Revelation 2:1-7
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:
‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’
Revelation 2:2
I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance
Revelation 2:2b-3,6
and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.
Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Revelation 2:4-5
But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.
John 17:3
This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Matt 22:36-38
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and foremost commandment.
Matthew 10:37
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
Revelation 2:7
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’
Genesis 3:8
They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
1 Kings 6:19-20
Then he prepared an inner sanctuary within the house in order to place there the ark of the covenant of the LORD. The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits in length, twenty cubits in width, and twenty cubits in height, and he overlaid it with pure gold. He also overlaid the altar with cedar.
Revelation 21:1-4
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:15-16
The one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall. The city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.
Revelation 21:22-23
I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
Connections Between the Temple and the Garden of Eden:
1. Sacred Space & Presence of God – The Garden of Eden was where God dwelled with Adam and Eve, just as the temple was the place where God’s presence was manifest among His people.
2. Eastward Orientation – Both the Garden of Eden and the temple faced east, symbolizing a return to divine presence.
3. Tree of Life & the Menorah – The menorah (a seven-branched lampstand in the temple) is often seen as a symbolic representation of the Tree of Life.
4. Cherubim Imagery – The entrance to Eden was guarded by cherubim, and the temple featured cherubim in its design, including on the veil separating the Holy of Holies.
5. Water Imagery – In Eden, a river flowed out to water the garden (Genesis 2:10). Similarly, Ezekiel’s vision of the future temple describes water flowing from it (Ezekiel 47:1-12).
6. Priestly Role – Adam was given a role to “work and keep” (Genesis 2:15), the same Hebrew words used for priestly duties in the temple.
7. Return to Divine Presence – The temple served as a way for people to approach God through sacrifices, symbolizing a path back to Eden and communion with God.
Resource Website: Biblehistory.com
Foothills Text Line:
Text PRAYER to 619-375-0805
Text DECISION to 619-375-0805