![]() ![]() Sardis narrowly avoids joining Laodicea in receiving only words of criticism from Christ. Since reputation is a good thing, this statement technically is considered a praise from Jesus. Its reputation alleged it was alive, but really it was spiritually dead. As the all-wise Head of the Church, Jesus knew the church in Sardis had a reputation that didn't match reality. Jesus identifies himself to the church in Sardis as having the seven spirits of God, likely a reference to His wisdom, and also having the seven stars, a reference to the messengers or pastors of the seven churches. In The Seven-Fold Spirit of God, Keith reveals how the seven functions of the Holy Spirit are the foundation for a more fruitful and exciting walk with God. Later, the Romans built a new town below the hill and left the original Sardis deserted. In AD 17 an earthquake completely destroyed Sardis. The soldier successfully sneaked into Sardis and opened its gates to Antiochus and His army. However, Antiochus the Great, a Syrian king, conquered Sardis by sending a soldier through a crack in the city's northern wall. This limited access made it easy for only a few men to defend the city. The city commanded a prominent military position atop a 1,500-foot high hill and was accessible only by a steep path on its southern side. ![]() Sardis was located about 30 miles southeast of Thyatira and 50 miles east of Smyrna. And, as we learn in John 10:28, no one can snatch them out of Jesus’ hand.The fifth of seven letters from Jesus is addressed to the church in Sardis. John’s vision shows that each pastor is being held in the Lord’s right hand. A pastor is God’s “messenger” to the church in that he is responsible to faithfully preach God’s Word to them. The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned. The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Even if that is the case, a better interpretation of the “messengers” of Revelation 1 is that they are the pastors or bishops of the seven churches, symbolized by the lampstands. The Seven Bowls of God’s Wrath - Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth. ![]() It could be that every local church has a “guardian angel” who oversees and protects that congregation. An “angel” is literally a “messenger.” But that leads us to the question-are these human messengers or heavenly beings? Jesus explains to John that the “stars are the angels of the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20). The right hand is a sign of strength and control. The fact that the stars are in Jesus’ right hand indicates that they are important and under His authority. Jesus then revives John and strengthens him for the task of writing the coming revelation. John falls down at Jesus’ feet “as though dead” (verse 17). The Lord is standing in the midst of seven golden lampstands, and “in his right hand he held seven stars” (verse 16). He turns around and sees a vision of the Lord Jesus in His glory. In Revelation 1, John is “in the Spirit” and hears “a loud voice like a trumpet” behind him (verse 10). ![]() Also, the first few chapters of Revelation contain letters from Jesus to seven historical churches in Asia Minor. There are other “sevens,” as well: seven lampstands, seven spirits, and seven churches. In Revelation chapters 1-3, “seven stars” are referenced four times. ![]()
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