Letter to the Church in Philadelphia (Rev 3:7-13)

[7] "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. [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. [9] I will 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. [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.

    [11] I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. [12] 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. [13] He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Philadelphia: means “brotherly love” and commemorates the loyalty and devotion of Attalus (220-130BC), the city’s co-founder, to his brother Eumenes II.

He (Jesus) who is holy (Rev 3:7): Jesus is infinitely superior to any other created being (Isa 40:25). As God he surely is holy, but most importantly, he is holy as a human. Why does emphasize his holiness to this church? In the end time drama, the prophet Habakkuk sees the Holy One (Jesus) marching from Teman to Jerusalem. Jesus will march in zeal and punish the wicked nations on his way to rescue his people (the Jews?), who would be taken captive by the Antichrist’s army (Hab 3:3,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,12,13). The Holy One of God is a reference to Jesus’ authority to judge and destroy all that is wicked and evil. Fallen spiritual beings (demons and evil spirits) know this well (Mk 1:24).

He (Jesus) who is true (Rev 3:7): Jesus makes several promises to this Church. Some promises are too fantastic to believe. But Jesus is true. He does not make any false claim or give any false promises.

Jesus holds the key of David (Rev 3:7): This refers to Jesus’ authority over the Messianic Kingdom or the kingdom of heaven. He is the One who sits on David’s throne for ever and ever.

Jesus opens doors that no one can shut: The door of opportunity, the open door for evangelism, also the door to the kingdom (Rev 4:1).

Jesus shuts doors that no one can open: Satan and our enemies also open doors into our lives. The door of trials, persecution, sickness, temptation. Good news is that Jesus has the power and the will to shut these doors.

You have kept my word and not denied my name: Faithfulness to their witnessing. Especially faithfulness when they had little strength. In the absence of their own strength, they received and experienced God’s strength to do God’s work (Ambassadorship: representing and witnessing Jesus’ name).

Synagogue of Satan: unbelieving and hostile Jews (Jn 8:44; 2Co 11:14-15)

The Jews will come and fall down at the feet of Gentile believers; will acknowledge that Jesus has loved them:

Letter to the Church in Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6)

⁽¹⁾ “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. ⁽²⁾ Wake up [watch]! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete [finished, perfected, perfect] in the sight of my God. ⁽³⁾ Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up [watch], I will come like a thief [suddenly], and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

⁽⁴⁾ Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes [defile their garments, dirtied your clothes with sin]. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. ⁽⁵⁾ He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out [erase] his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. ⁽⁶⁾ He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Rev 3:1-6 is one of the most difficult and disturbing passage to meditate, as it challenges some of our presuppositions and in the light of Jesus’ words in this passage, pushes us beyond limit to answer some tough questions, such as:

1.     Can we spiritually die after spiritually being “born again”?

2.     Once saved, always saved! Is this true? Meaning, can we loose our salvation?

3.     Can a Christian’s name be removed from the book of life, after it is written?

I believe that letting Jesus’ words challenge our presuppositions, and let him push us beyond the limits of our denominational doctrines is the only safe place as far as eternity is concerned. Pure "spiritual milk” is good, but milk is meant for infants. It is now time to bite some "spiritual meat” if we should grow up in our spiritual life. With this in mind, let’s just jump into the passage!

Sardis:  The relevance of the place is not so much from the meaning of Sardis, but from its historic background. The city boasted of its geographic advantage as a fortified city. However, twice in the history the city was captured at night while watchmen failed to see the coming disaster or neglected their duty. In 547BC it was captured by Cyrus and again in 214BC by Antiochus III. This is an appropriate description of the condition of this church: The church was sleeping thinking that she is safe, whereas sudden destructions are coming for which she is completely unprepared!

Jesus holds the seven spirits of God: Jesus introduces himself to the Church in Sardis as the one who holds the seven spirits of God. The word "seven" in Revelation refers to perfectness or complete. The seven spirits of God (or the sevenfold Spirit) is a reference to the one Holy Spirit. Why did Jesus identify himself as the one holding the Holy Spirit? More on this later.

Jesus also holds the seven stars meaning the seven leaders of the seven churches. This talks about the position of this church and her leader.

Reputation of being alive but actually dead:  The church in Sardis had a reputation of being alive in the eyes of men, but in Jesus’ eyes she was dead. This is a serious charge from The Judge. The church is the body of Christ. She is supposed to be a living organism not dead. As a living organism the church imparts life, hope, direction, joy and encouragement. But a "dead body" inevitably spreads sorrow, despair, decay and repulsion. People like to come near a living body, they want to go away from a dead body.

How can a church have reputation of being alive? Through impressive buildings. Through its financial position. Through the size of the gathering. Through its projects. Through its emphasis on Bible. Through its denomination. Conferences. Programs. Reports. Rituals, etc.  It takes years of efforts to build a good reputation and having a good reputation is necessary. But reputation without substance is the problem. The gap between reputation and reality is a problem in the eyes of Jesus, who is the real Owner and Builder of the church.

Jesus found her deeds incomplete: Jesus said nothing good about this church. He knew her deeds, but he evaluates her deeds as incomplete (Rev 3:2, ESV), not completely obeying God (Rev 3:2, CEV), imperfect (Rev 3:2, KJV) and not meeting the requirements of God (Rev 3:2, NLT). Giving us a new birth, making us “born again” is not all. Jesus has a much bigger plan for our lives. Birth is only the beginning of human life. He wants us to grow until we become complete and meet the requirements of God. There are two great grand ultimate purposes for our eternity. First, we will be presented to Jesus by himself (the union of the Bride and her Bridegroom) as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless (Eph 5:27,29,32). Second, Jesus will present us to His Father God, as the eternal sons and daughters (Rev 3:5, 2Co 4:14). There is preparation necessary to be “ready” to be the worthy Bride of Jesus Christ (Rev 19:7). Are we preparing enough ourselves and our converts/disciples to be ready to be the worthy Bride of Jesus Christ? Does this sound legalism? When Jesus evaluated the Church in Sardis, he found that her deeds were incomplete; she was not meeting the requirements of God. She was neither ready to be presented to Christ as his Bride nor to His Father as the sons and daughters. Redemption is only the beginning. We must go through Sanctification to be qualified for Glorification.

What was the reason for such unpreparedness? Jesus' word “Wake up!” makes it very clear that she was sleeping. The King James Version says, “Be watchful!” (Rev 3:2, KJV) A sleeping person is unaware, uninformed, ignorant, and unable to make any response to what is going on around him. A sleeping person has no strength at all. In many ways a sleeping person is as good as dead. But in Jesus' eyes she is still within the limit of recovery if she wakes up and strengthens what remains and about to die.

There is a saying among scholars as to the life cycle of many churches or ministry, using the famous four "Ms". A church or a ministry may very well start as a Movement. As its number grows she resorts to set of rules or Method. Not long after laws and rules and rituals become the parameter of spirituality, people begin to withdraw. Then this church or ministry starts dwelling in her past to retain old members and to invite new ones. In a sense she becomes a Museum. But finally she ends up as a Monument, a structure, organization or a building that reminds of something in the past, but nothing is there for the present and certainly there is no future.

Wake up and strengthen: Jesus tells the church in Sardis to strengthen what remains and about to die. Practically it means: 1) to remember what she received and heard. Jesus tells her to remember his grace that she experienced. 2) Obey it. When we received the grace of Jesus no one told us to be holy. It was our heart’s desire and the only appropriate response to the wonderful grace. Jesus wants us to restore that voluntary love and voluntary obedience. 3) Repent. In this case the command to repent demands a resolve, a complete change in our life direction from unrighteous to a righteous life.

But how is it possible? That is the very reason Jesus introduced himself as the one who holds the seven Spirits of God. We cannot change our life, we cannot keep our resolve and decisions for long, but if we listen and obey the Holy Spirit, he helps us. He is the One in charge of our sanctification.

The use of the word  “the seven spirits of God” in Rev 1:4 identifies the Holy Spirit, in Rev 4:5 to seven lamps before God’s throne, in Rev 5:6 to the seven eyes of the Lamb sent out into all the earth. This description of seven lamps and seven eyes also fits with the description of the Holy Spirit in Zech 4:2,6,10. Was the Holy Spirit known as “the eyes of the Lord” in the Old Testament?

The seven spirits of God = the sevenfold Spirit = the  seven lamps before the throne = seven lights before God =the  seven eyes of the Lamb = the Holy Spirit

2Chr 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD [the seven eyes of the Lamb = the Holy Spirit? Rev 5:6; Zech 4:2,6,10] range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him…

Isaiah 11:1,2 also describes the Holy Spirit as a sevenfold spirit, due the nature of His ministry to men. 1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

Coming like a thief: This expression used by Jesus (Matt 24:42-44; Lk 12:39-40), Paul (1Th 5:2-5) and Peter (2Pe 3:10) means the second coming of Jesus indicating it to be a sudden and unexpected event.  However both Jesus and Paul make it very clear that Jesus’ second coming will be like a thief’s coming (causing loss) to us if only we are not watchful or not prepared. His coming is not supposed to be like a thief’s coming to us, if we are watchful and prepared (1Th 5:4). In fact, Jesus and Paul command us to be watchful for this very purpose. What is more by implication Jesus tells the church of Sardis that they would know the time of his coming if they remain watchful. Thus being “awake” or “watchful” is the key message of Jesus to this church. He wants us to be forerunners preparing ourselves and others for his coming. He wants us to be watchmen -- anointed observers, so that when we see world events and other cosmic events foretold by him, we will know the time (season) of his coming and this will accelerate our preparation.

Jesus rewards the overcomer: a few in Sardis had not defiled their garments with sin compared to the majority of believers. They would walk with Jesus. They will be dressed in white, meaning they will be his Bride, His eternal Companion at the Wedding of the Lamb (Rev 19:7-8). The reason these few and those overcome like them will receive this eternal blessing is because they were "worthy" (Rev 3:4). This is very very different from the Church’s traditional teachings. There is a general and superficial understanding that once you are “born again” you become worthy of every eternal blessings. But Jesus’ words do not say so. Yes, the grace of redemption is absolutely free. But all other etenal blessings depend on our preparation, our “worthiness”!

Jesus will present the overcomer to his Father: The overcomer are the fruit of the Father’s patient endurance for His wayward children, the Son’s atoning sacrifice of himself on a painful and shameful cross, and the Holy Spirit’s years of labor to form the image of Christ in them. They will bring glory to the Trinity and complete God’s eternal redemption plan.

Jesus would not remove the names of the overcomer from the book of life: By implication this means that for those who do not overcome, Jesus would remove their names from the book of life. Now, our names being written in the book is a great thing. But the fatal danger is that it can also be removed by the Lamb (Jesus), if we do not satisfy his standards (Rev 3:5).

The good news: is that we are given the seven spirits of God or the Holy Sprit to help us be overcomer. When He, the Holy Spirit, becomes the Lord of our life, we will not only have good reputation but we will also be living people (as opposed to the charge of being dead). When He, the Holy Spirit, dwells and leads our lives, we will be truly watchful and prepared for the Second Coming of our Lord so that Jesus’ second coming will not be like a thief’s coming to us. When He, the Holy Spirit, controls our lives, we will stop defiling our garments and start growing in righteousness acts to be worthy to be united with Jesus as His Eternal Bride, dressed white. When we let Him, the Holy Spirit, prepare us, we will be prepared indeed to be presentable to God the Father through God the Son in the presence of many angels. Lord Holy Spirit, you are the seven eyes of the Lamb, ranging throughout the earth to strengthen whose hearts are committed to Jesus (2Chr 16:9).  I want to give myself into your hands. Sanctify me and prepare me to be the worthy Bride of Jesus and your partner in this age, preparing others for the return of the Lord, as his watchful servant. Amen!