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1  And unto the angel of the church   Proverbs 21:15-16&21 It is joy to       James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O        Sardis:  A once great city which grew                                           /
in Sardis write; These things saith      the just to do judgment: but            vain man, that faith without           into a power in about 1150 B.C.                                               /
he that hath the seven Spirits of        destruction shall be to the             works is dead?                         The capital of the kingdom of Lydia                                           /
God, and the seven stars; I know         workers of iniquity.                 John 15:10-11 If ye keep my command-      and home of Croesus, once known as                                            /
thy works, that thou hast a name          The man that wandereth out of          ments, ye shall abide in my love;      the world's richest man.  It was                                              /
that thou livest, and art dead.          the way of understanding shall          even as I have kept my Father's        losing its influence in Roman times                                           /
2  Be watchful, and strengthen the       remain in the congregation of           commandments, and abide in his         and today is a pasture land for                                               /
things which remain, that are ready      the dead.                               love.                                  goats.  The church of Sardis was also                                         /
to die: for I have not found thy          He that followeth after                 These things have I spoken unto       once renown but was by now "dead".                                            /
works perfect before God.                righteousness and mercy                 you, that my joy might remain in       Its early growth was well known and                                           /
                                         findeth life, righteousness,            you, and that your joy might be        its fall was also fast.  But not a                                            /
                                         and honour.                             full.                                  total fall since there remained a                                             /
3  Remember therefore how thou hast   Isaiah 47:11 Therefore shall evil       Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore, for        few who were still worthy.  The                                               /
received and heard, and hold fast,       come upon thee; thou shalt not          ye know not what hour your Lord        majority of the church needed to                                              /
and repent. If therefore thou shalt      know from whence it riseth:             doth come.                             repent, while a few had remained                                              /
not watch, I will come on thee as a      and mischief shall fall upon         II Timothy 1:13 Hold fast the form        pure.  Many scholars propose that                                             /
thief, and thou shalt not know what      thee; thou shalt not be able            of sound words, which thou hast        it is symbolic of the 12th thru                                               /
hour I will come upon thee.              to put it off: and desolation           heard of me, in faith and love         16th century church as formalism and                                          /
                                         shall come upon thee suddenly,          which is in Christ Jesus.              ceremony are prevalant in the church,                                         /
                                         which thou shalt not know.                                                     little true knowledge and love of                                             /
4  Thou hast a few names even in      Ecclesiastes 9:8 Let thy garments       II Thessalonians 1:5 Which is a           the Word was evident.                                                         /
Sardis which have not defiled their      be always white;                        manifest token of the righteous                                                                                      /
garments; and they shall walk with    Daniel 12:10 Many shall be purif-          judgment of God, that ye may be      Philadelphia:  A church that has " a                                            /
me in white: for they are worthy.        ied, and made white, and tried;         counted worthy of the kingdom of       little strength" but which has                                                /
5  He that overcometh, the same          but the wicked shall do wick-           God, for which ye also suffer:         "kept my word" and "hast not denied                                           /
shall be clothed in white raiment;       edly: and none of the wicked         Philippians 4:3...and with other my       my name".  The reward for their                                               /
and I will not blot out his name         shall understand; but the wise          fellow labourers, whose names are      faithfulness was to be great as                                               /
out of the book of life, but I will      shall understand.                       in the book of life.                   their enemies would worship before                                            /
confess his name before my Father,    Exodus 32:33 And the Lord said          Luke 12:8 ...Whosoever shall confess      their feet and they would not have                                            /
and before his angels.                   unto Moses, Whosoever hath              me before men, him shall the Son       to suffer the great temptation that                                           /
6  He that hath an ear, let him          sinned against me, him will I           of man also confess before the         the world must suffer.  The church                                            /
hear what the Spirit saith unto          blot out of my book.                    angels of God:                         of opportunity with the continuously                                          /
the churches.                                                                                                           open door, the church of "brotherly                                           /
                                                                              I Peter 1:15...he which hath called       love".  This church gives hope to                                             /
7  And to the angel of the church in  Isaiah 22:22 And the key of the            you is holy, so be ye holy in all      all the christian world, that if                                              /
Philadelphia write; These things         house of David will I lay upon          manner of conversation.                they are faithful and diligent, they                                          /
saith he that is holy, he that is        his shoulder; so he shall            I John 5:20 And we know that the Son      will be afforded the same rewards                                             /
true, he that hath the key of David,     open, and none shall shut; and          of God is come, and hath given us      that will be given to the church at                                           /
he that openeth, and no man              he shall shut, and none shall           an understanding, that we may          Philadelphia.  The city was located                                           /
shutteth, and no man openeth.            open.                                   know him that is true; and we are      at the entrance to the beautiful                                              /
8  I know thy works: behold, I have   Job 12:12-14 With the ancient is           in him that is true, even in his       valley of Hermus, an agriculturally                                           /
set before thee an open door, and        wisdom; and in length of days           Son Jesus Christ. This is the true     significant area.  Sometimes referred                                         /
no man can shut it: for thou hast a      understanding.                          God, and eternal life.                 to as "Little Athens".  Located in a                                          /
little strength, and hast kept my         With him is wisdom and              Matthew 16:19 And I will give unto        area of frequent earthquakes it was                                           /
word, and hast not denied my name.       strength, he hath counsel and           thee the keys of the kingdom of        almost totally destroyed in A.D. 17.                                          /
                                         understanding.                          heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt      Its name has been changed many times,                                         /
                                          Behold, he breaketh down, and          bind on earth shall be bound in        but it still exists today as the                                              /
                                         it cannot be built again: he            heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt      Turkish city of Alaeshir of the                                               /
                                         shutteth up a man, and there            loose on earth shall be loosed in      "the City of God".  Many scholars                                             /
                                         can be no opening.                      heaven.                                propose that this church symbolizes                                           /
9  Behold, I will make them of the    Isaiah 49:22-23 Thus saith the          Matthew 23:13&28 But woe unto you,        the missionary church when there                                              /
synagogue of Satan, which say they       Lord God, Behold, I will lift           scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!     was an explosion of knowledge and                                             /
are Jews, and are not, but do lie;       up mine hand to the Gentiles,           for ye shut up the kingdom of          searching for the truth of the                                                /
behold, I will make them to come         and set up my standard to the           heaven against men: for ye neither     Word as the Bible became readily                                              /
and worship before thy feet, and to      people: and they shall bring            go in yourselves, neither suffer       available in printed form.                                                    /
know that I have loved thee.             thy sons in their arms, and             ye them that are entering to go                                                                                      /
10 Because thou hast kept the word       thy daughters shall be carried          in.                                  Laodicea:  The lukewarm church, located                                         /
of my patience, I also will keep         upon their shoulders.                    Even so ye also outwardly appear      in a wealthy banking city beautiful                                           /
thee from the hour of temptation,         And kings shall be thy                 righteous unto men, but within ye      with resplendent temples and theatres.                                        /
which shall come upon all the world,     nursing fathers, and their              are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.    Also noted for its manufacture of                                             /
to try them that dwell upon the          queens thy nursing mothers;          II Peter 2:9-10 The Lord knoweth how      fine clothes from a fine black wool.                                          /
earth.                                   they shall bow down to thee             to deliver the godly out of temp-      A center for medicine at its school                                           /
                                         with their face toward the              tations, and to reserve the unjust     in a temple to Aesculapius the Greek                                          /
                                         earth, and lick up the dust of          unto the day of judgment to be         god of medicine where its fine eye-                                           /
                                         thy feet; and thou shalt know           punished:                              salve was manufactured.  Rich in the                                          /
                                         that I am the Lord: for they             But chiefly them that walk after      things of the earth, but "wretched",                                          /
                                         shall not be ashamed that wait          the flesh in lust of uncleanness,      "miserable", "poor", "blind", and                                             /
                                         for me.                                 and despise government.                "naked".  Such a familiar story in                                            /
11 Behold, I come quickly: hold       Isaiah 63:4 For the day of              Philippians 4:5 Let your moderation       this country of great wealth where                                            /
that fast which thou hast, that no       vengeance is in mine heart,             be known unto all men.  The Lord       many of the mainline Christian                                                /
man take thy crown.                      and the year of my redeemed is          is at hand.                            churches have lost their enthusiasm                                           /
12 Him that overcometh will I make       come.                                Hebrews 12:22-24 But ye are come unto     for the Word and are slowly dieing.                                           /
a pillar in the temple of my God,     I Kings 7:21 And he set up the             mount Zion, and unto the city of       Churches that were born out of the                                            /
and he shall go no more out: and I       pillars in the porch of the             the living God, the heavenly           enthusiasm for the truth of the                                               /
will write upon him the name of my       temple:                                 Jerusalem, and to an innumerable       reformation are slowly dieing of                                              /
God, and the name of the city of my   Isaiah 65:17-18 For, behold, I             company of angels,                     indifference and "lukewarmness".                                              /
God, which is new Jerusalem, which       create a new heavens and a new           To the general assembly and           Will this be the story of the                                                 /
cometh down out of heaven from my        earth: ... behold, I create             church of the firstborn, which         Christian churches of the United                                              /
God: and I will write upon him my        Jerusalem a rejoicing, and              are written in heaven, and to God      States of America as the Lord                                                 /
new name.                                her people a joy                        the Judge of all, and to the           rapidly opens up the missionary                                               /
13 He that hath an ear, let him                                                  spirits of just men made perfect,      fields in other areas of the world?                                           /
hear what the Spirit saith unto the                                               And to Jesus the mediator of the      Will we soon lose our status as a                                             /
churches.                                                                        new covenant,...                       Christian nation, many say this had                                           /
                                                                                                                        already happened.  Many scholars                                              /
14 And unto the angel of the church   Jeremiah 42:5 Then they said to         Colossians 1:15-16 Who is the image       propose that the church of Laodicea                                           /
of the Laodiceans write; These           Jeremiah, The Lord be a true            of the invisible God, the first-       symbolizes the church of the end                                              /
things saith the Amen, the faithful      and faithful witness between            born of every creature:                times that is no longer fulfilling                                            /
and true witness, the beginning of       us,                                      For by him were all things            its mission.                                                                  /
the creation of God.                                                             created, that are in earth,             The letters to the seven churches                                            /
15 I know thy works, that thou art    Job 20:15 He hath swallowed down           visible and invisible,...              are a amazingly complete expose of                                            /
neither cold nor hot: I would thou       riches, and he shall vomit           Matthew 25:26,27&30 ...Thou wicked        the problems facing the churches of                                           /
wert cold or hot.                        them up again: God shall cast           and slothful servant, thou             the modern world.                                                             /
16 So then because thou art luke-        them out of his belly.                  knewest that I reap where I sowed                                                                                    /
warm, and neither cold nor hot, I     Proverbs 23:4 & 7-8 Labour not to          not, and gather where I have           a) A loss of enthusiasm for the                                               /
will spew thee out of my mouth.          be rich: cease from thine own           not strewed:                             Word and concern for the salvation                                          /
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich,       wisdom.                                  Thou oughtest therefore to have         of the world as the church becomes                                          /
and increased with goods, and have        For as he thinketh in his              put my money to the exchangers,          more interested in the pleasures                                            /
need of nothing; and knowest not         heart, so is he: Eat and drink,         and then at my coming I should           of the world and its status in the                                          /
that thou art wretched, and miser-       saith he to thee; but his               have received mine own with usury        world.                                                                      /
able, and poor, and blind, and           heart is not with thee.                  And cast ye the unprofitable                                                                                        /
naked:                                    The morsel which thou hast             servant into outer darkness: there     b) Persecution that is occurring in                                           /
                                         eaten shalt thou vomit up, and          shall be weeping and gnashing of         many areas of the world as the                                              /
                                         lose thy sweet words.                   teeth.                                   forces of satan work to destroy                                             /
                                                                              Luke 12:19-21 And I will say to my          the influence of the church in                                              /
                                                                                 soul, Soul, thou hast much goods         all areas of the world.                                                     /
                                                                                 laid up for many years; take thine                                                                                   /
                                                                                 ease, eat, drink, and be merry.        c) Infiltration of false teachings                                            /
                                                                                  But God said unto him, Thou fool,       as satan tries to dilute the                                                /
                                                                                 this night thy soul shall be req-        teachings of the Word with pract-                                           /
                                                                                 uired of thee: then whose shall          ices and doctrine that make the                                             /
                                                                                 those things be, which thou hast         penetration of the Word less                                                /
                                                                                 provided?                                effective.                                                                  /
                                                                                  So is he that layeth up treasure                                                                                    /
                                                                                 for himself, and is not rich           d) Immorality has made a great intr-                                          /
                                                                                 toward God.                              usion into many so called churches                                          /
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold   Zechariah 13:9 And I will bring         II Corinthians 5:2-3 For in this we         as the prohibitions of the Word are                                         /
tried in the fire, that thou mayest      the third part through fire,            groan, earnestly desiring to be          not adhered to and the word "sin"                                           /
be rich; and white raiment, that         and will refine them as silver          clothed upon with our house which        is not heard from many pulpits.                                             /
thou mayest be clothed, and that         is refined, and will try them           is from heaven:                                                                                                      /
the shame of thy nakedness do not        as gold is tried: they shall             If so being clothed we shall not      e) Spiritual death has entered many                                           /
appear; and anoint thine eyes with       call on my name, and I will             be found naked.                          churches as they may hold to sound                                          /
eyesalve, that thou mayest see.          hear them: I will say, It is         I Corinthians 3:13 Every man's work         doctrine in many areas, but there                                           /
                                         my people: and they shall say,          shall be made manifest:...because        is no enthusiasm for spreading                                              /
                                         The Lord is my God.                     it shall be revealed by fire;            the Word for fear of persecution                                            /
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and    Job 5:17 Behold, happy is the man       Hebrews 12:6-7 For whom the Lord            by the world or that they might                                             /
chasten: be zealous therefore, and       whom God correcteth: therefore          loveth he chasteneth, and scour-         not appear as sophisticated to                                              /
repent.                                  despise not thou the chastening         geth every son whom he receiveth.        the world.                                                                  /
                                         of the Almighty:                         If ye endure chastening, God                                                                                        /
                                                                                 dealeth with you as with sons;         f) The truly missionary churches in                                           /
                                                                                 for what son is he whom the father       this world today seem to lack the                                           /
                                                                                 chasteneth not?                          strength and power to fulfill                                               /
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and   Proverbs 8:32-35 Now therefore          John 10:9 I am the door: by me if           the great opportunity that the                                              /
knock: if any man hear my voice,         hearken unto me, O ye children:         any man enter in, he shall be            Lord has provided for them.                                                 /
and open the door, I will come in        for blessed are they that keep          saved, and shall go in and out,                                                                                      /
to him, and will sup with him, and       my ways.                                and find pasture.                      g) The excess earthly wealth of some                                          /
he with me.                               Hear instruction, and be wise,      Luke 12:37 Blessed are those servants,      churches have made them complacent                                          /
21 To him that overcometh will I         and refuse it not.                      whom the Lord when he cometh shall       or filled with pride in their acc-                                          /
grant to sit with me in my throne,        Blessed is the man that hear-          find watching: verily I say unto         omplishments to the point that                                              /
even as I also overcame, and am set      eth me, watching daily at my            you, that he shall gird himself,         they can no longer be a witness to                                          /
down with my Father in his throne.       gates, waiting at the posts of          and make them to sit down to meat,       the many poor and needy of this                                             /
22 He that hath an ear, let him          my doors.                               and will come forth and serve them.      world who need the Word.  They                                              /
hear what the Spirit saith unto the       For whoso findeth me findeth        Matthew 19:28&30 ...Verily I say unto       are too far above the level of the                                          /
churches.                                life, and shall obtain favour           you, That ye which have followed         people that truly need their                                                /
                                         of the Lord.                            me, in the regeneration when the         witness.                                                                    /
                                      I Samuel 2:7-8 The Lord maketh             Son of man shall sit in the throne                                                                                   /
                                         poor, and maketh rich: he                of his glory, ye also shall sit                                                                                     /
                                         bringeth low, and lifteth up.           upon twelve thrones, judging the                                                                                     /
                                          He raiseth up the poor out of          twelve tribes of Israel.                                                                                             /
                                         the dust, and lifteth up the             But many that are first shall                                                                                       /
                                         beggar from the dunghill, to            be last, and the last shall be                                                                                       /
                                         set them among princes, and to          first.                                                                                                               /
                                         make them inherit the throne         I Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God                                                                                   /
                                         of glory: for the pillars of            of Peace sanctify you wholly; and I                                                                                  /
                                         the earth are the Lord's, and           pray God your whole spirit and soul                                                                                  /
                                         he hath set the world upon              and body be preserved blameless unto                                                                                 /
                                         them.                                   the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.                                                                                 /
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                               SUMMARY OF THE LETTERS                                                                                                                                                 /
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          CHURCH          CHARACTERISTICS OF CHRIST        COMMENDATION             REBUKE              EXHORTATION                      PROMISE                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
          Ephesus         Holds the seven stars in His    Deeds, hard work,      Has forsaken her    Remember; repent;                Will eat from the                                               /
                          right hand and walks among      patience.              first love.         do the things they did at        tree of life.                                                   /
                          the seven golden lampstands.    Does not tolerate                          first.                                                                                           /
                                                          wicked men.                                                                                                                                 /
                                                          Endures hardships.                                                                                                                          /
                                                          Hates the practices                                                                                                                         /
                                                          of the Nicolaitans                                                                                                                          /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
          Smyrna          The First and the Last, who     Suffers tribulat-         (none)           Do not be afraid.                Will receive a crown                                            /
                          died and came to life again.    ion and poverty.                           Be faithful, even unto           of life; will not be                                            /
                                                                                                     death.                           hurt by the second                                              /
                                                                                                                                      death.                                                          /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
          Pergamos        Has the sharp,                  Remains true to        People there hold   Repent.                          Will receive hidden                                             /
                          two-edged sword.                Christ; does not       the teachings of                                     manna and a white                                               /
                                                          renounce her faith.    Balaam and of the                                    stone with a new                                                /
                                                                                 Nicolaitans.                                         name on it.                                                     /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
          Thyatira        The Son of God, whose eyes      Deeds, love, faith,    Tolerates Jezebel   Repent; hold on to what you      Will have authority                                             /
                          are like blazing fire and       service,               with her immora-    have.                            over the nations;                                               /
                          whose feet are like fine        perseverance,          lity and idolatry.                                   the morning star.                                               /
                          brass.                          doing more than at                                                                                                                          /
                                                          first.                                                                                                                                      /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
          Sardis          Hath the seven spirits of       Deeds; reputation      Art dead.           Wake up! Strengthen what         Will be dressed in                                              /
                          God and the seven stars.        of being alive.                            remains. Remember what you       white; will be                                                  /
                                                          A few have not                             received, obey it, repent.       acknowledged before                                             /
                                                          defiled their                                                               My Father and His                                               /
                                                          garments.                                                                   angels.                                                         /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
          Philadelphia    Holy and true, holds the        Deeds, keeps             (none)            Hold on to what you have.        Those who overcome                                              /
                          key of David.                   Christ's word and                          That no man take thy             will be pillars in                                              /
                          Openeth and no man              does not deny his                              crown.                       the temple;                                                     /
                          shutteth, shutteth              name endures                                                                the name of God, of                                             /
                          and no man openeth.             patiently.                                                                  the New Jerusalem,                                              /
                                                                                                                                      and of Christ's new                                             /
                                                                                                                                      name will be written                                            /
                                                                                                                                      on them.                                                        /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
          Laodicea        The Amen, the faithful and           (none)            Lukewarm, neither   Buy from Christ refined          Overcomers will eat                                             /
                          true witness, the beginning                            cold or hot.        gold, white clothes,             with Christ; will                                               /
                          of God's creation.                                     Wretched, pitiful,  and eye salve.                   rule with Christ.                                               /
                                                                                 poor, blind, and    Be earnest, and repent.                                                                          /
                                                                                 naked.                                                                                                               /
                                                                                                                                                                                                      /
     Matters of Contention:  "I also will keep thee from the hour of                Luke 21:34-36 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts                                           /
        temptation, which shall come upon the world, which shall come upon            be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this                                              /
        all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."  This promise          life, and so that day come upon you unawares.                                                                   /
        to the church of Philadelphia is interpreted by many scholars to be            For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of                                             /
        evidence that the the church symbolized in prophecy by this church            the whole earth.                                                                                                /
        will be resurrected to heaven prior to the beginning of the great              Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted                                                  /
        tribulation.  It would be great if the justification to warrant this          worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to                                               /
        conclusion were more directly stated.  Other scholars believe that            stand before the Son of man.                                                                                    /
        a resurrection is not necessarily warranted by this statement,                                                                                                                                /
        instead the inference is that the Lord will provide the strength or                                                                                                                           /
        a place of hiding on earth which will allow them to pass through the                                                                                                                          /
        time of temptation or tribulation (such as 12:14).  Those who favor                                                                                                                           /
        the resurrection (rapture) of the church prior to the tribulation                                                                                                                             /
        will also refer to the statements of Luke 21:34-36 which seem to                                                                                                                              /
        parallel the passage of 3:10.  But again the word resurrection is                                                                                                                             /
        not directly stated.                                                                                                                                                                          /
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