Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.

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Revelation 3 THE THINGS WHICH ARE: PRESENT (The Spirits of the Churches during “the Roman era”- ie the legs of iron” on Nebuchadnezzar’s Statue, which continues even today. The last Holy Roman Emperor died in 2011 AD, and the Pope is the current holder of that titular title. This present age is still part of John’s current Roman Empire. The Roman Empire will continue until the rapture of the church when the Kingdom of the Antichrist begins in Revelation 6 and ends in chapter 19 as the feet of iron and clay (also known as the Seven Year Tribulation).

Chart Below Blue Arrow: You are here

Revelation 1:19 Write the things which you have seen (past – chapter 1), and the things which are (present – chapters 2 & 3), and the things which will take place after this (future – chapters 4-22).
See Intro to the book of Revelation

The Dead Church

Revelation 3:¹ “And to the angel (messenger) of the church (Lit assembly) 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.

• These “believers” are the walking dead. A tree without sap is dead. It does not bear fruit. They are religious but have no relationship with Jesus. The Hebrew meaning of sap/pitch is “atonement”. (Noah “sealed/covered” the Ark with pitch/atonement.)

• The Seven Spirits of God
  • Isaiah 11:2 Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might, Knowledge, and Fear of the Lord
  • John 14 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

• The Seven Stars: Messengers (angels)
  • Revelation 1:16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
  • Revelation 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels (messengers) of the seven churches,

• (Seven Lampstands- Revelation 1:20)

Revelation 3:² Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die (Become extinct), for I have not found your works perfect before God.

• There must be a small piece of the tree which can be “saved”.

Revelation 3:³ Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.

• Jesus comes as a thief in the night at His return to earth which is called the day of the Lord, NOT at the resurrection and rapture of the believers which scripture calls the day of Christ.
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:2 or you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
  • 2 Peter 3:10 – The Day of the Lord – But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
• The resurrections and raptures happen immediately before the seven year tribulation. Jesus returns somewhere at the end of the tribulation.
  • 1 Thessalonians 5:4 BUT you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

Revelation 3:⁴ (Nevertheless) You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.

Revelation 3:⁵ He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

• Only those whose names are written in the Book of Life can escape the Lake of Fire.
  • Revelation 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 3:⁶ “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’

The Faithful Church: “It’s an open and shut case” PHILADELPHIA

• In present day Philadelphia it is known for its volcanic soil as well as a severe earthquake which took place in 18 BC (when Jesus was a teenager).

Revelation 3:⁷ “And to the angel (Lit messenger) of the church (Lit assembly) in Philadelphia write,

‘These things says He who is Holy, He who is True, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”:

• Self Disclosure of Jesus
  • Holy and True.
  • The key of David.
  • A Portion of the Godhead.
  • Isaiah 22:22 The key of the house of David I will lay on his (Eliakim’s) shoulder (authority); So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open. (Eliakim, son of Hilkiah, means “Resurrection of God” in Hebrew, Strong’s H471 while Hilkiah means “Portion of Jehovah (YHWH)”.
    • Jesus, as the Son of God, is a portion of the Father, and as God, He was risen from the dead. Scripture repeats that the Father raised Him, the Spirit raised Him, and that Jesus raised Himself from the dead. John 2:19

Revelation 3:⁸ “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and (which) no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

• They had a little strength-yet they continued — hope delayed, disappointed, deferred.
• They persisted
• Because they persisted, the door to the temple/palace of David was opened for them. Symbolically, they could see the light rushing through the open door and permeating the darkness. Through that open door something great was waiting. They went through the open door in the same way they got to that door: by persisting. They kept doing the same things they were doing until the darkness was chased away becoming nothing more than empty shadows.

Revelation 3:⁹ Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.

• The synagogue of Satan: Jews who rebuke the doctrine of salvation for the Gentiles.

Revelation 3:¹⁰ Because you have kept My command to persevere (Lit. the word of My patience), I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

• These are kept from the seven year tribulation which presumably would be the church just prior to the rapture.

Revelation 3:¹¹ Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

• Don’t trade your crown for worldly things. (ie: Don’t trade your birthright for a bowl of soup)

Revelation 3:¹² He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

• Pillars built for the singular purpose for writing a story in hieroglyphics were called witnesses. They had a story to tell.
  • The two pillars at the entrance of Solomon’s temple were called Boaz and Jachin, called the two witnesses. I Kings 7:21 and II Chronicles 3:17.
  • Pillars are symbolic of righteous men, upright, straight, supports.

• Verses concerning the temple in heaven:
  • “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them.” (Psalms 11:4)
  • “Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.” (Psalms 97:2)
  • Isaiah also saw the throne of God in His Temple: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6:1)

• The Quantum theory of “Entanglement” for things both in heaven and on earth.
  • At the quantum scale, things can appear as particles (mass) or waves (energy) — and exist in more than one place at once. Or it may tunnel through walls. (Didn’t Jesus do that!) If you measure a photon’s location, you might find it in one place — and you might find it somewhere else. You can never know for certain where it is.
  • Thanks to quantum theory, scientists have shown how pairs of particles can be linked — even if they’re on different sides of the room or opposite sides of the universe. Particles connected in this way are said to be entangled.
  • The instructions God gave Moses had to be very specific to match the temple in heaven-matching the physics of entanglement.
  • Believers sit in the heavens and on earth: Ephesians 2:4-6 ⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
  • Believers ARE the New Jerusalem Ephesians 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

Revelation 3:¹³ “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (assemblies).” ’

The Lukewarm Church (assembly) LAODICEA

Revelation 3:¹⁴ “And to the angel (messenger) of the church (in Laodicea) of the Laodiceans write,

‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:

Revelation 3:¹⁵ “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.

Revelation 3:¹⁶ So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither (hot nor cold) cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

Revelation 3:¹⁷ Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—

• Naked and – unafraid.

Revelation 3:¹⁸ I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

Revelation 3:¹⁹ As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten (discipline). Therefore be zealous (eager) and repent.

Revelation 3:²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Revelation 3:²¹ To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Revelation 3:²² “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (assemblies).” ’ ”

CHURCH	TYPE	VERSE	SELF DISCLOSURE BY JESUS	DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTER OF THE CHURCH	CONSEQUENCES
Church of Ephesus	Loveless Church	Rev 2:1	He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:	Left their first love	I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place.
Church in Smyrna	Persecuted Church	Rev 2:8	The First and the Last (Alpha and Omega), who was dead, and came to life:	There is nothing Jesus has against them. They are described as being a Bright Star.	He who overcomes will not be hurt by the 2nd death.
Church in Pergamos	Compromising Church	Rev 2:12	He who has the sharp two-edged sword:	To eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.	I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
Church in Thyatira	Corrupt Church	Rev 2:18	Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass:	Committed sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.	I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation
Church in Sardis	Dead Church	Rev 3:1	He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars:	Dead Works	I will blot out his name from the Book of Life
Church in Philadelphia	The Faithful Church	Rev 3:7	He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”	Persistent. They are described as being a Bright Star.	Kept from the tribulation
Church (in Laodicea)	The Lukewarm Church	Rev 3:14	the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:	Lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot	I will vomit you out of My mouth.