The history of Sardis seems to have influenced the attitude of the people—at least, those in the church. They must have had the same confident arrogance as their ancestors. They had a church, but Christ describes it as alive only by reputation. Within, it was dead.
To this church Christ describes himself as the one holding the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. The imagery of the holding of the stars was given to Ephesus as well. However, in that picture, relationship was the intended view. For Sardis, it appears to be control. Of course, Christ, who made us both physically and into a new creation, ought to have control. We ought to live for him. But Christ has no words of praise for the Sardian Christians. A few, it is said, were left who had not soiled their garments—in other words, who had maintained their faithful adherence to doctrine and activity for their Lord. But most of the church seems to have made friends with the worldly ways of the city.
Christ exhorts them to wake up and strengthen what remained. He calls for them to remember what they had received, to keep it, and to repent. Strengthening and keeping the Gospel message identifies us to the world as Christians. If we are faithful in our doctrine and faithful in our practice, we naturally create enmity with the world. Our goal is not to try to make enemies. Paul told us in Romans 12:18 just the opposite. We are, if possible, to live peaceably with all. But note the “if possible.” That means if we can live at peace while still being faithful in doctrine and practice, then it is a good thing. But we cannot give up on our doctrine and faithful practice in order to maintain peace. We must live for God.
Christ warned that if they did not repent, he would come as a thief. Those words are reserved for the non-Christian in Thessalonians, but here, I think, the emphasis is to make the church realize to what their failing lives are comparable. They were living as those without Christ, and thus, the call to repentance. Those that would overcome, Christ told the Sardians, would wear white and have their names confessed in heaven, never to be blotted out. The emphasis of this church message is Live for God.
The Philadelphian church appears to have grown up quite differently from the church at Sardis. Christ has no words of rebuke for the church in Philadelphia. This city was not that old. It was founded in 140 BC by Attalus II whose surname was Philadelphus. Out of love and admiration for his brother, Eumenes, he named the city Philadelphia, which means city of brotherly love. The city had fertile soil in the region, due in part to its proximity to a volcano. The city, in fact, was built along a fault line and suffered from time to time from earthquake activity. In AD 18, a massive quake struck, destroying much of the city. Not only did Tiberius not demand the annual tribute that year, but he provided resources for rebuilding the city. The city officials changed the name from Philadelphia to Neocaesarea in his honor. When Vespasian became emperor years later, the name was again changed to Flavia. But through these official name changes, the people still referred to the city as Philadelphia.
The earthquake trauma of AD 17 and the aftershocks were so strong and lasted so long that people got into the habit of sleeping outdoors for years afterwards. Many, while maintaining homes and businesses in the city, established homes outside the city as well and used those at night out of fear that, if they stayed in the city, another quake would bury them while they slept.
To this church Christ presents himself as the holy and true one. This speaks to Christ’s deity and faithfulness. He also tells them that he holds the key of David (control of the Messianic kingdom), opening and shutting to whom he pleases. This imagery is taken almost word for word from Isaiah 22:22 which says, “And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” The control pictured here of Christ over those who may enter the kingdom is meant to provide the Philadelphians with some comfort and security in the face of the persecution they were experiencing especially from the Jews. In this message Christ refers again to the “synagogue of Satan”—Jews by physical heritage who Christ says are not really Jews because they are not Jews by spiritual heritage. These false Jews who controlled the synagogues would put the Jews who converted to Christianity “out” of the synagogue, symbolically shutting the door to them.
The church in Philadelphia is commended for keeping Christ’s word and keeping the word of patient endurance. These two elements of faithfulness have been the foci of all the messages—doctrinal purity and resultant faithfulness in practice. The Philadelphian Christians are commended for both. As a result their message includes no words of rebuke.
Verse 10 of chapter 3 has been widely debated. It states that because of their faithfulness, the Philadelphian Christians would be kept from “the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” Many futurists have contended that Christ here explains the rapture prior to a future Great Tribulation period coming at the end of the age. In our previous discussions we have found that the rest of the Bible never speaks of a pretribulational rapture. It would then be tremendously inconsistent for us to decide that this verse would introduce such a concept. Throughout the entire Bible we never find an example in which God had to remove his people from the earth in order to protect and keep them during periods either of Satan’s persecution or of his own judgment.
This verse appears to be speaking of God’s judgment because the hour of trial is to try “those who dwell on the earth.” We have already been introduced to that phrase denoting those who do not belong to God. But the emphasis here is not to teach a prophetic timetable of judgment, but rather to draw attention to the distinction between those who belong to God and those who don’t. Christ says that he will keep his own. In Christ’s priestly prayer in John 17, he prays that although he is departing the earth, that God will keep (guard, care for, protect) those that belong to him. We read in verse 15, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”
Though God will judge the world for its sin, those who belong to him need not fear that judgment. Those of faith will be kept by him and for him.
Christ promises the church that in overcoming, they will be made a pillar in the temple of God. Rather than the fear of building collapse in earthquakes, they would be secure in the strength of the unfailing temple of God. They were also told that they would never leave the temple, unlike their practice of leaving the city for fear of earthquake destruction. And further, unlike the ever-changing name of their city, they would receive the eternal heavenly names, showing that they belong to God. The emphasis of this message is Belong to God.
The last message is to the church of Laodicea. This was another ancient city that had its own name change in about 250 BC. The city had been called Zeus. Antiochus II renamed the city to honor his wife Laodice. The city was important in trade and commerce, and was also the seat of the local area government. It was particularly known for its black wool and for a medical school established in the city. From the medical school, an eye salve had been created which was used throughout the empire.
The city was very rich. They had also experienced damage from the AD 17 earthquake that decimated Philadelphia. But unlike Philadelphia, Laodicea was well capable of funding the city’s rebuild on its own. In fact, the city also supplied funds to help rebuild several smaller cities in the area.
The city also had a huge Jewish community. Back around AD 250, Antiochus had persuaded about 2000 Jewish families to relocate in Laodicea.
Laodicea was like the other predominantly Greek cities of Asia Minor. The culture was heavily involved in both emperor and other pagan worship. But there is no word of commendation to the Christians here either in standing against the pagan culture or the slander of the Jews. It appears that their riches had made them apathetic to the Gospel of Christ.
Christ is presented as the Amen, the faithful and true witness, and the beginning of God’s creation. All of these images are given to express certainty. The Laodiceans had forgotten their Christianity. Perhaps they continued in some form—they probably met together regularly, offering a semblance of Christian living, but the lack of persecution that they experienced while the other commended churches were suffering speaks to their complacency and compromise with the non-Christian activity around them. By speaking specifically of the certainty involved in Christ’s words and intentions, Christ tells them, as he did Sardis, to wake up and know that sin will be judged and punished. He will come again.
The Laodicean church was rebuked for lukewarmeness. Christ uses this image with this city because it was something to which they could easily relate. The city just to its east—Colossae—was fed by a cold mountain spring. Hierapolis, just to the north, sat on a hot spring that provided the city’s water. But Laodicea had no immediate water source. Therefore, they had constructed an aqueduct to transport water from a hot spring about five miles south of the city. Although hot when the water left the spring, by the time it reached Laodicea it was lukewarm. It was also filled with calcium carbonate. So the Christians there could well relate to the rebuke of being lukewarm. They did not like their own water, and therefore could imagine the taste that Christ had for their complacent Christiantiy. The Greek here translated as “spit” actually is bit stronger. It literally means vomit, and therefore shows more than mere distaste—an actual disgust and repulsion.
Christ appeals to two other images familiar to the city. He tells them to get their riches from him and not strive after the material wealth of the city. From him they can purchase white garments (as opposed to the city’s black wool industry) and they can anoint their eyes with spiritual salve (rather than the salve of the city’s medical school).
Therefore, Christ exhorts them to repent and be zealous about the Gospel. Christ says that he knocks, waiting for them to hear and open. This puts us in mind of the image in Song of Solomon as the Shepherd-lover knocks in chapter 5. In verses 2 and 3 the Bride makes excuses for not answering the door. But the Laodiceans are urged to answer.
The reward for overcoming is to sit on the throne with Christ. This is not an image meant to evoke only administrative ideas. Ruling and reigning with Christ over creation is a picture of our ultimate relationship with him. Judgment will come for the unsaved. Eternal blessed relationship with God will come for the faithful. The emphasis of this message is Certainty of Reward.
The emphases for the seven churches, therefore, are the following:
Love in Relationship (Ephesus)
Endure Trials from Without (Smyrna)
Keep Pure Within (Pergamum)
Do Not Tolerate Heresy (Thyatira)
Live for God (Sardis)
Belong to God (Philadelphia)
Certainty of Reward (Laodicea)
These seem to be of chiastic format. Note the following chart.
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