Revelation 3: Wake UP! Sardis - Author: Evert Jan Hempenius

Transcription

1 Revelatin 3:1-6 - Wake UP! Sardis - Authr: Evert Jan Hempenius Fr any questins abut this Scripture passage r the ntes, please cntact us thrugh the Cntact Us tab n the website. Frewrd The prphetic message f Christ, which has been sent t the church in Sardis, has much t say t the church f the 21st-century. T mentin sme pints f attentin: A Christian can have the reputatin f a successful and vibrant church and attract many peple but at the same time dead in the sight f Gd. It is imprtant t remember the receptin f the Gspel, and if necessary t repent and t renew the bedience t Christ. One f the main themes f the Revelatin is kingdm f priests t serve his Gd and father (Rev 1:5, 6). This priestly ffice f the church is an imprtant aspect f this message. White clthes are a symbl f this priestly service. Christ warns every church nt t cmprmise the Christian life with an ungdly sciety. The cntext, frm and structure, thelgical ntes, technical and hermeneutical ntes given in this sermn utline shw sme verlap with ther sermn utlines taken frm the Bk f Revelatin. This makes it pssible t use this sermn utline as a stand alne. Cntext The prphetic message f Jesus Christ t the church f Sardis is part f the Bk f Revelatin. The Bk f Revelatin is like a large painting. Yu need t lk at the whle in rder t understand the details.

2 A brief utline f the Bk f Revelatin: 1 Intrductin (Rev. 1:1-3) The rigin and cmmand t write this Revelatin dwn. The Bk f Revelatin (Rev. 1:4-22:21) Rev. 1:4-8 The pening liturgical setting. Rev. 1:9-3:22 PART 1 Rev. 4:1-22:11 PART 2 Rev. 22:12-21 The clsing liturgical setting. PART 1: The risen and exalted Christ and his seven messages t the seven churches in the Rman Prvince Asia. PART 2: The heavenly curtrm and the judgment f Gd, ending with the descent f the new heaven and earth. Part 1 (Rev. 1:9-3:22) Rev. 1:9-20 Rev. 2:1-3:22 The risen and exalted Christ reveals himself t Jhn and t the churches. The seven messages t the seven churches f Asia. Jesus Christ knws the deeds f each church and f each individual. He calls them t repent where necessary t prepare them fr the things t cme, which they need t vercme. There is much discussin abut the date f writing f the Revelatin. Sme cmmentatrs prpse a date near the reign f Emperr Ner (AD 68). Others prpse a date during the reign f emperr Dmitian (AD 81-96). In the case f the message t the Ladiceans, the utcme f this discussin is f lesser imprtance. The Ladiceans did nt suffer persecutin at the mment f writing. Their wn faith was weak r lukewarm. They were nt prepared fr the great tribulatin (Rev. 7:14). 1 This utline fr sermns is very brief and des nt discuss all the (many) different theries abut the structures and utlines f the Bk f Revelatin. Beale (1999) prvides a detailed utline. Fr discussin see Garrw (1997).

3 The sci-ecnmical and histrical-gegraphical cntext f 1st-century Sardis is als imprtant, althugh there is scant infrmatin. See belw. Frm and structure Each message t ne f the seven churches has the same structure: reference Cmmissin t write Rev 3:1 Presentatin f the exalted Christ Rev 3:1 Rev 1:20 Praises and cmmendatins 2 Call t repentance Rev 3:2, 3 Prmise 3 Rev 3:4, 5 Rev 20:11-15 Call t listen Rev 3:6 Thelgical ntes General remarks The Bk f Revelatin is trinitarian (Gd Hly Spirit Jesus Christ; Rev. 1:4-5) in character. Gd is the first and the last (Rev. 1:8) Jesus Christ is the first and the last (Rev. 1:17). Jesus Christ speaks t the churches (Rev. 2:1-6) and the churches are summned t listen t what the Spirit (Rev. 2:7) says. The Bk f Revelatin is fremst a liturgical bk with prayers, dxlgies, cnfessins, prphecies and visins. It shws the heavenly liturgy in images and this liturgy affects the histry f this wrld when the plagues f Gd strike this earth. Rev. 4:11 explains why: Yu are wrthy, ur Lrd and Gd, t receive glry and hnr and pwer, fr yu created all things, and by yur will they were created and have their being. The first pririty in the life f every human being is t glrify Gd. This liturgical bk reminds us f the liturgy in the tabernacle (especially) and the temple f the Old Testament. This explains the many references t the altars and the priestly appearances f Christ and sme f his angels. The Bk f Revelatin is als a prphetic bk abut the past, the present and the future. It sheds light n the past, the present situatin f the seven churches in Asia Minr, and the future, culminating in the prmise f the new heaven and the new earth. Frm chapter 4 nwards the judgment f Gd is the dminating theme. He will d justice (Rev. 4-5; Rev. 6:10; Rev. 21:1-15 and ther passages). 2 Jesus Christ didn t praise this church! 3 Frm this message nwards the prmise precedes the call t listen.

4 Technical and hermeneutical ntes Reading and understanding the Bk f Revelatin requires: Prfund knwledge f the Old Testament. The bks f Exdus and Numbers, Ezekiel and Daniel are f particular imprtance in this regard. These bks bear relatin t ppressin and deliverance f the peple f Gd (Egypt and Babyln). Knwledge f the Greek-Rman wrld f the first century. Knwledge f figures f speech, because f all the metaphrs and ther figures f speech. Knwledge f the structure f Revelatin (see abve). (Elementary) knwledge f Hermeneutics. Jhn received this Revelatin frm Jesus Christ and at the same time, this Revelatin reveals the risen and exalted Christ, wh hlds the keys f (life and) death and Hades (Rev. 1:17). Jhn understd the wrds he heard and the visins he saw, thugh smetimes they needed t be explained t him (Rev. 1:19-20). Jhn wrte dwn what he heard and saw in this bk and sent it t the seven churches in Asia Minr, an imprtant prvince f the eastern part f the Rman Empire. In these seven messages t the churches f Asia, Jesus Christ addresses majr aspects f church life. He praises and rebukes them and gives them prmises f the life t cme. Christians, members f these churches, understd these messages. Twice, peple are mentined by name and they were warned against a mvement called the Niclaitans (Rev. 2:6; 2;15), active amng the churches. These Christians were far mre familiar with the figures f speech used in the Revelatin than we are nwadays. Figures f speech are nt always easily understd by 21st-century readers. Smetimes they are explained, mre ften nt. Figures f speech allw fr mre than ne explanatin and applicatin. That explains the multitude f cmmentaries and theries. In the prcess f explaining and applying the prphecies f this bk, the interpreter shuld ask himself tw questins: T which exegetical traditin d I belng? There is a plethra f traditins, especially in the Angl-American Wrld. T mentin nly three: Amillennialism; Pstmillennialism;

5 Premillennialism. Secndly, the interpreter shuld be aware f his wn situatin and f the lcal Christian cmmunity. What is my wn plitical-religius situatin and hw des this situatin affect my reading and understanding f the Bk f Revelatin? SARDIS was a city in Asia Minr lcated sme 100 km inland frm Smyrna and Ephesus, mst famus in antiquity as the capital f the Lydian empire (ca. 680 ca. 547 BC), and as a leading city f the Rman prvince f Asia. Its nly explicit reference in the Bible is in the bk f Revelatin (Rev 1:11; 3:1, 4). There must have been a large Jewish cmmunity. Striking cnfirmatin f the size and influence f the Jewish cmmunity in the Rman perid may be seen in the large synaggue excavated in the city, dating back t the early 3d century AD. Since synaggues are nrmally fund n r clse t the periphery f ancient cities, the lcatin f the Sardis synaggue is unusual, and speaks elquently f the cntinuing strength and wealth f the Jewish cmmunity. The early Christian cmmunity is mentined in Rev 1:11. A well-knwn bishp f Sardis in the 2nd century is Melit, wh substantiates accunts f the persecutin f Christians recrded in a letter frm Antninus Pius (Emperr; AD) t the cuncil f Asia in AD 161 (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl., ). Melit was faced nt nly with a prsperus and large Jewish cmmunity in the city but als by ther Christian sects and pagan survivals. 4 Verse 2 Wake = γρηγορέω : 2. t be in cnstant readiness, be n the alert. 5 Strengthen = στηρίζω : t cause t be inwardly firm r cmmitted, cnfirm, establish, strengthen. 6 4 Summary f Pedley, J. G. (1992). Sardis (Place). In D. N. Freedman (Ed., Vl. 5, p ). 5 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000, p. 208). 6 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000, p. 945).

6 Cmplete = πληρόω : 3. t bring t cmpletin that which was already begun, cmplete, finish. 7 Verse 4 Siled = μολύνω : 1. t cause smething t becme dirty r siled, stain, sil, unclean, unwashed, with the result f nt being pure, f ne wh cmes withut prper cleansing t a hly site that is therwise pure. Unsiled garments as symbl f a sptless life (Rev 3:4). 2. t cause smething t be ritually impure, defile. 8 Expsitin Verse 1 T the angel f the church in Sardis write : The identity f the angel is unknwn. It might be a heavenly being, but als a human messenger: a human messenger serving as an envy, an envy, ne wh is sent. 9 By humans r by Gd; prphets. a transcendent pwer wh carries ut varius missins r tasks, messenger, angel. 10 By Gd. The mst bvius explanatin is a messenger sent by Jhn t the church f Ladicea, carrying nt nly this message but als a cpy f the Bk f Revelatin in rder t read it alud in frnt f the cngregatin. S that the members f this church can hear what the Spirit says t the churches (Rev. 3:22). These are the wrds f him wh hlds the seven spirits f Gd and the seven stars, These are the wrds. This is the slemn intrductin f this prphetic message. Of him wh hlds the seven spirits f Gd and the seven stars. (See als Rev 1:4; 4:5.) Bratcher and Hattn remark, The phrase f Gd means that the seven spirits belng t Gd r else serve Gd. S this whle clause may als be expressed as wh rules ver the seven spirits that serve Gd, and wh hlds the seven stars Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000, p. 828). 8 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000, p. 657). 9 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000, p. 8). 10 Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000, p. 8). 11 Bratcher, R. G., & Hattn, H. (1993, p. 66).

7 Verse 2-3 I knw yur deeds. In his right hand he held seven stars. (Rev 1:16) The seven stars are the angels f the seven churches (Rev 1:20). Fr the explanatin f the angels, see the previus cmments. Christ is in cntrl. He(= Christ) had seven hrns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits f Gd sent ut int all the earth (Rev 5:6). Christ is King and Lrd f all. He is the head f the church. His spirit is searching the hearts and minds f all believers. The number seven indicates the fullness f the Spirit. The relatin f the Spirit and the Messiah is beautifully described by Isaiah (Isa 61:2). The Spirit f the Lrd will rest n him the Spirit f wisdm and f understanding, the Spirit f cunsel and f pwer, the Spirit f knwledge and f the fear f the Lrd. Christ knws all the deeds f the church and f its members. This shuld nt surprise us because the church is the temple f the Hly Spirit (1 Cr 3:16) and the Hly Spirit knws what is in the minds f men. He dispenses his gifts (1 Cr 12: 7, 11). He is the Paraclete (Jn 14:15-17). And finally, all ur deeds have been written in the bks (Rev 20:11-15). Deeds are nt single acts but reflect a Christian attitude and behaviur. Yu have a reputatin f being alive, but yu are dead. A reputatin f being alive. Other churches, perhaps even the sciety in general, held this church in high esteem. It is nt explained why thers make this judgment. This prphetic message desn t many any resistance frm ther grups, the Jewish cmmunity, Christian heretical mvements such as the Niclaitans, the lcal gvernment. This might be an indicatin f a respected cmmunity, which didn t acknwledge Christ publicly. Name = ὄνομα is the first main thread in this shrt prphetic messages. The Greek wrd is fund at fur places. Rev 3:2: reputatin; Rev 3:4: peple; Rev 3:5: name (2). The name (verse 4 and 5) represents the whle persn. (2. a persn; Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000, p. 714).) Besides name the fllwing wrds are related: Rev 3:1: alive <> dead; Rev 3:2, 3: wake up <> abut t die; Rev 3:5: blt ut = the secnd death (Rev 21:8) <> bk f life. This prphetic message t Sardis is a matter f life and death. Bratchert and Hattn prpse the fllwing translatin: I knw that yu seem t be faithful believers in me; but in reality yu d nt fllw me anymre Bratcher, R. G., & Hattn, H. (1993, p. 66).

8 James 2:14-18 is gd illustratin. What gd is it, my brthers, if a man claims t have faith but has n deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppse a brther r sister is withut clthes and daily fd. If ne f yu says t him, G, I wish yu well; keep warm and well fed, but des nthing abut his physical needs, what gd is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is nt accmpanied by actin, is dead. As fr yu, yu were dead in yur transgressins and sins, in which yu used t live when yu fllwed the ways f this wrld and f the ruler f the kingdm f the air, the spirit wh is nw at wrk in thse wh are disbedient (Eph 2:1, 2). Kidddle, quted by Wilcck remarks: When we remember what cmplete fulfilment f the Christian life meant t the Christians f Smyrna we shall better understand what Jhn demanded f the church at Sardis : secure, cmplacent, like the city she lived in, untrubled by persecutin f heresy, she set herself the task f aviding hardship, by pursuing a plicy based n cnvenience and circumspectin, rather than whle-hearted zeal. 13 But yu are dead. Ephesians 2:1, 2 is instructive. As fr yu, yu were dead in yur transgressins and sins, in which yu used t live when yu fllwed the ways f this wrld and f the ruler f the kingdm f the air, the spirit wh is nw at wrk in thse wh are disbedient. The wrds, wake up, what remains and is abut t die, and nt fund cmplete make clear that it is nt t late fr repentance. Wake up! Be n the alert. Smene wh is dead in verse 1 cannt lgically be tld t awake, but this is part f the authr s style. 14 Ephesians 5:14-18 is an elabrated call t wake up: This is why it is said: Wake up, O sleeper, rise frm the dead, and Christ will shine n yu. Be very careful, then, hw yu live nt as unwise but as wise, making the mst f every pprtunity, because the days are evil. Therefre d nt be flish, but understand what the Lrd s will is. D nt get drunk n wine, which leads t debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Strengthen what remains and is abut t die. There is still hpe left. The verb t strengthen means, in this cntext, t restre t strength, t renew, t invigrate, t put strength (vigr) back int. 15 Remains And what remains refers t their Christian virtues r activities that had been neglected and were abut t die, that is, abut t disappear cmpletely. 16 fr I have nt fund yur deeds cmplete in the sight f my Gd. This des nt mean, that their deeds need t be perfect. Their deeds were nt cmplete accrding t the wrd f Gd, as is made clear in the fllwing wrds. 13 Wilcck, M. (1986, p. 52). 14 Bratcher, R. G., & Hattn, H. (1993, p. 67). 15 Bratcher, R. G., & Hattn, H. (1993, p. 67) 16 Bratcher, R. G., & Hattn, H. (1993, p. 67).

9 In the sight f = ἐνώπιον : 3. pertaining t expsure t value judgment, in the pinin/ judgment f. 17 Remember, therefre, what yu have received and heard; bey it, and repent. Remember is a cntinuus state f mind: Keep n remembering, Keep n thinking abut, r Never frget. Received and heard. These are nt necessarily different actins. Received refers t the cntents f the message (1 Cr 11:23). Heard refers t the attitude f the hearer. Bth wrds refer t the past. The next pair f wrds call fr actin in the present. What. The KJV translates Hw. This translatin is preferred because what refers nly t the cntents. Hw refers nt nly t the cntents but als t the reactin f the hearers. This reactin must have invlved repentance and a new bedience. Obey it, and repent. There are three imperatives, remember, repent, and d. Swete calls these the three stages in the histry f cnversin. 18 But if yu d nt wake up, I will cme like a thief, and yu will nt knw at what time I will cme t yu. (See Rev 16:15; Mt 24:42-44; 1 Tess 5:12; 2 Pet 3:10) This is a cnditinal clause ( If ): But understand this: If the wner f the huse had knwn at what time f night the thief was cming, he wuld have kept watch and wuld nt have let his huse be brken int (Mt 24:43). Jesus has tld the parable f the ten virgins (Mt 25:1-13) t make the same pint. Bratcher and Hattn: This is a cming t punish them, nt the final cming. This cming will be unexpected, withut any warning, as explained in the fllwing and yu will nt knw at what hur I will cme upn yu. 19 Verse 4-6 Yet yu have a few peple in Sardis wh have nt siled their clthes. Yu have, (yu = singular = the angel; Rev 3:1), means: yu have a respnsibility fr this church, sme f the members ( few peple ) have nt cmprmised their faith. Clthes refers t the clthing f the priests: T him wh lves us and has freed us frm ur sins by his bld, 6 and has made us t be a kingdm and priests t serve his Gd and Father (Rev 1:5, 6; see als 1 Pet 2:9, Ex 19:5, 6). Therefre, as Gd s chsen peple, hly and dearly lved, clthe yurselves with cmpassin, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience ( Cl 3:12). Clthes is als used as a metaphr fr gd deeds. (Rm 13:14, Gal 3:27). Siled. Siling seems t be a symbl fr mingling with pagan life and thus defiling the purity f ne s relatin t Christ Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000, p. 342). 18 Swete, H.B. (1977, p. 27). 19 Bratcher, R. G., & Hattn, H. (1993, p. 68). 20 Jhnsn, A. F. (2006). Revelatin. In T. Lngman III & D. E. Garland (Red.) (Vl. 13, p. 628).

10 These are thse wh did nt defile themselves with wmen, fr they kept themselves pure. They fllw the Lamb wherever he ges. They were purchased frm amng men and ffered as firstfruits t Gd and the Lamb (Rev 14:4). They will walk with me, dressed in white, fr they are wrthy. Walk with me : wh hlds the seven stars in his right hand and walks amng the seven glden lampstands (Rev 2:1). Dressed in white like the twenty-fur elders (Rev 4:4), and the angels (Rev 15:6; Acts 1:10). Wrthy t serve Gd and Father as priests in his kingdm (Rev 1:5; see als Rev 7:9). They are already wrthy! He wh vercmes will, like them, be dressed in white. Like them. Them are thse wh didn t sil their clthes. Overcmes. Overcmes is als used f Christ (Rev 5:5). The victrius believers, and I saw what lked like a sea f glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, thse wh had been victrius ver the beast and his image and ver the number f his name (Rev 15:2). He wh vercmes will inherit all this, and I will be his Gd and he will be my sn (Rev 21:7). Overcming refers t the victry f ne s whle life f faith, 21 and nt t the victry at the end. Nt everyne wh says t me, Lrd, Lrd, will enter the kingdm f heaven, but nly he wh des the will f my Father wh is in heaven. Many will say t me n that day, Lrd, Lrd, did we nt prphesy in yur name, and in yur name drive ut demns and perfrm many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew yu. Away frm me, yu evilders! (Mt 7:21-23). Wh is it that vercmes the wrld? Only he wh believes that Jesus is the Sn f Gd (1 Jn 5:5). Dressed in white. They will be restred int the priestly ffice (Rev 7:9, 13-14). I will never blt ut his name frm the bk f life, but will acknwledge his name befre my Father and his angels. Will never blt ut. Opens this up the pssibility that a name can be bltted ut. In that case, a Christian can never be sure f his salvatin. This is frtunately nt the case. It is a prmise frmulated in negative terms and therefre an ultimate call t repentance: Revelatin 21:15: If anyne s name was nt fund written in the bk f life, he was thrwn int the lake f fire. They will nt enter the heavenly Jerusalem: Nthing impure will ever enter it, nr will anyne wh des what is shameful r deceitful, but nly thse whse names are written in the Lamb s bk f life (Rev 21:27). Revelatin 21:7, 8: He wh vercmes will inherit all this, and I will be his Gd and he will be my sn. But the cwardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immral, thse wh practice magic arts, the idlaters and all liars their place will be in the fiery lake f burning sulfur. This is the secnd death. 21 Beale, G. K. (1999, p. 271).

11 Is this an allusin t Exdus 32, where Mses is pleading n behalf f the peple f Israel? But nw, please frgive their sin but if nt, then blt me ut f the bk yu have written. The LORD replied t Mses, Whever has sinned against me I will blt ut f my bk. See als Psalm 69:28 The names have been written in the bk f life frm the creatin (Rev 17:8). Acknwledge. Matthew 10: 32: Whever acknwledges me befre men, I will als acknwledge him befre my Father in heaven. (See als Lk 12:8.) Bratcher and Hattn suggest an alternative translatin: The persn wh cnquers the frces f evil will wear white clthes like these d. I will nt erase that persn s name frm the bk in which the names f thse wh have true life are written dwn. As I stand befre my Father and the beings (angels) wh serve him, I will declare that I knw this persn. 22 He wh has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says t the churches. Pay careful attentin. Nt nly t this prphetic messages but t all messages. Applicatin Verse 1 Christ is the ruler f the kings f the earth (Rev 1:5). As the Sn f Gd, he has received the headship ver the church. He gverns the church thrugh his Spirit and by his faithful representatives f the churches. The representatives f the churches are in his hands. This implies a very respnsible psitin. They will be held respnsible fr the spiritual well-being f the church (Acts 20:28 and Heb 13:17). It is pssible that a church has a very gd reputatin when it cmes t activities, the perfrmance f a preacher, but in reality, these activities and perfrmance dn t meet up t requirements f the Gspel. Verse 2-3 Wake up : Spiritual sleepers have lst all perceptin, by their spiritual senses, f the threatening signs f the develpment f judgment unt its catastrphe. As this applies t the judgment at the end f the wrld, s it als hlds gd in regard t all preliminary judgments upn whle cngregatins as well as upn individual suls. 23 Barclay cmmented: (1) Watchfulness shuld be the cnstant attitude f the Christian life. It is nw the mment, says Paul, fr yu t wake frm sleep (Rmans 13:11). Keep alert, stand firm in yur faith, he urges (1 Crinthians 16:13). It has been said that eternal vigilance is the price f liberty and eternal watchfulness is the price f salvatin. (2) Christians must be n the watch against the cunning ways f the devil (1 Peter 5:8). Christians are under cntinual attack by the pwers which seek t seduce them frm 22 Bratcher, R. G., & Hattn, H. (1993, p. 70). 23 Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Mre, E., Craven, E. R., & Wds, J. H. (2008, p. 126).

12 their lyalty t Christ. Often these attacks are subtle. They must, therefre, always be n the lk-ut. (3) Christians must be n the watch against temptatin. Stay awake and pray, said Jesus, that yu may nt cme int the time f trial (Matthew 26:41). Temptatin waits fr ur unguarded mments and then attacks. In the Christian life, there must be unceasing vigilance against it. (4) Repeatedly, the New Testament urges Christians t be alert and n the watch fr the cming f their Lrd. Keep awake therefre, said Jesus, fr yu d nt knw n what day yur Lrd is cming. And what I say t yu I say t all: Keep awake (Matthew 24:42; Mark 13:37). Let us nt fall asleep as thers d, writes Paul t the Thessalnians, but let us keep awake and be sber (1 Thessalnians 5:6). Nne f us knws the day and the hur when fr us eternity will invade time. The last day is a secret, says St Augustine, that every day may be watched. We shuld live every day as if it were ur last. (5) Christians must be n the watch against false teaching. In Paul s last address t the elders f Ephesus, he warns them that savage wlves will invade the flck frm utside, and frm inside will arise thse wh will distrt the truth. Therefre, he says, be alert (Acts 20:29 31). 24 Beale wrte: The imperative t becme ne wh is watchful shws that the readers have becme lethargic abut the radical demands f their faith in the midst f a pagan culture. 25 These wrds need attentin: (the past) Remember, (1.a) therefre, what (hw) yu have received and (1.b) heard; (the gspel) (the present) (2.a) bey it, (2.b) and repent. (the future) But if yu d nt wake up, I will cme like a thief, and yu will nt knw at what time I will cme t yu. Verse 4-6 The priestly ffice f the believer is an imprtant theme (white clthes): Clthe yurselves with cmpassin, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each ther and frgive whatever grievances yu may have against ne anther. Frgive as the Lrd frgave yu. And ver all these virtues put n lve, which binds them all tgether in perfect unity (Cl 3:12-14). All f yu, clthe yurselves with humility (1 Pet 5:5). They will walk with me, dressed in white, fr they are wrthy. Pay attentin t: t walk with Christ, 24 Barclay, W. (2004, pp ). 25 Beale, G. K. (1999, p. 273).

13 t be dressed in white as a priest and as a victr. Gd will declare them wrthy. T blt ut is an ultimate call t repent fr all thse wh have defiled their clthes. is nt meant as a pssibility with regard t all believers. Bibligraphy Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (2000). A Greek-English lexicn f the New Testament and ther early Christian literature (3rd ed., pp ). Chicag: University f Chicag Press. Barclay, W. (2004). The Revelatin f Jhn (3rd ed. fully rev. and updated, Vl. 1). Luisville, KY; Lndn: Westminster Jhn Knx Press. Beale, G. (1999). The bk f Revelatin: A cmmentary n the Greek text. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Bxall, I. (2006). The Revelatin f Saint Jhn. Lndn: Cntinuum. Bratcher, R. G., & Hattn, H. (1993). A handbk n the Revelatin t Jhn. New Yrk: United Bible Scieties. Garrw, A. (1997). Revelatin. Lndn: Rutledge. Freedman, D. N., Herin, G. A., Graf, D. F., Pleins, J. D., & Beck, A. B. (Eds.) (1992). The Anchr Yale Bible Dictinary. (6 Vls.) New Yrk: Dubleday. Hemer, C. (2001). The letters t the seven churches f Asia in their lcal setting. Grand Rapids: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Lange, J. P., Schaff, P., Mre, E., Craven, E. R., & Wds, J. H. (2008). A cmmentary n the Hly Scriptures: Revelatin. Bellingham, WA: Lgs Bible Sftware. Lngman, T., III, & Garland, D. E. (Red.). (2006). The Expsitr s Bible Cmmentary: Hebrews Revelatin (Revised Editin) (Vl. 13). Grand Rapids, MI: Zndervan. Luw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicn f the New Testament: based n semantic dmains (electrnic ed. f the 2nd editin.). New Yrk: United Bible Scieties. Osbrne, G. (2002). Revelatin. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic. Resseguie, J. L. (2009). The Revelatin f Jhn: A Narrative Cmmentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. Swete, H. B. (1977). Cmmentary n Revelatin: The Greek Text with Intrductin, Ntes and Indexes. Grand Rapids: Kregel. (Reprint f The Apcalypse f St. Jhn. 3rd ed. Lndn: Macmillan, 1911.)

14 Wilcck, M. (1986). The message f Revelatin: I saw heaven pened. Leicester, England; Dwners Grve, IL: InterVarsity Press.