Understanding the Second Coming: The Seven Churches Part 3

Sardis

And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things

saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars;

I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and

art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are

ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember

therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent.

If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou

shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names

even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk

with Me in white: for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same

shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of

the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before

His angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the

churches” (Revelation 3:1-6).

The message to Thyatira addressed the papal church of the Dark Ages.

The message of Sardis is applicable to the Protestantism that separated

itself from the mother church. These were the faithful ones who resisted

the corrupting influence of “Jezebel” as it invaded the church.

The darkness was first pierced by John Wycliff, named “the morning

star of the Reformation,” as he translated the Bible into the English language.

His writings became popular. Many began to believe that the Bible

could be read and understood by common people.

Then arose John Huss in Bohemia, boldly preaching the Word of God

in the language of the common people, a practice forbidden by the church.

Huss obtained the writings of Wycliff and read them with great interest.

Slowly but surely he found his heart far from Rome. Conscience bound by the

truth penetrating his mind, he called the people to entire faith in Christ while

denouncing the oppressive power of the church he loved. Finally he was

burned at the stake for his fearless faith.

A voice mighty and clear sounded from Germany. Martin Luther, a

devoted Catholic monk, came to religious convictions wholly contrary to

those of his church. Compelled by the fire of truth burning in his heart, he

boldly stepped forward from the masses of helpless, deluded souls. He held

the Bible high before the people and declared it to be a higher authority than

the word of popes and kings. He denounced the sale of indulgences and

preached salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. Rarely has a man

stood so courageously against such enormous opposition.

In France, a timid yet determined young scholar went from house to

house instructing the people to trust Christ for salvation because of His grace,

not in exchange for their righteous deeds. John Calvin set his heart on the

conversion of France to the Protestant faith. Eventually he became a source of

irritation to the Roman church and was sought out for arrest and likely for the

stake. Calvin opened the Word of life to an increasing number of eager listeners.

He settled in Geneva to aid Farel, a Swiss reformer. From there Calvin

employed his pen to defend the gospel.

William Tyndale in England, Menno Simons in Holland, Tausen in Denmark,

and Wesley one hundred years later in England—all contributed greatly

to the restoration of gospel truth.

Eventually Protestant denominations were established. Papal authority

was largely broken. Men were now free to follow their own religious

convictions. But while Protestantism rendered an invaluable service to the

world, she soon began to lean on her laurels and cease to advance in the

restoration of truth. Creeds were formed around particular points of truth

brought to light by the various Reformers. The churches became content to

defend their distinctive points of doctrine and closed their minds to further

enlightenment. These churches, so exalted in their own eyes for their

separation from Rome, were themselves divided and often exercised the

same spirit of intolerance toward one another which they condemned in the

church from which they separated. Much of the formalism and dependence

on dead works from which the Reformers fled settled like a dark cloud on

the Protestant churches.

Alive or Dead!

It is to this era of the church’s history that the Sardis message speaks.

Jesus assessed their condition with stark honesty: “Thou hast a name that thou

livest, and art dead” (Revelation 3:1).

The Protestant churches had a reputation of zeal and devotion. They

thought themselves to be alive. But in Christ’s estimation they were dead.

They rested on the reputation of their early founders, who were indeed alive.

But failing to carry the torch of truth onward, Protestantism became as formal

and as weak as Catholicism. The Reformation only begun by Wycliff, Luther

and the others was not “complete in the sight of God” (Revelation 3:2, NIV),

and the churches were not willing to complete it. The few points of vital truth

which they had “received and heard” were “ready to die.” Soon the Protestant

churches began to let go of the key points of faith that gave them birth. Even

such fundamental truths as the virgin birth, the incarnation of Christ, and

the full inspiration of the Bible came into question. Many bearing the name

“Christian” abandoned these and other Bible doctrines.

The Coming of Christ as a Thief

Jesus warned that the Sardis church was so spiritually dead that they were

liable to be caught by surprise when He would come to them as a thief. Reference

to names being blotted out of the book of life and other names to be confessed

before God by Christ leads us to conclude that Christ’s coming as a thief

mentioned here is not His second coming, but rather His coming to each soul

for judgment. Before Christ comes in glory to reward His people and consume

His foes, He will first perform a work of judgment to determine whose garments

are spotless and whose are defiled (see Malachi 3:1-2, 5).

The Overcomer’s Reward

Can the human mind set itself on any more precious hope than to have one’s

name confessed before the Father by Jesus, to have Him who is the unerring

Judge, whose decisions count for eternity, come upon one’s name in His book and

smile with approval? Such will be the reward of every faithful Protestant!

Philadelphia

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith He

that is holy, He that is true, He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and

no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold,

I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little

strength, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My name. Behold, I will

make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but

do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to

know that I have loved thee. 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. Behold, I come quickly: hold that

fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I

make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out: and I will

write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God,

which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from My God: and

I will write upon him My new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the

Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 3:7-13).

In the late 1700s and the first half of the 1800s a remarkable revival of

primitive godliness swept through churches around the world. Philadelphia

means “brotherly love,” an apt description of that movement. A surge of interest

in the prophecies of Revelation and the Old Testament book of Daniel was

awakened in many congregations.

Bible students around the world became convinced that the history of this old

world was fast wrapping up and soon Jesus would come in all His glory to take His

people to their eternal home. A spirit of repentance and reconciliation ushered the

people into a new love for Christ and for one another. Not since the early apostolic

church had God’s people manifested such a spirit of brotherhood. This was a time

of great spiritual advancement and enlightenment. Many gems of truth that had been

lost were recovered. And various points that had caused division among the Protestant

Reformers were now united as a complete package of solid Bible truth.

Christ had no words of reproof for the church of Philadelphia.

Behold, An Open Door

Each of the seven churches moves us through Christian history toward the

judgment hour, to be consummated by the second coming of Christ. As we

come to the Philadelphia period, Jesus indicates that we have entered the hour

of final judgment. “Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man

can shut it.” What is this door that Jesus has opened?

In order to understand, we must remember the symbolic Old Testament

sanctuary that we considered in Study 2. You will recollect that the sanctuary

service was divided into two basic phases: (1) the daily service and (2) the

yearly service. And the temple itself was divided into two rooms: (1) the Holy

Place and (2) the Most Holy Place. The daily service extended to the first room

and provided forgiveness of sins. The yearly service, or Yom Kippur, extended

to the second room. It also provided forgiveness, but went a significant step

beyond. It was the day of judgment for Israel. Every case would be decided for

well or woe. A final atonement was made for the repentant believers, while the

unrepentant were cast from the camp to die in the heat of the desert. Until that

day of ultimate reckoning had arrived, not one soul was allowed to enter beyond

the veil that barred the way into the Most Holy Place. Even then, only the high

priest entered, and the people were, through faith, represented by him.

It is this day of final judgment which Revelation announces: “The hour of His

judgment is come” (Revelation 14:7). Jesus foretold it (see Matthew 12:36). Paul

knew it was coming (see Acts 24:25). Peter said it would come (see 2 Peter 2:9).

John expected it (see 1 John 4:17).

The great clock of time striking the hour of judgment is the meaning of the

open door proclamation in the message to Philadelphia. The door into the Most

Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary is now open to all who would follow

Jesus there by faith.

During the Philadelphia period widespread conviction was awakened in

many hearts that Jesus would soon come. A careful study of the prophecy in

Daniel 7-9 persuaded these students of Scripture that the day of judgment, when

the sanctuary would be cleansed, had begun in the year 1844.

Daniel beheld in vision the day of judgment. Describing the scene, he said,

“The Ancient of days did sit . . . ten thousand times ten thousand stood before

Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:9-10). Then

he foretold the time for the awesome hour: “And he said unto me, Unto two

thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed” (Daniel

8:14). As we will discover in a later study, the termination of this prophetic time

period finds its historic location in 1844.

The Hour of Temptation

According to Jesus, those who enter in through the open door and stand

through the hour of judgment will be kept from “the hour of temptation, which

will come upon all the world, to try them that dwell on the earth” (Revelation

3:10). Another translation calls it “the hour of testing” (NASB).

A later passage in Revelation calls it the “great tribulation” (7:14). Chapter

13 describes this testing time as a severe trial of faith. The mark of the beast

will be enforced on penalty of economic boycott and even death. A massive

system of world-wide proportions will demand that all yield to its authority

contrary to God’s command to refuse rendering worship to the beast by receiving

his mark. John informs us that “all who dwell upon the earth shall worship

him, whose names are not written in the book of life” (Revelation 13:8). So the

hour of testing will come upon the world. But Jesus will protect and strengthen

His people to survive the ordeal.

The Overcomer’s Reward

The overcomer of Philadelphia is to be made a pillar in the temple of God.

He will occupy a place of honor in God’s eternal government. The promise

continues on to say he will “go no more out.” This must mean that he is no

longer in danger of falling away from Christ, eternally secure from Satan’s

temptations. The hour of judgment has found him worthy in Christ. The hour

of testing is past and he has remained faithful. His salvation is certain. As the

promise explains further, he has God’s name written upon him, and the name

of God’s city, New Jerusalem, and the new name of Jesus. He is destined for

never-ending joy as an honored member of God’s Kingdom.

Laodicea

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things

saith the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation

of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert

cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will

spue thee out of My mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with

goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and

miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of Me gold

tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest

be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear and anoint thine

eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten:

be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if

any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup

with him, and he with Me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me

in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His

throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches”

(Revelation 3:14-22).

The Laodicean church is the last of the seven. There is not an eighth. It is

during the time of this church that human history will end. Laodicea means,

“judging of the people.” As the Philadelphia church brought us into the judgment

hour, so the Laodicean church will bring us to the conclusion of the judgment,

beginning with the mid-1800s and extending until the second coming of

Christ. It is therefore the one message of the seven that especially addresses the

church today.

A Startling Diagnosis

Each of the preceding six messages include words of commendation and

praise. Not so with Laodicea. It is the only exception. Jesus has absolutely

nothing good to say about Laodicea’s present condition. But the message is

not entirely negative. Christ holds before them great hope of healing, a perfect

prescription, and the most exalted of all the promises to those who overcome.

To be hot means to be totally committed to Christ—fervent in faith, loyal

in love, and completely surrendered in service. To be cold means to be openly

and consciously separated from Christ. Laodicea is not hot or cold. She is not

fully devoted to Christ, nor is she overtly against Him. She is lukewarm—halfhearted,

insipid, in a state of spiritual limbo.

What makes the situation even worse is that she is oblivious to her true

condition. Not only oblivious, she is wholly self-deceived, viewing herself as

spiritually rich and in need of nothing. Far from it, she is “wretched, miserable,

poor, blind and naked.” So sick is Laodicea that Jesus says she makes Him sick.

“I will spew you out of my mouth,” He says. Nevertheless, His love for His

church is great, and that intense love is the source of His strong rebuke. “As

many as I love,” He says, “I rebuke and chasten.” Far from an evidence of His

rejection, the straight diagnosis He gives is a pledge of His love and care.

The Sure Cure

The Faithful and True Witness offers more than an honest diagnosis of our

condition. He has prescribed the perfect cure.

First He says we need “gold tried in the fire.” The apostle Peter explains

that this spiritual treasure is faith made pure by testing (see 1 Peter 1:6-9). Paul

tells us that “faith…worketh by love” (Galatians 5:6). The love of Christ is the

motive power that strengthens faith to endure its trials. Gold tried in the fire is

faith that endures because of love.

The second element of the prescription is “white raiment” (Revelation 3:18).

A later verse in Revelation plainly states that the white raiment represents “the

righteousness of saints” (19:8). But don’t misunderstand. It is not their righteousness

by virtue of their personal goodness. One of the twenty-four elders

explained to John that God’s people will have “washed their robes, and made

them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14). It is the blood of Jesus

that gives us innocence before our heavenly Father. When the Bible speaks of

the blood of Jesus, it means His voluntary sacrifice of His life for our salvation.

We receive the white raiment by allowing the love of that Sacrifice to penetrate

our hearts and awaken a passionate faith that embraces the Savior with humble

gratitude. In the light of such love all boasting and dependence on personal attainments

will be banished.

The third and final healing remedy is the “eyesalve.” It is a direct prescription

for the spiritual blindness for which Jesus reproved the Laodiceans. She

needs to see herself as Christ sees her in order to sense the seriousness of her

condition. Her conscience needs to be made sensitive to the voice of God.

The anointing of the eyes with eyesalve must represent some means by

which spiritual discernment may be restored and the conscience made sensitive.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit fits the symbol perfectly (see John 16:8,

13; Isaiah 11:2-3). The Holy Spirit operates in the realm of the human mind to

stimulate the cognitive faculties to discern spiritual realities. His primary tool in

rendering us this vital service is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of

God” (Ephesians 6:17).

He is Knocking

Our Lord is honest and straight with us, but He is also very courteous.

Notice His appeal:

“Behold [realize], I stand [patiently waiting] at the door [of your heart],

and knock [I am trying to get your attention]: If any man [no exceptions] hear

[discern] My voice, and open the door [from the inside], I will come [without

hesitation] in to him [his heart], and sup with him and he with Me [we will have

spiritual fellowship]” (Revelation 3:20, words in brackets supplied).

The Overcomer’s Reward

As the seventh church brings us to the climactic period of human history,

so the reward promised to the end-time overcomer is also climactic. It rises

like a crescendo. It shines like the clear sun at noonday. It is the most exalted

promise made to redeemed humans in all of Scripture. As if it were not enough

to promise us eternal life, the new earth, and the privilege of fellowship with

Himself forever! Above and beyond all this, He invites us to occupy His throne

with Him.

Can you imagine—fallen, sinful, unworthy rebels, not only saved, but

honored with a seat in the very throne of God? Shake your head, rub your eyes

and read it again and again. Each time it will be just as much a wonder and just

as true.

It is not likely that Christ is here inviting us to merely lounge in an extremely

large, literal throne. The throne represents the point from which flows God’s

authority, by which He orchestrates and orders the system of His kingdom’s

government. The promise to occupy enthronement status is a promise of special

participation in the governing of the universe.

Understanding the Second Coming: The Seven Churches Part 3