Revelation 3 and 4 have been combined in this chapter for there is a very significant link between the letter to Laodicea and chapter 4 that has bearing on how to set about interpreting Revelation.

THE LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES OF SARDIS, PHILADELPHIA AND LAODICEA

Sardis

Sardis was the ancient residence of the kings of Lydia, among them Croesus, known for his immense wealth. Because of the extremely fertile character of the neighboring region and its convenient position, the city was, from very early times, a commercial market of importance. The fragmentary remains of the massive temple of Cybele still bears witness to the wealth and architectural skills of the people who built it.

Once again the words "him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars" from the vision of the risen Christ among the lampstands (Rev 1:12 - 20) is used to introduce the letter to the church in Sardis. Christ told the congregation of Sardis that they had the reputation of being active, but that they had subsequently become spiritually dead. They were told to wake up. "Soiled" clothing indicates that the people were sexual immoral (see Jude 23). If they did not wake up he would come to them suddenly and without warning, "like a thief in the night". This is the same image that is used before the actual Second Coming later in Revelation. It could therefore indicate that the sexual immorality and "corruption of the flesh" (Jude 23) will be such that final judgement is inevitable.

Those who had not soiled their clothes would walk with Christ. There is always hope for those that overcome and they will be dressed in white ( find salvation) and their names will not be blotted out of the book of life ( they will have eternal life).

 

Philadelphia

 

Philadelphia was built by Attalus II, king of Pergamum, who died in 138 BC.It was built with the purpose of spreading the Greek language and culture.The locality of the city was subject to constant earthquakes and the town walls were rendered unsafe. The expense of reparation was constant and hence perhaps the poverty of the church.

In Isaiah 22:22 it is said that God will place on the shoulders of the coming Messiah, the "key to the house of David". In the letter to the church of Philadelphia, the risen Christ confirms that he is the Messiah as prophesied by Isaiah. The phrase "I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut" means that they were given an eternal message that would for always hold true. He knew that they had little strength. He assures them that if they adhere to the teachings of Christ and "keep (his) command" he will, despite their weakness, strengthen them against the influences of Satan. They are told to hold on to their "crown" (which is faith in Christ as the Absolute Truth — that will be rewarded with everlasting life. It is a faith that endures when put to the ultimate test — as in the letter to the church in Smyrna — Rev 2:10).

What is of significance to us, in 1999, is that when the final events of Revelation take place, the Christian will be safe, for he knows that through his faith he will not perish. When in the near future the earth is going to be linked to the heavens and we are going to see an additional dimension of the heavens and space that up to now was limited by man's inadequate vision ("the New Jerusalem that is coming down out of heaven" — this is going to happen at the time of the Second Coming — see also Rev 21:1—2 ), we are going to become part of a new "world". This will only be fully understood at the end of Revelation for "city" in Revelation ultimately denotes the entire earth.

 

Revelation 21:1—2 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

 

Laodicea

 

The letter to Laodicea contains important messages in relation to establishing the meaning of Revelation in its entirety.

The words "faithful and true" are of the greatest importance. These words differ from the introductions of the first six letters, in that they are used in Revelation 22:6 (once again indicating the significance of the repetition of words and why there was the stern warning not to change a single word in Revelation).

Revelation 22: 6 (KJV)And he said unto me these sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants what must shortly be done.

This is the indication that the books of the Old Testament with messages from the Almighty God to the prophets should be linked to the messages of the angels in Revelation and be used to correlate the history of the last two thousand years with Revelation.

Some of the letters to the churches of Asia Minor, refer to specific incidents in history that took place in those cities:

• To the Ephesians it is specifically stated — the practices of the Nicolaitans must be avoided.

To Pergamum it is said that there are people who hold to the teaching of Balaam.

The people of Thyatira are told that they should not tolerate the prophetess Jezebel.

In the other letters reference is often made to incidents that can only be understood if we go back to the Old Testament and see what meaning was put across there. For example: The meaning of the "key of David" only becomes clear when you read Isaiah 22:22. That the words "soiled clothes" mean "corruption of the flesh" only becomes clear when you read Jude 23.

What Christ says about the congregation in Laodicea correlates with what we today know about Laodicea through history. What makes it particularly interesting is that we can identify with each of the characteristics mentioned in this letter. In other words: history is also being conveyed in the words of Revelation.

Under Roman government Laodicea became the wealthiest city in Phrygia. It was widely known for its banking establishments ( "I counsel you to buy gold from me refined in fire" — we shall later see that "fire" in Revelation refers to the death of martyrs through history — therefore conveying the message that they should not look at the temporal value of gold, but at the everlasting value of the spirit of those prepared to die for their faith). In Laodicea there was a medical school where a famous eye salve was prepared ( "and salve to put on your eyes so you can see"— to see the value of the spiritual and not only the material world).

The textile industry brought great wealth to Laodicea ( "and white clothes to wear" — we are told later in Revelation 19:8 that "white clothes" are "the righteous deeds of the saints". Therefore the members of the congregation of Laodicea should not spend all their time and effort in making money through their work at the textile factories, but spend time in doing things to help others).

There was a hot spring at Hierapolis near Laodicea. Its major weakness was the lack of an adequate water supply ("you are neither cold nor hot" and "you are lukewarm" are terms used in connection with the heat of water).

I set about this interpretation of Revelation by taking what was said in Revelation, linking it firstly to references in the Old and New Testaments and then trying to link the meaning to the history of the last two thousand years. By doing this I could determine what was meant by the symbolism in Revelation and ultimately understand the great message that it held locked away.

Other messages

A number of other messages are also disguised in the letters to the seven churches of Asia Minor.

All seven cities were prosperous, some more than others. Their inhabitants accumulated wealth by trade, industry or agriculture. Judging from the large libraries, they were interested in history and prose. The governing bodies of these cities were not responsible for the churches, and they had to look after themselves in a largely pagan society. Historically this is significant, for this is what is happening to the Christian Church in many countries today. After a history of two thousand years, during which kings of the western world supported Christianity financially, and took their religion so seriously that they even went to war to defend it, we are now back to the situation of the first century. We have in 1999 come full circle. Take a good look at the cities and the situation of the churches described above, and you will be surprised how similar it is to our situation today — large prosperous cities with small Christian congregations struggling to survive among the many earthly "attractions" of the city.

Despite these similarities there is one big difference. In the first century people were seeking spiritual answers. Spiritual answers were taken so seriously that if a Christian in the first century said "Kurios Iesous" (Lord Jesus) instead of "Kurios Kaisaros" ( lord Caesar) it could cost him his life. Today man looks for answers in his knowledge of matter around him — the universe and science. What man has forgotten is the long road travelled from the first century. Man became spiritually lost.

Revelation relates this history from the first century until the end time in a specific way to indicate how the risen Christ has remained one with the Christian Church in the world, in order to help those Christians who are today struggling to keep the faith, and to carry them through the tribulation that has to come in the end time.

 

The Pharisees were so hemmed in and burdened by religious instructions which they had to carry out daily, that they lost sight of the law of God as the way to live. This resulted in an endless ritual of washing before eating bread, bathing when returning from the market, religious washing of pots and vessels, etc, and in the process they became extremely proud as they were seen by others as doing all the "right" things. This was contrary to Christ's teaching that true religion consisted not in forms, but in substance; not in outward observations, but in inward spirit. With all these pretences to piety the Pharisees were in reality avaricious, sensual and dissolute ( Mt 23:25—33; Jn 8:7) . They gained considerable political influence and through their majority in the Sanhedrin their influence extended throughout Judea. This political aspect of what we know through history of the Pharisees, is of the greatest significance in the interpretation of Revelation.

One must just take special note of the last verse of Revelation 3. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." This indicates that what was said to the churches of Asia Minor no longer refers only to the seven churches of Asia Minor. As the teachings of Jesus Christ were passed down from generation to generation, these warnings also apply to the churches established after AD 97, and are significant in the total interpretation of Revelation

Disguising techniques

One of the reasons why Revelation could not be fully interpreted until 1998 is because of its many disguising "techniques". (The main reason was, of course, that the Trinity did not wish it so). A word can have two or even three meanings depending on whether it can be linked to history at some point. As mentioned earlier in this chapter, some words draw such vivid images that the reader often pays no attention to the inconspicuous words or ideas that follow, but that are vital to the understanding of Revelation.

 

The history of the churches of the world (seven denoting totality) is going to be revealed, and as the Spirit was linked to the seven churches of Asia Minor, so will it be linked to the Christian Church in the next two thousand years. Closely related to the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Christian Church through the ages is the abstract concept conveyed in Revelation through the word "mystery". The reader is not going to understand fully what this means at this point, but the word "mystery" in Revelation 1:20 links the concept of the oneness of the risen Christ with the Church to a following chapter (Rev 17:5). Chapter 17 will only be understood if the reader understands the oneness of the Spirit of Christ with the Christian Church through the centuries.

 

A door standing open in heaven

So wonderfully has Revelation been devised that a full understanding of the previous chapter or chapters helps the reader to progress in the interpretation of the following chapter. In this introductory chapter to Revelation we can learn much of the symbolism of Revelation.

 

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven.

 

(KJV ) … a door was opened in heaven …

 

To fully understand the meaning of the expression "a door standing open in heaven" it is necessary to look for similar expressions in the Old and New Testaments. The concept of "heaven opening " also appears in Matthew 3:16.

Matthew 3:16As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.

(KJV) … the heavens were opened to him …

 

 

One thousand years

Revelation was constructed according to two periods of more or less one thousand years each. To interpret Revelation correctly, each of these periods of thousand years has to be measured from one of the main events in the life of Jesus Christ.

According to history Jesus was baptised in the Jordan river in AD26. This date will be referred to again later in Revelation. For the moment the reader should note that approximately one thousand years later, in 1027, Conrad II was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. From that line of kings and others, Revelation is going to indicate the fall of the Christian kings. I mention this here for, disguised in this section of Revelation, is the link of Almighty God with the rulers of the Christian nations. This aspect will be one of the main issues later in Revelation.

Revelation 4:1 And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."

 

"Like a trumpet"

Remember that the voice "among the lampstands" was like "a trumpet". It will later be established that the "trumpet" relates to earthquakes. This indicates that Almighty God has control over any destruction that occurs on earth.

"come up here"

It must be noted that these words are the same as those used in:

This is going to prove crucial in the final analysis of Revelation, for the words "come up here" has to do with the resurrection of the "two witnesses" (Rev 11:11) that, according to this interpretation, will happen in about 2004.

Revelation therefore subtly indicated two millennia in this chapter. Throughout Revelation perimeters will be set at the beginning of the chapter, and the time between will then be filled in.

MEASURING TIME

In the previous chapter we measured three generations from c AD 97 to 313.

If the date of Christ’s baptism, which is AD 26, is added to these then we find that we have four generations of 72 years between the times AD26 and AD 314.

26+72=98 98 +72= 170 170 + 144 (72x2=144) = 314

As mentioned previously this time span of 288 years ( 72x4=288) is one "day" in the final analyses of Revelation ( see chart on page ).

"show"

"Show" is an important verb, and it is also used in Revelation 22: 6. (This indicates how significant every word in Revelation is. As mentioned earlier, the words of the prophets of the Old Testament must be linked to what is said to the angel in Revelation in order to correlate the history of the last two thousand years to Revelation.) For a second time Revelation indicates that the words of the prophets must be used to interpret its meaning.

Revelation 22:6 (KJV)And he said unto me these sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

Revelation 4:2—3At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.

 

God dwells in unapproachable light. Revelation expresses the light in terms of the glow of precious stones. As mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, there is a link between what is said in the letter to Laodicea and the interpretation of Revelation. From what is known in history we have a greater understanding of the symbolism in the letter to Laodicea.

The gemstones "jasper", "carnelian" and "emerald" link Almighty God with the foundations of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21 (see chart, p ). In this chart the colours of the gemstones of the foundations of the New Jerusalem indicate specific "generations" of 72 years in the second millennium.

The biblical basis for the link between the foundations of the New Jerusalem and the "generations" is found in:

Isaiah 58:12 ( KJV)Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations …

This will be explained in great detail later in the book. The "generations" that are linked to the colours of the gemstones of the New Jerusalem — jasper (1068—1140), emerald (1284—1356) and carnelian (1428—1500) — will later in this interpretation illustrate that these were times of strife between the Roman Catholic Church and the Christian kings of Europe.

These were also times that the authority of the hereditary Christian kings as "kings and priests" of the Christian nations of Europe was beginning to crumble. For example in 1356 a charter was drawn up by Emperor Charles IV to provide a constitution for the Holy Roman Empire. From that date the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was elected. This had largely come about as a result of the struggle in the thirteenth century between the Roman Catholic Church and the Hohenstaufen dynasty of kings of the Holy Roman Empire which included a large section of central Europe. The ever greater division between the Christian Church and the ruling of the Christian nations is going to be elaborated by Revelation itself in the following chapters.

"rainbow"

I believe the meaning of the rainbow here is the same as the covenant rainbow God made with Noah. It is to assure Christians that although the end time is to come, and may be accompanied by some devastation, they have eternal hope in Christ. The rainbow has a second function. It indicates the colours of the gemstones of the New Jerusalem. Symbolically it can also be seen as a link between heaven and man on earth.

 

Revelation 4:4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white, and had crowns of gold on their heads.

"Crown"

In Revelation "crown" has two meanings. It can be a spiritual crown as that received by those who overcame the onslaught of the forces of darkness on earth, or it can mean that Revelation is conveying a message concerning the kings of the nations. In this section of Revelation it means both. One knows this because of what follows, namely the "seven lamps" and the vision of the four living creatures. This will be explained shortly.

"twenty-four elders"

The twenty-four elders are the total number of redeemed saints in heaven. In the interpretation of Revelation 21:16 a further explanation will be given as to why the number is 24.

 

Revelation 4:5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

 

The "seven lamps" can be understood in relation to Revelation 1:4—5. In those verses the seven spirits are combined with Jesus Christ as the "ruler of the kings of the earth".

Revelation 4:6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

The words "sea of glass" and "crystal" indicate that this is a vision of heaven in the end time. These two symbols have direct bearing on the last generation (1932—2004) indicated in Revelation, and the time that remains after 2004. In Revelation 15:2 the "sea of glass" is linked to the resurrection of those who had overcome the power of the beast which was at its peak in the second half of the twentieth century.

The biblical basis for the link between "the beast" and "sea of glass" and "clear as crystal" is to be found in :

Ezekiel 1:22And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads
of the living creatures was as the colour of terrible crystal.

The word "firmament" means the ancient concept that the heavens with the stars in it was a solid arch between the upper waters and the lower waters. This comes from the words of the creation of the universe in Genesis 1:6: "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters and let it divide the waters from the waters."

The linking of "the sea of glass", crystal", "the beast" and the dividing of the "waters" at the end time might be the most frightening of all concepts in Revelation, considering that "waters" in Revelation also means faith ( living waters). Christians do not have to fear for we know that Christianity is the sure way to everlasting life. This will become clearer when "the mark of the beast" of Revelation is known.

It should be noted that the KJV uses the word "beast" here — indicating a direct link to the " beasts" of Revelation 14 and 15.

"four living creatures"

The vision of the four living creatures conveys a tremendous concept in Revelation. They symbolically illustrate God's communication with man on earth through the prophets.

Here, in Revelation 4, the image of the four living creatures is a symbol of Christ's method to bring a message across to his "kingdom and priests" (Rev 1:6) — in other words to all the Christian nations on earth. The full implication of this will only be understood at the end of Revelation.

Let us make a quick summary of the four living creatures as described in Revelation:

• They were all covered with eyes, in the front and in the back.

The first was like a lion;

the second was like an ox;

the third had a face like a man;

the fourth was like a flying eagle.

Each had six wings.

One thing must be remembered, namely that each word in Revelation has been chosen for a reason.

Revelation stresses the fact that there were four living creatures and that each of them had six wings. "Four" in Revelation relates to the four corners or "ends" of the earth. "Six" relates to "man" — who seeks his own destiny independent of Christianity.

So now one has to go back to the Old Testament to find out what the "living creatures" in the Old Testament conveyed. The prophet, Ezekiel, saw a vision of four living creatures. Ezekiel 1 gives a long explanation concerning the four living creatures.

How does Ezekiel’s vision compare to that of John in Revelation?

 

Comparing the description of the four living creatures given in Ezekiel to the one given in Revelation, there is only one similarity, namely that each of the living creatures seen by Ezekiel had four heads that resembled the appearance of the four living creatures seen by John in Revelation. The living creatures seen by Ezekiel had four wings and the ones in Revelation, six. Nothing is exactly the same.

The only link between the "four creatures" in Revelation and those in Ezekiel, is that the main message is the same: A nation or nations will be brought to a fall.

What Revelation is conveying through the four living creatures, is that the Trinity is going to bring the Christian nations of the world to a fall, because they revolted against the Christian Church. It could involve a fall of Jerusalem. That is why the dates AD26 and AD1027 (a period of thousand years) were indicated at the beginning of this chapter. At the end of the chapter the date 2004 is indicated, for the Christian nations are going to be brought to a fall in both millennia.

The time of the final fall of the Christian nations is later going to be conveyed in Revelation. It will be linked to the time that is going to be indicated by the words "a third of the living creatures died" (see page ). Ultimately Revelation will expand the "third" to encompass the whole earth. At that time the individual living creatures will disappear and one "beast" will have total authority.

"wings" and "birds"

The images of wings and birds in Revelation relate to the spreading of the Word across the seas to the ends of the earth. The four living creatures seen by Ezekiel each had four wings. In relation to Revelation, these indicate the four directions of the earth: north, south, east and west. The time when the four beasts of Revelation will emerge into one, is also the time when the Christian message will have spread to the ends of the earth.

It will later be seen that the reason why the living creatures in Revelation have six wings, is because the time of the emergence of the one beast with total authority is also the time that "man" (related to the number six ) takes control of the nations.

The "fall of the nations" is complex and extends over the two millennia. As one progresses through Revelation this will all be explained by the text itself. As shall be seen Revelation largely interprets itself.

The years that are indicated in this chapter, AD 26, 1027 and 2004 are indicated in a diagram on page . What Revelation is indicating at this early stage is the "length" and the "breadth" of the New Jerusalem. The times of jasper, emerald, and carnelian can be seen on the chart of the foundations of the New Jerusalem on page .