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DoWeKnow Studies the Book of Revelation Chapter Three (24754 bytes)


-CHAPTER THREE-

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;

church5revelations.jpg (1636 bytes) The fifth church to which John was to send a copy of the Book (letter) of Revelation was Sardis. Located on a well-traveled thoroughfare between Philadelphia and Thyatira, it was a wealthy town because of its location. It became a major art and crafts center, and the first mint in the area to mint gold and silver was placed there. It was known far and wide for its wealth. Very likely, because its membership could provide everything that money could buy for its building and its programs, it apparently saw no real need for the presence of Christ in its midst. However, there were a few names in Sardis which God deemed worthy—which brings to mind Nicodemus (a ruler of the Jews) and Joseph of Arimathaea (the one who took the body of Christ and buried it in his own tomb), wealthy men which Jesus saw fit to honor in His word. Prophetically, the message to the fifth church has reference to the fifth age of time: the Age of the Law.

…I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

What an interesting way to say that they were hypocrites! The only way a church member can satisfy all three of these characteristics is to be functioning as a tare. And the only way that a human being in this life can be walking around and still be dead is to be dead in trespasses and sin. That is, he must still be dead in his spirit, not having been born again of the Spirit of Christ.

3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

Prophetically, this whole message smacks loudly of Israel under the fifth dispensation: the Age of the Law.

These first two verses bring to mind the seemingly almost always rebellious house of Israel under the Law of Moses. Remember, when addressing the Jews who would have Him crucified, Jesus said that they were just like their forefathers who had killed the prophets. Apparently, after the church's birth at Pentecost, some of the Jews who had rejected Him earlier, attached themselves to the new church; but they had done so without coming through the "door" (i.e., Christ) into the Kingdom of God. (Could these be types of those in the churches down through the age who profess Christ as Savior, but show no fruit of possessing Him in their lives?) It was to these "transitional Jews"* (Click on your browser's "Back" button to return to this page.) that Peter wrote: "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall" (II Peter 1:10). In fact, the essence of all the epistles known as the Jewish-Christian Epistles (Click on your browser's "Back" button to return to this page.) was directed to this special generation of Abraham’s seed through Isaac.

*Please Note that the underlined, blued words are links that will give the reader more information on the subject being discussed.

"…I have not found thy works perfect before God." This was because it is impossible for these Jews who were living by the dictates of their inherent fallen nature to live up to the perfect demands of the law. In his epistle to the Romans, Paul explains that the law wasn’t given so that man might live righteously thereby, but that it was given to show man his fallen state and his need for the Savior. Since every believer is given the righteousness of Christ when he or she accepts Christ as Lord and Savior, and since this is the only righteousness recognized by God, the fact that many of these Transitional Jews were not willing to give up the way of Moses but simply wanted to add Jesus to their religion, explains why their works were not perfect before God. (Cf. "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent" [John 6:29].)

3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.

This agrees with the plight of the Transitional Jew who couldn’t make up their minds as to who they wanted to believe, the anti-Christs among the Jews or the Apostles of Christ. The Apostle James had a similar stern word to his vacillating Jewish brethren:"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded men" (James 4:8).

…If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief,

This is definitely Jewish-prophetic language. Cf. "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief" (1 Th. 5:2-4). See Booklet Seven, Chapter 27 of the book CLOCK OF THE AGES. (Click on your browser's "Back" button to return to this page.)

…and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

Sadly, this declaration applies to all four watches of Israel’s prophetic night (See Booklet Seven, Chapter 28 of the book CLOCK OF THE AGES [Click on your browser's "Back" button to return to this page].). And although this word is addressed to the church of Sardis, remember, prophetically it addresses the people of the firth age of time: i.e, those who were living under the Age of the Law.

3:4 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.

Again, we are back to those in Sardis / the fifth church who went through the awful persecution of the Church of that day.

3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment;

A great percentage of the founding Church was Jewish, as were most of the original twelve disciples. We don’t know how many of the church at Sardis were of Jewish background, but we do know that this language is strictly Jewish. Of course, the Gentile believers need to be overcomers in their walk, but for the Gentile to be clothed in white raiment (i.e., the righteousness of Christ), he or she needs only to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. It can be said only of the Jew that he or she overcomes and is clothed with the righteousness of Christ at the same time. That is, at the moment they receive Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, they become overcomers of the blindness of tradition so that Christ becomes the solid Rock on which they build their lives and not the stone of which Jesus spoke in Matthew 21:42-44. "Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."

…and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life,

…I will not blot out his name out of the book of life—THIS IS ANOTHER EXPRESSION THAT CAN APPLY ONLY TO ABRAHAM'S OFFSPRING! Go to the book MARK THEM, booklet four for an in-depth study of the expression. (Click on your browser's "Back" button to return to this page.)

…but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

How awesome! Think about it. Before Christ can confess the names of the believers before the Father, He has to know them and their names. "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" [John 10:27].)

3:6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write;

church6revelations.jpg (1640 bytes)The sixth church to which John sent a copy of the Book of Revelation was the church at Philadelphia. The city was named after its founder Attalus II Philadelhus (159-138 BC) because of his devotion to his brother Eumenes, thus the "brotherly love" which is ascribed to the name. It lay in a circuit of some 400 miles with the other six churches which makes some to think that John had been the "circuit riding preacher" that served them. It is the only church of the seven of which the Lord had no condemnation, only praise. In spite of the Moslem invasion of Philadelphia and its subsequent influence, a strong Christian witness has continued through the age even to this present time--a testimony of the depth of the founders’ commitment to their Savior. Philadelphia and Smyrna: the location of the two churches with a good report, are the only towns mentioned that are still standing—this, too, a testimony of God's commitment to committed people. Prophetically, the message to the sixth church has reference to the sixth age of time: the Age of Grace.(Click here to go to our Study Chart of the Ages. Click on your browser's "Back" button to return to this page.)

…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;

These are more prophetic titles that belong to Christ Jesus, and to Him alone.

3:8 I know thy works:

How true this is of everyone, even the thoughts and intent of the hearts; but this is especially true of the believer who walks in the Spirit, for it is Christ in them, bringing forth the Father’s will.

…behold, I have set before thee an open door,

Although this is usually interpreted to mean that God has gone before and prepared the way for us to serve Him, which is a fact, a more literal spiritual interpretation would be that Christ, the DOOR, is in heaven at the right hand of God the Father interceding for the believer.

…and no man can shut it:

Being as how He is the open DOOR, this goes without saying.

…for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

These are the only requirements necessary to do great things for God.

3:9 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.

"…I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee." It doesn’t seem that this will happen while the Church is still in the flesh. (Consider the disciples, our examples, who refused to receive any credit or worship from those that they ministered to in the Spirit. [e.g. Acts 3:12 and Acts 14:9-18].) So, when will those of the synagogue of Satan pretending to be the faithful of Abraham come and worship before the feet of those in the Church? Well, more than likely, this cannot happen until the Church returns from the wedding with their glorified bodies as per Jude 1:14-15.

"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

Consequently, this statement is probably referring to a segment of Israel at the end of our age (and perhaps the end of the Kingdom Age as well) which will again be acting as these were in Philadelphia.

3:10 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.

Again, the message to this church has a word to the Grace-Age Church and more specifically, to the end-time generation of the Grace-Age Church. This is to reinforce the promise that the born again believer has been delivered from the "wrath" (i.e., the Day of God's Wrath, the 1st 112 of Daniel's 70th Week) that is to come on the inhabitants of the earth (cf. I Th. 1:10). Nevertheless, it should be noted the Scriptures do not even suggest that the Church will be exempt from the period of tribulation preceding the Day of God’s Wrath (Mt. 13:21; Jn l6:33; Ro. 5:3; Ro. 8:35: Mk 13:24; Mt. 24:29).

3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

This is New Testament / Grace Age language used when referring to the Church of Christ (2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12; etc.).

3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar

The OT uses the pillar as a type for the Grace-Age Church. Some examples are.

…in the temple of my God,

The Temple of God is Christ first and then the Body of Christ with Christ as its Head. (For more on the temples of God, go to Booklet One, Chapter Two of the book CLOCK OF THE AGES--Click on your browser's "Back" button to return to this page.) What a promise! Those who overcome will become a pillar in the temple of our Lord's God!

The on-line Merriam-Webster's unabridged dictionary (see our Treasure Chest of Bible Study Aids) defines "pillar" as:
1 a : a firm upright support for a superstructure :
POST b : a usually ornamental column or shaft; especially: one standing alone for a monument
2 : a chief supporter

…and he shall go no more out:

"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved and shalt go in and out, and find pasture" (Jn 10:9). As much as all born-again believers would like, no one in this life walks 100% in the Spirit. We all go in and out from the Spirit to the flesh to the Spirit to the flesh, etc.; but in the life to come, praise God, we shall no more go 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.

There will be a lot of new names given at the end time. As for the remnant of Israel, Isaiah tells us, "And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name" (Isaiah 62:2). As to the overcomers of which Jesus has just been referring to, just which name of God and how it will be written upon the overcomers, I have not a clue. And I doubt that the glorified saints of the Kingdom Age, if that’s who Jesus is talking about here, will walk about like billboards advertising the New Jerusalem. (I’ve read speculations that have the New Jerusalem being anything from the glorified Body of Christ coming down with Him to rule on the earth to something from science fiction wherein a large city will just hang in the air somewhere in the stratosphere.)

3:13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write;

church7revelations.jpg (1627 bytes)The seventh church was the Church at Laodicea. It was located on one of the main trade routes which accounted for a lot of its wealth. It was famous for its banking firms, its wool industry, and its medical school which was renown for an eye salve that it produced. All in all, it was a wealthy town for its time. Prophetically, the message to the seventh church has reference to the last / seventh age of time: the The Kingdom Age.

…These things saith the Amen,

God the Son has always been the loudest Voice on God-the-Father's amen pew.

…the faithful and true witness,

Christ was a faithful witness as to Who God is and to What He was about during the time of His Visitation just as He was during His theophany visits in 0T times. And during the seventh age — i.e., the Kingdom Age yet to come — Christ Jesus will once more be God's faithful and True Witness on the earth below.

…the beginning of the creation of God;

Apparently, mankind and all of creation was birthed in the heart of God the Son Who wanted for Himself a Bride with which to share Himself and His existence (Eph. 3:9-10; Co. 1:12-17; Rev. 4:11).

3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

In the mysterious language of prophecy, the message written to this church points forward to the next / the seventh and last age destined for the time of the earth. As we will see in verse 17, money will not be a problem during the age to come. Although we cannot imagine the scientific achievements and the abundance of wealth under the Son of God's reign, we can probably figure that everyone will have what they need, and more. This atmosphere of affluence may come to bear on the statement "...that thou art neither cold nor hot..." The Bible warns us against the love of money for this very reason. Perhaps the wealthy are susceptible to this blasé because they have learned to lean upon their wealth and find it hard to lean upon God. But the message is actually for all of us, for if we’re not careful, we can all put God on the back burner.

3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Apparently, this spewing out of the mouth will have something to do with the judgment of those who fail the spiritual test during the Kingdom Age. Although we know little from the printed Word about the test for the Kingdom Age, or its blessings or cursings, we can be assured that the people of that age will know God’s will. For you see, they will not only have today’s Bible, but they will actually have the Living Word / Jesus ruling in their midst.

3:17 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:

3:18 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, that thou mayest see.

The Bible is explicit about the conditions for blessings or cursings in the first six ages. However, as we’ve said, the Word is rather silent about such things during the futuristic Kingdom Age. For example, we are unsure as to what those of the Kingdom Age will have to do to inherit eternal life. We do know it will not be the blood sacrifices as per the Law of Moses, or the simple believing in the heart and the confessing of the mouth that Christ died for our sin on the cross as per the Age of Grace. But if the age to come follows the pattern of the others, there will be someway for men and women to express their faith. Whatever the conditions, they will undoubtedly agree with the Lord’s counsel: "buy of me gold tried in the fire"and "anoint thine eyes with eyesalve."

3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

In verse 19 we will see that, as with all other ages, repentance will be a necessity and that God will still love man enough to chastise him. However, it is not clear as to whether there will be any difference between the spiritual requirements for the Jew and the Gentile of the Kingdom Age. We do know that after the battle between heaven and earth at the end of our age, and after the installation of our Lord's kingdom here on the earth, the Jews (and all of mankind) shall begin their age of longevity (Isa. 65:18-25; Zech. 8:4-5). We also know that as co-rulers with Christ, they will be eating "the riches of the Gentiles" (Is. 61:6; Rom. 11:12).

3:20 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.

This verse seems to support the idea that the people of the Kingdom Age, although they will see the glory of Christ and His glorified Bride, will still have to make a personal decision/commitment as to what they want to do with Christ. As we see here, Christ will stand at the door of their hearts and knock, and he will wait upon their invitation before he comes in.

3:21 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.

This final statement in the message to the last of the seven churches also backs up the idea that faith will be required for the people of the Kingdom Age, but this faith has a stipulation: "...even as I also overcame..". John tells us of the Age of Grace in his first little epistle, "…and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (I John 5:4). Here we see that the people living during the Kingdom Age will need to be overcomers, also, and as per all the other ages, faith will undoubtedly be required of those who will overcome. But those of the Kingdom Age will be given more "light" than any other age, so will they have some kind of a special "cross" to bear? (This brings up an interesting thought. How can those that see the glory of Christ and His glorified Church, not believe in God? We do know that those who are not thankful for their blessings soon grow cold and complacent, and that familiarity breeds contempt. Also, we should remember that when Jesus walked the earth during His Visitation, very few received Him as Lord and Savior though they saw Him give sight to the blind and raise the dead.)

3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

As with the messages to all of the seven churches, this one, too, ends with the exclusive statement: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." If the Bible has a central message that resounds throughout all of its books, it is that no one needs to be excluded from the eternal life that is found in Christ Jesus. "For God so loved the world," we’re told, "that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God"(John 3:16-21).

To sum up, Jesus gave seven messages to seven churches in Asia; and as the number seven means complete, so are these messages. They are complete in that they address the different needs/state of the churches of the day, the different needs/state of the churches down through our age, and the varying needs/state of the individual believers down through our age. In addition, they have a prophetic application for the seven ages of time that have been determined upon mankind.

Many are scared away from the Book of Revelation because of the, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." They interpret this saying to mean that only some great spiritual religious person can understand this book. However, the opposite is true and for a couple of reasons. First, with God there are no "great-religious ones"; and therefore, His truths belong to the humble in spirit. And second, there is no greater mystery in this book than there is in any other book of the Bible, because the whole Bible is a closed book until God sees fit to open our understanding. For example, no one can understand the simple message that Jesus saves without revelation. Did not Jesus say that no man can come to the Son unless the Father draw him (John 6:24)? And as to the daily bread for our devotions, it is only as the Spirit sees fit to feed us that we our fed; and He does so considering the attitude and intent of the reader as well as his faith (I Cor. 2:2-l6). The revelation of Who Christ is and of what we need to be able to walk with Him is given to those who seek, and it is given according to their attitude and their need as they seek. This is how it is with the Book of Revelation. It is a closed book until the Church needs what is in it and until we humble ourselves and approach it with faith that God shall show us what we need to understand for the days ahead.

Others are scared away from the Book of Revelation because this saying at the end of the book."For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (Rev. 22:18-19). They interpret this to mean that God is displeased with those who read it, and is ready to curse the average reader who tries to understand it. Those who ascribe to this belief ignore the verse before this warning. "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Rev. 22:16-17).Consider for a moment. Christ died to give us His Word and the Book of Revelation is a part of His Word. Consequently, we are commanded to love it and to study it—not to fear it. This word of warning is for those who do not fear God and who would use/misuse His Word for their own agenda, be it recognition or money. BE ASSURED THAT IF YOU APPROACH THIS BOOK WANTING TO KNOW WHAT CHRIST HAS IN IT FOR YOU, CHRIST WILL BE PLEASED WITH YOU AND YOU HAVE NO NEED FOR FEAR. It is with this belief and this approach that we undertake this study.. May God bless each believer who applies himself/herself accordingly.

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