Revelation 3 Footnotes

3:1-6 The church at Sardis was an example of congregations that had basically quit walking with the Lord and standing for him. They may have still been going through the right motions, but in God’s eyes they were about to die (v. 2). There was a faithful remnant (v. 4), but it was time for the spiritually lethargic majority to wake up (v. 2) and repent (v. 3) or face serious consequences from the Lord.

3:7-13 The church at Philadelphia was the only other congregation besides that at Smyrna not to be criticized by the glorified Christ. Even though they were facing intense spiritual warfare, no one had denied the Lord (vv. 8-9), and they stood as examples of spiritual purity. As a result, they were promised protection from the hour of testing (v. 10), which refers to the great tribulation (7:14), designed for the judgment of the earth dwellers (see also 6:10) at the end of the age. “I will also keep you from the hour of testing” (3:10) may mean: (1) being removed before the time of tribulation, or (2) being supernaturally protected within the tribulation.

3:14-22 The church at Laodicea was in even worse shape spiritually than the church at Sardis, because nothing positive was said to its members at all. Their spiritual lukewarmness made the Lord want to vomit (vv. 15-16). Their well-to-do status, materially, had blinded them to their utter spiritual destitution (vv. 17-18). The Lord had been pushed to the outside of this congregation and was now seeking to reenter (v. 20) through their repentance (v. 19). What the devil or false doctrine does not accomplish in the church, self-centered materialism often will.