Revelation Monday – To the Church in Ephesus

Normally I aim to post something on Revelation each Monday. But as I’ve been preparing, it became clear that the seven messages to the churches in Revelation 2–3 are too rich to cover all at once. To try to tackle both chapters in a single post would either oversimplify or overwhelm. Instead, I’ll take the next seven posts to lean into each church’s message in turn, beginning with Ephesus.

Last week I mostly refined some earlier essays, written when I had stepped back from fiction-writing projects (which I still hope to submit for publication one day). But even then, I was already planning this series.

Yes, we could do a “Sunday school level” reading of these passages. That’s not an insult—those readings are still valid. But when we interrogate the text more deeply, John (and ultimately Jesus) is saying much more. These letters are not abstract theology; they are a coded critique of Rome, particularly targeting the emperor Domitian’s claims to divine power. Think of it as John’s way of saying: “This guy Domitian? He’s a fraud—and I’ll show you why.” (Bauckham, 1993, The Theology of the Book of Revelation, p. 35).

Present Reality, Prophetic Word

Revelation 2–3 primarily addresses the present situation of first-century churches in Asia Minor. These are not just predictions about the future but prophetic words calling real congregations to faithfulness in their context (Aune, 1997, Revelation 1–5, p. 119). That said, eschatology is never absent. Every prophetic passage in Scripture has both immediate and forward-looking dimensions, pointing to God’s ultimate restoration.

The City of Ephesus

We begin with Ephesus, a major urban center in the Roman province of Asia, located in modern Izmir Province, Turkey. A strategic hub on trade routes, Ephesus was a crossroads of commerce and culture, home to the Temple of Artemis—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World—and later the Library of Celsus, a symbol of Roman intellectual power (Strabo, Geography 14.1.22–23; Keener, 2019, Revelation, p. 105). The city’s prominence is evident in the New Testament, where Timothy pastored (1 Timothy 1:3) and Paul’s ministry sparked a riot due to its threat to the Artemis cult’s economy (Acts 19:23–41; Trebilco, 2004, The Early Christians in Ephesus, p. 88).

The cult of Artemis Ephesia was central to the city’s identity, emphasizing fertility and childbirth alongside the goddess’s traditional associations with the hunt, moon, and virginity (Friesen, 1993, Twice Neokoros, p. 53). While women held significant roles as priestesses, male civic leaders also controlled the temple’s economy, making claims of female dominance overly simplistic (Trebilco, 2004, p. 27). Rituals, including young girls publicly dedicating their virginity to Artemis, could be disruptive. Paul’s instructions in 1 Timothy 2:12 (“I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority…”) likely addressed these cultural dynamics, countering pagan practices spilling into Christian worship rather than issuing a universal prohibition on women in leadership (Fee, 1988, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, p. 72).

Roman influence was pervasive, with Ephesus designated a neokoros (temple warden) for the imperial cult under Domitian (AD 81–96), who demanded loyalty displays like emperor worship (Friesen, 1993, p. 29; Thompson, 1990, The Book of Revelation: Apocalypse and Empire, p. 133). This context shaped the church’s challenges, as they navigated a city steeped in pagan and imperial ideology.

Structure of the Letters

All seven letters follow a recognizable prophetic oracle pattern, echoing Old Testament forms like Amos 1–2 (Aune, 1997, p. 119):

• Addressed “to the angel of the church in…”
• Introduced with “Thus says…”—a prophetic signal akin to “Thus says the Lord” (e.g., Isaiah 7:7).
• Jesus speaks directly, often echoing imagery from the vision of Christ in Revelation 1.
• A call to repent (except for Smyrna and Philadelphia).
• A warning of consequences if they refuse.
• A closing exhortation: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says…” (cf. Mark 4:9).

The Spirit and the risen Christ are closely bound in these messages, emphasizing their divine authority (Bauckham, 1993, p. 14).

The Message to Ephesus (Revelation 2:1–7)

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands…”

Jesus commends the Ephesians for their works, toil, endurance, and refusal to tolerate evil. They tested false apostles and exposed them, likely itinerant teachers claiming apostolic authority (cf. 2 Cor 11:13–15; Beale, 1999, The Book of Revelation, p. 229). They endured suffering for Christ’s name without growing weary, a testament to their resistance to pagan and imperial pressures in a hostile city.

But—he warns—they have “abandoned the love you had at first.” If they do not repent, their lampstand will be removed. This rebuke is often read as a loss of spiritual fervor (Mounce, 1997, Revelation, p. 74), but in context, it likely refers to self-sacrificial love (agape). The Ephesians resisted paganism faithfully but may have become rigid, losing the generous, Christlike love that first defined them (Koester, 2014, Revelation, p. 239; cf. John 13:35). My professor, Dr. Andy Johnson, suggested “remove” could mean “re-move” (relocate, as in Ezekiel 10–11), though the harsher reading—loss of divine presence or witness—fits the warnings later in Revelation (Johnson, 2001, unpublished lecture notes).

Lampstands and Stars

Jesus identified the lampstands as the churches (Revelation 1:20), symbolizing their role as bearers of divine light. The seven stars are more provocative. Domitian minted coins depicting his deceased infant son holding seven stars, symbolizing cosmic power and deification (Koester, 2014, p. 241). In Roman imagery, the stars—representing the seven known heavenly bodies (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn)—signified rulership over creation. By claiming Christ holds the stars and walks among the lampstands, John boldly declares that Jesus, not Domitian, has authority to sustain, move, or remove his church (Friesen, 2001, Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John, p. 153).

Commendation and Rebuke

The Ephesians’ “works” likely refer to their active, nonviolent resistance to pagan influence, such as refusing to participate in trade guilds or imperial festivals that required token acts of worship (e.g., offering incense to the emperor; Beale, 1999, p. 229). Their endurance reflects the pressure of living in a city where the imperial cult and Artemis worship were economically and socially dominant.

The rebuke for abandoning their first love suggests a community that, in its zeal for doctrinal purity, may have neglected the communal love central to Christian identity. Without returning to this, their witness risks becoming ineffective, symbolized by the removal of their lampstand.

Who Were the Nicolaitans?

Jesus commends the Ephesians for rejecting the Nicolaitans, a group also mentioned in Pergamum (Rev 2:15). Their identity is uncertain—some patristic sources link them to Nicolaus of Acts 6 (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 1.26.3), but this is unlikely. The name nikolaiton (“he conquers the people”) may parallel the imagery of Balaam and Jezebel, who later symbolize seductive false teaching (Rev 2:14, 20; Aune, 1997, p. 148). The Nicolaitans likely advocated cultural accommodation, such as eating food sacrificed to idols or participating in imperial cult practices, which threatened the church’s distinctiveness (Beale, 1999, p. 232).

The broader issue is the danger of compromise. How much can Christians engage with non-Christian culture without diluting their faith? John’s answer is uncompromising: openness cannot excuse lazy faith. The church must remain a distinct kingdom of priests serving God (Friesen, 2001, p. 171).

The Promise

Jesus concludes:

“To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.”

This promise evokes Genesis 3:22–24, where Adam and Eve were barred from the tree of life after the Fall. Now, those who conquer—through faithfulness, not violence (Rev 12:11)—will eat from the tree, signifying eschatological restoration and eternal life (Bauckham, 1993, p. 166). The term “paradise” (paradeisos), a Persian word for a royal garden, points to God’s renewed creation in Revelation 22:2 (Koester, 2014, p. 242). The end of the story brings us back to the beginning, but redeemed.

Looking Ahead

Tomorrow we’ll continue with the message to Smyrna, exploring its call to faithfulness amidst persecution.

Sources

• Aune, David E. Revelation 1–5. Word Biblical Commentary, 1997.
• Bauckham, Richard. The Theology of the Book of Revelation. Cambridge University Press, 1993.
• Beale, G.K. The Book of Revelation. New International Greek Testament Commentary, 1999.
• Fee, Gordon D. 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus. New International Biblical Commentary, 1988.
• Friesen, Steven J. Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John. Oxford University Press, 2001.
• Keener, Craig S. Revelation. NIV Application Commentary, 2019.
• Koester, Craig R. Revelation. Anchor Yale Bible, 2014.
• Mounce, Robert H. Revelation. New International Commentary on the New Testament, 1997.
• Thompson, Leonard L. The Book of Revelation: Apocalypse and Empire. Oxford University Press, 1990.
• Trebilco, Paul. The Early Christians in Ephesus from Paul to Ignatius. Eerdmans, 2004.