Revelation 3

Revelation 3

We come to the last three churches that the letter is addressed.  Again remember the number 7 is both literal and symbolic.  What John is talking about to these churches in the Roman province of Asia, can still apply to our churches today regarding our faithfulness.

The church in Sardis is southeast of Thyatira.  It was surrounded by a wall that was supposed to protect it but it was easily conquered it and destroyed it twice, both times entering the city surreptitiously, and then opening the doors to the invading army.  At the time of John, it was famous because it produced a black wool of great value.

John states that Jesus does not have much good to say about the church.  They seem to be the opposite of Smyrna which was poor but was rich, the church here seems alive but it is dead.  They appear to not be living up to their baptismal vows even though they meet for worship.  The church appears to be not vigilant in how they worship.  The warning is to wake or else the Lord will come like a thief in the night and destroy them.  They should put on their white robes of baptism and not the black wool of their prosperity. 

Continuing southeast we come to the city of Philadelphia which means brotherly love.  A great earthquake had destroyed the city in 17 AD and when John wrote the letter it was in the process of reconstruction.  One of the problems here was the question of who were the true heirs to the promises of Abraham and his descendants.  The “Jews who are not” may be those who have not accepted Jesus or Christian judaizers of Gentile origin, who insisted on obeying all the Jewish laws, as if they were better Jews than the Jews themselves.  Regardless of who, they were setting up rules the excluded members of the church who disagreed with them.  One of the reasons the allusions of the “key of David” and of open and closed doors.  In Isaiah 22:22 the key of the house of David is a symbol of the authority given to those who control access to the king and who use their power on his behalf.

The pillar in verse 12 probably points to the custom of recording on columns or on the floor the names of the main contributors to the project.  Christians could not be acknowledged because not only were they poor but they would not contribute their names on pagan temples.  But Jesus promises something better in the temple of God which can never be removed.  The church has remained faithful in spite of the disagreements and have kept the name of the Lord never denying Him.

The last city is Laodicea which was a trade center dealing with wool and famous for ointments for eyes.  The city was very prosperous so much so that when an earthquake destroyed many of its buildings the city refused to accept the help of Rome and insisted on rebuilding with its own resources.  They took great pride in their not being dependent on anyone or anything.

The reference to the lukewarm water alludes to hot springs in Hierapolis which were rumored to be good for curing illness.  By the time the water arrived in Laodicea it was lukewarm filled with minerals making it taste bad.

Jesus speaks of the lukewarm water and that he will spit it out of his mouth.  The nakedness and the need to open their eyes also allude to the main business of the city.  The most famous verse is verse 20 “I am standing at the door, knocking.”  In one of the famous paintings of this verse shows Jesus knocking at the door but there is not door handle on the outside.  This is exactly what John is writing.  Jesus is there waiting to be admitted but no one is letting him come inside to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.  The people have so depended on their own resources in everything they have ceased to look to God.  Those who do not open the door to him are not only deaf, but also rebels and usurpers.