REVELATION 2 - EPHESUS
REVELATION 2 - EPHESUS
Few chapters in Scripture are more important than Revelation 2 and 3. They give the Lord’s estimate of what He sees in the assemblies. That word, “I know”, is repeated many times. There is much in the christian profession that is a vain show, but there is One who can say, “I know”; He knows the state of every assembly and of every individual.
The way in which the Lord presents Himself to each assembly is that which, if spiritually apprehended, would be a corrective of the departure seen in each, or would furnish support to the overcomer. To Ephesus He presents Himself as “He that holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lamps”. It is only as the stars are held in His right hand that assembly responsibility can be carried out. It can only be carried out by those who have found themselves as dead at His feet, but who have known the power of His right hand upon them, and who are held and sustained by the strength of that hand. If the responsible element in the assemblies had gone through John’s experience in [p. 17] chapter 1, and been maintained by the strengthening of His right hand, all would have been well. There must be the complete setting aside of man in the flesh; God does not propose to set up that man in responsibility. In the epistle to the angel of the assembly in Sardis the Lord speaks of Himself as “he that has ... the seven stars”. They are no longer said to be in His right hand, but He has them; He lays claim to them; He holds them still to their responsibility though they have departed from the conditions in which alone it could be carried out. But here the responsible element is seen in its normal place; His right hand alone can hold it so that it shall shine according to His pleasure. It is probable that in the assembly at Ephesus the responsible and light-giving element was getting away from conscious nearness to Christ, and was no longer held and sustained by His power alone. Hence He presents Himself to that assembly as holding the stars in their true and normal place in His right hand.
Then He is not only “in the midst of the seven lamps” as in chapter 1: 13, but He “walks” there. There is a circle on earth where the Lord is in movement, and His movements can be discerned by those who have eyes to see them, just as His voice can be discerned by those who have an ear to hear. The Lord is not moving among the nations yet, though God overrules all things even there, but He moves, He is in activity, in the midst of the assemblies. Ecclesiastical historians take account of the movements of men in the assemblies, and a sad record it is. But how deeply interesting would be a true history of the movements of the Lord in the midst of the assemblies! We know a little of those movements,
[p. 18] through His grace; we shall know the whole story soon in courts above.
The seven lamps are “golden”; they represent the assemblies as in responsibility here, but viewed as the product of divine working and characterized by what is of God — the presence of the Spirit and the activity of the divine nature. These things constitute the “golden” character of the assemblies. It is only as having this character that they are qualified to maintain Christ here in testimony during the night of His rejection. If practically they cease to have this character, and do not repent, their place is forfeited, and the lamp will inevitably be removed; it has ceased to serve the purpose for which it was set there.
It is well to get at the outset the divine thought attaching to the assemblies in their responsibility here. It helps us to form a true estimate of the departure which has taken place. The presence and activity of “first love” are essential, so that if that is gone the position of the “lamp” is forfeited. This epistle to the angel of the assembly in Ephesus is one of the most solemn and searching parts of the New Testament Scriptures, for it shews that if the assemblies get out of vital touch with Christ everything which is essential to the true character of the “golden lamps” is gone. As to outward faithfulness everything was right at Ephesus, yet it was a “fallen” assembly. Things with us may appear to be all right outwardly, but if we have lost contact of heart with the living One so that what we do is not the result of living impulse from Him, its true value for His heart is gone. “I have against thee that thou hast left thy first love”.
[p. 19] The Lord commends all that He can, as we see in verses 2 and 3. They laboured, they did not tolerate evil, they tested that which came to them with great pretensions and found out its true character, they had endured and borne for His Name’s sake without wearying. He knew how to value all this, but it did not satisfy His heart, nor was it in itself sufficient to sustain the “golden lamp” character. Their first love had been left. “First love” is a thing which we ought all to be very much exercised about; we may never have known what it really is. It is not merely “first” in point of time in the soul’s history, but “first” in quality; it is the same word as “the best robe” in Luke 15 and is frequently translated “chief”. “Thy first love” is not the brightness and zeal which may often be found in a young convert, but it is love of an assembly character. It is what marked the company. My impression is that “first love” is that character of love to which Christ gave impulse amongst His own at the beginning. He said, “A new commandment I give to you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all know that ye are disciples of mine, if ye have love amongst yourselves” (John 13: 34, 35). It is this which would have really given them the “golden lamp” character during His absence. It is the result of coming under the powerful and personal influence of His love.
The assembly’s “first love” was when the Head was held in affection, and the saints abiding in Him were engaged in activities to which His love gave impulse. I think it would be the result of that blessed state which is presented in the form of prayer in Ephesians 3: 14 - 19. “That the Christ may dwell, through [p. 20] faith, in your hearts, being rooted and founded in love, in order that ye may be fully able to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height; and to know the love of the Christ which surpasses knowledge; that ye may be filled even to all the fulness of God”.
It must have been beautiful under the eye of the Lord to see a company “holding the truth in love” and growing “up to him in all things, who is the head, the Christ: from whom the whole body, fitted together, and connected by every joint of supply, according to the working in its measure of each one part, works for itself the increase of the body to its self-building up in love” (Ephesians 4: 15, 16). I think that gives the character of “first works” which go along with “first love”. First works are not what men can take account of; a “joint of supply” does first works. Joints are hidden things but very effectual in their working. “First works” result in knitting together; it is the activity which draws saints into contact with one another, and overcomes all hitches and jars which interfere with the harmonious working and building up of the body. It is great divine favour — though it is very humbling — to see what the assembly was in first love and first works. There were living impulses from the Head pulsating through the body here, and resulting in knitting together and building up in love. The assembly has left its first love and is fallen, but it is still possible for us to hold the Head and to grow up to Him, and to get supply and impulse from Him. And every member of the body with an impulse from the Head can do first works. And as saints have nourishment ministered to them, and are knit together in love,
[p. 21] there may be found even in the closing days a measure of return to “first love”. The call to repentance leaves the door open for this, and one cannot doubt that the Lord is working to bring it about.
We may have a good deal of light, and yet not have it livingly connected with Christ; He may not really be dwelling in our hearts through faith. It is very suggestive that this state is brought before us in Ephesians 3 not as true of the saints, but in the form of prayer. This should guard us from any kind of assumption as to it, but should lead us to pray. For the Christ to dwell is not merely a transient thing. I think, as a matter of fact, we get touches and tastes of what is infinitely precious, but one longs for more spiritual steadiness and constancy! How one loves that expression of J.N.D.’s — “the constant mind”!
When the assembly got away from her first love she ceased to do the first works, and the Lord had to say that if she did not repent He would remove her lamp out of its place. It was no longer answering the purpose for which He had set it there. It is very solemn to consider that the assembly was “fallen” even before Paul and John departed to be with Christ, and long before there was any outward break-up.
Whatever the works of the Nicolaitanes were they were not “first works”, and they were hated by Christ. They have been commonly held to be a fleshly abuse of grace, but it may suffice to see that what Christ hated the angel of the assembly in Ephesus hated also. The assembly in Pergamos had those who not only did the works, but who held the doctrine of Nicolaitanes; if things are allowed in practice that displease the Lord, the next step is that they may [p. 22] become characteristic of what is held as doctrine. Evil is thus systematized and propagated.
There can be no doubt that the seven assemblies here addressed were representative of all the assemblies. Seven is the number of mystical completeness. No Christian could suppose that Christ’s concern about the assemblies was limited to those found in a province of Asia Minor, though they were taken representatively. Nor is His interest limited to assemblies existing in the apostolic age. We are still in the time of “the things that are”; and therefore we may expect to find in these seven epistles that which will cover the whole of what may be called the assembly period. But one’s exercise is to look at them in their moral bearing.
It is to be noted that the Lord addresses the angel in each assembly, and what He says is a formal and public declaration of His estimate of the state of each. But in each of the addresses there is a call of a more limited character — a voice to the individual — “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies”. This is an intimation to all whom it may concern that the Spirit has somewhat to say to the assemblies as well as the Lord, and the one who has an ear is to hear it. I do not believe there has ever been a moment since Pentecost when the Spirit has ceased to speak to the assemblies. He has given utterance to that which was needed at the moment, whatever aspect of the truth it might be. This was by revelation in the early days, or by the inspired writings of the apostles. But since the completion of the canon of Holy Scripture He has spoken by calling attention in varied ways to that which met the defect, or supplied the lack of the time being by presenting what [p. 23] was of Christ, and bringing out spiritual wealth from the divine treasury. The manifold grace of God, and the unsearchable riches of the Christ, and the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hid in the mystery of God have thus been presented to the assemblies from time to time. How deeply important that we should have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the assemblies today! The state of each individual is tested by it. If we do not hear what the Spirit says we shall not be in communion with His present activities, and this is a very serious loss.
Each of the addresses emphasizes a character which may attach to the individual saint — “him that overcomes”. It is always open to the exercised individual — the one who has an ear — to hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies, and it is always possible for the faithful individual to be an overcomer. What encouragement there is in this! It opens the door — and keeps it open — for each loyal heart to be in accord with the mind and activities of the Spirit in spite of surrounding conditions in the assemblies. And it sets before each loyal heart the path and prize of the overcomer. Who would not covet to tread that path and to win that prize?
I believe the overcomer in each assembly is the one who apprehends and appreciates Christ in the character in which He presents Himself to that assembly. The Lord provides the remedy for each form of defection in the way He presents Himself, so as to make the one who appreciates Him an overcomer. If I want to be an overcomer I must pray much that I may apprehend and appreciate Christ. This involves conflict because there are great powers always at work to hinder it, and to move saints’ hearts away from Christ. I [p. 24] cannot follow Christ and appreciate Him without being assailed by the enemy. But there always has been, and always will be, that in Christ which would make the one who truly apprehended it an overcomer. If we are preserved, we are “preserved in Jesus Christ” (Jude 2). It is good to see the preservative power there is in Him.
“To him that overcomes, I will give to him to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God”. The assembly had left its first love; it had ceased to hold fast the Head; and though many spiritual activities remained they had not the character of first works; they did not get their impulse from living contact of affection with Christ as Head. But the overcomer in such a state of things would be marked by cherishing the thought of Christ as Head, and he would not be content with anything that did not flow livingly from Him. The whole body, and nothing less, would therefore be before him in connection with the thought of supply and increase. He would be exercised to be a “joint of supply”, and to work in his measure as “one part” of that body which works for itself increase “to its self-building up in love”. The prize of such would be “to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God”. He would enjoy, and be sustained by, those twelve fruits which speak of perennial satisfaction, and of varied perfections which minister gratification to every form of spiritual desire; “in each month yielding its fruit”.
What a picture of the life of the holy city do we find in those words — “In the midst of its street, and of the river, on this side and on that side, the tree of life, producing twelve fruits, in each month yielding its fruit”! The street of the city speaks of its movement [p. 25] and activity; the river speaks of the Spirit of God as the blessed current of its life subjectively, pure in crystal brightness; but in the midst of both the street and the river is the Tree of life. Every movement in that city centres in Christ; He gives impulse to everything there. And He is in the midst of the river too; the very Centre of all that quickens and gladdens, of all the Spirit’s flow in the heavenly city, even as He is the Theme of the Spirit’s ministry and testimony here below! And He is not only “in the midst”, but “on this side and on that side”. It suggests that whichever way you look you see the Tree of life there, and it yields its fruit perennially. Each month is but an opportunity to taste some new refreshment and delight in Christ. The spiritual year yields one blessed satisfaction after another in the enjoyment of the varied fruits of Christ. To eat of that Tree is the prize of the overcomer. Nor can we doubt that though this rich reward has its full outlook in the future it brings some of its blessedness, even in the promise which sets it before us, into the present experience and joy of the overcomer.