The letter to the dead church in Sardis – Revelation

Just like when Jesus spoke of things like love and believe, He was also saying that the love and belief should be so strong as to bring about action on our part.  Not our action alone – and not action to gain love or to have stronger belief.  No – it’s about faith and love that are stronger than anything we could ever have ourselves, because it’s God’s meaning of faith and love that we can only achieve with the Holy Spirit.

Then the action follows from having the Holy Spirit.  And with the Holy Spirit working through us, the actions that we carry out will come from God and be effective the way He intends them to be.  In short – it’s not about us.  It’s about God.

When we see Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, all of that involves action as a result of having read or heard the prophecy.  It takes the Holy Spirit to understand the words, to take them to heart.  And once we do that – we should have a desire, also coming from the Holy Spirit, to act on the words.  Both for ourselves and for others.

It’s a message that God wants us to hear/read – and then do something with it.  As we’ll see, each letter speaks to what Jesus has for and against each of the churches.  He lets us know very clearly where we stand in relation to what He wants.  To what He taught.  Our goal is to be more Christ-like, and when we read this, we can look for ourselves in the letters and know just where we are.

Praying about the Seven Letters and ourselves

We’ll start with praying portions of Psalm 139. Remember that these letters are for us today, as much as for those at the time John put pen to scroll and everyone in between. One really good way for us to ask God to let us know which parts of these letters apply to us as individuals, families, small groups, churches, Etc. is to literally ask Him! And to listen for a response.

As such, let’s begin by praying the verses below, from David to God.

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

Ps 139:1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

Ps 139:2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

Ps 139:3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

…

Ps 139:22 I have nothing but hatred for them;

I count them my enemies.

Ps 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Ps 139:24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

This Psalm is something we should incorporate into our prayer life. Sometimes maybe we feel like we don’t really want to know what God knows about us. But hey – He already knows, and He still loves us. So why not ask, and then also ask for His help to grow in our journey through this life in faith and the power of the Holy Spirit?

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The letter to the church in Sardis

To the Church in Sardis

Rev 3:1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Rev 3:4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

What’s your initial impression here?  Good news or bad news for this church?  

Cultural and historical factors in Sardis

Sardis was a flourishing city located on a major east-west highway during the Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman periods.

Like many of its sister cities, Sardis exhibited strong pro-Roman sentiments, seen in its bid to house provincial imperial cults and in the prominence of the imperial cult in its second- and third-century architecture.

The Jewish community in Sardis had ancient and strong roots and was likely well-established from the Hellenistic period. If one can extrapolate from its fourth-century synagogue, it had been better integrated into the life of its city than was true for many Jewish diaspora communities.

Very little has been discovered in Sardis to shed light on the origins of, or challenges to, the Christian community there in the late first century beyond these generalities. 

Sardis sits sixty miles (97 km) east of Smyrna and thirty-five miles (56 km) southeast of Thyatira, within the horseshoe-shaped circuit of these seven congregations that John the prophet may have traveled before his removal to the island of Patmos.  ¹deSilva, D. A. (2019). The Social and Geographical World of Sardis (Revelation 1:11; 3:1–6). In B. J. Beitzel, J. Parks, & D. Mangum (Eds.), Lexham Geographic Commentary on Acts through Revelation (p. 665). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

The city of Sardis, the old capital of Lydia, had become famous for its red dye and woolen goods.

So we see, Sardis was home to an acropolis that was nearly impregnable, with 800 foot rock walls that were nearly vertical on three sides.  And yet –

Twice in its history it had been conquered—by Cyrus, in 549 B.C., and by Antiochus the Great, in 218 B.C.—because of failing to keep adequate watch. It may be with allusion to this historical fact that Jesus exhorted the church to be watchful (v. 2) against the encroachment of sin which might conquer the church.  ²Gregg, S. (1997). Revelation, four views: a parallel commentary (p. 73). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.

Can you even imagine that?  Twice!  And for the same reason!

Of course, if we’re honest, we do believe it, because we’re really no different.

The church in Sardis is referred to by some as the dead church.  Others call it the dying church.  That’s one of the things we need to pay attention to as we study it.  Is this church really dead?  Is there some hope for it?  Or maybe, it’s some of both?  You decide – just understand why you picked the one you will choose.

Sardis is about twenty-seven miles due south of Thyatira. It was one of the oldest and greatest cities of western Asia. In ancient times it was a proud, wealthy city, the capital of the kingdom of Lydia. It had a history of many wars, and it was the city of the wealthy Croesus. The patron deity of the city was Cybele, whose form appeared on their coins. She was represented as half-human and was regularly associated with a pair of lions or single lion. The deity was supposed to have power to restore the dead. The city fell before Cyrus the Great of Persia in the sixth century B.C. In A.D. 17 the city suffered greatly from an earthquake. When John wrote this letter, the city was a city of the past. Later, it was restored and continued to flourish until A.D. 1400–1403, when the Tartar Tamerlane swept over the area and destroyed everything. The city has never recovered from this desolation.  ³Hindson, E. E., & Kroll, W. M. (Eds.). (1994). KJV Bible Commentary (p. 2664). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

The bigger they are – the harder they fall?

Breakdown of the letter to the church in Sardis

Here’s usual breakdown of the letter to the church in Sardis. However, this one is a bit different.

Notice that I put I know your deeds in there twice – in both “Divine Knowledge” and in the “But” section.  That’s to reflect what I wrote earlier regarding scholars’ thought about whether this church is (a) dead, (b) dying or (c) maybe some of both with a possibility of hope for the dying.  Rather than give away my thought now, I’m presenting all options to give you something to think about.

To	the angel of the church in Sardis
From	him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
Divine Knowledge	I know your deeds; ... Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.
But -	I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
So -	Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Hear	He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To those who overcome	.... He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.

The traditional To and From headings are present. 

To:

Obviously, it’s to the church in Sardis.  As we saw in the letter to the Ephesian church, it’s most likely not to an actual Heavenly angel.  Rather it’s probably to someone, probably of a high position, within the church.  To that end, Young’s Literal Translation says:

‘To the messenger of the assembly in Sardis write:”  ⁴Young, R. (1997). Young’s Literal Translation (Re 3:1). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

From:

The letter is from he who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.  

Uh oh.  The seven stars again.  That wasn’t good news for Ephesus.  It’s kind of unnerving to hear them again for Sardis.  But before we jump to conclusions, let’s see what the seven spirits of God is about.

The Seven Spirits of God

There are only four references to the seven spirits of God – and all four of them are in Revelation.

The first reference to the seven spirits of God is at the very beginning of Revelation.

Greetings and Doxology

Rev 1:4 John,

To the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Rev 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.
So shall it be! Amen.
Rev 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Verses 4 and 5 together seem to indicate the Trinity.  Of course, while the Bible never actually uses that word, it does indicate the three “persons” of God.  Today, we normally talk about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  However, in those verses, I believe we see the Father, the Holy Spirit and the Son – in that order.

The Father – him who is, and who was, and who is to come
The Holy Spirit – the seven spirits before his throne
The Son – Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth

I suspect we get a bit confused about who the Holy Spirit is.  Some of that may come from trying to assign the Holy Spirit to either the Father or to Jesus.  But who says there must be a distinct separation between the three of them into non-overlapping “persons”? 

We read where Paul says the Holy Spirit is the mind of Christ.

Wisdom From the Spirit

…

1Co 2:16 “For who has known the mind of the Lord
that he may instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

And maybe we think “the mind of the Lord” refers to Jesus.  It would have been really nice if Paul had been more specific.  But in that sentence, he wasn’t.  As for context, it seems to be pointing to God, the Father.  And we have access to God the Father through the mind of Christ, by way of the Holy Spirit.  Or at least something possibly along those lines.  Who are we to know?  We just can’t.

But to try to bring this thought to a close, the Greek word we read as Lord in that phrase “the mind of the Lord” could refer to either the Father or to Jesus.

So – when we read the Greetings and Doxology section of Revelation, verses 4 and 5 do appear to be saying it’s from the Father, the Holy Spirit and the Son.  

Therefore, the question becomes how the Holy Spirit comes to be called the seven spirits of God.

The second instance of the seven spirits of God is in the letter to Sardis, which we’re studying now.

As such, there’s nothing to put here – unless I want to put an endless number of copies of the whole thing here – like looking into a mirror with another mirror behind you.

I really only put that line about the mirrors here so it doesn’t look like I forgot something.

The third instance of the seven spirits of God is in Chapter 4

Not surprisingly, it’s in a description of what John saw at the Throne in Heaven.

I underlined verse 5 below for reasons we’ll get to in a moment.

The Throne in Heaven

Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.”

Rev 4:9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
Rev 4:11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”

Here’s the thing about verse 5:

There’s a bit of a problem with the NIV translation.  Again.  It’s too simple.  There’s a word left out that can lead to difficulties for us today.  Something that would have been obvious at the time, but maybe not so much today.  Worse yet, the missing word is in verse 5 – the very one we’re looking at.  Here it is from Young’s Literal Translation.

5 and out of the throne proceed do lightnings, and thunders, and voices; and seven lamps of fire are burning before the throne, which are the Seven Spirits of God,  ⁵Young, R. (1997). Young’s Literal Translation (Re 4:5). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

The NIV:  
5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

So it’s actually seven lamps of fire burning before the throne.  And it’s those seven lamps of fire that are the Seven Spirits of God.

If you’re interested, here’s the KJV translation as well, which is in line with the YLT wording.

5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.  ⁶The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Re 4:5). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

I point out the fire, because these days we don’t need a lamp of fire to have something to give bright light.  LED lights today can light up even a fire.  The difference matters because of the implications of fire in the Bible.  In addition to providing light, fire also has the power to destroy or to purify.  For the church in Sardis – the significance of fire in those terms cannot be overstated.

But let’s keep going so we can get one final look at the seven spirits of God.

The fourth and final instance of the seven spirits of God is in Chapter 5 where the Lamb opens the scroll.

The Scroll and the Lamb

Rev 5:1 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
Rev 5:6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

…

Let’s go to an outside source to bring all of this to a close.

Seven horns (κερας [keras]) is a common symbol in the O. T. for strength and kingly power (1 Sam. 2:10; 1 Kings 22:11; Psa. 112:9; Dan. 7:7, 20ff.) and often in Rev. (12:3; 13:1; 17:3, 12). Fulness of power (the All-powerful one) is symbolized by seven. Seven eyes (ὀφθαλμους ἑπτα [ophthalmous hepta]). Like Zech. 3:9; 4:10 and denotes here, as there, omniscience. Here they are identified with the seven Spirits of Christ, while in 1:4 the seven Spirits are clearly the Holy Spirit of God (3:1), and blaze like torches (4:5), like the eyes of Christ (1:14). The Holy Spirit is both Spirit of God and of Christ (Rom. 8:9). Sent forth (ἀπεσταλμενοι [apestalmenoi]).  ⁷Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Re 5:6). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.

Since we’re already seen the verses in Revelation, let’s bring up the passage from Romans to clear this up.  As usual, I include the entire passage for context, but especially pay attention to the underlined verses.

Life Through the Spirit

Ro 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
Ro 8:5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
Ro 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Ro 8:12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba,Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Again:

Ro 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

So – the Holy Spirit is both the Spirit of God (the Father) and of Jesus (the Son).

We also know the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, from Rev 1:20.

And, what seems like the most reasonable explanation of the seven spirits of God (the Holy Spirit) comes from Isaiah 11-16.  It”s part of a prophecy about the coming of Jesus.  The first few verses tell of the seven spirits – and the remaining ones demonstrate them.

The Branch From Jesse

Isa 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
Isa 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—

The Spirit of the Father, resting on the Son,
with the seven spirits being the underlined items below.
Keep in mind, seven is a number representing completeness or fullness. 

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD—
Isa 11:3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.

That’s six, if you counted.  What’s number 7?  It’s actually at the beginning of the verse – 
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him

It’s beyond our understanding to figure that one out.  It looks like the six I underlined are part of the overall Spirit of the Lord.  And yet – somehow – maybe having to do with the concept of completeness, or the perfection that comes from the synergy of all of them together,  it’s seven.

And as I mentioned, the remainder of the passage shows examples of each of them. 

He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
Isa 11:4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Isa 11:5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

Isa 11:6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
Isa 11:7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
Isa 11:8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.
Isa 11:9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
Isa 11:10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea.
Isa 11:12 He will raise a banner for the nations
and gather the exiles of Israel;
he will assemble the scattered people of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth.
Isa 11:13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish,
and Judah’s enemies will be cut off;
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.
Isa 11:14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west;
together they will plunder the people to the east.
They will lay hands on Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites will be subject to them.
Isa 11:15 The LORD will dry up
the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand
over the Euphrates River.
He will break it up into seven streams
so that men can cross over in sandals.
Isa 11:16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people
that is left from Assyria,
as there was for Israel
when they came up from Egypt.

From: — conclusions

So – what can we ultimately say about this letter being from he who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars?

This doesn’t appear to be a good sign.

Jesus is holding the angel of the church in Sardis.  And, He’s holding the Holy Spirit.  

Remember, after Jesus’ ascension to Heaven, for better or worse, we are now His representatives here on earth.  Since the seven churches in Revelation represent the overall church on earth, Jesus holding onto the Holy Spirit and the angel for that church can’t be good.  

The description Jesus uses for Himself always has something to do with the state of the church.  This sounds very much like Jesus is warning them about losing the Holy Spirit.  And if they do that, they also lose their connection to Him, by way of the Holy Spirit.  Which also means they lose their connection to God.  A dire warning if that’s the case.

It occurred to me, it seems like we spend a lot of time on the From section of each letter.  And we do.  But I feel it’s important, because it sets the tone for everything that follows.  Jesus could have just said, “this is from Jesus, your Lord”.  But He didn’t.  Instead, He chose to describe Himself.  And those descriptions have specific meanings to each church that are tied in with the content of each letter.

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With that in mind, we can move on to the next portion of the letter to the church in Sardis the Divine Knowledge.

Divine Knowledge in the letter to the church in Sardis

Next, we’ll look at the Divine Knowledge. The things Jesus knows about the church. Usually, this is good news for the receiving church. However, that’s not always the case. Jesus had some good news for this church. But it was only for a few people. Plus, we have the title of “dead” church. We’ll find out more about what that means.

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Biblical scholars disagree over what goes in the so-called Divine Knowledge portion of the letter to the church in Sardis.

It’s quite possible you think or have read something that there says there should be nothing in this section.  Some scholars have it that way.  I even had it empty the last time I revised this study.  However, I now have something in it.  I don’t mean to influence you, but I should tell you why I put something here.  

It has to do with the issue of whether this church is dead or dying.  Or some of both.  Before, I thought the church was dead.  No hope.  I no longer feel that way.  But that’s all I’ll say for now.  More will come at the end.

So – what I put in the Divine Knowledge section, the part with the “good news”, is this.

I know your deeds;
…
Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.

That sentence was actually after some of the bad news.  It can get lost.  Or can lead us to think it’s too late.  But then, maybe it’s a warning about just how dire the situation is for those few people.  And for the church as a whole.  Like maybe if those few people leave the church for any reason, this church probably really is dead?

Soiled their clothes  

The Greek word we read as soiled is only used three times in the New Testament.  There is one occurrence of the root word in Greek, and it’s translated as contaminate in the NIV.  Both words then to be translated as defile or defilement in other translations.  Defile is a word we should recognize from the Old Testament.  For instance, this passage in Numbers.

The Purity of the Camp

Nu 5:1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has an infectious skin disease or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body. 3 Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.” 4 The Israelites did this; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the LORD had instructed Moses.

Based on you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes, we know there are some people who aren’t defiled, in a sense.  I say, in a sense, because we’ve all sinned.  It’s more a question of where our hearts are.  So a better way for us to think of it is that there are a few people whose hearts are in the right place.  But only a few.

And because of that, they will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. One place to see what that means is one of my favorite Old Testament passages – starting at Isaiah 1:18.

A Rebellious Nation

…

Isa 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together,”
says the LORD.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.

Isa 1:19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the best from the land;

Isa 1:20 but if you resist and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

If you read the entire passage, you find an incredible condemnation of Israel. Sadly, if you look at the kinds of things they did, you also see an image of the U.S. today. And, I dare say, far too many other so-called civilized nations as well.

In any case, only a few of the people in the Sardis church will be forgiven and have eternal life in Heaven.  The rest, the majority of them, will get Hell if they resist and rebel.

The good news in the Divine Knowledge of Sardis

This is part of the reason I think this church has some good news.  Yes, it is buried within the bad news, but it’s in the letter.  If anything, the placement makes it all the more remarkable that anyone can possibly come out of this church with God in their hearts.

In some of the other letters, it wasn’t immediately obvious whether the Divine Knowledge really was good or bad.  In this case, although the number of people to whom it applies is small, I believe it’s very good news for them.

We will, unfortunately, look at the majority of what Jesus says about this church in the “but …” and “so…” sections.

This is where we see the church is Sardis being referred to as dead. Worse still, the description comes from none other than Jesus.

But

I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.

Now that sounds bad, doesn’t it?  Fatal?  Generally, when someone is spoken about as being dead, there’s no chance for them.  But we’re talking spiritually dead here – not physically dead.  We’re also talking about something Jesus said.  If they can come back to life, who better to be there but Jesus?

So – is the Sardis church really dead?

So the church in Sardis has a reputation of being alive.  Most likely, that means they were spiritually alive at some point.  

The thing to remember here is that Jesus is the one who said the church is Sardis is dead.

Is dead really dead?

Let’s look at the Greek word that we read as “dead”. Does it really mean dead, the way we think of it? Or is there something in the Greek use of the word that has a different meaning?

3498 νεκρός [nekros /nek·ros/] adj. From an apparently primary nekus (a corpse); TDNT 4:892; TDNTA 627; GK 3738; 132 occurrences; AV translates as “dead” 132 times. 1 properly. 1A one that has breathed his last, lifeless. 1B deceased, departed, one whose soul is in Hades. 1C destitute of life, without life, inanimate. 2 metaph. 2A spiritually dead. 2A1 destitute of a life that recognises and is devoted to God, because given up to trespasses and sins. 2A2 inactive as respects doing right. 2B destitute of force or power, inactive, inoperative.  ⁸Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

Well, definition #1 certainly looks dead. However, the second is a metaphor. A figure of speech. In that sense, the word isn’t to be taken literally. If this is the way Jesus used the word, then it’s not an indication of death, as in the physical sense. Rather, it’s a spiritual use of the word. And as we know, as long as someone is physically alive, there’s still hope for the spirit. That hope is forgiveness from a loving God. A God who is just waiting for us to return to Him.

And remember, Jesus referred to Himself as holding the Holy Spirit and the angel of the Sardis church.  He hasn’t yet taken them away.  As we’ll see in a moment, it’s a very real possibility that Jesus will take them away.  But it hasn’t happened yet.  So maybe there is hope?

To find out, we turn to the very end of a passage directed at the Pharisees and teachers of the law – The Seven Woes.

Seven Woes

23:1-7 pp — Mk 12:38, 39; Lk 20:45, 46
23:37-39 pp — Lk 13:34, 35

Mt 23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

Mt 23:5 “Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’

Mt 23:8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Mt 23:13 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

[Mt 23:14 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.”]  Is not included in the NIV, but is in some other translations.  It would, of course, make eight woes.  ⁹New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Mt 23:14). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Mt 23:15 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

Mt 23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 Therefore, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And he who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

Mt 23:23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Mt 23:25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

Mt 23:27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

Mt 23:29 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. 30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our forefathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the sin of your forefathers!

Mt 23:33 “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 34 Therefore I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 I tell you the truth, all this will come upon this generation.

Mt 23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’’”

The placement of the final verses speaks volumes. It’s the very leaders of the Jewish people who prevent the people they lead from their creator! And now, the same thing is going on in the Church in Sardis. What we now call a Christian church.

Was this the problem back then? It’s certainly a problem we must watch out for today.

Let’s keep going and find out if this is the case.

So let’s think about that and move on to the next part of the letter to the church in Sardis the “So …” section.

“so” in the letter to the church in Sardis

Now we turn to the “So …” portion of the letter from Jesus to the church in Sardis. We know there are two groups of people. One is following Jesus. However, a much larger group is on the edge of being spiritually lost. Forever.

Now we find out what Jesus has to say to these two groups. Will He encourage the first group? Warn the second group? Or will we find out that our assumption about this church being “dead” is wrong? Are they really spiritually dead, with no hope of returning to the path that leads to Jesus?

So …

Now we find out what Jesus has to say to these two groups. Will He encourage the first group? Warn the second group? Or will we find out that our assumption about this church being “dead” is wrong? Are they really spiritually dead, with no hope of returning to the path that leads to Jesus?

Here’s where we left off:

Now that sounds bad, doesn’t it?  Fatal?  Generally, when someone is spoken about as being dead, there’s no chance for them.  But we’re talking spiritually dead here – not physically dead.  We’re also talking about something Jesus said.  If they can come back to life, who better to be there but Jesus?

So the church in Sardis has a reputation of being alive.  Most likely, that means they were spiritually alive at some point.  

And remember, Jesus referred to Himself as holding the Holy Spirit and the angel of the Sardis church.  He hasn’t yet taken them away.  As we’ll see in a moment, it’s a very real possibility that Jesus will take them away.  But it hasn’t happened yet.  So maybe there is hope?

Let’s keep going and find out.

So:

Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

It’s interesting that’s there’s nothing in here to encourage the group that is following Jesus. I did not come across anything in my research that addressed this lack of encouragement. It’s like something’s missing. Or is it? Is the “So..” message intended for all members of this church? Was the split between the two groups so complete that they had no interaction with each other? In other words, did the ones who seemingly follow Jesus do nothing to help the others get back on the right path?

If that’s the case, and we really can’t say whether it is nor not, did they fail to keep their brothers and sisters from straying? And was that failure to such an extent that Jesus is telling them to be part of the solution?

We just don’t know. However, as I often write, I believe these seemingly missing important items are left out intentionally. The fact that we aren’t given specific information prevents us from putting limits on what Jesus said. At least, it should do that. In a church where one group just watches while their brothers and sisters fall off a spiritual cliff certainly isn’t acting in love. Therefore, I think it’s something to keep in mind as we read on. And, something to watch out for in our own churches.

Are the people in the church in Sardis “dead” or “sleeping”?

When we read something like this letter – “you are dead.  Wake up!“, thoughts probably go to Lazarus.  Raised from the dead.  But Lazarus wasn’t spiritually dead.  Jesus brought him back to physical life.  And the Greek words behind what we read bear that out.  

“Lazarus was dead:

599 ἀποθνῄσκω [apothnesko /ap·oth·nace·ko/] v. From 575 and 2348; TDNT 3:7; TDNTA 312; GK 633; 112 occurrences; AV translates as “die” 98 times, “be dead” 29 times, “be at the point of death + 3195” once, “perish” once, “lie a dying” once, “be slain + 5408” once, and “vr dead” once. 1 to die. 1A of the natural death of man. 1B of the violent death of man or animals. 1C to perish by means of something. 1D of trees which dry up, of seeds which rot when planted. 1E of eternal death, to be subject to eternal misery in hell.  ¹⁰Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

Regarding Lazarus, this is physical death.

The church in Sardis was also dead. But a different kind of “dead”:

3498 νεκρός [nekros /nek·ros/] adj. From an apparently primary nekus (a corpse); TDNT 4:892; TDNTA 627; GK 3738; 132 occurrences; AV translates as “dead” 132 times. 1 properly. 1A one that has breathed his last, lifeless. 1B deceased, departed, one whose soul is in Hades. 1C destitute of life, without life, inanimate. 2 metaph. 2A spiritually dead. 2A1 destitute of a life that recognises and is devoted to God, because given up to trespasses and sins. 2A2 inactive as respects doing right. 2B destitute of force or power, inactive, inoperative.  ¹¹Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

As we saw earlier, for the church in Sardis, note that it’s a metaphor for spiritual death.  

So while we use the same word in English for both cases, in the Greek the difference becomes clear.

Wake up!

We know then, that when Jesus tells the Sardis church to wake up, it is about waking up spiritually.  They are physically alive.  But spiritually, for all practical purposes, they border on death.   

Yes, I did say border on death.  Why?  Because of the passage below.

Jesus and Beelzebub – Matthew

12:25-29 pp — Mk 3:23-27; Lk 11:17-22

Mt 12:22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

Mt 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”

Mt 12:25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Mt 12:29 “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.

Mt 12:30 “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Mt 12:33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Notice – And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.  Remember, Jesus is holding the Holy Spirit and the angel for this church.  They’re in grave danger of losing both.  But, they haven’t lost either of them yet. 

It’s important for us to remember – until we reach that point, there’s always hope for us.  Also, in keeping with somethings Jesus said in the letter to the church in Laodicea, we will be warned, just as the Sardis church is being warned.

Rev 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.

We’ll get into this further when we get to that church.  But for now, suffice it to say that if we truly wanted to follow Jesus, He won’t just walk away from us without trying to get us back.

Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God.

Yet another indication that the church in Sardis isn’t quite dead.  However, also an indication that “staying the course” will lead to death.  The Sardis church is essentially in hospice care – just waiting to die.

Why?  Well, Jesus states that very clearly:

for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God

Depending on which translation you read, you might see complete, finished, fulfilled or perfect in the phrase above.  Since there can be different connotations depending on the word, let’s look at the two Greek words that make up “not complete” in the 1984 NIV – and unfinished in the 2010 NIV.

First – complete, finished, fulfilled or perfect:

4137 πληρόω [pleroo /play·ro·o/] v. From 4134; TDNT 6:286; TDNTA 867; GK 4444; 90 occurrences; AV translates as “fulfil” 51 times, “fill” 19 times, “be full” seven times, “complete” twice, “end” twice, and translated miscellaneously nine times. 1 to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full. 1A to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally. 1A1 I abound, I am liberally supplied. 2 to render full, i.e. to complete. 2A to fill to the top: so that nothing shall be wanting to full measure, fill to the brim. 2B to consummate: a number. 2B1 to make complete in every particular, to render perfect. 2B2 to carry through to the end, to accomplish, carry out, (some undertaking). 2C to carry into effect, bring to realisation, realise. 2C1 of matters of duty: to perform, execute. 2C2 of sayings, promises, prophecies, to bring to pass, ratify, accomplish. 2C3 to fulfil, i.e. to cause God’s will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God’s promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfilment.  ¹²Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

Next – a word to negate the one above to become incomplete, unfinished, unfulfilled, not perfect, Etc.

3756 οὐ [ou, before, a, vowel), ouk, and (before an aspirate) ouch /oo/] particle. A primary word, the absolute negative (cf 3361) adverb; GK 4024; 1453 occurrences; AV translates as “not” 1214 times, “no” 136 times, “cannot + 1410” 55 times, and translated miscellaneously 48 times. 1 no, not; in direct questions expecting an affirmative answer. Additional Information: Wigram’s frequency count is 1535 not 1453.  ¹³Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

I think maybe we need to be careful about translating this as perfect.  Not because Jesus said something wrong – but because we might get the wrong impression.  Nothing from us is ever perfect.  It can’t be.  The Holy Spirit can make our efforts perfect.  But in the church in Sardis, the Holy Spirit seems to be ignored.  That’s why their deeds aren’t perfect.

Having said that, using words like finished, or complete can lead us to think there’s more “work” the people in the Sardis church can do to make their deeds acceptable.  That, of course, is also missing the point.  Again, the the failure to incorporate the Holy Spirit into their deeds that’s the problem here.

Either way, without the description Jesus gave of Himself to the church in Sardis, this point may very well be lost.  That’s why we need to really pay attention to everything when we study the Bible.  Words.  Context.  Culture.  The people at the time.  A close look at ourselves now.  The Bible as a whole. 

If not, we can easily come away with a wrong impression of what’s happening in Sardis.  One other requirement when we study the Bible is the Holy Spirit.  Unfortunately for the church in Sardis, He was the major ingredient left out of their deeds.  So in order for them to not lose the Holy Spirit, they need to turn to none other than the Holy Spirit.

And isn’t that the problem we all face from time to time?  The occasions we want to run away from God, or hide from Him, are exactly the times we need to be running to Him!  Fortunately, Jesus will try to get our attention and remind us of that very truth.  It’s part of Him being faithful.  Integral to who He is.

Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent.

Hopefully you noticed, there’s a pattern developing here. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard.  Every letter is a reminder of something.  The church in Smryna was even reminded to not be afraid of what was coming.  How often do we read, “do not be afraid”, or some variation of it in the Bible?  And yet, we still need reminders.  How easily we get distracted and forgetful.

Since Jesus tells them to remember, there must have been something to remember.  In other words, at some point in the past, this church was acceptable to God.  Their doctrine and teaching was sound.  In the past.  Their works were complete and accomplished with the Holy Spirit.  In the past.  But that’s gone.

So many things must go wrong for that to happen.  Sermons / messages in the church aren’t what they used to be, or are being ignored.  The teaching in the church must have dropped off, or been ignored.  Accountability within the congregation is likely non-existent.  And even as things were getting worse, no one spoke up.  Or they did speak up, but were ignored.  It’s possible that if some did speak up, most of them left after being ignored.

Regardless of how it happened, it did.  

We don’t read of much persecution against the church in Sardis.  That may very well be because they compromised, to fit in with society, as did the church in Pergamum.  As we saw then, compromise leads to watered down beliefs.  And when that happens, faith, reliance on the Holy Spirit, effectiveness of deeds, and spiritual life all take a turn for the worse.  If no one really pays attention, the church ends up in the situation we see in Sardis.  As one commentary puts it:

What follows next is the somewhat normal: I know your deeds. But what follows this is anything but normal, since the “deeds” in this instance are not those to be commended, but those for which they come under Christ’s judgment. It is not that there is no one or nothing to commend—there is indeed (v. 4)—but that their overall condition is utterly desperate in the eyes of the living Christ, although almost certainly not so in their own eyes, or in the eyes of others. What makes this warning so poignant is that the judgment makes no mention of either external pressures or immorality. They are not racked by suffering from without, nor wrenched by heresy within, nor ruined by internal moral decay. Their judgment is singular: they have a reputation of being alive, but in fact are dead, which evidenced by the reality that none of their works has ever been brought to completion: I have found your works unfinished in the sight of my God. Hence the first word to them is a wake up call; and in so doing they are to strengthen what remains and is about to die. From the outside they look fine, they have all the appearance of life; but on the inside there is no life at all, they are as good as dead. From our distance we cannot know what all of this entails; perhaps, just like their city, they are living on their past reputation. Indeed, anybody visiting either the city or the church would think it vigorous and alive, but in both cases that is mostly illusion.

In the case of the church, this probably also represents subtle accommodation to the culture (as in Thyatira). As someone put it well, “they are a perfect model of inoffensive Christianity”—not lukewarm, as Laodicea, but looking very much alive, while in fact they are stone dead. This now also makes sense of the designation of Christ as the one “who holds the seven spirits of God,” which offers further evidence in support of the view that this term is symbolic for the Holy Spirit. This is especially so for Johannine Christianity, since for him the Spirit is clearly the giver of life; and what has been lost in Sardis is the life that the Spirit alone brings.  ¹⁴Fee, G. D. (2011). Revelation (pp. 46–47). Eugene, OR: Cascade Books.

But there’s more to what the church in Sardis needs.  Remembering isn’t enough.  As I often write here – action must follow.  Belief without action is not truly believing.  As James puts it, faith without deeds is dead.  And as Jesus puts it, deeds without the Holy Spirit leads to death.

That’s why wake up is followed by obey it, and repent.  Merely recognizing that we’re in danger of spiritual death solves nothing.  Unless we actually obey Jesus’ commands and unless we repent for our straying away, spiritual death is still the certain outcome.

But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

To really catch their attention, Jesus then tells the church in Sardis what’s going to happen if they don’t wake up.

However, before we go there, let’s look at “wake up”.  We probably miss something in English.  Wake up is a nice grammatical translation.  But here’s what the two Greek words we read as “wake up” really meant.

1096 γίνομαι [ginomai /ghin·om·ahee/] v. A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; TDNT 1:681; TDNTA 117; GK 1181; 678 occurrences; AV translates as “be” 255 times, “come to pass” 82 times, “be made” 69 times, “be done” 63 times, “come” 52 times, “become” 47 times, “God forbid + 3361” 15 times, “arise” 13 times, “have” five times, “be fulfilled” three times, “be married to” three times, “be preferred” three times, not translated 14 times, translated miscellaneously four times, and “vr done” twice. 1 to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being. 2 to become, i.e. to come to pass, happen. 2A of events. 3 to arise, appear in history, come upon the stage. 3A of men appearing in public. 4 to be made, finished. 4A of miracles, to be performed, wrought. 5 to become, be made.  ¹⁵Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

Notice: 2A to take heed lest through remission and indolence some destructive calamity suddenly overtake one

Now, think back to the history of Sardis.

Twice in its history it had been conquered—by Cyrus, in 549 B.C., and by Antiochus the Great, in 218 B.C.—because of failing to keep adequate watch.

Oops!  Sardis was already conquered twice because they didn’t keep watch.  They had a city that was supposedly situated and fortified enough to be safe.  And yet, due to a lack of anyone keeping watch, they were defeated not once, but twice.  Clearly, a lesson not learned.

And now Jesus is telling them, a third time, that they haven’t been watchful.  Except this time, it’s their eternal souls that are about to be conquered and lost forever.

With that in mind, the warning becomes even more poignant.

I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

It’s the same mistakes from the past all over again.  But with much higher consequences.

And to make it even worse, the warning to keep watch is something we read multiple times in the Bible.  For instance, the passage below.

The Day and Hour Unknown – Mark

Mk 13:32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert ! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

Mk 13:35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”

We get complacent.  We figure we can get by.  And we’ll be OK in the end.  We learn that in school even.  Don’t study all semester long.  Then the final comes and we cram like crazy.  Sometimes it even works.  For some, most of the time it works.  And so we get used to it.  We do it with everything.

However, when Jesus comes back, there’s no time to cram.  Jesus warned us about what’s going to happen in the end.

Signs of the End of the Age – Matthew

24:1-51 pp — Mk 13:1-37; Lk 21:5-36

Mt 24:1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

Mt 24:3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Mt 24:4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

…

Mt 24:29 “Immediately after the distress of those days
“ ‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

Mt 24:30 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Mt 24:32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

No cramming.  No last chance to study.  And no last chance to let the Holy Spirit into our lives, after we’ve pushed Him away.  It’s just not going to happen.  We always need to be watchful and be ready.

Since I write so much about the Great Commission, I feel the need to bring it in here as well.  As a reminder, here it is.

The Great Commission

Mt 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Here’s something to think about.  If we are actually performing the Great Commission, we are so much less likely to be in the position the Sardis church finds itself in.  If all we do is baptize people, yes, it can happen.  But if we actually teach people to obey everything Jesus taught, truly make them disciples, how can we become complacent?  The answer is, quite simple, we cannot.  Actually doing what Jesus commanded here is good for the church as a whole.  It’s certainly good for the people who decide to follow Jesus and obey His commands.  But it’s also good for us, because it keeps us from forgetting.  It keeps us from spiritually falling asleep.  And that means Jesus won’t have to wake us up!

Next – the conclusion of the Letter to the Church in Sardis.

Now, we see the conclusion of this letter. It includes what I’ve called the “Hear” section, which is almost always identical in both words and placement in all seven letters. For the church in Sardis, it includes being dressed in white and having their names in the Book of Life.

The question here then is whether the people in this church will die spiritually, or will they overcome, turn back to Jesus, and be acknowledged by God?

Hear:

As with all the other churches, this means the letter can only be understood via the Holy Spirit.  As we saw in the letter to the Ephesian church, it goes back to a prophecy in Isaiah.  If you haven’t read it yet, or want a refresher, it’s right here – Revelation – The letter to the loveless church in Ephesus.

To those who overcome:

He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.

OK – wearing white – that’s a good thing.  They were worthy, and they will be cleansed.

Jesus acknowledging our names before the Father and His angels?  Also a very good thing.  Especially given the alternative is something from what I think is the scariest verse in the Bible, Mt 7:23 below.

A Tree and Its Fruit

Mt 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Mt 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

A changeable Book of Life?

But what is I will never blot out his name from the book of life about?  Is that even possible?

Well, as with most things, it depends.  Are we talking Old Testament or New?  Old, Old Testament or newer Old Testament?  Predestination or Free Will?  And probably more things.  But the bottom line here – it depends.  Let’s look at why I say this.  And then we’ll see what this probably means, at least to me.  

Christians likely know about the Book of Life, from one or more of several verses.  We’ll go through at least some of them to see that they don’t all seem to be about the same thing. 

There’s nothing explicit about a book of death for Christians.  Not explicitly anyway.  But for Muslims, there is something called the Sijjeen,  Not quite a book of death, although it does seem to be very much like one.

So let’s see what’s recorded in the Bible and then try to move on from there.

Just how many books are there?

As we just saw, the first thing to look at is how many or what kind of “books” exist.  There’s obviously the Book of Life that we read in the letter to the church in Sardis.  There’s also a book of God’s that Moses Speaks of.  And David writes about the book of life, and possibly a separate list of the righteous.  Paul also wrote about the book of life.  And Jesus talks about the book of life belonging to the lamb, later in Revelation.  Another portion of the revelation to John talks about the book of life from the creation of the world.  A bit later in Revelation, there’s the book of life, as well as other books.  Finally, later in Revelation there’s another reference to the Lamb’s book of life.

Are they all the same?  At first glance, it doesn’t sound like it.  So let’s look at the passages to get more info on these various book references.

The Book of Life from the Letter to the church in Sardis

Rev 3:4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.

This is our starting point.  From this passage, we’ll look at the others to try to see if they’re talking about the same book.  Furthermore, to try to determine what that book is about.  There’s also a possibly question of whether these are in fact real books, or just a way of expressing a concept in a way that we can understand.

The Book of Life in Exodus

This takes place as part of the golden calf incident.  Moses was on the mountain with God, getting the first set of Ten Commandments tablets.  Aaron was leading the people in making the golden calf idol.  When Moses realized what was going on, he threw the tablets to the ground and they broke.  What follows is a conversation between Moses and God right after that.

The Golden Calf

…

Ex 32:30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
Ex 32:31 So Moses went back to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”
Ex 32:33 The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 

…

 

Although not explicitly called the Book of Life, Moses is clearly asking God to take his life if the people won’t be forgiven.  A very noble action on Moses’ part.  Before we get into it though, I want to bring up anther translation.  The ESV shows something of the possession of this book that’s not as obvious in the NIV.

30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.”

33 But the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.  ¹⁶The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ex 32:30–33). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

This is reflective of the Hebrew, which specifically shows God as both the author and the owner of this book.

But remember, I asked if this was really a book, or if it might be more of a concept of something we can relate to.  Here’s what the Hebrew word we read as “book” means.

5612 סֵפֶר, סֵפֶר, סִפְרָה [cepher, ciphrah /say·fer/] n f m. From 5608; TWOT 1540a, 1540b; GK 6219 and 6220 and 6225; 184 occurrences; AV translates as “book” 138 times, “letter” 29 times, “evidence” eight times, “bill” four times, “learning” twice, “register” once, “learned + 3045” once, and “scroll” once. 1 book. 2 missive, document, writing, book. 2A missive. 2A1 letter (of instruction), written order, commission, request, written decree. 2B legal document, certificate of divorce, deed of purchase, indictment, sign. 2C book, scroll. 2C1 book of prophecies. 2C2 genealogical register. 2C3 law-book. 2C4 book (of poems). 2C5 book (of kings). 2C6 books of the canon, scripture. 2C7 record book (of God). 2D book-learning, writing. 2D1 be able to read (after verb ‘to know’).  ¹⁷Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

Notice – it can mean learned + 3045.  Here’s 3045:

3045 דָּעָה, יָדַע [yadaʿ /yaw·dah/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 848; GK 1977 and 3359; 947 occurrences; AV translates as “know” 645 times, “known” 105 times, “knowledge” 19 times, “perceive” 18 times, “shew” 17 times, “tell” eight times, “wist” seven times, “understand” seven times, “certainly” seven times, “acknowledge” six times, “acquaintance” six times, “consider” six times, “declare” six times, “teach” five times, and translated miscellaneously 85 times. 1 to know. 1A (Qal). 1A1 to know. 1A1A to know, learn to know. 1A1B to perceive. 1A1C to perceive and see, find out and discern. 1A1D to discriminate, distinguish. 1A1E to know by experience. 1A1F to recognise, admit, acknowledge, confess. 1A1G to consider. 1A2 to know, be acquainted with. 1A3 to know (a person carnally). 1A4 to know how, be skilful in. 1A5 to have knowledge, be wise. 1B (Niphal). 1B1 to be made known, be or become known, be revealed. 1B2 to make oneself known. 1B3 to be perceived. 1B4 to be instructed. 1C (Piel) to cause to know. 1D (Poal) to cause to know. 1E (Pual). 1E1 to be known. 1E2 known, one known, acquaintance (participle). 1F (Hiphil) to make known, declare. 1G (Hophal) to be made known. 1H (Hithpael) to make oneself known, reveal oneself.  ¹⁸Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

“learned” plus any of the definitions is a far cry from a literal book.  It’s more like learned² – you know, learned-squared?  Considering that God is all-knowing, the need for a “book” isn’t for Him – it’s more a device for us to realize that He knows and remembers everything.

On top of that, the oldest known “paper” – papyrus – dates back to 2700 BC.  That’s long after Moses and God talk about God’s “book”. 

David and the Book of Life

The next instance of the Book of Life is Psalm 69.

Psalm 69.  A plea for God to have mercy and to save from a host of enemies: the prayer of a godly king when under vicious attack by a widespread conspiracy at a time when God had “wounded” him (see v. 26) for some sin in his life (see v. 5). If, as tradition claims, David authored the original psalm (see the superscription), the occasion is unknown.  ¹⁹NIV Study Bible Notes.

The Book of Life reference comes in verse 28.  I included some verses prior to it, in order to give a flavor of what was going on.  Also a couple verses after that, to show how David always includes praise to God, no matter what his situation, even if he thinks God has turned away from him.

Psalm 69

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.

…

Ps 69:22 May the table set before them become a snare;
may it become retribution and a trap.
Ps 69:23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.
Ps 69:24 Pour out your wrath on them;
let your fierce anger overtake them.
Ps 69:25 May their place be deserted;
let there be no one to dwell in their tents.
Ps 69:26 For they persecute those you wound
and talk about the pain of those you hurt.
Ps 69:27 Charge them with crime upon crime;
do not let them share in your salvation.
Ps 69:28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
and not be listed with the righteous.

Ps 69:29 I am in pain and distress;
may your salvation, O God, protect me.

Ps 69:30 I will praise God’s name in song
and glorify him with thanksgiving.
…

 

Unlike Moses, David is asking for God to blot someone else out of the Book of Life.

The Hebrew word for “book” is the exact same one Moses used.

However, we do pick up one additional piece of information here.  The word life, or living in some translations.  Here’s the Hebrew word behind it.

2416 חַי, חַי, חַי, חַיָּה, חַיָּה, חַיָּה [chay /khah·ee/] adj n m f. From 2421; TWOT 644a; GK 2644 and 2645 and 2646 and 2651 and 2652 and 2653; 501 occurrences; AV translates as “live” 197 times, “life” 144 times, “beast” 76 times, “alive” 31 times, “creature” 15 times, “running” seven times, “living thing” six times, “raw” six times, and translated miscellaneously 19 times. 1 living, alive. 1A green (of vegetation). 1B flowing, fresh (of water). 1C lively, active (of man). 1D reviving (of the springtime). 2 relatives. 3 life (abstract emphatic). 3A life. 3B sustenance, maintenance. 4 living thing, animal. 4A animal. 4B life. 4C appetite. 4D revival, renewal. 5 community.  ²⁰Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

Psalms – again

David while he was fleeing from Saul.  See 1 Samuel 21:10-15.

Psalm 56. A prayer for help when the psalmist is attacked by enemies and his very life is threatened. It is marked by consoling trust in the face of unsettling fear. Structurally, the prayer is framed by an urgent appeal to God (vv. 1-2) and a word of confident assurance (vv. 12-13). An inner frame, vv. 3-4 and vv. 10-11, confesses a sure trust in God in a form that is almost a refrain. The prayer itself is developed in the intervening verses (vv. 5-9).  ²¹NIV Study Bible Notes.

Psalm 56

For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam.When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.

Ps 56:1 Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me;
all day long they press their attack.
Ps 56:2 My slanderers pursue me all day long;
many are attacking me in their pride.

…

Ps 56:7 On no account let them escape;
in your anger, O God, bring down the nations.
Ps 56:8 Record my lament;
list my tears on your scroll—
are they not in your record?

…

Ps 56:12 I am under vows to you, O God;
I will present my thank offerings to you.
Ps 56:13 For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.

 

This appears to be the point at which the Book of Life wither picks up two meanings, or is actually conceived of as two different things.  Culturally, the early Israelites seemed to view the book of life as a record of who was physically alive and what happened to them during their lives.  Clearly, what we see in the Daniel Prophecy is life after death – and a record of that.

Daniel – the Book of Life in the End Times

The End Times

Da 12:1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 4 But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”

…

Da 12:13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance. ”

Scroll of resistance in Malachi

The final instance of something like a book of life in the OT is in Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament.  It’s in a section where God tells the people they are stealing from Him by not tithing.

Robbing God

Mal 3:6 “I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.
“But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’
Mal 3:8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’
“In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.
Mal 3:13 “You have said harsh things against me,” says the LORD.
“Yet you ask, ‘What have we said against you?’
Mal 3:14 “You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the LORD Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.’ ”
Mal 3:16 Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.
Mal 3:17 “They will be mine,” says the LORD Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.

We see in verse 16 – A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.  The 1984 NIV uses the word scroll.  Other translations use book.  But the Hebrew word being translated is, once again, the same as the other instances.

How many Old Testament books of life are there? 

One? Two? More?  Since we’re talking Old Testament, let’s look to the Messianic Bible Study Collection to get the Jewish point of view.

There are two key books that should be distinguished: the Book of Life and the Lamb’s Book of Life. The Book of Life contains the names of everyone who has ever been born (Ps. 56:8; 139:16). If a person dies unsaved, his name is blotted out of the Book of Life (Ps. 69:28), but the names of believers are retained (Rev. 3:5). The Lamb’s Book of Life contains only the names of those who are born again. In other words, it is possible to be blotted out of the Book of Life, because that book contains names of believers and unbelievers alike. It is not possible, however, to be blotted out of the Lamb’s Book of Life, because only believers have their names inscribed in that book. Since this book of remembrance gives the names of them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name, therefore, it is the same as the Lamb’s Book of Life.  ²²Fruchtenbaum, A. G. (1983). The Messianic Bible Study Collection (Vol. 96, p. 24). Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries.

So the Messianic Jewish point of view is that there are two “books”.  The one that keeps track of everyone ever born can have names blotted out of it if they die unsaved.  On the other hand, only believers have there names in the Lamb’s Book of Life – and they cannot be blotted out.

Before we get into the question of whether “once saved always saved”, let’s look at the New Testament.

Jesus spoke of names being written in Heaven – Luke

Jesus didn’t specifically refer to a book of life.  However, He did talk to his disciples about their names being written in Heaven.

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-two

10:4-12 pp — Lk 9:3-5
10:13-15, 21, 22 pp — Mt 11:21-23, 25-27
10:23, 24 pp — Mt 13:16, 17

Lk 10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
…
Lk 10:17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
Lk 10:18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
…
Lk 10:23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

Verse 20 – rejoice that your names are written in heaven.  Presumably, that’s the book of remembrance from the Old Testament. 

But which one? 

Is it the one that keeps track of everyone ever born can have names blotted out of it if they die unsaved?  That’s probably a denominational question today.  For those who believe it’s possible to lose our salvation, there’s no cause for rejoicing until we die and find our names are still there.

Or is it the one where only believers have there names in the Lamb’s Book of Life – and they cannot be blotted out?  Those who believe that salvation cannot be lost want to be in this one.  

But which one was Jesus talking about?  Are there even two of them?  Or is it just one Book of Life?  Was the Jewish view from the Old Testament incorrect?  Does it really matter?

Let’s go to Revelation’s books.

The Lamb’s Book of Life

This one’s from Revelation 13:8.

The Beast out of the Sea

And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. 2 The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. 3 One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. 4 Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?”
Rev 13:5 The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. 6 He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7 He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
Rev 13:9 He who has an ear, let him hear.
Rev 13:10 If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
with the sword he will be killed.

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.

Check out verses 8 and 9.  Both of them are incredibly relevant to what we’re talking about.

8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
Rev 13:9 He who has an ear, let him hear.

He who has an ear, let him hear.  Straight out of the seven letters.  And out of many things Jesus spoke of during His time on earth.  There’s a deeper meaning here.  It’s not just about captivity and death in this life.  It’s about the next life.  About Heaven or Hell.

Therefore, the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world has meaning beyond just who’s alive here on earth.  

Also, that phrase – belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world – points out something that maybe we’ve forgotten.  Or haven’t really thought about.  In God’s view of time, Jesus was sacrificed on the cross even before the very first act of creating our world.  For that matter, Satan’s eventual (to us) ending in the lake of fire also took place before the first act of creating our world.

It’s our view of time that causes us to think that these things are yet to come.  In God’s time – it’s already a done deal.

With that thought in mind, it’s time to address the question of how many books of life there are.  Is there an Old Testament book of life?  Or maybe 2 different ones?  And possibly a book of remembrance?  Is there something different in the New Testament?

Or are all of these apparent differences and / or conflicting descriptions just our view of one Book of Life, changing as God reveals more to us?

There are a few more instances where something like the Book of Life is brought up, but let’s bring this to a close with one last passage.  The last reference to this Book of Life.

The Dead Are Judged

Rev 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

So many books!  

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened

The Greek word for books in that passage is plural.

Another book was opened, which is the book of life

Yes – the Greek word for “another book” is singular.

Think about the implications of that.  Remember when Jesus healed the ten lepers.  Also remember that only one of the ten was saved.

Ten Healed of Leprosy

Lk 17:11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

Lk 17:14 When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

Lk 17:15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Lk 17:17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Interesting.  Ten healed, one saved.  Multiple books for those who ever lived.  But only one Book of Life.

And here’s where it gets really interesting.  In the end, when all is said and done, here’s the Greek word (yes word) that we read as “book of life”.

2222 ζωή [zoe /dzo·ay/] n f. From 2198; TDNT 2:832; TDNTA 290; GK 2437; 134 occurrences; AV translates as “life” 133 times, and “lifetime” once. 1 life. 1A the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate. 1B every living soul. 2 life. 2A of the absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God, and through him both to the hypostatic “logos” and to Christ in whom the “logos” put on human nature. 2B life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last forever. Additional Information: For synonyms see entry 979, bios.See entry 5821 for comparison of synonyms.  ²³Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

Wow.  It’s not a book.  It’s a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last forever.

One book of Life.  And it’s not a book.  It’s what God knows.  What God knew even before He created this world we live in.

As for the question of predestination or free will?  I’m not going there today.  That’s in the Predestiny versus Free Will series if you’d like to check it out.

To those who overcome – back on the original topic

OK – let’s get back to the purpose for which we made that journey to study the Book of Life.

He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.

This is a big deal.  In this church where most are in big trouble, having your name in the Book of Life is just what needs to be heard.

And remember, all seven letters are read by all seven churches.

Throughout the Bible, from Exodus to chapter 19 of Revelation, we get various views of this Book of Life.  Whether it’s one book, different books, whatever – we can get lost in the weeds of the details.  But here in Rev 20:12, Jesus tells us what it is, through this revelation to John.  It’s God’s knowledge.  Knowledge that He had even before Genesis 1.1.

That’s amazing comfort for those who overcome.  It doesn’t matter which of the seven churches we’re logically in.  The church in Sardis, or any of the others.  It doesn’t matter.  God already knows if we’re going to overcome.

The fine details of that knowledge aren’t known to us.  Yes, various denominations teach what they think it is, often as if it was certain knowledge.  I find it impossible to believe any of us have certain knowledge about God, beyond what He Himself has revealed to us.

But I’m happy knowing that if I overcome, I’m secure, blessed and joyful, knowing that He knows it.

Postscript from history, regarding the church in Sardis

I’m surprised to read this, but also very happy about it.  I didn’t expect this church would survive.  The fact that it did must be of great hope for us.

The Church in Sardis

The Christians whom the glorified Christ chastened in the fifth of the seven oracles that opened Revelation appear to have taken heed to Christ’s warning. The church continued its living witness into the second century and beyond, until the Sassanid invasion destroyed Sardis and scattered all its inhabitants in 616 ad. The most dramatic archaeological witness to this is the fine Byzantine chapel in the southeast corner of the precincts of the temple of Artemis. Worship of Christ significantly outlasted the worship of Artemis in this city. A smaller church structure has been uncovered in the near vicinity of the shrine to Cybele, another sign of the growth and, indeed, the victory of the Christ-cult over the others that had enjoyed such widespread devotion in the city and surrounding region for so long.  ²⁴deSilva, D. A. (2019). The Social and Geographical World of Sardis (Revelation 1:11; 3:1–6). In B. J. Beitzel, J. Parks, & D. Mangum (Eds.), Lexham Geographic Commentary on Acts through Revelation (p. 673). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.