Revelation Chapter 3: Study of Sardis and Laodicea Churches

This essay provides a document study of Revelation chapter 3, focusing on the messages to the churches in Sardis and Laodicea. It uses commentaries by Joseph L. Mangina and Bruce M. Metzger to understand the context and significance of these letters. The study examines elements such as the churches' reputations, spiritual states, and the warnings and promises given by Jesus. The message to Sardis emphasizes the need to awaken spiritually and strengthen original doctrines, while the message to Laodicea critiques the church's lukewarm condition and calls for repentance and allegiance to Jesus. Both messages highlight the importance of preparing for the second coming of Jesus and the conditional benefits offered to those who heed the warnings.

Running head: REVELATION-DOCUMENT STUDY 1
Revelation-Document Study
Name
Institution

REVELATION-DOCUMENT STUDY 2
Revelation-Document Study
Introduction
The following commentaries will help in the understanding of the letters to the church in Sardis
and in Laodicea of Revelation chapter three.
Joseph L. Mangina- Revelation (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible)
Bruce M. Metzger- Breaking the Code - Participant's Book: Understanding the Book of Revelation
Message to church in Sardis and to church in Laodicea
Chapter three of the book of Revelation begins with identification of Jesus Christ as the sender
of the messages. The messages to the churches have some elements which form the backgrounds on
which the letters are written. For instance, there is the mention of name, activity or state of the church,
condition, garments and faith as well as the second coming of Jesus. These elements are the main areas
upon which John writes the messages to the churches.
A name implies the reputation of the church. Since the church is described to be dead or appears
to be dead, it means that it has lacked spiritual authority and therefore lost its reputation. The church in
Sardis is described to have a few people who are true believers. This means that the church in that
period still had people who were rooted to the original doctrines of Jesus, and who had not been
corrupted by other teachings of men. However, John calls the church to awake from sleep and
strengthen the doctrines it once cherished. Significantly, this message also is supposed to prepare the
church for the coming of Jesus. “If” is a conditional statement which gives the church a choice to be
considered by Jesus as its own (Mangina, 2010). However, if the church does not change and return to
its original ways, there is a possibility of the church to be destroyed, based on the metaphor used by

REVELATION-DOCUMENT STUDY 3
Jesus, of coming to the church as a thief, since a thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy, in the
context of John 10:10 (JKV). However, Jesus also comes to the church for the good, for example, He
promises not to blot out the names of those who look forward to it. In particular He is coming to those
who are keeping watch and getting ready for His second coming (Metzger, 1993).
Verse 14 of Revelation 3 begins to with an address to the church of Laodicea, which is the
seventh and the final church. It begins by revealing the sender of the message. Jesus signifies that He is
the sender of the letter by referring to Himself as Amen or Truly (Mangina, 2010). The message to the
church is a particular warning. It describes the condition of the church and the consequences of
remaining in that state. Laodicea is described to be lukewarm, meaning that is has no particular
distinction, whether it serves God or it pleases the world. As a result of that, Jesus says that He will spit
it out, or utterly reject it. Moreover, the church is in a state of contention, especially from its riches.
However, Jesus says that it is poor and blind. Jesus requires allegiance of the church and calls it to buy
from him pure gold. He also calls the church to get from Him an eye salve, which signifies the spiritual
ability to know what is important in the spreading of the gospel and remaining true to Jesus.
Furthermore, the mention of garments also reveal the righteousness of which He wishes to impute to
the church. Because of the love that Jesus has for the church, He reproves it through fierce trials and
calls it to repentance. Moreover, just like Jesus promises the good to the church in Sardis, He also
promises to sit and dine with those who overcome in the church of Laodicea, which speaks concerning
the benefits attributed to His second coming (Metzger, 1993). This is conditional and only benefits
those who harken to the warning given.

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References
Mangina, J. L. (2010). Revelation (Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible). Grand Rapids:
Brazos.
Metzger, B. M. (1993). Breaking the Code - Participant's Book: Understanding the Book of Revelation.
Nashville: Abingdon Press.