REVELATION
SIMPLIFIED
CHAPTER 3.3b
Gleanings
from the Book of Revelation:
A
Weekly Verse-by-Verse Bible Study Series
The
REVELATION
TO JOHN
(The
Apocalypse)
CHAPTER
3
LETTERS
TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES
The
Letter to the Church at Sardis
(Continued)
OUTLINE
1. The
Addressee – To whom the
letter is addressed (3:1)
2. The
Address – To where the letter is
addressed (3:1)
3. The
Addresser – From whom the
letter is addressed (3:1)
4. The
Approval – The acclamation
of good qualities (3:4)
5. The
Accusation – The
presentation of bad qualities (3:1c, 2b)
6. The Appeal
– The application to change (3:2a, 3)
7. The Advice
– The recommendation to change (3:5-6)
Review
In the previous lesson, even though the members of
the church in Sardis were spiritually dead, Jesus Christ offers several
judicial ordinances to redeem them. God is always a God of the second chance to
demonstrate to everyone His amazing grace.
The LORD God (Elohim),
after giving the Law to the Israelites, Deuteronomy Chapter 28, presents a
remarkable presentation of His blessings of obedience and cursing for
disobedience to His statutes. He likewise offers a corresponding ultimatum to
the Sardinians.
(Verse 3b)
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.
Keeping a watchful eye, and being awake and on guard
is key to the Christian life. As the city of Sardis did not know the time enemy
forces attacked and conquered the city, similarly, the Lord warns believers of
the advent of His coming. He will come suddenly, in the blink of an eye. The
warning is to remain on constant alert for the Blessed Hope (cf. Titus 2:13)
every day as if it were the last.
Mark 13:32
- But of that
day and that hour knoweth no man,
no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Luke 12:39
- And this
know, that if the goodman of the house had
known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched,
and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
Matthew
25:13 - Watch therefore, for ye
know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Question:
Are you living like Jesus is coming back tonight?
7. The
Advice – The recommendation to
change
(Verse 5)
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.
Also, included in this letter are three promises
unique to the Christians at Sardis, and Sardinian-type Christians who remain
faithful overcomers. This is what the Holy Spirit is saying to the seven
churches. They are notated as such:
Promise
#1 (Verse 4b, 5a) - They will walk with the
Lord and be clothed in white raiment (or garments).
As Adam once walked with the Lord in his glorified
body and clothed in light, so too will the faithful ones and the overcomers
walk in the Kingdom.
Scripture References in Revelation
1. Revelation
3:18b - And white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do
not appear.
2. Revelation
4:4 - About
the throne…I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in
white raiment.
3. Revelation
6:11 - And white robes were given unto every one
of them (the martyred saints).
4. Revelation
7:9 - A great
multitude, which no man could number, of all
nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the Throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes.
5. Revelation
7:14 - These
are they which
came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb.
6. Revelation
15:6 - And the seven angels came
out of the Temple…clothed in pure and white
linen.
7. Revelation
19:4 - And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon
white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
At the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, the Bride of
Christ - the Church - will be arrayed in clean white fine linen robes, a great
and final day of rejoicing.
Revelation
19: 7-8 - Let
us be glad and rejoice,
and give honour to Him: for
the Marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her (the Church) was granted
that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen
is the righteousness of saints.
Promise
#2 (Verse 5b) – I will not blot out his name
out of the Book of Life.
Jesus gives another promise to the overcomers of
Sardis – That their names will not be blotted out or erased from the Book of Life.
[at the Great White Throne Judgment, found in Revelation Chapter 20, a detailed
explanation on the topic of books will be discussed].
Revelation
20:12 - And I
saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened:
and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead
were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according
to their works.
Simply stated, everyone’s names, since the dawn of
creation, are recorded in God’s books or scrolls. It is primarily God’s
celestial roll book. Those who have put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus
Christ as Savior will be placed and remain in the Book of Life - another scroll
- and receive the promised benefit of eternal life.
Only those names written in the Book of Life will enter Heaven – The eternal state. It is a register of names for which Christ
died.
Revelation
21:27 - And
there shall in no wise enter into it (Heaven – eternity) any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which
are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
John places further emphasis that this book
belongs to the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin
of the world (cf. John 1:29). Everyone is allowed to accept or
reject Jesus Christ.
At the final Great White Throne Judgment, all who
have rejected Christ, and choose to follow and worship Satan will be cast into
everlasting damnation.
Revelation
20:15 - And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was
cast into the Lake of Fire.
This punishment may seem rather harsh, however,
every opportunity, even during the Tribulation period (which we shall study),
was given to them by a gracious God to repent, but they repented not. For
example:
During the sixth trumpet of the Tribulation judgments:
Revelation
9:20-21 - And
the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the
works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold,
and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear,
nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor their sorceries, nor of their
fornication, nor their thefts.
Whilst the sixth bowl of God's judgment is poured
out in the Great Tribulation we read:
Revelation
16:9 – And
men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath
power over these plagues: and they repented
not to give Him glory.
Revelation
16:11 - And
blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.
Rather than repent, they chose the following
instead:
Revelation
16:16 - And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.
The writer of Hebrews summarizes:
Hebrews
10:30-31 - For
we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord
shall judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into
the hands of the living God.
However, the way of escape is through the simple
Gospel message:
John
3:16-17 - For
God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. For God
sent not His
Son into the world to condemn the world; but
that the world through Him might be saved.
Everyone is given this choice. This is the key to
eternal life.
Promise
#3 (Verse 5c) – I will confess his name
before My Father, and before His angels.
There is a third promise given to the overcomers
in Sardis: That Jesus would confess of them boldly with confidence before His
Father and the angels that they are and remain His saints for eternity.
In the Old Testament, to Israel, it is
written:
Malachi
3:17 – “They will be My people,"
says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. "On
the day when I act in judgment, they will be
My own special treasure (jewels). I will spare them as
a father spares an obedient child (NLT).
Israel too must make the same decision; they are
not exempt.
If you recall, in training His disciples for
ministry, before they faced persecution, Jesus said:
Matthew
10:32-33 - Whosoever therefore shall
confess (fully
acknowledge and profess openly) Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in Heaven. But whoever
denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father
in Heaven.
In essence, Jesus is saying, “Father God, here
stands Saint (fill in your name), I died for him/her, and he/she is [they
are] Mine…For they are (found) worthy.”
(Verse 6)
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches.
This is the Lord’s admonition to listen carefully.
The Holy Spirit is speaking to the Church at Sardis and Sardinian-type
believers. “Open your ears. Hold on to Jesus --- no matter what the cost –--
Don’t give up.”
EPILOGUE
During the Reformation Period, great missionary
work began resulting in a church that came back to life – The Philadelphia
Church – The Church of the Open Door. We will discuss this letter in the following
study.
QUESTIONS:
1. Why is it important to be watchful?
2. Describe the significance of white clothing.
3. What promises are available to everyone?
4. How is it possible to be an overcomer?
5. What transpires at the final judgment?
6. What are the consequences of rejecting Christ?
7. How has Sardis enlightened you?
If this study was a blessing to you, make it a blessing
to others.
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