Revelation 3

-8 1 3 2 -9 1 0 0 0 0 13 96 -9 2 0 0 2 0 1 RVStyle2 7 StyleNameNormal textFontNameArialUnicode Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaUnicode Size Standard StyleNameJumpFontNameTahomaStylefsUnderlineColorclBlue HoverColorclMaroonHoverEffects rvheUnderlineUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameHeading - Module name SizeDoubleFontNameTahomaColorclMaroonUnicode SizeStandard StyleName"Heading small - Module descriptionFontNameTahomaColorclMaroonUnicode Size Standard StyleNameHeading - LinkFontNameTahomaColorclNavy HoverColorclPurpleUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaStylefsUnderlineColorclBlueUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaColorclBlue HoverColorclMaroonNextStyleNoUnicode Jump Size -9 2 0 0 2 0 2 RVStyle2 jBiDiModervbdLeftToRightTabs StyleNameCentered Alignment rvaCenterTabsStandardTabs-9 2 0 0 2 0 4 RVStyle2 -9 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 34 2 8 0 0 3. Letters to Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea) (3:1 22)) ) Outline (continued)) 5. Sardis (3:1 6) ) a. The Warning (3:1 3) ) b. The Promise (3:4 6) ) 6. Philadelphia (3:7 13) ) a.

Address and Recognition (3:7 8) ) b. Exhortation (3:9 11) ) c. Promise (3:12 13) ) 7. Laodicea (3:14 22) ) a. Description (3:14 16) ) b. Reproof (3:17 18) ) c.

Admonition (3:19 20) ) d. Promise (3:21 22) ) ) 5. Sardis) 3:1 6) The City) 3 1 And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this: I know your works; you have a reputation that you are alive but you are dead. 2 Be alert! Strengthen the things that remain and are about to die, for I have not found your works brought to completion before my God. 3 Remember, therefore, how you received and heard [the message]; keep it and repent. Therefore, if you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you do not know at all in what hour I will come upon you. 4 However, you have a few person in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me [dressed] in white, because they are worthy. 5 The one who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments. I will never erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before the Father and before his angels. 6 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. ) ) The city of Sardis (modern Sart) was located approximately thirty miles south-east of Thyatira and fifty miles east of Smyrna.

The plural name Sardis refers, first, to the city as a fortress on top of a promontory, and next, to the prosperous city of commerce, agricultural products, and related industry positioned on a level plane of the valley below. Situated on a high and narrow strip, the fortress was militarily invincible. The city could be reached only from the south along this narrow and elevated strip that terminated at the promontory on which the fortress was built. Steep cliffs protected the city so that it could not be scaled. Because of its strong defenses, Sardis became the capital of Lydia, but its location precluded expansion and forced it to remain small. It was completely dependent on the fertile valley below for all the necessities of life, which had to be carried up to the city.) The second city was situated in the valley some fifteen hundred feet below.

Many people settled there: farmers who produced and sold their agricultural products; workers in the wool industry; and merchants who bought and sold their goods. These people needed room to live and work. In times of peace they prospered along the trade routes that extended from the north to the south and from the east to the west in the provinces of Lydia and Asia. Sardis occupied the hub of these roads and increased in wealth.) The name Croesus, king of Lydia (560 546 b.c.), is part of the city s history. Whatever he touched, according to a legend, turned to gold. Even nature itself contributed to Sardis, for Herodotus writes concerning the River Pactolus that runs through the city, The stream which comes down from Mount Tmolus and which brings Sardis a quantity of gold dust, runs directly through the market place of the city. ��1�� Its supply was soon depleted, certainly before the Romans occupied the area.

But Croesus used wealth to extend his influence, which reached far to the east of Sardis. In a battle against Cyrus of Persia he relied on an oracle given to him by the priestess of Delphi, If you cross the River Halys, you will destroy a great empire. ��2�� With his forces he crossed this river and destroyed not the Persian empire but his own.) Croesus thought that he would be safe in Sardis, his impregnable fortress. He did not expect Cyrus to follow him, and thus he failed to mobilize his forces. When the Persian armies came to Sardis, Croesus waited him out, believing that no one could scale the almost vertical walls of the promontory. But when one of his men accidentally dropped his helmet from one of the walls and went to retrieve it, he inadvertently demonstrated that the wall could be climbed. At night, Persian soldiers scaled the wall, met no opposition, and took the city.��3�� Through one soldier s carelessness and a failure to guard the walls, Croesus lost the war.) When people pay no attention to their history, they must repeat the mistakes of the past.

In the third century before Christ, Antiochus the Great of Syria sent his armies against Sardis (214 b.c.). His soldiers scaled the unguarded walls of the city and captured it in much the same way as the Persian warriors did in 546 b.c. Therefore, when Jesus said to the believers in Sardis, Be alert! (v. 2), they heard an echo from their own past that reinforced his warning.) Antiochus the Great caused some two thousand Jewish families to migrate from Mesopotamia to Lydia and Phrygia in Asia Minor.��4�� The Jews settled in many of the cities including Sardis, where archaeological research has shown that the Aramaic language was known. Josephus records that the Jews in Sardis enjoyed certain privileges like holding citizenship and filling leading positions as members of the city council.��5�� Excavations have unearthed the ruins of a sizable synagogue dating back to the third century of the Christian era. Admittedly, third-century ruins do not prove that Jews were in Sardis in the first century, yet they suggest that Jewish people may have lived there for some time previous to this and that they were wealthy, influential, and numerous enough to be able to build this synagogue complex.��6��) There is more. Jesus notes that a few people in Sardis had not soiled their clothes (v. 4).

This means that these few kept themselves pure from outside influences and that they did not adapt to the religious practices of that day. While both the letters to the churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia mention the synagogue of Satan and people who say they are Jews but are not (2:9; 3:9), Sardis endured no opposition from the Jews. The gospel that the local Christians proclaimed and applied was too weak to be offensive to the Jews. Also, pagan temples dedicated to Cybele, Zeus Lydios, Heracles, and Dionysus were influential in the religion of the people. Again, the kind of gospel that the inhabitants of Sardis heard from the Christians posed no threat to their pagan religions.) Sardis was conquered by the Romans in 189 b.c. and suffered a devastating earthquake in a.d. 17, but Emperor Tiberius exempted the city from paying taxes for a period of five years. During these years its citizens rebuilt Sardis to rise from ruins to its former splendor.

The Jews regularly sent money to Jerusalem for the maintenance of the temple. Josephus records that they addressed the city government about Caesar s decision not to hinder them from gathering the temple tax and sending it to Jerusalem.��7��) Of the seven churches Sardis was among the lowest in spiritual fervor. Its accommodation to its religious environment shielded the church from persecution, for hardly anyone took notice. Its inoffensive lifestyle yielded religious peace with the world but resulted in spiritual death in the sight of God. Apart from a few faithful members who kept the fire of the gospel burning, the church itself was gradually dying, like a fire that lacks fuel and air. Yet among the smoldering ashes were a few glowing embers.) a.

The Warning) 3:1 3) 1. And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this: I know your works; you have a reputation that you are alive but you are dead. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.14.26|AUTODETECT|” a. The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this. Jesus identifies himself differently in the opening sentence of each individual letter. Here he reveals himself with a combination of the initial greeting of the book, the seven spirits (1:4), and a phrase taken from his appearance to John, the seven stars (1:16, 20; 2:1). The seven spirits describe the fullness of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus is sending forth from the father 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.14.26|AUTODETECT|” John 14:26) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.15.26-43.15.27|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.15.26-43.15.27|AUTODETECT|” 15:26 27) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.2.33|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.2.33|AUTODETECT|” Acts 2:33) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Jesus says that he has the seven spirits, that is, he has received the fullness of the Holy Spirit and exercises authority over him. He commissions the Holy Spirit to make both believers and unbelievers know him and to fan the flames of renewal in churches that are waning. The Spirit, therefore, is the agent to blow new life into the dying church of Sardis and to stimulate indolent members to action.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 The phrase the seven stars also occurs in the letter to the church at Ephesus (2:1), but there the believers had lost their first love and had fallen from their spiritual height (2:4 5); here they are declared spiritually dead, which is far worse. But through his life-giving Spirit Jesus is able and willing to revive the church. He holds the seven stars in his right hand (1:16), for they are his messengers appointed to proclaim the Word of God that generates new life within the church. Jesus gives these bearers of the good news both authority and protection. He commissions them to deliver not their own but God s message to the people.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.22.37|AUTODETECT|” b. I know your works; you have a reputation that you are alive but you are dead. Jesus addresses the church members at Sardis and tells them that he is fully aware of their works, but he is unable to enumerate them because they are incomplete in God s sight (v. 2). God is not interested in halfhearted attempts to serve him. The summary of his law is love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.22.37|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 22:37) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 2 2 8 0 0 The church at large knew Sardis as a congregation that enjoyed the reputation of being alive. We assume that financial stature and influence may have contributed to giving the church the outward appearance of thriving spiritually. The external appearance may deceive fellow believers who take a superficial look, but Jesus examines the internal status of the church and finds an absence of vibrant faith that has resulted in spiritual deadness. Almost the entire church had capitulated to the surrounding world of pagan religion and Judaism, and instead of being an influence on the culture, it had become influenced by that culture. No wonder that Jesus described it as being dead. The church in Sardis had become a nonentity because it failed to contribute to the advance of the gospel.

Jesus told the Ephesians that if they did not repent, he would remove their lampstand to preclude them from being a church (2:5). Similarly, Sardis would cease to be a church unless the members showed evidence of repentance.) 2. Be alert! Strengthen the things that remain and are about to die, for I have not found your works brought to completion before my God. 3. Remember, therefore, how you received and heard [the message]; keep it and repent. Therefore, if you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you do not know at all in what hour I will come upon you. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.29-44.20.31|AUTODETECT|” a. Be alert! Strengthen the things that remain and are about to die. The first command is to be vigilant. Hearing it, the inhabitants of Sardis would immediately recall their history. The Greek text stresses the continuous present to indicate that the church must always show itself to be alert to internal and external dangers: false teachers inside the church and false teaching coming to them from the outside 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.29-44.20.31|AUTODETECT|” Acts 20:29 31) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.24.24|AUTODETECT|” ; see also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.24.24|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 24:24) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Jesus command to watchfulness reveals that some life is still present in the congregation, even though he described it as dead.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.34.4|AUTODETECT|” The second command is to begin the task of strengthening the people and the things that still function in the church. Although some members are still active, the works that they have undertaken are incomplete and in danger of becoming altogether inactive.��8�� The emphasis in this sentence is on the verb to strengthen, so that both agents and activities still left in Sardis are reinforced. The works of faith and love practiced by a few devoted members have the potential of dying out. Incidentally, the wording of this clause echoes God s instruction to Israel, You have not strengthened the weak 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.34.4|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 34:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.32|AUTODETECT|” ; compare also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.32|AUTODETECT|” Luke 22:32) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.5.27|AUTODETECT|” b. For I have not found your works brought to completion before my God. Jesus examines the activities of the church in Sardis as God weighed Belshazzar on the scales and found him wanting 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.5.27|AUTODETECT|” Dan. 5:27) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.5.48|AUTODETECT|” ). He desires not quantity but quality. That is, he wants that which is done in faith and with love for God and the neighbor. He wants the believer to be filled with the Holy Spirit and express to him works of gratitude. The expression brought to completion conveys the meaning of that which is perfect 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.5.48|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 5:48) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.1.3|AUTODETECT|” ). No Israelite might offer a blemished animal to the Lord 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.1.3|AUTODETECT|” Lev. 1:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.15.21|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.15.21|AUTODETECT|” Deut. 15:21) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=39.1.8|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=39.1.8|AUTODETECT|” Mal. 1:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.20.17|AUTODETECT|” ), for an animal had to be without blemish, that is, whole. So the Christians in Sardis had to present their works before the Lord as perfect sacrifices. Jesus uses the possessive pronoun my five times when he speaks of God 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.20.17|AUTODETECT|” John 20:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Subordinate to God, he fulfills his mediatorial role.) 1 9 2 8 0 0 c. Remember, therefore, how you received and heard [the message]; keep it and repent. The verbs in this clause provide ample evidence that much time had elapsed since the people had first heard and believed the message of the gospel.��9�� The verb to remember seems to point not to the immediate past of a few years ago but to the distant past of more than a generation. If the gospel was brought to Sardis in the mid-fifties and John wrote Revelation in the mid-nineties, forty years had passed. Next, the Greek has the perfect tense of the verb to receive to indicate that considerable time had elapsed.) The first-generation Christians had put their faith to work, but the second generation just rested on what had happened in the past. Hence, Jesus gives the command to keep on remembering what their parents had done, because the first generation received the message of salvation, heard it, and obediently followed its instructions (see 2:5).

The second generation still had the gospel message, but now they are told to safeguard it. Jesus is not saying that God s Word must be safely kept on the shelf or in a drawer, but that its teachings should be known, followed, and obeyed. Thus, he commands the readers and hearers to obey his gospel and to repent of their inactivity and indolence. The verb to keep relates to the gospel and the verb to repent to the radical change of the inner self.) Today, the Bible is a bestseller and millions of people purchase it. Although many people read it regularly, only some obey its teachings.) d. Therefore, if you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you do not know at all in what hour I will come upon you.

The warning is straightforward, for neglecting to heed it inevitably results in the coming judgment of the Lord. Five of the seven epistles record his coming (Ephesus, 2:5; Pergamum, 2:16; Thyatira, 2:25; Sardis, 3:3; Philadelphia, 3:11); three of them have this information together with the stern warning to repent (Ephesus, Pergamum, and Sardis). This means that in these three instances the people s repentance and Jesus coming ought to be interpreted against the historical backdrop of that time.) In the present context, the coming of Jesus appears imminent and unexpected. He is coming as a thief. This is a common theme in the New Testament, either referring to immediate punishment or to the Second Coming of Christ. Here the historical context points to impending judgment.��10�� Failure to repent would inevitably lead to the Lord s swift reproof.

The people in Sardis did not have to wait until Christ s promised return; should they fail to repent, his unexpected appearance would be like that of a thief whose coming can occur anytime.��11��) b. The Promise) 3:4 6) 4. However, you have a few persons in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me [dressed] in white, because they are worthy. ) There is hope for the slumbering church in Sardis, where a few members are still faithful to the Lord. Among the ashes of the fire are a few glowing embers that with a draft of wind will burst into flame. The Greek reads a few names and conveys the idea that the Lord knows his faithful followers individually by name and cherishes their love for him.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=65.1.23|AUTODETECT|” The small number of faithful servants had not soiled their garments, which means that they had not been influenced by the secular culture of their day. The word clothes is a symbol of their spiritual conduct and their moral lifestyle 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=65.1.23|AUTODETECT|” Jude 23) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.5.22|AUTODETECT|” ). They were not besmirched by the sins of adultery and idolatry; they had not undermined the message of the gospel; and they had refrained from compromise. They were true to their word given at their baptism to follow Jesus. Although these few believers might be regarded as odd and out of step with their culture, they steadfastly walked in the footsteps of apostles and other Christians who had brought and taught the gospel of salvation. Walking with the Lord God is exemplified in the life of Enoch 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.5.22|AUTODETECT|” Gen. 5:22) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.5.24|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=1.5.24|AUTODETECT|” 24) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) and in the lives of the disciples who with Jesus walked through Galilee and Judea.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.61.10|AUTODETECT|” The devoted followers of Jesus will walk with him and are dressed in white garments. The color white in this text signifies purity and holiness.��12�� Their white garments are a covering that the Lord gives them as a robe of righteousness 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.61.10|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 61:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.64.6|AUTODETECT|” ). These faithful few are worthy. That is, in the sight of Jesus they are declared worthy, not because of their own accomplishments but because of his. Their own so-called good works are nothing but filthy rags 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.64.6|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 64:6) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.14.4|AUTODETECT|” ). But by listening obediently to Jesus voice and following in his footsteps 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.14.4|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 14:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), they through his atonement are declared worthy.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 5. The one who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments. I will never erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before the Father and before his angels 6. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.24.13|AUTODETECT|” a. The one who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments. The typical Hebraic parallelism is evident as the writer links up the preceding reference to white garments with the concept to overcome (see 2:7). The person who endures to the end will be saved and will triumph in Christ 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.24.13|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 24:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The few faithful Christians in Sardis are the ones who overcome the temptations and trials on life s pathway. But what is the import of the word thus? It seems natural to take the adverb in its context of the preceding verse (v. 4b) and say that thus should be taken together with white garments as a consequence of walking with Jesus.��13��) 1 1 2 8 0 0 Notice the passive voice in the verb will be clothed, which denotes that God has given the garments to the overcomer. The garments are the righteous acts of the saints (19:8). The color white denotes purity, and thus saints who are clothed in white garments are holy in God s presence (7:9, 13).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.49.16|AUTODETECT|” b. I will never erase his name from the book of life. Here is a promise that is worded in strongly negative terms to assure faithful Christians in Sardis. It assures them that they are absolutely safe and secure. Their names have been recorded in the book of life and will never be erased. Elsewhere God testifies to his people, See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.49.16|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 49:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.32.10|AUTODETECT|” ). He is inseparably linked to them, for they are the apple of his eye 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.32.10|AUTODETECT|” Deut. 32:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.17.8|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.17.8|AUTODETECT|” Ps. 17:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=38.2.8|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=38.2.8|AUTODETECT|” Zech. 2:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). John reveals that the names inscribed in this book of life were recorded from the foundation of the earth (17:8).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=16.7.5-16.7.6|AUTODETECT|” The Jewish people kept accurate records in regard to vital statistics. When the Jews returned from exile, lists were drawn up for the registration of families 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=16.7.5-16.7.6|AUTODETECT|” Neh. 7:5 6) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=16.12.22-16.12.24|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=16.12.22-16.12.24|AUTODETECT|” 12:22 24) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.13.9|AUTODETECT|” ). Excluding people from the records of the house of Israel was practiced in the days of Ezekiel. False prophets were completely ostracized and banned from the land of Israel 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.13.9|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 13:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.7.21-40.7.23|AUTODETECT|” ). The Romans would erase the name of a criminal from the records before they put him to death; Christians who refused to worship Caesar as Lord were considered convicts who would lose their citizenship. Jesus assures the faithful in Sardis that their names would never be erased from the book of life.��14�� Those people who profess the name of Jesus but whose lifestyle fails to support their profession never had their names recorded in the book of life. Jesus tells them that he never knew them and he orders them to depart from him 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.7.21-40.7.23|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 7:21 23) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.10.20|AUTODETECT|” The wording book of life is significant because it differs from that of civil register ; the one is in heaven, the other on earth. In Revelation, the book of life is where the names of those who have received the gift of eternal life are written 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.10.20|AUTODETECT|” Luke 10:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.4.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.4.3|AUTODETECT|” Phil. 4:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.12.23|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.12.23|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 12:23) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.32.32-2.32.33|AUTODETECT|” ). In the Old Testament, to be erased from the book on earth means to die, that is, to be blotted out from the civil register 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.32.32-2.32.33|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 32:32 33) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.69.28|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.69.28|AUTODETECT|” Ps. 69:28) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.12.1|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.12.1|AUTODETECT|” Dan. 12:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 0 c. I will confess his name before the Father and before his angels. This is a word of Jesus, spoken during his earthly ministry and repeated with minor variations:) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.10.32|AUTODETECT|” " Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.10.32|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 10:32) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.12.8|AUTODETECT|” " I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.12.8|AUTODETECT|” Luke 12:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 0 " The one who confesses me before men, I will confess him before my Father (2 Clem. 3.2).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=55.2.12|AUTODETECT|” An early Christian hymn states that Jesus will disown the person who disowns him 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=55.2.12|AUTODETECT|” 2 Tim. 2:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=9.2.30|AUTODETECT|” ), and the parallel is that before God the Father, Jesus honors those who honor him 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=9.2.30|AUTODETECT|” 1 Sam. 2:30) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.2.11|AUTODETECT|” ). In the highest courts of heaven before God and his angels, Jesus confesses the names of all those who confess his name on earth. Jesus is one with his people and is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.2.11|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 2:11) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��15��) 1 11 2 8 0 0 d. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. This is the repetitive refrain recorded in each of the seven letters. The Holy Spirit speaks to all the churches and not only to the congregation at Sardis.) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 3:1 6) Verse 1) D���� this word has a metaphorical meaning, reputation. ) Verse 2) ����� �������� the verb to be with the present participle denotes a periphrastic construction, here in the imperative. The command reveals that the people are already alert and should continue to be so. But the imperative verb �������� is the ingressive aorist, begin to strengthen. ) ������ this is an epistolary imperfect, because the writer places himself in the position of the reader, who when he reads the verb knows it is the past.

It is translated as a present tense are about to. ) Verse 3) The verb tenses and moods in verse 3a vary: ��������� (remember!) the present imperative; �4����� (you have received) the perfect active indicative; $������ (you heard) the aorist indicative; ����� (keep!) the present imperative; ���������� (repent! see 2:5) the aorist imperative. The perfect tense of �4����� appears to take on an aoristic sense, especially in view of the relatively few occurrences of the aorist indicative of ������� in Revelation. ��16��) Verse 4) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.1.15|AUTODETECT|” @���� @������ a few persons. The figurative meaning of the noun refers to persons who are each known by name 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.1.15|AUTODETECT|” Acts 1:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.11.13|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.11.13|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 11:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ; compare 18:15).) 1 17 2 8 0 0 Verse 5) �U��� thus. The TR has the reading �U��� (this), which appears to be a correction of the adverb �U���, which was regarded as superfluous).��17�� The manuscript evidence favors the reading thus. ) ) 6. Philadelphia) 3:7 13) The City) 7 To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy and true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut and shuts and no one opens, says this: 8 I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have little strength and yet you have kept my word, and you have not denied my name. 9 Look, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan and who call themselves Jews and are not but are lying look, I will make them to come and bow down at your feet and admit that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my command to persevere, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is about to come upon the whole world to try those who dwell upon the earth. 11 I am coming soon; hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.) 12 I will make the one who overcomes a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he go out of it.

I will write the name of my God upon him and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that is coming down out of heaven from my God; and upon him I will write my new name. 13 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. ) ) Located nearly thirty miles to the southeast of Sardis and about sixty miles east of Smyrna, Philadelphia (modern Ala’ehir) was founded in 140 b.c. by Attalus the Second.��18�� His surname was Philadelphus, and out of love for his brother Eumenes he called the city Philadelphia, city of brotherly love. It was strategically located along a well-traveled highway that linked the east (Asia) with the west (Europe). It was a city with an open door through which trade, commerce, Greek language, and Greek culture spread from Greece and Macedonia to Asia Minor and Syria. Jesus word I have set before you an open door (v. 8) was well received by the resident Christians who actively spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.) The area around Philadelphia was volcanic and known as the burnt land. Volcanic ash fell on it and made the soil extremely fertile. In the fields around the city vineyards dotted the landscape, so that it became known for it wines and beverages.

Nonetheless, because of volcanic activity earthquakes often struck this city. A severe quake devastated the city in a.d. 17, after which Emperor Tiberius exempted Philadelphia from paying taxes. He donated a sum of money to be used to rebuild the city. Its inhabitants out of fear of the repeated tremors preferred to live outside the city walls in the countryside. Thus, Jesus promise was meaningful to his followers in that city: they would never have to go outside anymore (v. 12).) One other point of interest needs to be mentioned. The city devastated by the earthquake of a.d. 17 and aided financially by Tiberius wanted to honor the emperor by adopting the name Neocaesarea (the city of the new Caesar).

The new name remained in vogue for some twenty-five to thirty years. Later, to honor Emperor Vespasian, whose reign lasted from 69 to 79, the city called itself Flavia and had a temple for emperor worship. Vespasian s full name was Titus Flavius Sabinus Vespasianus. Again, Jesus promise to the Philadelphian Christians to give them a new name (v. 12) was meaningful.) Ramsay aptly summarizes the characteristics of Philadelphia: First, it was the missionary city; secondly, its people lived always in dread of disaster, the day of trial ; thirdly, many of its people went out of the city to dwell; fourthly, it took a new name from the Imperial god. ��19��) Not only the church in Smyrna, but also the saints in Philadelphia were models of faithfulness to Jesus Christ. He praises them for their steadfastness and throughout this letter he speaks no word of reproof. Indications of the Christian influence in Philadelphia are many, for the church remained true to Jesus through the centuries, even when Islam became the dominant religion in the area.

In the first part of the twentieth century, five Christian congregations were still flourishing in Philadelphia.��20�� Of all the seven churches in the province of Asia, only the one in Philadelphia has spanned the centuries.) a. Address and Recognition) 3:7 8) 7. To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy and true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut and shuts and no one opens, says this: 8. I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have little strength and yet you have kept my word, and you have not denied my name. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.11.45|AUTODETECT|” a. He who is holy and true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut and shuts and no one opens. The self-description of Jesus is a fitting introduction of the letter to the Philadelphians, because Jesus counted on them to cherish both holiness and truth. Scripture teaches that because God is holy he expects all his people to be holy 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.11.45|AUTODETECT|” Lev. 11:45) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.19.2|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.19.2|AUTODETECT|” 19:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.20.7|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=3.20.7|AUTODETECT|” 20:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.40.25|AUTODETECT|” ). God is the Holy One 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.40.25|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 40:25) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=35.3.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=35.3.3|AUTODETECT|” Hab. 3:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=41.1.24|AUTODETECT|” ), but here Jesus is called holy and true. In fact, both the demons and Jesus disciples acknowledge Jesus as the Holy One of God 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=41.1.24|AUTODETECT|” Mark 1:24) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.4.34|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.4.34|AUTODETECT|” Luke 4:34) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.6.69|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.6.69|AUTODETECT|” John 6:69) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.5.26|AUTODETECT|” ). Of all the books in the New Testament, the Apocalypse most frequently calls God s people the holy ones, that is, the saints.��21�� They have been cleansed by the blood of Christ and may enter God s presence as if they had never sinned at all. They are the bride of Christ from whom every spot or wrinkle has been removed 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.5.26|AUTODETECT|” Eph. 5:26) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.5.27|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.5.27|AUTODETECT|” 27) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 0 Only twice in the New Testament are the two adjectives holy and true combined: once they are applied to Jesus (here) and once to God (6:10). True means that which is genuine as the opposite of fake. Jesus never breaks his word but fulfills all its implications. Those who called themselves Jews, but were not Jews, demonstrated the lie. By contrast, Jesus word is trustworthy. The combination faithful and true is attributed to Jesus and to the words God speaks (3:14; 21:5; 22:6).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.22.22|AUTODETECT|” Jesus holds the key of David, which is a direct reference to his messianic lineage. The words are based on ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.22.22|AUTODETECT|” Isaiah 22:22) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.9.6|AUTODETECT|” , I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. This is said to Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who served King Hezekiah as a faithful steward. Eliakim received royal emblems of authority: a robe with sash and the key of David s dynasty on his shoulder. He ruled over the house of David, Jerusalem, and Judah. He was a prototype of Jesus the Messiah 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.9.6|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 9:6) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.1.8|AUTODETECT|” ). Christ, on the other hand, holds the scepter of God s kingdom, is the Son over his house 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.1.8|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 1:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.3.6|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.3.6|AUTODETECT|” 3:6) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), and rules over all peoples.��22��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.28.18|AUTODETECT|” The expression key in the singular preceded by the definite article and, thus, differ from the earlier portrayal of Jesus holding the keys of Death and Hades (1:18) Jesus is the one and only who holds absolute authority with that royal key of David (5:5; 22:16). He is the absolute ruler in heaven and on earth 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.28.18|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 28:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), for what he opens no one can shut and what he shuts no one can open. His word and deed are final.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.8.12|AUTODETECT|” The opening and shutting of doors must be interpreted in the context of the Jews in Philadelphia (v. 9). They opposed the admission of Gentiles, whom Jesus warmly welcomed into the fellowship of the Christian church. The Jews themselves, however, were shut out of the kingdom of God even thought they considered themselves God s chosen people 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.8.12|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 8:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 2 2 8 0 0 b. [Jesus] says this: I know your works. Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. The Lord is thoroughly familiar with the works of the Philadelphians and need not list them (see 2:2, 19; 3:15). The two clauses about an open door and the inability to shut it seem to allude to the works performed by the church in Philadelphia. While the church in Sardis was idle, the Philadelphians were actively teaching and preaching Christ s gospel.) Scholars debate how to punctuate this verse. Some are of the Opinion that the clause I know your works should be seen as a parenthesis.

Others think that the sentence, Look, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut, is parenthetical. And still others make three separate sentences by repeating the words I know preceding the third sentence that you have little strength, etc. The third option is preferable and is adopted by most translators.��23��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.14.27|AUTODETECT|” What is the meaning of the expression an open door? First, the Greek indicates that this door has been opened and remains open, although the Lord can shut it again. Next, traffic is not going out through the door into the world but rather it is coming through the door into the kingdom. Third, the Lord has to open the door to make the work of evangelism possible and effective. Paul and Barnabas reported to the church in Antioch how God had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.14.27|AUTODETECT|” Acts 14:27) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.16.9|AUTODETECT|” ). God opens the door that no one is able to shut, so that the people may enter into his presence. Wherever he opens doors for his workers, there he blesses their work of presenting the gospel 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.16.9|AUTODETECT|” 1 Cor. 16:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.2.12|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.2.12|AUTODETECT|” 2) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.2.12|AUTODETECT|” Cor. 2:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.3|AUTODETECT|” Col. 4:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.45.1|AUTODETECT|” ). There the work of missions and evangelism flourishes when converts come to faith in Christ. In spite of fierce opposition by the Jews in the synagogue of Satan (v. 9), the little band of faithful Christians in Philadelphia were assured of a blessing because Jesus had opened the door to Gentile converts. In short, God is sovereign in the work of salvation, for he either closes or shuts the doors of service 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.45.1|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 45:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). And the door that God opens is a stimulus to Christians to be actively engaged in the work of evangelism and missions.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.12.32|AUTODETECT|” c. I know that you have little strength and yet you have kept my word, and you have not denied my name. Jesus emphasizes the word little. It precedes the noun strength and relates to the number of the saints in Philadelphia. In the eyes of the local Jews, these Christians were so insignificant that they could not even be regarded as meaningful. In the course of Jesus earthly ministry, the Lord encouraged the disciples with these words: Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.12.32|AUTODETECT|” Luke 12:32) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.8.51|AUTODETECT|” Two commendations serve to bolster the spirit of this little group of believers: they had kept the word of Jesus, and they had not denied his name. These two are opposites in a Hebraic parallel setting: the first one is positive and alludes to Christ s gospel; the second is negative, with the word name embodying Jesus revelation. Keeping the word of Jesus implies not that it should be hidden from view but that it should be guarded from subversion. Not denying the name signifies honoring it and at the same time making Jesus revelation known to everyone 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.8.51|AUTODETECT|” John 8:51) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.2.5|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=62.2.5|AUTODETECT|”

1. 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=62.2.5|AUTODETECT|” John 2:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The word and the name of Jesus refer to God s special revelation that is expressed in both gospel and precept. His people observe this revelation in word and deed.) 1 6 2 8 0 0 These two commendations imply that the faithful saints in Philadelphia had to endure opposition from Jews and Gentiles. Their adversaries opposed the name and message of Jesus and repudiated his followers because of their lifestyle. Yet the saints remained true to their Lord and, therefore, received his praise and blessings.) b. Exhortation) 3:9 11) 9. Look, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan and who call themselves Jews and are not but are lying look, I will make them to come and bow down at your feet and admit that I have loved you.) a. The imperative look! appears twice for emphasis (see also v. 8).

Notice the repetition of the first sentence, which occurs in the letter to the Christians in Smyrna (2:9). And note that the break in the middle of the verse causes the second part to strengthen the first. These two parts illustrate Hebraic syntax, with repetition used for emphasis.) b. Look, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan and who call themselves Jews and are not but are lying. Translators have to depart from the literal version, Look, I give those & , and substitute the verb to make in the future tense for the reading I give. In the second part of the sentence, the reading I will make appears again.

The last three words but are lying are not in the letter to Smyrna that parallels this verse.) 7 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.2.9|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 2:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.9|AUTODETECT|” ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.9|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 3:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) 1 10 2 8 0 0 I will make those of the synagogue of Satan ) the ones who call themselves Jews who call themselves Jews ) and are not, and are not ) but are the synagogue of Satan. ) but are lying. ) ) ) The two congregations of Smyrna and Philadelphia are the only two of the seven that make specific reference to the Jewish people, their synagogue, and their master Satan. Yet these are also the only two churches that receive praise without a word of reproof.) Jewish people who converted to Christianity were no longer tolerated in synagogues after the destruction of the temple and city of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. Two decades later Jewish leaders met in Jamnia to acknowledge the canon of the Scriptures and to formulate the so-called Eighteen Benedictions. The twelfth petition in this prayer pronounces a curse on the apostates:) For apostates let there be no hope, and the kingdom of insolence mayest thou uproot speedily in our days; and let Christians (nocerim) and the heretics (minim) perish in a moment, let them be blotted out of the book of life and let them not be written with the righteous. Blessed art thou, O Lord, who humblest the insolent.��24��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.24.5|AUTODETECT|” Already in the middle of the first century, the Jews referred to Christianity as the Nazarene sect 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.24.5|AUTODETECT|” Acts 24:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). After the curse on the heretics was formulated, the Jews denounced both Jewish and Gentile Christians during the worship services in the local synagogues. Even though no text dating from the first century has survived, we can safely state that Jewish hostility toward Christians became increasingly pronounced. We discover evidence of this in Christian writings dating from the last part of the first century to the beginning of the second and in scattered references to Christianity in Jewish literature.��25��) 1 1 2 8 0 0 Jesus called the Jewish assembly the synagogue of Satan (see the commentary on 2:9). As the Jews prided themselves on being God s chosen people with whom he had made a covenant, Jesus implied that they had forfeited the right to be called his people. They became instruments in the hands of Satan, who as their ruler used them to undermine and, if it were possible, to destroy the church. They rejected not only Jesus but also all his followers and, thus, indirectly acknowledged Satan as lord. Therefore, Jesus characterized them as liars because they no longer could claim to be God s people.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.49.23|AUTODETECT|” c. Look, I will make them to come and bow down at your feet and admit that I have loved you. Israel as God s chosen nation was given the promise of restoration after the return from exile. God said: Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.49.23|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 49:23) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ; see also 60:14). Instead of the Jews being honored, Jesus predicts that they will honor Jesus faithful followers and acknowledge that he truly loves his own. This suggests that God s promises to Israel have now passed on to Jesus followers.��26�� Admittedly, not all the Jews forfeit their claim to God s love. All those who repent and turn to him continue to experience his divine favor, for they are God s covenant people redeemed through Jesus Christ.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.43.4|AUTODETECT|” Jesus demonstrates his love to the Philadelphians by saying that even the opposing Jews will confess that he loves them 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=23.43.4|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 43:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). As the apple of his eye, they are the recipients of his watchful care.) 1 4 2 8 0 0 10. Because you have kept my command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is about to come upon the whole world to try those who dwell upon the earth. 11. I am coming soon; hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.) a. Because you have kept my command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing. Translations of verse 10 vary and consequently also the interpretations, cautioning the exegete not to be too dogmatic. Let us begin with the introductory word because, this conjunction reaches back to verse 8b , so that verse 9 serves as an explanatory note on the oppression the faithful believers had to endure.) Next, some commentators advocate continuity of verse 8b in verse 10.

But the term word may have a different connotation when it is qualified by to persevere, for then it takes on the meaning command. ) Third, there is the sequence of the verb to keep in verses 8 and 10, which can be interpreted as to obey, as you obeyed my word/command. But if the verb to obey is adopted, the verbal balance in verse 10 has been destroyed: you have kept my command & I will also keep you. The choice, therefore, seems to lean toward the equilibrium of the verbs kept and will keep. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.12.1-58.12.3|AUTODETECT|” Fourth, there is the position of the possessive pronoun my that is taken either as my word/command (NRSV, NIV) or the word of my endurance. ��27�� Even though a case could be made for either position 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.12.1-58.12.3|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 12:1 3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.2.18|AUTODETECT|” ), the construction my word (see v. 8) calls for a measure of consistency in this matter. Nevertheless, Scripture teaches that having endured suffering himself, Jesus helps his people who now suffer because of their adherence to him 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.2.18|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 2:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.17.15|AUTODETECT|” Last, does the preposition from mean preservation or evacuation? This preposition can be interpreted to mean through in the sense of God keeping the believer safe during a period of hardship. It can also be argued that God removes his child away from the difficulties that are encountered. However, in his high priestly prayer Jesus asks not that God take believers out of this world but that he protect them from the onslaughts of the evil one 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.17.15|AUTODETECT|” John 17:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.18.9-44.18.10|AUTODETECT|” ). Jesus sends his people into the world with the assurance that he will preserve them, as was evidenced in the life and ministry of Paul 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.18.9-44.18.10|AUTODETECT|” Acts 18:9 10) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The Lord promises that he will preserve his people in the hour of testing.��28��) 1 3 2 8 0 0 b. The hour of trial that is about to come upon the whole world to try those who dwell upon the earth. The word hour is not limited to sixty minutes but rather denotes a period of time. But what does the word trial mean and to whom does it apply? This term can mean temptation, testing, or trial, of which the last one fits the context. Here the meaning of trial is associated with the adversities, afflictions, and troubles that God is sending to his people to test their faith, holiness, and character.��29�� God is testing them and permits Satan to tempt them.

For the Christians this means that in times of temptation they overcome through God s power and are strengthened in their faith.) Times of testing come to any church and to all believers in every age. As the church in Smyrna was cast into a period of persecution, so the church in Philadelphia experienced its hour of trial. This does not mean that Christians will not suffer physical death in these periods, but that God protects them from spiritual death. They are the overcomers during their sojourn on this earth. The hour of trial is not limited to one particular event but gives a telescoped picture of the entire range of trials. It concerns not merely Philadelphia but refers generically to all the trials that precede the return of Christ. ��30�� Furthermore, it encompasses the whole earth, so that the entire church at one time or another before Christ s return endures severe tribulation.) The phrase those who dwell upon the earth applies to unbelievers, as is evident from numerous passages in Revelation where it signifies the persecutors and enemies of believers.��31�� God will test the unbelievers who persecute his people and will find them wanting.

We conclude that in this verse the term trial and the verb to try point to both believers and unbelievers. For Christians this tribulation, besides being a threat to their physical safety, will also be a test of their faith, which, by the Lord s help, they will be able to withstand. For the enemies of the church, however, whether Jews or Gentiles, it will come as the deserved punishment for their wickedness. ��32��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=38.2.10|AUTODETECT|” c. I am coming soon; hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown. Here is the recurring refrain that appears a number of times in the Apocalypse 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=38.2.10|AUTODETECT|” Zech. 2:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). In Revelation not chronological time but its principle is significant. Centuries come and centuries go as the church continues to pray, Maranatha, come, Lord Jesus! There is no evidence when he will come, but the certainty of his return echoes throughout the Book of Revelation. Jesus comes both to comfort his people and to avenge his enemies.��33��) 1 4 2 8 0 0 Jesus instructs the church in Thyatira to hold fast to what they have (2:25); he likewise exhorts the Christians in Philadelphia to guard their spiritual possessions. He promises the church in Smyrna the crown of life (2:10), but here he states that the believers in Philadelphia already possess this crown, which others would be able to take from them. They possess the crown of a victor. To hold on to it meant to continue their loyalty to the very end and thus be overcomers.) c. Promise) 3:12 13) 12. I will make the one who overcomes a pillar in the temple of my God.

Never again will he go out of it. I will write the name of my God upon him and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that is coming down out of heaven from my God; and upon him I will write my new name. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.20.17|AUTODETECT|” Notice the use of the possessive pronoun my that precedes the noun God four times and the new name of Jesus once (see also v. 2). Jesus emphasizes both his subordination to his Father 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.20.17|AUTODETECT|” John 20:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) and the authority he has received to Write his new name on his people.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.2.9|AUTODETECT|” a. I will make the one who overcomes a pillar in the temple of my God. Jesus promises to make the believer a pillar in the temple of God. There are at least two interpretations of the word pillar. One is that ancient temples had a number of pillars carved in the form of human beings that surrounded these structures. The second is that a pillar in a temple served to honor a distinguished person, much the same as plaques attached to pillars in European cathedrals. But these illustrations ought not to be taken seriously because the term pillar has a symbolical significance, much the same as James, Peter, and John were regarded as pillars in the church 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.2.9|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 2:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=54.3.15|AUTODETECT|” ; compare also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=54.3.15|AUTODETECT|” 1 Tim. 3:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=11.7.15-11.7.22|AUTODETECT|” The passage speaks not of pagan temples or the Solomonic temple in Jerusalem 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=11.7.15-11.7.22|AUTODETECT|” 1 Kings 7:15 22) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=14.3.15-14.3.17|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=14.3.15-14.3.17|AUTODETECT|” 2) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=14.3.15-14.3.17|AUTODETECT|” Chron. 3:15 17) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) but of the new Jerusalem that is coming down out of heaven. This means that the saints are honored within that heavenly temple, which in fact is nothing less than the very presence of God. This rules out, then, any idea of supporting pillars as in ancient temples. In short, the expression temple must be interpreted figuratively. God intends to honor his people in his sacred presence.��34��) 1 3 2 8 0 0 b. Never again will he go out of it. I will write the name of my God upon him. The first clause was meaningful to the citizens of Philadelphia, who because of the frequent earthquakes preferred to live outside the city walls in the countryside. These people lived their whole lives in fear of natural catastrophes; by contrast, God s children abide safely forever in his presence (21:3).) Jesus promises that he will place the name of God on the Christian. In two other passages, John elaborates this thought by saying that the names of the Lamb and of the Father are written on the foreheads of the saints (14:1; 22:4).

Note the recurring antithesis in the Apocalypse: the saints receive the names of God and the Lamb, while the unbelievers bear the name and the number of the beast (13:17 18).) c. And the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that is coming down out of heaven from my God; and upon him I will write my new name. Three times in this verse the word name occurs. In the third instance it is qualified by the adjective new. The Philadelphians could relate to these new names, for after the earthquake in a.d. 17 when Emperor Tiberius exempted them from paying taxes and donated money for rebuilding Philadelphia, they named their city Neocaesarea. Decades later, when they wished to honor Emperor Vespasian, they renamed it Flavia.

Now the saints in Philadelphia are told that on them will be written the name of God, of the new Jerusalem, and of Jesus. These names serve them as a passport for entrance into God s presence and as a sign of citizenship of the Jerusalem that comes down from heaven.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.48.0|AUTODETECT|” Although the new Jerusalem is mentioned here in passing, John provides a detailed description of this city in 21:2, 10 27.��35�� This description is based on ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.48.0|AUTODETECT|” Ezekiel 48) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.4.25-48.4.26|AUTODETECT|” , where the details of the city are given with respect to dimensions, gates, tribes, and names. The prophet Ezekiel appropriately concludes this chapter by saying, And the name of the city from that time on will be: the Lord is there (48:35b). The new city is different from the old in regard to its form, appearance, and significance 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.4.25-48.4.26|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 4:25 26) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.12.22|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.12.22|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 12:22) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.3.17|AUTODETECT|” ). There God s throne is established, to which all the nations gather to honor the name of the Lord 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.3.17|AUTODETECT|” Jer. 3:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ; see also 33:16).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.11.26|AUTODETECT|” Believers in the city of Antioch were the first to receive the name Christian, that is, follower of Christ 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.11.26|AUTODETECT|” Acts 11:26) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.26.28|AUTODETECT|” ). To the world this was a name of derision 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.26.28|AUTODETECT|” Acts 26:28) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.4.16|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.4.16|AUTODETECT|”

1. 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=60.4.16|AUTODETECT|” Pet. 4:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). But by entering the new Jerusalem, the Christian receives Christ s new name. We are not told what this name is, but we are able to say that it pertains to the completion of Christ s redemptive work. This new name will no longer be mocked but will be honored and revered.) 1 24 2 8 0 0

13. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. ) These words are the same in all the seven letters to the churches in the province of Asia. And they once again stress the fact that the message of these letters is meant for all the churches in every age and place.) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 3:7 2) Verse 7) ������� this adjective differs from �����, which means truthful; the reading in the text signifies true to the idea. ��36��) Verse 8) ������ notice that the verb to give must be translated as to set. This is also true in verse 9, where it has the meaning to make as seen in the repetition in the second part of that verse. Here the perfect tense I have set reveals that considerable time has elapsed and that the sovereign Lord determines how long the door remains open.) �P��� the personal pronoun is redundant because of the relative pronoun at the beginning of the clause (7:2, 9; 13:8, 12; 20:8).) Verse 9) ���� this is the alternate form of ������ (I give).��37��) �P���� the pronoun is the direct object of the verb ������ (I will make) but the subject of the two verbs in the 5�� clause.��38�� This clause functions as an infinitive . These two verbs, however, are in the future indicative and not the subjunctive like the verb ������ (they know).) Verse 12) � �� ��� ��� signifies not the temple complex but the Holy of Holies; that is, God s very presence.) �� �P��� the preposition and pronoun can refer to either upon him or upon the pillar.

Other passages in Revelation mention writing a name on the foreheads of God s people (14:1; 22:4), which argues in favor of A �����, the overcomer.) 8��������� this spelling occurs three times in the Apocalypse (3:12; 21:2, 10) and never in the Fourth Gospel; the alternate spelling 8��������� occurs never in Revelation but twelve times in John s Gospel (1:19; 2:13, 23; 4:20, 21, 45; 5:1, 2; 10:22; 11:18, 55; 12:12). An attempt to distinguish authorship of these two books cannot be sustained because several authors [Matthew, Luke, and Paul] use both forms interchangeably. ��39��) ) 7. Laodicea) 3:14 22) The City) 14 And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God s creation, says this: 15 I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 Because you say, I am rich and I have become wealthy and have need of nothing, but you do not know that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe yourself that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and salve to anoint your eyes that you may see.) 19 Those whom I love I reprove and discipline. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. 20 Look, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and I will dine with him and he with me.) 21 To the one who overcomes, I will grant [the privilege] of sitting with me on my throne, just as I myself overcame and sat with my Father on his throne. 22 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. ) ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.13|AUTODETECT|” Laodicea was located some forty-three miles to the southeast of Philadelphia, eleven miles west of Colosse and six miles south of Hierapolis 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.13|AUTODETECT|” Col. 4:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) in the Lycus valley. It served as the gateway to Ephesus, due east about a hundred miles, which was the gateway to Syria. Until the middle of the third century before Christ, it was known as Diospolis (the city of Zeus) and Rhoas. But in approximately 250 b.c. the Syrian ruler Antiochus II extended his influence westward, conquered the city, and renamed it Laodicea in honor of his wife Laodice. The Romans entered the area in 133 b.c. and made the city a judicial and administrative center.��40�� They built a road system from east to west and north to south. At the crossroads was the city of Laodicea, which expanded in size, became a leading commercial center, and gained wealth and influence.

Its wool industry flourished through the production and export of black wool, the manufacturing of common and costly garments, and the invention of an effective eye salve. It had a flourishing medical school that specialized in ear and eye care and had developed an ointment for treating inflamed eyes. Because of this ointment, the school became world famous.) 1 6 2 8 0 0 A devastating earthquake struck Laodicea in a.d. 17, and, like other cities in the province of Asia, it received financial aid from the Roman government. In a.d. 60 a second earthquake struck the city, and the Roman government offered financial aid to rebuild the city. But the city fathers sent the government a negative reply and made it known that they themselves had ample resources for reconstruction. In fact, they even contributed to the rebuilding of neighboring cities.��41��) Antiochus the Great (also known as Antiochus III) brought some two thousand Jewish families from Babylon to Lydia and Phrygia during the middle of the third century b.c.��42�� The city of Laodicea, which bordered these two regions, became host to many of these families and prospered. When in 62 b.c. the Jews wanted to pay their annual tax for the upkeep of the temple in Jerusalem, their shipment of gold was confiscated by Proconsul Flaccus. Part of this shipment was from Laodicea and weighed more than twenty pounds.

It has been calculated that the amount from Laodicea would imply a population of 7,500 adult Jewish freemen in the district. ��43�� The letter to the church at Laodicea reveals nothing about a Jewish presence, which may mean that this church, like the one in Sardis, preached a gospel that was no threat at all to the Jews. Neither did the Laodicean Christians have to endure any persecution from the Gentile population, nor were there any false prophets, including the Nicolaitans, a Balaam, or a Jezebel, in the church. The temple for the worship of Caesar occupied a central place in the city of Laodicea. The church accommodated itself to other religions, basked in material wealth, was content to live a life of ease, and failed to press the claims of Christ. Consequently, Jesus has no word of praise or commendation for this church and similar churches that fail to proclaim his message of salvation.) One last item should be mentioned in this brief survey. The water supply for Laodicea came from a distance of six miles at Hierapolis via an aqueduct.��44�� Its sources were hot water springs laden with calcium carbonate; when the water arrived in Laodicea, it was lukewarm.

Although these hot springs themselves had medicinal value and as health spas attracted the people, Jesus compares the tepid waters near the city to the lukewarm spiritual life of the Laodiceans.) a. Description) 3:14 16) 14. And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God s creation, says this: 15. I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. 16. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.13|AUTODETECT|” Apart from this text, the name Laodicea occurs only once in the entire New Testament 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.13|AUTODETECT|” Col. 4:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.1.7|AUTODETECT|” ). Its nearness to Colosse makes Epaphras the likely founder of the church in Laodicea 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.1.7|AUTODETECT|” Col. 1:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.12-51.4.13|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.12-51.4.13|AUTODETECT|” 4:12 13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.16|AUTODETECT|” ). Paul had sent a letter to this church, and he requested that the Colossians arrange that their letter be read in the church of the Laodiceans and they in turn read the Laodiceans letter 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.16|AUTODETECT|” Col. 4:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=57.1.22|AUTODETECT|” ). We have no information that Paul ever visited this church.��45�� Perhaps after his release from Roman imprisonment, he visited Colosse 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=57.1.22|AUTODETECT|” Philem. 22) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) and neighboring Laodicea.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 a. And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God s creation, says this. Alone of all the seven letters to the churches in western Asia Minor, the description of Christ in this letter is not derived from Jesus appearance to John on the island of Patmos (1:12 16). It comes from the greeting, which reads and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead (1:5a).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=13.16.36|AUTODETECT|” Jesus description of himself as the word Amen derives from the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. The Amen conveys the idea of that which is true, firmly established, and trustworthy. It was a word familiar to worshipers, who joined in a doxology uttering their confirmation to what they had heard 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=13.16.36|AUTODETECT|” 1 Chron. 16:36) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.106.48|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.106.48|AUTODETECT|” Ps. 106:48) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.1.25|AUTODETECT|” ). It is the emphatic Yes as an affirmative response to a prayer or a conclusion to a doxology 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.1.25|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 1:25) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.9.5|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.9.5|AUTODETECT|” 9:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.11.36|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.11.36|AUTODETECT|” 11:36) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.16.27|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.16.27|AUTODETECT|” 16:27) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.6.18|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.6.18|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 6:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.1.7|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.1.7|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 1:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.5.14|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.5.14|AUTODETECT|” 5:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.12|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.12|AUTODETECT|” 7:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.19.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.19.4|AUTODETECT|” 19:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.65.16|AUTODETECT|” ).��46�� Preceded by the definite article, the Amen has become personified in the Hebrew text as the God of Amen, in translation, the God of truth 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.65.16|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 65:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.1.20|AUTODETECT|” ; compare ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.1.20|AUTODETECT|” 2 Cor. 1:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Jesus takes this title for himself and interprets it in the next clause as the faithful and true witness. The terms faithful and true are both translations of the same Hebrew expression Amen.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.43.10-23.43.13|AUTODETECT|” This clarifying phrase the faithful and true witness is an echo of the trinitarian greeting (1:4b 5); without the term witness it is descriptive of the rider on a white horse (19:11). It means that whatever Jesus speaks is indubitably true, so that at the end of the Apocalypse we read the affirmation: these words are faithful and true (21:5; 22:6). For being a faithful witness, Antipas suffered martyrdom in Pergamum (2:13). Fulfilling the Old Testament prophecies 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.43.10-23.43.13|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 43:10 13) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 and 65:16 18). Christ is the true Israel, because he is the Amen, the faithful and true witness. ��47��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.16|AUTODETECT|” When Jesus refers to himself as the origin of God s creation, we see a close link to Paul s letter to the Colossians, which was read by the Laodiceans in worship services 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.16|AUTODETECT|” Col. 4:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.1.1|AUTODETECT|” ). The Lord calls himself the origin [Greek arch] of God s creation. We should not interpret the word origin passively, as if Jesus were created or recreated, but actively, because Jesus is the one who generates and calls God s creation into being 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.1.1|AUTODETECT|” John 1:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.1.15-51.1.18|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.1.15-51.1.18|AUTODETECT|” Col. 1:15 18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.1.2|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.1.2|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 1:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��48�� What then is the purpose of this description? To show that Jesus Christ made all things and thus possesses and controls them. Also, all things were made to serve him. The message to the Laodiceans is that their boast in earthly riches is misplaced because all things belong to Jesus, who is worthy of praise and glory.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 b. I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. The term works appears in the other letters too (2:2, 19; 3:1, 8). Here it means exactly the same thing as in the letter to the church in Sardis (v. 1): incomplete deeds that are not even worth mentioning. Jesus knew the works of both Sardis and Laodicea and for these two churches he had only sharp reproof. They were no longer active and alive: the few faithful in Sardis were like glowing embers amid a layer of ash; those in Laodicea were like their water supply neither cold nor hot.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.4.2|AUTODETECT|” If the Laodiceans had never heard the gospel, they would have been cold in a spiritual sense. We assume that the first-generation Christians in Laodicea accepted the gospel and were glowing with a spiritual fire and enthusiasm. But their descendants were tepid. They had no interest in being a witness for Jesus Christ, in living a life of service for the Lord, or in preaching and teaching his gospel for the advancement of his church and kingdom. Although they possessed the Scriptures, they were apathetic, indifferent, and unconcerned about the things of the Lord 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.4.2|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 4:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.6.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.6.4|AUTODETECT|” 6:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). It is no wonder that Jesus said, I know your works, with the implication that there were none.) 1 6 2 8 0 0 c. So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. The hot springs at a distance of six miles near Hierapolis sent water of medicinal quality down to Laodicea. By the time the water arrived there, it had cooled considerably, and because of the calcium carbonate in the water, it had a nauseating effect on the people who drank it. By contrast, Colosse, eleven miles away, was blessed with springs producing refreshing water that was cold and pure.) Christ has no interest at all in lukewarm Christianity, because it is worthless. He prefers to work either with people who are aflame with energy to do his bidding or those who have never been told about the message of salvation and are willing to listen.

Lukewarm water laced with calcium carbonate induces vomiting. Similarly nominal Christians void of spiritual works are utterly distasteful to the Lord, and he is about to spew them out of his mouth. Note that Jesus does not say, I will spew you out of my mouth, but rather, I am about to spew you out of my mouth. Here is the grace of the Lord Jesus as he is giving the Laodiceans time to repent after they have read his letter.��49�� This epistle is meant to change the recipients lukewarm attitude into an eagerness to work for the Lord, for grace always precedes condemnation (see v. 19).) The church in Laodicea had not become indifferent because worldly interests had chilled its proper fervour, but it had become ineffective because, believing they were spiritually well-equipped, its members had closed their doors and left their real Provider outside. ��50�� They had excluded Christ (compare v. 20) and thought they could do without him. By doing so they had become utterly ineffective as a church. Without Christ the church is dead.) b.

Reproof) 3:17 18) 17. Because you say, I am rich and I have become wealthy and have need of nothing, but you do not know that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked, ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=28.12.8|AUTODETECT|” a. Because you say, I am rich and I have become wealthy and have need of nothing. The source of the saying seems to be the Hebrew text of ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=28.12.8|AUTODETECT|” Hosea 12:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 , which shows distinct similarities:) 1 8 2 8 0 0 Ephraim boasts,) I am very rich; I have become) wealthy.) With all my wealth they will not find in) me) any iniquity or sin. ) Although we cannot determine whether the members of the church in Laodicea were affluent or not, we do know that the local citizens were wealthy and prosperous. The saying I am rich and need nothing also occurs in a diatribe of Epictetus, who records these words coming from an imperial bailiff.��51�� Perhaps the saying was proverbial among the rich. But here the words come from the mouths of the Christians in Laodicea, who had adapted themselves completely to the citizenry. Thus, instead of the church influencing society, the reverse had taken place, with society leading the church.) Next, the word rich may point to either material or spiritual possessions. Did the members of the church identify with the local citizens who in a.d. 60 had rejected financial aid from Rome when Laodicea was devastated by an earthquake? Or does the context compel the reader to understand the word to refer to spiritual riches?

The preceding passage (vv. 14 16) and the succeeding verse (v. 18) force commentators to adopt the second choice. The evidence indicates that the church had adopted the norms of Laodicea and carried them over into the spiritual realm. For instance, the city known as a financial center erected sizable buildings, gates, and towers soon after the quake that destroyed the city. It took pride in being independent and in its ability to help its neighbors suffering from the same disaster. The church members wholeheartedly approved of showing independence and helping one s neighbor. Consequently, they failed to see the difference between material and spiritual wealth.

They boasted of their self-sufficiency and had no need of Christ. They were spiritually blind.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.1.51|AUTODETECT|” Third, from a logical point of view the order being rich and having become wealthy is reversed. After one becomes affluent, he or she can say, I am rich. But this inversion of the expected sequence occurs more often in the Apocalypse (see 5:2, 5; 10:9) and even appears in the Fourth Gospel, angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.1.51|AUTODETECT|” John 1:51) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 0 Last, not to have need of anything is inconceivable for the true believer, who depends on God every moment day and night for food and drink, home, shelter, clothing, protection, spiritual nourishment, encouragement, comfort, love, joy, happiness, and numerous other blessings. To be self-sufficient is the height of spiritual arrogance, for faith and trust in the Lord no longer function.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.7.24|AUTODETECT|” b. But you do not know that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. The contrast introduced by the adversative but is striking indeed. Jesus said, I know your works (v. 15), and now he tells the Laodiceans that they lack knowledge of themselves. He uses the personal pronoun you for emphasis in the singular to address the church as a whole. He describes the church with five adjectives, of which the first one is wretched 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.7.24|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 7:24) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.15.19|AUTODETECT|” ). It denotes the mundane condition of people who disregard divine essentials: a rich person who lacks the wealth that counts before God. In addition to being spiritually bankrupt, the wealthy are to be pitied. Paul uses the word pity in the superlative when he writes about people who doubt the resurrection. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.15.19|AUTODETECT|” 1 Cor. 15:19) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.1.9|AUTODETECT|” NRSV). Instead of being rich, the Laodiceans are spiritually poor because they are blinded by material possessions 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.1.9|AUTODETECT|” 2 Pet. 1:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). And last, they stand naked before God and are unable to cover their shame. With only five adjectives, Jesus has described their miserable condition. The first two (wretched and pitiable) reflect the inner condition of the Laodiceans, while the last three (poor, blind, and naked) describe both their internal and external condition.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 18. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire that you maybe rich, and white garments to clothe yourself that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and salve to anoint your eyes that you may see. ) This verse takes up the last three adjectives of the previous verse (v. 17), although out of sequence. When these three adjectives (poor, naked, and blind) are removed, the first two (wretched and pitiable) disappear. Also, these three comprise all the blessings a believer needs for his or her salvation: redemption, justification, and sanctification.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.55.1|AUTODETECT|” a. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire that you may be rich. Instead of a harsh rebuke and sharp command, Jesus counsels the Laodiceans and demonstrates his divine grace. He borrows language from the marketplace and alludes to an Old Testament passage: Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.55.1|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 55:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Appealing to people who boldly stated that they had no needs, the Lord invites them to buy refined gold from him. By implication, he wants them to come to him as destitute beggars who would never be able to buy this precious commodity. The Greek word gold refers to finely crafted products as in jewelry or coins and not merely to the metal itself (compare 17:4; 21:18, 21 with 9:7; 18:12). The money changers at the Laodicean bank handled currency on a daily basis, but Christ is counseling the people to come to him and buy. Yet his advice purposely omits money, for the transaction must take place without legal tender. They can obtain the gold only from Jesus.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.1.7|AUTODETECT|” Notice, therefore, the kind of gold that Christ makes available to the Laodiceans: gold refined by fire. It is gold that has been purified to such a degree that the glow of fire emanates from it 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.1.7|AUTODETECT|” 1 Pet. 1:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). These words hint at the fiery trial that the followers of Christ are to endure. Gold is actually another word for faith, which is far more precious than gold. Faith must be all-important to the Laodiceans, for they should realize that Jesus is speaking to them in spiritual terms. What is at stake here is that all their impurities are to be burned away, so that their faith comes out of the fire intact,��52�� and as a consequence their love for Christ is pure.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.7.9|AUTODETECT|” b. White garments to clothe yourself that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed. In a city where the garment industry provided work and income for countless people, these words had a direct appeal. The black wool that the sheep produced was the color of the great majority of clothes manufactured there. Priests wore white garments, but now this attire is the eschatological attire of the saints who with the white color attest to holiness and purity.��53�� There is an allusion to the Ancient of Days, His clothing was as white as snow 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.7.9|AUTODETECT|” Dan. 7:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.1.14|AUTODETECT|” ; see ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.1.14|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 1:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 7 2 8 0 0 The reason for clothing oneself with white garments is to cover the nakedness of sin and thus not be put to shame (compare 16:15). The Old Testament provides a number of instances where either the reality or the threat of utter humiliation centered on being stripped naked.��54��) The Christians in Laodicea were spiritually naked, [for] all the looms in their city could not weave cloth to cover their sins. Laodicea might supply the whole world with her tunics and clothing materials; but righteousness was the white raiment which God demanded (see 19:8), and this they must get from Christ. ��55�� Only Jesus removes sin and guilt, for he alone can provide the white robe of righteousness.) c. And salve to anoint your eyes that you may see. The medical school in Laodicea had become acquainted with the healing properties of the so-called Phrygian stone. This stone, which came from the nearby province Phrygia, was ground to powder and made into an ointment used to heal eye diseases.��56��) The Laodicean believers were blinded by self-deception, unable to see with spiritual eyes.

With the eye salve that Jesus provides, the Laodiceans would be able to see their own sins in the light of God s Word and to walk with Jesus, who is the light of the world.) c. Admonition) 3:19 20) 19. Those whom I love I reprove and discipline. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. 20. Look, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and I will dine with him and he with me.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=20.3.12|AUTODETECT|” a. Those whom I love I reprove and discipline. In these two verses, Jesus admonishes the church in Laodicea.��57�� As with much of his teaching, he bases it on the Old Testament Scriptures. Thus, the words Those whom I love I reprove and discipline allude to ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=20.3.12|AUTODETECT|” Proverbs 3:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.12.6|AUTODETECT|” 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.12.6|AUTODETECT|” Hebrews 12:6) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ): Because the Lord disciplines those he loves. Jesus changes the clause from the third person to the first person and adds the verb to reprove. Also, the Greek has the pronoun I at the beginning of the sentence for added emphasis. And last, the Lord speaks in general. He utters the pronoun those when he says, those whom I love, to indicate that love and discipline go hand in hand in renewing their relationship.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.21.15-43.21.17|AUTODETECT|” Although the Greek verb agapaM can be translated I truly love and the verb phileM I love 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.21.15-43.21.17|AUTODETECT|” John 21:15 17) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 NIV), these verbs are often seen as synonyms. The word agapaM appears in the letter to the church of Philadelphia, I have loved you (v. 9), but the verb phileM here. This does not mean that Jesus loved the Philadelphians with true love and the Laodiceans with affection.��58�� Rather, it signifies that within the context of rebuke and discipline, Jesus addresses the church of Laodicea in love.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 b. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. Renewal takes place when the recipients of this letter obediently follow the twofold command: be zealous and repent. Logically, the act of repenting precedes that of being zealous, but the oriental mind is interested in concepts, not analyses. The Greek shows a play on words: the adjective zestos and the verb zleue (be zealous!) have the same root. Jesus tells them to begin being zealous for him with a passion that generates spiritual fervor.

Zeal is a necessary component of love for God.��59��) Whereas being zealous is a command in the present tense to denote continuity, the imperative repent is a once-for-all action. That is, the Laodiceans must make a 180-degree turn by forsaking the past and wholeheartedly adopting their new life in Christ.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=59.5.9|AUTODETECT|” c. Look, I stand at the door and knock. Being shut out from the spiritual life of the individual members of the Laodicean church, Jesus figuratively stands outside the door of their heart and knocks to gain entrance 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=59.5.9|AUTODETECT|” James 5:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.16.14|AUTODETECT|” ). He persistently knocks to gain their attention, so that no one will ever be able to say that the Lord failed to call them. He calls them individually by continually rapping on the doors of their hearts as though the owners are asleep. The stress is on human responsibility to go to the door and answer the one who is seeking entrance. The Lord opened Lydia s heart 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.16.14|AUTODETECT|” Acts 16:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.2.12-50.2.13|AUTODETECT|” ), but here he waits for the sinner to do so. Here is the crux of divine action and human responsibility. When these two appear with reference to God s electing grace in human beings, we encounter a mystery that defies human understanding. Scripture teaches God s intervention and human accountability as the two sides of the proverbial coin 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.2.12-50.2.13|AUTODETECT|” Phil. 2:12 13) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.24.33|AUTODETECT|” Some scholars view this passage eschatologically as a parallel to the parable of the watchful servant 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.24.33|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 24:33) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=41.13.29|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=41.13.29|AUTODETECT|” Mark 13:29) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.12.36|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.12.36|AUTODETECT|” Luke 12:36) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). They relate the text to the Second Coming of Christ and contend that an eschatological interpretation agrees with a similar motif in Revelation (2:5, 16, 25; 3:11).��60�� But formidable objections dissuade other commentators from seeing this parable in the context of the church members in Laodicea whom Jesus told to repent. The Lord stands at the door of their heart, knocks repeatedly, and expects a response from them. The context of the watchful servant parable differs in its details from this passage.��61��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.10.3|AUTODETECT|” d. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and I will dine with him and he with me. The term anyone indicates that the call to repentance is broad and inclusive. Jesus not only stands at the door of a sinner s heart and knocks repeatedly, but he also speaks and calls him or her to repent. As soon as a person responds to Jesus voice 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.10.3|AUTODETECT|” John 10:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.18.37|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.18.37|AUTODETECT|” 18:37) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), Jesus enters his or her heart. Note well that Jesus is fully in control, for the emphasis in this sentence is on Jesus who speaks, enters one s heart, and dines with the person who responds. It is clear that the responsibility for listening and responding to Jesus voice rests with the hearer.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.41.9|AUTODETECT|” This sentence teaches a distinctively Johannine doctrine. ��62�� That is, Jesus desires to fellowship with us. In the Eastern mind, hospitality at mealtime demonstrates the host s trust in and respect for the guest 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.41.9|AUTODETECT|” Ps. 41:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), for the host has opened his home to the guest and breaks bread with him. But here it is Jesus who assumes the role of host, for he says that he will enter and dine with his guest for the main meal of the day. This meal was enjoyed near the end of the day, after working hours, in an atmosphere of leisure and close fellowship. This was a time of conversation during which wholesome topics were discussed, laughter was heard, and counsel was given for solving problems. This passage speaks of union with Christ in a day-by-day walk with him. Although it hints at the celebration of the Lord s Supper and the wedding feast at the return of the Lord, especially in light of the eschatology of verse 21, that is not the main emphasis in verse 20.��63�� The emphasis is on communion with Christ.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 d. Promise) 3:21 22) 21. To the one who overcomes, I will grant [the privilege] of sitting with me on my throne, just as I myself overcame and sat with my Father on his throne. 22. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.19.28|AUTODETECT|” John wrote the familiar words the one who overcomes as a repetition of the preceding letters and then writes the promise that Jesus gives to the overcomer. It indicates that Jesus gives this promise in the first place to the Laodiceans and then to all believers. What an astounding grace and mercy extended to a church that receives from the Lord no praise at all! Yet these people, provided they repent and overcome, will be given the privilege of being seated with Christ on the Father s throne 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.19.28|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 19:28) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.28-42.22.30|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.28-42.22.30|AUTODETECT|” Luke 22:28 30) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.19.28|AUTODETECT|” The language must be understood to convey a symbolical message. We are unable to comprehend the significance of the privilege to sit next to Jesus on the throne. Therefore, to ask whether the throne is large enough to accommodate Christ s followers is futile. The message supported by other passages in Scripture is that glorified believers have the honor and duty to judge the twelve tribes of Israel, the world, and angels 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.19.28|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 19:28) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.30|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.30|AUTODETECT|” Luke 22:30) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.6.2-46.6.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.6.2-46.6.3|AUTODETECT|”

1. 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.6.2-46.6.3|AUTODETECT|” Cor. 6:2 3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=55.2.12|AUTODETECT|” ); and they will rule with Christ 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=55.2.12|AUTODETECT|” 2 Tim. 2:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.5.10|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.5.10|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 5:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.20.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.20.4|AUTODETECT|” 20:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.20.6|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=66.20.6|AUTODETECT|”
2. 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.5|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.22.5|AUTODETECT|” 22:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.7.27|AUTODETECT|” ). Jesus promise is based on the vision that Daniel received: Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.7.27|AUTODETECT|” Dan. 7:27) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.1.3|AUTODETECT|” ). Jesus looks backward to his suffering, death, and resurrection when he says that he too overcame. He remarks that he took a place on the throne at the right hand of the Father 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.1.3|AUTODETECT|” Heb. 1:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.8.1|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.8.1|AUTODETECT|” 8:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.12.2|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.12.2|AUTODETECT|” 12:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=41.16.19|AUTODETECT|” ; see also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=41.16.19|AUTODETECT|” Mark 16:19) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.1.20|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.1.20|AUTODETECT|” Eph. 1:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Yet the difference is that Christ performed his mediatorial work on our behalf and has been given the honor of occupying the seat next to the Father. On the other hand, Jesus looks forward and tells us that when we overcome, we will take a place next to him at his invitation. That will be glory indeed.) 1 25 2 8 0 0 The chapter concludes with the well-known refrain to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. And that means the entire church receives Christ s message of praise, reproof, and promise. Note also that at the end of the seven letters to the seven churches there is an indirect reference to the Judgment Day.) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 3:17 21) Verse 17) E�� the first one is causal, because, the second is recitative and is no translated, and the third one is the conjunction that. ��64��) ���������� the perfect active indicative of the verb ������� (I am rich, prosper) shows action in the past that has relevance for the present.) �P��� the verb to have need demands the genitive case �P�����, which some manuscripts have as a correction.) A this is the generic use of the definite article that with five adjectives describes the spiritual condition of the Laodicean Christians.��65��) Verse 18) The tenses in the 5�� clauses show three verbs in the aorist (���������, ��������, ��������) as a single action and one in the present (������) as a continuous action. When the construction with 5�� is continued in a further clause by ��, �� alone is repeated. ��66��) Verse 19) Notice the difference between five verbs: four in the continuous present tense (I love, I reprove, I discipline, and be zealous), and one in the aorist (repent!) indicating a single act with lasting significance.) Verse 20) ����� I stand is in the perfect tense that has been translated in the present to give it an enduring aspect.) ��v �0���������� the conjunction ��� preceding the verb is awkward and probably stems from the coordinating Semitic style in the Apocalypse. Its inclusion is the harder reading that should be retained.) Verse 21) A ����� the present participle construction is the nominative absolute, because it stands alone at the beginning of the sentence (see also v. 12 and 2:26).) ���� �P�� this is a Hebraic expression that is best interpreted in this context as I permit him. ) ) ) ) ) 1 Herodotus 1.93; 5.101 (LCL). See also William Barclay, Letters to the Seven Churches (London: SCM, 1957), 1:83; William M.

Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia and Their Place in the Plan of the Apocalypse (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1904; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), p. 357; Colin J. Hemer, The Letters to the Seven Churches of Asia in Their Local Setting, JSNTSup 11 (Sheffield: JSOT, 1986), p. 131.) 2 Herodotus 1.53. Consult William Barclay, The Revelation of John, 2d ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1960), 1:143.) 3 Herodotus 1.77 84. See E. M. Blaiklock, Cities of the New Testament (London: Revell, 1965), pp. 113 15; Colin J.

Hemer, The Sardis Letter and the Croesus Tradition, NTS 19 (1972): 94 97.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=31.1.20|AUTODETECT|” 4 Josephus Antiquities 12.3.4 �149. There may be a hint of a Jewish settlement of earlier days in ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=31.1.20|AUTODETECT|” Obadiah 20) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 , This company of Israelite exiles who are in Canaan will possess the land as far as Zarephath; and exiles from Jerusalem who are in Sepharad will possess the towns of the Negev. Sepharad may be Sardis but certainty is elusive. Estimates on the total Jewish population in Asia Minor during the first century a.d. run as high as one million. Refer to P. W. van der Horst, Jews and Christians in Aphrodisias in the Light of Their Relations in Other Cities of Asia Minor, NTT 43 (1989): 106 7.) 1 5 2 8 0 0 5 Josephus Antiquities 14.10.17 �235; 14.10.24 �259. See Hemer, Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 137 38, 143 44; Robert North, Sardis, ISBE, 4:336 37; David E. Aune, Revelation 1 5, WBC 52A (Dallas: Word, 1997), pp. 218 19.) 6 Aune, Revelation 1 5, p. 170.) 7 Josephus Antiquities 16.6.6 �171.) 8 Aune (Revelation 1 5, pp. 216, 219) in translation and interpretation singles out people rather than inanimate things. However, the succeeding clause has the expression your works, which serves as an explanation of the things. See also Hemer, Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 143 44.) 9 The object of the verbs to receive and to hear is the gospel. Consult Louis A. Vos, The Synoptic Traditions in the Apocalypse (Kampen: Kok, 1965), pp. 211 14.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.24.42-40.24.44|AUTODETECT|” 10 ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.24.42-40.24.44|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 24:42 44) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.12.39-42.12.40|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.12.39-42.12.40|AUTODETECT|” Luke 12:39 40) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=52.5.2|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=52.5.2|AUTODETECT|”

1. 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=52.5.2|AUTODETECT|” Thess. 5:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.3.10|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=61.3.10|AUTODETECT|”
2. 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.3.10|AUTODETECT|” Pet. 3:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.16.15|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.16.15|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 16:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 . See George E. Ladd, A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1972), p. 57; Gregory K. Beale, The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text, NIGTC (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), pp. 275 76. The rearranging of the text from 16:15 to 3:3 by R. H. Charles (A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St. John, ICC [Edinburgh: Clark, 1920], 1:80; 2:49) is unwarranted and has no manuscript support.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 11 Consult Richard Bauckham, Synoptic Parousia Parables and the Apocalypse, NTS 23 (1977): 162 76; and his Synoptic Parables Again, NTS 29 (1983): 129 34.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.5|AUTODETECT|” 12 ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.5|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 3:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.18|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=66.3.18|AUTODETECT|”
3. 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.4.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.4.4|AUTODETECT|” 4:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.6.11|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.6.11|AUTODETECT|” 6:11) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.9|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.9|AUTODETECT|” 7:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.13|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.13|AUTODETECT|”
4. 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.14|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.14|AUTODETECT|”
5. 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.19.14|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.19.14|AUTODETECT|” 19:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 . See William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors (reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1982), p. 74.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 13 Consult Aune, Revelation 1 5, p. 223. Beale (Revelation, p. 278) prefers to take thus with the present participle ho nikMn .) 14 Isbon T. Beckwith, The Apocalypse of John (1919; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), p. 476; John P. M. Sweet, Revelation, WPC (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1979), p. 100; Alan F. Johnson, Revelation, in The Expositor s Bible Commentary, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 12:450; G. R. Beasley-Murray, The Book of Revelation, NCB (London: Oliphants, 1974), p. 98.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.5|AUTODETECT|” 15 See the meaning of name in J. William Fuller, I Will Not Erase His Name from the Book of Life 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.5|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 3:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), JETS 26 (1983): 297 306.) 1 10 2 8 0 0 16 Robert Hanna, A Grammatical Aid to the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1983), p. 445; A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (Nashville: Broadman, 1934), p. 901.) TR The Textus Receptus: The Greek New Testament according to the Majority Text) 17 Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2d ed. (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1994), p. 665.) 18 Another account states that the Egyptian Ptolemy Philadelphus founded the city in the third century b.c. Consult Joannes Lydus De Mensibus 3.32; Aune, Revelation 1 5, p. 234; Hemer, Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 262 63 n. 3.) 19 Ramsay, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 398.) 20 Blaiklock, Cities of the New Testament, p. 122; Henry Barclay Swete, Commentary on Revelation (1911; reprint, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1977), p. 53.) 21 The expression for saints (hagioi) occurs 14 times in Revelation, 8 in Romans, 6 in 1 Corinthians, and lesser amounts in the other books.) 22 Beale, Revelation, p. 285. Ernst Lohmeyer (Die Offenbarung des Johannes, HNT 16 [T�bingen: Mohr, 1970], p. 35) applies the key of David to the new Jerusalem.) 23 Aune (Revelation 1 5, p. 228) stays with the Greek text and refrains from repeating I know.

Thus, he translates hoti not as a conjunction but as causal . Similarly, R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. John s Revelation (Columbus: Wartburg, 1943), p. 139.

The GNB transposes the clauses I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. to the end of the verse as a concluding sentence.) 24 William Horbury, The Benedictions of the Minim and Early Jewish-Christian Controversy, JTS, n.s. 33.1 (1982): 19 61, especially pp. 20 21 and 59 60. The quotation is from p. 20. See also SB, 4:208 49.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.8.44|AUTODETECT|” 25 Ignatius Philadelphians 6.1. See also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.8.44|AUTODETECT|” John 8:44) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.14-47.11.15|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.14-47.11.15|AUTODETECT|” 2) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.14-47.11.15|AUTODETECT|” Cor. 11:14 15) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 3 2 8 0 0 26 Barclay, Revelation of John, 1:165; Johnson, Revelation, p. 453.) NRSV New Revised Standard Version) NIV New International Version) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.10|AUTODETECT|” 27 Lenski, Revelation, p. 143. T. Mueller, The Word of My Patience in ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.10|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 3:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 , ConcTheolQuart 46 (1982): 231 34. Mueller interprets the pronoun objectively, You have kept the faith with the result of perseverance in Me. Some commentators interpret my patient endurance subjectively to refer to the suffering and crucifixion Jesus endured, for his endurance was a stumbling block to the Jews. The question centers on the referent, that is, does the pronoun relate to Jesus suffering on the cross or to his followers who are told to endure hardships for his name s sake? Consult S. Greijdanus (De Openbaring des Heeren aan Johannes, KNT [Amsterdam: Van Bottenburg, 1925], p. 100); Charles, Revelation, 1:89; Swete, Revelation, p. 56. The context appears to favor the second choice.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.10|AUTODETECT|” 28 Robert H. Gundry, The Church and the Tribulation: A Biblical Examination of Posttribulationism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1973), p. 57; Beale, Revelation, pp. 290 91. For other views see Charles C. Ryrie, The Church and the Tribulation: A Review, BibSac 131, no. 522 (1974): 173 79; David G. Winfrey, The Great Tribulation: Kept out of or Through ? GTJ 3 (1982): 3 18; Thomas R. Edgar, Robert H. Gundry and ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.10|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 3:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 , GTJ 3 (1982): 37 39; Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1 7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1992), pp. 286 88; John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Chicago: Moody, 1966), p. 87.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 29 Thayer, p. 498; Walter Schneider and Colin Brown, NIDNTT, 3:803; Aune, Revelation 1 5, p. 231 (10.h.).) 30 Aune, Revelation 1 5, p. 240. See also Herman Hoeksema, Behold, He Cometh! An Exposition of the Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Reformed Free Publishing Association, 1969), pp. 132 33.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.6.10|AUTODETECT|” 31 ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.6.10|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 6:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.8.13|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.8.13|AUTODETECT|” 8:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.11.10|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.11.10|AUTODETECT|” 11:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 (twice); 13:8, 14 (twice); 17:8; compare also 13:12; 14:6; 17:2.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.10|AUTODETECT|” 32 Schuyler Brown, The Hour of Trial 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.10|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 3:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), JBL 85 (1966): 314. Refer also to Hughes, Revelation, p. 61.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 33 Compare Robert L. Thomas, The Comings of Christ in Revelation 2 3, MSJ 7 (1996): 153 81.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.12|AUTODETECT|” 34 Richard H. Wilkinson 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.12|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 3:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=12.11.14|AUTODETECT|” and Ancient Coronation Rites, JBL 107 [1988]: 498 501) calls attention to Solomon s temple where at a pillar kings were crowned or renewed a covenant 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=12.11.14|AUTODETECT|” 2 Kings 11:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 and 23:3). But these references have little to do with a pillar in the new Jerusalem.) 1 1 2 8 0 0 35 ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.12|AUTODETECT|” The wording in ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.12|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 3:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.2|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.21.2|AUTODETECT|” 21:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ; and 21:10 is virtually identical:) 1 13 2 8 0 0 the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that is coming down out of heaven from my God (3:12);) the holy city, the new Jerusalem that is coming down out of heaven from God (21:2);) the holy city, Jerusalem that is coming down out of heaven from God (21:10).) 36 Beckwith, Apocalypse, p. 479.) 37 Bauer, p. 192; Friedrich Blass and Albert Debrunner, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament, trans. and rev. Robert Funk (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961), �94.1.) 38 Blass and Debrunner, Greek Grammar, �476.1.) 39 Aune, Revelation 1 5, p. 232 (12.g.).) 40 Hemer, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 181; consult also Ramsay, Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 416 17; Barclay, Letters to the Seven Churches, 1:108 9; and his Revelation of John, 1:173 74; Gerald L. Borchert, Laodicea, ISBE, 3:72 74.) 41 Tacitus Annals 14.27: One of the most famous cities of Asia, Laodicea, was in that same year overthrown by an earthquake, and, without any relief from us, recovered itself by its own resources. ) 42 Josephus Antiquities 12.3.4 �149.) 43 Hemer, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 182.) 44 William M. Ramsay, The Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia, vol. 1, parts 1 and 2 (1895; reprint, New York: Arno, 1975), pp. 48 49.) 45 The Latin Epistle to the Laodiceans is apocryphal, for it has the wording taken from Paul s Epistle to the Galatians.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.14|AUTODETECT|” 46 Refer to J. M. Ross, Amen, ExpT 102 (1991): 166 71. L. H. Silbermann 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.14|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 3:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.14|AUTODETECT|” , JBL 82 [1963]: 213 15) suggests that the original language of the Apocalypse was either Hebrew or Aramaic. However, the evidence fails to support this proposal. It is better to say that John was thoroughly familiar with Hebrew terms and readily used them. See Paul Trudinger, Ho Amn 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.14|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 3:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), and the Case for a Semitic Original of the Apocalypse, NovT 14 (1972): 277 79.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.14|AUTODETECT|” 47 Gregory K. Beale, The Old Testament Background of ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.14|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 3:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 , NTS 42 (1996): 133 52. And see his John s Use of the Old Testament in Revelation, JSNTSup 166 (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998), pp. 273 94.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 48 See Greijdanus, Openbaring, p. 106; Richard Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of Revelation, New Testament Theology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993), p. 56; Homer Hailey, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), p. 157.) 49 Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors, p. 77; Beckwith, Apocalypse, p. 490; Lenski, Revelation, p. 155.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.15-66.3.18|AUTODETECT|” 50 M. J. S. Rudwick and E. M. B. Green, The Laodicean Lukewarmness, ExpT 69 (1957 58): 178. Consult also Stanley E. Porter, Why the Laodiceans Received Lukewarm Water 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.15-66.3.18|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 3:15 18) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), TynB 38 (1987): 143 49; Peter Wood, Local Knowledge in the Letters of the Apocalypse, ExpT 73 (1961 62): 263 64.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 51 Epictetus Diatribes 3.7.29. See Aune, Revelation 1 5, p. 258.) 52 Compare Swete, Revelation, p. 62; Barclay, Revelation, 1:181.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.4-66.3.5|AUTODETECT|” 53 ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.4-66.3.5|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 3:4 5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.18|AUTODETECT|” ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.18|AUTODETECT|” 18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.4.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.4.4|AUTODETECT|” 4:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.6.11|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.6.11|AUTODETECT|” 6:11) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.9|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.9|AUTODETECT|” 7:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.13|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.13|AUTODETECT|” 13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.14|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.7.14|AUTODETECT|” 14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.19.14|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.19.14|AUTODETECT|” 19:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.28.48|AUTODETECT|” 54 ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.28.48|AUTODETECT|” Deut. 28:48) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=10.10.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=10.10.4|AUTODETECT|” 2) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=10.10.4|AUTODETECT|” Sam. 10:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.20.2-23.20.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.20.2-23.20.4|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 20:2 4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.47.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.47.3|AUTODETECT|” 47:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.16.37-26.16.39|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.16.37-26.16.39|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 16:37 39) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.23.10|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.23.10|AUTODETECT|” 23:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=33.1.8|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=33.1.8|AUTODETECT|” Mic. 1:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=33.1.11|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=33.1.11|AUTODETECT|” 11) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=34.3.5|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=34.3.5|AUTODETECT|” Nah. 3:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 3 2 8 0 0 55 Martin Kiddle, The Revelation of St. John (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1940), p. 59.) 56 Refer to Ramsay, Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 419; Hemer, Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 196 99; P. R. Berger, Kollyrium f�r die blinden Augen, Apk. 318, NovT 27 (1985): 174 95. Swete (Revelation, p. 62) comments that the word collyrium is a diminutive of the Greek kollyra, which is (1) a small roll of bread, (2) from its roll-like shape, a kind of eye-salve made & from the poppy, the acacia, and other flowering plants; here possibly used with reference to the local powder. ) 57 Ramsay, in his epilogue to the seven letters (Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 431 33), asserts that verses 19 22 apply not merely to the Laodicean congregation but to all seven churches. His contention is ably refuted by Hemer (Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 201 7), who with historical evidence demonstrates that the message of these verses was directed to the church in Laodicea.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.15.9|AUTODETECT|” 58 Hemer (Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 281 82 n. 98) observes that it is doubtful whether a rigid distinction of usage can be maintained in view of the contrast in ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.15.9|AUTODETECT|” John 15:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 and 5:20.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 59 See the commentaries of Sweet (p. 108); Swete (p. 63); Greijdanus (p. 111); and Charles (1:100).) 60 Vos, Synoptic Traditions, pp. 94 100; Thomas, Revelation 1 7, pp. 321 22; Beckwith, Apocalypse, p. 491; Sweet, Revelation, p. 109; Swete, Revelation, p. 63.) 61 Consult Aune (52a, p. 251), Beasley-Murray (p. 107), Charles (1:100 101), Greijdanus (p. 112), Johnson (p. 321), Ladd (p. 67), Mounce (p. 114), Walvoord (p. 98).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.6.56|AUTODETECT|” 62 Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, The Book of the Revelation: A Commentary (Leicester: Inter-Varsity; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), p. 68. See ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.6.56|AUTODETECT|” John 6:56) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.14.20|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.14.20|AUTODETECT|” 14:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.15.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.15.4|AUTODETECT|” 15:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.15.5|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.15.5|AUTODETECT|” 5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.3.24|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.3.24|AUTODETECT|”

1. 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.3.24|AUTODETECT|” John 3:24) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.4.13|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.4.13|AUTODETECT|” 4:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.4.15|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=62.4.15|AUTODETECT|”
2. 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.4.16|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.4.16|AUTODETECT|”
3. 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.20|AUTODETECT|” 63 See Robert H. Mounce, The Book of Revelation, rev. ed., NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998), p. 114. Aune (Revelation 1 5, p. 261) asserts that Jesus is not the host but the guest. But the emphasis in this passage is primarily on Jesus and secondarily on the person with whom he fellowships. Consult also Tim Wiarda, ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.3.20|AUTODETECT|” Revelation 3:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 : Imagery and Literary Context, JETS 38 (1995): 203 12.) 1 4 2 8 0 0 64 J. K. Elliott, The Position of Causal E�� Clauses in the New Testament, FilolNT 3 (1990): 155 57.) 65 See Thomas, Revelation 1 7, p. 311 n. 48.) 66 Robertson, Grammar, p. 1413. See Barclay, Revelation of John, 1:185 86.) )