Revelation 03

To the Church in Sardis (Reformation) Church (1517-1700)

3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: “This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a reputation that you are alive, but in reality you are dead.

The Greek word for "sardis" is Σάρδεις (sardeis), meaning "those who are escaping". The Church of Sardis deals with the Reformation church from 1515-1700. John began the introduction to this church with a condemnation. The condemnation was that the Sardis church possessed a reputation for being sound in their doctrine, but they were actually spiritually dead. There were many members in their church who were not born again. Men who are not born again are born with a dead spirit that cannot understand the Word of God.

Martin Luther nailed the 95 Thesis to the Wittenburg church in 1517. The 95 Thesis recorded 95 different theological errors of the Catholic Church. Some of these theological errors were that the Pope was not the Vicar of Christ on earth, there was no such place as Purgatory, indulgences cannot reduce one's time in Purgatory, one should confess his sins directly to Christ instead of the priests, the only penance is confession of sins, the authority of the written Scriptures, etc.

The main point of Reformation teaching was that men are not saved by keeping the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, because this is works salvation. Instead, men are saved by grace alone by faith alone in Christ alone.

Luther wrote this document in Latin so that only the scholars could read it. His purpose was not to bring down the Catholic Church, but to reform it by removing heresy. The Catholic Church responded by calling him a heretic, which was a capital offense. They sentenced him to death by burning at the stake.

Martin Luther was rescued from prison by German Protestants. He was secretly placed in a German castle and given the secret identity of a knight. His new name was "Sir Jorg."  Inside this German castle, he began to use his pen to attack the false doctrines of the Catholic Church. "The pen is mightier than the sword." The 95 Thesis was translated into all languages. It became the most read document in all of history.

Martin Luther's writings brought down the Catholic Church. Protestant churches were established all over Europe. Many true believers left the Catholic Church and joined the Protestant Churches. 

Catholics responded by persecuting the Protestants. Spain formed the Spanish Inquisition to torture Protestants, forcing them back into the Catholic Faith. The Jesuits were trained to become secret spies who would hunt out, identify, and persecute Protestants. France invited all of the French Protestant Hugeonots to Paris to discuss their views, but then killed them with the sword when they arrived. (Bloody) Mary Stuart received her name from killing Hugeonots. The Pope gathered an army of European Catholics who marched to Switzerland and murdered an entire city of Zurich Protestants. The Pope sent the Spanish Armada to England to remove the Protestant Queen Elizabeth and replace her with the Catholic Mary of Scots, who was the daughter of Bloody Mary.

During the first generation of these protestant churches, they were alive and full of born-again believers. These were believers who were willing to risk their lives, leave the heretical but powerful Catholic Church, and join the new but persecuted Protestant Church. When one joined the Protestant Church, he was saying to the world that he was a true believer and he would not allow the Catholics, the Jesuits, the Spanish Inquisition, Bloody Mary, the Spanish Armada, the French government, or any other device of Satan or men to change his divine viewpoint. Therefore, the first generation of the Protestant churches were filled with strong and courageous men who had enough Bible doctrine to leave an apostate Catholic Church, knowing that it might cost them their lives.  

The new Protestant Church made the same mistake as the Pergamum church made. They allowed the Church and State to merge. Membership into these new Protestant Churches was the same as that of the Catholics. Men became church members by the ritual of water baptism.

The Lutheran Church became the state church of Germany. The Anglican Church became the state church of England. The Presbyterian Church became the state church of Scotland. The Reformed Church became the state church of Switzerland. The Dutch Reformed Church became the state church of Holland. Entrance into all of these churches was required by the state. Since the only entrance requirements of the state church were water baptism, many unsaved men joined these state churches. This produced a state church full of unbelievers.

The creeds of the Protestants were solid and sound (except for replacement theology), but the members inside these churches did not believe or even know their own creeds. They only joined because of either citizenship of the locality of their birth, or because their parents were a part of this church.

There are many Protestant denominational churches today that have good, sound Biblically doctrinal creeds, but the majority of their teachers and members are unbelievers. These types of churches become country clubs rather than Biblically educational institutions. These churches will eventually devolve from sound doctrine, to seeker churches, to emergent churches, to liberalism, and eventually to that nature of the Church of Laodicea. God will vomit the Laodicean church out of His mouth.

3:2 Wake up then, and strengthen what remains that was about to die, because I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.

John gave an exhortation. Those in Protestant churches were commanded to "wake up." These Protestant churches started with strong Bible doctrine. These churches contained true believers who had enough Bible doctrine to protect the church from heresy. However, all of these believers and sound Bible doctrine were about to die. God did not find the deeds of this second generation complete. The new generation was completing human good works, which are dirty menstrual rags to God. However, they were not producing divine good works, which comes from true mature believers who have studied the entire counsel of the Word of God at the deepest level. One cannot produce divine good works unless he has studied the entire counsel of the Word of God.

3:3 Therefore, remember what you received and heard, and obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at what hour I will come against you.

This church was commanded to remember what they formally received and heard, which was sound Bible doctrine. They needed to study it, obey it, and change their way of thinking. If this generation does not wake up, then Jesus will come like a thief in the night. The true believers will be raptured into heaven. The ones who are not alive, or not born again, will miss the Rapture. They will have to experience the Great Tribulation, meaning that they will face God's wrath against an unbelieving, Christ-rejecting world. 

3:4 But you have a few individuals in Sardis who have not stained their clothes, and they will walk with me dressed in white, because they are worthy.

There are a few individuals in Sardis who were true believers. Their clothes will not be stained by the sin of rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ. They will walk in white robes, meaning that they will be saved. They are worthy to be saved, because they believed the earlier sound doctrinal creeds of the Protestant Church.  

3:5 The one who conquers will be dressed like them in white clothing, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, but will declare his name before my Father and before his angels.

John gave a promise to those who believed the earlier creeds. They will receive white clothing, meaning that they are saved believers. Their names will not be erased out of the Book of Life. When a person is naturally born into the world, his name is written in the Book of Life. If he does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then his name will be erased from the Book of Life. This erasure will happen at the Great White Throne Judgment. More detail of the Book of Life will be given in Revelation 20.

The "one who conquers" is the one who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ will declare the names of the conquerors before God the Father and the angels, meaning that they will be introduced as a fellow-heir of Christ. 

3:6 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

 The "one who has an ear" is the believer in Christ. The unsaved man is spiritually dead, so he cannot hear anything, unless the Holy Spirit energizes him. Believers can only hear what the Holy Spirit teaches them. The Holy Spirit accomplishes instruction by gifted pastor-teachers.