The seven spirits appear in the greeting that addresses all seven churches: The image of seven Spirits and seven stars (the seven messengers) were introduced in Revelation chapter 1. In the letter to Sardis, Jesus is introduced as He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars (Revelation 3:1). The letters to each of the seven churches start with a greeting, but it is more like a “memorandum” greeting format such as “To: all office employees” rather than the more formal greeting that is seen in the Pauline letters. Jesus the “messenger” gives a message to John, which he is instructed to write and deliver to the seven churches of the Asian province by means of human “messengers.”Īs with the other six cities that received a letter from Jesus, Sardis was a Greek colony that became a part of the Roman empire in what was called the province of Asia. It seems unlikely that there is a heavenly angel/messenger that John is referring to, but rather a human messenger who will deliver the letter from John to the people of Sardis. Here in Revelation 3:1, as with the greeting to each of the seven churches, the word angel is also the Greek word “aggelos” which means “messenger.” Following the instructions for blessing in Revelation 1:3 to read, hear, and heed, it can be inferred that the messenger here is the person, the messenger, who is going to read the letter to the church in Sardis. Revelation 1:2 said that God communicated the message “by His angel to His bond-servant John.” There, the word translated angel comes from the Greek word “angelos,” which means “messenger.” In that context, the messenger referred to Jesus, who gives God’s message to John. Revelation chapter 3 begins with the fifth out of seven letters written to churches located in modern-day Turkey. The letter to the church in Sardis, the fifth of seven letters to churches in Asia Minor, begins with Jesus invoking his position of authority and challenging the church, stating that He knows the church in Sardis is not living an authentic faith.
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