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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Revelation 3:1-6

Here is, I. The preface, showing, 1. To whom this letter is directed: To the angel of the church of Sardis, an ancient city of Lydia, on the banks of the mountain Tmolus, said to have been the chief city of Asia the Less, and the first city in that part of the world that was converted by the preaching of John; and, some say, the first that revolted from Christianity, and one of the first that was laid in its ruins, in which it still lies, without any church or ministry. 2. By whom this message... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Revelation 3:1-6

3:1-6 And to the angel of the Church in Sardis, write: These things says he who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your works; I know that you have a reputation for life, but that you are dead. Show yourself watchful, and strengthen what remains and what is going to die. I have not found your works completed before my God. Remember, then, how you received and heard the gospel, and keep it, and repent. If, then, you are not on the watch, I will come as a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Revelation 3:5

He that overcometh ,.... The deadness, formality, and imperfection of this church state; gets over these things, and is among the few names in it: the same shall be clothed in white raiment ; the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions, read, "thus shall he be clothed in white raiment"; he shall have abundance of spiritual peace and joy, great success and prosperity, both inward and outward, in himself, and in the church; and triumph over all his enemies, sin, Satan, the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Revelation 3:5

I will not blot out his name - This may be an allusion to the custom of registering the names of those who were admitted into the Church in a book kept for that purpose, from which custom our baptismal registers in Churches are derived. These are properly books of life, as there those who were born unto God were registered; as in the latter those who were born in that parish were enrolled. Or there may be allusions to the white raiment worn by the priests, and the erasing of the name of any... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:1-6

The epistle to the Church at Sardis. This Church is one of the two which receives unmixed reproof. Smyrna and Philadelphia receive no blame; Sardis and Laodicea receive no praise. Sardis lies almost due south of Thyatira, on the road to Philadelphia, between the river Hermus and Mount Tmolus. It had been in turn Lydian, Persian, Greek, and Roman, and, like its last Lydian king, Croesus, had been celebrated for its wealth. The auriferous stream Pactolus, in summer almost dry, flowed... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:1-6

Sardis; or, the dead Church. This epistle presents no exception to the general rule which we have pointed out regarding all the seven, viz. that our Lord Jesus Christ presents himself to each Church in that special aspect in which it was most appropriate for that Church to regard him. Here he is spoken of as "he that hath the seven Spirits of God"—a phrase used only in the Apocalypse, and yet, in its meaning, harmonious with all the rest of God's Word. This leads us at once to observe— ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:1-6

The epistle to the Church at Sardis. Were any one visiting the actual sites where the several Churches spoken of in these letters once stood, he would, ere he came to Sardis, have gone a long way round the circle on the circumference of which they all were. Beginning with Ephesus at the southern end, and proceeding northwards along the seashore, he next would come to Smyrna, then to Pergamos, then to Thyatira, and then, coming down the inland side of the rude circle we have imagined, he... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:1-6

(5) The epistle to the Church in Sardis: the decaying Church on the brink of ruin. The sad spectacle is presented here of a Church dying out. To the angel it is said, "Thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead." This is the judgment of him who hath "the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars." He holds the stars in his band, for safety in danger, for punishment in unfaithfulness. They cannot escape from him. The Lord of life is the Lord also of death and judgment. The... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:1-6

The words of Christ to the congregation at Sardis. "Sardis," says Dr. Eadie, "was a city of ancient Lydia. Its modern name is Sert Kalesi, and it lies about thirty miles south-cast of Thyatira, and two miles south of the river Hermus. It is, however, but a miserable village, inhabited chiefly by shepherds, though it is one of the stopping places of the Persian caravans. The original city was plundered by Cyrus, and afterwards desolated by an earthquake, the ruins of it being still... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Revelation 3:5

He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments . It is difficult to see on what principles of criticism Alford retains the reading of the Textus Receptus, οὗτος , instead of that rightly accepted by the Revisers, οὕτως . The latter has a very decided balance of external evidence in its favour; the former is a corruption very likely to occur either accidentally or in order to introduce a construction very frequent in St. John ( John 3:26 ; John 6:46 ; John 7:18 ; ... read more

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