Jehovah
The Lord, in the simplest terms, is love itself expressed as wisdom itself. In philosophic terms, love is the Lord's substance and wisdom is His form. Of course, we feel the Lord's love and hear His wisdom in many different ways, depending on our state in life and how receptive we are. That's why the Lord has so many different names in the Bible, and is referred to in so many different ways.
Apocalypse Revealed #154
154. CHAPTER 3
1. "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, that you have a name that you are alive, when you are dead.
2. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works full before God.
3. Remember therefore how you have received and heard, and pay heed and repent. If, then, you will not watch, I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you.
4. You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.
5. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, 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.
6. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
7. "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, 'These things says He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens:
8. I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have little strength, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
9. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie - behold, I will make them come and worship at your feet, and know that I have loved you.
10. Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to put to the test those who dwell on the earth.
11. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
12. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My God. Also My new name.
13. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'
14. "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the workmanship of God:
15. I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot.
16. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, it shall come to pass that I vomit you out of My mouth.
17. Because you say, "I am rich and wealthy, and have need of nothing," and do not know that you are miserable, wretched and poor, blind and naked,
18. I urge you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be enriched, and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and to anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous, therefore, and repent.
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.
21. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sit with My Father on His throne.
22. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"
THE SPIRITUAL MEANING
The Contents of the Whole Chapter
People in the Christian world who are engaged in a lifeless worship, one without charity and faith, are described by the church in Sardis (nos. 154-171).
People who are governed by truths springing from goodness derived from the Lord are described by the church in Philadelphia (nos. 172-197).
People who base their beliefs sometimes on their own thinking, sometimes on the Word, and so profane holy things, are described by the church in Laodicea (nos. 198-223).
All of these, too, are called to the Lord's New Church.
The Contents of the Individual Verses:
| Verse Contents | Spiritual Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1. "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, | To people and concerning people who are engaged in a lifeless worship, or in a worship that lacks the goods expressive of charity or the truths connected with faith. |
| 'These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: | The Lord from whom spring all truths and all concepts of goodness and truth. |
| "I know your works, | The Lord sees people's inner and outer qualities all simultaneously, |
| that you have a name that you are alive, when you are dead. | that they seem to themselves and others to be spiritually alive, and are believed by themselves and others to be so, when in fact they are spiritually lifeless. |
| 2. Be watchful, | They should have truths and live in accordance with them, |
| and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die, | so that the things of which their worship consists may be given life. |
| for I have not found your works full before God. | The inner qualities of their worship are not conjoined with the Lord. |
| 3. Remember therefore how you have received and heard, | They should reflect that all worship in the beginning is natural, and later becomes spiritual through truths, and so on. |
| and pay heed and repent. | They should pay attention to these things and give life to their lifeless worship. |
| If, then, you will not watch, | The same here as before [verse 2]. |
| I will come upon you like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. | The things of which their worship consists will be taken from them, without their knowing when or how. |
| 4. You have a few names even in Sardis | They also have among them some people who do have life in their worship, |
| who have not defiled their garments; | who possess truths, and have not soiled their worship by evil practices and the falsities attendant on these. |
| and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. | They will live with the Lord, because they are governed by truths from Him. |
| 5. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, | Anyone who is reformed becomes spiritual |
| and I will not blot out his name from the book of life; | and will be saved. |
| but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. | Those people are to be accepted who are governed by Divine good and Divine truths from the Lord. |
| 6. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' | The same here as before [chapter 2, verse 7]. |
| 7. "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, | To people and concerning people who are governed by truths springing from goodness derived from the Lord. |
| 'These things says He who is holy, who is true, | The Lord in relation to Divine truth, |
| who has the key of David, who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens: | who alone has the omnipotence to save. |
| 8. "I know your works. | The same here as before [verse 1]. |
| See, I have set before you an open door, | To those who are governed by truths springing from goodness derived from the Lord, heaven is opened. |
| and no one can shut it; | Hell does not prevail against them, |
| for you have little strength, | because they know they have no power of themselves, |
| and have kept My word, | because they live in accordance with the Lord's commandments in His Word, |
| and have not denied My name. | Being moved by worship of the Lord. |
| 9. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, | People who are caught up in falsities as regards doctrine, |
| who say they are Jews and are not, but lie - | who say they have embraced the church, and have not - |
| behold, I will make them come and worship at your feet, | many of them who are caught up in falsities as regards doctrine will accept the truths of the New Church. |
| and know that I have loved you. | They will see they are loved and accepted into heaven by the Lord. |
| 10. Because you have kept My command to persevere, | Because they have fought against evils, |
| I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to put to the test those who dwell on the earth. | they will be protected and preserved on the day of the Last Judgment. |
| 11. Behold, I am coming quickly! | The Lord's advent. |
| Hold fast what you have, | In the meantime they should remain steadfast in their truths and goods, |
| that no one may take your crown. | lest they lose the wisdom from which comes eternal happiness. |
| 12. He who overcomes, | Those who persevere in truths springing from goodness, |
| I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, | the truths they possess, springing from goodness derived from the Lord, sustain the church, |
| and he shall go out no more. | and they will remain in it to eternity. |
| And I will write on him the name of My God | They will have Divine truth engraved on their hearts. |
| and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, | They will have the doctrine of the New Church engraved on their hearts, |
| which is coming down out of heaven from My God. | doctrine that will come from the Lord's Divine truth, such as it is in heaven. |
| Also My new name. | Worship of the Lord alone, with new elements that did not exist in the prior church. |
| 13. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."' | The same here as before [chapter 2, verse 7]. |
| 14. "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, | To people and concerning people in the church who base their beliefs sometimes on their own thinking, sometimes on the Word, and so profane holy things. |
| 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, | The Lord in relation to the Word, which is Divine truth originating from Him. |
| the beginning of the workmanship of God: | The Word. |
| 15. I know your works, | The same here as before [verses 1], |
| that you are neither cold nor hot. | that people such as these sometimes deny that the Word is Divine and holy, and sometimes acknowledge that it is. |
| Would that you were cold or hot. | It would be better for them either to deny wholeheartedly the holy things of the Word and church, or to acknowledge them wholeheartedly. |
| 16. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, it shall come to pass that I vomit you out of My mouth. | Their profanation and separation from the Lord, |
| 17. Because you say, "I am rich and wealthy, | because they believe they possess in great abundance concepts of goodness and truth having to do with heaven and the church, |
| and have need of nothing," | having no more need to grow in wisdom. |
| and do not know that you are miserable, | Nothing at all of what they know about these things has any coherence. |
| wretched and poor, | They have no truths or goods. |
| blind and naked, | They lack any understanding of truth or will for good. |
| 18. I urge you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be enriched, | An admonition to acquire for themselves the goodness of love from the Lord by means of the Word, in order to become wise, |
| and white garments, that you may be clothed, | in order to acquire for themselves genuine truths of wisdom, |
| that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; | so as not to profane and adulterate the goodness of heavenly love, |
| and to anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. | so as to heal their understanding. |
| 19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. | Because they are loved then, it must be that they are introduced into temptations or trials, |
| Be zealous, therefore, and repent. | in order for this goal to come about from an affection for truth. |
| 20. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. | The Lord is present with everyone in the Word, and He presses there to be received, teaching how He can be. |
| If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, | Anyone who believes the Word and lives according to it, |
| I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. | the Lord conjoins Himself with them and they with Him. |
| 21. To him who overcomes | Those who live in conjunction with the Lord through a life in accordance with His precepts in the Word, |
| I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, | will have a conjunction with the Lord in heaven, |
| as I also overcame and sit with My Father on His throne. | As He and the Father are one and constitute heaven. |
| 22. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' " | The same here as before [chapter Revelation 2, verse 7]. |
THE EXPOSITION
"And to the angel of the church in Sardis write." (3:1) This symbolically means, to people and concerning people who are engaged in a lifeless worship, or in a worship that lacks the goods expressive of charity or the truths connected with faith.
That the church in Sardis means people engaged in such worship is apparent from the particulars written to it, understood in their spiritual sense.
By lifeless worship we mean simply worship by itself, which consists in people's going often to church, listening to sermons, partaking of the Holy Supper, reading the Word and books of piety, talking about God, heaven and hell, the life after death, and especially piety, and praying morning and evening, and yet without desiring to know any truths of faith or wishing to do any goods of charity, believing that salvation is theirs simply by virtue of their worship. This they believe even though apart from truths, and without a life in accordance with those truths, worship is merely the external mark of charity and faith, which may harbor within it evils and falsities of every kind if charity and faith are not present in it. Charity and faith are what characterize genuine worship. Otherwise worship is like the skin or rind of a piece of fruit, which conceals within rotten or wormy flesh, so that the fruit is dead.
People know that such is the worship prevalent in the church today.
