Written by Lesallan – April 24, 2023
Revelation 2:1-7 (ESV): Detailed Analysis
Version: ESV
Initial Observations & Questions
- The speaker addresses a specific audience with commendations and criticism for them.
- Who is the speaker, and who is the audience?
- The speaker commends the audience for their deeds, hard work, and perseverance.
- The speaker also has complaints against the audience: they have abandoned the love they had at first.
- What is meant by the phrase “the love you had at first”?
- Why did the audience abandon their first love?
- What are the consequences of abandoning their first love?
- What happened to the audience that the original message was intended for?
Structure
Revelation 2:4 (ESV) is part of a larger message written to the “church in Ephesus” (Revelation 2:1, ESV). The complete letter (the message) is found in Revelation 2:1-7 (ESV). In this message, Jesus is the Speaker (Revelation 1:1, ESV) and commends the church for their good deeds. Jesus further commends the church for their hard work and perseverance. Jesus also commends them for not tolerating wicked people and testing false apostles. However, Jesus still has a complaint against the church: the church has abandoned the love they had at first. Jesus calls on the church to repent and do what they did initially. Jesus warns the church that if they do not repent, He will come and remove their lampstand from its place (Revelation 2:5, ESV). In the larger context of the Book of Revelation, this is just one out of seven messages to seven churches in Asia Minor (Revelation 2, 3, ESV).
This passage, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first” (Revelation 2:4, ESV); this message is one part of the larger message to the church in Ephesus found in Revelation 2:1-7 (ESV). In terms of structure and relations to the surrounding passages, Revelation 2:4 (ESV) serves as the change from the commendation of the church (Revelation 2:2-3, ESV) to the criticism and call to repentance in Revelation 2:4-5 (ESV). Revelation 2:4 (ESV) can be divided into main parts: The first part, “But I have this against you” (Revelation 2:4, ESV), is an introduction to the criticism that follows. The second division, “that you have abandoned the love you had at first” (Revelation 2:4, ESV), is very specific in identifying the nature of the criticism.
- Introduction to the church: “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write” (Revelation 2:1, ESV).
- The speaker is described: “The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands” (Revelation 2:1, ESV).
- To the church in Ephesus, commendation is given: “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance” (Revelation 2:2-3, ESV).
- Criticism of the church in Ephesus: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first” (Revelation 2:4, ESV).
- The church is called to repent: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first” (Revelation 2:5, ESV).
- The church is warned of judgment: “If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent” (Revelation 2:5, ESV).
- Further commendation: “Yet this you have: you hate the works of Nicolaitans, which I also hate” (Revelation 2:6, ESV).
- The Conclusion: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7, ESV).
Words & Phrases
“repent”
What does the word repent mean?
To repent means “to change one’s mind or purpose for the better, heartily amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins.” “To think differently afterward, to reconsider morally, feel compunction” (Strong’s Concordance, 1890).
“works”
What does the word works mean?
It means we must do good in our deeds, what we do, and how we labor. The word is “from a primary (but obsolete) ergo (to work); toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication, an act — deed, doing, labour, work” (Strong’s Concordance, 1890).
“Nicolaitans”
Who were the Nicolaitans?
These are followers of Nicolas, an early Christian sect mentioned in Revelation 2:6 and Revelation 2:15. The church strongly condemned what they did (deeds) and all their immoral and idolatrous practices. The Nicolaitans were compared to those who “held the doctrine of Balaam. They held that it was lawful to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication” (Smith, 1901). These practices directly opposed the church’s decree rendered in Acts 15:20 and Acts 15:29. “To hate those deeds is a sign of life in a Church that otherwise is weak and faithless (Revelation 2:6)” (Smith, 1901).
“conquers”
What does it mean to conquers or be conquered?
According to Strong (1890), this word means to “overcome and prevail, get the victory” (Strong’s Concordance, 1890). For Christians, this means to hold fast to their faith even unto death against the power of their enemies and their temptations and persecutions of this world (Revelation 2:7). Those who conquer will be rewarded with access to the tree of life, the symbol of eternal life and fellowship with God (Genesis 2:9; Revelation 22:1-5).
Summary, correlation, & application
Jesus commends the church in Ephesus for their works, endurance, and discernment, but rebukes them for losing their first love and calls them to repent and return to Him.
In the introduction, Jesus is identified as the speaker, the One holding the seven stars, which represent the angels of the seven churches and walks among the seven lampstands representing the seven churches (Revelation 2:1, ESV). Jesus praises the church in Ephesus for their good works, toil, patience, and perseverance. Jesus commends the church for being intolerant of evil and testing false apostles for His name’s sake. Criticism is given to this church in Ephesus for the abandonment of their first love, the love of God, and for one another. Jesus urges the church in Ephesus to repent and turn to their former state of love. Jesus warns that He will remove their lampstand from its place (Revelation 2:5, ESV), which means they will lose their witness and influence as a church. There is yet another commendation from Jesus to the church in Ephesus, acknowledging their hatred of the works of Nicolaitans, which Jesus hates also (Revelation 2:6, ESV). Finally, Jesus gives a promise to the church in Ephesus and an invitation for those having an ear to hear what the Spirit says to the church. He says that to the one who overcomes, He will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is the paradise of God (Revelation 2:7, ESV). The tree of life symbolizes eternal life and fellowship with God. The fellowship that was lost in Eden but restored in Jesus Christ.
The imagery of the stars and lampstands as being representative of the angels and churches relate to the Old Testament books of Daniel 2:3, where the wise shine like stars, and Zechariah 4:2-10, where a vision of a golden lampstand is interpreted as a symbol of God’s presence and power among His people. Further representation of His authority, protection, and involvement, places where God holds His servant by the right hand are found in Isaiah 41:10 and 42:6. In Psalm 139:3 and Leviticus 26:12, is where God walks with His people. The commendations given to the church in Ephesus for their obedience to Jesus’ commands and teachings and their faithfulness to the gospel can be found in passages such as John 14:15 and 15:10, where Jesus says that those who love Him will keep His commandments. Paul warns against false apostles who preach a different gospel in Galatians 1:6-9 and 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. The church is rebuked for losing its love and its decline in devotion, passion, and affection for God and one other. Similar passages are found in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Matthew 22:37-40, where Jesus has said that the greatest commandment is to love God will all one’s being and to love one’s neighbor as oneself. Jesus has also commanded us to love one another as He has loved them in John 13:34-35 and 15:12-13. The call to repentance and the warnings of removing the churches lampstand the things that reflect God’s grace and judgment towards His people recalls passages such as Jeremiah 18:7-10 and Jonah 3:4-10; in these books, God threatens to destroy or uproot a nation or city unless they repent of their evil ways. The books of Matthew (5:14-16) and Philippians 2:15-16 is the place in Scripture where Jesus and Paul exhort the believers to be the world’s light and shine like stars in a broken and fallen generation. Commendation is given to the church in Ephesus for hating the works of the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:6, ESV) and for their resistance to compromise with idolatry and immorality.
Further passages are found where God commands His people not to worship other gods or eat food sacrificed to idols, i.e., Exodus 20:3-6 and Acts 15:28-29. Numbers 25:1-9 and Revelation 2:14-15 is where Balaam and the Nicolaitans are where God’s people have been led astray in idolatry and sexual immorality. Passages and God’s promise of eating from the tree of life in the paradise of God (Revelation 2:7, ESV) are God’s reward for those who overcome or conquer. This recalls passages such as Genesis 2:9 and 3:22-24, where the tree of life is in the midst of the garden of Eden. The garden is guarded by cherubim, the angels that fly, a winged angelic being described in the Biblical tradition as attending to God. The birds of the earth are represented in Middle Eastern art (imagery). From the beginning of time, the birds and those that fly have shown the way, those that were shown if the path was clear in the day.
As these different passages and letters are read, we must realize that Jesus is writing to us and the churches. For local churches that tend to be more like Ephesus, those that may have lost their first love, or even those that are lukewarm, the same is true for individuals. So, as we go through these different passages and letters, we must reflect on them and remember that they must be treated and received as personal handwritten letters from Jesus. If interpreted correctly, we may, in fact, be in the last part of the church age before Jesus comes again. We must all take warnings to heart because Jesus’ return draws near. We must conquer the battle between good and evil and defeat Satan and everything he throws at us. We must keep Christ in our hearts, as we cannot do it alone.
References:
G3340 – metanoeō – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (ESV). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g3340/esv/mgnt/0-1/
Keener, C. S. (2014). The IVP Bible background commentary: New Testament. Intervarsity Press.
Revelation 2:1-7 ESV – – Bible Gateway. (2016). Www.biblegateway.com. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%202:1-7&version=ESV
Revelation 2 – ESV Bible – Bible Study Tools. (n.d.). Biblestudytools.com. https://www.biblestudytools.com/esv/revelation/2.html
Smith, Dr. W. (1901). Nicolaitans – Smith’s Bible Dictionary Online. Biblestudytools.com. https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/smiths-bible-dictionary/nicolaitans.html
Strong’s Concordance. (1890). Strongsconcordance.org. https://strongsconcordance.org/
