seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Revelation 2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Here's the link to the commentary.
Ephesus: This great city was also world-famous as a religious, cultural, and economic center of the region. Ephesus had the notable temple of Diana, a fertility goddess worshipped with immoral sex. This tremendous temple to Diana in Ephesus was regarded as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was supported by 127 pillars, each pillar 60 feet tall, and it was adorned with great sculptures.
I know your works: Jesus looked at His church, and He knew its condition. It was no mystery to Him. There may be sin or corruption hidden in a congregation, but it isn’t hidden to Jesus. He would say the same thing to us today, both as individuals and as a congregation: I know your works.
Which I also hate: These are powerful words, in that they came from our Savior who is so rich in love. Whoever exactly the Nicolaitans were, and whatever exactly they did and taught, we learn something from Jesus’ opinion of them. We learn that the God of love hates sin, and wants His people to also hate sin.
Jesus did say something good about the Ephesians. They hate the same thing God hates. The Nicolaitans were idol worshipers. They placed shiny baubles above God. They only join the "church" because it allows them to steal the shiny baubles. If they sat religiously in the crowd at the church in Ephesus, they could do business with the whole flock. So, they endured all the talk about God and Jesus, to make money [oops I mean shiny baubles].The Ephesians didn't like the "give me" Nicolaitans. Apparently, Jesus knew they did their best to stay in the truth.
Remember, this isn't Paul's description of the church at Ephesus.
This is what Jesus told John to write. Jesus hates people who just want shiny baubles.
I make dolls and critters. Sometimes I sell my dolls at craft shows. [spoiler... I'm about to brag about myself... but only as an example] ... I sell something children love. Children will always react to my dolls and I think it would be mean not to understand that. Anyway... At the craft show a little girl fell in love with one of my dolls. She saw it and fell in love. I love my dolls too... and I understood. So, I gave her the doll. Well, it turns out she has three siblings and you know "all things equal", her family wanted her to give it back because the others couldn't have one. Her mom made her bring the doll back. I told the mom, "I am the oldest of five and I know what you mean". So rather than take back the doll from that little girl, I told the mom to bring the others so they could pick out their own too. Let me tell you. The feeling I got was amazing! Shiny Baubles couldn't pay for the smiles! The mom asked "Are you sure" and I said "I make them and I can give them away". What a feeling!
If I was there to make money... I would have made that little girl cry. If I was more interested in shiny baubles than seeing a little girl meet her new buddy, a doll I made, I would have never experienced that joy.
Jesus hates it when that happens.
