Revelation 3:1: 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; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

Revelation chapter 3 continues John's letters to the seven churches beginning with Sardis. This city was located about 30 miles south of Thyatira.¹ A temple to the goddess Cybele was located in the city,² and pagan worship in Sardis was similar to the worship of Diana in Ephesus.³ Today, Sardis is a small village of ruin called Sert-Kalessi in modern Turkey.⁴

Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia until approximately 549 BC.⁵ The acropolis of the ancient city was thought to be impregnable because it stood on the northern slope of mount Tmolus, and the river Pactolus served as a moat at the base of this mountain.⁶ However, Cyrus of Persia conquered the city when his soldiers secretly scaled the walls of the acropolis and captured the city by surprise.⁷

The ancient Sardians were extremely wealthy and had a reputation for living a luxurious lifestyle prior to the Roman period.⁸ Their wealth came in part from gold in the Pactolus river⁹ and metal working.¹⁰ They were also the first to dye wool in the manufacture of woolen garments.¹¹ In addition, they had a thriving fruit industry.¹² Sardis began to decline as a city of wealth and importance during the Roman period, however, and it never regained its former stature after a devastating earthquake in 17 AD.¹³

John addressed his fifth letter to the angel (servant) of the church in Sardis.¹⁴ The letter was dictated from Christ,¹⁵ who hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars. The seven stars represent the seven leaders of the seven churches.¹⁶ Some scholars believe the seven Spirits represent the fullness of the Holy Ghost,¹⁷ which the Father sent to mankind after Christ's resurrection.¹⁸ However, the correct interpretation is made clear by the Joseph Smith Translation, which deletes the reference to seven Spirits and states instead that Christ "hath the seven stars, which are the seven servants of God."¹⁹ To say that Christ hath the seven stars means the Father had given the seven leaders to Christ as his possession²⁰ so they would not be lost.²¹

Christ tells the Sardians: I know thy works, which affirms the omniscience of Christ.²² He then condemns their spiritual apathy,²³ saying, thou hast a name that thou livest,²⁴ and art dead.²⁵ In other words, the Sardian saints were physically and socially alive, but spiritually dead²⁶ because: (1) They were filled with pride²⁷ in a city famous for worldliness, wealth, and luxury,²⁸ (2) they were Christians in name only²⁹ who went through the hypocritical motions³⁰ of church membership³¹ to be seen of men,³² (3) they were complacent rather than valiant,³³ (4) they lived on the good name of the church³⁴ that was built on the faith and sacrifice of saints before them,³⁵ and (5) their worship had a form of godliness³⁶ that lacked the power of God to give spiritual life.³⁷

Revelation 3:2: Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

The Sardians were told to be watchful,³⁸ which means steadfastly wakeful.³⁹ This brings to mind the fall of Sardis and the Lydian kingdom to Cyrus because the people did not steadfastly watch for their enemy who conquered them by surprise.⁴⁰

The saints were also told to strengthen⁴¹ the things that remain.⁴² This message addresses those that were ready to die⁴³ spiritually⁴⁴ because they were sleeping on their privileges.⁴⁵ Saints today suffer from the same spiritual malady.⁴⁶

The works of the Sardian saints were not perfect (fulfilled or complete)⁴⁷ before God⁴⁸ because their works were insincere⁴⁹ and done with imperfect motives.⁵⁰ The saints were unwilling to sacrifice personal wealth⁵¹ or their social standing⁵² to follow Christ.⁵³ The dying church was so tolerant and accepting of Sardian social norms⁵⁴ that the Sardian society openly accepted church members rather than persecuting them.⁵⁵ In essence, the Sardian church was dying because its members were attempting to serve two masters.⁵⁶

Revelation 3:3: 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.

To be healed spiritually,⁵⁷ Christ admonished the Sardian saints to remember⁵⁸ their joy⁵⁹ when they first received and heard the gospel⁶⁰ from the apostles.⁶¹ The words received and heard in Revelation 3:3 seem to be illogically reversed. In the natural order, people first hear the gospel before they receive it.⁶² From the standpoint of gospel ordinances,⁶³ however, the Sardian saints first received the ordinance of baptism by covenant,⁶⁴ and then they heard the whisperings of the spirit⁶⁵ through the gift of the Holy Ghost⁶⁶ (baptism of fire).⁶⁷ They also received the gift of the Holy Ghost by covenant.⁶⁸ Without the gift of the Holy Ghost, people cannot be alive in Christ,⁶⁹ nor can they endure to the end and be perfected in Christ.⁷⁰ Today, the sacrament prayers embody the admonition that Christ gave the Sardian saints. Namely, to remember the ordinances they had received and heard and keep the covenants associated with those ordinances to be spiritually alive.⁷¹

Christ admonished the Sardian saints to remember their covenants so they could hold fast⁷² to them.⁷³ He also commanded the saints to repent.⁷⁴ Those that failed to remember their covenants and repent perished because they did not watch themselves.⁷⁵ The unwatchful,⁷⁶ inattentive, and spiritually lazy⁷⁷ saints were like the ancient Israelites that were bitten by poisonous serpents and died because they would not look upon the brazen serpent on the staff of Moses.⁷⁸

The Lord warned the Sardian saints, saying: I will come on thee as a thief.⁷⁹ These words frequently allude to violent judgments⁸⁰ that will accompany Christ's Second Coming.⁸¹ But in this context, the words illustrate a sudden and destructive judgment⁸² that would befall the Sardian saints in their day.⁸³ The judgment that accompanies physical death⁸⁴ would come to them as individuals at an unknown hour of the day⁸⁵ when they would be unprepared despite the warnings given them.⁸⁶