Their works weren't complete. You have been steadfast; therefore I will employ you." In entering God's kingdom, Jews must follow the way of these Gentiles, not Gentiles follow the way of the Jews (8- 9). Clearly such a position made it almost impregnable. Sardis was still a wealthy city. He is man; but the man seen then and thus is a divine person, the eternal God Himself. And I turned to see the voice which was speaking with me. We have seen how it was a border town, standing where the boundaries of Lydia, Mysia and Phrygia met, and founded to be a missionary of Greek language and culture to the barbarous peoples beyond. Keep to the truth, and the modern school will give you a wide berth. Are you not just taking advantage of an earthly position to escape part of what Christ calls you to? Wish. Sardis, The Threefold Promise ( Revelation 3:1-6 Continued). Besides, it is a wise thing, for you that have but little strength, to keep God's word. There is an evident allusion to the manner in which the Lord presented Himself to the church in Ephesus. Teach us thy Word that we might in its precepts and live in its light. When a bushel is full of wheat the good corn keeps the chaff out of the measure. It was so before when He was here below in grace, and now He must resume its power and glory and judgment, than which one can hardly conceive a greater and more solemn rebuke on the condition of those who ought to have been His witnesses. He will reward them at his return (10-11). It is blessedly true that even out of failure a man can redeem himself--but only if he casts himself upon the grace of Jesus Christ. We will get the picture right if we remember that the eastern throne was more like a couch than a single seat. But there is more also. The tragedy of Laodicea was that it was convinced of its own wealth and blind to its own poverty. After the death of Alexander there were many claimants for the power. God's word was there to deal with human conscience. An Ancient Commentary on the Book of Revelation (A Critical Edition of the Scholia in Apocalypsin) || Scholion XIII. But, dear friends, as this expression was used to the angel of the church at Philadelphia, whom I suppose to be the minister of the church, I do not feel that I shall be doing any violence to the text if I take it in reference to each individual; and I have no doubt that there will be individual Christians present at this time who, though they have but little strength, have kept God's word. So too the witness of grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ was, in His mind, if not in man's, the most suited medium for revealing the coming judgments of God. 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 on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. The Lord has revived the true hope of His return; there are those who are thus waiting for Christ, and this epistle seems emphatically to apply to such. Thyatira, I have no doubt, contains within it the mystic representative of Romanism. It was founded with the deliberate intention that it might be a missionary of Greek culture and language to Lydia and Phrygia; and so well did it do its work that by A.D. 19 the Lydians had forgotten their own language and were all but Greeks. "[51] From Matthew 24, etc., all should be familiar with this quality in prophecies regarding such events. The common text which gives rise to the current versions spoils the sense completely. "Behold, I come quickly!" What the application of this may be depends on the context where it is used. after that, the heavens and the earth will be destroyed, final judgment of all those who have followed satan in rebellion against yehovah throughout history will occur, they will be cast into the "lake of fire" along with satan and his spirit-being followers, and eternity in perfect unity in the spirit with elohim the father and elohim the son To try them that dwell upon the earth - To test their character. . John 12:27). Then history repeated itself. Pharaoh honoured Joseph by clothing him in vestures of fine linen ( Genesis 41:42). The Katakekaumene was a great volcanic plain bearing the marks of the lava and the ashes of volcanoes then extinct. But, surely, in everything which concerns the doctrines of our most holy faith, we must make reference to a "Thus, saith the Lord." The promise of the Risen Christ is that the victor will sit with him in his own victorious throne. 7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not . "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. The emphasis of his pulpit ministry is the careful study and verse-by-verse exposition of the Bible, with special attention devoted to the historical and grammatical background behind each passage. In the writing to the angel of the church in Smyrna, a totally different state of things meets us. Nor is it that I have any doubt that it is a great sin to wipe off all public recognition of God in the world. It signified becoming one with the other person. As God bears testimony in his word to his own dear Son, believe that testimony; accept the Saviour whom he has given, and find immediate salvation: find it to-night. Whoever that might be (one, or perhaps more,) was meant by the angel. Examine the use of woman symbolically, and you will find, I believe, that this is true. The world's authority brought in worldly objects, and now the ministry became a clergy, a more or less profitable profession. Of all things indifference is the hardest to combat. Solomon made shields of gold, which were borne before the king when he went into the house of the Lord; but Rehoboam took away the shields of gold, and put shields of brass in their place. In chapter one, He was known as the faithful and the true witness. 290. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend" ( Proverbs 27:6). Let us weigh a little more these remarkable words. The prayers of the saints will be answered (6:9-11; Matt. Your book matters, let's make it your way! The address to Sardis also, although allusive to that of Ephesus, is nevertheless no less clearly meant to stand contrasted with it. Shocks were an everyday occurrence. Verse Revelation 3:10. There is another warning here. There was faithfulness, and this very particularly in dealing with the wickedness which Satan sought to bring in at that time. They stored it up as bees store away honey, and they were as ready to defend it as bees are to guard their stores. Revelation 3:10 by Grant Richison| Nov 17, 1998| Revelation| 43 comments Read Introduction to Revelation "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." Jesus now turns to a promise for those who persevereunder trial. (ii) The faithful Christian will go out no more. The first time a man sins he does so with many a qualm. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches ( Revelation 3:6 ). The Risen Christ bids the Philadelphians hold to what they have, that no one may take their crown ( Revelation 3:11). Just open the door and He will come in and become one with you. The reader is encouraged to "have ears to hear what the Spirit says to the churches", even down to our own day. For instance, the standard for the Christian is not in anywise the law (which was so for the Jew); for us it is Christ Himself, and cannot without loss be anything else. 290. (c) In any land and time white is the colour of purity, and the white robes may stand for the purity whose reward is to see God. The whole book supposes saints in suffering, and this too in the form of tribulation, with their spiritual experience formed into the associations of Christ's kingdom rather than those of His body the church, yet surely suffering on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. All intimates that they are in great, and no doubt just, dread of Him as a judge. The revelation of grace is precisely what is not found in this book. "To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? Revelation 2:9). 9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to . In the gospel John may speak, but he speaks as one who had seen the Lord, as one who could bear his own personal voucher for whatever he utters. "He that denies me before men," Jesus said, "I will deny before my Father, but if you confess Me before men, I will confess you before my Father which is in heaven." [Note: See Thomas D. Ice, "The Meaning of Earth Dwellers in Revelation," Bibliotheca Sacra 166:663 (July-September 2009)350-65.] The Lord help you to keep his word, and then to go in for public testimony. "So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate." Here is a warning against what we might call "spasmodic Christianity." It may have been some form of persecution, or it may have been some calamity by disease, earthquake, or famine that was to occur. "Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I am coming to thee quickly, and will remove thy lampstand out of its place, except thou shalt repent." "To you I say, the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not known this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. 2. It was not as once. What do the white robes signify? and keeps to it with all its force. A new evil appears. The Greeks had three meals in the day. ], "In light of the concept of the imminent coming of Christ and the fact that the New Testament does teach His imminent coming, we can conclude that the Pretribulation Rapture view is the only view of the Rapture of the church that comfortably fits the New Testament teaching of the imminent coming of Christ. No commandment appears more frequently in the New Testament than that to watch. When he came back to Antioch he told how God had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles ( Acts 14:27). It was a sure token that all was over for the present, for any immediateness of communion between God and His people. But where was the work of faith? (ii) It is used as a comfort to the oppressed. Cambridge University Press, 10.1017/CBO9781139208758, pages 120-120, 2013. Smyrna and Philadelphia are the only churches that receive no blame from the Lord, but only praise and encouragement. Every word of Christ's presentation of Himself differs from the view of Him given inRevelation 1:1-20; Revelation 1:1-20. 7 "If Gundry's view of Rev. Getting back to who it is promised to be kept from the Great Tribulation, let us now look at the context and audience of Revelation 3:10. [5.] ", Come you, then, and search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of Christ and let it not be said that you will not come unto him that you might have life. (ii) He is the witness on whom we can rely and who is true. Here is your anchorage. In the Christian life there must be unceasing vigilance against it. I do not feel called of God as an evangelist to the Jewish people or to the Jewish nation. The Maeander entered that valley by a narrow, precipitous gorge through which no road could pass. On this pillar shall be recorded all the services the believer did to the church of God, how he asserted her rights, enlarged her borders, maintained her purity and honour; this will be a greater name than Asiaticus, or Africanus; a soldier under God in the wars of the church. I know thy works: behold I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it ( Revelation 3:8 ): That to me is exciting. Now there are many today who are not watching for the return of Jesus Christ. That is what the Risen Christ means when he speaks of the open door that is set before Philadelphia. The meaning would be the same, Jesus is one whose promises can be relied upon. (3.) To say that Jesus Christ is holy is to say that he shares the being of God. We speak then of what Christ has put us in, not about nature and its wishes and feelings. This has been always the case. "Because he himself has suffered and been tempted he is able to help those who are tempted" ( Hebrews 2:18). Outskirts Press helps authors develop and publish high-quality books by offering exceptional design, printing, publishing, distribution, and book marketing services. "Hark! Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, perfect one" (SS 5:2-6). "I know thy works, and thy love, and faith, and service, and patience, and thy last works (to be) more than the first." ], Furthermore, it is not just the testing God promised to deliver them from but the "hour" of testing, the time in history during which these trials will come (cf. The state of the church in Ephesus has the same generality. See the notes on Luke 2:1. "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." Had they not left their first love? Let us first take the word rebuke. To the true heart His approval is enough, and sweeter than triumph before the universe. 2. The world had got in, as it still remains, and alas! Those who at Christ's call are caught up to heaven. Jesus will protect Christians who persevere through trials (cp. 283-91; Daniel K. K. Wong, "The Pillar and the Throne in Revelation 3:12, 21," Bibliotheca Sacra 156:623 (July-September 1999):303. You read the Gallup Polls and all and it is rather frightening to find out how many ministers do not really believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, do not believe in the virgin birth, do not believe that there is an actual heaven or hell. v. 12). How is it that we here miss that character of direct dealing with us that immediateness of address which is found elsewhere? The seven spirits signifies the completeness of the gifts of the Spirit and the universality of his presence. Thus then it is with the seven golden lampstands. It is a fact of life that certain things sharpen memory which has grown dull. Does it not mean, first, that they had received the word of God; for if they had not heard it and held it they could not have kept it. (1.) Yet, alas! Though others fall, you shall not; though you may be afflicted with others, yet you shall have grace to sustain you. Thus we must read the text and translate it. Third the endurance of Jesus Christ is the guarantee of his sympathy with us when we are called upon to endure. However other Scriptures make it clear that God will catch up all Christians, faithful and unfaithful, at the same time (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). Philadelphia, Inheritors Of The Promise ( Revelation 3:7-13 Continued). Many say that we ought to keep "abreast of the times," whatever that may mean; and that there is a certain "spirit of the age," to which we should be subject. "Repent; or else I am coming to thee quickly, and will war against them with the sword of my mouth." I suppose that the Philadelphian church had but little strength in the following respects: the number of its members would be small, and it had therefore but little strength for undertaking any extensive enterprize which would call for numerous bands of workers. It is not "from the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Let them abide in the place of patience, even though there be tribulation, as there must be if they are content to endure for Christ's sake now. (iii) As the Revised Standard Version has it, he is the beginning of God's creation. ], "When Solomon built the temple following his ascension to the throne, he had a worker of brass from Tyre construct two massive pillars for the porch. There may be individual reality even where the associations are miserably untoward. (vi) Nor must the Christian forget that, even as he must watch for Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is watching him. (2.) And the apostle Paul showed that it was really to annul Christ to fall from grace if the law, introduced either for justification or for a rule of life, were imposed on the Christian. "[49] The looming persecution against the church is starkly evident in all the New Testament books, and hardly any of them failed to address the situation. (Daniel 12:1-13, Matthew 24:1-51, Mark 13:1-37) If so, how rich and full is the promise: "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." Too many of us are Christian one moment and unchristian the next. Truth is the jewel for which all believers must be ready to die. Sardis, Death In Life ( Revelation 3:1-6 Continued). A city with a history like that knew what the Risen Christ was talking about when he said: "Watch!". Here. There was akratisma, breakfast, which was no more than a piece of dried bread dipped in wine. For a year Antiochus besieged him; then a soldier called Lagoras repeated the exploit of Hyeroeades. Revelation 3:8-10King James Version. Here is something to make us think: (i) The one attitude which the Risen Christ unsparingly condemns is indifference. (2.) And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands." They had abated in their first love. I have no intention to enter at any length on this way of looking at the churches as quite by-gone, and the prophecy as at once flowing on; but I mention it because it seems due to truth to name this as well as the other, according to which "what shall be after these" is when the church condition is no longer applicable at all. At that time Sardis was a city of the east and was hostile to the Greek world, Aeschylus wrote of it: "They that dwelt by Tmolous pledged themselves to cast the yoke on Hellas.". 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