Christ calls the church to that duty which he before promised he would enable her to do, and that is, to persevere, to hold fast that which she had. I will not be long on the next point, while I just remind you that there is A WORD OF PROSPECT: "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." If this is the meaning, this phrase describes the life of untroubled goodness which is lived when, after the battles of earth, we reach the presence of God. The seven stars are angels of the seven churches: and the seven lampstands are seven churches.". The persecutions in the Roman empire would furnish abundant occasions for such a trial. But the Protestant principle is a very different one. Nothing can more demonstrate. 159.] What do the white robes signify? The man is the agent that goes forward; the woman is the state of things that is produced. I know of one only spirit to whom I desire to be subject, and that is the Spirit of all the ages, who never changes. "For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves and chastises every son whom he receives. The clergy encouraged by a misuse of scripture every sort of commerce with the world's evil ways; as it is said here, "who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication." They could do but little where money would be required. Do not throw away the best for the sake of getting something that may be newer, but that must be far inferior. The hour of trial What is the great trial which is coming upon the whole world? The Risen Christ speaks of "the shame of the nakedness of Laodicea.". But we must never forget that he is looking for our love, our loyalty and our service. In other things you may be easily persuaded, and readily talked over; but be you doubly stanch in the things of God. The wealth of Sardis was legendary. But no man knows when eternity will invade his life and God will bid him rise and come; and that must warn the careless to prepare to meet his God and cheer the oppressed with the thought of the coming glory of the faithful soul. And it was then that he uttered his famous saying to Croesus: "Call no man happy until he is dead." We read s of twelve members of it that suffered with Polycarp. I do not say when, where, or how; but as surely as He lives, will the Lord vindicate the truth He has given, and the testimony He has raised up for His name. This to me is treason against sovereign truth. II. I believe that result is sure to follow holy conversation and sound preaching. (i) It was a great banking and financial centre. I had sooner stand alone then yield with a crowd to an Act of Parliament which was passed to dictate to me the form in which I may worship God. 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. What injures, and finally ruins, is invariably from within, not from without. Show yourself watchful, and strengthen what remains and what is going to die. Hence, although there are the most complete contrasts in form, subject, and issues between the gospel and the revelation of John, after all the person of the Lord Jesus is pre-eminently kept before us as the object of God's care and honour in both; and therefore it is that even the souls that could not enter into the main topics of its prophetic visions have always found unspeakable comfort in the various displays of Christ Himself furnished by this book, especially in times of trial, rejection and persecution. 149. It means that they believed it, believed it most thoroughly, and so kept it. "What shall be after these" must be owned as the true translation of the words. The ground of such a thought lies in the fact that the introduction to Sardis indicates the Lord beginning again a new state of things. Eventually they would have to admit their error, at the judgment of unbelievers (the great white throne judgment) if not earlier (Isaiah 45:23; Isaiah 60:14; Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10-11). Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. It was situated where the borders of Mysia, Lydia and Phrygia met. By the power of God upon the hearts of his enemies, and by signal discoveries of his peculiar favour to his church: They shall know that I have loved thee. (ii) It was a great centre of clothing manufacture. Yet the Lord owns whatever is good. He did not like spiritual conversation, neither do any of the breed. 290. It is very possible, when the epistles were sent out in the days of John, that no particular emphasis would be laid on "the things that are;" but inasmuch as these things have been going on from that day to the present, we can see the immense force such a phrase thereby acquires. That it is here called "the hour" of trial does not mean that it will be over in an hour, or even in any relatively short time. In Paul's last address to the elders of Ephesus he warns them that grievous wolves will invade the flock from outside and from inside men will arise to speak perverse things. Wealth can do much but there are things that it can never do. It was picked up by the Protestants. But even this is not enough for grace. 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 the fruit of the patience of God to a sinful world; it sets before men the exemplary patience of Christ in all his sufferings for men; it calls those that receive it to the exercise of patience in conformity to Christ. (iii) As the Revised Standard Version has it, he is the beginning of God's creation. 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; this hour seems to refer not to any of the vials which will be poured out on the antichristian states, but to some affliction and distress which will befall the reformed churches, and will light upon the outward court worshippers among them It seems to be the last struggle of the beast of Rome, and to denote some violent and sharp persecution, such as what Daniel mentions, that never was before nor since; but it will be but short, but one hour, the twenty fourth part of a prophetical day or year, perhaps about a fortnight; yet it will be very extensive; it will reach all the world, the whole Roman empire, and all that dwell upon the earth, that are called by the name of Christians, and will try them, whether they are so or not; Christ will now have his fan in his hand, and purge his floor of all his formal professors and hypocrites; and it will be known who are his true churches, and pure members; and these he will keep close to himself, and preserve safe amidst all the distress and confusion the world will be in. For this we must stand up and fight to the death. The Christian does not believe in an inescapable fate; but he does believe in a destiny which he can accept or refuse. 3:14-22 And to the angel of the Church in Laodicea, write: These things says the Amen, the witness on whom you can rely and who is true, the moving cause of the creation of God. Revelation 3:3 So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. 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. So thoroughly does the Lord adhere to topics of the largest and most common import in the letter to the angel of the assembly in Ephesus. the Jews). In chapter one, He was known as the faithful and the true witness. And having turned, I saw seven golden lampstands." Jesus declares Himself to be all this; yea, more than this "the living one, and I became dead." All power, all governing might, is in His hands, and the seven stars, that is to say, all the instrumental means by which He acts upon the church. (ii) We cannot say that that meaning is impossible and yet it does not seem to fit the context, for the atmosphere of the passage is not so much warning as love. We are told afterwards what those meant. He that receives it shall live, but without it there is no spiritual life. Besides He is "the beginning of the creation of God." The road from Ephesus to the east and to Syria was the most important in Asia. None the less is it "the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ," even if it consists not of that which ministers directly to the edification of the Christian in his own position, but indirectly as announcing the doom of such as despise God and do their own will in the face of His revelation. 8 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. The Lord "opens the door, "so this message calls us to be faithful, using the opportunities of service which Christ provides. People will be willing to hear what you have to say, and, what is more, people will be converted by what you say, for God has set before you this open door, and no man can shut it. Jesus Christ will mark his faithful ones with his new name: what that name was we need not even speculate, for no man knows it ( Revelation 19:12), but in the time to come, when Christ has conquered all, his faithful ones will bear the badge which shows that they are his and share his triumph. In the ancient world to be stripped naked was the worst humiliation. say you. Be students of God's word and adherents of it. The time soon came when the message was not sent to the people directly. Nor is this all. There are only two of the seven churches which receive no censure or rebuke from Jesus Christ; and of these two - viz., the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia - the former receives but little praise though much sympathy. When the signs come, the Christian will know that the last time is near, even at the doors ( Mark 13:29; Matthew 24:33). Such a congregation is told that Christ gives that church power sufficient for its work. (John 5:1-47) Yet with all this another feature betrays John, and suits him as the writer most strikingly. There are some to whom he early opens the gate of usefulness, because he sees in them a spirit that will bear the temptation of success; but in many other cases it is questionable whether they could bear promotion, and therefore the Lord permits them to be tried in different ways until he sees that they are found faithful, and then he puts them into his service, and gives them an opportunity of bearing witness for him. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. Thus have I explained what the Philadelphians did. Many understand by the hour of temptation the persecution under Trajan, which was greater and more extensive than the preceding ones under Nero and Domitian. [1.] The world had got in, as it still remains, and alas! Nor is it confined to prophecy, for the same force holds good wherever symbol is employed. Revelation 3:10 Context. 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. 9 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. . 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." [Note: See Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology, pp. Woe be to the man who is first a Calvinist, then an Arminian, then a Palagian, then a Unitarian; never finding rest for the sole of his foot; keeping nothing because he has nothing to keep. All was dark as to truth, and uncertain as to moral judgment. If men would take away from us certain dainties which are sweet but which are not needful, we might be content to let them spoil us of such superfluities; but if they come to take away bread and water from the poor and needy, then we cannot have it. For the heathen this was an external thing; but this may describe the man who has kept his soul clean so that he can enter into the presence of God and not be ashamed. (c) It is just possible that we have an Old Testament picture. They are thus carefully ushered in, but in that prophetic method which was morally fitting, in a series of visions which John saw. This phrase, as it stands in English, is ambiguous. [Note: Gundry, p. The word of my patience Of several interpretations advocated regarding this, that of Trench as quoted by Earle seems the best: "It is much better to take the whole Gospel as the word of Christ's patience, everywhere teaching, as it does, the need of a patient waiting for Christ. Holy separateness and savour were gone. Let it suffice once for all to hope you will understand me always to speak of the text on the basis of the ancient and best authorities. There is an open door before you which no man can shut. I do not in the least doubt that God proves Himself faithful in the worst of times. The road, therefore, detoured through the Lycus valley. His coming is their joy, and for this they watch more than watchman for the dawn. This Philadelphian church had won the commendation, "Thou hast kept my word." The Sardians had thought themselves too safe to need a guard; and so Sardis fell. Paul says that his converts in their pre-Christian days were dead through trespasses and sins ( Ephesians 2:1; Ephesians 2:5). It was Jesus' promise that, if a man confessed him before men, he would confess him before his Father; and if a man denied him before men, he would deny him before his Father ( Matthew 10:32-33; Luke 12:8-9). The characteristics are general. Such was the love of Attalus for his brother Eumenes that he was called Philadelphos, and it was after him that Philadelphia was named. "Behold, I come quickly!" But there is much more here. Learn here, (1.) They were themselves corrupters and destroyers of true Christianity without knowing it. 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. The Rapture and the Second Coming cannot occur back to back but must be separated by the seven-year Tribulation. For in Him was life: yea, He was that eternal life which was with the Father before the worlds were. The way and manner in which he performs these acts, and that is absolute sovereignty, independent upon the will of men, and irresistible by the power of men: He openeth, and no man shutteth; he shutteth, and no man openeth; he works to will and to do, and, when he works, none can hinder. Behind this there is an Old Testament picture. Here observe, [1.] Thus, besides what the apostle had in his ordinary relation with Christians, and his already lengthened tenure in the service of Christ, he receives now a new character of word and testimony. 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. Daniel is clothed in purple by Belshazzar ( Daniel 5:29). He is man; but the man seen then and thus is a divine person, the eternal God Himself. You might as well establish another religion on Mother Goose rhymes or something, or Aesops Fables. Nevertheless, having become a man in divine grace, He speaks according to that lowly position which He entered here. (ii) It generalizes the message of the letters. This indifference can be broken down only by the actual demonstration that Christianity is a power to make life strong and a grace to make life beautiful. "And I will give him the morning star." From the hour of temptation - The season; the time; the period of temptation. It is remarkable that after the greatest persecutions, when Christendom and even Christians had been seduced into accepting the patronage of the world, up to that point there remained real faithfulness in refusing all efforts to deny the deity of Christ Under the same Constantine, who was the instrument of thus casting the world's shield over Christianity, was the battle fought and won against the Arian foe. Beale believed that this "hour" probably refers to the end of the churchs present experience of tribulation, just before Christs second coming. "And these things saith the First and the Last, who became dead and lived; I know [thy works, and] thy tribulation, and thy poverty, (but thou art rich!) It may have been some form of persecution, or it may have been some calamity by disease, earthquake, or famine that was to occur. ", In the next place comes Philadelphia. "Who calleth herself a prophetess, and teachest and seducest my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols." The Spirit says, "Thou hast a little strength." (i) It prided itself on its financial wealth. John stands in a position analogous to Daniel; he becomes now the object of the communications of the Lord Jesus, not that which still bore the name of the Lord here below. 1. 54. At night with a band of brave men he climbed the steep cliffs. To those who have kept his word, Christ promises, I will keep you from the coming hour of trial, which will put those who dwell on the earth to the test. The answer is given by the last clause when "and" is taken away: the visions that he was going to behold and record in this book whatsoever things he saw. The church in Sardis: At the time Jesus spoke these words to John, the ancient city of Sardis had seen its best days and had started to decline. But John saw "in the midst of the [seven] lampstands one like the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot." You remember when Peter came to the house of Cornelius, he said, "Now look, I am really not supposed to be here. Of all things indifference is the hardest to combat. Even on the Emmaus road, "He appeared to be going further" ( Luke 24:28). "I am the door," said Jesus ( John 10:7; John 10:9). Jesus himself tells of the wicked servant, who took advantage of his master's absence to conduct himself evilly and to whom the master made a sudden return that brought judgment. This Means You ( Revelation 3:14-22 Continued). Here we have to remark that Christ is seen in a judicial point of view. God we don't want to go on living in a lie or a fallacy. You have been steadfast; therefore I will employ you." And so the day will come when they will acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah and I pray and long for that day. Let us weigh a little more these remarkable words. All was the fruit, doubtless, of what had been works before, but in far greater maturity now. 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. Now, dear child of God, as I have said before, you may have but very little strength, you may often be tempted and tried, and cast down; but if you believe the word, there is more for the pleasing of God in a childlike faith than there is in the most glittering profession or in the most showy deeds. This hour of testing will involve the "whole world" (Gr. In the three previous churches it may be noticed, the call to hear is first, because the Lord is still dealing with the general conscience of the church. Jesus Christ gave no rebuke to this church, as was true of the church in Smyrna. to the angel of the church of Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness ( Revelation 3:14 ). Let us give honour to whom honour is due, and encourage those who are aiming to do right. (a) In the cities of Asia Minor, and in Philadelphia, when a priest died after a lifetime of faithfulness, men honoured him, by erecting a new pillar in the temple in which he had served and by inscribing his name and the name of his father upon it. 1. 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. As the Christian sees it, the God of creation and the God of redemption are one and the same. The stated ground that follows is also to be weighed; for it is not, as men often assume, because we are to be in the predicted circumstances, it is not because the Christian or the church must pass through the troubles it describes: not a word to this effect is implied, but a different reason is given. "He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him" ( Proverbs 13:24). Loyalty has its sure reward. recurring minor shocks drive them to sheer panic. [1.] We will enter into the third section, the things which will be after these things of the church. Before they begin the Christian is heard, as also the bride after they close. Cold is psuchros ( G5593) ; and it can mean cold to the point of freezing. At any rate, the great Head of the church did not think it unwise to say to the church at Philadelphia that he thought well of it because it had kept his word. He crossed the Halys, engaged in battle and was routed. I believe that God has blinded their eyes until the fullness of the gentiles has come in. The Church was the Israel of God ( Galatians 6:16). Therefore let us hold it. Here is the picture of Christ searching for sinful men who did not want him. The nature of the rock meant that it developed cracks. 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