Deeper Reflection
IN THE CONTEXT, “WAKE UP” (VV.2, 3) MEANS, FIGURATIVELY, be continually vigilant.⁴⁰ Such a warning was necessary for the church in Sardis, because they were on a downward trend that had to be arrested immediately. If this was not stopped and reversed, the Christians will continue to go downhill spiritually, notwithstanding an appearance of health (merely a thin veneer!) and reputation of vitality (unmatched by real substance!). The church had to wake up and stay awake! The Christians had to strengthen their deteriorating body and build on the remaining functioning aspects, in order to complete the works that God expected of them (v.2). Verses 3 and 4 seem to indicate that the church (as a whole) had not faithfully obeyed God’s commands, though some individual believers remained courageously faithful to Christ. The Lord Jesus warned of an impending sudden judgment on the church if they did not repent (v.3), but promised an eternal reward if they walked in faithfulness (v.5).In contrast, the church in Philadelphia held fast to the Lord’s commands in the face of strong persecuting pressures to deny His name (v.8). The Lord had no rebuke for this church,⁴¹ but only commendation and encouragement. Despite having little strength, these Christians showed patient endurance and steadfastly kept the Lord’s words (vv.8, 10). For that reason, Jesus promised His beloved people that He will protect and preserve them throughout a coming period of worldwide trial and testing. When the Lord returns, He will reward them bountifully for all eternity (vv.10-12). May Singaporean Christians also eternally dwell with God and bear His names!

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⁴⁰ “The command to ‘wake up’ is a reminder that twice in its history Sardis had been sacked (in 547/546 B.C. by Cyrus II, and in 214 B.C. by Antiochus III) when the watchmen on the wall failed to detect an enemy army sneaking up its supposedly impregnable cliffs and walls”: ESV Study Bible. ⁴¹ The only other church that received no rebuke from the Lord was the church in Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11).