The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 96

ci,APTER IIt ten million seste7ces (.t86,000), and remitted 'Vimfl-'--'-6.----'l'he epistle·to tM· Ohuroh atJ fot five: yee.ril all they paid to the ei.t• of SdUii." This Chimlh uone the two which chequer" Ji('l'IJio.\ •• Ann:( ii. 47). ·; :A!, :Jittle tec6ives unmixed reproof. Smyrna and later Ss.-tdis· 'ii'as·,6nti ot' the cities ·of·:A~a t~pb.i11-,~i've n?_ b,:atne; S ~ a~d . which.· claill'.ied'" tlii,· hbtionr of :tireietJ.tlg'·a. Laod1oea receive, no _pl'a1se. Sardis lies temple ~ hlliiolih>f'Ti!mriu:s; but' 'th.1'.Jp:rli- a~mos~}luesou~ ~f Tp._mtira,on the road to forence \v11igiven to Sri>.y'rna (' .ln;/,'.'W.' Pbihld~phill. between,th.e rh:;ir Heri;nll8 and $, 56).' '()f th~ inscri'pt,fcins \v}ij~'.h; :~~~ Mc;unt Tmolu11. It hail l>een in ~urn Ly\Jian. be~n d:isOOT!I~ at ,Sardis, Ill/8,l~l. all 1~-~· .of Persian, Greek, and .Roman, ~d, If!ce its . t):te. Roman period. Cy~~.or f:lybtlbe, ~Jl,S last •Lydian king; CrC8SUS, had .been cele- , the chief divinity of Sarclia; .. ~t .llQ I xeftJl'- ~ for it.s -wealth. 'i'he amifero~ stream ence ·to thls • nor to ll.llY 'of . tffl!, cSptlQUll Pacthluil; .in tiummer : Bimost dry; fiow_ed features of: the city ean be tfflde!i•ixdlie 1:tli'o\ig'lf its market-place ; .l'lnt. its ch_ief' epistle. . lb; the second centMY, Ji\f'elito, ,~f~ ~~. ,?~ Wfal.th ~~s ·~e., · In i.n. i 7_ · Bishop of• &rdie; ;hetd & very prottiinent •~t:wl)lv(i;fai;µou~ _c1tIC), of Asia fell by an pl:ice ~m:oug" Ai!d~~·- chnstlii9s,'. h&Ui'' in 'litetaxfdwo:rk. ~1i,q~J'in the ·night. ,',.'.', '.I'il.~ call/,l'µity . pe,rsohal 'mfluenei, 1 snd'. '11:i' f~li inost":heavily on the p'eop1e- of iardis; . Amorig'his humerous.. writlng8:·'wa.s' chinm and.it 1 1 , ~ tQ them th\>,~getit sh~ of . the. '.AP°".IM~ , of St. ~<?~· ... ·T,be _;pips- llJmpa.thy.. ThomperorfTiberius]prQlllilled peroUB and 'fuxurioll8 ~pital o~.Liit~.ia new repreaented by a few huts and a oo1Iec-, angel'.' mean■ the bishop..,, A.nd ,in.. any tion o(·ruiwJ buried deep in mbbilh., 1'1atill ease "name" is,. bere, ·llsed in, the ~ o n ~'i'!:if a.neient'na.me in the form &rt. ··1 1~se of. oha~ter ol,' :reput.atioo, . O@p, "''l'lie:Qwm,ldn Sil,rdis has no Nicolaitalill; Herod,,- :vli. 188, where -the., hwtori!ML ,se.Jf thlt.t Xen.es' expedition had the mime{all,,.,.,. ~tfa~. ~o J~~bel. But. the~ is worse e1xf) of hei.Dgdii:eoted agab1.eJ..Athe118, }mj; tvil .ti\all, the pJ181lellce ,of what ia morally was really A Dl@naoe to the whole of Gielle&. end doclmnally corrupt. The numbness of We have "Very similar .uses of ~J'O/&Cl .in &piriti~fto~r 11.Ild death is more hopeless Mark.ix..41 and I Pet. iv. 16. The Ohureh in Sardis had a name for CbrWitmi:ty, bui tlµ\n. u~ifl~' tole~tlon. The Church in there was no Christianity in it. . ·. si,;r~· ii.iia.rceJy ·out ot its infancy, has Ver. 2.-,-Be. watebflll; literally, .. h,om,, a,b:eady tlice signs of ~ eifete and m<>ribund watching. The use -of "fl'fVop.tld implies is faith : $.d it possible that t.hi.B deti,dness that the watchful irllate is not tbe .normal was e result of · the absence of intemal one-a. changels needed before the watchnig enemies.· ; can oome abont{C:Omp. eh, i...9,;10, 18:. ii 8; iv, 2 ;, 'lli. 12, etl,l.)•. , The,iJse of the prelll8nt V~r•. ~-~He tbt ·ha.th, the se'len :Spirits of Goi (1186. notes on -oh. i. 4-, 16, 201 put partiQiple U111tead. ofa.n adjeotive ~ watch. ingl" for · •• watchful ") ml\kts the cha~ observe Uia.t Url11 desigll8tion of Christ does more definite; not merely ••be ·qf a. watchful 11ot OCQnr Ul the opening vision). In eh. ehare.oter," but "bec;qme a watcher" .(romp. v.- 6 tb,~ ·La,111b is seen "having seven horns oh. xvi. 10; Mark i.,4; iL !3, 7;,,Heb. y.12). and 110ven eyf)M,.'IIJM01t a~ #,/le ~n Spirits Stablish th.e things 1Jl.at rem~ !IVbillh were of Go4;~ The sqv~ Spirits being the Holy ready to die. . The reading, ..,ureu.teady to SpiAt in his8$venfold activity, it is manifest die," is the best attested, and e.s. being 101111 (at! Treneh ob~) that this pj1881l,ge is w. smooth than " e.re :ready to die/! was- more ~po~mie,in, referenoe to the• doctrine of likely to be altered. It .imti!lipa.t.es the the double, ·proc~ion. The Soli\ bath the time when the comIIlflD.d, .wjll .be-obeyed.;: Sp,irit, not e,s Olli! who:reeeives it.from the " which ~re ready to die whftll. thou didst ija~r, but, as One who ce.I!. im,part it to begin to sbi,blisb, the1,11." . No. doubt ,,._, 0