Message to Ephesus

2 “To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in ^[a]Ephesus write:

“These are the words of the One who holds [firmly] the seven stars [which are the angels or messengers of the seven churches] in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands (the seven churches):

⁵ So remember the heights from which you have fallen, and repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will] and do the works you did at first [when you first knew Me]; otherwise, I will visit you and remove your lampstand (the church, its impact) from its place—unless you repent.

Message to Pergamum

¹² “And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in ^[a]Pergamum write:

“These are the words of Him who has and wields the sharp two-edged sword [in judgment]:

¹⁶ Therefore repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will]; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war and fight against them with the sword of My mouth [in judgment].

Message to Thyatira

¹⁸ “And to the angel (divine messenger) of the church in ^[a]Thyatira write:

“These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes [that flash] like a flame of fire [in righteous judgment], and whose feet are like burnished [white-hot] bronze:^(A)

¹⁹ ‘I know your deeds, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your last deeds are more numerous and greater than the first. ²⁰ But I have this [charge] against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess [claiming to be inspired], and she teaches and misleads My bond-servants so that they commit [acts of sexual] immorality and eat food sacrificed to idols.^{(B) 21} I gave her time to repent [to change her inner self and her sinful way of thinking], but she has no desire to repent of her immorality and refuses to do so. ^22 [b]Listen carefully, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her [I will bring] into great anguish, unless they repent of her deeds. ²³ And I will kill her children (followers) with ^[c]pestilence [thoroughly annihilating them], and all the churches will know [without any doubt] that I am He who searches the ^[d]minds and hearts [the innermost thoughts, purposes]; and I will give to each one of you [a reward or punishment] according to your deeds.^{(C) 24} But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not explored and known the ^[e]depths of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you,

Message to Sardis

3 “To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in ^[a]Sardis write:

“These are the words of Him who has ^[b]the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds; you have a name (reputation) that you are alive, but [in reality] you are dead. ² Wake up, and strengthen and reaffirm what remains [of your faithful commitment to Me], which is about to die; for I have not found [any of] your deeds completed in the sight of My God or meeting His requirements. ³ So remember and take to heart the lessons you have received and heard. Keep and obey them, and repent [change your sinful way of thinking, and demonstrate your repentance with new behavior that proves a conscious decision to turn away from sin]. So then, if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.

Message to Laodicea

¹⁴ “To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in ^[a]Laodicea write:

“These are the words of the Amen, the trusted and faithful and true Witness, the ^[b]Beginning and Origin of God’s creation:

¹⁵ ‘I know your deeds, that you are ^[c]neither cold (invigorating, refreshing) nor hot (healing, therapeutic); I wish that you were ^[d]cold or hot. ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm (spiritually useless), and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth [rejecting you with disgust]. ¹⁷ Because you say, “I am rich, and have prospered and grown wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked [without hope and in great need],^(A)