| Local Church |
Position in Church History |
The Lord’s Description |
The Lord’s Charge |
The Lord’s Promise to the Overcomers |
| The Local Church in Ephesus |
Initial church at the end of the 1st century |
The One who holds the seven stars (keeping the church leaders in grace) and walks in the midst of the seven lampstands (caring for the churches) |
Remember the first love; repent to do the first works |
Give them to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God |
| The Local Church in Smyrna |
Suffering church under the persecution of the Roman Empire from the end of the 1st century to the early 4th century |
The One who became dead and lived again (resurrection life for the church) |
Do not fear to suffer; be faithful unto death |
Preserve them from being hurt by the second death |
| The Local Church in Pergamos |
Worldly church from Constantine’s acceptance of Christianity to the establishment of the papal system at the end of the 6th century |
The One who has the sharp two-edged sword (the judging and slaying word for the worldly church) |
Repent from the teachings of Balaam and of the Nicolaitans |
Give them the hidden manna and a white stone with a new name written upon it |
| The Local Church in Thyatira |
Apostate church from the end of the 6th century to Christ’s return |
The One who has eyes like flaming fire and feet like shining bronze (searching and judging the apostate church) |
Avoid the teaching of Jezebel and the deep things of Satan |
Give them authority over the nations to shepherd them with an iron rod |
| The Local Church in Sardis |
Protestant church from the Reformation in the early 16th century to Christ’s return |
The One who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars (to intensify the work of the Spirit and the shining leaders) |
Become watchful; complete the remaining works |
Clothe them in white garments; not erase their names from the book of life; confess their names before the Father |
| The Local Church in Philadelphia |
Church of brotherly love, the recovery of the proper church life, from the early 19th century, when the Brethren were raised up in England to practice the local church outside of all denominational and divisive systems, until Christ’s return |
The Holy One, the true One (to cause the recovered church to be holy, separated from the world, and true, faithful to God); the One who has the key of David and who opens and no one will shut (opening all the gospel doors for the recovered church) |
Hold fast to their little power; keep the Lord’s word; do not deny His name |
Make them a pillar in the temple of God; write upon them the name of God, the name of the city of God, and Christ’s new name |
| The Local Church in Laodicea |
Degraded church life of the brothers in the 19th century until the return of Christ |
The Amen (signifying that He is firm, steadfast, and trustworthy)—hence, the faithful and true Witness to the degraded church; the source, the beginning of the creation of God to the degraded church |
Buy gold refined by fire, white garments, and eyesalve from the Lord; be zealous and repent; open the door of the local church to the Lord |
Give them to sit with the Lord on His throne |
