The letters to seven churches continue in chapter 3 with messages from the risen Lord for the congregations in Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Each of these final three letters follows a pattern similar to those found in chapter 2.
Sardis
The Lord’s message to the church in Sardis centers on the sad fact of their spiritual decline. While they enjoyed a reputation for spiritual vitality (“You have the reputation of being alive”—3:1), the church’s current reality was very different. They were spiritually “dead” (3:1) with only faint signs of life (“what remains and is about to die”—3:2). Jesus offers His bleak assessment of their spiritual condition: “I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God” (3:2). Like the church in Ephesus, they had forgotten His commands (“Remember”—3:3; compare 2:5). They had also failed to “keep” them (3:3). Jesus shakes them up to wake them up (“Wake up”—3:2). If they won’t recall His words and rouse to obedient action, Jesus promises to “come against” them suddenly (“like a thief”—3:3). Though the congregation is spiritually comatose, Jesus acknowledges “a few names” who have not soiled their garments by being spiritually complacent (3:4). Jesus promises these individuals “white garments” and assures them their names will never be removed from the “book of life” (“I will never blot his name out of the book of life”—3:5). Instead, Jesus will “confess” their names before His Father and the holy angels (see Matthew 10:32-33).
Philadelphia
The church in Philadelphia receives Jesus’ commendation for “patient endurance” in the midst of spiritual opposition (3:9-10). Though they “have but little power”, they’ve obeyed (“kept”) Jesus’ words and have not denied His name (3:8). As a result, He has set before them “an open door, which no one is able to shut” (3:8). This open door would seem to be the door to God’s heavenly kingdom, which Jesus, the One “who has the key of David”, has the authority to open or shut (3:7; see 4:1). Jesus promises to cause their opponents (“those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not”—3:9) to acknowledge the truth that He loves His faithful followers (3:9). Jesus also assures these faithful Christians they will be kept “from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth” (3:10). The phrase “those who dwell on the earth” is repeatedly used for the unbelievers who side with Satan and experience the wrath of the Lamb (6:10; 8:13; 11:10; 13:8, 14; 14:6; 17:2, 8). Therefore, the promise to be “kept” from the hour of trial could speak of being removed from (not just protected through) the coming divine judgment on an unbelieving world. The believers in Philadelphia are exhorted, “Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown” (3:11). As they do, these Christians will enter the open door to the kingdom and become “a pillar in the temple” forever (3:12). Jesus will mark them as His own by writing on them God’s name, the name of the New Jerusalem, and His own “new name” (3:12).
Laodicea
The final letter, sent to the church in Laodicea, is perhaps the most severe and the most inviting. Jesus begins by describing Himself as the “Amen, the faithful and true witness,” the One with pre-eminence (‘the beginning”) over all “God’s creation” (3:14). As was the case in other letters, Jesus declares, “I know your works” (3:15; 2:2, 19; 3:1, 8). He rebukes them for being “lukewarm”, neither “cold or hot” (3:15-16). Disgusted by their lukewarm commitment to Him and His commands, He threatens to “spit you out of my mouth” (3:16). He finds it nauseating that they are arrogantly self-assured: “For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing” (3:17). The sad reality is exactly the opposite: “you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (3:17). Jesus counsels them to turn to Him for what they need to change their spiritual condition (“gold,” “white garments”, and “salve”—3:18). After this stinging rebuke, we might conclude Jesus has run out of patience and compassion for this lukewarm congregation. But that’s not the case. His critique is an evidence of His loving concern: “Those who I love, I reprove and discipline” (3:19). It’s not too late, if they will only “be zealous and repent” (3:19). In the most tender invitation given to individuals in any of the seven churches, Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (3:20). Those who realize their spiritual need and repent of their arrogant apathy will be considered a conqueror and given a place of authority in His kingdom (“sit with me on my throne”—3:21).
What is Revealed about Jesus?
Jesus expects day-to-day devotion and ongoing obedience to His words. The church in Sardis is reproved for assuming their past obedience compensated for their present inaction. While they relied on their “reputation of being alive”, their current condition did not match their former faithfulness. Jesus tells them, “I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God” (3:2). Here is a reminder that we can never coast, relying on past devotion and previous obedience. To have “complete” works, we must stay active in following Jesus’ words as given in the Bible. He expects our devotion and obedience to be current, cumulative, and complete.
Jesus’ stinging reproofs are signs of His great love. Jesus has some blunt words for compromised congregations. He says the church Sardis is “dead” or “about to die” (3:1-2); He threatens to spit the Laodiceans out of his mouth (3:16). It may seem Jesus has closed His heart and rejected these lifeless, lukewarm churches. But He tells the Laodiceans, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline” (3:19). By His stinging reproofs, He aims to rouse them to repentance and recovery (3:3, 19). He stands and knocks at the church’s door, longing for a warm welcome. He promises those who invite Him in will enjoy fellowship with Him (3:20) and be given positions of authority (“sit with me on my throne”—3:21) in His eternal kingdom. All this should shape our understanding of what it means to be loved by Jesus. His love can sting but remains sturdy and strong.
How Can We Keep the Words of this Prophecy?
We must patiently endure suffering as we wait for Jesus’ final deliverance. The church in Philadelphia, like several other congregations, had to patiently endure pushback and persecution (3:9; 2:9-10, 12-13). Jesus does not shield His faithful followers from all of Satan’s attacks. However, those who patiently endure, keeping His words and not denying His name (3:8), are promised rescue from the coming “hour of trial” that will “try those who dwell on the earth” (3:10). As we will see later in the book of Revelation (especially chapters 6-7), Jesus pulls out His people before He pours out His wrath on the world. Here is good reason for hopeful waiting and patient endurance in the midst of affliction and persecution.
We must remain faithful to the end to be a conqueror who enters and enjoys heaven.
In each of the seven letters, Jesus makes promises to “the one who conquers” (2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). These promises all relate to entering and enjoying God’s heavenly kingdom. Conquerors get to “eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (2:7). They will not “be hurt by the second death” (2:11) or have their names blotted “out of the book of life” (3:5). Instead, Jesus will “confess” their names before His Father (3:5) and write on them “the name of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name” (3:12). These conquerors will be “a pillar in the temple of my God” and will never “go out of it” (3:12). Even more stunning, Jesus says those who conqueror will “sit with me on my throne” (3:21). Just how does one become a conqueror? Jesus spells it out: “The one who conquers” is the one “who keeps my works until the end” (2:26). Faithful obedience marks those considered conquerors.
Some would contend this understanding of conquering makes salvation a matter of works. They assert that linking conquering to conduct implies we earn our way into heaven’s glories. I would answer differently. The Scriptures consistently teach salvation comes by God’s grace and is received by sincere faith, not through self-effort or good works (Eph 2:8-9). So why does Jesus declare that only those who conquer through faithful obedience receive the blessings of heaven? The answer is found in the Bible’s teaching that genuine believers persevere in pursuing godly lives of faithful obedience and patient endurance (Matt. 24:13; 25:1-46; Eph 2:10; Gal. 5:2-6; Col. 1:12-23). As the Reformers explained, we are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves us is never alone; it is demonstrated by good and godly works.
Those who have been complacent or compromised can still become conquerors. Jesus sends letters to encourage the faithful and prompt change among the faltering. He chooses to shake things up to wake people up. His reproofs come from a heart of love (3:19). These letters, while stern and sobering, show us that the complacent and compromised can still become conquerors. To do this, they must “repent” (3:3, 19), “remember” Jesus’ words (3:3), and revive their zeal for Him through faith-filled works (3:2, 19). Here is a hopeful reminder for all of us who have faltered and fallen into spiritual deadness. It’s not too late to open the door of our hearts, invite Him in, and enjoy warm fellowship with our Lord (3:20). It’s not too late to become conquerors.
Reflection Question
- Do you see Jesus’ rebukes as evidence of His great love for you? Why or why not?
- How did you react to Jesus’ promises to “the one who conquers”? How are you seeking—with the help of God’s Spirit—to live like a conqueror in this season of your life?