Ephesus

Seven Church Ages: Introduction • Ephesus • Smyrna • Pergamos • Thyatira • Sardis • Philadelphia • Laodicea • CAB • Last Messenger?

Ephesus ( Greek: Έφεσος "permitted", relaxed, or aimed at") was one of the great cities of the Ionian Greeks in Asia Minor, located in Lydia where the Cayster river flows into the Aegean Sea (in modern day Turkey). It was founded by colonists principally from Athens. The ruins of Ephesus are a major tourist attraction, especially for people travelling to Turkey by cruise ship via the port of Kuşadası.

Ephesus is the first Church mentioned in the prophetic book of Revelation (Rev 2:1-7).

Ancient Ephesus

Site of the Temple of Artemis (Diana)

The "Lady of Ephesus", identified by Greeks with Artemis(Diana), was venerated in the Temple of Artemis, the largest building of the ancient world, according to Pausanias and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, of which scarcely a trace remains (illustration, left). This temple housed virgin priestesses, eunuch priests, a high priest with political power, and temple slaves.

Beginning in the Roman Republic, Ephesus was the capital of proconsular Asia, which covered the western part of Asia Minor. The city bore the title of "the first and greatest metropolis of Asia." Besides the Temple of Artemis, Ephesus was known for its library and theatre, which would have been capable of holding 25,000 spectators. It was, like all ancient theatres, open to the sky; it was used initially for drama, but during later Roman times gladiatorial combats were also held on its stage. The population of Ephesus has been estimated to be in the range of 400,000 to 500,000 inhabitants in the year 100 AD, making it the largest city in Roman Asia and one of the largest cities of the day. Ephesus also had several major bath complexes, built at various points while the city was under Roman rule. The city had one of the most advanced aqueduct systems in the ancient world, superior to any modern system in the region today, with multiple aqueducts of various sizes to supply different areas of the city, including 4 major aqueducts.

The Roman Theater at Ephesus

Ephesus and Christianity

Ephesus was an important center for early Christianity. Paul the Apostle established the church at Ephesus, used it as a base, and it is said that John, Peter, Mary, Andrew, and Philip are buried there. In Ephesus, Paul became embroiled in a dispute with artisans, whose livelihood depended on the Temple of Artemis there (Acts 19:23–41). Paul wrote I Corinthians from Ephesus, and later addressed the Epistle to the Ephesians to the Christian community at Ephesus.

Paul departed from Ephesus after three years, and Timothy became the city's first Bishop. The Apostle John was also said to have lived in Asia Minor in the last decades of the first century, and from Ephesus guided the Churches of that province. After Emporor Domitian's death, the Apostle John returned to Ephesus during the reign of Trajan, and at Ephesus he died about A.D. 100 "at a great age".

The decline of Ephesus

Jesus said in Revelation 2:5 that if the church at Ephesus did not repent, he would remove the candlestick out of its place. After John's death, his disciple Polycarp moved to Smyrna, and tutored Irenaeus in that city. Irenaeus moved to Gaul, while Ephesus and Rome held a major dispute over the date of the celebration of Easter. In 263 Ephesus was sacked by the Goths, but was reconstructed under the Byzantine empire.

While Martin of Tours was a young man, the council of Nicaea (325) was held, and Ephesus was granted control over the churches in Asia Minor. The Third Eccumenical Council was held in Ephesus, which continued to dispute with Rome about the nature of Christ (Monophysite dispute) until it accepted the Roman doctrine. At the council of Ephesus in 431, the Catholic churches gave Mary the official title of "the Mother of God".

In the 6th century the harbour at Ephesus filled in with silt (despite repeated dredges during the city's history), removing its access to the Aegean Sea. A subsequent earthquake caused the river to change its course, leaving Ephesus' ruins several miles inland. The old harbour became a malarial swamp, and most residents left Ephesus.

The town of Ephesus, a remnant of its former glory, changed hands between the Arabs and the Byzantine empire many times, its treasures were moved to Constantinople, and the city was finally destroyed in the Turkish civil wars around 1400. Today, only a small town exists outside Ephesus proper (Aya Solouk, Pop. 3,000), and the ruins of Ephesus are considered to contain some of the best Roman ruins surviving to date.

Historical accuracy in the Church Age Book

1. The Statue of Diana and the "Iron Arms" (Chapter 3, Paragraph 9)

In An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages, Chapter 3, paragraph 9, William Branham makes a highly specific historical claim to illustrate how the "spirit of antichrist" was silently loosed in the first age:

"The magnificent temple of Diana... housed... the most lusterless and unobtrusive image of Diana that one could imagine... And her two arms were formed of two simple bars of iron. How perfectly this depicts the spirit of antichrist... the two arms of iron bars showed that it was his intent to crush the work of God".

• The Audit: There is absolutely no ancient, historical, or archaeological evidence that the statue of Diana of Ephesus had "two arms formed of simple bars of iron." In reality, this specific illustration was copied almost verbatim from a 1958 book entitled How Did It Happen! by a Pentecostal writer named Rachel C. Hazeltine. Hazeltine openly admitted her book was written "by deduction"—which is a polite way of saying she made up historical events to fit her theological ideas. William Branham presented this fictional story as a direct revelation from God. It was not. It was plagiarism.

2. The Factual Error of the "Saul to Paul" Name Change

To support his doctrine that God always changes the names of His chosen messengers to fit their calling, Branham asserted in his sermon The First Seal (March 18, 1963), paragraph 123:

"Saul was a king one time in Israel, but Saul didn’t fit an apostle. It might be all right for a king, but not an apostle. So Jesus changed his name. From what? From Saul to Paul".

• The Audit: This is a clear factual error and a profound scriptural misinterpretation. The Bible nowhere states that God or Jesus changed Saul’s name. Saul of Tarsus had both a Hebrew name (Saul) and a Roman name (Paul/Paulus) from birth. Luke introduces the name "Paul" in Acts 13:9 simply because the apostle was embarking on his mission to the Roman, Gentile world. The name did not change because Saul "didn't fit an apostle".

3. The Myth of the "Independent Paul" (Chapter 3, Paragraph 24)

In Chapter 3, paragraph 24, Branham presents the Apostle Paul as an independent "lone wolf" who operated entirely outside the authority of any organized body, claiming that Paul's ministry trumped the other apostles and that the Council of Jerusalem had "no power or jurisdiction over him":

"Notice that Paul was unorganized, but Spirit-led, as when God moved upon Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt. Jerusalem’s council never sent Paul out, nor did it have any power or jurisdiction over him".

• The Audit: This is a false historical and biblical analogy. The New Testament clearly demonstrates that Paul operated in close, voluntary cooperation with the other apostles. In Galatians 2:1–2, Paul explicitly states that he went up to Jerusalem by revelation and submitted his gospel to those of reputation to ensure he was not running in vain. When the Judaizer controversy arose, Paul did not act independently; he participated in the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) and delivered their corporate decrees to the churches. Pitting Paul against the Council of Jerusalem is a classic straw man designed to demonize any form of structured, collaborative church order.

4. Redefining Paul's Opponents as a "Levitical Priesthood" (Chapter 3, Paragraphs 89–90)

In Chapter 3, paragraphs 89–90, Branham claims that Paul's opponents (the "wolves" of Acts 20) were trying to establish a "Levitical priesthood" to set up a "holy priesthood standing between God and the people," which he terms "Nicolaitanism":

"Paul’s wolves had become Nicolaitanes. They were trying to form a priesthood like the Levitical priesthood, which was foreign to the New Testament doctrine".

• The Audit: This represents a severe category error and a historical anachronism. Paul’s actual theological opponents in his epistles (especially Galatians) were Judaizers who demanded that Gentile converts undergo physical circumcision and keep the Mosaic Law—they were not trying to establish a new Catholic-style church hierarchy or a "Levitical priesthood". By redefining Paul's actual historical opponents, Branham constructed a false historical narrative to support his anti-denominational polemic.

---

A Forensic Conclusion

When I was in the Message, I didn't see these things. I was too busy defending the system. But when you are forced to look at the facts, you realize that the rules of logic and historical integrity are not an optional, academic game. They flow from the very rational, truthful nature of God Himself.

When a minister tells you to completely bypass your mind, he isn't asking for deep faith. He is asking for blind submission. The Bible never tells us to shut off our understanding. It tells us to "prove all things; hold fast that which is good".

Accuracy always beats comfortable illusions.

---

References

• Wycliffe Dictionary of Biblical Archeology, Charles F. Pfeiffer. 1973, Baker Book House Co.
• This information is based on material from Wikipedia. As a result, this article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License which governs this website as well.

Links to other articles in the series

This article is one in a series of studies on the Seven Church Ages - you are currently on the topic that is in bold:

• Introduction
• Ephesus
• Smyrna
• Pergamos
• Thyatira
• Sardis
• Philadelphia
• Laodicea
• CAB
• Last Messenger?

Navigation

Home Our Podcast The List of Problems Life Story Prophecies & Visions Seven Seals Was William Branham Honest? Doctrines

Church Ages Jesus Languages Videos Print Resources Help! Facebook Contact Us