The First Four Churches and Jesus' Message
- The Loveless Church - Ephesus
Their Personality: hard working, patient, persevering, untired, cannot bear evil, tested false apostles,
The Warning: Repent or else lampstand will be removed from its place (v5)
The Promise: To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. (v7)
- The Persecuted Church - Smyrna
Their Personality: encountered tribulation, poor, some were blasphemous
2:10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer
The Warning: Devil will throw some of them in prison and tribulation in 10 days (v10)
The Promise: Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life (v10); He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death (v11)
- The Compromising Church - Pergamos
Their Personality: held fast to Jesus' name, did not deny the faith
However, held to Balaam's doctrine and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (14)
The Warning: Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth (v16)
The Promise: To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it. (v17)
- The Corrupt Church - Thyatira
Their Personality: loving, serving, faithful, patient
However, allowed Jezebel to teach and seduce; servants committed sexual immorality and eat those offered to idols (v 20)
The Warning: Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation (v22) I will kill her children with death (v23)
The Promise: And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations (v26)
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