The Seven Churches of Revelation – Part 2 Ephesus – Lacking Love
Revelation is PRIMARILY the story of a wedding. When we think of Jesus marrying His Bride, we want to get the boy-girl connotations out of the way. We got the idea of marriage from God, not the other way around. Marriage, according to the Bible is about a legal covenant relationship where two people become one. The wedding in Revelation is about relationship, family position, and inheritance…not about sex or physical attraction. Jesus’ Bride is going to become sons and daughters of the most High God of all creation. That means WE are going to share in Jesus’ family position and family inheritance. The Father loves US like He loves Jesus. For us to come into a living understanding of that, some things MUST happen…and the process of those things happening is described in Revelation. Revelation is describing the Father’s answer to Jesus’ prayer in John 17:
John 17:20-23 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
For the Bride to be legally united as “one” to God’s family, we need to go from being divided and lacking much of the glory of Jesus, to united and walking in a measure of glory that reflects Jesus’ glory, the light of His presence, to the world. Revelation is describing HOW this will happen. Once you have a paradigm for that, the Revelation of Jesus Christ quickly becomes one of the most thrilling books of the Bible.
Revelation is also describing the moment that the crop of wheat that Jesus planted in Acts 1 enters the point that it is mature enough to harvest. So, Revelation is a “harvest season wedding.” The wheat and the tares are both mature at the time of the wedding. Many wonder where the earth is heading. Will the earth be righteous or evil at the time of the wedding? The answer is “yes.” It will be the fullness of both. Jesus’ Bride needs to be PREPARED for this reality. The unity and glory is thrilling…but the truth is, unity happens through a cleaning process…it is “unity by division.” Because the process is a HARVEST wedding, Jesus’ Bride is sifted…shaken…through a time that the whole earth is shaken. Only TRUE grains…those wholehearted…equally interested…equally yoked in love to Jesus, who gave it all for the marriage…will get married.
Amos 9:9-12 "For I will give the command and will shake Israel along with the other nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, yet not one true kernel will be lost. 10 But all the sinners will die by the sword—all those who say, 'Nothing bad will happen to us.' 11 "In that day I will restore the fallen house of David. I will repair its damaged walls. From the ruins I will rebuild it and restore its former glory. 12 And Israel will possess what is left of Edom and all the nations I have called to be Mine. " The LORD has spoken, and He will do these things.
This sifting is an INTENSE process. If you do not understand what Jesus is doing, and WHY He is doing it, you run a high risk of being offended, just like John the Baptists disciples were offended by what God allowed to happen to John. John’s disciples couldn’t understand, if Jesus was really the Messiah on earth, why was so much bad stuff happening to the guy who prepared the way. John said “go ask Him yourself”:
Matthew 11:2-6 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" 4 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."
God’s ways are not our ways. Right now, the Bride is mostly confused about what her Groom is doing, but that is NOT ok with Jesus. Worthless shepherds have neglected to lead the sheep to the wedding. The truth is, for the last 2,000 years, the Bride was supposed to be entirely focused on the wedding. We are all heading to a wedding. If you are a shepherd, you should be leading the sheep to where the owner wants them. The Bible is clear the owner is taking all the willing sheep to the wedding. You really need to be leading the way to the wedding. All the sheep need to GET READY to get married.
If you aren’t ready to get married, you AREN’T GETTING MARRIED. Did you hear that? Those aren’t my words, they are Jesus’. Just because no one is talking about this doesn’t mean it isn’t in the Bible. Check YOUR Bible. Look what it says here:
Matthew 22:2-14 "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding." ' 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 "For many are called, but few are chosen."
We are living in the time this reality is nearly MATURE. Right now, a few messengers have been sent out. They have been told of the wedding plans. They have heard from the Father that the harvest is ready…both the wheat and the tares…by the signs of the earth they have confirmed it in the Word…but many DO NOT want the Book of Revelation to unfold just yet. To not want the events of Revelation to unfold is to NOT WANT JESUS TO RETURN. This is a very bad state of mind to be in. Maybe You are scared? Ok, Jesus can work with that. Just tell Him. He will help you see you have nothing to fear, but fear itself.
Fear is what will cause the offense that causes the falling away. Perfect love casts out all fear. If you are afraid of the return of Jesus it is simply an indicator that you don’t yet grasp His perfect love. Growing deeper in His love by UNDERSTANDING His perfect plans born out of His perfect love IS THE ANSWER TO YOUR FEAR. Comforting yourself with worldly distractions…even those you might find at church…is only going to increase your fear when the intense things you fear ACTUALLY happen. If you look at the news, they are ALREADY happening. You really need to go deep in the intense love of Jesus by getting understanding of what He is doing, what He expects His Bride to do, and then uncover all the amazing and beautiful promises that the Book of Revelation contains. You have to deal with the intense stuff to get eyes to see the good stuff…they are written in the book side by side, but the enemy is trying to drive you in fear away from the promises. I say “fear go now, in the name of Jesus.”
The Revelation of Jesus Christ….that is the official name, not the revelation of satan or the antichrist, but the Revelation of Jesus Christ…reads like a wedding program. In Chapter 1, we meet the Groom. There are 30 descriptions of the Groom packed into about a page and a half of text. This is the most concentrated truth of the names of the identity of Jesus in the Bible. This is the Jesus you want to know going into the events of Revelation. Like Misty Edwards sings: “He’s not a baby in a manger anymore, He’s not a broken man on a cross. He’s alive, and He’s not staying in heaven forever!” Chapter one is the Groom’s Chamber. Spend some time there. Our King is AMAZING. His best friend, John, passed out when He saw for the first time who He was REALLY running with.
Revelation 1:17-18 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
Jesus is entirely in control of what will transpire during the events of Revelation, the events leading up to the wedding. He’s got this. BUT, for love, He refuses to make His Bride-to-Be get ready. If she wants to ignore what is happening, it simply indicates she is more about herself than she is about Him.
Can you imagine? Picture yourself as Jesus, or picture your OWN wedding just before that last week leading up to it starts...
You are so excited about your wedding…you’ve made tons of plans, there are places to be…photos and dinners and so much excitement as two lives are about to be joined together, but your spouse to be is really acting like all this is a big chore. He or she intentionally misses appointments because every time they go to one it reminds them that bachelorhood is about to end. They complain about the complicated steps of the wedding. They throw up their hands every time you try and talk about how it will all happen, saying it is too complicated…"I'll just figure it out as I go."
You have taken great pains to arrange what you are going to wear. It will look so good with the flowers on the tables and groomsmen and bridesmaids...but your spouse just figures "hey, someone will just pick me up and take me when it is time...who cares what I look like?" YOU care what they look like. DUH! They won't even try to listen to what you are saying for more than 5 minutes...is the game on?
But you have made the plans REALLY clear…you want your spouse excited with you! You are so excited by the arrangements, yet your spouse-to-be won’t even take the time to sort out the most important event in both THEIR life, but also in your life, and the life of your Father who has taken so much trouble to plan and PAY FOR the wedding…This is a great offense to the entire Family. You must GET READY if you really love God.
“Why did you say YES if you didn't really want to get married?”
THAT is what Jesus is saying. If you live in the hour of the wedding, it should be what your life is about…many claim “the wedding is at hand”…but they do almost nothing to get revved up for the event…How sad for the lovesick groom who is still ravished by His Bride! Jesus will only marry an “equally yoked” Bride…He is only going to marry a Bride ZEALOUS in love, because that is how He is.
A lack of lovesickness is the problem the world is facing. There is a reason Ephesus was chosen as the first of the seven churches to be addressed. Loving God with all heart, soul, mind, and strength is the GREATEST commandment for a reason, and Ephesus missed that message. Let’s look at what Jesus told them:
Revelation 2:1-7 "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." '
For each of the seven churches addressed in Revelation 2 and 3, we have to first realize there is a pattern to the way Jesus talks to them. For each church Jesus follows the same pattern:
1. Jesus addresses the Church as the standard of what He is admonishing them to do. Here, for Ephesus, Jesus addresses the Church as the one who “holds the seven stars in His hand” and “walks among the lampstand.”
(side note: This is symbolic language, but it is entirely “decoded” just a couple of paragraphs before this letter in Revelation 1. The problem most people have with understanding Revelation is that over the years, many have made Revelation a mostly symbolic book. Revelation is NOT mostly symbolic. There are seven main symbols in Revelation and all of them are CLEARLY decoded in the Bible itself. The Bible says when it is symbolic or parabolic…otherwise, we are supposed to understand it literally. If you take Revelation literally, it is EXTREMELY intense. This is intentional. The events coming ARE extremely intense. Many symbolize Revelation to tone down the intensity. This is offensive to God, because He is interested in getting His beloved Bride READY to meet the intensity. Not hiding from it to be offended later.)
The seven stars are the human messengers to the end time Church. The lampstands are the churches. Jesus is saying “I hold you and walk among you always.” He is saying I LOVE you and want to be CLOSE to you. Love is what He is correcting the church about. For the next six churches, we will see Jesus always opens by identifying Himself as the shepherd who has gone before them in the exact thing He wants them to overcome.
2. Jesus then encourages the Church by highlighting the strength of their walk. Jesus is not the accuser. He is the opposite. He is wonderful counselor. He has all the information and authority to evaluate the Bride, and He LOVES her. He isn’t just waiting for a chance to strike Her down. He says that Ephesus walks in great strength: they do the stuff of caring for the lowly and poor, they are patient, they are loyal to Jesus and do not tolerate evil, but address it. They hold those who claim to be apostles accountable to the word. They persevere. Jesus is describing a very DISCIPLINED people. They have a ton of integrity that comes from their COMMITMENT to Jesus. This is good. BUT, it isn’t enough. Human strength and discipline will not pass through the fire of tribulation. Period. It will take a miracle to make it through tribulation, on purpose. This is part of the design.
3. Next, Jesus tells them what they lack. This is to help them overcome the tribulation. Jesus highlights the thing that will cause them to fall away if they do not repent, agree with God, in humility. Jesus is saying discipline will not carry you through the hour that is before you. Your commitment to God will not be enough to sustain you as persecution increases, just like it wasn’t enough for Peter when He denied Jesus. Humilty…knowing God is the only one with strength that touches our hearts through growing in love is what is required. What Ephesus is confused about is that in pride, they have placed more weight on the strength of their love for Jesus than His love for them. This is the same error that led to Peter’s denial of Jesus. It takes God to love God. There is no love apart from the love that God sends out into creation from His throne.
1 John 4:19-20 We love Him because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
Remember, Revelation is describing the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer in John 17. Unity and glory are going to be the end result. This is impossible without God-centered…God-originated…love. Because love is a fruit of the Spirit, an increase of love for each other can only come from an increasing experience of God’s love.
Jesus is telling Ephesus that they are on the wrong track…if they keep relying on their own discipline, rather than pressing in to drawing near to God in wholehearted love, they will find that as confusion increases in the world, it will be harder and harder to tap into the river of love as many voices claiming to define love call them evil…that is what is going to happen, you know. The people of the earth are going to blaspheme…call evil…those patiently loyal to Jesus. They will say “those Christians care more about Jesus returning than loving and doing good stuff for the suffering people of the earth.”
This is blasphemy, because the truth is we can do nothing of ourselves. We must be in a growing love relationship with God that works flow out of. Right now, we should be cultivating that process…abide in worship and intercession (the Tabernacle of David) and from THAT place, letting works of love flow out. The Tabernacle of David, according to Amos and many other prophets, including Jesus, is the safe place for the true grains.
The Tabernacle of David was David’s expression of the two greatest commandments. The Tabernacle was a practical expression of loving God with all of the heart, mind, soul, and strength, and from that flowed a good government…loving neighbors as themselves. Jesus is coming to create a whole new government based on love that will CRUSH the evil governments of earth, that are based on man-based power. The Tabernacle will actually sing and worship the framework of that new governmental infrastructure onto the earth…building a throne for Jesus…in advance of the return of the Messiah.
If you want to be a part of the new government built on true love, you MUST love God first, people second. Those are the two greatest commandments. That is why Jesus said “tarry in the City for power” before you try to do the great commission. You need to be mostly about love (abiding) if you want to be truly powerful.
Luke 24:49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
Jesus is calling Ephesus back to that upper room experience that birthed them…that is where the power first came. That was the first exciting love of partnering with the Groom in His plan to take back the world in love. That was the first rain on the seeds that made them sprout, but one rain does not a harvest make. They need to keep presenting themselves to the river of love, or they will dry up and die.
Jesus, in the middle of correcting Ephesus about love, says they have one thing really working in their favor that will help: “they hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans.” According to Ireneaus, the Nicolaitans were followers of Nicolas, who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the apostles. They led lives of unrestrained indulgence. These were the false grace guys of the early church. They claimed that Jesus paid the price for sin, so there was no longer sin attached to believers. Whatever they did was ok, since Jesus loved them and paid for their mistakes. This is false grace. Jesus doesn’t give grace to live OUTSIDE of His leadership. Jesus gives grace for us to come more and more UNDER His leadership. When we make a mistake, we turn to Jesus confident in His love and REPENT. We AGREE with God that sin is sin and we tell Him we disagree with our sin and ask Him to bring us into a closer walk with Him. Grace is given for repentance to take place in confidence, so we won’t be trapped in condemnation. Anything less than growing in love, which according to Jesus IS evidenced by obedience, is taking the grace of God in vain:
2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
Although the church at Ephesus agrees with Jesus about false grace, they are also missing the true grace which only grows in our hearts as LOVE grows. The love that Jesus is describing must be sought…like David…as the only true place of safety:
Psalms 27:4-6 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple. 5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. 6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
This zealous love to be with God in continual conversation is practically expressed individually, but also, according to the Bible, corporately in a geographic region as David’s Tabernacle. This provides the COMMUNITY with safety in a time of trouble. Jesus is addressing the individual believer’s value of love, but Jesus is PRIMARILY addressing the corporate body regarding their SAFETY in love. This is an END TIME reality. Without love, FEAR will drive you to falling away. Look at the context of this famous passage:
1 John 4:16-18 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Jesus is warning Ephesus that they are not ready to endure the tribulation, because the lack of love WILL allow fear to increase, which will cause the church to shrink back in the face of true persecution which requires boldness. Death is the consequence. Not the physical death of their bodies, but REAL death…the falling away into a permanent lake of fire. The antichrist is going to take away, by law, the strength of Christians, primarily by confiscating their wealth. You will not be able to buy, sell, work, pay the electricity, drive the car…etc….unless you take the mark. Your heart needs to be READY for this reality. Many will accuse you of not loving your kids if you refuse to take the mark. Families will divide over this choice.
This confiscation of the wealth of Christians is already beginning to happen under the new Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and Syria. Christians are being stripped of all their possessions and being driven out of the Islamic State or killed. This is promised to come to the USA. The stakes in this hour are very high. You must be made BOLD in wholehearted lovesick loyalty to Jesus. This is what drives out fear and protects you from this:
Revelation 14:9-11 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
Jesus said to Ephesus that they were not ready for this reality. Then He said “if you don’t repent, I will remove your lampstand.” That means to stop being a true part of the church…the Bride…Jesus’ Body. That means “falling away.” The consequences of ignoring what the Spirit is saying to the seven churches is HIGH…life or death. In fact, that brings us to the last part of the pattern:
4. Jesus promises a reward for repentance. Taking Jesus seriously, rather than giving in to pride that says “I already love God enough”, will establish the church in BOLDNESS, which will cause the church to overcome the tribulation.
Jesus says “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God”
Jesus is promising that if we repent of trusting in our own discipline and pressing in to wholehearted zealous love, not only will we stand in boldness and not fall away…we will enter in to the paradise of God day by day…just like David. That “one thing” desire is also the desire of God’s heart: man with God. That makes the night and day seeking of God a guaranteed answered prayer.
The commitment to the upper room…the Tabernacle of David…will bring life in full. Making worship and talking to God your primary strength sets you boldly before the throne of God NOW, before you die. This is what truly causes LIFE to happen now.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Let all who love Jesus hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church in THIS hour.
John 17:20-23 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
For the Bride to be legally united as “one” to God’s family, we need to go from being divided and lacking much of the glory of Jesus, to united and walking in a measure of glory that reflects Jesus’ glory, the light of His presence, to the world. Revelation is describing HOW this will happen. Once you have a paradigm for that, the Revelation of Jesus Christ quickly becomes one of the most thrilling books of the Bible.
Revelation is also describing the moment that the crop of wheat that Jesus planted in Acts 1 enters the point that it is mature enough to harvest. So, Revelation is a “harvest season wedding.” The wheat and the tares are both mature at the time of the wedding. Many wonder where the earth is heading. Will the earth be righteous or evil at the time of the wedding? The answer is “yes.” It will be the fullness of both. Jesus’ Bride needs to be PREPARED for this reality. The unity and glory is thrilling…but the truth is, unity happens through a cleaning process…it is “unity by division.” Because the process is a HARVEST wedding, Jesus’ Bride is sifted…shaken…through a time that the whole earth is shaken. Only TRUE grains…those wholehearted…equally interested…equally yoked in love to Jesus, who gave it all for the marriage…will get married.
Amos 9:9-12 "For I will give the command and will shake Israel along with the other nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, yet not one true kernel will be lost. 10 But all the sinners will die by the sword—all those who say, 'Nothing bad will happen to us.' 11 "In that day I will restore the fallen house of David. I will repair its damaged walls. From the ruins I will rebuild it and restore its former glory. 12 And Israel will possess what is left of Edom and all the nations I have called to be Mine. " The LORD has spoken, and He will do these things.
This sifting is an INTENSE process. If you do not understand what Jesus is doing, and WHY He is doing it, you run a high risk of being offended, just like John the Baptists disciples were offended by what God allowed to happen to John. John’s disciples couldn’t understand, if Jesus was really the Messiah on earth, why was so much bad stuff happening to the guy who prepared the way. John said “go ask Him yourself”:
Matthew 11:2-6 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" 4 Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me."
God’s ways are not our ways. Right now, the Bride is mostly confused about what her Groom is doing, but that is NOT ok with Jesus. Worthless shepherds have neglected to lead the sheep to the wedding. The truth is, for the last 2,000 years, the Bride was supposed to be entirely focused on the wedding. We are all heading to a wedding. If you are a shepherd, you should be leading the sheep to where the owner wants them. The Bible is clear the owner is taking all the willing sheep to the wedding. You really need to be leading the way to the wedding. All the sheep need to GET READY to get married.
If you aren’t ready to get married, you AREN’T GETTING MARRIED. Did you hear that? Those aren’t my words, they are Jesus’. Just because no one is talking about this doesn’t mean it isn’t in the Bible. Check YOUR Bible. Look what it says here:
Matthew 22:2-14 "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding." ' 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 "For many are called, but few are chosen."
We are living in the time this reality is nearly MATURE. Right now, a few messengers have been sent out. They have been told of the wedding plans. They have heard from the Father that the harvest is ready…both the wheat and the tares…by the signs of the earth they have confirmed it in the Word…but many DO NOT want the Book of Revelation to unfold just yet. To not want the events of Revelation to unfold is to NOT WANT JESUS TO RETURN. This is a very bad state of mind to be in. Maybe You are scared? Ok, Jesus can work with that. Just tell Him. He will help you see you have nothing to fear, but fear itself.
Fear is what will cause the offense that causes the falling away. Perfect love casts out all fear. If you are afraid of the return of Jesus it is simply an indicator that you don’t yet grasp His perfect love. Growing deeper in His love by UNDERSTANDING His perfect plans born out of His perfect love IS THE ANSWER TO YOUR FEAR. Comforting yourself with worldly distractions…even those you might find at church…is only going to increase your fear when the intense things you fear ACTUALLY happen. If you look at the news, they are ALREADY happening. You really need to go deep in the intense love of Jesus by getting understanding of what He is doing, what He expects His Bride to do, and then uncover all the amazing and beautiful promises that the Book of Revelation contains. You have to deal with the intense stuff to get eyes to see the good stuff…they are written in the book side by side, but the enemy is trying to drive you in fear away from the promises. I say “fear go now, in the name of Jesus.”
The Revelation of Jesus Christ….that is the official name, not the revelation of satan or the antichrist, but the Revelation of Jesus Christ…reads like a wedding program. In Chapter 1, we meet the Groom. There are 30 descriptions of the Groom packed into about a page and a half of text. This is the most concentrated truth of the names of the identity of Jesus in the Bible. This is the Jesus you want to know going into the events of Revelation. Like Misty Edwards sings: “He’s not a baby in a manger anymore, He’s not a broken man on a cross. He’s alive, and He’s not staying in heaven forever!” Chapter one is the Groom’s Chamber. Spend some time there. Our King is AMAZING. His best friend, John, passed out when He saw for the first time who He was REALLY running with.
Revelation 1:17-18 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
Jesus is entirely in control of what will transpire during the events of Revelation, the events leading up to the wedding. He’s got this. BUT, for love, He refuses to make His Bride-to-Be get ready. If she wants to ignore what is happening, it simply indicates she is more about herself than she is about Him.
Can you imagine? Picture yourself as Jesus, or picture your OWN wedding just before that last week leading up to it starts...
You are so excited about your wedding…you’ve made tons of plans, there are places to be…photos and dinners and so much excitement as two lives are about to be joined together, but your spouse to be is really acting like all this is a big chore. He or she intentionally misses appointments because every time they go to one it reminds them that bachelorhood is about to end. They complain about the complicated steps of the wedding. They throw up their hands every time you try and talk about how it will all happen, saying it is too complicated…"I'll just figure it out as I go."
You have taken great pains to arrange what you are going to wear. It will look so good with the flowers on the tables and groomsmen and bridesmaids...but your spouse just figures "hey, someone will just pick me up and take me when it is time...who cares what I look like?" YOU care what they look like. DUH! They won't even try to listen to what you are saying for more than 5 minutes...is the game on?
But you have made the plans REALLY clear…you want your spouse excited with you! You are so excited by the arrangements, yet your spouse-to-be won’t even take the time to sort out the most important event in both THEIR life, but also in your life, and the life of your Father who has taken so much trouble to plan and PAY FOR the wedding…This is a great offense to the entire Family. You must GET READY if you really love God.
“Why did you say YES if you didn't really want to get married?”
THAT is what Jesus is saying. If you live in the hour of the wedding, it should be what your life is about…many claim “the wedding is at hand”…but they do almost nothing to get revved up for the event…How sad for the lovesick groom who is still ravished by His Bride! Jesus will only marry an “equally yoked” Bride…He is only going to marry a Bride ZEALOUS in love, because that is how He is.
A lack of lovesickness is the problem the world is facing. There is a reason Ephesus was chosen as the first of the seven churches to be addressed. Loving God with all heart, soul, mind, and strength is the GREATEST commandment for a reason, and Ephesus missed that message. Let’s look at what Jesus told them:
Revelation 2:1-7 "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. 6 But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." '
For each of the seven churches addressed in Revelation 2 and 3, we have to first realize there is a pattern to the way Jesus talks to them. For each church Jesus follows the same pattern:
1. Jesus addresses the Church as the standard of what He is admonishing them to do. Here, for Ephesus, Jesus addresses the Church as the one who “holds the seven stars in His hand” and “walks among the lampstand.”
(side note: This is symbolic language, but it is entirely “decoded” just a couple of paragraphs before this letter in Revelation 1. The problem most people have with understanding Revelation is that over the years, many have made Revelation a mostly symbolic book. Revelation is NOT mostly symbolic. There are seven main symbols in Revelation and all of them are CLEARLY decoded in the Bible itself. The Bible says when it is symbolic or parabolic…otherwise, we are supposed to understand it literally. If you take Revelation literally, it is EXTREMELY intense. This is intentional. The events coming ARE extremely intense. Many symbolize Revelation to tone down the intensity. This is offensive to God, because He is interested in getting His beloved Bride READY to meet the intensity. Not hiding from it to be offended later.)
The seven stars are the human messengers to the end time Church. The lampstands are the churches. Jesus is saying “I hold you and walk among you always.” He is saying I LOVE you and want to be CLOSE to you. Love is what He is correcting the church about. For the next six churches, we will see Jesus always opens by identifying Himself as the shepherd who has gone before them in the exact thing He wants them to overcome.
2. Jesus then encourages the Church by highlighting the strength of their walk. Jesus is not the accuser. He is the opposite. He is wonderful counselor. He has all the information and authority to evaluate the Bride, and He LOVES her. He isn’t just waiting for a chance to strike Her down. He says that Ephesus walks in great strength: they do the stuff of caring for the lowly and poor, they are patient, they are loyal to Jesus and do not tolerate evil, but address it. They hold those who claim to be apostles accountable to the word. They persevere. Jesus is describing a very DISCIPLINED people. They have a ton of integrity that comes from their COMMITMENT to Jesus. This is good. BUT, it isn’t enough. Human strength and discipline will not pass through the fire of tribulation. Period. It will take a miracle to make it through tribulation, on purpose. This is part of the design.
3. Next, Jesus tells them what they lack. This is to help them overcome the tribulation. Jesus highlights the thing that will cause them to fall away if they do not repent, agree with God, in humility. Jesus is saying discipline will not carry you through the hour that is before you. Your commitment to God will not be enough to sustain you as persecution increases, just like it wasn’t enough for Peter when He denied Jesus. Humilty…knowing God is the only one with strength that touches our hearts through growing in love is what is required. What Ephesus is confused about is that in pride, they have placed more weight on the strength of their love for Jesus than His love for them. This is the same error that led to Peter’s denial of Jesus. It takes God to love God. There is no love apart from the love that God sends out into creation from His throne.
1 John 4:19-20 We love Him because He first loved us. 20 If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
Remember, Revelation is describing the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer in John 17. Unity and glory are going to be the end result. This is impossible without God-centered…God-originated…love. Because love is a fruit of the Spirit, an increase of love for each other can only come from an increasing experience of God’s love.
Jesus is telling Ephesus that they are on the wrong track…if they keep relying on their own discipline, rather than pressing in to drawing near to God in wholehearted love, they will find that as confusion increases in the world, it will be harder and harder to tap into the river of love as many voices claiming to define love call them evil…that is what is going to happen, you know. The people of the earth are going to blaspheme…call evil…those patiently loyal to Jesus. They will say “those Christians care more about Jesus returning than loving and doing good stuff for the suffering people of the earth.”
This is blasphemy, because the truth is we can do nothing of ourselves. We must be in a growing love relationship with God that works flow out of. Right now, we should be cultivating that process…abide in worship and intercession (the Tabernacle of David) and from THAT place, letting works of love flow out. The Tabernacle of David, according to Amos and many other prophets, including Jesus, is the safe place for the true grains.
The Tabernacle of David was David’s expression of the two greatest commandments. The Tabernacle was a practical expression of loving God with all of the heart, mind, soul, and strength, and from that flowed a good government…loving neighbors as themselves. Jesus is coming to create a whole new government based on love that will CRUSH the evil governments of earth, that are based on man-based power. The Tabernacle will actually sing and worship the framework of that new governmental infrastructure onto the earth…building a throne for Jesus…in advance of the return of the Messiah.
If you want to be a part of the new government built on true love, you MUST love God first, people second. Those are the two greatest commandments. That is why Jesus said “tarry in the City for power” before you try to do the great commission. You need to be mostly about love (abiding) if you want to be truly powerful.
Luke 24:49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
Jesus is calling Ephesus back to that upper room experience that birthed them…that is where the power first came. That was the first exciting love of partnering with the Groom in His plan to take back the world in love. That was the first rain on the seeds that made them sprout, but one rain does not a harvest make. They need to keep presenting themselves to the river of love, or they will dry up and die.
Jesus, in the middle of correcting Ephesus about love, says they have one thing really working in their favor that will help: “they hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans.” According to Ireneaus, the Nicolaitans were followers of Nicolas, who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the apostles. They led lives of unrestrained indulgence. These were the false grace guys of the early church. They claimed that Jesus paid the price for sin, so there was no longer sin attached to believers. Whatever they did was ok, since Jesus loved them and paid for their mistakes. This is false grace. Jesus doesn’t give grace to live OUTSIDE of His leadership. Jesus gives grace for us to come more and more UNDER His leadership. When we make a mistake, we turn to Jesus confident in His love and REPENT. We AGREE with God that sin is sin and we tell Him we disagree with our sin and ask Him to bring us into a closer walk with Him. Grace is given for repentance to take place in confidence, so we won’t be trapped in condemnation. Anything less than growing in love, which according to Jesus IS evidenced by obedience, is taking the grace of God in vain:
2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
Although the church at Ephesus agrees with Jesus about false grace, they are also missing the true grace which only grows in our hearts as LOVE grows. The love that Jesus is describing must be sought…like David…as the only true place of safety:
Psalms 27:4-6 One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in His temple. 5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. 6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.
This zealous love to be with God in continual conversation is practically expressed individually, but also, according to the Bible, corporately in a geographic region as David’s Tabernacle. This provides the COMMUNITY with safety in a time of trouble. Jesus is addressing the individual believer’s value of love, but Jesus is PRIMARILY addressing the corporate body regarding their SAFETY in love. This is an END TIME reality. Without love, FEAR will drive you to falling away. Look at the context of this famous passage:
1 John 4:16-18 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Jesus is warning Ephesus that they are not ready to endure the tribulation, because the lack of love WILL allow fear to increase, which will cause the church to shrink back in the face of true persecution which requires boldness. Death is the consequence. Not the physical death of their bodies, but REAL death…the falling away into a permanent lake of fire. The antichrist is going to take away, by law, the strength of Christians, primarily by confiscating their wealth. You will not be able to buy, sell, work, pay the electricity, drive the car…etc….unless you take the mark. Your heart needs to be READY for this reality. Many will accuse you of not loving your kids if you refuse to take the mark. Families will divide over this choice.
This confiscation of the wealth of Christians is already beginning to happen under the new Islamic Caliphate in Iraq and Syria. Christians are being stripped of all their possessions and being driven out of the Islamic State or killed. This is promised to come to the USA. The stakes in this hour are very high. You must be made BOLD in wholehearted lovesick loyalty to Jesus. This is what drives out fear and protects you from this:
Revelation 14:9-11 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
Jesus said to Ephesus that they were not ready for this reality. Then He said “if you don’t repent, I will remove your lampstand.” That means to stop being a true part of the church…the Bride…Jesus’ Body. That means “falling away.” The consequences of ignoring what the Spirit is saying to the seven churches is HIGH…life or death. In fact, that brings us to the last part of the pattern:
4. Jesus promises a reward for repentance. Taking Jesus seriously, rather than giving in to pride that says “I already love God enough”, will establish the church in BOLDNESS, which will cause the church to overcome the tribulation.
Jesus says “To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God”
Jesus is promising that if we repent of trusting in our own discipline and pressing in to wholehearted zealous love, not only will we stand in boldness and not fall away…we will enter in to the paradise of God day by day…just like David. That “one thing” desire is also the desire of God’s heart: man with God. That makes the night and day seeking of God a guaranteed answered prayer.
The commitment to the upper room…the Tabernacle of David…will bring life in full. Making worship and talking to God your primary strength sets you boldly before the throne of God NOW, before you die. This is what truly causes LIFE to happen now.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Let all who love Jesus hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church in THIS hour.
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