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UNDERSTANDING THE KINGDOM OF GOD 
THE BOOK OF REVELATION - PART II

9 December 2001

CHAPTER TWO:
Verse 1: Jesus is now addressing the church in Ephesus, and the apostle John is making sure that the readers understand who is sending this message. The angel of the church is a double designation, addressing both the holy angel and the human pastor, who are in charge of this local church. This has been used by God before, like in addressing the King of Tyrus and Lucifer at the same time - Ezekiel 28:11-14.

It is important that a Christian knows that God has dispatched holy angels who are to minister to the believer in Christ. (Hebrews 1:13-14) That these holy angels have a certain freedom in dealing with us can be seen in Exodus 23:20-23; Daniel 4:19-37.

Verse 2: Jesus is now giving praise for what the members are doing in Ephesus.

The apostle John wrote a teaching on this in 1 John 4:1-4 and 2 John 7-11.

Verse 3: The church had been vigilant, they had labored hard and had not slacked off.
Compare this to Hebrews 10:16-25.

Verse 4: Now Jesus is pointing out their short-coming -- THEY HAVE LEFT THEIR FIRST LOVE! Six Hundred years prior to the vision given to John, God had addressed the same subject through the prophet Jeremiah - Jeremiah 2:1-5

Jesus wanted a church which was vigilant and discerning, but He did not want them to lose the tenderness of the divine agape love, which is the moving force in the body of Christ. Matthew 22:35-40; John 13:1-15; 1 John 2:4-17

Verse 5: Jesus is now issuing a warning: Unless the members in the church repent of the sin of leaving their first love, Jesus will remove his anointing from them, which means loss of power and the disintegration of the church. They must repent - Revelation 3:19

Verse 6: The church is commended for rejecting the sect of the followers of Nicolas, who had brought his followers into heresy. The Greek name Nicolas is the same as the Hebrew name "Balaam," which means "lord of the people." Nicolas, the false teacher had bewitched his followers and brought them into bondage. King David expressed his anger toward wicked people - Psalm 139:19-24. The apostle Peter does not mince words when he speaks of false prophets - 2 Peter 2:1-22

Verse 7: The only way to overcome is to be washed in the blood of Jesus, to be born again, having received Christ as personal Lord and Saviour, and then walk with Jesus in love and obedience the remaining days of our lives on this earth.  John 3: 14-17; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 15:1-14.

             Do you have an ear with which to hear?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   To be continued . . . . 

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