Revelation Chapter 3

“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write, etc.] Of the city of Sardis (see Gill on “<660111>Revelation 1:11”) when, and by whom this church was founded, and who was the present angel or pastor of it, is not now to be certainly known; however, here was a church in the “second” century, of which Melito was then pastor; and he is thought by some to be the angel here intended; this man wrote upon the book of the Revelation, and an apology for the Christians, sent to the Emperor Antoninus Verus, in whose time he lived f99; and in the “third” century a church remained in this place; and also in the “fourth”, as…”

“THE EPISTLES TO SARDIS, PHILADELPHIA, AND LAODICEA. (Rev. 3:1-22) Sardis--the ancient capital of Lydia, the kingdom of wealthy Croesus, on the river Pactolus. The address to this Church is full of rebuke. It does not seem to have been in vain; for MELITO, bishop of Sardis in the second century, was eminent for piety and learning. He visited Palestine to assure himself and his flock as to the Old Testament canon and wrote an epistle on the subject [EUSEBIUS Ecclesiastical History, 4.26]; he also wrote a commentary on the Apocalypse [EUSEBIUS, Ecclesiastical History, 4.26; JEROME, On Illustrious Men, 24]. he that…”

“The Epistle to the Church at Sardis The contents of the epistle to the church at Sardis Revelation 3:1-6 are: The usual salutation to the angel of the church, Revelation 3:1. (2)The usual reference to the attributes of the Saviour - those referred to here being that he had the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars, Revelation 3:1. (3)The assurance that he knew their works, Revelation 3:1. (4)The statement of the uniqueness of the church, or what he saw in it - that it had a name to live and was dead, Revelation 3:1. (5)A solemn direction to the members of the church, arising from their character and…”

“The seven spirits of God - The Holy Spirit, from whom alone all spiritual life and strength proceed. And the seven stars - which are subordinate to him. Thou hast a name that thou livest - A fair reputation, a goodly outside appearance. But that Spirit seeth through all things, and every empty appearance vanishes before him. Revelation 3:2”

“3:1-6 The letter to the church in Sardis warns Christians who are reputed to be spiritually alive (when actually dead) that without genuine transformation they face God’s judgment. 3:1 Sardis, nearly 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Smyrna on the southeast highway from Pergamum and Thyatira, was home to a large colony of prosperous Jews, called “Sephardic” after the city’s ancient name. Its fortified acropolis gave its inhabitants an overconfident sense of security. • a reputation for being alive—but you are dead: Other churches may have believed that the Sardian Christians comprised a dynamic church, but their…”

“unto: Rev 1:11, Rev 1:20 he that: Rev 1:4, Rev 4:5, Rev 5:6; Joh 1:16, Joh 1:33, Joh 3:34, Joh 7:37-39, Joh 15:26, Joh 15:27, Joh 20:22; Act 2:33; Pe1 1:11 and the: Rev 1:16, Rev 1:20, Rev 2:1 I know: Rev 2:2, Rev 2:9, Rev 2:13, Rev 2:19 and art: Luk 15:24, Luk 15:32; Eph 2:1, Eph 2:5; Col 2:13; Ti1 5:6; Jam 2:26; Jde 1:12 Revelation 3:2”