Revelation 3:1-13

Message to Sardis

1 "To the angel of the church in ¹Sardis write: He who has ²the seven Spirits of God and ³the seven stars, says this: '⁴I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are ⁵dead.

2 'Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God.

3 'So ⁶remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and ⁷repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, ⁸I will come ⁹like a thief, and you will not know at ¹⁰what hour I will come to you.

4 'But you have a few ¹¹people in ¹²Sardis who have not ¹³soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me ¹⁴in white, for they are worthy.

5 '¹⁵He who overcomes will thus be clothed in ¹⁶white garments; and I will not ¹⁷erase his name from the book of life, and ¹⁸I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

6 '¹⁹He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

Message to Philadelphia

7 "And to the angel of the church in ²⁰Philadelphia write: ²¹He who is holy, ²²who is true, who has ²³the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:

8 '²⁴I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you ²⁵an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and ²⁶have not denied My name.

9 'Behold, I will cause those of ²⁷the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie -I will make them ²⁸come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that ²⁹I have loved you.

10 'Because you have ³⁰kept the word of ³¹My perseverance, ³²I also will keep you from the hour of ³³testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole ³⁴world, to test ³⁵those who dwell on the earth.

11 '³⁶I am coming quickly; ³⁷hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your ³⁸crown.

12 '³⁹He who overcomes, I will make him a ⁴⁰pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the ⁴¹name of My God, and ⁴²the name of the city of My God, ⁴³the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My ⁴⁴new name.

13 '⁴⁵He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

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Revelation 3:1-13 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 3

This chapter contains the epistles to the churches at Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, and begins with that to Sardis; in which the sender describes himself by some things taken out of a former description of him; and gives an account of the state of this church; that her works were known by him, which were imperfect; and that she had the name of a living church, but was dead; wherefore she is exhorted to watchfulness and diligence, to remember how she had heard and received the Gospel, and to hold it fast, and repent of her sins: if not, he threatens to come as a thief unawares upon her, Re 3:1-3, but excepts some few persons from this general account, who were not defiled with the corruptions of the majority, and who therefore should be favoured with communion with him, Re 3:4, and then some gracious promises are made to persevering saints, and the epistle is concluded in the usual form, Re 3:5,6. Next follows the epistle to the church at Philadelphia; in which the sender assumes some peculiar titles not before mentioned, taken from his holiness, truth, and power, Re 3:7, signifies his approbation of her works; declares he had set before her an open door, which could not be shut; affirms she had a little strength, and commends her for keeping his word, Re 3:8, and, for her encouragement, promises that some persons, formerly of bad characters, should come and worship before her, and should know what an interest she had in his love; and that since she had kept his word, he would keep her from an hour of temptation, which will be a trying time to all the world, Re 3:9,10, and in consideration of his speedy coming, he exhorts her to hold fast what she had, that she might not lose her honour and glory; and promises the overcomer a fixed place and name in the house of God; and closes the epistle as the rest, Re 3:11-13, and then follows the last epistle of all, which is that to the church at Laodicea; in which the sender describes himself by some characters taken from his truth and faithfulness, and from his eternity, power, and dominion, Re 3:14, represents the members of this church as lukewarm, and very disagreeable to him, Re 3:15,16, and as having a vain opinion of themselves, being ignorant of their real state and case, Re 3:17, wherefore he gives them some wholesome counsel and advice, suitable to their condition, Re 3:18, and whereas there were some among them he loved, he lets them know that his rebukes and chastenings were from love, and with a view to stimulate them to zeal, and bring them to repentance, which became them, Re 3:19, and then he informs them where he was, what he expected from them, and what they might upon a suitable behaviour enjoy with him, Re 3:20, and next promises to the overcomer great honour and glory, such as he had with his Father; and concludes the epistle in his usual manner, Re 3:21,22.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 45

1. Revelation 1:11
2. Revelation 1:4
3. Revelation 1:16
4. Revelation 2:2; Revelation 3:8, 15
5. 1 Timothy 5:6
6. Revelation 2:5
7. Revelation 2:5
8. Revelation 2:5
9. 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 16:15
10. Matthew 24:43; Luke 12:39
11. Revelation 11:13
12. Revelation 1:11
13. Jude 23
14. Ecclesiastes 9:8; Revelation 3:5, 18; Revelation 4:4; Revelation 6:11; Revelation 7:9, 13; Revelation 19:8, 14
15. Revelation 2:7
16. Revelation 3:4
17. Exodus 32:32; Psalms 69:28; Luke 10:20; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 17:8; Revelation 20:12, 15; Revelation 21:27
18. Matthew 10:32; Luke 12:8
19. Revelation 2:7
20. Revelation 1:11
21. Revelation 6:10
22. 1 John 5:20; Revelation 3:14; Revelation 19:11
23. Job 12:14; Isaiah 22:22; Matthew 16:19; Revelation 1:18
24. Revelation 3:1
25. Acts 14:27
26. Revelation 2:13
27. Revelation 2:9
28. Isaiah 45:14; Isaiah 49:23; Isaiah 60:14
29. Isaiah 43:4; John 17:23
30. John 17:6; Revelation 3:8
31. Revelation 1:9
32. 2 Timothy 2:12; 2 Peter 2:9
33. Revelation 2:10
34. Matthew 24:14; Revelation 16:14
35. Revelation 6:10; Revelation 8:13; Revelation 11:10; Revelation 13:8, 14; Revelation 17:8
36. Revelation 1:3; Revelation 22:7, 12, 20
37. Revelation 2:25
38. Revelation 2:10
39. Revelation 3:5
40. 1 Kings 7:21; Jeremiah 1:18; Galatians 2:9
41. Revelation 14:1; Revelation 22:4
42. Ezekiel 48:35; Revelation 21:2
43. Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 13:14; Revelation 21:2, 10
44. Isaiah 62:2; Revelation 2:17
45. Revelation 3:6

Footnotes 10

[a]. Lit "and"
[b]. Lit "how"
[c]. Lit "names"
[d]. Or "deeds (behold...shut), that you have"
[e]. Lit "give"
[f]. Lit "before"
[g]. Or "steadfastness"
[h]. Or "temptation"
[i]. Lit "inhabited earth"
[j]. Or "tempt"