Transcript Document

Vol.3
To the majority of the church at Sardis, He
said nothing praiseworthy
Sardis may have been the
first church in history to have
been filled with what we call
“nominal Christians.” Sardis
appeared to be alive, but
was dead. The Lord is never
impressed by the beauty of
a well-kept mausoleum,
knowing that inside are the
bones of a dead man.
When John wrote this letter
to Sardis, it was a wealthy
city, but degenerate. Twice
the city had been lost
because the leadership and
the citizens were to lazy to
defend themselves from
their enemies. The attitude
of the city was reflected in
the demise of its church.
Like the city that smugly
dwelt upon its past glory, the
church at Sardis had won a
good reputation at one time
and the members thought
they had arrived: they were
content in the beautiful
building the had erected on
the corner of Selfsatisfaction and
Complacency streets.
Date written: About A.D. 95
Author: John the Apostle
Protestant
was made
They had a reputation of being the state
alive, but you are dead. Rev. 3:1 religion
V. 1 And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:
He who has the seven Spirits of God, and the
seven stars, says this: “I know your deeds,
that you have a name that you are alive, but
you are dead.
Sardis began in A.D. 1520, and undoubtedly
extends, historically, into the Tribulation. This
period of time covers the Reformation (with its
dead, lukewarm churches) and is presently part of
the Laodicean period as well.
The reason for the deadness is that during the
Reformation, entire countries became Protestant
without being born again.
Reformation is the religious movement that split the
Church into two groups: Catholic and Protestant.
This religion was
freely embraced by
millions who did
not know what it
meant to become
new creations of
Christ Jesus.
Sardis first died
because it relied on its
past successes. The
body which was once
healthy had been
neglected. Second,
the church died
because it allowed sin
to creep into the
membership.
Sardis became the mother of dead orthodoxy.
Each of us is responsible for our own fellowship with
God. His judgment will wake us up. Jesus Christ is
pictured as the God-man, also “the bright and morning
star” (2 Pet. 1:19).
Date written: About A.D. 95
Author: John the Apostle
Reformation gives
way to human logic
Sardis is not like Thyatira.
In Thyatira the last works were greater than
the first, but in Sardis their works were
decreasing. Jesus said Sardis had a reputation
of being alive, but it was actually dead. It
became a church in name only, a pretend
church, one that was just going through the
motions.
The church died because it was not sensitive to its own
spiritual condition. It was confident that God was
there because the building was magnificent and the
parishioners were well dressed. They were like the
people Paul described in his letter to young
Timothy…”having a form of godliness but denying its
power” (2 Tim. 3:5).
Herodotus, the historian,
records that over the
course of many years the
church in Sardis had
acquired a reputation for
lax moral standards.
The
believers in
the last days
must know
the times in
which he
lives.
V.2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is
about to die, for I have not found your deeds
complete in the sight of God.
Jesus told the church in Sardis to, “Wake
up, and stay awake.”
The first call toward renewal is the honest
awareness that something is wrong. Churches die
spiritually because Christians allow doctrinal error to
slip into the membership.
Doctrine it a vital part of every church.
One of the areas of truth the Reformation churches
failed to proclaim was the return of Christ. Therefore,
the Lord said that this event would catch them
unaware.
Author: John the Apostle
Date written: About A.D. 95
The letter to
Sardis say
Wake up
Christ is coming as a
thief:
This fact has to do with the
relationship of the unbeliever
1 Thess. 5:2, Luke 21:34
What should we do
if we are members
of a dead or dying
church?
Be submissive to the
Holy Spirit, some will be
led out, others will
remain.
Jesus wanted followers to
recall
The coming at the Rapture
is for believers. 1 Thess. 5:3
The Bible gives us ample
warning. Titus 2:13, 1
John 3:3
Those who live expectantly will
receive the crowns. 2 Tim.
4:8
Christians who are asleep at the
Rapture, He will come as
a thief, totally
unprepared. 1 Thess. 5:10,
1 John 2:28
V. 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.
He wanted them to reflect on what they
had received and heard.
When a church
receives a great
revelation from
God, it needs to put
that revelation into
practice. Or it will
die out. This is
where the Sardis
church failed.
They had received forgiveness of their sin, salvation,
eternal life, and future rewards in heaven.
Be watchful or alert, He told them, knowing the time,
that now it is high time to awake out of sleep. Rom.
13:11
Strengthen the things which remain, that are ready
to die. Recall the former days the early days of their
salvation when they were filled with purity and zeal.
Hold fast. Repent—change their minds.
Date written: About A.D. 95
In the days before the flood,
God had righteous Enoch, and Noah. In the
time of universal idolatry, there was
Abraham. Even in Sodom there was Lot.
Reformation churches need to turn back
to Christ, seeking His will and His Spirit’s
teaching rather than man – made ideas
about theological truth.
Author: John the Apostle
v.4,5 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. 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.
Jesus Promised:
They would walk with Him in
white robes.
He would never blot out their
names from the Book of Life.
The would acknowledge the
names of the saved before God
and His angels
Author: John the Apostle
Date written: About A.D. 95
This white robe is
found upon the bride
of Christ at the
Marriage Supper of
the Lamb: “Let us be
glad and rejoice, and
give honor to him: for
the marriage of the
Lamb is come, and
His wife has made
herself ready. And to
her was granted that
she should be arrayed
in fine linens, clean
and white: for the fine
linen is the
righteousness of
saints” Rev. 19:7-8.
Security
In addition those who
possess a genuine
salvation experience will
remain in the book of life
eternally.
Christ says, “ I will not
blot out his name…before
My Father, and before
His angels.
Those are some
awesome
promises, and I
can imagine
some of those
faithful ones
reading that
letter eagerly,
being sustained
during times
when it looked
the darkest.
After years of sinful human history,
God’s dealings with mankind, those who
reject God will receive the justice and
punishment they truly deserve.
The Bible indicates that the sinners of all ages will
finally receive judgment for every deed and word of
their lives.
This should make us question our own experience. Is
it real?
The destiny of the saints of the Church is to rule with
Christ forever. Rev. 22:5
Rev. 20:6 tells us all believers will reign with Christ.
v.6 He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.
The Bible teaches us we are to live our lives with
glorification, justification, and sanctification. We
must overcome, hold fast, and live holy lives, set
apart for Christ.
Author: John the Apostle
Date written: About A.D. 95
Once again the
V. 7 And to the
message is
angel of the church
from the Lord
in Philadelphia
Jesus Christ.
write: These are the
We are given
words of Him who
a new and
is holy and true,
beautiful 4who holds the key
fold
of David. What He
description of
the Lord:
opens no one can
1.
He that is holy
shut, and what He
Heb.7:26
shuts no one can
2.
He that is true
open.
John14:6
Who hold the key of David
takes us back to the Old
Testament.
There was a priest named
Eliakim who held the office of
Keyholder in King David’s
palace. His office gave him full
authority to act on behalf of the
king.
3.
He that has the
key of David Rev.
22:16
4.
He that open and
no man shuts, and
shuts and no man
opens John 10:9
Like Smyrna, Philadelphia had
no word of condemnation
This church had right doctrine and right
living going hand in hand. God promised
to open doors for this loving church, to
give it an opportunity to reach out to a
lost world.
v. 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.
The church in Philadelphia was commended because
it had little strength. This is contrary to our human
thinking, for we think we must be men and women of
steel and iron to get God’s work accomplished.
Date written: About A.D. 95
When a church is truly a
church of the open door
to leading of His Holy
Spirit, then look out
world!
The church of
Philadelphia was more
like what the Church
should be than any of
the other churches. It
was an evangelistic,
Bible-believing church.
They knew that Jesus is
the one who opens the
door, and that they
needed to depend on
Him.
In church history, the period
of great missionary
outreach, from 1750 until
around 1925, was
exemplified by the Church of
Philadelphia.
This was the era of Hudson
Taylor, John Wesley, George
Whitfield, Charles Haddon
Spurgeon, D.L. Moody, and
many more.
Wonderful promises are made to this church, promises
that are key to understanding prophecy.
Author: John the Apostle
V. 9 I 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.
There were
some who
wanted the
church to
deny Jesus
These citizens of
Philadelphia refused to
believe in Jesus or the
gospel . They worshipped at
a synagogue and said they
were Jews, but Jesus called
them imposters. He
called their place of
worship the
synagogue of Satan.
Jesus assured the
Philadelphia church
that these pretenders
would pay for their
misdeeds. “As I live
says the Lord, every
knee shall bow to Me,
and every tongue
confess to God. Rom
14:11
Date written: About A.D. 95
1 John 2:18 Children it is the last hour; and just as
you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many
antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour.
1 John 3:10 By this the children of God and the
children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice
righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his
brother.
Christ promises these faithful brethren
that the members of the synagogue of
Satan (false professors of religion as
described in 2:9) will be forced to bow
down and worship the Lord God
Almighty, willfully or unwillfully, at a future
time (3:9).
Author: John the Apostle
V. 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.
Because of their
love for Christ,
the Philadelphiaera-believers are
promised
exemption from
the day of the
Lord’s wrath, or
the Great
Tribulation hour:
“I will keep you
from the hour of
temptation” (Rev.
3:10).
In the Greek, the word
from is ek meaning
“out of” not “through”
(preservation), but
“out of” (evacuation)the Tribulation.
So the church will be
gone when the terrible
hour of Tribulation
judgment comes upon
all the world.
Date written: About A.D. 95
The church will clearly not go
through the Tribulation
All true believers will be Raptured
before this event occurs.
Take notice that in chapters 1-3 of Revelation the church is
mentioned nineteen times. After chapter 4 the Tribulation
is described, but the church is not mentioned.
V.11 I am coming soon. Hold on to
what you have, so that no one will
take your crown.
Author: John the Apostle
In The Twinkling Of
An Eye
Jesus was telling them
that when he
comes back, it will
happen very fast.
Matt. 24:27 For as lightning
that comes from the
east is visible even in
the west, so will be
the coming of the Son
of Man.
Hold on to what you have
Do not abandon your doctrines or deeds, keep believing that
Bible, keep evangelizing, and keep sending out
missionaries to tell the world about Jesus. So that no
one will take your crown—let one one else have your
reward. God’s work will be accomplished.
V.12,13 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. He who has an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says to the churches.
Author: John the Apostle
Date written: About A.D. 95
Three blessings are mentioned
for the faithful
1.
2.
3.
They become
pillars in the
temple of God.
They have the
name of God
written upon them,
so identifying
them and allowing
them access into
the city of GodNew Jerusalem.
They have the
new name written
upon them. The
name of God
allows them to
enter the Holy
City, but the new
name of Christ
entitles them to be
His servants,
where they shall
see His face.
Those who
overcome will
belong to God.
They will be
citizens of New
Jerusalem and
have a special
relationship
with Jesus.
The faithful will escape the
terrible judgments, but the
unfaithful will not unless
they repent of their sins
and fix their relationship
with God.
V.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.
The Laodicea church, the last
period of the Church Age.
The seventh and final letter is to the local church of
Laodicea, which covers the years from 1900 to the
Tribulation Hour. The message, as in all previous
letters, is from the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the last letter before the Rapture. We are living
in the Laodicean church period today.
Jesus is the Amen, the Truth, the one we can
trust. There is no greater person to believe in, no
greater one to lean on.
The “Amen”, in Hebrew is the word meaning “true.”
The complete meaning is “truth in its finality,” which
pictures Christ as the final truth.
He is the faithful and true witness. Rev 1:5
The beginning of the creation of God. Since the Lord
is the firstborn of all creation (Col. 1:15).
Date written: About A.D. 95
Laodicean church members,
materially rich, but spiritually
poor
The Lord had nothing positive to say about this
church; in fact, it made Him sick.
V. 15,16 I know your deeds, that
you are neither cold nor hot. I
wish you were either one or the
other! So, because you are
lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I
am about to spit you out of my
mouth.
The Church members in Laodicea were neither not
nor cold, but lukewarm. Any church or church
member can find itself in one of these three states:
cold, lukewarm, or hot.
Author: John the Apostle
Cold: signifies being
without spiritual life
Lukewarm:
means indifferent or
straddling the fence
Hot: expresses
passion or zealous
The Laodicean church
had works, but her
service is fashion.
What a picture of the
present age! God
alone knows how
serious the present
situation literally is.
The church in
Laodicea had become
complacent. Its people
were not being
persecuted. They were
comfortable,
prospering, and selfsatisfied.
There is a door that is
that is open for
spiritual recovery.
Rev.3:20, Christ will
not open it, He will
only stand at the door
and knock.
The condition of the
Laodicean church
makes God so
violently ill that He
wants spue this group
out of His mouth.
Date written: About A.D. 95
Under Roman rule the city of
Laodicea know for its wealth
This church of Laodicea, had all the trappings of
wealth, but something was missing. Under Roman
rule the city had become widely known for its
banking, medical school, and textile industry.
However, with all of this the church had been
lulled to sleep.
V.17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have
acquired wealth and do not need
a thing.’ But you do not realize
that you are wretched, pitiful,
poor, blind, and naked.
Author: John the Apostle
Can all the
money in the
world save
your soul?
Simply put—No!
The Laodicean era is a
highly prosperous one. As
a result, her people have
erected elaborate church
structures worth millions of
dollars.
God tells the Laodiceans
that they are miserable,
poor wretches. This is true
because riches usually
make one wretched and
miserable.
They are also blind
because they can’t
see the millions who
are dying without the
Saviour and going
into eternal loss.
Because of this fact,
they are naked both
now and in eternity,
for they are not
clothed with Christ’s
robe of righteousness
(Cor.5:21).
Author: John the Apostle
Date written: About A.D. 95
V. 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.
Placed into God’s furnace
We are put into God’s furnace of testing not to
destroy our faith, but to refine it. Trials humble
us, our sins are drawn out (through repentance),
and the residue is left—an improved Christian.
If we really want to be rich, we must buy from
Jesus, with a spiritual currency, a faith that grows
strong with every test.
Christ instructs the
Laodiceans
1.
2.
3.
Buy of me gold tried in the fire, that
you may be rich. 1 Pet. 1:7 This
refers to the “trial of our faith being
more than of gold
Buy “white clothes” refers to the
“garment of salvation” and the
“robe of righteousness. Isa. 61:10
“Anoint the eyes with eye salve, so
you may see.” This speaks of
illumination which only the saved
share: “There natural man receives
not the things of the Spirit of God:
for they are foolishness unto him:
neither can he know them,
because they are spiritually
discerned” 1 Cor. 2:14
Date written: About A.D. 95
Jesus reminded the blind
Laodiceans that they needed
more than their precious
eye salve to see eternal Kingdom will be
realized on this planet
T hey needed the truth of
as well as in heaven.
God which only Christ could
bring to them. It makes us
think of the New Agers
whose vision is so sadly
blurred, or church goers who
“enjoy” the sermon and the
music, and leave without
any change of heart.
Jesus taught His disciples to
pray, “Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as
it is in heaven.” Christ’s
In His Sermon on the
Mount, Jesus promised
that the meek “shall
inherit the earth” (Matt.
5:5). These promises
will be fulfilled during
the Kingdom of God on
earth. Daniel was given
a tremendous vision of
the final victory of the
Messiah.
Author: John the Apostle
V. 19-22 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. To him who overcomes, I
will give the right to sit with me on
my throne, just as I overcome and
sat down with my Father on his
throne. He who has an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.”
Heb. 12:6 reminds us “For whom the Lord
loves He disciplines, and He scourges
every son whom He receives.”
Spiritual spankings are administered in order that we
might be zealous and repent, or “change our minds.”
Author: John the Apostle
Date written: About A.D. 95
Jesus Is
T
Knocking
Jesus could have
demanded that the church
in Laodicea come to his
door. He could have
required them to knock,
beg, cry and plead for
salvation.
But instead, He gave
them free will to accept
or reject Him. He did not
force them to open the
door.
The condition of
the church at the
time of Christ’s
return is Christless.
Notice He says, “If
anyone hears my
voice… I will come
in.
He still knocks at
the door of each
person’s heart.
The greatest invitation in the Bible is contained in Rev.
3:20.
When Jesus came the first time He was not received by
His own people (John1:11).
During His first visit to this planet, Christ predicted that
His second coming would also be met with unbelief
(Luke 18:8).
We are moving toward the last
great crisis of history
According to ancient prophets, we are moving
toward the last great crisis. The final goal of history
is the establishment of Christ’s kingdom of
righteousness and justice on both the earth and in the
heavens.
The final promise to the overcomer: Just as Jesus
overcame Satan by His life of obedience to God and
His ultimate sacrifice on the cross, and just as He sits
in an exalted position on His Father’s throne, the
overcomer will sit on the throne of Jesus Christ and
reign with Him. And for a seventh and last time, all
are invited to hear what the Holy Spirit has to say to
the churches.
Date written: About A.D. 95
V.23-29 And I will kill her
children with pestilence; and
all the churches will know that
I am He who searches the
minds and hearts; and I will
give to each one of you
according to your deeds.
But I say to you, the rest who
are in Thyatira, who do not
hold this teaching, who have
not known the deep things of
Satan, as they call them—I
place no other burden on you.
Nevertheless, what you have,
hold fast until I come.
And He shall rule them with a
rod of iron, as the vessels of
the potter are broken to
pieces, as I also have
received authority from My
Father; and I will give him the
morning star. He who has an
ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches.
Author: John the Apostle
Our Present Age
In our present age we may
have difficulty seeing
ourselves as belonging to
any of these churches;
however, some of their
characteristics are found in
each one of us.
The church of Ephesus was
once strong, but it had lost
its first love for Jesus. The
church of Smyrna was a
suffering church, enduring
hardship for its faith. The
church at Pergamum had
fallen under the influence
of the pagan culture in
which it lived. The church
at Thyatira had become part
of an evil cult. The Sardian
church was so cold and
dead that only the names in
the church directory could
have indicated any living
members. The church in
Philadelphia was a loving
church, the one for
which the Lord had
no negatives words.
Finally, we come to
the lukewarm
Laodicean church.
Why are there no
more letters to other
churches?
When Noah started
building that weirdlooking boat on dry
land, his neighbors
probably laughed and
said, “That guy is
really a pessimist”.
Jeremiah warned the
people of Judah that
unless they quit their
evil lifestyle the
country would fall to
Nebuchadnezzar’s
army, but Jeremiah
was tied in stocks and
thrown into jail,
and tossed down
a well. Pessimism
does not make
one popular.
In the time of Israel’s
king there was a
fellow named Micaiah,
who told King Ahab
that would be killed in
a battle against the
Syrians. Micaiah was
hated for his gloomy
prophecy.
Date written: About A.D. 95
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What false reputation did the church at Sardis
have?___________
Why was the church at Philadelphia so
weak?_____________
What was the admonition to the church at
Laodicea?______________________
Which letter probably applies to today’s
church?_____________
How does one avoid being
lukewarm?_____________________________
Author: John the Apostle
The last
three letters
The last three letters
are to Sardis,
Philadelphia and
Laodicea. Each letter
explains further
problems for the
Church and offers
solutions.
Jesus promises to keep the
names of overcomers in
the Lamb’s Book of Life,
and He will acknowledge
the believer’s names
before God.
Christ holds the
keys:
He holds the keys to our lives. What doors He
opens for us cannot be shut and those He
shuts cannot be opened.
Jesus comes to us and knocks to be let in. Those
who let Him in will be allowed to eat
(fellowship) with him.