Revelation 2:1: Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks.

John wrote his first letter to the angel (presiding servant)¹ for the congregation of saints² in Ephesus.³ Ephesus was a beautiful and influential city⁴ near the coast of Asia Minor.⁵ It was located about 60 miles from Patmos island where John wrote his letter.⁶ According to an ancient tradition, John lived at Ephesus.⁷ Mary, the mother of Jesus, also lived with John and died in this city according to the same tradition.⁸ Despite John's intimate familiarity with the Ephesian saints,⁹ his first letter contained a message from Jesus Christ–not from John himself.¹⁰

During the early Christian era, Ephesus was the seat of government for the region of Ionia¹¹ and a religious center for the practice of mystical arts.¹² The city was home to the temple of Diana¹³ (Artemis).¹⁴ This temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world¹⁵ and included a highly secure bank for the riches of the wealthiest Asians.¹⁶ Diana was the mother goddess of the earth,¹⁷ and her temple was devoted to ritual prostitution.¹⁸ It was also an asylum for criminals.¹⁹ Ephesus was also an important commercial center²⁰ until its harbor filled with silt within decades after John's letter.²¹ The city and temple burned in 262 AD.²²

During the apostolic period, the Ephesians were steeped in the occult and mystical arts.²³ Nevertheless, Paul preached the gospel to them with great success.²⁴ From Ephesus, the gospel spread to other parts of Asia,²⁵ and the Ephesian saints were initially a devout people.²⁶ At the time of John's letter in 96 AD,²⁷ Paul's former missionary companion, Timothy,²⁸ was probably the head of the Ephesian church.²⁹ Timothy's influence, if not authority, may have extended beyond Ephesus because of his relationship with Paul.³⁰

In this first letter to the Ephesians, and in each of the other six letters, Christ identifies himself with the same attributes mentioned in Revelation chapter 1.³¹ Here, the Savior holds the seven stars in his right hand³² as a symbol of his power to spiritually preserve the seven leaders in the seven churches.³³

Christ also walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks³⁴ as previously recorded in Revelation 1:13.³⁵ The seven golden candlesticks represent the seven churches that support the light emanating from Christ.³⁶ His spirit was in the midst of the ancient saints,³⁷ but each person had to be worthy to feel the Lord's presence.³⁸

Revelation 2:2: I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars.

John's inspired letter to the Ephesians³⁹ records the words of Jesus Christ,⁴⁰ saying: I know thy works.⁴¹ This phrase is found in all seven letters⁴² and indicates that Christ is omniscient.⁴³ Christ knew of the intense labour (toil and troubles) of the Ephesians⁴⁴ that was inspired by their love of God.⁴⁵ He knew their patience⁴⁶ in extreme tribulation and persecution.⁴⁷ Finally, he knew how thou canst not bear them which are evil.⁴⁸ This phrase refers to false teachers and antichrists that were then among the inner ranks of the Ephesian saints.⁴⁹

During the apostolic age,⁵⁰ false teachers initially came from within the ranks of the church by stealth and secrecy.⁵¹ However, these false teachers became increasingly open in their claims of false authority⁵² to the point of claiming apostleship.⁵³ When this occurred, the Ephesian saints tried them which say they are apostles, and are not.⁵⁴ The faithful saints found them liars.⁵⁵ John does not say how the fraud was confirmed among the Ephesian saints, but Christ warned of their coming when he said, by their fruits ye shall know them.⁵⁶ Here, the fraud was undoubtedly detected by the evil fruits of the Nicolaitans (Nic-o-lay-UH-tons) identified in Revelation 2:6.⁵⁷

Christ commended the Ephesians for discovering and rejecting these false apostles in their midst in 96 AD.⁵⁸ But eventually the Ephesian church welcomed these and other false teachers into their midst with open arms.⁵⁹ These false teachers openly taught⁶⁰ the false doctrines of the Gnostics (NAH-sticks).⁶¹ Christ's true doctrines became so completely corrupted⁶² that the true church ceased to exist⁶³ and the Great Apostasy became universal.⁶⁴ The city of Ephesus also went the way of the church and fell into ruin.⁶⁵ The citizens of Ephesus were massacred in 1038 AD, when the city submitted to Turkish rule.⁶⁶

Revelation 2:3: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

John's words of praise to the Ephesians in Revelation 2:2 are repeated in Revelation 2:3, but the word order is reversed in a mirror image⁶⁷ to form a poetic chiasmus.⁶⁸ The Ephesian saints had borne evil without fainting.⁶⁹ This becomes the center and focal point of Revelation 2:2-3, as shown in the following chiastic pattern:⁷⁰

In this chiastic pattern, Revelation 2:2 commends the Ephesians for laboring to reject evil within the church,⁷¹ and the repeated praise in Revelation 2:3 commends them for enduring persecution⁷² from outside the church⁷³ without fainting.⁷⁴