Chapter 2, Verses 1-7: Ephesus EV 2:1-7{Some 30 Years Before the Revelation Was Written, Ephesus Was an Assembly, Whose Moral and Spiritual State Had Been Such That It Could Be Entrusted With the Very Highest of All Assembly Truth. a Short Two Years Later Though, Paul Feels It Necessary to Charge Timothy With Seeing That No Other Doctrine Is Taught There. (See 1 Tim. 1:3-4.) Then, Some Two Years After That, He Acknowledges the Tears That Timothy Was Shedding in That Very Locality. (See 2 Tim. 1:3-5.) It Would Appear Then That Decline Had Set in Early and Had Progressed Rapidly Among Those in Ephesus

To begin with then, the Lord presents Himself to the angel of the assembly at Ephesus as holding the seven stars, which are the seven angels of the seven assemblies, in His right hand and walking in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, which are the seven assemblies themselves. (See the imagery of Rev. 1:12-13, 16, and 20.) He is the One Whose authority is still recognized as supreme among those who bear responsibility in the assemblies. (The right hand is the hand of power.) Here, He is not seen as the Head of His body, but the Judge among those who are His light bearers in this world.
Outwardly, everything in Ephesus is still being conducted in a righteous and orderly manner. Although evil has found its way into its midst, it is discerned and dealt with in an upright way. False apostles are uncloaked; and the practice of Nicolaitanism, which the Lord hates, is hated by the assembly as well.
Nevertheless, the Lord, Who knows the hearts of His people, discerns a thing not readily detected outwardly. (What a word for us!) The assembly's first love for Him has cooled, and He knows and feels it. Accordingly, He warns it to remember what its love for Him had been at the beginning and to repent and do the first works-that is, those works done out of a burning love for Himself. Otherwise, He will come to it and take away its candlestick out of its place... manifestly, a thing He has now done.
The promise given to the overcomer then is a most precious one indeed. He will be given to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Christ, who is both the Head and Center of the creation of God (as Adam had been of the former one) and Who is the Giver of eternal life, will Himself be the overcomers eternal portion. (Cf. Gen. 2:7-9 and 3:22-4 with 2 Cor. 5:14-21.)
Historically, Ephesus corresponds to the assembly at the end of the first century. When compared with the moral and spiritual stature of that same assembly three or four decades before, the decline is remarkable. As can be seen by reading Paul's epistle to them, they were, at that time, in a state suited to the receiving of ministry that has no equal anywhere else in the Scriptures. By this time though, the assembly as represented by them had left its first love; and that was the beginning of the assembly's decline ever since.