Jesus commends the believers at Ephesus for their deeds and perseverance, but He rebukes them for leaving their first love. Unless, they repent, He will remove their lampstand.
He empathizes with the Smyrna believers. They are suffering tribulation and poverty, but the worst is yet to come. His words of hope and challenge are, "Be faaithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."