Chapters 2 and 3 of the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ make up the letters to the seven churches. These letters, while they have a prophetic significance, are also directed to seven literal churches extant in John’s day in western Turkey, which was then called Asia. The message to these churches is instructive for us today on many levels. The truths can be applied on an ecclesiastical level; that is, we can apply them as a church, and what is said to believers as a church can be applied on an individual personal level as well. Our Lord intends us to do just that. Note that in each letter, He addresses individuals when He says, “He (an individual) that has ears to hear let him hear”! We, individually, must hear and apply these lessons.
The letter to the fifth church was sent to the church located in the city of Sardis. The location of Sardis was ideal for a city. It had a multitude of factors in its favor. It was located in a major river valley at the meeting place of several main trade routes. This insured economic prosperity. It was built not on the valley floor but upon a plateau 1500 feet above the valley floor. Three sides were steep, almost unscaleable, and the narrow road to the city leading up the fourth side.
Therefore, the city was well protected from outside attacks. It was seldom taken by an outside force. History tells us that when Cyrus, emperor of Persia, laid siege to this city, he offered a reward for anyone who could come up with a way to conquer it. A common soldier one day noticed one of the city defenders climbing carefully down on the steep sides to retrieve a dropped helmet. He made a note of the route taken by that defender and reported it to Cyrus, who sent a detachment up at night by this same route. They found the battlements on this side unguarded and quickly captured the city. Two hundred years later, Antiochus captured the city using the same method.
Gold was also found in the river that flowed through the city, adding to its wealth. The kings of this city before the Roman era were well known for their wealth. Croesus was from this city. History tells us that coins were first minted in this city. Before the Roman era, this was the most well-known city in the world. Wealth, prosperity and security, this city at one time had it all. Sardis not only had a reputation for wealth and greatness but it was also known at that time as one of the most morally lax cities in Asia. By the time of John's writing, it had begun to fade. All that remained was the city's reputation.
Our Lord addresses this church in chapter 3, verses 1 through 6,
Revelation 3:1-6
| 3:1 | “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. |
| 3:2 | ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. |
| 3:3 | ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. |
| 3:4 | ‘But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. |
| 3:5 | ‘He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. |
| 3:6 | ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ |
The Description
Our Lord is described as the one who has the Seven Spirits of God and the Seven Stars. Identifying the seven stars is not difficult. From chapter 1, verse 20, we learn that the seven stars represent the seven angels, or as the word may be translated, the seven messengers of the churches. You may choose which translation you prefer with the word meaning the human messengers sent by these churches to minister to John in his exile or the angelic powers God has set over these churches to minister to and protect them. I tend to think John uses the term in both senses. While there were probably messengers sent with these letters to the several churches, I am also convinced God has set angelic powers to guard and protect the church just as He has done for Israel. This description of our Lord having possession of the seven stars pictures Him as having control over the churches.
It is a bit more challenging to determine what is meant by the Seven Spirits of God? We do know that the seven Spirits represent the Holy Spirit sent to the church as the comforter, the one called alongside. In the salutation to these seven churches, John includes a blessing.
Revelation 1:4-5:
| 1:4 | John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, |
| 1:5 | and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— |
It is inconceivable, to me at least, that this could refer to any human or angelic person sandwiched as it is between God the Father and our Lord. It is the Spirit who was at work in the church universal in that day and ours as well. Whatever else this description may imply, it certainly means that it is our Lord who directs and controls the angelic powers set over the church and the Spirit as well. Even though this church was weak and was about to die, even though it might appear that it was encompassed with forces that would destroy it, our Lord Himself was in control. He may be in heaven now awaiting the time of His return to reign and rule, but He is not idle. He directs the work now through human, angelic and divine powers.
So it is with us individually as well. Our Lord is in control. He controls and directs the angelic powers set here to protect us. The Spirit is the agent through Whom our Lord is at work in your life and in mine.
Why the Spirit is described as the Seven Spirits of God is another question. There are several other passages that bear on this. In the Book of the Revelation, this description is found in 1:4, which we have read, in 3:1, the letter to the church at Sardis, which we are studying, in 4:5, which is a description of the heavenly throne room and in 5:6, which is a description of the vision of the Lamb standing before the throne.
Revelation 4:5
| 4:5 | Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God: |
Revelation 5:6
| 5:6 | And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. |
There also seem to be references in the Old Testament as well. In Zechariah 3:8-9, we read:
| 3:8 | ‘Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch. |
| 3:9 | For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the LORD of hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.’ |
Then in chapter 4, verse 10, these seven eyes are mentioned again.
| 4:10 | “For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven will be glad when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel — these are the eyes of the LORD which range to and fro throughout the earth.” |
Why is the Spirit described as the Seven Spirits of God? The best answer I can give is I do not know, nor, I suspect, does anyone living on the earth today. I am convinced it is presumptuous to believe we know all there is to know, or even most of what there is to know about the person of God. Is there more yet to be revealed? Of that, I am certain! Are there passages that we will not wholly comprehend today because much is still hidden from us? I believe we have just read a couple of them. Maybe there is something about the constitution of the Holy Spirit akin to the concept of the trinity itself. Could He be a seven-part person? I do not know. However, that this is a reference to the Holy Spirit, I am sure.
The Declaration
Having started with a description of Himself, one which pictures Him in control of the fate of the church, the Lord then goes on to make a declaration about the church in Sardis. This declaration, while not a condemnation, does not have much praise. He states He knows their deeds, in particular, that they had a name that they were alive.
The Problem
They had a good reputation, but the problem was that it was a reputation and did not represent the reality of the church. They were on the verge of death. The one who sees past the reputation of what things are really like tells this church like it is. They were very weak, about to die, and their deeds were not complete.
This is admittedly vague. The Spirit of God does not reveal to us the exact aspects of this church’s weakness. We do not know in what areas they were failing. This, I believe, is intentional. Had our Lord specified precisely the nature of the issue, we would be tempted to say, well, that does not apply to us. However, in that it is undefined, we can look at ourselves and see where it might apply, for we are all weak in some respects. There are always areas in which we fail, in which our works are incomplete.
The Warning
The warning is for them to remember what they had received and heard, that is, the truths of God’s Word. They had been given the truth, but they needed to change their ways, repent and keep that truth. This condition, of resting upon a past reputation, is a common one to churches and individuals alike. It is easy to look back at past accomplishments and victories and excuse the present condition in which we find ourselves. When I was a pastor in a small church in Gulfport, Mississippi, on occasions, we would have a time for testimonies. There was one man who often gave his testimony. It was always the same; how he came to place his faith in Jesus Christ and turn from his old ways. He would get misty-eyed and teary telling the story. Yet the problem was it was always the same story about what God had done in his life, nothing about what God was doing currently in his life. In fact, for the good part of my time as a pastor there, this man was a real problem. He opposed much of the ministry of the church and was continually causing dissension. He was resting upon what God had done in the past, upon his past reputation. He had a name, namely, that he was alive, but he was dead as far as the ongoing ministry was concerned. We are all in danger of doing just that: looking back to what God has done and forgetting the challenges and opportunities of the present.
This was the exhortation: “Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain…remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent.” The warning connected with this exhortation is if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. If this church did not heed the exhortation, then our Lord states He will come like a thief, and they will not expect it. Judgment will come if we fail to heed the warnings of our Lord.
There were some, not many, who had not drifted but had remained faithful. These had not contaminated themselves as had the rest in the church at Sardis. He promises that they would walk with Him in white; that is to say, they would have fellowship with Him in righteousness.
He, indeed, promises to all who overcome that they would be clothed in white garments, their names would not be erased from the book of life, and He would confess their names before the Father and His angels. To those who have faith indeed, who genuinely trust in their Savior, they would have the promises of life to come.
This letter represents the reformation church usually dated from AD 1517 to 1790, the beginning of the French Revolution. Although many might consider this a strong church, it was weak in reality. It did affirm salvation by grace through faith instead of works, but in many respects, very little else changed. Many people simply changed from one set of clergy to another. Much support for the reformation was political by those who wanted to decrease Rome’s power and increase their own power.
To the church at Sardis, our Lord describes Himself as the one in authority and in total control of the church at any age. He is the one holding the seven stars that represent the seven angels or the seven messengers of the churches and the seven Spirits of God. He tells this church He knows their deeds, namely that they have a reputation for being alive, but in reality, they were about to die. They were exhorted to wake up and strengthen the elements that remain, to remember what they had received and heard, to repent and heed the message. If they did not, our Lord would come as a thief. Those who by faith in our Lord overcame would not have their names erased from the Book of Life; they would be clothed with white garments and have their names confessed before the Father and His angels.
The lesson from this church is very relevant for us today. Reputation is important. Make no mistake about it; it is well to have a good reputation. However, if reputation is all we have, if there is no substance to back it up, then it is a facade, a false front, an empty shell. What God has done in our lives is important. We are to remember and celebrate these victories, but what is He doing right now? That is the crucial question.
The Promise and Exhortation
