Epistles to the church at Sardis; About this commentary: I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. This one is addressed to the church in Philadelphia. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write — “Philadelphia, so called from Attalus Philadelphus, its builder, is distant from Sardis about twenty-seven miles to the south-east. Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. “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 Message to Philadelphia. i. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. He knocks, saying, ‘open for me, my sister, my love.’. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. Click on the different category headings to find out more. God can always be counted on to keep his promises (Titus 1:2). Click to enable/disable Google reCaptcha. i. Among the many sins… perhaps this will lie the heaviest upon our heart and conscience, ‘I did not live as I ought to have done; I was not as earnest in my Lord’s cause as I should have been.’ Then will our cold sermons, like sheeted ghosts, march before our eyes in dread array. According to Walvoord (p. 89), Laodicea was founded by Antiochus II in the middle of the third century before Christ and was named after his wife Laodice. ... About this commentary: Pergamite: True faith more and more disappearing; clericalism systematized, union with the world. Here our Lord Jesus styles himself, "The Amen;" one steady and unchangeable in all his purposes and promises. I stand at the door and knock… If anyone hears My voice and opens the door: This statement of Jesus expressed a profound mystery. The epistle to the Church of Philadelphia, Revelation 3:7-13. Our website uses cookies to store user preferences. The key to opening the door is to first hear His voice. Why did He wait until someone opens the door? The Passage: “The Church in Philadelphia” (3:7-13) In this passage we find the sixth letter, or mini-letter, that was dictated by Jesus to John in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. . We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Click to enable/disable _gid - Google Analytics Cookie. It is also interesting to note that Paul addressed seven churches: Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Colosse, Phillipi, and Thessalonica (some also note with interest that Jesus gives seven “Kingdom Parables”). Revelation 3 is the third chapter of the Book of Revelation or the Apocalypse of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible.The book is traditionally attributed to John the Apostle, but the precise identity of the author remains a point of academic debate. We need 2 cookies to store this setting. In his letter to the church there, … This goes against the spirit of our age, which was long ago expressed by a famous Englishman when he read a sermon by G.W.E. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. Revelation 3:7-8 What is this open door? When Jesus said dine with him, He spoke of a specific meal known as the deipnon. undertaken for his people, that they shall be presented faultless. f. I will come into him: What a glorious promise! iii. Seiss does not give much of a description of the Laodicean church along this same pattern, because he felt that in his day (1900), it was yet to really emerge upon the scene. a. I counsel you to buy from Me: The change in the Laodiceans had to begin with understanding their spiritual poverty. Speaking to seven churches means speaking to the church in perfection, in completion and totality. He had every right to break down the door, or enter some other way on His own accord, but He didn’t. Philadelphos (Greek #5361) is the Greek for one who loves his brother. If the church at Philadelphia was “The Church of the Open Door,” then Laodicea had “The Church of the Excluded Jesus.”. Therefore be zealous and repent. i. Here Jesus told the church in Philadelphia that he was the manager, and he used a set of phrases to establish this. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Since Jesus is He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens (Revelation 3:7), He had the authority to keep this door open for the Christians in Philadelphia. 7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. a. There is still a farming town there today. 1 Constable, Expository Notes on Revelation [CD-ROM], 40.. 2 John F. Walvoord , “Revelation” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, eds. Anoint your eyes with eye salve: If they received from Jesus the healing of their spiritual sight, they would then be able to see. Spiritually speaking, they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. The biblical city was located about 28 miles southeast of the city of Sardis. c. You are: This wasn’t just the opinion of Jesus. It is called by the Turks Alah Shahr, or the beautiful city, on account of its delightful situation, standing on the declivity of the mountain Tmolus, and having a most pleasant prospect on the plains beneath, well furnished with divers villages, … At Philadelphia; God is able, and as willing as able, to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory. Each has prophetic and spiritual applications and each represents a period of time in church history. Sardis 5. Additionally, some have pointed to the order of the letters as evidence of their significance as a broad explanation of church history in the period between the Ascension and Jesus to His return. “When you and I shall be stretched upon our dying beds, I think we shall have to regret, above everything else, our coldness of heart. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. This is where Jesus wants us, in the place of fellowship with Him. The merchants of Laodicea were famous for a glossy black wool they used to make beautiful garments. Philadelphia was the sixth of seven congregations to receive a message from Jesus Christ at the end of the first century. Jesus’ great love was expressed in His rebuke. Christ’s letter to Philadelphia Revelation 3:7. The name ‘Philadelphia’ is interesting; it means ‘love for a brother’. Thyatiran: Purple and glory for the corrupt priesthood; false prophets enthroned in a time when truth was exchanged for darkness (up to the Reformation). 1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: The epistle to the Church of Sardis, Revelation 3:1-6. He promised to come in, and then to dine with the believer. We might say that it all began with their spiritual blindness. Study the bible online using commentary on Revelation 3 and more! Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. We would much rather identify ourselves with the church at Philadelphia. iv. ©2019 David Guzik – No distribution beyond personal use without permission. Commentary on Revelation 3:14-22 (Read Revelation 3:14-22) Laodicea was the last and worst of the seven churches of Asia. Though certain historical periods are marked by the conditions spoken of in these letters, we could never say that “only one letter” applies only to us or our age. Previous commentary: Ephesian: Warmth and love and labor for Christ; defection beginning with a gradual cooling of love, false professions and clergy/laity distinctions. i. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. The ancient Greek word zealous comes from the same word as hot in Revelation 3:16. i. b. It was founded by colonists from Pergamum under the reign of Attalus the Second, who ruled in Pergamum from 159 to 138 B.C. ii. Laodicean: Middle 1800’s to the end of the Christian dispensation, “a sad comment on modern Christendom.”, Chuck Smith, What the World is Coming To (1977). He who has an ear, let him hear: Few want to identify themselves with the church of Laodicea. The church in Smyrna thought they were poor when they were really rich (Revelation 2:9), but the church of the Laodiceans believe they are rich when they are really poor. First and foremost, the letters were written to real, existing first-century congregations, and to “all who have an ear to hear.” As Henry Morris says, “Since there is nothing directly said by Christ to require – or even to suggest – such an (prophetic) application, a literalistic approach to the study of Revelation cannot place much emphasis on it.”. He desires to come in and to sit long with us, and to wait as long as we wish him to wait.” (Barclay), iii. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Why did Jesus stand outside the door? He won’t ring the bell and run away. For an overview of the messages to all seven congregations, see “Seven Churches of Revelation.” Members of the Church of God in Philadelphia undoubtedly faced similar influences and pressures as did other Christians at the time. Up to this point, phrases from the vision of chapter 1 were used to identify the speaker. The epistle to the Church of Laodicea, Revelation 3:14-22. Smyrna: 2nd to 4th centuries, Roman persecutions. II. All sincere believers were given him of the Father; and of all so given him he has lost none, nor will lose any one. If one accepts these seven letters as descriptive of the flow of church history, it does not require that we see them as exclusive, rigidly sequential ages. These churches were located along the old Roman postal route and were situated approximately 50 km from each other. The messages to the seven churches began in chapter 2 with the messages to the first four churches. Remember that on a separate page there are common notes for the seven messages. Why did He knock? “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), “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’”. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. It was backed by volcanic cliffs and though the land was rich and fertile from the volcanic residue, Philadelphia was a dangerous place to live due the many earthquakes experienced by the region. © Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. Revelation commentary: chapter 3 - last 3 letters to seven churches. Read the Scripture: Revelation 3:7-13. Here is what some say about each of these periods as they relate to church history: Henry Morris, The Revelation Record (written in 1983), “Although it is by no means the dominant theme, there is a sense also in which the seven churches seem to depict the respective stages of development and change of Christ’s churches during the ensuing centuries. iii. If religion is worth anything, it is worth every thing. 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Of sight ; but a loss of sight ; but the Redeemer has thyatiran the. Message to the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 2–3 ) Laodicea was the and! Love and labor for Christ ; defection beginning with a gradual cooling of love, but...

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