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The Seven Churches of Revelation
Sardis, located at the foot of Mount Tmolus, is 51
kilometers (32 miles) from Pergamos and 44 kilometers (27 miles) from
Philadelphia (Alasehir).
The city and surrounding area was watered by the river
Pactolus.
The river, known for its golden sands, helped make the city
prosperous when gold was found near its banks.
The city was also noted for its fruits, wool, and temple to
the pagan goddess Cybele (whose worship was very similar to the worship of the
pagan goddess Diana (Artemis) found at Ephesus).
Sardis was the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Lydia.
The kingdom's most noteworthy king was the very wealthy Croesus
(Kroisos), who ruled from about 560 to 547 B.C.
He was the first person to strike and issue the first true
pure gold (and silver) coins used in the marketplace.
His father King Alyattes, who reigned from about 610 to 560
B.C., minted and distributed the world's first coins.
Alyattes' coins were made of electrum, an alloy of gold and
silver.
The city became important to the Persians after it was
conquered by Cyrus the Great in the 6th century B.C.
By the first century A.D. it had passed into the hands of
the Romans.
Although an earthquake destroyed it in 17 A.D. the city was
soon rebuilt.
The church had a number of faults, although some were
faithful.
They were spiritually dead overall, despite having a
reputation of being spiritually alive (Revelation
3:2).
They had not been doing enough good works, since Jesus found
them deficient in this regard (verse 3).
They needed to spiritually wake up and repent.
They had the knowledge of the truth, but were not practicing
it, since they needed to do what they had heard and received.
Jesus warned them to wake up and repent before He returned.
Some, however, in Sardis were faithful and had not soiled
themselves spiritually (verse 4).
They will walk with Christ since they will overcome.
Their names will not be removed from the book of life and
the Lord will acknowledge them before the Father.
In general, a majority of the people in the church were
spiritually weak, much like the members of the Laodicean church described later
in the same chapter.
But a minority were serious, committed converted Christians,
unlike the case for Laodicea.
Jesus still wanted the weak members to repent, just like He
did with the members of the Laodicean church.
Tradition states the city was the first in its area to be
converted by the preaching of the apostle John.
It also may have been the first city that revolted from
Christianity and one of the first that was laid in its ruins.
The inhabitants were dimly viewed by their contemporaries
for their voluptuous way of life.
There may be an allusion to this fact in God's message to
the church found in the book of Revelation.
“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, and that you have a name
as if you are alive, but are dead. 2 Be
watchful, and strengthen the things that remain, which are about to die. For I
have not found your works complete before God.
“3 Therefore,
remember what you have received and heard, and hold on to this, and repent. Now
then, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you shall by
no means know what hour I will come upon you . . .
“5 The one who
overcomes (especially in Sardis) shall be clothed in white garments (symbolic
of being spiritually clean); 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.” (Revelation 3:1-3, 5, HBFV)
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