To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of the One who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars.
I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead. 2Wake up and strengthen what remains, which was about to die; for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God. 3Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.
4But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white. 5Like them, the one who is victorious will be clothed in white garments. And I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.
6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“These are the words of the One who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars.”
As we have continued to see, each of the letters begins with the Lord’s introduction with reference to any one of His characteristics. Here, He refers to Himself as the One having the seven Spirits of God or the sevenfold Spirit, which were first introduced in John’s greeting in Rev.1:5, bidding grace and peace to the seven churches and are identified in Rev.4:5 symbolically represented by seven Lamps blazing before God’s throne and are also symbolic of the seven horns and eyes of the Lamb, who are sent out into all the earth, as found in Rev.5:6.
The other reference is to the seven stars,which He holds in His right hand and which were identified in Rev.1:20 as symbolically representing the seven “aggelos” translated as “messengers,” which as we have already covered, is most likely in reference to the the pastors or overseers of those individual churches opposed to John writing to heavenly beings.
“I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead. Wake up and strengthen what remains, which was about to die; for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God.
The Lord’s references to “their deeds” was not a commendation but was in regards to their having a reputation for being alive, but were in reality spiritually dead, deficient in true faith. In perspective, this speaks to me of the popular, but spiritually dead church of today. This was a church that was filled with unsaved people going through the motions of religion as performing a work. It reminds me of what we see today. There are people who attend church on Sunday, but have no real communion with the Lord. Their mindset being that by performing their duty on Sunday and just being associated with the church that they are saved. Yet they have no further communion with the Lord, such as spending time in daily prayer, living in His word, examining their lives and being concerned about staying in step with the Spirit, exercising love, etc. No fruit of the Spirit! There are many churches and individuals throughout the world that are like the church of Sardis today. Their deeds that the Lord found incomplete was their lack of true faith, which is also demonstrated by the Lord’s warning for them to wake up, which would infer that they were sleeping regarding the things of the Lord, not paying attention to their dead spiritual state.
“Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.”
The reference to “wake up” would infer that they were not spiritually alert, not paying attention to their life in Christ. And if you’re not paying attention to the things of the Spirit, then ones attention can only be upon the things of this world. They had become indifferent regarding their life in Christ.
The Lord’s warning is that if they do not wake up from this state, He will come like a thief, which I believe is in reference to when the Lord comes to gather His church. In other words, if you are in this same state of spiritual sleep when I come, you won’t be gathered. This reminds us of what the Lord said in Luke regarding their not being ready when He comes:
“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
Being in the state described above, demonstrates one whose eyes are on the things of this world, but are spiritually asleep regarding the things of Christ. Notice, for those who are in that state, “that day” will close on them like a trap, meaning that they will not be gathered when the Lord comes, but will remain on the earth and will enter into that time of God’s wrath—which will close on them like a trap—and which will come upon the face of the whole earth.
“But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white. Like them, the one who is victorious will be clothed in white garments. ”
Obviously there were some in Sardis who were not in this state of spiritual sleep and the Lord commends them, saying that they are worthy and that they will walk with Him wearing white. Regarding this, I am reminded of the wedding of the Lamb, which takes place in heaven, where the bride/church receives her fine linen, white and clean, which represents the rightous acts of the saints, as found in Rev.19:6-8. The same promise of walking with the Lord in white is the same for those who heed the Lord’s warning and wake up, repenting of that state. If they are victorious over it, they too will walk in white with Him.
“And I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.”
The very fact that the Lord mentions not blotting out their name from the book of life for the person who is victorious, infers that He is able and can do that very thing. Otherwise that statement would make no sense. In all of these promises to the individuals within the church, for those who are not victorious, we can reverse the promise and apply the consequences. That said and regarding those who are not victorious in Sardis, when the Lord comes like a thief they would not be gathered with the church, they would not be dressed in white walking with the Lord and He can blot out their names from the book of life. Some would disagree with this, but we have to remember that these promises and warnings are continingent upon being victorious.
On to the church of Philadelphia ...
These are the words of the One who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars.
I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead. 2Wake up and strengthen what remains, which was about to die; for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God. 3Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.
4But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white. 5Like them, the one who is victorious will be clothed in white garments. And I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.
6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“These are the words of the One who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars.”
As we have continued to see, each of the letters begins with the Lord’s introduction with reference to any one of His characteristics. Here, He refers to Himself as the One having the seven Spirits of God or the sevenfold Spirit, which were first introduced in John’s greeting in Rev.1:5, bidding grace and peace to the seven churches and are identified in Rev.4:5 symbolically represented by seven Lamps blazing before God’s throne and are also symbolic of the seven horns and eyes of the Lamb, who are sent out into all the earth, as found in Rev.5:6.
The other reference is to the seven stars,which He holds in His right hand and which were identified in Rev.1:20 as symbolically representing the seven “aggelos” translated as “messengers,” which as we have already covered, is most likely in reference to the the pastors or overseers of those individual churches opposed to John writing to heavenly beings.
“I know your deeds; you have a reputation for being alive, yet you are dead. Wake up and strengthen what remains, which was about to die; for I have found your deeds incomplete in the sight of My God.
The Lord’s references to “their deeds” was not a commendation but was in regards to their having a reputation for being alive, but were in reality spiritually dead, deficient in true faith. In perspective, this speaks to me of the popular, but spiritually dead church of today. This was a church that was filled with unsaved people going through the motions of religion as performing a work. It reminds me of what we see today. There are people who attend church on Sunday, but have no real communion with the Lord. Their mindset being that by performing their duty on Sunday and just being associated with the church that they are saved. Yet they have no further communion with the Lord, such as spending time in daily prayer, living in His word, examining their lives and being concerned about staying in step with the Spirit, exercising love, etc. No fruit of the Spirit! There are many churches and individuals throughout the world that are like the church of Sardis today. Their deeds that the Lord found incomplete was their lack of true faith, which is also demonstrated by the Lord’s warning for them to wake up, which would infer that they were sleeping regarding the things of the Lord, not paying attention to their dead spiritual state.
“Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know the hour when I will come upon you.”
The reference to “wake up” would infer that they were not spiritually alert, not paying attention to their life in Christ. And if you’re not paying attention to the things of the Spirit, then ones attention can only be upon the things of this world. They had become indifferent regarding their life in Christ.
The Lord’s warning is that if they do not wake up from this state, He will come like a thief, which I believe is in reference to when the Lord comes to gather His church. In other words, if you are in this same state of spiritual sleep when I come, you won’t be gathered. This reminds us of what the Lord said in Luke regarding their not being ready when He comes:
“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
Being in the state described above, demonstrates one whose eyes are on the things of this world, but are spiritually asleep regarding the things of Christ. Notice, for those who are in that state, “that day” will close on them like a trap, meaning that they will not be gathered when the Lord comes, but will remain on the earth and will enter into that time of God’s wrath—which will close on them like a trap—and which will come upon the face of the whole earth.
“But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white. Like them, the one who is victorious will be clothed in white garments. ”
Obviously there were some in Sardis who were not in this state of spiritual sleep and the Lord commends them, saying that they are worthy and that they will walk with Him wearing white. Regarding this, I am reminded of the wedding of the Lamb, which takes place in heaven, where the bride/church receives her fine linen, white and clean, which represents the rightous acts of the saints, as found in Rev.19:6-8. The same promise of walking with the Lord in white is the same for those who heed the Lord’s warning and wake up, repenting of that state. If they are victorious over it, they too will walk in white with Him.
“And I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.”
The very fact that the Lord mentions not blotting out their name from the book of life for the person who is victorious, infers that He is able and can do that very thing. Otherwise that statement would make no sense. In all of these promises to the individuals within the church, for those who are not victorious, we can reverse the promise and apply the consequences. That said and regarding those who are not victorious in Sardis, when the Lord comes like a thief they would not be gathered with the church, they would not be dressed in white walking with the Lord and He can blot out their names from the book of life. Some would disagree with this, but we have to remember that these promises and warnings are continingent upon being victorious.
On to the church of Philadelphia ...
