Four Winds Of The Earth

Verses 1-3:

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”

Four corners of the earth is an ancient phrase that is the same as the idea of the four points of the compass. These angels will affect the entire earth. The four winds are a destructive force of God’s judgment. We often see this same comparison in the Old Testament. See Isaiah 11:15 & 28:2; Hosea 13:15; Jeremiah 30:23; Psalms 1:4; 35:5 & 83:13. In Matthew 7:25, Jesus says the wind will not prevail against a house (a life) built on a solid foundation.

John sees a fifth angel ascending who had a seal in which he will seal the people of God. In the ancient world, a seal was a sign of ownership. So God will mark His people with His seal of ownership. No harm will come to the earth until all of God’s servants have received the seal. Their service is not revealed to us exactly, but 144,000 will receive this seal for a specific, unique purpose.

The 144,000

Verses 4-8

And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty-four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed: Of the tribe of Judah twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand were sealed; of the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand were sealed.

Ethnically, these 144,000 will be Jewish. They are grouped by twelve tribes of the children of Israel. Though only God may know their tribal ancestry, there will be 12,000 from each tribe.

In this listing of the tribes, the tribe of Dan is left out. Some think this is because Dan is the tribe of the Antichrist, based on Daniel 11:37 & Jeremiah 8:16. This may or may not be the case, but it is factual that Dan was the tribe that introduced idolatry into the nation of Israel (Gen. 49:17; Judges 18:30).

Also, the tribe of Ephraim is only mentioned indirectly. Joseph represents two tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh. Manasseh is named, and the tribe of Joseph is too. By elimination, the tribe of Joseph must mean the tribe of Ephraim, who is not listed by name. This slight may be intentional because the tribe of Ephraim was also associated with great idolatry (Hosea 4:17).

The Debate Over Who The 144,000 Are

Most Bible scholars either regard them as the church or as converted Jews, who are still identified as Israelites in some manner. It’s an important issue because if they are a symbol of the church, then the church will definitely be in the Great Tribulation. Revelation 7 and 14 give us some insight into their identity.

They are called “the children of Israel” (Rev. 7:4). Their tribal connection is specific (Rev. 7:4-8). They will be protected and triumphant through the Great Tribulation because we see them meeting with Jesus at Mt. Zion at His return (Rev. 14:1). They are celibate (Rev. 14:4). They are the beginning of a greater harvest (Rev. 14:4). They are marked by integrity and faithfulness (Rev. 14:5)

These facts make it difficult to say that the 144,000 are symbolic to the church. Israel is never specifically applied to the church in the New Testament. Their tribal affiliation is known to God. Even if God is the only one that knows their tribal connections, there is no reason to take this as symbolic and not literal. As a whole, the church was never required to remain celibate (1 Cor. 7:1-6). If these 144,000 are symbolic of the church, what “greater harvest” are they beginning?

I’m of the mind that it’s best to see the 144,000 as chosen Jewish people who come to faith in Jesus and protected by their seal through the tribulation. They are the beginning harvest of the salvation of Israel (Rom. 11:1 & 11:26; Matt. 23:37-39).

They are not a part of the Church proper, for their repentance comes too late for that. They are a super addition to the Church – a supplementary body – near and precious to Christ but made up after the proper Church has finished its course

Seiss

The Great Multitude

Verses 9-10

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!”

We see through these verses that there will be great diversity in heaven and that the Great Commission will be fulfilled before the end, as Jesus promised in Matt. 24:14: And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

Because John is describing what he saw in heaven; different nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, we know there will be differences among the people there. We will not all be the same and will still be individuals.

They were standing before the throne of God and before the Lamb; Again, John saw everything in reference to the throne. They wore white robes: These robes remind us of the covering righteousness of Jesus. Palm branches: Remind us of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (John 12:12-16), where He was praised as Savior and King. Hosanna means “save now.” Palm branches were an emblem of victory. So this great multitude was celebrating a great accomplishment.

The palm, the ensign of triumph, indicates most certainly a conflict and conquest. As on earth palm would not be given if not won, we may conclude that the Lord would not have distributed the prize unless there had been a preceding warfare and victory… From the very fact that the glorified carry palms, we may infer that they did not come from beds of sloth, or gardens of pleasure, or palaces of peace, but that they endured hardness and were men trained for war.

Spurgeon

Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne: Wearing white robes (an emblem of righteousness), they worship God for salvation, recognizing Him as the source of their salvation. Salvation isn’t something we earn; it’s something God gives, and only God can give salvation.

Heavenly Creatures Worship

Verses 11-12

All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and strength, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.

As the great multitude worships God, the others in heaven join in. They can worship Him all the more by seeing the salvation He brought to this multitude of people.

The Identity Of The Great Multitude

Verses 13-17

Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes- who are they, and where did they come from?” I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation: they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they are before the throne of God day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

John didn’t know the identity of this multitude before the throne. He needed to know, but he didn’t ask, so one of the elders prompted him to ask for their identity. The elder answered that they are those, He rescued for God’s kingdom in the great tribulation period.

It is a powerful statement of God’s grace that the multitude is so great (which no one could number). Even in this time of judgment and wrath on the earth, multitudes will be saved. Because the multitude is mentioned right after the 144,000, many think they are, at least in part, due to the work of the 144,000 servants of God during the time of the great tribulation.

Those saved in the great tribulation are done so just like everyone else, by the blood of the Lamb. Even if they were martyred, their martyrdom does not save them. Salvation only comes from the work of Jesus.

They washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Not one of them became white through his tears of repentance, not one through the shedding of the blood of bulls or of goats. They all wanted a vicarious sacrifice, and for none of them was any sacrifice effectual, except the death of Jesus Christ the Lord. They washed their robes nowhere but in the blood of the Lamb.

Spurgeon

They are before the throne of God: The redeemed enjoy the presence of God. They will come right into the throne room. There are no barriers between Him in heaven and us.

And serve Him day and night: We will serve Him in heaven. We are not told how we will serve Him, but it’s what we will do, both day and night. We will feel privileged to do so.

He will dwell with us – no more separation from our God- He will protect us and provide for our every need. Every tear will be wiped from our eyes by our Savior. We will know no more pain or sorrow.

The true Christian life, when we live near to God, is the rough draft of the life of full communion above. We have seen the artist make with his pencil, or with his charcoal, a bare outline of his picture. It is nothing more, but still one could guess what the finished picture will be from the sketch before you.

Spurgeon

The First Seal

The White Horse

Verses 1-2: And I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

The Lamb opened the first seal: The previous chapter explained the scroll and who has the authority to unlock it. Now we see The Lamb, Jesus, opening the first seal. If the scroll details the culmination of history, then the things associated with removing the seals must happen first. This passage is not the fulfillment of history itself but the preparation for it. The actual culmination will be detailed in Rev. 19.

And I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!”: Each seal was associated with a living creature. One of these living creatures or cherubim (zoa, of Ezekiel 1 & 10) call out and it is so loud John associated it with thunder. “Come,” could be translated “go forth.”

Behold, a white horse: If we were to take interpretive clues from a typical “hero” movie, it would be easy to picture Jesus as the one on this white horse, coming to save us. However, we should get our interpretive clues from the Bible, and in this case, it will not be Jesus on this white horse. He will return on a white horse, but the rider of this one will be a satanic dictator who imitates Jesus. Rev. 19:11-16. Jesus wears many crowns; He will not carry a bow but a sharp sword. This is a prophetic passage, yet to be fulfilled.

The whole context and character of these seals absolutely forbid our thinking of this rider as being the Lord Jesus, as so many affirm. His reign shall not bring war, famine, and strife in its train.

Jennings

A conqueror bent on conquest: Taking this to be the final satanic dictator over men, we see that he will be more terrible than all previous dictators. He will rule as a false messiah, and lead man in organized rebellion against God, in the pattern of Nimrod, his first predecessor. He is the one often called the antichrist.

Nimrod was the ruler over Babel in Gen. 10: 8-14. He was called “a mighty hunter before the Lord.” There is a sense that he was a hunter of men, and God took this as an offense. He was a warrior, not a game hunter. Ginzberg quotes from a Jewish legend: “The great success that attended all of Nimrod’s undertakings produced a sinister effect. Men no longer trusted in God but rather in their prowess and ability, an attitude to which Nimrod tried to convert the whole world.”

Come!: Our political and social scene is certainly set for the emergence of such a political/religious leader. All that waits is for the Lord to take His church from this earth, in His timing. (2 Thess. 2:6-7)

When Jesus opens the first seal, this dictator will come into prominence. The seventieth week of Dan. 9 begins when this dictator will confirm a covenant with the many, referring to the Jewish people. This initial emergence of the antichrist, connected with what we know of this leader of Dan. 9 ( Darius the son of Ahasuerus), shows that these four horsemen of Rev. 6 are associated with Daniel’s seventieth week and the great tribulation.

I love it when I learn how the New Testament is so connected to the Old.

The Second Seal

The Red Horse

Verses 3-4: When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come! Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.

This rider didn’t bring war and destruction. All he had to do was take peace from the earth. Peace between men and among nations is a gift from God. It is not the natural state of relations between humans. Once God removes His blessing from the earth, war and destruction will quickly follow. The rider was “granted” authority, so this is directly or indirectly the judgment of God.

That people should kill one another: In the world we live in today, there is not a day or night that passes without people killing each other. Think how it will be when God removes His gift of peace completely.

The Third Seal

The Black Horse

Verses 5-6: When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

The scales symbolized the need to measure and ration food carefully. These scales speak of a time of great scarcity. The prices paid for wheat and barley are about 12 times higher than usual. It will take a day’s total pay to purchase the ingredients to make a loaf of bread. Life will be reduced down to the barest of necessities. The oil and wine will not be harmed, but only the wealthiest will be able to afford them.

The Fourth Seal

The Pale Horse

Verses 7-8: When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

This last rider shows that there will be a tremendous death toll from the dictatorship, the wars, famine, and plague described with the first three riders. We see all of these things taking place in our time now (the wars, the famine, and the plague), but what the world has seen is nothing compared to the death toll coming in the wake of this ultimate dictator. Jesus told us this when He was walking the earth. Matt. 24:21: For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Again, we read this horseman will be given power. It will be given to him by God. Although all hell is going to break loose on the earth, God is in control. He still holds the scroll, and He is the only one who can open its seals.

Let’s Recap

The first seal brings in the antichrist. And remember, the antichrist won’t come to power until this first seal is open. The second seal brings world war. The third seal brings famine, and the fourth seal brings mass killings by the dictator. Until the antichrist sits in power over the whole world, world war will not happen. Until the antichrist reigns, famine and mass killings (for refusing to worship and bow to the antichrist) will not occur. What we are witnessing in today’s world could be the building up of these things to come. What we see taking place in our time pales in comparison to what is to come.

Christians, if you believe Jesus is God, the Bible is His word, and that God will never make us ashamed for following Him, then you should fear nothing because before any of this happens, He is going to take us home. 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18

The Fifth Seal

The Cry of the Martyrs

Verses 9-11: When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until You judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed.

The idea that these souls were under the altar is drawn from Lev. 4:7; And he shall pour the remaining blood at the base of the altar of the burnt offering. These souls were slain for the Word of God and the testimony which they held. This act of being “under the altar” emphasizes their lifeblood was poured out as an offering to God.

These souls cry out for vengeance. When God’s people are persecuted, He will set it right. It’s not wrong for His people to ask Him to do what He has promised us He will do. In Gen. 4:10, the blood of Abel cried out for vengeance.

They asked and received an answer. They would have to wait until all of God’s appointed martyrs are killed. Because the words “the number of” are supplied by the translators, not the text, it could mean that they wait until the character of the remaining martyrs on earth is perfected and complete. It is character- the way one lives- that makes a martyr, not the way one dies.

The Sixth Seal

Terror

Verses 12-17: And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the eminent people, and the commanders and the wealthy and the strong, and every slave and free person hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the sight of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of Their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

When this seal is opened terrible things are going to happen to our planet like the world has never seen and at the same time the whole world will acknowledge Him who sits on the throne.

There is going to be an earthquake; the Bible says, “a great earthquake.” Science tells us there will be one someday.

Isaiah 12:10, Ezekiel 32:7, Joel 2:10-11, Zephaniah 1:14-16, and Jesus Himself, Matt. 24:29, all described celestial disturbances connected with His coming. Here we’re told the sun will become black and the moon like blood. It’s best to regard these images as accurate, but John didn’t use technically scientific language; he simply described what he saw.

All people (kings, great men, the wealthy, the commanders, the mighty, slave, and free) will equally be brought low by God’s wrath, and they will attempt to hide from His face. It is all more profound because it is the wrath of the Lamb. The wrath of His sacrificial love, having done the absolute most for our salvation, tells us with certainty, evil awaits its doom at the hand of God.

What sinners dread most is not death, but the revealed presence of God.

Swete

The great day of His wrath is coming. Who can stand? Only those who are justified by His grace through faith in Him. Rom. 5:1-2; 1 Cor. 15:1; 1 Pet. 5:12 The believer can stand in the face of this great wrath of God because Jesus already bore the wrath the believer deserved.

A Summary

The first six seals summarize the judgments distributed over the whole book of what will occur in the day of the Lord. It begins with the revelation of the Antichrist (1st seal) and concludes with the revealing of His face (7th seal).

It seems best to say the seals, trumpets, and bowls, described later, are not strictly sequential events and do not necessarily follow a chronological order.

In a sense, the seals represent both; conditions immediately before the end and general conditions happening over an extended period until Christ returns. Dictators, war, famine, death, and persecution have been common throughout history but not to the magnitude, as will be the case, in the Great Tribulation.

The only thing believers need to do to prepare for His coming is to wait. It’s a waste of our time and peace to think we should be prepping for His return. Closets full of guns and ammo will be useless. Pantries full of food and water will go to waste. If there be any use from these things it will be for the unbelievers left behind. Before the first seal is opened believers will be “caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thess. 4:17)

Verses 1-5

Then I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside it. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

The Scroll

In chapter four, John’s focus was on the throne. Now his focus has shifted to the scroll held by Jesus. It was unusual because it had writing on both sides. It wasn’t common practice to write on both sides. This meant it held a lot of information.

Ancient scrolls were read horizontally, not vertically. The scroll rolls were on the left and the right, and the writing lay in narrow columns about three inches wide, written on a substance somewhat like brown paper. The scroll was held in the left hand and unrolled with the right; as the reading went on, the previously read portion was re-rolled. On a typical scroll, the book of Revelation would fill a scroll 15 feet long.

The Seals

When a scroll was finished, it was fastened with strings, and the strings were sealed with wax at the knots. These were not seven scrolls, each separated by a seal, but seven seals all set upon one scroll. All the seals must be opened before the scroll could be read.

The Scroll’s Content

Commentators can only speculate what was written on the scroll. If we are meant to know Jesus would have surely told us. Some things aren’t our business. What is important here is that Jesus is the ONLY one worthy to open it.

Barclay suggests the best solution is to see the scroll as God’s will, His final settlement of the affairs of the universe. He suggests this based on the idea that customarily, under Roman law, wills were sealed with seven seals, each from a witness to the validity of the will.

Remember what is important is not the content of the scroll, but its seals and the One who is worthy to open it.

Could this be the scroll from Daniel 12: 4 “But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end.”?

A Strong Angel

We don’t know who this angel is. Some suggest it’s Gabriel, but this is another thing we can’t say. We are told this angel issued a challenge to all creation; Who is worthy? But no creature can answer because there is none worthy to open or even look at this particular scroll.

There was no answer to the strong angel’s challenge because the creation is utterly incapable of deciding or affecting its own destiny. Someone above the order of created beings must determine the course of history – only God can unfold His plan.

John Wept

Why did John weep at the news no one was worthy to open the scroll? Perhaps he thought the previous promise to see the future may now be denied him, but that would mean John believed Jesus capable of breaking promises. More likely, because he realized the finalization of history would now be incalculable.

The Lion

It was not the strong angel that rescued John from his grief but one of the elders by showing him The One who has triumphed. The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David. Messiah of Israel and the Gentiles.

This messianic title, Lion of Judah, comes from Gen. 49:9-10, Is. 31:4, & Hosea 11:10. Root of David comes from Is. 11:10 and is repeated in Rev. 22:16.

Verses 6-10

Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. And when He had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of saints. And they sang a new song: You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain, and with Your blood You purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.

The Lamb Vs.6

When John stopped weeping and looked up, he thought he would see a lion because of the elder’s announcement, but instead, he saw a lamb. The lamb was living, but He had the marks of a previous sacrifice on Him (as though it had been slain).

As humans, we want Jesus to be The Lion, power, and strength to the unbelieving world. We want Him to show His power and might. Perhaps this is why Judas couldn’t believe it (John 6:64). Maybe, he was expecting the King to come with guns blazing, executing judgment and punishment; if Jesus was the King, they had been anticipating, He indeed would possess such power and use it; when Jesus didn’t, Judas didn’t believe He was the Messiah. Jesus, the King of all creation, is a lamb, representing humility, gentleness, and sacrificial love.

As it had been slain: The idea is that the sacrifice of Jesus is still fresh and current before God the Father. There is nothing stale or outworn in the work of Jesus on the cross. The judgment will come upon a world that hates the Lamb and all He stands for and rejects His offer of escape.

As if, now in the act of being offered. This is very remarkable; so important is the sacrificial offering of Christ in the sight of God that He is still represented as being in the very act of pouring out His blood for the offenses of man. This gives great advantage to faith; when any soul comes to the throne of grace, he finds a sacrifice there provided for him to offer to God. Thus all succeeding generations find they have the continual sacrifice ready, and the newly-shed blood to offer.

Clarke

7 Eyes, 7 Horns

Even though the marks of Jesus’ sacrifice were visible to John, the Lamb was not presented as an object of pity. He also bore the marks of power and knowledge. Seven horns shows omnipotence and seven eyes demonstrate omniscience.

Throughout the Bible, eyes suggest knowledge and wisdom, and horns portray power fulfilled perfectly. Zechariah 4:10 says “these are the eyes of the Lord which range to and fro throughout the earth.”

Seven Spirits of God

The Holy Spirit is not only the Spirit of God (in the sense of being the “Spirit of the Father”), but also the Spirit of Christ (Acts 16:7 & Rom. 8:9).

The One Worthy Vs.7,8

Then He came and took the scroll: No created being was worthy to take the scroll. But Jesus (the Lamb) can take it and open it; His work on the cross has infinitely demonstrated his authority to do so.

Worship to the Worthy One

The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb: When the Lamb took the scroll, the response was immediate. High-ranking angels and redeemed man joined in worshiping the Lamb. I imagine this response will be mine as well when I someday see the Lamb.

As part of their worship, each one played the harp. Harp: Properly, a zithern or kind of guitar played either with the hand or a pick. There is music in heaven.

Golden Bowls

And golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints: The elders symbolically presented the prayers of the saints. They did not intercede for the saints, functioning as mediators for God’s people.

We are reminded that there is one God and one Mediator between God and humans, the Man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5) These elders held bowls of incense, which creates smoke, which rises up, and also symbolizes prayers. It’s symbolic for prayers going up. The elders did not literally pray for the saints.

It is also possible that these prayers represent the long-standing prayer of God’s people, “Your kingdom come.”

Hocking

How precious are our (the saints) prayers to God! He regards them as sweet-smelling incense as if set in precious golden bowls. The connection between prayer and incense is shown in Psalm 141:2. Incense has a pleasing aroma, it ascends to heaven, and it needs fire before it is of any use.

A New Song Vs. 9 & 10

And they sang a new song:

By ‘a new song’ is either to be understood as an excellent song (for new songs were usually most valued) or (which pleaseth me best) new as to the matter of it: for the servants of God under the Old Testament could not bless God for the actual redemption of man by the blood of Christ, but only rejoice in hope, embracing the promises seen afar off by the eye of faith.”

Poole

The twenty-four elders represent all saints (believers). They declare before our God as representers of all who worship Him. As they in unison say, “You are worthy,” the true Ruler of the World is honored.

Rev. 4:11, the emphasis was on God’s work of creation; here, it’s on His work of redemption. Only elders sing this song.

The song honors:

The price of redemption; for You were slain.

The worker of redemption; have redeemed us.

The destination of redemption; to God.

The payment of redemption; by Your blood.

The scope of redemption; every tribe and tongue and people and nation. No one is excluded or does not qualify to receive redemption. It is an invitation for any who believe.

The length of redemption; have made us kings and priests to our God. Believers are kings because of their royal birth and our destiny is to reign on earth with Jesus. We are priests because we need no mediator other than Jesus Himself.

The result of redemption; we shall reign on earth. In the end, we will receive earth and reign over it. There will be a day when we live our lives on earth without evil existing.

Verses 11-14

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

The Voice of Angels Vs. 11

The angels and the elders fell before the Lamb together in Rev. 5:8. It seems, by the use of the word “us,” only the elders sang the song of the redeemed in Rev. 5:9-10 because in no place does the Bible speak of the redemption of angels.

Then I heard the voice of many angels: The angels prompted the elders into worship in Rev. 4:9-10. Here, (vs. 11), the elders seem to prompt the angels. The elders and angels are encouraging each other to more praise.

The population of angels is innumerable.

Their Song Vs. 12

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain: In their song, the angels did not praise God for their redemption. To the best of our knowledge, angels are not subjects of this redemption. However, they are careful observers of God’s work and praise Him for it (1Pet. 1:12; Eph. 3:10). Bestowing upon him power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing.

Every Creature Vs. 13

John was complete in his description. There wasn’t a place he left out where a creature could be found. The world and all that is in it will praise God.

To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb: This collective worship of the Father and the Lamb is a solid testimony to the deity of Jesus.

Depend upon it, my hearer, you never will go to heaven unless you are prepared to worship Jesus Christ as God. They are all doing it there: you will have to come to it, and if you entertain the notion that He is mere man, or that He is anything less than God, I am afraid you will have to begin at the beginning and learn what true religion means. You have a poor foundation to rest upon. I could not trust my soul with a mere man, or believe in an atonement made by a mere man: I must see God Himself putting His hand to so gigantic a work.

Spurgeon

Worship Him Vs. 14

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshipped Him. The ancient Greek word for “worshipped” is literally “to prostrate” or “to lay before another in total submission.” Worship Him, for our Lord God lives forever and ever and is worthy of our praise.

Verses 6-8

Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.

We cannot know for certain if there is an actual sea of glass before the throne. It could be an actual sea clear as glass. But the reference to a body of water is connotative of Eph. 5:26, “with the washing of water by the word.”

Four Living Creatures

These four living creatures are angelic beings. They are first described in Ezekiel 1. Satan was once one of these high ranking beings, Ezekiel 28:14.

Their multitude of eyes indicates these beings are not “beasts” as translated in the KJV but heavenly creatures. They are not blind, nor are they robots. They know and understand and have greater insight and perception than any man. They live their existence to worship God. All failure to truly worship is rooted in a lack of seeing and understanding.

Lion/calf/face of a man/eagle: From reading Ezekiel 1, we know each of the beings has four faces. John sees all four faces at once, so each one had a different face turned to John.

These four faces could represent many things. They could represent the elements, the cardinal virtues, the faculties and powers of the human soul, the patriarchal churches, the great apostles, the order of churchmen, the principle angels, etc.

Maybe it’s best to say the four faces are important because they represent all of animate creation in all of its excellence. The lion is the mightiest of wild animals, the ox the strongest of domesticated animals, the eagle the king of all birds, and man is the highest of all creation. But all are placed under God’s throne of glory.

They do not rest night or day: “They have no rest, and yet they have no unrest neither, the sweet content they take in their continual employment is fitter to be believed than possible to be discoursed.” (Trapp)

The living creatures praise God day and night yet they were never redeemed by the blood of Jesus.

Do we sing as much as the birds do? Yet what have birds to sing about, compared with us? Do we sing as much as the angels do? Yet, they were never redeemed by the blood of Christ. Birds of the air, shall you excel me? Angels, shall you exceed me? You have done so, but I intend to emulate you, and day by day and night by night, pour forth my soul in sacred song.

Charles Spurgeon Holy Song from Happy Saints

Lord God Almighty/Who was and is and is to come: Both of these repeat the ideas in Rev. 1:8. God has His hand on everything and refers to God’s eternal Being.

Verses 9-11

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to Him who sits on the throne and who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will, they were created and have their being.”

The twenty-four elders represent all the people of God, the worship, the crown, the robes, the heart of these twenty-four elders belong to us also.

Casting the crowns simply acted out their declaration, You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. If God was worthy of all this, then He should get the crown. We have so much to praise God for. May we never be found short of constant praise to Him. If we have been given a crown in Heaven, to reign with Jesus then we should cast it at His feet. He is worthy of glory and honor and power. He should get the crown.

Our crowns and our right to rule, our victories come from God. Vs. 11: …for You created all things and for your pleasure they were created and have their being. We were created to bring God pleasure. Not the other way around. We exist to give Him glory and to please Him. And until we do that, we will not fulfill our created purpose.

God’s right over us as Creator is a fact that can be accepted and enjoyed, or rejected, leading to frustration. There is tremendous value in our recognizing our “creatureliness” before God.

There is a throne in heaven that no one can occupy but you, and there is a crown in heaven that no other head can wear but yours, and there is a part in the eternal song that no voice can ever compass but yours, and there is a glory to God that would be wanting if you did not come to render it, and there is a part of infinite majesty and glory that would never be reflected unless you should be there to reflect it.

Charles Spurgeon

Message To Laodicea

Verses 14-16: To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm- neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

A Little History About Laodicea

Laodicea was an important, wealthy city with a significant Jewish population. Like other cities in the region, it was a center for Caesar worship and the worship of the healing god Asklepios. There was a famous temple of Asklepios in Laodicea, with a more famous medical school connected with the temple.

An earthquake destroyed the region in a.d. 60. Laodicea refused Imperial help to rebuild. Successfully, they relied solely on the resources they had available to them. They prided themselves on financial wealth, extensive textile industry, and a popular eye salve exported worldwide.

Laodicea was too rich to accept help from anyone. Tacitus, the Roman historian, tells us: ‘Laodicea arose from the ruins by the strength of her own resources, and with no help.’

William Barclay

One of their problems was a poor water supply. This made them vulnerable to attack through a siege. If an enemy’s army surrounded them, they had insufficient water supplies in the city, and the supplies coming into the city could be cut off. This was the reason the leaders of Laodicea were always accommodating to any potential enemy. They always wanted to negotiate instead of fighting.

Jesus speaks to them about being lukewarm. They could relate to this because their main water supply came on a six-mile aqueduct from the hot springs of Hierapolis, so it arrived lukewarm.

The name Laodicea means “rule of the people.” This church is a great example of a church run by majority rule instead of God.

Jesus Describes Himself

These things says THE AMEN: He is THE “so be it”, THE “it is done”.

In Isaiah 65:16 God is called the God of truth; but in the Hebrew He is called the God of Amen. Amen is the word which is often put at the end of a solemn statement in order to guarantee its truth. If God is the God of Amen, He is utterly to be relied upon. This would mean that Jesus Christ is the One whose promises are true beyond all doubt.

William Barclay

The faithful and true witness: Jesus says He is this; a faithful and true witness. This is in contrast to the Laodiceans, who will be shown to be neither faithful or true.

The ruler of God’s creation: Other translations read, ‘the beginning of the creation of God’. The ancient Greek word for beginning is arche. The idea behind the word is that of a “ruler, source, origin,” not first in sequential order.

In early Christian writings, we read that Satan is the arche of death, that is to say, death takes its origin in him, and that God is arche of all things…

Barclay

This verse does not teach that Jesus was the first being created, but that He is the ruler, source, and origin of all creation. It has the idea of first in prominence not first in sequence.

To a church such as that in Laodicea – which trusts in itself, its money and its success – Jesus is confronting them with the truth that He alone can bring true spiritual renewal – “the new creation.” He alone can undo the effects of sin. He alone will raise the dead. The Laodiceans must therefore look to Him, in whom creation is renewed, rather than rely on temporal and worldly things as they have been doing.

Riddlebarger

What Jesus Knows And What He Will Do

Like all the other churches, He knew their works. They were neither hot nor cold but lukewarm. Jesus knew they would understand “lukewarm” and how disgusting it was to drink. In the spiritual sense, lukewarmness is a picture of indifference and compromise. It tries to play the middle, too hot to be cold and too cold to be hot. In trying to be both things, they end up being nothing.

I will spit you out of My mouth: Because He found them disgusting, He will spit them out of His mouth. Can you think of a greater curse upon the world than empty religion? Is there any soul harder to reach than the one who has just enough of Jesus to think they have enough? The church at Laodicea exemplifies empty religion. Tax collectors and harlots were more open to Jesus than the scribes and Pharisees in the church at Laodicea.

Satan will have us any way he can get us, but he prizes a lukewarm religionist far above a cold-hearted sinner. The lukewarm Christian has enough of Jesus to satisfy a craving for religion, but not enough for eternal life. Let me put it another way: the lukewarm religionist goes to church on Sunday but has no knowledge of the Scripture because he just doesn’t care. There is no discipleship, no struggle with sin, no sanctification, no personal holiness. Worse, there is no eternal life.

Cold Or Hot

If they were hot or cold Jesus could have done something with them but because they were neither, they were worthless. The thief on the cross was cold towards Jesus and clearly saw his need. John was hot towards Jesus and enjoyed a relationship of love. Judas was lukewarm, following Jesus enough to be considered a disciple, yet not giving his heart over in fullness.

In Rev. 3:19, where the word zealous is associated with this same word hot, we know His deepest desire is that they (we) be hot, with an on-fire love for Him. Yet, if they would not be hot, Jesus preferred cold rather than lukewarm.

O my brethren and sisters, have you ever really thought what an insult it is to God when we come before Him with lukewarm prayers: There stand the heavenly mercy-seat; the road to it is sprinkled with the precious blood of Jesus, yet we come to it with hearts that are cold, or we approach it leaving our hearts behind us. We kneel in the attitude of prayer, yet we do not pray. We prattle out certain words, we express thoughts, which are not our real desires, we feign wants that we do not feel. Do we not thus degrade the mercy-seat? We make it, as it were, a common lounging-place, rather than an awful wrestling-place, once besprinkled with blood, and often to be besprinkled with the sweat of our fervent supplication.

Charles Spurgeon

Alas, this state of lukewarmness is so congenial with human nature that it is hard to fetch men from it. Cold makes us shiver, and great heat causes us pain, but a tepid bath is comfort itself. Such a temperature suits human nature. The world is always at peace with a lukewarm church, and such a church is always pleased with itself.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon described the lukewarm church in his sermon “An Earnest Warning Against Lukewarmness”:

They have prayer meetings, but there are few present. When more attend the meeting they are still very dull, for they do their praying very deliberately and are afraid of being too excited.

They are content to have all things done decently and in order, but vigor and zeal are considered to be vulgar.

They may have schools, Bible classes, preaching rooms, and all sorts of agencies; but they might as well be without them, for no energy is displayed and no good comes of them.

They have deacons and elders who are excellent pillars of the church, if the chief quality of pillars be to stand still, and exhibit no motion or emotion.

The pastor does not fly very far in preaching the everlasting Gospel, and he certainly has no flame of fire in his preaching.

The pastor may be a shining light of eloquence, but he certainly is not a burning light of grace, setting men’s hearts on fire.

Everything is done in a half-hearted, listless, dead-and-alive way, as if it did not matter much whether it was done or not.

Things are respectably done, the rich families are not offended, the skeptical party is conciliated, and the good people are not alienated: things made pleasant all around.

The right things are done, but as to doing them with all your might, and soul, and strength, a Laodicean church has no notion of what that means.

They are not so cold as to abandon their work, or to give up their meetings for prayer, or to reject the gospel.

They are neither hot for the truth, nor hot for conversions, nor hot for holiness, they are not fiery enough to burn the stubble of sin, nor zealous enough to make Satan angry, nor fervent enough to make a living sacrifice of themselves upon the altar of their God. They are ‘neither cold or hot’.

Verses 17-22

You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

What Jesus Has Against Them

The Church at Laodicea lacked a sense of spiritual poverty. They took a look at their spiritual condition and said, “rich.” They looked again and said, “wealthy.” They looked a third time and said, “we require nothing.” They were the opposite of “blessed are the poor in spirit,” Jesus spoke of in Matt. 5:3.

The loss of a sense of need, as the drowsiness that besets a freezing man, is fatal.

Havner

Not only was the church at Laodicea spiritually poor, they were blind to it. Jesus looked at their spiritual condition and said “wretched.” He looked again and said “miserable.” He looked a third time and said “poor.” A fourth and final look He saw that they were spiritually naked.

Laodicea was famous for its healing eye salve, but the Christians of the city were spiritually blind. The city was also famous for fine clothing, but the Christians of the city were spiritually naked. Mental darkness is worse than a loss of sight, but a loss of spiritual vision is even worse.

The Laodiceans are typical of the modern world, which revels in that which the natural eye can see but is untouched by the gospel and does not see beyond the veil of the material to the unseen and real eternal spiritual riches.”

Walvoord

The contrast between what they thought and saw in themselves and what Jesus thought and saw in them is shocking. The contrast between the wealth and affluence of the city they lived in and their spiritual poverty is shocking as well.

What Jesus sees in us is more important than what we see in ourselves. The church in Smyrna thought themselves poor when in actuality they were rich (Rev. 2:9). The church at Laodicea thought themselves rich when in actuality they were poor.

Spiritually Poor Vs. Poor In Spirit

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt 5:3

The poor in spirit is not a man’s confession that he is by nature insignificant, or personally without value, for that would be untrue. Instead, it is a confession that he is sinful and rebellious and utterly without moral virtues adequate to commend him to God.

The poor in spirit recognize they have no spiritual “assets.” They know they are spiritually bankrupt. Poverty of spirit cannot be artificially induced by self-hatred; the Holy Spirit and our response to His working in our hearts bring it about.

This is the first beatitude (Matt. 5:3-12) because this is where we start with God. Everyone can start here. It isn’t first blessed are the pure or the holy or the spiritual or the wonderful; it’s first blessed are the poor in spirit.

Those who are poor in spirit will receive the kingdom of heaven. “Poverty of spirit” is an absolute prerequisite for receiving the kingdom of heaven. As long as we harbor illusions about our own spiritual resources, we will never receive, from God, what we absolutely need to be saved.

Jesus placed His call to be poor in spirit first for a reason because it puts His following commands into perspective. They cannot be followed by one’s own strength, but only by a beggar’s reliance on God’s power. No one mourns until they are poor in spirit; no one is meek towards others until he has a humble view of himself. If you don’t sense your own need and poverty, you will never hunger and thirst after righteousness; and if you have too high a view of yourself, you will find it difficult to be merciful to others.

“Poor in spirit” does not mean lacking in spirit, be it courage, the Holy Spirit, or religious awareness. But rather, that poverty is not only a physical condition but also a spiritual one. “Spiritually poor” is believing yourself to be lacking for nothing when in truth, you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.

What Jesus Wants Them To Do

I counsel you to buy from me: The change in Laodiceans (and Christians in 2021) had to begin with understanding spiritual poverty. As long as we believe we can meet the need for wealth, clothing, or sight for ourselves, we can never receive them from God.

Gold refined by fire: We understand gold. It can bring riches to its owner. If we receive from Jesus His riches, then we will truly be rich indeed.

White garments that you may be clothed: If we clothe ourselves with His white garments, then our nakedness (our true selves) will be covered when we stand before God. The shame of our nakedness would no longer be revealed.

Anoint your eyes with eye salve: Laodiceans were famous for their eye salves so the Christians understood this analogy. Jesus wanted them to seek spiritual sight that only comes from Him. He was to be their “eye salve.”

Therefore be zealous and repent: The ancient Greek word for zealous comes from the same word as hot in Rev. 3:16. He would rather they be hot than lukewarm or cold. He wanted them to stop or turn from what they were doing and get on fire for Him.

Jesus Still Loves Them

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: Jesus’ great love was expressed in His rebuke. The word for love in as many as I love is not agape, but phileo. Jesus’ heart to this church is, “Even though I rebuke you, I still love you. Even though I chasten you, I am still your friend.”

Behold, I stand at the door and knock: Jesus gave this lukewarm church The Great Invitation. He knocked at their door, asking entry to come in and dine with them, in the sense of sharing warm, intimate time. It only happens as we respond, but the promise is made to all: If anyone hears My voice.

The idea of Jesus at the door applies to the sinner and the saint (believers) equally. Why does He stand outside and knock? He is God, He could just come on in but He doesn’t. He lowers Himself to work out His eternal plan by waiting for our invitation to come in.

The occupant must open the door. That is, he must repent of his pride and self-sufficiency, his human wisdom, and his cowardly neutrality.

H. Morris

Dine with him: Here Jesus speaks of a specific meal known as the deipnon. It was the main meal of the day. It was long and leisurely. This speaks of a depth to the relationship.

An Overcomers Award

We do not have to be Christians who are compromising and lukewarm. We can change and become one of Jesus’ overcomers. Our reward will be to sit with Jesus on His throne. But first, we must overcome indifference, compromise, and self-reliance.

This is the worst of the seven churches, and yet the most eminent of all the promises are made to it, showing that the worst may repent, finally conquer, and attain even to the highest state of glory.

Clarke

Message To Philadelphia

Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. Of the seven churches that received a letter from Jesus, Philadelphia was the youngest. As a missionary outpost, it was founded on Hellenism, the culture of ancient Greece. This key city’s original purpose was to make it a center for spreading the Greek language, culture, and manners throughout the Asian provinces. In its history, Philadelphia had a great “evangelistic” calling.

It was a prosperous city, commanding one of the most significant highways in the world. This highway led from Europe to the East; it was the gateway from one continent to another. Philadelphia was known for beautiful buildings (it was called little Athens) and earthquakes, which required frequent evacuations.

Verse 7:

To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.

Jesus needed to remind them that “holy and true” were not just tendencies of His character but who He is. Holy and true are His very being. He was reminding them He is God.

Jesus quotes from Isaiah 22:22: The key of the house of David I will lay on His shoulder; So He shall open, and no one shall shut; He shall shut, and no one open, to drive home that He alone is the keeper of the doors and keys and He alone has power and authority, especially to admit or exclude.

Verse 8

I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, and have kept My word, and not denied My name.

As Jesus said to all the churches, ‘I know your works,’ He said to the church of Philadelphia. They served Him well in difficult circumstances, and He knew it.

I have set before you an open door: An open door speaks of evangelistic opportunity (1 Cor. 16:9, 2 Cor. 2:12 & Col. 4:3). Jesus opened the door for the Christians of Philadelphia to spread His kingdom’s culture through the whole region. He wanted them to see this opened door and go through it in faith.

The fact that Jesus said ‘see’ tells us He was showing them the door because they didn’t see it. Sometimes we don’t see the open door. But once we see it, we must walk through and take advantage of every evangelistic opportunity. Once Jesus opens a door for us, there is nothing that can stop our access.

Do you feel there aren’t any opportunities to share Christ with others in your daily life? Do you know if your co-worker is a Christian? Do you know if your neighbor is a Christian? Your mailman? Your grocer? Your child’s school teacher? Find out and start there.

For you have a little strength: This sounds as if Jesus was saying they were weak. However, this doesn’t imply weakness but real strength. They were weak enough to be strong in Jesus. We can be “too big,” “too strong,” or “too sure of ourselves” for Jesus to really use us. The church at Philadelphia had the poverty of spirit to know they really needed God’s strength.

It is not a matter of great strength, not great ability but great dependability. Samson had great ability but poor dependability. A little strength faithfully used means more than much strength flashily and fitfully used.

Vance Havner

2 Corinthians 12:7-10: And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

You have kept My word and have not denied My name: The church at Philadelphia had the evangelistic opportunity, reliance on God, and was faithful to Jesus. These features should be commonplace among churches. The fact that Jesus praised them for these things tells us they are not prevalent among all churches.

Jesus commended them for keeping the word and not denying His name! How can a church “be a church” and not have these two features? When a church measures its success by standards such as the rise of the clergy, the number or size of their new buildings, or the crowds that flock to listen to any human voice, they can fail to keep His word and deny His name. These things are earthly and not heavenly measures in which to judge success.

Keeping His word and not denying His name seems unspectacular features for a church to have. Yet Jesus was completely pleased with this church and had nothing negative to say to them. So He must have found them to be the exception and not the norm.

Verses 9-10

Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie-indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 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.

What Jesus Will Do For The Faithful Christians

The Christians in Philadelphia were persecuted by Jewish people (the synagogue). But these “Jews” were Jews in name only. In fact, they had no spiritual connection to Abraham or the people of faith. Jesus was speaking of this particular group of people, not of Jewish people as a whole.

I will make them come and worship at your feet: Jesus promises that He will come and vindicate His people. Our persecutors will know they were wrong. In Is. 45:14, God promised Israel that Gentiles would honor them and acknowledge their God. Here the tables are turned, and these Jewish people will recognize that the church is the Israel of God. They will worship alongside the Christians and will no longer be enemies. The best way to destroy the enemies of God is to pray that God changes them into friends.

I will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world: This is our promise from Jesus that if we keep His command to endure patiently and not lose faith, we will be spared “the hour of trial” which is coming upon those who do not believe. This is a prophetic reference to the Messianic woes, the Great Tribulation, which precede Jesus’ earthly kingdom. These are Jesus’ own words that tell us we will be spared (raptured) before the Great Tribulation.

To test those who dwell on earth: This phrase is used nine times in the Book of Revelation. It speaks of those who are not saved in Jesus. Rev. 17:8 makes a clear connection with the lost. “The beast which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction: and they that dwell on the earth, whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.” So this “test” Jesus speaks of here is for the unbelievers.

Christians are different. Though we walk on this earth, our dwelling place is in Heaven. We have been seated in Heavenly places in Jesus. Ephesians 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. We do not dwell on the earth; our life is hidden in Jesus. Col 3:3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Phil. 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,…

Verses 11-13

Behold, I come quickly. Hold on to what you have so that no one will take your crown. 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. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

The expression ‘quickly’ is to be understood as something which is sudden and unexpected, not necessarily immediate.

John F. Wolvoord

Jesus is coming back. It will be sudden and unexpected. We should remember this. We must hold fast to what we have. We must no depart from our solid foundation. We must take advantage of evangelistic opportunities. We must hold fast to our reliance on and faithfulness in Jesus.

That no one make take your crown: If we fail to ‘hold fast’ our crown might be given to another. The idea is not that it will be stolen, but given. This is not a crown of royalty, given because of royal birth, but a crown of victory.

Never forget that the man most likely to steal your crown is yourself. ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life’ (Pro. 4:23). You are in no greater danger from anyone or anything than from yourself.

Vance Havner

A Promise of Reward

I will make him a pillar: Pillars were pictures of strength, stability, and dignified beauty. In the ancient city of Philadelphia, they suffered from earthquakes. When a building collapsed in an earthquake, often all that remained were the huge pillars. Jesus offers us the same strength, to remain standing in Him when everything around us crumbles. In the church body, we are the pillars, and Jesus is the foundation.

He shall go out no more: As Christians, we have a place of permanence and stability in Jesus. We can never truly know what it feels like to have these two Christian attributes in our earthly lives. Our lives are too limited and unpredictable to fathom the boundlessness and the unmovable stability that awaits us. I can imagine how, for some of us, imagining a life of permanence and stability would come harder. This should give you hope to persevere until He calls you home.

I will write on him…: Overcomers will also receive many new names- the name of God, the name of the New Jerusalem, and the new name of Jesus. These are marks of identification because they show who we belong to. They are marks of intimacy because they show we are privileged to know Him in ways others are not.

Philadelphia honored its illustrious sons by putting their names on the pillars of its temples so that all who came to worship might see and remember.

William Barclay

Have you noticed that in each letter Jesus addressed these ancient people in a way that would make sense to them? He uses phrases and terms that were familiar to them, things that they could relate to. When I talk with Jesus, He answers in ways that I can understand. This is one of the many reasons Christians need to develop a personal relationship with Jesus outside the walls of a church. An intimate relationship is what Jesus desires from each of us.

He who has an ear…: Jesus only had praise for the church of Philadelphia. This is six out of seven churches, and it is only the second one that Jesus did not have anything against. If we will ‘hear’ His message, we must understand that we need to stand strong on our foundation; Jesus. We must depend upon Him as our source of strength and not rely upon ourselves.

Message To Sardis

A Little Sardis History

Chapter 3 continues and finishes the seven letters to the seven churches. The first church to receive a letter is the church of Sardis.

At the time, Jesus showed this vision to John, the city of Sardis had seen its best days and had started to decline. Yet, it was a wealthy city situated at the junction of several important trade routes. Sardis and easy money were well connected.

The first coinage, ever to be minted in Asia Minor, was in Sardis, in the days of Croesus. Sardis was the place where modern money was born. It was known for its softness, and luxury. A reputation for apathy and immorality was well deserved for Sardis. They had a large stately temple to the mother goddess, Cybele. She was honored and worshipped with all kinds of sexual immorality and impurity.

The manufacturing of woolen garments was another thing Sardis was known for, which has a bearing on Christ’s message to the church. The combination of easy money and a loose moral environment made the people of Sardis notoriously soft and pleasure-loving.

The great characteristic of Sardis was that, even on pagan lips, Sardis was a name of contempt. Its people were notoriously loose-living, notoriously pleasure and luxury-loving. Sardis was a city of decadence.

William Barclay

Getting Into Scripture

Vs. 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 works; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

As Jesus described Himself, He used terms that emphasized His character as the Master of every Spiritual power and authority. He repetitively used the number seven to make it clear because the number seven is the number of completeness in the Bible. He wants it understood that He holds the fullness of the Spirit of God and the fullness of the church.

Again Jesus points out that He knows their works. What a church is and what a church does is never hidden from Him. Also, He knows they have a reputation for being alive. They were known for being full of life and vitality, but Jesus knew they were dead.

Like the city of Sardis, everything seemed alive and good in the church. But Jesus lets them know that He knows they are dead. This shows that a good reputation is no guarantee of true spiritual character.

What did Jesus see that they didn’t even see in themselves? By saying they were dead, indicates that He saw no struggle, no fight, no persecution. It wasn’t that they were losing the battle, but that they had already lost it.

We are not to get the impression that Sardis was a defunct affair with the building a wreck, the members scattered, the pastor ready to resign. It was a busy church with meetings every night, committees galore, wheels within wheels, promotion and publicity, something going on all the time. It had a reputation of being alive, wide-awake, ongoing concern.

Vance Havner

Alive But Dead

So far, in the letters to the churches, Jesus has had some compliments for each church. But the church in Sardis receives only criticism. It is their reputation, what men see, that is Jesus’ main complaint. Men saw this church as alive, active, full of programs and church activity, but Jesus saw and knew they were without true spiritual vitality; they were dead.

By the world’s standards, they were successful, and they were probably proud of themselves and their church. They were always hustling and bustling, constantly filled with activity, a lot like many of our churches today, and yet Jesus said they were dead.

Why would Jesus say such a thing to them? When they received this letter, I can imagine how confident and sure they were that it was filled with nothing but praise. Also, I can imagine how indignant, disgruntled, and resentful they must have been upon reading the letter. I can hear their protest, “How can He say we’re dead? Look at all we do!”

It wasn’t that they were losing the battle; a dead body has already been lost. That Jesus would say this indicates no struggle, no fight, and no persecution. In all of the previous letters, Jesus encouraged them to stand strong against false doctrine or persecution, but there was no such encouragement for the church in Sardis. There wasn’t a significant danger of these things. Because they were “dead,” they presented no threat to Satan’s domain, so it wasn’t worth attacking.

For the unbeliever, death means to be without spiritual life, unregenerate and separated from a relationship with God- without God. But for the believer, death is sometimes used as a symbol for being out of fellowship with God, being asleep, or being separated from Christ as the source of abundant life. (John 10:10)

What Could Have Caused This Death

This should be a warning to all churches that they are in danger of death. Many things can cause this death. For instance, when a church begins to worship its own past or history, its reputation or name, or the ‘elite names’ in the churches, could be one cause. When it is more concerned with a body count than with the spiritual quality of life it is producing in its body; this can be a cause of death. When it is more involved with management, growing in building size, or formality than it is in function, ministry, or physical over the spiritual, it is in danger of death.

The impression is that the assembly in Sardis was seen by the unsaved in the city as a respectable group of people who were neither dangerous nor desirable. They were decent people with a dying witness and a decaying ministry.

“Some may have been only professing Christians engaged in religious activities which had never truly trusted in Jesus Christ. More than likely, however, they were carnal believers who had made a good start but had failed to move on, to grow and experience true spirituality. They were active, engaged in works, but temporarily dead, out of fellowship with Christ.” (Steve Gregg)

Verses 2-3

Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

Though the spiritual condition was pretty bad, it wasn’t hopeless. There was still something that remained, and that being Jesus Himself. Christ is the head of the church, and He can bring new life. The Holy Spirit is what gives life to the church.

It was not too late. Jesus had not given up on them. He tells them He sees their works, but they are not complete. By saying this, we know they had some works; they didn’t measure up to Jesus’ standards. The presence of works isn’t enough because Jesus requires a particular intent and purpose in all of our works. Our works should be done in a certain manner and with a heart that shows them to be perfect before the Lord.

Obey And Repent

First, they must remember what they have received and heard, that being the Word of God. Then they must obey it and repent. Repent; change what they are doing. They must restore the gospel to authority over their lives. They needed to be mindful of the early days of their life in the Word when the Word was received by faith and was their source of strength and wisdom for all of life.

1 Thessalonians 2:13: For this reason, we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.

In Revelation 2:5, Jesus threatened the Ephesian church by removing its lampstand if it did not repent. In Revelation 2:16, He threatened the church at Pergamos with His sword if they did not repent. To the church of Sardis, He threatens to judge them by coming against them like a thief at an unexpected time. They would understand His meaning because Sardis had succumbed to an unexpected military attack twice in its history because of its failure to watch.

Verses 4-6

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

Soiled Clothes

Even among the dead Christians, there were a faithful few. In Pergamos and Thyatira, there were a few bad among the good. In Sardis, there were a few good among the bad. “Even in Sardis” shows that it was remarkable that there were any at all that was still faithful to the Lord.

When Jesus said they had not defiled their garments, he was referencing the belief of the pagans that they could not approach their gods with dirty clothes. The analogy works because Jesus gives His people white garments. We shall walk with Him in white. I can not wait to walk in person with Jesus! My mind can not fully grasp what Heaven will be like, but I can fully grasp what walking with Jesus will be like, and I can not wait.

“And I will not blot out his name from the book of life”

In ancient times, a criminal conviction or death could blot out a citizen’s name from the city’s book of the living, used as the city register. It was as if they never existed. We humans like to think that when we pass from this life into the next, we will leave a piece of ourselves behind for generations to come. With that in mind, think about if you were blotted out as if you never were. No pictures, no grave, no trace of you. Poof! Gone and forgotten. As sad as that seems, now think about if God were to blot you out as if He never created you. To me, that is too unbearable even to fathom.

Can We Lose Our Salvation?

Can our name be in the book one day and not the next? Knowing that my name is in that book brings me joy. It should you as well. But should we be worried that every time we sin, our name is being blotted out? This is THE BOOK of all books for Christians. As it should be, it’s a big deal because anyone whose name is not found in the book of life will be cast into a lake of fire. (Rev. 20:15)

There are five different references, in the Bible, to people being blotted out of the book of life. So we should take it seriously. In all five references, this is said of people who had lost their faith, their walk, and their trust. They simply stopped persevering. Check out these verses for yourself. (Exodus 32:32, 33; Psalm 69:28; Rev. 3:5; Rev. 22:19)

So the ‘name blotting’ happens when the person being blotted out says, “I don’t believe anymore” or “I don’t want to do this anymore.” Maybe, they were never truly saved. Or perhaps, they never truly believed. Or it could be, their name was never in the book, to begin with. They just thought it was because they “said” they believe. This is why it is imperative to know without a doubt what we believe and not build our faith on sinking sand.

The End Of The Letter

At the end of each letter, so far, Jesus has said, “He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the church.” These letters are for all people (past, present, future) who are Christians.

In the church at Sardis, we see that it’s easy to drift in sleepy apathy toward spiritual death. Especially when you have a good reputation. But there is hope because Jesus knows how to raise the dead.

The letter to Sardis teaches us that we must beware of our success. The city was wealthy, living was easy but it made them soft and spoiled. Much like many of us today. Sardis thought itself unconquerable so it was conquered.

We must beware of believing that there is anything we would never do. In my life experience, almost everything I believed at a younger age, I would never do, I have done. With each one, after confessing to my Savior and repenting (changing my actions, thoughts, beliefs, or words and not repeating them), there was a lesson to be learned. And that being a lesson in the love Jesus has for me.

If we truly believe we are saved our names are written in the book of life and nothing will cause it to be blotted out. Jesus’ letter to the church at Sardis should teach us to beware that we don’t get too comfortable and become apathetic in His forgiveness, grace, and love.

Romans 8:38-39;

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Changing Things Up

For Revelation chapters 2 & 3, I did the whole chapter at once. My number one fan, my husband, has stated it’s a bit much for him all in one sitting. So from now on, I will be breaking the chapters into sections to make it more reader-friendly. I hope you are enjoying the blog, and it is blessing you in some way. Thanks for reading.