February 16, 2022
And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect [complete] before God.”’ Revelation 3:1-2
Jesus has identified Himself as having the “seven Spirits of God and the seven stars,” seven representing the perfect completeness of the Lord’s character. Oh, what a contrast to the incompleteness He sees in the Sardis church. Here is a parallel between the city and the church: the formerly wealthy city rested on past glories. Due to its high location atop a nearly impregnable hill, it had a strategic advantage over would-be invaders. But Sardis became lazy about keeping guards posted, and — not once but twice — the city was invaded and ransacked (546BC & 218BC). The spiritual application is obvious: presumption is a dangerous mindset!
Prophetically for the church, this period in the stream of time represents emergence from the spiritual darkness of the medieval centuries. Long before the Reformation became widely known in Martin Luther’s day, there were faithful servants who had fled Rome’s reach (Revelation 12:6,14) who were steadily working in the background to highlight and share suppressed Biblical truths. Satan, working through the church of the dark ages, had made the Bible off limits to the people at large. But God’s faithful remnant was active the entire time, quietly leading people on a journey of discovering jewels in the word God, admonishing them to continue their walk with Jesus on a path of learning and growing while guarding the truths that had come into their possession!
The first nuggets of truth that people were shown from God’s Word were indeed thrilling. But Jesus had so much more for them, just as He does for each of us! Sadly, those exiting the Roman apostasy ended their journey toward truth when it had only just begun. Having experienced a mere taste from the magnificent banquet of God’s table, they felt they had “arrived.” To lack an appetite for growth places one in mortal danger. Jesus sternly warned against this mindset: For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Matthew 25:29 (see also Matthew 13:12, Mark 4:25, Luke 19:26).
“You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.” This is a terrible rebuke from Jesus! Worshipers attempting to exit Babylon drove a stake in the ground based on their favorite reformer, resulting in the tragic fragmentation of God’s people. There were many reformers, each having a vital contribution to the path of Biblical discovery, to help lead people away from the whole multitude of iniquities (not just part of the error) in the church of the dark ages. Satan will continue his schemes to unite people under his banner while splintering Christ-followers until he is no more. Those faithfully running after Jesus until the end will see Satan’s demise, just as the Lord prophesied through Ezekiel:
You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. Ezekiel 28:18