December
12th Revelation 3 Sardis
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. 2: Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are
ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 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. 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. 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. 6: He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Philadelphia
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; 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.[1]
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. 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. 11:
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy
crown. 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. 13: He that hath
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Laodicea
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; 15: I know thy works, that thou
art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16: So then because
thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
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: 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 eyesalve,
that thou mayest see. 19: As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous
therefore, and repent. 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. 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. 22: He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Here we have three letters from the
risen Messiah to three more Jewish congregations of Asia
Minor. The next letter is to the congregation at Sardis. Christ says, I know thy works. He
says this every time and is saying I know all that you do which is commendable.
He says you have a name that you are alive but you are dead spiritually. He
says be careful because the congregation is ready to pass away. As always the
call to Israel
is a call to repentance and a return to the Lord and righteous living before
God. Those who are righteous will escape the judgment of God in death. This
letter is talking about the time of the northern kingdom – Israel’s removal. Because their
idolatry is incurable.
To the Philadelphian congregation
Christ says, I have the key of David. i.e. The total authority of the King. He
can open and shut and no man can overcome it. (Isa 22v22) He says, l know thy
works, etc. He commends them for their strength even though it is little and
their determination to keep to Christ’s word. Again they are plagued by those
who are false Jews. He promises to keep them safe in the time of tribulation
which will come upon the whole earth. Those who overcome will be granted a
position as a pillar in the temple of the Kingdom. Those who overcome will have
the name of God and Jerusalem
and the New Name. This is referring to the time of the southern kingdom – Judah. It
refers to the key of David which was given to Solomon and to the Temple of God which Solomon built.
To the Laodicean congregation Christ
says, He knows their spiritual state. They are not hot or cold. They are
self-willed self-sufficient and self-satisfied. They say they are rich, yet
they are actually poor. They say they see everything, yet they are blind. If
ever there were a description of the LORD’s dealings with Israel it is in
these words – ‘As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore,
and repent’. To those who overcome, he promises to sit with him in the Kingdom
ruling with him. The last letter refers to Judah’s removal and exile. This is
the lowest point for Israel.
since the time when they lost their first love right down to the exile there is
little to be proud of. Sure God blessed individuals for brief periods but the
decline has been downward all along. In this letter we have a people who have
degenerated into a state in which the LORD and the land will vomit them out of his
mouth. In all of these letters Christ is not presented as Lord of the church,
which is his body, but judge of his servants in Israel, who have fallen away from
him.
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