    So many are trying to bring Jesus down to our level or to elevate
us up to His level. This is a very dangerous doctrine to make
ourselves into gods. That is why Lucifer was thrown out of heaven.
Worldliness must not be mingled in with worship of God. We must not
only not participate in this, but actually hate this practice.

    Revelation 2:7 "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."

    Well, we all have ears, but this is speaking of that inner ear of
the heart that receives the truth. Note here that Spirit is
capitalized meaning God's Spirit.  This is not just any spirit, but
the Holy Spirit of God.  We also see here, that He is speaking to the
churches, and suddenly jumps to individuals in the church when He
says, "...to him that overcometh...". We are not saved collectively
but as individuals.  We as individuals must decide who we will follow.
We notice here also that there is something to overcome. We must
overcome lustful temptations of the flesh.

    All believers in Jesus will eat of the tree of life.  Jesus is the
Tree of Life. Paradise is heaven, not hell, as many believe today.
When Jesus told the thief on the cross, "...Verily I say unto thee, To
day shalt thou be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43.  Many tried to
make it fit in with Jesus' body being in the grave.  Jesus' Spirit
went to heaven directly from the cross, as our spirit will leave our
body the instant we die. Jesus said, "...Father, into thy hands I
commend my spirit:..."Luke 23:46.  The Spirit of Jesus went to God
immediately. His Spirit rejoined His body three days later.  Forty
days later Jesus' body and Spirit were taken to heaven on a cloud.

    God is a Spirit; Jesus is a Spirit who was housed in a body for
 His stay on earth.  We are a spirit, as well, housed in a body.  If
 we are a believer, our spirit will immediately go to heaven when it
 leaves our body. The body will rise at resurrection and rejoin our
 spirit. Jesus' Spirit and the spirit of the thief on the cross were
 in heaven immediately. The tree of life is in heaven.  Paradise is
 the garden in heaven. This is a heavenly restoration of the Garden of
 Eden. The heavenly, being even more wonderful.

    Additional scriptures to read: St.  John 2:7, 2 Timothy 3:13, and
2 Corinthians 11:13.

    Memorize 2 Timothy 3:5 and St.  Luke 23:43.













































                        REVELATION QUESTIONS 5


1.  Who was this message sent to?
2.  Who sent it?
3.  What three things did He commend them for?
4.  Who could this church at Ephesus not bear?
5.  What should we do to see if someone's message is true?
6.  What three different ways can we look at these churches?
7.  Jesus walking in the church tells us what?
8.  Before they accept the apostle, what does this church do?
9.  This physical church of Ephesus was founded by whom?
10. Who had nurtured it?
11. What does Jesus have against this church?
12. What will God not allow?
13. What might have been some of the problems?
14. This church has begun to -----more than-------.
15. What must they do to make it right with God?
16. If they do not, what will happen?
17. What two things does God expect of his people?
18. What does He want even more than that?
19. Who is our advocate with the Father?
20. Why was Moses to remove his shoes?
21. What message can we get from that today?
22. How do we receive Spiritual gifts from God?
23. Can the things of the Spirit be taught?
24. Who is the healer and the deliverer?
25. What would be the worst thing in all the world to happen to us?
26. What one word says what we should do if we have compromised with
    the world?
27. The last thing Jesus is pleased with them for is what?
28. What three groups believe that being a Christian exempts you from
    moral law?
29. What is a very dangerous doctrine of our day?
30. To him that overcometh, what will he receive?
31. Where is Paradise?
32. What does this Paradise garden restore?
33. Write 2 Timothy 3:5.
34. Write St. Luke 23:24.
35. What do you see in the church of Ephesus that is present in your
    church today?