Revelation Study

Revelation Study - Chapter 3

Revelation 3:1 "And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead."

This church is nearly as bad as Laodocia. From Jesus to the angel (messenger, reader and interpreter) here's what He says. The omniscient knows. Sometimes the label on a thing is misleading. "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord ... but he that doeth." The word "dead" indicates that the church was in the throes of death. But it had a terminal disease.

Vs 2 "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God."

Be sober, be vigilant. He is telling them things that are wrong. Now they need to be on the alert. There is still life (strength) there but death is at the door. No work has been brought forth to completion.

Vs 3 "Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee."

Remember your teaching. Retain that teaching. Repent--turn back. It might be said in the words of Paul: "Awake thou that sleepeth and sin not." The Lord has warned them. He'll be watching for the outcome of that warning and there will be no further warning.

Vs 4 "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy."

In an apostate church we can usually find a few who are holding fast to the Word. Perhaps they had no alternative but to remain with them because the Lord has a reward for them. Walking in white indicated their purity in His judgment.

Vs 5 "He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."

Once again, he will give them time to repent and overcome their mistakes and if they do then they, like the others, will be robed in white--justified. This verse affirms that even though one's name may have been in the book of life, he can lose his place, he can be blotted out. He can fall from grace. Notice: he is talking about one who has been enrolled. It couldn't be blotted out had it never been written.

Vs 6 "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

The hearing ear will respond affirmatively.

Vs 7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;"

Philadelphia. The city of brotherly love. Once again, the description that fits only Christ. This one, along with Smyrna, had nothing to be rebuked for.

Vs 8 "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name."

The omniscient. He knows the good as well as the bad. This open door seems to indicate the door into heaven. The door that the key of David opens. No reason for that door to be closed. They were going in the right direction.

Vs 9 "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee."

We do not know exactly what "them of the synagogue of Satan" were doing but the indication is that they were of the notion that they were still the chosen of God and looked down on the Gentiles in Philadelphia and probably engaged in some of the persecution of Gentile Christians. (Read all of Romans 2.) Here are two verses: vss 28-29: "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." These Jews would come to understand that the Gentiles were loved even as the Jews had been in times past.

Vs 10 "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."

They had continued in His word so the blessing I have mentioned before would come to them. I believe that the "hour of temptation" is the same as "the tribulation," the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The word "world" as used here is different from the usual Greek word with which we are more familiar "cosmos" or the other word which indicates an age "aion" (pronounced ah-ee-on). It is oikoumene {oy-kou-men'-ay} and sometimes means, all the inhabited earth, the Grecian world, the Roman empire or the Jewish world. This traumatic upheaval would affect not only the Jewish world but the Roman and Grecian worlds as well. Christ promises a path of escape for them.

Vs 11 "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."

"Quickly" could mean "in a hurry" but I hardly think that would be the thought here. It seems to mean "soon" or as is stated in 12, "shortly come to pass." So, they were exhorted to continue as they had been doing and secure their crown of righteousness.

Vs 12 "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name."

Once again a blessing is bestowed on all them, not only in this church but in all the churches. More will be said about New Jerusalem when we get to the 21st chapter.

Vs 13 "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

Vs 14 "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;"

Jesus, by the Spirit, says these things to the church in Laodicea through the angel, the messenger, the reader, the interpreter.

Vs 15 "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. vs 16 "So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."

He knows and what he knows is not good. Lukewarmness is usually unpalatable. Cold tea or Hot -- not lukewarm. Hot coffee or iced -- not lukewarm. Lukewarmness is nauseating and that is what Laodocia was. So the Lord said, "I will ..." not "I am thinking about it."

Vs 17 "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:"

Their dependency was on what they had like the man with bountiful harvests in Luke 12. But the Lord says that you are self deceived. You are really like a man who has nothing.

Vs 18 "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye salve, that thou mayest see."

There was a remedy. But would they take it? I expect not. It was like the young man who turned away sorrowfully when he was told the remedy for his situation.

Vs 19 "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."

"Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth." The Lord still loved these people but he hated what they were doing.

Vs 20 "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

He gives them a chance to repent. But it's up to them. He's knocking at their door. Will they open it by repentance? If so, fellowship can be restored.

Vs 21 "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."

Once again he promises a blessing to them that overcome.

Vs 22 "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

These messages from heaven can be beneficial to all of us if we will listen with unstopped ears and open hearts. All the blessings can be ours that was promised them if we, too, overcome.