THE SEVEN CHURCHES IN TIME AGES OF PROPHECY FULFILLMENT: CHURCH CANDLE 5 – THE AGE OF SARDIS

“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write … (Revelation 3:1).

In our previous study of the Seven Churches of the book of Revelation, we discussed the fourth church of the seven called Thyatira. Now, we arrive at the fifth church of the seven called Sardis. Sardis becomes a type of the Church of the Reformation, an outgrowth of those in Thyatira who did not accept the incorporation of pagan rituals into Church doctrine. The reform movement that started during the Crusades blossomed in the 1500s with men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, Huldreich Zwingli and John Knox. With the invention of the printing press, the Bible became available to every home. Ministers and laity alike began to return to a literal interpretation and away from the standard allegorical view of scripture that dominated Church doctrine since the days of Augustine.

In the previous articles, it was noted that the letters to Pergamos and Thyatira seem to describe an era of Church history wherein the Roman government ceased it’s persecutions and embraced the “faith.” What followed is downright mind boggling and a downright embarrassment. After ministers and church leaders no longer feared persecution and death by the dreaded Roman government, they began to feed upon each other. Political maneuvering pitted one theologian against another, one church against another and one dogma against another until Europe was plummeted into the Dark Ages.

The Ages of Pergamos and Thyatira became the most evil periods of Church history, from the fourth century to this very day. Thyatira depicts that era wherein the Roman Church plunged Europe into the Dark Ages. There were those in Thyatira, however, who did not conform to the demands of the Church hierarchy. They represent believers who started the reform movement around the time of the Crusades. In the previous letter to Thyatira, the Savior had a word for those generations of dedicated Christians …

“But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden” (Revelation 2:24).

The “rest in Thyatira” represent those who adhered to fundamental doctrines – a desire to return to a literal interpretation of the Bible that broke out into a full-fledged Reformation movement in the sixteenth century. The letter to Sardis seems to cover this period of Church history from around A.D. 1500 to the present.

The Early History of Sardis

Before analyzing the letter to Sardis and it’s prophetic implication to the Reformation period of Church history, let us review the early history of the city. Smyrna was the capital of an empire once known as Lydia, whose earliest reference is found in Genesis 10:22 and 1 Chronicles 1:17. It’s founder was Lud, a son of Shem, and Josephus refers to the Lydians as Lud’s descendants. The Genesis record shows Lud’s connection to Shem (Genesis 10:22-31). The opening chapters of the Chronicles also provides us with the record of Shem’s descendants (1 Chronicles 1:17-27).

According to Sir William Ramsey, in his commentary, The Letters to the Seven Churches (chapter 25), Sardis was one of the infamous cities of primitive history – more like a robber’s stronghold than a civilized community. He writes …

“The great plain of the Hermus is bounded on the south by the broad ridge of Mount Tmolus … In front of the mountains stretch a series of alluvial hills, making the transition from the level plain to the loftier ridge behind. On one of those hills stood Sardis. Each ridge juts out northward in the form of a small elongated plateau having very steep sides, terminating towards the north in a sharp point and on the south joined by a neck to the main mass of Tmolus. One of those small elevated plateaus formed the site of the original Sardis. It was actually inaccessible except at one point, viz., the neck of land on the south, which still offers the only approach. On all other sides, the rock walls were smooth, nearly perpendicular, and absolutely unscalable. Nature has made it the overseer of the Hermus Valley; and it’s foundation marked out it’s master for the headship first of that valley, and thereafter of the rest of Lydia, whose fate was dependent on the Hermus Valley.” 

Sardis eventually outgrew the small mountain top fortress and began to build neighborhoods around the bottom of the hill. A lower city was built on the west and north sides of the original city. By the days of the historian Herodotus, the old fortress had become an acropolis overlooking the valley filled with a newer “Sardeis.” It’s name is actually a plural noun, suggesting a double city. The Pactolus River flows northward out of Mount Tmolus skirting along the west side of the lower city. This ancient capital of the Lydian Empire bore the proud title, “Sardis, the First Metropolis of Asia, and of Lydia, and of Hellenism.”

The city fell in the sixth century B.C. to Cyrus, ruler of the Medo-Persian Empire. It is said that Croesus, King of Lydia, consulted the Oracle of Delphi and was told that if his army crossed the Halys, he would destroy a great empire. What he was not told is that it would be his own empire.

Upon his first defeat, Croesus retreated to Sardis to rebuild his army, only to find himself soon surrounded by the Persian army. He was not worried, however, because his fortress was easily defended. The west, north and east sides of the citadel were 1,500 feet above the valley floor and protected by inaccessible vertical cliffs. The southern access to the fortress was narrow and easily defended. What he did not anticipate, however, was that Cyrus had several experienced mountain climbers ready to tackle the rocky cliffs. Croesus had failed to place guards around the perimeter of the city above the cliffs. A child with a small stone could have easily guarded against the best mountain climbers, but no one thought about it. It is believed that the Persians entered the citadel “like a thief in the night.”

The City of Aesop

In the sixth century B.C., Sardis was the home of Aesop, the famous author of Aesop’s fables. King Croesus had appointed Aesop as his ambassador and political advisor. It is said that Aesop was born a slave, but was given freedom because of his accomplishments.

On various occasions, Aesop traveled to Corinth and Athens. He used his wise fables to negotiate peaceful relations between warring rulers. His final mission took him to Delphi with a large sum of gold for distribution among the citizens. He was so provoked at their covetousness that he refused to divide the money and sent it back to Croesus. The Delphians were angered and accused him of impiety. In spite of the fact that he was an ambassador from Lydia, they executed him as a public criminal.

By the end of the first century, Sardis was a shadow of it’s former greatness. Essentially, the indictment was true. The city had a name but, for all practical purposes, was dead.

Melito: Pastor at Sardis

Some have suggested that Melito was the immediate successor to the “angel of the church” referred to in Revelation 3. He ministered in Sardis around the years
A.D. 160 -177. He is regarded as an “Apostolic Father” and probably knew the Apostle John’s disciple Polycarp and his disciple Irenaeus. He lived and ministered in Sardis during the reign of Antonines, grandson of Hadrian, the destroyer of Jerusalem (A.D. 132).

Eusebius of Caesarea (A.D. 260-340) reported on various books and writings by Melito:

“On the Passover, On the Conduct of Life and the Prophets, On the Church, On the Lord’s Day, On the Faith of Man, On His Creation, On the Obedience of Faith, On the Senses, On the Soul and Body, On Baptism, On Truth, On the Creation and Generation of Christ, On Prophecy, On Hospitality, On the Devil and the Apocalypse of John, On the Corporeality of God, and finally, A Letter to Emperor Antonines.”  

In his letter addressed to the Roman Emperor Antonines, Melito begs for protection on behalf of the Christians of Sardis and the entire region, saying that they were being falsely accused and plundered …

“For, what never before happened, the race of the pious is now suffering persecution, being driven about in Asia by new decrees. For the shameless informers and coveters of the property of others, taking occasion from the decrees, openly carry on robbery night and day, despoiling those who are guilty of no wrong. If these things are done by thy command, well and good. For a just ruler will never take unjust measures; and we indeed gladly accept the honor of such a death. But this request alone we present to you, that you would yourself first examine the authors of such strife, and justly judge whether they be worthy of death and punishment, or of safety and quiet. But if, on the other hand, this counsel and this new decree, which is not fit to be executed even against Barbarian enemies, be not from you, much more do we beseech you not to leave us exposed to such lawless plundering by the populace. 

For our philosophy formerly flourished among the Barbarians; but having sprung up among the nations under your rule, during the great reign of your ancestor Augustus, it became to your empire especially a blessing of auspicious omen. For from that time the power of the Romans has grown in greatness and splendor. To this power you have succeeded, as the desired possessor, and such shall you continue with your son, and you guard the philosophy which grew up with the empire and which came into existence with Augustus; that philosophy which your ancestors also honored along with the other religions. And a most convincing proof that our doctrine flourished for the good of an empire happily begun, is this – that there has no evil happened since Augustus’ reign, but that, on the contrary, all things have been splendid and glorious, in accordance with the prayers of all. 

Nero and Domitian, alone, persuaded by certain calumniators, have wished to slander our doctrine, and from them it has come to pass that the falsehood has been handed down, in consequence of an unreasonable practice which prevails of bringing slanderous accusations against the Christians. But your pious fathers corrected their ignorance, having frequently rebuked in writing many who dared to attempt new measures against them. 

Among them your grandfather Adrian appears to have written to many others, and also to Fundanus, the proconsul and governor of Asia. And your father, when you also was ruling with him, wrote to the cities, forbidding them to take any new measures against us; among the rest to the Larissaeans, to the Thessalonians, to the Athenians, and to all the Greeks. And as for you, since your opinions respecting the Christians are the same as theirs, and indeed much more benevolent and philosophic, we are the more persuaded that you will do all that we ask of you.”

This gives us a glimpse of the suffering and persecution that befell the church at the close of the first century.

The Letter to Sardis

“And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars” (Revelation 3:1).

In the previous letters, we are introduced to various characteristics of Christ. In the letter to Ephesus, we are told that he holds seven stars. In the Smyrna letter, he is the first and the last. In the Pergamos letter, he has a sharp sword. In the letter to Thyatira, the emphasis is upon Jesus being “the son of God.” In the letter to the church of Sardis, we are told that Jesus is the One who has the “seven spirits of God” (previously mentioned in Revelation 1:4) and the “seven stars” (previously mentioned in the letter to Ephesus). In this letter to Sardis, the reference to the seven-lamp menorah continues. We are reminded of the description of Christ standing in the midst of seven golden candlesticks.

The “seven spirits of God” are associated with this menorah in Revelation 4:5. There, the Apostle John gazes upon the celestial scene and sees seven lamps of fire burning before the heavenly throne, “which are the seven spirits of God.”

Most theologians agree that this is a reference to the seven-fold Holy Spirit. Be reminded that the Holy Spirit descended upon the early church at Pentecost (Acts 2) and is therefore connected with the Church Age. Since there are seven ages of Church history, we are told that there are seven spirits. Each apparently represents a separate characteristic associated with that particular age. We are not told why there are seven spirits. On this, we are left to conjecture, But one day, we shall understand the characteristics and functions of each lamp and how it relates to the Holy Spirit …

“… I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy” (Revelation 3:1b-4).

The eminent English minister, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, delivered a sermon on The letter to Sardis at New Park Street Chapel on February 24, 1856, in which he said …

“My learned and eminently pious predecessor, Dr. Gill, is of opinion that the different churches spoken of in the book of Revelation are types of different states through which the church of God shall pass until it comes into the Philadelphia state, the state of love, in which Jesus Christ shall reign in it’s midst, and afterwards, as he thinks, shall pass into the state of Laodicea, in which condition it shall be when suddenly the Son of Man shall come to judge the world in righteousness and the people in equity …

The good old doctor says, ‘when shall we find any period in which the church was more like the state of Sardis as described here, than it is now?’ And he points out the different particulars in which the church of his day (and I am sure it is yet more true of the church at the present day) was exactly like the church in Sardis. I shall use the church in Sardis as a figure of what I conceive to be the sad condition of Christendom at the present moment.

In going up and down this land, I am obliged to come to this conclusion, that throughout the churches, there are multitudes who have ‘a name to live, and are dead.’ Religion has become fashionable. The shopkeeper could scarcely succeed in a respectable business if he were not united with a church. It is reckoned to be reputable and honorable to attend a place of worship; and hence men are made religious in shoals. And especially now that parliament itself doth in some measure sanction religion, we may expect that hypocrisy will abound yet more and more, and formality everywhere take the place of true religion. 

You can scarcely meet with a man who does not call himself a Christian, and yet it is equally hard to meet with one who is in the very marrow of his bones thoroughly sanctified to the good work of the kingdom of heaven. We meet with professors by the hundreds; but we must expect still to meet with possessors by units. The whole nation appears to have been Christianized in an hour. But is this real? Is this sincere? Ah! We fear not.

How is that professors can live like other men? How is it that there is so little distinction between the church and the world? Or, that if there is any difference, you are frequently safer in dealing with an ungodly man than with one who is professedly righteous? How is it that men who make high professions can live in worldly conformity, indulge in the same pleasures, live in the same style, act from the same motives, deal in the same manner as others do? Are not these days when the sons of God have made affinity with the sons of men? And may be not fear that something terrible may yet occur unless God shall send a voice, which shall say, “Come out of them, my people, lest ye be partakers of their plagues?” 

Take our churches at large – there is no lack of names, but there is a lack of life. Else, how is it that our prayer meetings are so badly attended? Where is the zeal or energy shown by the apostles? Where is the spirit of the living God? Is he not departed? Might not ‘Ichabod’ be written on the walls of many a sanctuary? 

They have a name to live, but are dead. They have their piety? Where is sincere religion? Where is practical godliness? Where is firm, decisive, puritanical piety? Thank God, there are a few names even in Sardis…”

The Reformation

During the late Roman Empire and early Middle Ages, missionaries converted most of Europe to Christianity. The bishop of Rome gradually assumed greater importance and authority, probably because he was located in the capital city of the empire. In the early 1200s, Pope Innocent 3 claimed that “Ecclesiastical liberty is nowhere better preserved than where the Roman church has full power in temporal as well as spiritual matters.” But about 100 years later, in 1303, King Philip 4 of France humiliated Pope Boniface 8 by having him arrested. The power of secular rulers was growing while the influence of the papal throne was diminishing.

In 1309, a French pope, Clement 5, moved the papacy from Rome to Avignon, France, where it remained for about 70 years. King Philip and Pope Clement 5 launched an attack on the castle of the Knights Templar in Paris (1307) and had the organization outlawed throughout Europe. Some have called this period the Babylonian Captivity of the papacy. In 1378, after Pope Gregory 11 moved the papal residence back to Rome, a small group of cardinals elected another pope (antipope). For nearly 40 years, there were two or three popes at a time. This split caused great confusion in the church.

Serious abuses had also been accepted in the Roman institution. Because the administrative structure of the church required an increasing financial budget, church positions were sold to wealthy aspirants. In Italy, the higher clergy built lavish palaces and indulged in corrupt financial practices and the spiritual message of the Gospel suffered. Critics of the church included the religious reformers John Wycliffe in England, John Huss in Bohemia and Girolamo Savonarola in Italy. These men protested the abuses but could not stop them. During the time that the church was neglecting it’s spiritual leadership, a tremendous increase in religious feeling was growing among the common people. A great thirst for learning developed in the 1300s and 1400s, producing the Renaissance, a secular attempt at establishing a new golden age of culture throughout Europe. Out of the Renaissance came a new appreciation for the study of Hebrew and Greek, enabling ministers to read the Bible in it’s original languages. Scholars began to see how the church had changed through the centuries.

The greatest influence on the reform movement was the invention of the printing press, providing Bibles and commentaries to scholars across Europe.

Soon, the Bible became available to every home. It was no longer chained to pulpits and the Roman Church could no longer keep the laity ignorant.

During the Middle Ages, the Holy Roman Emperor claimed to be the head of Europe in both secular and religious affairs. Kings ranked beneath the emperor, followed by princes, dukes and counts. But the power of the emperor was only honorary from the beginning. The kings were actually independent. Over time, the kings became disenchanted with both the emperor and pope. Nationalism increased and people began to look upon the pope as the political leader of a foreign country.

Also, during the Middle Ages, European cities began to increase in size, wealth and independence. Europe’s agricultural environment began to give way to manufacturing and merchandising. All of this worked against the efforts of the Roman institution to keep their practitioners enslaved to theological superstition.

Martin Luther

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, a monk and professor of theology, posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The paper consisted of a series of statements that attacked the sale of indulgences (pardons from some of the penalty for sins) and other abuses of the church. Luther believed that every person can only be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. His view of religion placed man directly before God without the need for a priesthood. This view contradicted the official position of the church that salvation was obtained through both faith and works.

In January 1521, Pope Leo 10 excommunicated Luther and declared him to be a heretic. Emperor Charles 5 ordered Luther to appear before the diet of worms, Germany, in April, where he was ordered to recant what he had said and written. Luther replied …

“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise.”   

In 1530, the Lutherans presented the Augsburg Confession to the diet of Augsburg, Germany. It became the basic statement of Lutheran doctrine and in 1555, the Holy Roman Empire officially recognized the Lutheran Churches.

In Switzerland, Huldreich Zwingli, a priest in Zurich, was also leading a movement for religious reform. In 1529, he met with Luther to discuss their disagreement over the interpretation of Christ’s presence in the Lord’s supper. Luther regarded this as a sacrament – as a means by which God gave the people his grace. He believed in the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine. Zwingli considered the sacrament a thanksgiving to God for grace already given through the gospel. He believed that the bread and wine were mere symbols of Christ’s body and blood. Their quarrel led to the first major split in Protestantism.

In the 1520s, the Swiss Brethren, led by Conrad Grebel, decided that the Bible did not teach infant baptism. Their movement became known as Anabaptists (rebaptizers). They were not satisfied with Protestant efforts to reform Christianity, so they withdrew and formed their own churches. They were persecuted by both Catholic and Protestant authorities.

John Calvin helped establish Protestantism in Geneve, Switzerland, and directed efforts to convert the people of France and other countries of western Europe.

His Ecclesiastical Ordinances (1541) established the structure of a Presbyterian form of church government in which a council of elders rules each church. Calvin’s followers in France were called Huguenots, and came from all classes of society, including the influential noble families such as the Bourbons. They were the victims of the Saint Bartholomew’s Day Massacre on August 24, 1572, discussed in the previous study.

In 1534, England’s Henry 8 established the Reformation by an act of state. Pope Clement 7 had refused to annul Henry’s marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon and sanction a marriage to Anne Boleyn. Out of the controversy came the Church of England. Queen Elizabeth 1 (1558-1603) established a form of Protestantism that became known as Anglicanism. Englishmen who followed John Calvin were called Puritans. They opposed Anglicanism because it was Episcopal (governed by bishops) and preferred the Presbyterian form of church government.

In Scotland, John knox introduced Calvin’s teachings and Presbyterian system.

In 1560, the Scots made Protestantism their state religion. England forced Ireland to adopt Protestantism as the state religion, but the Irish people remained loyal Catholics. The resulting conflict remains a serious problem to this very day.

This brief historical review of the Reformation helps us to understand why Christ said that Sardis had a name but no life. It helps us to appreciate why the Savior said …

“Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy” (Revelation 3:4).

These brave ministers took hold of a Europe steeped in the Dark Ages and brought about one of the greatest Christian revivals in history. Their views may vary, but their efforts opened the door for the Gospel to be carried around the world. Indeed, these were overcomers. As we know, scripture reveals an overcomer to be one who holds the true faith as scripture reveals it …

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 3:5-6).

“For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5). 

Christ’s message and prophecy of Sardis finds it’s fulfillment in the Reformation. The Christianity of the Dark Ages had a name, but no life. The Gospel was diluted with various pagan rituals, the sale of indulgences, the unscriptural teaching of purgatory, etc. Those who pulled away from the Roman institution were not perfect men, but they were overcomers. They refused to defile their garments with the heresies that had crept into the Roman church.

The next installment of this series can be read in the article link below:
THE SEVEN CHURCHES IN TIME AGES OF PROPHECY FULFILLMENT: CHURCH CANDLE 6 – THE AGE OF PHILADELPHIA

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