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Revealed to the Angel of the Church of Sardis Rev.3:1. And write to the Angel of the Church of Sardis: Thus says He who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works; you have a name like you're alive, but you're dead. The "seven stars," as we have previously explained, signify the seven Angels; “seven spirits” are either seven Angels, or seven gifts of the Life-giving Spirit, because both are under the power of Christ; He disposes of some as the Lord, and the Giver of the other as Consubstantial with Him. Threatens the church because it is dead in good works and bears only one name of living faith. Rev.3:2. Stay awake and establish other things close to death; for I do not find that your works are perfect before My God. Rev.3:3. Remember what you received and heard, and keep and repent. "Be vigilant". Drive away the sleep of laziness, he says, and strengthen your members, who are threatened with complete death for their unbelief, for the workman is crowned not with a good intention, but with the completion of the deed. So, remember what you received and heard, guard what was handed down by the apostles, and repent of your laziness. If you do not watch, then I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. “I’ll come to you like a thief.” And fair enough. For no one knows the time of death or the end of the world. For those who are ready, this will serve as peace from their labors, but for those caught unexpectedly, it is a thief who brings spiritual death. Rev.3:4. However, you have several people in Sardis who have not defiled their garments, and will walk with Me in white robes, for they are worthy. “But imashi is few if he does not defile his garments.” That good thing you have acquired is that some of your members have not been defiled by sinful deeds in their spiritual purity; They, having kept their incorruptible clothing, undefiled, will be clothed with Me in their return to life in bright, wedding garments. Rev.3:5. He who overcomes will be clothed in white robes; And I will not blot out his name from the book of life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Rev.3:6. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who defeats the devil will shine like the sun in the robe of his virtues; his name will not be blotted out from the book of life. He will be confessed before the Heavenly Father and His armies; like the virtuous martyrs, the righteous will shine like the sun, according to the Gospel (Matt. 13:43; Dan. 12:3). Revealed to the Angel of the Philadelphia Church Rev.3:7. And write to the Angel of the Church of Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the True One, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one will open: His Kingdom is called the Key of David, for the key is a symbol of power. The Holy Spirit, who opens the treasury of knowledge, is the key of the book of psalms and all prophecy. The first key belongs to Christ according to humanity, and the second - according to the beginningless Divinity. In some ancient lists, instead of “David,” there is “hell,” and this testifies to the power of Christ over death and life. He is holy and true, like a real shrine, self-existent truth. Rev.3:8. I know your affairs; Behold, I have opened a door before you, and no one can shut it; You have not much strength, and you have kept My word and have not denied My name. We know from what was said before that this city was small in size, but strong in faith, which is why he says to it: “I know your works,” that is, I praise them; so it was said to Moses: “I know you better than all” (Ex. 33:17). I have opened before you the door of the preaching of doctrine, which temptation cannot shut. Your permission is enough, I do not demand what is beyond your power. Rev.3:9. Behold, I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, from those who say that they are Jews, but are not so, but lie, behold, I will make them come and worship before your feet, and know that I have loved you. “Behold, I give from the host of Satan.” For confessing My name you will receive as a reward the conversion and repentance of the Jews; they will fall at your feet, asking to be brought to Me and thirsting for My enlightenment, in the secret of their hearts, and not openly becoming Jews. Rev.3:10. And just as you have kept the word of My patience, I will also keep you from the time of temptation that will come to the whole world to test those who live on the earth. Rev.3:11. Behold, I am coming quickly; keep what you have, so that no one takes your crown. “The time of temptation” - either the soon-to-be persecution of Christians from the wicked kings of the then Rome, from which he promises to deliver his city, or the worldwide persecution of the faithful from the Antichrist before the end of the world. He promises to free those who confess Him from it by releasing them from earthly life, so that they will not endure temptations beyond their strength. He rightly says: “I will come soon,” since the Gospel also says that the Lord will come immediately “after the tribulation of those days” (Matthew 24:29). Therefore, he warns us to keep the treasure of faith unspoiled, so as not to destroy the crown of patience. Rev.3:12. He who overcomes will I make a pillar in the church of My God, and he will no longer go out. He says, I will make the winner a pillar in the church of My God, for he who overcomes opposing forces is considered the “pillar and foundation” of the Church (1 Tim. 3:15), having, according to the Apostle, an immovable foundation in it (1 Cor. 3:11; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:6). And I will write on it the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. “And I will write on it the name of My God.” I will write in the heart of such a pillar the knowledge of the name of God and heavenly Jerusalem, so that he can contemplate its beauty with spiritual eyes, and My new name, which the saints will know in the next century. In the words “My God” he speaks of the Father, as man who took flesh from Him for our sake. Jerusalem descends from heaven, since Divine knowledge, beginning from the angels, is received by us only through union with them through our common head - Christ Jesus. Rev.3:13. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Let us pray that we too may receive such a spirit. Revealed to the Angel of the Laodicean Church Rev.3:14. And write to the Angel of the Laodicean church: Thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God: Faithfulness means the truth of Christ, and even more precisely, He Himself, as self-existent Truth. “The beginning of creation” is said instead of “The kingdom and the beginning of all things,” which rules over the creatures. For the beginning or principality of creation means the original and uncreated, pre-beginning cause. Rev.3:15. I know your affairs; you are neither cold nor hot; Oh, that you were cold or hot! Rev.3:16. But how you are warm, and not hot and not cold, Gregory the Theologian also says: “It is appropriate to burn to a certain extent, and also to be cold. And in fact, someone who is cold, that is, without ardent faith, can always hope to receive it; warmed by it through baptism and then cooled by laziness, abandoning his former faith, loses hope of salvation. In affairs the middle cannot be rejected, and marriage is therefore accepted as something between virginity and fornication, but in faith the middle has no value.” then I will spew you out of My mouth. Rev.3:17. For you say: “I am rich, I have become rich, and I have need of nothing”; but you don’t know that you are unhappy, and pitiful, and poor, and blind, and naked. Just as excessively warm food causes vomiting in the one who takes it, so you will be vomited by Me, like disgusting food, into eternal torment, for, having crushed the seed of the Divine word with the thorns of wealth (Luke 8:7), you do not see your spiritual poverty, you do not realize your spiritual blindness and nakedness in relation to good deeds. Rev.3:18. I advise you to buy from Me gold purified by fire, so that you may become rich, and white clothing, so that you may be clothed, so that the shame of your nakedness will not be visible, and anoint your eyes with eye salve, so that you can see. If you want to be rich, then I advise you, with the fiery desire of a burning heart, to acquire from Me, who enriches everyone, kindled gold, that is, purified by the fire of trials. And then you will have in your heart an unspoilt treasure, you will be clothed with a bright robe of virtues that will cover your sinful nakedness. Collurium 1 denotes non-covetousness; gifts darken the eyes that look at them, and contempt for gifts imparts enlightenment to our vision. Rev. 3:19. Those whom I love, I rebuke and punish. So be zealous and repent. Oh, God's love for mankind! Reproof is dissolved by Divine grace! Rev.3:20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. “Behold, I’m standing at the door and it’s no use.” My presence is not violent, for I am at the door of the heart and rejoice along with those who open it for their salvation. This salvation is food and supper, and I feed on what they also feed, satisfying “the hunger of hearing the word of God” ( Amos 8:11 ) and driving away the darkness of error. Rev.3:21. To him who overcomes I will give to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne. Rev.3:22. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The throne means the Kingdom and peace of the next age, which is why it is said here that those who overcome will be glorified and will reign with Him. “Even as I have conquered,” it is said for humanity, as for those who have taken on flesh. God the Word did not inherit the Kingdom as a reward for virtue, but had it from eternity, as the Ever-Bearing One. Otherwise, He would not have been able to introduce others to it, and yet, according to the Theologian, the son of Gromov, He taught it from His fullness to all the saints (John 1:16; 1 Tim. 6:17); and therefore He told the holy apostles that they would sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28; 1 ​​Cor. 6:2). God and the Eternal King, He became Man for our sake and took upon Himself everything inherent in human nature, except sin, therefore He teaches His to the conquerors of the devil, since people are capable of accepting it. That is why He, having ascended into heaven on the clouds, as on a chariot of ascension, as the apostle says, will take the saints to meet Him in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Coming in the form of a Judge, as the Creator and Ruler of creation, He will give His saints the power to judge those who despise and reject the divine and most blessed slavery. “Do you not know that we will judge angels (that is, the rulers of darkness)” (1 Cor. 6:3), says the apostle. So, we have such a humane Judge, may we not be deprived of His mercies and benefits through the constant fulfillment of the divinely inspired words of Solomon: “At all times let your garments be white” (Eccl. 9:8), that is, not defiled by evil deeds. Like a bride, we, having adorned our souls, make ourselves worthy to unite with the King, the immortal Bridegroom; having united with Him through virtues, we will receive heavenly blessings from their Distributor - Christ Our God. To Him, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory, honor and worship, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. Collurium is an eye medicine. – Ed. You might be interested in: