Revelation 2:4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Two topics arise in this short passage regarding conditional security. The messages in verse 4 of abandoning the love, and in verse 5 of removing your lampstand need to be considered.

Left

To leave is not to apostatize, as I expected, but is the Greek term aphiemi, which has the meaning of to leave, leave alone, forsake or neglect.

The Ephesian church had left their first love behind, they had departed from that first love and yet continued to exhibit all the ear marks of a very orthodox, “healthy” church.

We don’t read of this church actively leaving that first love, or in the process of leaving that first love. They have left it (past tense), departed from their first love and seemed to be existing quite fine in all appearance. As a matter of fact, some semblance of a church existed for centuries in Ephesus, for by the year 431 AD,  The Fourth Ecumenical Council was convened in Ephesus. It was at this council Mary was declared as the Mother of God Theotokos.

So in review, we have a church that was the center of great teaching through Paul, a sending church, a center for early theological debate and a very orthodox church, but by the time of this letter, around 69 AD, the church began living for truth and not for Christ. By the time of Constantine and the Roman nation accepting Christianity as the state approved religion, the church had continued to exist, yet it’s decay had become evident to all true believers and the lamp had been pulled.

Removing

Though the church had left their first love, the Lord did not immediately remove their lampstand. He petitioned the church body to repent, to change her mind about her priorities, to do the works she had first performed to exhibit their love.

But what is it for a church to have it’s lampstand removed? As mentioned above, the church had continued to physically exist up to the 5th century as a body representing God, recognized at least by the state. It was as influential as any church at the time, for the state convened a very important convention to determine a theological teaching.

So what is going on? Two options are allowable for the reader to consider.

1. The church had repented and was a vibrant living branch of the vine, a body fully alive to it’s Redeemer and Lord. No removal of the lampstand had been necessary and the church continued in a loving relationship with her Lord and the faithful.
2. The other option was that the church continued in its cold orthodox “letter of the law” only existence, and the removal of a lampstand was executed.

This last option, though difficult to accept, may be the correct outcome of the message. Let me explain.

The Lord has described the churches as lampstands.

Revelation 1:20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

To be described as lampstands forces us to remember the purpose of a lampstand. Is it too much to consider the lampstands purpose was to shine a type of light, the gospel of Jesus. The light of the gospel in the cities referred to here emanated from the church body. No other source is provided. The life of Christ was to be flowing though these church bodies to the cities, just as oil was used to create light for it’s surroundings.

But let us not make the mistake that thinking a group of people congregating together and calling themselves Christians creates a lampstand. The lampstand is simply a vehicle for the oil to produce light. For a group of people to be a true lampstand, the correct oil is critical. For any “oil” other than the Spirit of God, to be the “fuel” for their light, would be a misuse of the lampstand, and represent the Lord incorrectly. For a church to depend on anyone or anything, other than God is to be condemned to having it’s life giving authority from God to be removed.

A very similar truth of the kingdom of God being removed, or taken away from a group of people may be found in Matthew 21:43.

Matthew 21:43 ESV – Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.

As we know, the nation of Israel existed for 40 years after she crucified her Lord. In this instance the Lord gave the nation, and it’s inhabitants a full generation to repent prior to her destruction. Many individual Israelites followed the Master, yet as a nation, she rejected the truth and continued to persecute those who followed her Messiah. It did not end well for the nation.

Does this passage directly address a conditional security teaching as this series seeks to find out? In my opinion, the passage speaks of the death of a lampstand, of a body of believers, transitioning from a loving relationship with God, to a dead relationship with their truth.

Might some within the church have apostatized? Possibly, but this isn’t the intent of the passage. The judgement of removal is directed to the church body within the city, and not directly to an individual.

Let me know your thoughts.

Be blessed my friends and may the Lord continue to work in you to produce His good pleasure.

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