Humanly speaking, anyone would say that there was not a more prosperous town in Asia Minor. It was the last bastion of Asian Christianity. That was thirty years before the Revelation was written; but it may be that as long ago as that the rot had set in in the Church in Laodicea and an unsatisfactory ministry had sown the seeds of degeneration. He will reward them at his return (10-11). He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the church ( Revelation 3:13 ). But this is here restricted: it does not mean the truth in general, nor the gospel in particular, though we cannot doubt that John did preach the gospel, and did nourish the church of God in all His revealed truth; but this is not the subject of the Apocalypse, nor the meaning of our text. Find fault with a brother and he will be kept from growing too proud; and he will, no doubt, go forward blessing you very much for your kind consideration in promoting his humility. For justification this is manifest; for a rule of life it is not so apparent, but it is just as real a denial of the gospel. Every band of believers has some strength: weak as we are in ourselves, the very fact of our possessing faith proves that we have a portion of strength. Product Identifiers Publisher Zondervan ISBN-10 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. If a man will open the door, Jesus Christ will come in and linger long with him. They had little talent, but they kept God's word. John 1:51; John 3:3; John 3:5; John 3:11). It is not what I think; it is not what some greater man may think; it is not what may be the consensus of all the enlightened minds of the period; the decision lies with what the Lord has spoken. It is all a mistake, therefore, to suppose that this is a singular distinction, It amounts to this that the Lord will hold, after all, to His own truth, spite of unfaithfulness. The error then is not in seeking the best supported text, but in allowing tradition to tie us to comparatively modern and certainly to corrupted readings. . Not only will the Lord thus vindicate what is of Himself, but, as we know, there is an awful time coming on this world an hour, as it is said here, not simply of tribulation, but of temptation or trial. (v) On the faithful Christian Christ will write his own new name. There are opportunities before you now which were not there before: these are placed before you especially because you have been tried, and have been proved faithful. If you have nothing but nature, it would be intelligible; but if you have seen the Son of God and believed in Him, if by grace you have the same life which was in Him, so that this thing is true of Him and of you, no possible standard can suit for you as a Christian short of Christ Himself. And too many souls overall miss the wonder, inspiration, and comfort gained by those who would endeavor toward . Just so God will put his mark upon his faithful ones. for thou hast a little strength ( Revelation 3:8 ). They were true and ardent, but with no considerable light of knowledge if measured by a fuller and richer testimony which the Lord was afterwards to raise up, as foreshown in the next chapter. In the temptation you will fall, for indeed you are fallen already. All is here limited to what he saw. This term refers to earth-dwellers as contrasted with heaven-dwellers, the unsaved as contrasted with Christians. There the Holy Ghost was the only one competent to minister and effectuate such grace according to the counsels of God, and in the ordering of His love. The activity was in the clergy, who brought in the basest compromise with the world, and sold the honour of Christ for silver and gold, for ease and dignity. Here we are evidently on broad ground. It was so wealthy that it did not even need God. The coming wrath of God is described in detail throughout chaps 6-19, and features the unleashing of divine wrath in judgments as expressed in the seals, trumpet, and bowls. . This Philadelphian church had won the commendation, "Thou hast kept my word." 2 He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. The Sardians had thought themselves too safe to need a guard; and so Sardis fell. Clericalism came in rapidly after this. At that time the emperor made the declaration that Christianity should be the recognized religion throughout the Roman Empire. "Blessed is the man whom thou dost chasten, O Lord, and whom thou dost teach out of thy law" ( Psalms 94:12). The promise to the overcomers that they would go no more out refers to their fixed position as pillars in the temple; and with the two massive pillars in Solomons temple in view, saying that overcoming Christians will be placed in the position of pillars in the temple is the same as saying that these Christians will occupy sure, secure, firmly established positions of strength and power, positions which will be realized when they rule and reign as co-heirs with Christ in the [millennial] kingdom." Three centuries before, Philadelphia had been given an open door to spread Greek ideas in the lands beyond; and now there has come to it another great missionary opportunity, to carry to men who never knew it the message of the love of Jesus Christ. This is exactly as we would have it. Here the name of Jesus is enough to stir the heart in a sweet and suited doxology. Beale believed that this "hour" probably refers to the end of the churchs present experience of tribulation, just before Christs second coming. In truth, the moral reason lay in this: that Christ, if rejected as the object of faith, and the only channel of grace, becomes an executor of judgment. What a solemn conjunction, that there should be this close proximity between Satan's throne without, but withal the mercy of God still maintaining that fundamental faith of Christ's own personal glory! Christian chivalry should make you feel it better to be a member of a church of six doing the Lord's work conscientiously than to be a member of a church of six millions which has turned aside from it. Such is Protestantism. We have a little strength. I warrant you if you get faith into your soul, and the word becomes your joy and comfort, you will never let it go. And then, thirdly, we shall speak upon a word of promise which is in the text in the tenth verse: "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." It is not a question of someone stealing their crown but of God taking it from them and giving it to someone else, because they were not worthy to wear it. (b) In the ancient world white robes stood for victory. People may not be true to their principles, and often are not. To have one's name written in the book of life is to be numbered amongst the faithful citizens of the Kingdom of God. We will speak upon the text to-night with a view to that, and we shall notice, first, that there is a word of praise: God praises this faithful messenger of the church. The characteristics are general. When he came back to Antioch he told how God had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles ( Acts 14:27). Read full chapter. We long to know Your truth. Scripture: Revelation 19:1-10 (Commentary helps listed at the end) Bottom line: We worship Jesus Christ because of who he is and what he's done. It is a recommencement, and so far is analogous with that to Ephesus: still, the manner in which the Lord is presented is quite new. Overstreet, pp. , , , , , the word of my patience, I also will keep thee, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers. Our Lord called upon them to be watchful against their enemies, and to be active and earnest in their duties; and to endeavour, in dependence on the grace of the Holy Spirit, to revive and strengthen the faith and spiritual affections of those yet alive to God, though in a declining state. So we come to the end of the second section of the book of Revelation, the things which are. Ramsay says of Philadelphia that it was "the centre for the diffusion of Greek language and Greek letters in a peaceful land and by peaceful means." Sardis was a city of degeneration. Therefore they appear as golden lampstands. No man knows the day and the hour when for him eternity will invade time. 1:18), they will belong permanently to God, to the heavenly city and to their Saviour (12-13). "This is the judge that ends the strife, When wit and reason fail. The address is to the overcomer, who is accordingly put before the call to hear. The old saying is true: "Fate is what we must do; destiny is what we are meant to do." These were proper characters for him, when speaking to a church that had endeavoured to be conformed to Christ in holiness and truth, and that had enjoyed a wide door of liberty and opportunity under his care and government. The Lord returns into his servants' bosoms that which they render to him: he gives keeping for keeping. What they did was this they kept the word of God: "Thou hast kept my word, and thou hast not denied my name." The meaning would be the same, Jesus is one whose promises can be relied upon. We so often regard him as the one to whom we look for things; for his strength, his help, his support, his comfort. Wake up to holy energy. We cannot see the big bells, but it is ours to pull the ropes that are near our hand, and do what God bids us to do, and music will come of it somewhere. 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. It was adapted by the church. Remember how Mr. Bunyan pictures it. His coming is their joy, and for this they watch more than watchman for the dawn. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were cold or hot. Nobody cares a button about him. "The things which are" present the prolonged condition set forth in the addresses to the seven churches. It was on the edge of a great plain called the Katakekaumene ( G2618) , which means the Burned Land. Such terms alone become one who is divine. The result was that twenty pounds weight of gold was seized as contraband in Laodicea and one hundred pounds in Apameia in Phrygia. Thus the Lord speaks with exceeding tenderness of those that were true to His name. They may express either the reason why the door stands open before the Christians of Philadelphia or the reason why they will be given those who belong to the synagogue of Satan. I take it to be this: that the Lord had in view not necessarily an elder, nor a teacher, but one who might be either or both, and before His mind truly represented, and was in a special way bound up with the responsibility of the state of the assembly. Galatians 2:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-10). Oh that my words might call out some faithful ones in these evil days. says the Holy One" ( Isaiah 40:25). The framers of this were those that held the doctrine of Balaam. (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." The motives, taken from the speedy appearance of Christ: "Behold, I come quickly. The condemnation of Laodicea begins with a picture of almost crude vividness; because the Laodiceans are neither cold nor hot, they have about them a kind of nauseating quality, which will make the Risen Christ vomit them out of his mouth. I trust that many of us can say that the doctrines of grace are our jewels, our estate, yes, our very life. Is this wise? Writing ones name on something indicated ownership in Johns day, as it does now. I shall put it home to you, dear friends, again. Did He thus walk? Even when time comes to an end, and the world as we know it ceases to exist, he who is faithful to Christ will still be said in his keeping. 2. . It is "he that openeth, and no man shall shut." 1:19 + ). At the same time, if we do not start with the Old Testament revelations of Babylon or Jerusalem, or the instruction derived from the prophets generally, we are not prepared for appreciating or even understanding the Apocalypse as a whole. "Withhold not correction from the child; for, if you beat him with a rod he will not die. On that day the inspired writer John was in the power of the Holy Ghost with a view to take in and give out the visions he was to see. Dear hearer, see that you win it too. Peter warns his people that they will give account for their deeds to him who comes to judge the living and the dead ( 1 Peter 4:5). "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants." A certain Mardian soldier called Hyeroeades had seen a Sardian soldier accidentally drop his helmet over the battlements, and then make his way down the precipice to retrieve it. If you only help to strengthen one solitary Christian woman, who knows what may come to pass by her means? Oh, that they would cease to display their own thought, their own cleverness, and individuality. The National Christian Council of Japan in a document found the distinctive difference of Christianity from all other religions in, "Man not seeking God, but God taking the initiative in seeking man." A man should live every day as if it were his last. Through sin the yearning for the highest can become the craving for power; the wish to serve can become the intoxication of ambition; the desire of love can become the passion of lust. "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. John sees the Son of man with the qualities of the Ancient of days. That which had produced the mighty results was no longer active, nor could be. Supposing that we have not such big heads as some have, and cannot excogitate or multiply sophisms and inventions as they do, it will be no small thing to be commended at the last, in these terms "Thou hast a little strength, but thou hast kept my word." It was with him that Sardis reached its zenith and it was with him that it plunged to disaster. Satan revives the old Judaizing spirit, at the very time that God re-asserts the true principle of Christian brotherhood, and, above all, makes Christ Himself to be all to His people. Possibly if they had felt stronger they might have presumptuously quitted the word of the Lord for the opinions of men, as the Galatians did, and then they would have lost their reward. Through Christ, who has the key to life and death (see v. 7; cf. I will be glad to share with you and become one with you just open the door.". That is the way in which the Church at Laodicea affected the Risen Christ. It is a question of faith in God. After a day of patience we must expect an hour of temptation; a day of gospel peace and liberty is a day of God's patience, and it is seldom so well improved as it should be and therefore it is often followed by an hour of trial and temptation. The terrible thing about sin is that it can take the loveliest things and turn them into ugliness. We have most of us heard what conflicts he had, and not merely at the beginning of his career but to the end. Antiochus, who became the ruler of the area in which Sardis stood, was at war with a rival called Achaeus who sought refuge in Sardis. In his book Out of Nazareth Donald Baillie cites three witnesses to the uniqueness of this conception. The mixture of relations is always wrong; the oversight of them is loss, their denial ruinous. This is a message to the angel of the church at Philadelphia, and it is full of instruction to churches and ministers at this present time "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him" ( Proverbs 13:24). Except the common-places of controversy with Protestants, they know little of Scripture. That letters were written to literal congregations from Ephesus to Laodicea seems to be unquestionable; but I cannot doubt that these were chosen, and the addresses so shaped to them as to bring before those who have ears to hear the complete circle of the Lord's testimony here below as long as there should be anything possessed (responsibly if not really) of a church character. The deliberately-formed conviction that the word of God is the standard of our faith, and the unwavering habit of referring everything to it and standing and falling by it, may not deliver us from every error, but they will save us from that which is the nurse and matrix of every error that is, the habit of trusting to our own understanding, or relying upon the understandings of our fellow-men. This is all the more likely because it was common at baptism to clothe a man, after he had emerged from the water, in clean white robes, symbolic of the cleansing of his life. He saw the blind confidence of Croesus and his people that nothing could end this splendour; but he also saw that the seeds of softness and of degeneration were being sown. We have seen how for years Philadelphia was terrorized by recurring earthquakes of the earth and how, when such times came, its citizens fled into the open country to escape and, when the tremors ended, came uncertainly back. "I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King" ( Isaiah 43:15). There is a general theory abroad that it is quite right and proper to point out to a brother all his imperfections, for it will be a salutary medicine to him, and prevent his being too happy in this vale of tears. "You have kept my commandment," he says, "therefore, I will keep you." Brother, cling to God's word; cling to infallible and immutable revelation! There can be few of us who have not experienced the power of some habit into which we have fallen. It is crucial to distinguish between the tribulations believers endure in faith and the wrath of God that falls on an unbelieving world. When the signs come, the Christian will know that the last time is near, even at the doors ( Mark 13:29; Matthew 24:33). He is seen as the all-powerful and Sovereign Judge at the Great White Throne Judgment. In Hierapolis, six miles away from Laodicea, there was a "Congregation of Jews" which had power to levy and to retain fines, and an archive office where Jewish legal documents were specially kept. III. Truth does not die through being buried. Balderdash. He would give them grace to bear up under trials with a Christian spirit, and in such a manner that their salvation should not be endangered. The white robes may stand for the reward of those who have won the victory. 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