Ephesus – To/From: Who Speaks, Who Listens, and Why Love Was Lost – copy

What went so wrong with the relationships between people and God that the letter to the church in Ephesus that Jesus warned them they could lose their lampstand? Are things really that bad? Can they be hard working, persevere through trials, and still be told to their first love? What does return to first love even mean?

Ephesus – To/From: Who Speaks, Who Listens, and Why Love Was Lost - copy is article #05 in the series: Revelation: A book of hope through relationship. Click button to view titles for entire series

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📨-from-its-from-jesus-but-even-then-will-we-listen">📨From: It’s from Jesus, but even then will we listen?

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:

OK – we know it’s from Jesus, if for no other reason than the letters are in red. Hopefully, we know for other reasons as well. Then the questions become: what are the seven stars and the seven lampstands? Not to mention, is there any significance to Jesus holds the seven stars in His right hand and that He walks among the seven lampstands?

The last time I updated this series, I kept this part very short:

One way to look at it is this:

The reference to Christ as the one who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands(v. 1) may call attention to the fact that, while the church’s heavenly existence is secure in the sovereign care of Christ, he must visit the earthly counterparts to inspect and correct their conduct and attitudes. As a priest in the temple tends the lamps to keep them from growing dim or going out, Christ moves among the churches to attend to the purity and brightness of the light they give to the world.  ¹Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views: a parallel commentary (p. 64). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.

That was followed by some passages from the New Testament to support this as the Christian viewpoint.

Since then though, some things have changed. I recognize that the New Testament is the fulfillment of many of the promises and prophesies of the Old Testament. So, while we Christians focus on the New Testament, we lose a lot if we don’t go back to the Jewish viewpoints to see what “our” scripture means. What’s the best way to do that? By looking at a Messianic-Jewish view of both Testaments. Therefore, I’ve enhanced my own research library with books/commentaries from both more traditional Jewish sources as well as Messianic-Jewish writers.

🕎-the-seven-lampstands">🕎 The seven lampstands

It’s unfortunate that the explanation of the seven stars is so short:

The seven stars … the seven gold menorahs. See 1:12–13, 16, 20 and 1:12N.  ²Stern, D. H. (1996). Jewish New Testament Commentary : a companion volume to the Jewish New Testament (electronic ed., Re 2:1). Jewish New Testament Publications.

Unfortunate, but still very telling. Of course, many/most Christians will probably be like me – scratching our heads and wondering where does this “seven golden menorahs” come from? It’s not, as it may appear on first glance, saying the seven stars are seven golden menorahs. It is saying that the seven lampstands are seven golden menorahs.

When we go back – way back – we find that the seven golden menorahs has much deeper meaning that our seven golden lampstands.

You may remember this, from Exodus:

Post Name 🔍

Ex 24:1 Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. You are to worship at a distance, 2 but Moses alone is to approach the LORD; the others must not come near. And the people may not come up with him.”

Ex 24:3 When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’S words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the LORD has said we will do.” 4 Moses then wrote down everything the LORD had said.
He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young Israelite men, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the LORD. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.”

…

Ex 24:12 The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction.”

Ex 24:13 Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. 14 He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.”

Ex 24:15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. 18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

Yeah – that far back. To when Moses went up Mount Sinai. And while he was there, Aaron made the golden calf. An important time. Also, a time that would set the tone for people’s (our) behavior that will remain unchanged until all is fulfilled.

In any case, part of what was given to Moses back then was this:

The Lampstand 🔍

The Lampstand

25:31-39 pp — Ex 37:17-24

Ex 25:31 “Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it. 32 Six branches are to extend from the sides of the lampstand—three on one side and three on the other. 33 Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand. 34 And on the lampstand there are to be four cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms. 35 One bud shall be under the first pair of branches extending from the lampstand, a second bud under the second pair, and a third bud under the third pair—six branches in all. 36 The buds and branches shall all be of one piece with the lampstand, hammered out of pure gold.

Ex 25:37 “Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it. 38 Its wick trimmers and trays are to be of pure gold. 39 A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. 40 See that you make them according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.

So Messianic-Jewish scholars look at the seven lampstands as seven menorahs. Of course, Jewish people don’t have Revelation as their scripture. But Messianic Jews, using both Old and New Testaments, believe this.

But then, now does it tie together? Of course, it’s from a book in the Old Testament.

The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees 🔍

The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees

Zec 4:1 Then the angel who talked with me returned and wakened me, as a man is wakened from his sleep. 2 He asked me, “What do you see?”
I answered, “I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights. 3 Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.”

Zec 4:4 I asked the angel who talked with me, “What are these, my lord?”

Zec 4:5 He answered, “Do you not know what these are?”
“No, my lord,” I replied.

Zec 4:6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.

Zec 4:7 “What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’ ”

Zec 4:8 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 9 “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.

Zec 4:10 “Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
“(These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range throughout the earth.)”

Zec 4:11 Then I asked the angel, “What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?”

Zec 4:12 Again I asked him, “What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?”

Zec 4:13 He replied, “Do you not know what these are?”
“No, my lord,” I said.

Zec 4:14 So he said, “These are the two who are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth.”

A Jewish View

The JPS (Jewish Publication Society) says this about the Zechariah passage: (although there are many points made about differences over time, please don’t worry about that – I’ll make a comment about it later)

Zechariah 4:2.

I see a lampstand Zechariah’s vision of the lampstand (menorah) and lamps (or spouts) is different from the two major descriptions of these sacred vessels elsewhere in Scripture. He envisions a single stand with seven lamps surmounted on its top (with each lamp possibly having seven spouts, thus forty-nine lamps total) and apparently without branches. By contrast, the account of the Tabernacle describes a single lampstand with branches supporting the lamps (Exod. 25:31–40), and the depiction of Solomon’s Temple notes ten stands (apparently without branches) set in two groups of five on each side of the inner sanctum (1 Kings 7:49). Moreover, early rabbinic tradition presumed the ten stands to be in addition to the Tabernacle menorah and fit for service (Baraita de-Melekhet ha-Mishkan 10). These were taken as booty by the Babylonians (Jer. 52:19). Zechariah’s version seems to be a conflation of older forms, possibly based on priestly memory.

In the postexilic period, Ben Sira seems to refer to a single candlestick (Ben Sira 26:17), and this is also Josephus’s testimony after the invasion of Pompey in 63 B.C.E. (Antiquities xiv, 14,4). The earliest representation of a seven-branched candelabrum appears on the coins minted for Antigonus Mattathias, the last of the Hasmonean dynasty (40–37 B.C.E.); and with the destruction of the Temple by Titus, Domitian’s masons (ca. 81 C.E.) carved such a candelabrum on his victory arch. Since Hasmonean times, the lights of the candelabrum have symbolized political freedom and religious liberty; the symbolism of an exiled menorah would be plain to all.  ³Fishbane, M. A. (2002). Haftarot (pp. 227–228). The Jewish Publication Society.

Yes, there are differences. Whether they are from memory lapses, incorrect following of instructions, whatever, these things to me are very much like “the weeds” we’re trying to avoid in this series. Remember, these people – just like us – so often wandered from God. Following or even remembering God’s words wasn’t always that important. They were shocked when, after losing the Book of The Law, to find out how far off they were when it was found – as are we when we walk/run away and then later return to God.

What the people did isn’t as important to us as what God wanted them to do. Shouldn’t we build our image of God and the symbolism is His words from His intention rather than the human foils that keep His word from being carried out correctly?

And as for something as basic as one menorah in Exodus and seven in Revelation – wasn’t Exodus a beginning and Revelation the end? And so, is it that hard to imagine one menorah as the beginning of God building His church and the seven in Revelation symbolizing the completeness of God’s plan?

Put it all together

So now the Christian view of the lampstands, regardless of what we call them, is still the local churches. Seven isn’t a number, as in how many. Rather, seven is God’s way of telling us that it’s the complete church here on earth. All churches that follow His ways.

What’s the symbolism behind the lampstand(s)?

Of course, it’s about relationships.

Think about Exodus. There was one lampstand. In the most holy place in the Temple. Accessible by one person. That’s one person allowed to be in the light of the menorah.

Yes – all of that in Exodus, and yet, only one person experienced it. God “speaks”. One person “listens”.

But with the birth, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, things are different. The question below is asked in a very specific way to bring out an important detail that maybe we don’t all get:

Now, with the Holy Spirit, God speaks to millions of Christians. And He will speak. The questions is, will we listen when God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit?

Now think about the one menorah – one high priest in Exodus as compared to the number of baptized Christians who have the Holy Spirit, the presence of God in them.

No one but the high priest got to see the light of God from the original menorah. But now, every true Christian can reflect the light of God to everyone who sees them. That’s a huge change. The potential for amazing relationships among people and between people and God are unimaginable.

Unfortunately, those relationship opportunities don’t often get fulfilled to a great extent. And when we get the letter telling us Jesus is walking among the lampstands, it must be our lampstand He’s looking at. If not, why bring it up? Will Jesus have something good or bad to say? As we know, it wasn’t good.

⭐ The seven stars

If the seven lampstands are the totality of Christian churches here on earth, then what are the seven stars? We can probably make an educated assessment now. The thing is, we aren’t really all that educated about what goes on in Heaven, so I don’t know that we can safely assume much of anything beyond what we read above:

The reference to Christ as the one who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands(v. 1) may call attention to the fact that, while the church’s heavenly existence is secure in the sovereign care of Christ, he must visit the earthly counterparts to inspect and correct their conduct and attitudes. As a priest in the temple tends the lamps to keep them from growing dim or going out, Christ moves among the churches to attend to the purity and brightness of the light they give to the world.  ⁴Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views: a parallel commentary (p. 64). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.

Almost every commentary I read declares the seven stars are angels. I feel like that’s an unwarranted assumption. It might be correct. But i find it interesting that the word for the one to receive the message is translated as angel, and the star is actually an angel. It’s odd.

Again, we don’t know, but the concept that the star represents someone/something in Heaven and the angel of the church represents someone here on earth makes sense. That God doesn’t tell us also probably means we don’t need to know, we aren’t capable of truly understanding. and/or if we thought we knew we’d put that knowledge in a box and make assumptions about what it isn’t. All of those things can only serve to lead us astray.

The idea that there are two components to what goes on isn’t strange at all. Consider Jesus, who walked the earth, and the Holy Spirit that resides in us. Both are of the same mind – the mind of God. But Jesus clearly told us it’s best for us if He left and we get the Holy Spirit instead. The same, but different. And beyond our comprehension.

But ultimately, it seems there must be a component of God’s church that is, as Paul often wrote, teaching from a firm foundation and a component here on earth watching over our churches. And isn’t it also comforting that there’s also a component in Heaven under Jesus’ control/command, that watches over us?

To get back to the weeds one more time – do we really need to know more than that? Or will our desire to know more and the time and effort we put into trying to know more either leave us exhausted or frustrated along the path to knowing God? It might even put us so far off the path that we never know God.

Isn’t it better to rely on the Holy Spirit to keep our “eye on the prize” and our feet on “the narrow path”?

⭐ What’s the symbolism behind the star(s)?

We should fully realize by now, this is about one particular star. The star belonging to the church in Ephesus. Jesus holds all the stars in His right hand. But again, this letter lets the church in Ephesus know, it’s their star He’s going to talk about.

Given just what we glean from the letter with no further examination, we no this isn’t good news.

Just think about all the relationships that are potentially in huge trouble here.

The relationships between the people in this church, obviously. We know those relationships aren’t good now. But we also know they could get worse. We also find out they could be extinguished, at least the good in them could be.

But relationships of Christians don’t/shouldn’t stop at the church doors. Remember the reference to the light on the hill? Well, even we we’ve lost our love, when we continue to attend church people will still look at us as examples of what Christians are like. What they see won’t be “good”. They may very well like what they see, but it won’t be Christian and it won’t lead them to God.

On the other hand, to the extent our relationship with God good, we can help others in our community stay in touch with God as well as introduce others to God.

Conclusion – Letter to the church in Ephesus: To/From: Who speaks and who listens

What did we learn from the first installment of the Letter to the church in Ephesus? Overall, we know this church, like most of them back then and today, has some good things problems. Specifically, the problem has to do with the Ephesus church losing their first love. That didn’t just happen overnight. Something led to it. But then, something can also bring them back out of it.

That’s where the To and From portion come in.

The letter is address to an unspecified “angel” of the church. We saw some options as to who that might be. But ultimately, the key for us thar is that we, the people in every church that existed then and exists today, have a role to play in both how these issues get started, whether they continue, and how to bring them to a satisfactory end.

Jesus used the From part of the letter to give us some clues. We found out that the very existence of this church is at stake both on this planet and in Heaven.

Therefore, we know what follows in the remainder of the letter will address those issues. We also find some encouragement will be delivered as well.

And then, as happens throughout the Bible, when God delivers bad news, warnings, etc. they always come with a way to avoid the inevitable conclusion if nothing changes.

In other words, whatever else is said, this first letter sets the tone that there us still a way to get back on the right path. There’s time to turn back to God. To rebuild the broken relationships between members of the church and between churchgoers and God.

That good news of an opportunity comes because God loves us, even when we turn away from Him. He wants us to return to Him. And He reminds us of the good things He has made available to us all along.

The thing is, as we learn in the To/From portion of the letter, we must recognize the letter is for us. Yes, it’s addressed to the angel of the church. But the contents, the warnings, the acknowledgements of what we are doing right, and the encouragements to return to the narrow path that leads to an eternal relationship with God – they are only meaningful if we listen.

Of course, listen back then meant more than listen. It means hear, understand with the help of the Holy Spirit, and then follow through with the corrections in the letter, once again with the help of the Holy Spirit.

What’s next in the letter to the church in Ephesus?

🌟 Divine Knowledge

Jesus will tell this church what He knows about them. We’ll see what that is and how it relates to what we just read.

We know it’ll have something to do with what they’re doing. And yet, we also know it seems to pale in comparison to their lost love.

Once again, there will be impacts on relationships, so we’ll check that out as well.

Hope to see you in the next segment of the Ephesus letter about hard work and perseverance, but …

Footnotes:

• 1
  Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views: a parallel commentary (p. 64). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.
• 2
  Stern, D. H. (1996). Jewish New Testament Commentary : a companion volume to the Jewish New Testament (electronic ed., Re 2:1). Jewish New Testament Publications.
• 3
  Fishbane, M. A. (2002). Haftarot (pp. 227–228). The Jewish Publication Society.
• 4
  Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views: a parallel commentary (p. 64). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.