விரிவுரை தற்போது ஆங்கிலத்தில் மட்டுமே கிடைக்கிறது. தமிழ் மொழிபெயர்ப்பு நடைபெறுகிறது.
Revelation 3 — Behold, I Stand at the Door, and Knock
The last three letters. Sardis — thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Watch, strengthen the things that remain. A few names in Sardis have not defiled their garments. Philadelphia — I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. Kept the word of patience; the Lord will keep them from the hour of temptation. Laodicea — neither cold nor hot... I will spue thee out of my mouth. They think themselves rich and are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock.
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
— Revelation 3:20
- v.1-6 Sardis — alive in name, dead in fact
- v.7-13 Philadelphia — the open door
- v.14-22 Laodicea — lukewarm
A little strength. Not great — little. Yet the door is opened. Christ's opening is not based on the church's might but on its faithfulness — keeping His word, not denying His name.
No man can shut it. The door opened by Christ cannot be closed by opponents. The same is true for every faithful believer; doors He opens remain open until His purpose is complete.
Laodicea's self-assessment vs. Christ's. The church congratulated itself on its wealth; Christ called it bankrupt. Self-perception was the inverse of reality.
A contemporary danger. Materially rich churches often think themselves spiritually rich. The verse should haunt every comfortable congregation in any age.
The Lord on the outside of His own church, asking to be let in. The image is tragic and inviting. He has not abandoned Laodicea; He has not been let in.
If any man. The promise is personal even when the church is in trouble. Individual believers can open the door He has been knocking on, and dine with Him though the church around them stays distracted.
Verse 20 is for the individual whose church is cold. Christ is at your door personally. Open it. The fellowship is offered if the church around you is too distracted to notice. Sup with Him this evening, regardless of the room's temperature.
The seven letters end with Christ outside, knocking. The image is His patient love. He could have judged Laodicea; He stood and knocked instead. The same Christ who walked among the lampstands in chapter 1 is at the door in chapter 3 — and any door opened to Him is a feast begun.
The most chilling diagnosis in the letters. The reputation says alive; the reality is dead. The discrepancy between name and life is the deadliest possible state — comforted by the wrong evidence.
A church's standing in the community is no measure of its standing with Christ. The Sardis test asks every congregation: are you in fact what you are called?