Topical Studies
Ephesus
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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In the first century, the city of Ephesus had an environment very similar to our own in modern-day America. It was the crossroads of civilization, politically known as "the Supreme Metropolis of Asia." The Roman governor of the region lived there, and it was the religious center for the worship of the fertility goddess known by the Greeks as Artemis and by the Romans as Diana. Her temple on the outskirts of the city was one of the seven wonders of the world. Economically, Ephesus was a giant among first-century cities. With its strategic location, it was the chief commercial center of western Asia Minor. Its harbor brought ships from around the Mediterranean, and its two major roads gave ready access to other cities along the coast and inland. Diana's temple, considered sacrosanct throughout the Roman world, became the primary banking institution in Asia Minor. Morally, however, the city was bankrupt. Just as our nation is inundated with perversion and pornography, Ephesus was controlled by the educated prostitutes affiliated with Diana worship. Part of the cult of Diana was the use of ritual prostitution whereby the devotee became "joined" with the goddess through her priestesses, ensuring her favor throughout the year. One philosopher, commenting on the moral climate in Ephesus, wrote that the inhabitants of the city were fit only to be drowned. He said that the reason he could never smile or laugh was because he lived amidst such terrible uncleanness. It was to members of His church who lived among such prosperity and depravity that Christ addresses His first letter among seven in Revelation 2 and 3.
John O. Reid
Recapture Your First Love!
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Revelation 2:2-3 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
Any saint who has sorted right from wrong doctrine, discerned good from evil leadership, and patiently continued to labor in Christ's name can identify with Ephesus! Identifying today's false apostles was not initially easy either, but many have seen how church leaders have turned true grace into lawlessness and voided God's law from their lives (Jude 4; Psalm 119:126; Romans 3:31). If we have continued in patience and good works, we can be encouraged by Christ's initial words to Ephesus, for they apply to us in principle, if not directly.
Staff
The Seven Churches: Ephesus
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Revelation 2:7 (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up)
The sense is that these messages for each church—for all Christians. This means that the attitudes and conduct described dominate the group accused or complimented by Christ, but they also exist in the other groups as well. Otherwise, the advice to whoever hears would not apply. In other words, the Ephesian attitude might also be in Smyrna, Pergamos, Laodicea, Philadelphia, etc., but it dominated the church in Ephesus. The attitude that dominated in Smyrna would also describe, though with less accuracy, one or more of the other groups. The same would be true of Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. All the messages apply to all of the churches. All the messages apply to each of us as individuals, and it is a matter of "if the shoes fits, wear it." That is God's approach here. We are to live by every word of God. It is only under this principle that we can apply these messages.
John W. Ritenbaugh
What Is the Work of God Now? (Part 4)
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