Jesus' description of a future of judgment begins with the letter to the seven churches, which the apostle John
prefaces, "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are
written in it; for the time is near" (Rev 1:3).
The letters serve as an evaluation of the churches' spiritual state in preparation for Jesus' return and Day of
the Lord. Although written in the first century, the evaluations are still relevant today.
A church that promotes sound doctrine, discerns and removes false teachers, but serves without
agape love. (Ephesus, Rev 2:1-7)
A church, whose members are quite poor, experience slander for their faith yet strong enough to
endure and persevere under the circumstances. (Smyrna, Rev 2:8-11)
A church that has sound doctrine, but does not enforce a doctrinal standard, has teachers who
embrace society's sexual norms and advocate that all religions are good. (Pergamum,
Rev 2:12-17)
A church, motivated by love and faith, places an emphasis on and does good work, but allows
teachers that teach a different gospel and unfounded biblical doctrine; there are other ways to salvation. (Thyatira,
Rev 2:18-29)
A church, teaching little about the gospel, preaches with a focus on Christian living echoing
cultural values and with little basis on the Bible. (Sardis,
Rev 3:1-6)
A church, faithful and evangelistic, is unapologetic for God's word despite prevailing cultural
pressures. (Philadelphia, Rev 3:7-13)
A church, whose members are wealthy and prosperous, chooses to teach Christian values that are
consistent with society's values and with an emphasis on the examples found in the life of Jesus; it avoids
discussion about man's sin and Jesus' death of atonement. (Laodicea,
Rev 3:14-22)
For deeper study:
Message to the Churches
What is the Hour of Testing? Examining Revelation 3:10