Revelation, the Series: The Church of Sardis

Paul's sermon to the church at Corinth wraps up a summary of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:" (1 Cor 15:1-4)

Sage Advice given to you by His WORDS:  “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)

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 Revelation is the only book in the bible that offers a blessing to those who read and understand its pages.  

“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” (Rev 1:3)

Revelation is the ancient Greek word apokalupsis (apocalypse).  The word simply means “a revealing, an unveiling.”. It is important to note that Revelation is singular and is NOT the Revelation of John but rather the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

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The Biblical and Location History of Sardis

Sardis was one of the great cities of primitive history: in the Greek view it was long the greatest of all cities. At the beginning of record it stands forth prominently as the capital of a powerful empire. Its situation marks it out as a ruling city, according to the methods of early warfare and early kings; it was however more like a robber’s stronghold than an abode of civilized men; and in a peaceful and civilized age its position was found inconvenient. In the Roman period it was almost like a city of the past, a relic of the period of barbaric warfare, which lived rather on its ancient prestige than on its suitability to present conditions. ^6.

 

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Revelation, the Series: Chapters 3: 1 - 6

“ 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. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 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. 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. 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. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”

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The Seven parts of the Sardis Letter

The Remnant

1. Name: “ And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write ” Each Church has its own angel. This could be the Pastor or an Angel. Sardis – meaning “ sardius or sardonyx” a brilliant red agate much like our carnelian, ^1.

 

2. Title:"These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars;” 

The Seven Spirits of God:

"And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;" (Isa 11:2)

Spoken of Jesus through John :  

"John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;" (Rev 1:4)

The Seven Stars:

"........The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches:......." (Rev 1:20) (Strong's G32) a messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel, a messenger from God. A Pastor also fulfills as a messenger from God to the Church.

 

3. Commendations about the condition of the Church: "I know thy works,.".Jesus know all about us, even to the point of where we live. ..” Notice, there are no Commendations for this church!

4. Concerns: 

 "that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead..." Jesus is telling the Church that they look good on the outside but are spiritually dead! 

 “Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die:.."They are told they still have a little life left but they need to fix what is broken and to be watchful of those that would change things within.

"..for I have not found thy works perfect before God.” The word perfect is found in the KJV Strong's G4137 ^3. “plēroō” 90 times. It’s meaning varies with the word “Complete” also being used in this case. Notice that Jesus does not question their doctrine nor does he accuse them of idolatry. ^4.

5. Recommendation/warnings:(if any) “ Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.."

What they have received from the Apostles’ teachings, what they have heard (the Gospel of Jesus Christ),  hold fast (persevere) and repent (change the direction of their sinful ways).  

"..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.” Here Jesus is referring to ‘Matthew 24:43 ’. In the ‘Concerns’ above Jesus told them to ‘be watchful’. This phrase being two fold, for we have for the second time in these letters, a reference to the ‘Second Coming’ of Jesus Christ. 

 “ 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.” Yes, even in this church, there are those the have held tight to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and their faith. Their reward for their ‘perseverance’ is redemption to Heaven.

6. To the Overcomer: “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.” Out of all seven churches, Jesus tells us there will be overcomers who will also be admitted to heaven, Sardis is no different.

7. Declaration/Command: “ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Jesus is speaking to YOU directly from 95AD. Everybody has an ‘EAR’, thus Jesus is telling you to "Hear what the Spirit Saith".  

Pay attention to what is said in these letters for they are all part of each church today.

NOTE: The Seven Letters although being local during the time of Jesus and John, are Prophetic through 1900 years. They with remarkable precision give us the unfolding of all subsequent church history. “If these letters were in any other order, this would not be true!” ^5. Sardis represent the period of time known as the Restoration Movement. Its time period in the late 17^th to the middle 19^th centuries.

End Summary

*The next post will be about the Church of Philadelphia, Rev 3: 7-13. I urge you to read all of chapters 2 and 3 and then try to outline each church. There are some surprises in store for you there.

“to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (Rev 1:6)

The Authorized King James Edition (1611, 1769) was used exclusively as other versions are somewhat different depending upon the year of their printing.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2Ti 3:16)

(Note: we have placed all scripture in RED for your convenience)

God is considered the author of all 66 books through 40 writers

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Writer’s Comments

Because none of us know when our eternity will begin and our time on this earth is at an end; it is paramount that you know exactly where you are in your walk with Jesus Christ. Since your justification/salvation is not determined by the church you attend, the amount of good work you do, your status in society, etc.; I urge you to make sure of your personal relationship with Jesus Christ in the privacy of your own mind, your own time.

Don’t put it off, Time is Short and there are no second chances after death!

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We welcome your comments, suggestions and questions.

Please -- keep them precise and clean!

References:

1. Revelation 4:3; 21:20; Exodus 28:17; 39:10; Ezekiel 28:13

2. Isaiah 11:2

3. Blue Letter Bible concordance, for word “Perfect”

4. The seven Letters to the Seven Churches, by Chuck Missler, ..pp.65-67

5. A timely Challenge, Koinonia House

6. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia, William Mitchell Ramsey, pp. 253-262

Sources:

1. Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

2. Blue Letter Bible

3. The King James Edition

4. Koinonia Haouse

5. The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia, William Mitchell Ramsey

6. Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History

Revelation, the Series: Chapters 2: 18-29

 

Keep these words at the top of your list as you read this article! “These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)

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Revelation is the only book in the bible that offers a blessing to those who read and understand its pages. “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” (Rev 1:3)

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Revelation is the ancient Greek word apokalupsis (apocalypse).  The word simply means “a revealing, an unveiling.”. It is important to note that Revelation is singular and is NOT the Revelation of John but rather the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

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Revelation 2:18-29

”And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”

 

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Thyatira

The Middle Ages- Corrupt Church

Thyatira represents the church between the 7^th and 17 centuries. This was called the ‘Middle Ages or Medieval Years. During these years the Roman Catholic Church became infected with the Babylonian paganism that was surfacing the earth. Even today we see those bits and pieces of pagan practices (i.e. The rod of Ascelepius of Pergamos)

The city of Thyatira was the smallest and least important of all the seven cities addressed Revelation chapters 2 sand 3. there is very little in history about this city including the fact that she apparently did not suffer any type of persecution, be it political or religious. Even though the city was deemed unimportant, she did have many features that were uniquely hers. The city had many, many gods, both Greek and Roman from each type of Labor Unions (Trade Guilds).

“From the inscriptions which have been found in the neighborhood it is clear that Thyatira possessed more trade guilds than any other town of its size in Asia.” (Barclay)

“No merchant or trader could hope to prosper or make money unless he was a member of his trade guild.” (Barclay)

We find in Acts 16:14-15..the first convert to Christianity in Europe..”And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.” Purple (scarlet)dye and cloth gives us some insight about the church at Thyatira and the future church period it will represent.

“Thyatira was famous for the manufacture of a purple dye, and numerous references are found in secular literature of the period to the trade guilds which manufactured cloth.” (Walvoord)

Thyatira was located between Istanbul (Constantinople) and Izmir (Smyrna) near the township of Akhisar. Paul traveled the roads that interconnected Thyatira to Pergamos, Sardis and Smyrna during his missionary journeys.

“It was an old town that had gone through several name changes. Originally it was the Lydian town of Pelopia. It then became Semiramis then Euhippia.” (Missler)

The name Semiramis, otherwise know as the Astarte, “the Queen of Heaven” was the consort of Nimrod, the King of ancient Babylon. She was also the mother of Tammuz. Mother Goddess worship started here and has persisted throughout the ages. If you remember the story of Elijah at mount Carmel and the four hundred prophets of Asherah in 1 Kings 18, then you are reading about as Canaanite goddess whose past name was Semiramis.

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The Seven parts of the Thyatira Letter

 

1. Name:

“Unto the angel of the church of Thyatira (the Corrupt Church) write;” The letter may be to the Pastor or an Angel of God protecting the church but as with all seven letters, it is written to the entire church congregation including those that will read this letter today

2. Title: A title chosen from the seven titles found in Rev 1:14-15.

“These things saith the Son of God,”.. In Jewish language, to be a son is to have the nature of the parent. This is represented in scripture, Isa 53:3 and Mark 3:17. Thus Jesus would have the nature of GOD!

“who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire,“..As fire brings cleansing and judgment so do His eyes.

"and his feet are like fine brass;” Brass was the only metal alloy in ancient times that could hold fire within. Again this Levitical symbol speaks of cleansing and judgment.

3. Commendations about the condition of the Church:

“ I know thy works,” Like all other cities and churches, they could hide nothing from Jesus. So it is with the Church at Thyatira

“and charity(love), and service,”..Jesus knew about the enormous charity and service to other this church did and has done throughout the ages. I

“and faith, and thy patience,” ..Overall, they, the church continues to have faith and patience for the Lord and for one another.

"and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.” In fact, the Catholic Church good works; charity, service, faith and patience is much greater today than in ages past.

4. Concerns:

“Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee,”..How many of you readers have had a job evaluation where the boss gives you your good points and then says” Nevertheless”. This is what Jesus is telling the Church at Thyatira….”Notwithstanding” There are significant problems.

“because thou sufferest (allow) that woman Jezebel,(wife of King Ahab)”..Here Jesus refers to 1 Kings 16-21, 2 Kings 9:30-37, the woman named Jezebel, one of the most evil characters in the Bible who attempted to marry the ‘worship of Israel’s God’ with the ‘worship of the idol Baal’. In 378 AD the Bishop of Rome married the church with the state thereby bringing paganism into the Roman Catholic Church that has never been removed..³

“which calleth herself a prophetess,”..Jezebel was not a prophetess but rather claimed to be one. Within the Church of Thyatira many parishioners believed and received her as a prophetess. Today, there are millions that fall unto this line of thinking.

“to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication,and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.”..Not only does Jesus call her out but also provides us with her specific offenses against him and the Church.

“she was an immoral and ungodly influence on others, and led others into sin. Jezebel led others into immorality and idolatry.” (Guzik)

Notice “my servants”. These are servants of Jesus and He will not forget judgment in this case. For in Mark 9:42..”And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.”

”And I gave her space (time) to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. “..Jesus shows us his patience and mercy when He gave her (the church) time to repent (turn away from sin) However as the next part explains, his patience does not last forever.

5. Recommendation/warnings:(if any)

“Behold, I will cast her into a bed , and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.”.. A “sickbed”, a “bed of tribulations”, a space where Jezebel and all that follow here will be gathered together for judgment. Yet, Jesus after all of this, still reminds them of their salvation if they repent of their sins.

“And I will kill her (Jezebel) children (believers) with death;”.. A warning, a very explicit and terrible warning of what will happen to those follow Jezebel will face as their judgment.

“All men die, but all are not killed with death... Oh, it is a woeful thing to be killed with death.” (Trapp)

“and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”..Speaking to all Seven churches of that day and to all churches in the future 96 AD., Jesus tells us, they, (parishioners) will realize that Jesus know all about their sins and will hand out judgment accordingly,

“But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.”...Jesus speaking to the others in the church who hold fast to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yes, He will know who you are for you cannot hide from the mind of GOD! Simply “Hold Fast” to your beliefs in Jesus Christ.

6. To the Overcomer: “ And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:”..Jesus promises those who continue to believe in Him, they will be kings and priest over nations of the earth. (Rev 5:8-10).

"And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers:" ..During the millennium, Jesus will rule with a iron fist yet, distribute justice for all. Those who do not believe will be dealt with solidly and immediately.

“even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star”..What a wonderful gift to those that believe other than Jesus Christ himself. For He is the morning Star and where He is, We shall be!

7. Declaration/Command: “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”..Jesus Christ is speaking to every one of us...Anyone who has an Ear..It is very Personal! LISTEN to what the Holy Spirit says to the church. Here is a glimpse at the Trinity, as Jesus is dictating the letter word for word to John yet, we are told the Holy Spirit is the one speaking to the churches. How many hear what Jesus is telling us in this letter to a somewhat faithful church.

( ) Emphasis Added

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A commentary on “to the overcomer”

The three churches mentioned, Ephesus, Symrna and Pergamos had the phrase “to the overcomer” placed outside of their letter’s body, after “He that hath an ear”.

Ehesus = “to eat of the tree of life”

Smyrna = “shall not be hurt of the second death”

Pergamos = “ eat of the hidden manna”, ‘given a White Stone’

In this letter and in all the remaining four letters the “To the Overcomer” section is place within the body of the letter. WHY?

The churches at Ephesus, Symrna and Pergamos are only archaeological sites today. All the remain four churches represent those churches that are still active. In addition, these remaining churches have within this section, a mention of Heaven and the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ. (Example: While Thyatira represented the Catholic Church from around 378AD to the sixteenth century, this church still affects mankind today and beyond.)

This is my belief and I ask you to follow Acts 17:11 in that you can know what God has directly said to you.

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*The next post will be about the Church of Sardis, Rev 3: 1-6. I urge you to read all of chapters 2 and 3 and then try to outline each church. There are some surprises in store for you there.

“to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (Rev 1:6)

The Authorized King James Edition (1611, 1769) was used exclusively as other versions are somewhat different depending upon the year of their printing.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” (2Ti 3:16)

(Note: we have placed all scripture in RED for your convenience)

God is considered the author of all 66 books through 40 writers including those of Psalm 2 by the author of this blog.

Because none of us know when our eternity will begin and our time on this earth is at an end; it is paramount that you know exactly where you are in your walk with Jesus Christ. Since your justification/salvation is not determined by the church you attend, the amount of good work you do, your status in society, etc.; I urge you to make sure of your personal relationship with Jesus Christ in the privacy of your own mind, your own time.

Don’t put it off, Time is Short and there are no second chances after death!

 

1 Cor 15:1-4.."Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:"

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We welcome your comments, suggestions and questions.

Please -- keep them precise and clean!

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References:

1. The seven Letters to the Seven Churches, by Chuck Missler, Historical Church Identity, p750

2. Rod of Asclepius - Wikipedia

3. The Seven Letters to the Seven Churches, by Chuck Missler,

4. The Woman Rides the Beast, Dave Hunt

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Sources:

1. Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

2. Blue Letter Bible

3. The King James Edition

4. Koinonia Haouse

5. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

6. The Woman Rides the Beast, Dave Hunt