Ephesus: Forsaking First Love
Category: Failure of devotion
Could endure: Remain in love for Christ.
“You have persevered and endured hardships for my name.” (Revelation 2:3)
Cross-Refs: Matthew 22:37; John 14:15.
Chose wrongly: Abandoned first love.
“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.” (Revelation 2:4)
Cross-Refs: Jeremiah 2:2; Matthew 24:12.
Endured (negatively): Risked losing their lampstand.
“If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand.” (Revelation 2:5)
Cross-Refs: Matthew 21:43; John 15:6.
Why (wrong motive): Duty without devotion.
“…the love you had at first.” (Revelation 2:4)
Cross-Refs: Isaiah 29:13; Hosea 6:6.
Result: Loss of witness unless restored.
“Repent and do the things you did at first.” (Revelation 2:5)
Cross-Refs: Psalm 51:12; Luke 15:4–7.
Pergamum: Compromise with Idolatry
Category: Failure of holiness
Could endure: Hold firmly to Christ’s name.
“You did not renounce your faith in me.” (Revelation 2:13)
Cross-Refs: Matthew 10:32; Hebrews 10:23.
Chose wrongly: Tolerated idolatry and sexual immorality.
“Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam.” (Revelation 2:14)
Cross-Refs: Numbers 25:1–2; 2 Peter 2:15.
Endured (negatively): Led astray into sin.
“…who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.” (Revelation 2:14)
Cross-Refs: 1 Corinthians 10:20; Jude 11.
Why (wrong motive): Desire for cultural acceptance, compromise.
“…some among you hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” (Revelation 2:15)
Cross-Refs: 2 Corinthians 6:14; Galatians 1:10.
Result: Warned of Christ’s judgment.
“Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.” (Revelation 2:16)
Cross-Refs: Isaiah 11:4; Hebrews 4:12.
Thyatira: Tolerating Jezebel
Category: Failure of purity
Could endure: Reject false prophetess and remain faithful.
“I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance.” (Revelation 2:19)
Cross-Refs: Galatians 6:9; Hebrews 10:36.
Chose wrongly: Tolerated Jezebel’s immorality.
“You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet.” (Revelation 2:20)
Cross-Refs: 1 Kings 21:25; 2 Peter 2:2.
Endured (negatively): Led into sexual immorality and idolatry.
“By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.” (Revelation 2:20)
Cross-Refs: Numbers 31:16; Jude 4.
Why (wrong motive): Seduction, lust, compromise.
“I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.” (Revelation 2:21)
Cross-Refs: Proverbs 7:21–23; Romans 1:24.
Result: Severe judgment.
“I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely.” (Revelation 2:22)
Cross-Refs: 2 Kings 9:33–37; Revelation 17:1–2.
Laodicea: Lukewarmness
Category: Failure of zeal
Could endure: Be earnest and wholehearted for Christ.
“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.” (Revelation 3:19)
Cross-Refs: Romans 12:11; Titus 2:14.
Chose wrongly: Became lukewarm, self-satisfied.
“Because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)
Cross-Refs: Jeremiah 6:14; Amos 6:1.
Endured (negatively): Spiritually blind, poor, naked.
“But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” (Revelation 3:17)
Cross-Refs: Hosea 7:8; Matthew 23:27.
Why (wrong motive): Pride, self-reliance, love of wealth.
“You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’” (Revelation 3:17)
Cross-Refs: Deuteronomy 8:17; 1 Timothy 6:17.
Result: Rejected unless they repent.
“I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16)
Cross-Refs: Matthew 7:23; John 15:6.
Beast Worshippers
Category: Failure of allegiance
Could endure: Worship the Lamb alone.
“They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.” (Revelation 14:4)
Cross-Refs: John 10:27; Philippians 2:10–11.
Chose wrongly: Worshiped the beast and its image.
“It forced all people… to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads.” (Revelation 13:16)
Cross-Refs: Daniel 3:5–6; 2 Thessalonians 2:4.
Endured (negatively): Deceived by false signs.
“…by the signs it was allowed to perform… it deceived the inhabitants of the earth.” (Revelation 13:14)
Cross-Refs: Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:9.
Why (wrong motive): Fear, desire for survival and trade.
“…so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark.” (Revelation 13:17)
Cross-Refs: Hebrews 11:25–26; John 12:43.
Result: Eternal torment.
“The smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever.” (Revelation 14:11)
Cross-Refs: Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:15.
Refusal to Repent
Category: Failure of repentance
Could endure: Repent of sins despite judgment.
“The rest of mankind… still did not repent of the work of their hands.” (Revelation 9:20)
Cross-Refs: Ezekiel 18:30–32; Luke 13:3.
Chose wrongly: Continued in idolatry, murder, immorality, theft.
“Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.” (Revelation 9:21)
Cross-Refs: Romans 2:5; 2 Thessalonians 2:12.
Endured (negatively): Hardened in rebellion despite plagues.
“But they refused to repent and glorify him.” (Revelation 16:9)
Cross-Refs: Exodus 7:13; Hebrews 3:13.
Why (wrong motive): Love of sin, hatred of God.
“…they cursed the name of God, who had control over these plagues, but they refused to repent and glorify him.” (Revelation 16:9)
Cross-Refs: John 3:19; Romans 1:32.
Result: Final judgment in the lake of fire.
“Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15)
Cross-Refs: Daniel 12:2; Matthew 13:41–42.