Ch3: Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea
Artwork by Duncan Long
2.5. Sardis (3:1)
3:1 "To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Key phrase: Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die,
Sardis was about 50 miles east of Smyrna and 30 miles south east of Thyatira. It was a wealthy city and most of the city practised pagan worship with its mystery cults and secret religious societies. It had a magnificent temple of Artemis. Its people were idolaters and worshipped the mother goddess, Cybele, which included orgies during festivals held in her honour (Walvoord). Sardis thought it was secure but twice in the history of Sardis the acropolis had fallen to the enemy due to lack of vigilance of its defenders (Mounce).
v1 - "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. - There is no commendation because there was nothing to commend. In 1:16 we see that he holds the seven stars in his right hand, which are the seven angels of the seven churches. In 5:6 he is described as having seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the world, the number seven indicating completeness. He is the one who knows the state of his church, he knows his sheep, John 10:14. The one who holds the seven spirits of God knows their heart and he sees them as dead while the world saw them as alive, see comments on 1:4. The contrast of the word alive and dead is a stinging rebuke, intended to wake them up. They had the outward form of religion but had lost the inward reality of Christ in them. The next verse shows them not to be completely dead, but rather asleep.
v2 - Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. - Spiritually they were asleep, Christ saw them as dead and so he commands them to Wake up! A better translation is 'show yourself watchful' (Mounce). They were like the five virgins who took their lamps with them to meet the bridegroom but did not take any oil (which stands for the Holy Spirit), when the bridegroom arrived they were not ready, Mat 25:1-13. We must be ready for Christ's return which is referred to in the next verse (see also Mat 24:42 ff.). Their deeds were not complete, i.e. perfect, in God's sight, they failed to come up to God's standard, the implication in verse 4 of the soiled clothes is that sin was involved, it could more simply be that of neglect.
v3 - Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent.- They were to remember the word of the gospel that gave them salvation obey it and repent (1 Cor 15:2). Clearly they had forgotten what the gospel meant, and had stopped growing and bearing fruit (Col 1:4-6). They needed once again to hear the gospel of their salvation and to respond to its message afresh. The historicist interpretation would point to Luther as an example of one who heard the gospel afresh and a new vibrant church was formed. The key to their state is to hear the word of God afresh. cf. 2 Pet 1:9. They also need to obey the word, they need to be doers of the word and not just hearers only (Jam 1:22). They also need to repent of their previous attitude, they must change their attitude, wake up and strengthen what remains.
v3 - But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. - 'I come like a thief' is a reference to his unexpected second coming (cf. 16:15, 1 Thess 5:2-4, 2 Pet 3:10), he warns his church to keep watch, see the warning in Mat 24:42 to keep watch, 'because you do not know on what day your Lord will come'. This is a reminder to them of the lack of vigilance of those in Sardis who were twice unexpectedly overcome by the enemy. It can also be taken to be a reference to his unexpected coming upon them in judgement (Mounce), but it is more likely the second coming he has in view (see the warnings in Mat 24:36-25:46). We should see this as a warning to the church to be awake at His return, this is in line with the message of Revelation which is to ensure that the church is ready for his return (1:3, 16:15, 18:4, 19:7, 22:7, 12-14).
v4 - Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. - These few people in Sardis had not compromised with the world. White garments indicate holiness, white robes are worn by the great multitude in heaven, 7:9, white clothes are worn by the armies of heaven who accompany Christ at his return. The Laodiceans are counselled to buy white clothes to wear to cover their shameful nakedness, 3:18. In 19:8 fine linen, bright and clean, stands for the righteous acts of the saints. Therefore soiled clothes refer to sin. In connection with his second coming Jesus says 'Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed' (16:15).
v5 - He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels - He will be dressed in white, i.e. forgiven or holy or clean, as were the twenty four elders. For book of life see Psa 69:3, Phil 4:3, Mat 10:32, Luke 12:8-9, Rev 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 20:15, 21:27. As early as Exo 32:32 Moses asks to be blotted out of God's book if God does not forgive the sin of Israel. Revelation is about two groups of people those whose names are written in the book of life and those who are not. Lang remarks that Sardis was defiled and dying. Each who kept himself undefiled now shall walk in pure white garments in the day of glory. He that triumphed over spiritual death shall never lose spiritual life: his name shall be retained in the book of life. The threat here is that if they do not wake up their names will be blotted out of the book of life.
v6 - He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. - Note the formula: 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches', we all need to heed what is being said here.
2.6. Philadelphia (3:7)
Rev 3:7 "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars--I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
Key phrase: I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name
Philadelphia (modern day Alaþehir). Its name is derived from Attalus II (159-138 BC), whose truth and loyalty to his brother Eumenes won him the epithet Philadelphus (brotherly love). Being on a major trade route it had an open door for evangelism.
v7 - "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. - The martyrs in 6:10 also call the Lord by the title 'Sovereign Lord, holy and true'. Jesus holds the key of David, quoted from Isa 22:22, that is absolute power and authority over who enters his kingdom, see Rev 1:18. Eliakim the palace administrator, was to be robed with authority and given the key to the house of David (Isa 22:20-22, 36:3), he is the one who decides who will see the king. The strength of Christ contrasts with the little strength of the Philadelphians. The city's name means 'brotherly love'.
v8 - I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. - Commendation, there is no rebuke. Jesus is the one who walks among the churches and sees. Philadelphia, meanwhile, was on the main trade route between East and West, a situation that presented the believers with an open door for the gospel into the region beyond. Although they were a tiny group with little strength, theirs was a door that God had provided and therefore no-one could shut (Hill). They had kept his word and not denied Jesus, therefore he will acknowledge them before their enemies. Ramsay points out that the "open door" is a Pauline metaphor meaning a good opportunity, i.e. an open door, for missionary work, see Act 14:27, 1 Cor 16:9, 2 Cor 2:12, Col 4:3.
v9 - I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars--I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. - A synagogue of Satan is also referred to in the letter to Smyrna (2:9), the Jews follow Satan, whose name means slanderer, in slandering God's people, clearly the Jews in particular were troubling these early churches as Acts demonstrates, Acts 13:45, 14:2, 17:5, 18:6, 25:7.
v9 - acknowledge that I have loved you - This wonderful fact of Christ's love for us is central to our faith, (Rev 1:5, 3:19, Eph 5:2). These Jews considered themselves and themselves only to be God's people and therefore loved by God, they despised the Philadelphians who they considered to be Gentiles and therefore out of Gods covenants. Jesus is saying that he will vindicate his elect and demonstrate to these slanderers who are really his beloved people. Note that Philadelphia in Greek means brotherly love, Jesus will demonstrate who are really his brothers. The word for Jesus' love here is agapao which refers to a self giving love Jesus has for his people which he demonstrated by dying for them. There are a number of OT references to God vindicating his people in front of their enemies (Isa 43:4, 45:14, 49:23, 60:14).
v10 - Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. - The hour of trial is mentioned in Dan 12:1, Mark 13:19 and it is likely that it is depicted by the seven trumpets and Ch 7-19 later in Revelation. The hour of trial is for the world not for the church which will be spiritually but not physically protected from it. The spiritual protection of the church is indicated in the sealing of the 144,000 (7:3), see also God's care of the woman in the desert (12:6, 14). The best example of this is the fifth trumpet in which the locusts are specifically told only to harm those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads (9:4 cf. Isa 18:3). The term 'the inhabitants of the earth', which is similar to 'those who live on the earth' (see 11:10, 14:6) always refers to the world not to the church (Rev 6:10, 8:13, 11:10, 13:8, 13:14, 17:8). This promise is not just for the church at Philadelphia but for all who fulfil the requirement of the promise which is to endure patiently (see 1:9, 13:10, 14:12). Just as Satan tests the church in Smyrna through persecution (2:10), so God tests the world through trial or adversity. The meaning of the word 'keep' (Gk. tereo) is to guard, to watch over, so that the idea of this verse is preservation through the hour of trial.
v11 - I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. - 'I am coming soon' is a reference to His second coming, cf. also Rev 2:5, 2:16 in which he comes in judgement and especially 3:3 in which he comes like a thief. As with Thyatira he imposes no further burden on them except to hold on to what they have, Rev 2:24-25 cf. 2 John 8. The word for crown used here is the victors crown (stephanos), rather than the royal crown (diadema), so they are to hold on to what they have so that no one will take their victory.
v12 - Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. - Here we have an abundance of promises to those who overcome. Four times Jesus refers to something belonging to or coming from 'my God' a rare expression in the scriptures (cf. John 20:17, Rev 3:2). The church is the pillar of truth, the temple of my God is the church. The 144,000 in Rev 14:1 have the name of Christ and of God on their foreheads. The New Jerusalem, is the church, coming down from heaven, see Rev 21:2, in Ezekiel's vision the name of the city is 'THE LORD IS THERE' (Ezek 48:35) cf. Rev 21:3, 22:3. The temple of God will be the New Jerusalem because that is where God will dwell. What is being said here is that he who overcomes will be permanently part (i.e. a pillar) of the New Jerusalem, he will belong to God and to Christ, and he will be intimately known. Lang remarks that Philadelphia was opposed by a synagogue of Satan, but each who stood aloof should be given a permanent place in the temple of God. He who did not deny Christ's name on earth shall bear His new name for ever.
v12 - and I will also write on him my new name. - New name, this is the same as the new name written on the white stone (Rev 2:17), it indicates a special intimacy (Rev 22:4). Just as there is a new Jerusalem, and a new heaven and new earth so they have a new name. After the destruction of the city Philadelphia by an earthquake in AD 17 it was given aid by the emperor Tiberias. In appreciation it changed its name to Neoceasarea (the new city of Caesar), thus the church knew what it was to be given a new name, only their new name will be named after their king not Caesar.
v13 - He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. - Note the formula: 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches', we all need to heed what is being said here.
2.7. Laodicea (3:14)
Rev 3:14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
Key phrase: Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
The church at Laodicea were to read Paul's letter to the Colossians, Col 4:16, they had not met Paul personally, Col 2:1. The city had a profitable business from the production of wool cloth and when it was destroyed by an earthquake in AD 60 it was able to rebuild itself without outside help (Walvoord). It had a widely known medical school and produced an eye-salve (Mounce). It got its water from hot springs almost 6 miles away and by the time it got to Laodicea it would have been luke warm. It was also a centre for banking. The church lived within this affluent society and the attitudes of its citizens rubbed off onto the church.
v14 - "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. - Jesus Christ is the Amen for in him is the certainty of the fulfilment of God's promises, 2 Cor 1:20. It is frequently uses as a refrain of agreement by God's people to a doxology, 'so shall it be', Rev 1:6-7, 7:12, 19:4. For faithful and true witness see 1:5, see also Rev 19:11, the rider on the white horse is Christ whose name is Faithful and True. Revelation shows us that Christ is the ruler of God's creation, in 1:5 He is the ruler of the kings of the earth and this is demonstrated later in the book, 6:15, 19:19-21. The NASB version has instead of 'the ruler of God's creation', 'the Beginning of the creation of God', in the sense of pre-eminence over creation rather than the first created being, this is more in line with the book, see Col 1:16-18, Rev 13:8, 21:6, 22:13.
v15 - I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! - He who walks among the churches sees their deeds. The water supply for the city of Laodicea came from hot springs some distance away so that it was lukewarm. There is more hope for the cold anti-Christian, such as Saul, than these lukewarm Christian who has lost his hunger for God.
v16 - So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. - Literally he is about to vomit them out of his mouth. This shows his revulsion of these lukewarm Christians. The remedy is shown in verse 18 in which he counsels them to buy gold, white clothes and salve.
v17 - You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. - Their material wealth had blinded them to their true spiritual bankruptcy. The world had invaded this church, compare the similarity of her attitude with that of the harlot who said ''I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn' (18:7). It is frequently noted that Laodicea prided itself on three things: financial wealth, an extensive textile industry, and a popular eye-salve which was exported around the world (Mounce). The church thought it was rich in her own eyes, but in the eyes of Christ it was poor. In Hosea 12:8 Ephraim boasts, 'I am very rich; I have become wealthy. With all my wealth they will not find in me any iniquity or sin'. Compare the Laodiceans with the church in Smyrna who were afflicted and poor but in the Lord's eyes were rich.
Their attitude was similar to that of the Pharisees who thought that they were healthy but were in fact sick (Mat 9:10-13), they thought that they could see but were blind (John 9:40-41, Mat 15:14). While they were not Pharisees their condition is similar which is why the Lord rebukes them. Their condition is dangerous because they do not realise it.
v18 - I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. - Christ's counsel to them is in three parts: to buy gold so that they become rich instead of being wretched, pitiful and poor; white clothes to cover their nakedness and salve for their blind eyes so that they can see.
v18 - I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire - This is gospel buying without price (Isa 55:1, Rev 21:6), true riches without price, i.e. salvation that is free. In 22:6 God offers freely to the thirsty to drink from the spring of the water of life, in 22:17 the invitation to the thirsty is given by the church to take the free gift of the water of life. The Laodiceans were relying on their own riches without faith in Christ. The gold represents faith in Christ, see 1 Pet 1:7, rather than trusting in their own wealth which perishes. They can only get this gold from Christ. They cannot take their wealth with them after death, but their labour of faith follows them (14:13).
v18 - white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; - Originally Adam and Eve were naked but felt no shame (Gen 2:25), but then after they sinned they were ashamed of their nakedness and sewed fig leaves to cover their nakedness (Gen 3:7). In 16:15 at the second coming Christ calls blessed is 'he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.' In 3:4-5 those in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes will walk with Christ dressed in white because they are worthy. Those in Laodicea did not even have any clothes, they were naked, they have to come to Christ to get clothes to cover their sins. Joshua the high priest was dressed in filthy clothes in Zec 3:3-4, he was given new rich garments after his sin was taken away. These clothes are the white clothes of righteousness (Isa 61:10). Throughout Revelation white garments stand for righteousness (6:11, 7:9, 7:14, 19:8, 19:14), in 7:14 they are said to have 'washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'
v18 - and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. - They do not even realise their nakedness and need their spiritual eyes opened so that they can see their condition. Laodicea was famous for its eye salve. Once again they must buy this from Christ.
v19 - Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent - One of the most tender lines in Revelation. Those whom I love... the Lord disciplines those he loves, who are his children, Prov 3:12, Heb 12:5-8. Note that despite their pitiful condition they had not ceased to be part of the church of Christ, the same applies to the other churches. The Greek word or love used here is phileo, in all the other references to love agapao is used (1:5, 2:4, 2:19, 3:9, 12:11, 20:9) the only exception being 22:15.
v20 - Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. - The tense indicates a continual knocking. The anyone indicates a universal but individual appeal. An individual needs to hear Christ knocking, that is His voice, and then open the door of his heart to let Christ come in. The meal indicates fellowship with Christ (John 14:23) and anticipates the heavenly banquet later, the wedding supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:9). Jesus said that whoever hears his voice and believes God has eternal life and will not be condemned, he has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24). He who belongs to God hears what God says (John 8:47).
v21 - To him who overcomes. I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne - This verse emphases one of the key points in Revelation, Jesus overcame as the Lamb by being obedient even to death on a cross and he gives himself as an example of one who overcame. He obtained victory by being obedient to death on the cross (Phil 2:8-9) and hence is exalted as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Revelation demonstrates that the same obedience to death is required by the saints, who are conquered by the beast (13:7) and are martyred because they refuse to worship the image of the beast (13:15) but who we see later in 15:2 as victorious over the beast and his image and the number of his name. Peter points to Christ as our example of one who suffered unjustly even to die on the cross (1 Pet 2:13-25, 3:9 ff.) but who has now gone into 'heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him' (1 Pet 3:22). Those who suffer with him will reign with him (5:10, 20:4-6, 22:5). Lang remarks that Laodicea was a poor lunatic, sitting in squalor, but boasting of fancied riches. He who, by humbling himself, overcame this pitiful pride, shall sit at table now with the Lord, and hereafter shall sit with Him in glory on His throne.
v22 - He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." - Note the formula: 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches', we all need to heed what is being said here.