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Revelation

  1. Lesson One
    The Letters of Revelation (Revelation 1–3)
    21 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  2. Lesson Two
    Symbolism (Revelation 4–13)
    21 Activities
    |
    3 Assessments
  3. Lesson Three
    New Creation (Revelation 14–22)
    17 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  4. Lesson Four
    Theology of Revelation
    19 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  5. Lesson Five
    Interpreting Revelation
    17 Activities
    |
    2 Assessments
  6. Course Wrap-Up
    Course Completion
    1 Activity
    |
    1 Assessment

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While persecution was a major problem for the early church, many of the challenges that John outlines for the seven churches in Revelation are not external threats, but internal ones. The church was challenged from the outside, but internal discord and disunity remained the primary threat to the church’s vocation as the body of Christ. 

Read Revelation 2:1–3:22 and look for whether the primary threats to the local churches were internal or external.

See the table below with each church and its primary source of threat listed in Revelation.

ChurchThreat
Ephesus Internal
SmyrnaExternal
PergamumExternal/Internal
ThyatiraInternal
SardisInternal
PhiladelphiaExternal
LaodiceaInternal 

Table quoted from: Mark Wilson, Charts on the Book of Revelation, 2007, p. 67.

Having identified the source of threats to the seven churches, see the specific spiritual problems John describes below.

ChurchThreatSpiritual Problem
Ephesus InternalLoss of first love; false apostles/Nicolaitans
SmyrnaExternalNone
PergamumExternal/InternalBalaamites/Nicolaitans
ThyatiraInternalJezebelites
SardisInternalSpiritually dead
PhiladelphiaExternalNone
LaodiceaInternal Spiritually lukewarm 

Table quoted and adapted from: Mark Wilson, Charts on the Book of Revelation, 2007, p. 67.