Revelation 2:2
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It's easy to read "you cannot bear those who are evil" as a general statement about disliking bad people, but here it specifically highlights their intolerance for false apostles. This church didn't just dislike evil; they actively tested and exposed those who falsely claimed spiritual authority, showing a fierce defense of truth against deception. This demonstrates that true love for God often involves a strong opposition to anything that counterfeits His truth.
“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is writing to the church in Ephesus, commending them for their strong spiritual discernment and perseverance in the face of difficult circumstances. He acknowledges their hard work and their refusal to tolerate false teachings or individuals who falsely claim apostolic authority. This verse sets the stage for later verses where Jesus will address a more serious issue: their fading love for Him.
Ever feel like your work for God goes unnoticed? Jesus sees more than you think.
The letter to Ephesus begins with a powerful statement: 'I know your works.' This isn't just a general acknowledgment; Jesus intimately understands every action, every sacrifice, and every moment of faithful service. He sees the:
This knowledge isn't about judgment alone; it's about profound, loving awareness. He values the genuine loyalty and the unseen acts of service performed out of love for Him.
In a world filled with competing voices, how do you know who to trust? Ephesus had a critical test.
Jesus commends the Ephesian church not only for their endurance but specifically for their discernment. They possessed a crucial characteristic: they 'cannot bear with those who are evil.' This wasn't about being unkind; it was about an intolerance for destructive error and sin that threatened the purity of the faith.
More specifically, they actively:
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This church understood that protecting the truth and the flock required courage to question, to examine, and to reject deception, even when it came from those making grand spiritual claims.
Understand the original words
ergon · Greek Noun
The outward manifestations of faith and obedience. They are the tangible evidence of a believer's inner relationship with God.
kopos · Greek Noun
Hard, laborious effort, often involving suffering or physical exhaustion in the service of the Lord.
hypomonē · Greek Noun
The steadfast, cheerful, or hopeful endurance under trial and affliction; the ability to remain faithful despite pressure.
apostolos · Greek Noun
One sent with a divine commission. In the early church, it specifically referred to those appointed by Christ as foundational witnesses of the Gospel.
pseudēs · Greek Adjective
Not genuine; deceptive or fraudulent. Used to describe those who claim spiritual authority but lack the truth or calling of God.
The Ephesian church was founded by Paul and faced early challenges with false teachers, as Paul himself had warned. By the time John wrote Revelation, they had grown firm in doctrine but had lost some of their initial passionate love, a common spiritual danger.
c. AD 53-57
Paul's Ministry in Ephesus
The Apostle Paul spent over two years in Ephesus, a major city in the Roman province of Asia. His extensive ministry there established a strong Christian community and laid the groundwork for the church he would later address in Revelation.
c. AD 57
Paul's Warning to Ephesian Elders
Before departing Ephesus, Paul warned the church elders about the dangers of false teachers who would arise from within their own ranks, seeking to distort the gospel and draw believers away from Christ.
c. AD 62-67
Paul's Letter to the Ephesians
Though some scholars debate the authorship and original audience, this letter, traditionally attributed to Paul, offers deep theological insights and addresses the spiritual life and unity of the church in Ephesus. It likely reflects the ongoing spiritual challenges faced by the community.
c. AD 64-68— this verse
Deterioration of First Love
Tradition, particularly in the early church commentary of Hippolytus, suggests that by the time John wrote Revelation, the Ephesian church had begun to lose its initial fervent love for Christ, though they still held firm to sound doctrine.
c. AD 90-95
Writing of the Book of Revelation
The Apostle John, exiled to the island of Patmos, received divine revelations from Jesus Christ. He was instructed to write to seven specific churches in Asia Minor, including Ephesus, addressing their spiritual conditions and future.
This passage directly warns about 'false apostles' who disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, mirroring the church of Ephesus's struggle to identify and reject those claiming apostolic authority who were not.
Acts 20:28-30Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders foreshadows the emergence of 'greedy wolves' who would lead people astray, highlighting the very problem the church in Ephesus was commended for addressing.
1 John 4:1This passage instructs believers to 'test the spirits to see whether they are from God,' providing the theological basis for the church of Ephesus's practice of discerning and testing those who claimed spiritual authority.
Matthew 7:15-20Jesus warns about false prophets who come in sheep's clothing but are inwardly ravenous wolves, emphasizing that their 'fruits' reveal their true nature, a principle the Ephesian church applied to test false apostles.
ellicottRevelation 2:2: "I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:"
(2) I know thy works. —This phrase is probably common to all the epistles. See, however, Note on Revelation 2:9 . It expresses the way in which all actions are naked and open before the eyes—those flame-like eyes ( Revelation 1:14 )—of Him with whom we have to do ( Psalm 11:4-5 ; Psalm…
barnesRevelation 2:2: "I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:"
I know thy works - The common formula with which all the epistles to the seven churches are introduced. It is designed to impress upon them deeply the conviction that he was intimately acquainted with all that they did, good and bad, and that therefore he was abundantly qualified to di…
It's easy to read "you cannot bear those who are evil" as a general statement about disliking bad people, but here it specifically highlights their intolerance for false apostles. This church didn't just dislike evil; they actively tested and exposed those who falsely claimed spiritual authority, showing a fierce defense of truth against deception. This demonstrates that true love for God often involves a strong opposition to anything that counterfeits His truth.
Jesus is writing to the church in Ephesus, commending them for their strong spiritual discernment and perseverance in the face of difficult circumstances. He acknowledges their hard work and their refusal to tolerate false teachings or individuals who falsely claim apostolic authority. This verse sets the stage for later verses where Jesus will address a more serious issue: their fading love for Him.
Jesus is writing to the church in Ephesus, commending them for their strong spiritual discernment and perseverance in the face of difficult circumstances. He acknowledges their hard work and their refusal to tolerate false teachings or individuals who falsely claim apostolic authority. This verse sets the stage for later verses where Jesus will address a more serious issue: their fading love for Him.
"“‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false." — It's easy to read "you cannot bear those who are evil" as a general statement about disliking bad people, but here it specifically highlights their intolerance for false apostles. This church didn'…
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Last reviewed October 2026
