Revelation
3 Notes
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; I know thy works, that thou hast a
name that thou livest, and art dead.
2 Be watchful, and strengthen
the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy
works perfect before God.
3 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.
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.
5 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.
6 He that hath an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. |
Note on
Rev. 3:1 - Name of being alive, but dead
Let's think about this concept.
Why didn't Christ just say, "You look alive but you are dead." The "name"
must be significant. Remember that we just came out of the church of Thyatira
the middle church of the seven and which I believe represents the darkest
time for truth. At the end we saw a spot of brilliance in the morning star
(representing Christ re2216)
re0228.
We recall that reformers like Wycliffe, Huss, Luther, and Calvin were prying
open windows in the darkness with the light of Christ. Now we come to a
time of professed life but, in reality, deadness. After the reformation
began taking root, many of the churches began getting more political power
and practiced what they had been taught. They began persecuting those who
didn't see things as they did. The Anabaptists (protested baptism by sprinkling,
etc.), the Puritans (who wanted to see the Church of England purified),
the Huguenots (of France), and many other groups were severely treated.
The Protestants were practicing intolerance instead of protesting against
it. Their name sounded good, but they had stopped following their mission.
After Protestantism
was somewhat established in France it spread to England. "Unfortunately,
though the Church of England denied the supremacy of the Pope and rejected
many of Rome's teachings, it retained many of its traditions. Worse, it
quickly departed from the purity and simplicity of the gospel characteristic
of the early years of the Reformation. Though Protestants only rarely employed
the horrible cruelties used so readily by medieval Christianity, they did
not understand the principles of religious liberty and denied the right
of every person to worship according to the dictates of conscience.
"All were, in fact,
required to accept the doctrines and observe the forms of worship decreed
by the official church. Dissenters suffered. The authorities, whether civil
or ecclesiastical, expelled pastors from their pulpits for not following
prescribed forms. People endured fines, even imprisonment, if they attended
services, not sanctioned by church officials.
"Though free from Rome,
Britain – under the rule of the Church of England – declined into its own
era or great spiritual darkness. Her Protestant rulers proved no less faithful
to the ancient New Testament gospel than the medieval church had. Natural
religion, as opposed to clear and distinct Bible doctrines, began to infiltrate
much British religious thought. Most important, too, the great truth of
justification by faith alone, so clearly taught by Luther and discovered
at such a great cost, had almost lost its influence." – Clifford Goldstein,
The
Day Evil Dies, 1999.
Then came John Wesley
who, following the pattern of Luther, discovered the beauty and hope of
salvation through faith. Gradually, the tide was turned in England. One
of the misunderstandings he opposed was that the law of God died with Christ
at the cross (1 John 3:4). The gospel, he affirmed, pointed people to the
law as the standard while the law pointed to Christ as the solution — the
only power that could save from sin.
We may consider Wesley
as one who helped open the door to the church of Sardis. |
Note
for verse 3: Judgment hour See
the text above.
What "hour" is referred to?
Because this is not the last church we would not see this coming as Christ's
second coming in clouds of glory. Although readiness for the final hour
is readiness each moment of life, that preparation would seem to be secondary
in the present context. For the specific "hour" here brought to view, consider
the judgment of Chapter 14.
"And I saw another angel
fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel . . . Saying
with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour
of his judgment is come" (Rev. 14:6, 7).
I believe
that the judgment of Rev. 14 comes during the time of the Philadelphia
church. I haven't yet shown that but, if I'm right, the remnant
of Philadelphia would come out of the remnant from Sardis. They were being
prepared to respond to the coming call to repentance.
The message is for us, too.
We must remember to watch and pray. We hear much these days about assurance.
We do need to feel secure in Christ, and yet we need to watch. Peter, James,
and John went into the garden with Jesus. They felt their faith was strong.
In their security (assurance) they fell asleep physically and spiritually.
See mt2640. Compare
1pe0407.
We know how the story ends.
Let us be faithful accepting the challenge given to the church of Sardis.
Note
for verse 5, Names blotted out
These verses provide insight
on the process of salvation. In the verse just quoted, a person like Moses
who once stood in purity before God, one whose name was written in the
book of the saved, may have his name blotted out. On this topic also see
verse 11 of this chapter and the passages quoted there v11.
I believe that the names become permanent at the end of the preadvent judgment
(14:6) when the work of sealing is completed 1401c.
The apparent conflict between verses 5 and 11 is clarified by realizing
that God has a plan for all of us to be saved. The names were written there
before the foundation of the world. When we choose the way of sin, they
are removed
re1708.
The fact that names are subject
to removal does not mean that we must be without the assurance of peace
with Christ. The promise of names not blotted out is to be fulfilled later
(cf. v12). The worthy ones in Sardis — those
walk with Jesus in white v4 and are expected
to continue to do so. The judgment and the sealing come later, as we will
see in verse 12 and in the passages just cited. If we have confessed our
sins and turned from them by God's grace, we may claim the promise that
He will forgive and cleanse us (1 John 1:9).
Note
for verse 7, He opens and shuts
The door motif draws our
minds to the time of Noah. The invitation had been given for a long time
but only eight entered the ark 1pe0320.
When the flood came it was too late. The door was shut. Seeing the churches
as a prophetic sequence, we expect that this 6th one would be near the
end of the drama. It is apparently a time for making a decision for present
truth 2pe0112.
Outside of a historical framework,
what are some of the lessons that we can draw for ourselves? The invitation
of grace is open to all but that door is shut when a person is determined
to harden his heart, or when by death or other reason he can no longer
make a decision for Christ, or when Christ returns to take us home jn1401.
Today, when we hear his voice,
let us not harden our hearts he0315.
Tomorrow may never come. And for those of us who have made our decision
for Christ, it can be like a wedding anniversary, a time to confirm the
relationship. For a further note on Our Lord's being holy and true, see
the section just before commentary on verse 9.
But there's a deeper
meaning to this text which we can understand as we look at verse 8.
Note
1 for verse 8: The open door — a new place to enter
"Behold, I have set before
thee an open door. . . ." (Rev. 3:8)
You may remember that the tabernacle
(or "tent" in modern English) was a small structure with two rooms. It
was pitched inside a larger courtyard with a white linen outer "wall."
Entry to the courtyard was through an opening on the east side. Inside
the courtyard was the altar of burnt offering and the laver. 
The
the "door" to the tabernacle was the drapery, opening also on the east
side. Once inside the tabernacle, the priest could see the candlestick
with seven lamps (the light of the world) on the left. The table of shewbread
(the bread of life) was on the right and, straight ahead, the altar of
incense (prayer in Jesus' name for grace). This small altar was in front
of the "door" or opening, into the most holy place where only the high
priest entered on one day each year.
The people came into the
courtyard to bring their sacrifices for sin offerings. Only the priests
went into the first room or "holy place" and only the high priest went
through the first room into the most holy place through the second door
then opened.
The curtain doors were on
the east side so that the people would have their backs to the sun when
they bowed in worship. This was because the people, recently called out
of Egypt, had adopted the cultural habits of that land. Sun worship has
always been a substitute for worship of the creator. In adapting to the
pagan culture during the middle ages, the church fathers seem to have forgotten
this lesson. See the prophecy of this in ez0816.
The courtyard where sinners could come with their sacrifices represents
the earth. Jesus came and died for our sins on earth. That is why the altar
of burnt offering was outside the tent. The tabernacle itself represents
heaven. Hebrews 8 helps clarify this he08.
So, in the sanctuary services,
we see Jesus as the lamb living and dying for our sins in the courtyard
(on the earth). Then (going left to right — east to west in the sanctuary)
under the symbol of priest, he enters through the doorway into the tabernacle
(heaven) to minister his blood for forgiveness by sprinkling the animal's
before the closed door into the most holy place where the ark was. Finally,
as the high priest, we see him enter the most holy place with more blood,
for cleansing, to complete the work of atonement for the blood of forgiveness
that was sprinkled daily before the veil. We see the two parts of His work
in a verse I like to quote: 1jo0109.
The author of Hebrews invites
us to enter, by the blood of Christ which was a substitute for our own
blood of permanent death he1019f.
We enter through the agency of our Saviour who died in our place. He could
go in, and by His righteousness, obtain forgiveness for us. He could also
go into the most holy place and obtain cleansing from sin for us. We go
in through Christ. Alone we could never stand in the presence of the holy
God of the universe because we are sinners. Only the sinless Son of God
who became a man for us could do that in our place! Marvelous grace!
All this helps us see the
imagery of one door shut when another was opened. We go through the doors
with Him spiritually when they are opened just as we abide in (or with)
Him spiritually jn1504.
In fact, as we abide in Him, we go wherever He goes (Rev. 14:4). When the
high priest went into the most holy place, no one (through their representative,
the ordinary priest) could enter the holy place. To be the recipients of
the cleansing work of Christ (the purpose of the Day of Atonement) we accept
His offer to be our agent in the most holy room of the sanctuary. Thus
we go into the holiest with Him. May we each seek the special blessing
God has for us during this time of the end.
Some of the ideas we see
in the seven churches are reinforced by other passages in Revelation as
well as in other books like Daniel and Hebrews.
I believe the time of the
open and shut door for Philadelphia represents the time when Christ entered
a different phase of His intercession for us in Heaven – where the door
had been opened (Heb. 8 and 9). This was the message from the One who is
holy and true (Rev. 3 7) for the next-to-last church.
". . . the priests went
always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But
into the second went the high priest alone once every year." . . . (Heb.
9:6, 7).
"Seeing then that we
have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son
of God, let us hold fast our profession . . . Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help
in time of need." (Heb. 4:14, 16).
"[On the Day of Atonement]
There shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation [the
door was shut for them] when he goeth in [to the most holy place through
the door opened for only on that day] to make an atonement in the holy
place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for
his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. . . . For
on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you,
that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. (Lev. 16:17, 30;
also Rev. 15:8)."
For a summary of the open
and closed doors, see 0401b.
Some people believe that Christ went directly into the most holy place
after His ascension. We discuss that in 0308c below.
May we each follow the Lamb
wherever He goes (Rev. 14:4)
Note
2 for verse 8: Christ's two-part ministry
The open and closed doors
has helped us see that Jesus prepares us for heaven in two ways. This reminds
us of His promise to forgive and cleanse us.
"If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
We usually think of forgiveness
and cleansing as the same thing, but they are not. Also notice, in the
verse that Jesus has two qualities. He is faithful (without sinful acts,
in His life) and He is just (found not guilty, in His death). Thus He offers
to help us live a pure life (sanctification) and he removes the condemnation
standing in our place before the Father (justification)
The "tent of congregation
(meeting)" was the people's contact point with God. They came inside the
courtyard in front of the door, or opening, into the holy place of the
tabernacle (tent) (Lev. 1:3). They came there to meet their Messiah who
was represented by many of the elements of the sanctuary including the
priests ministering forgiveness throughout the sanctuary year (See for
example le0427). The common
people did not physically go inside the tabernacle. They went in through
the agency of the priests who entered to sprinkle the sacrificial blood
in front of the veil which closed off the most holy place.
On the Day of Atonement,
that ministry was suspended until the High priest came out again. That
meant that the people were not to bring their animals for sin offerings.
Their attention was to be fixed on the Messiah as represented by the high
priest in the most holy place. They were to humble their souls seeking
the blessing of cleansing from the sins that had been forgiven. In other
words, Christ begins his work by canceling the debt of repentant sinners
(justification). His finishing work is to cleanse them, taking sin out
of their behavior (sanctification).
". . . he which hath begun
a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil.
1:6).
We also see the two-part work
of Christ in the book of Hebrews:
"Looking unto Jesus the author
and finisher of our faith. . . ." (Heb. 12:2). (And we see it in 1 John
1:9.)
The sanctuary calendar began
with Passover representing Christ's death and bringing His people out of
Egypt (slavery to sin). The Feast of Tabernacles is the feast — a celebration
of being in Heaven (or the Promised Land). Just before it is the Day of
Atonement when the hearts of people are finally cleansed and sealed before
the time of trouble and the close of probation.
So, if we can see the yearly
round of feasts and ceremonies as representing Christ's ministry for us
through the centuries, this change from the first room in the sanctuary
to the second must represent a transition in His ministry in heaven for
us. (See Dan. 8 and Heb. 8:1).
We have seen Christ as the
One who opens and shuts beyond the power of humans (verse 7) and who sets
before His people "an open door" (verse 8). It is reasonable to assume
that this time of Philadelphia includes the beginning of His most-holy-place
ministry. It is the time of this next-to-last church.
To see that this special-day
ministry was in the most holy place, compare Lev. 16:2; Ex. 26:34; 1 Kings
8:6.
If the door is
shut in the final period of the world, how do we receive the ministry of
Christ's work in the holy place?
The time of the most holy
place ministry represents Christ's final work for His people. I believe
we live today in that time, 0610.
As we have seen, the yearly cycle of seven feasts in the sanctuary system
represents the whole span of time from the cross to heaven — from the lamb
slain before leaving Egypt to celebration in the heavenly Canaan. The last
phase before heaven is represented by the day of atonement. Seeing the
two distinct ministries of Christ in separate time periods, one might conclude
that only the ministry of forgiveness was available before the change and
only cleansing after it.
How then do we receive the
ministry of forgiveness today? While the ordinary work of the priests was
stopped on the day of atonement, the morning and evening sacrifices, 1407b,
were not. On entering and leaving the most holy place, the high priest
passes through the holy place and could handle the ministry of the morning
and evening sacrifices. Of course, he then went outside and the time for
both forgiveness and for cleansing ended.
The marvelous ministry of
Christ for our salvation is represented to our finite understanding through
these symbols.
Returning to Philadelphia,
did you notice how Christ identified Himself to them?
"And to the angel of the
church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy [with
His power to forgive us], he that is true [with his power to cleanse us,
keeping us true], he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no
man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth." (Rev. 3:7)
Did Christ go
directly into the Most Holy Place?
Several modules have
been moved to a new page to keep the file sizes down. The ideas here are
worth exploring and can deepen your understanding of the sanctuary system,
note
3 for verse 8. Or just click for the "second notes page" in the navigation
bar below.
The holy place
ministry of Christ: note
4 for verse 8
Anointing of
Christ as priest: note
5 for verse 8.
For verses 9
to 13, see the main chapter 3 page.
