Messages to Three Churches In this chapter God addresses his messages: 5. To the angel of the Church in Sardis 1-6. 6. To the angel of the Church in Philadelphia 7-12. 7. To the angel of the Church of The Laodiceans 14-22. 5- TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN SARDIS 1) Who is he? "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write” [1]. It is said that he is St. Melito. 2) Description of the Lord “He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars.” As the Lord was handling the sin of hypocrisy in this church, therefore He presents Himself to her, "He who has the seven Spirits of God," or the Holy Spirit. He is perfect in His deeds, together with His Spirit. He also presents Himself as "He who has... the seven stars.” a) This Spirit holds man, blames him, sanctifies him, and prepares him with divine powers to attain through Him the heavenly wedding feast. Through Him we obtain the adoption, and forgiveness. Through Him we enjoy fellowship with the Lord, we are inoculated in the Body of the Lord, and we are granted empowering blessings of love, joy, peace, meekness and chastity (Gal. 5:22). All this corrupt hypocrisy by attracting the soul to steal the hidden glory and the secret communion with God alone. b) "Has the seven stars," or "has all the bishops," as if He is stimulating in the bishop these feelings of being possessed by God that he might also say, "All the bishops are yours and you are ours O God... I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine!" 3) The state of the Church "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” [1]. How dangerous is it! When people witness to a certain church that she is alive, having a name and reputation, but in fact she is dead. Because she is occupied with many matters far away from her mission, which is the enjoyment of her children in the Lord Jesus. 4) The Remedy "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God” [2]. Bishop Victorianus says, [The fifth group represents careless people who do other works than what they have to do. They are Christians by name, therefore by all means, He urges them to turn back from their deeds in order to be saved.] How can they abandon carelessness? a) By being watchful: while waiting for the coming of the Lord, the believer should not pay attention to people's praise, but keep awake to meet Him. 6 b) "Strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die.” Therefore, hypocrisy is the enemy that destroys the spiritual life; once it gets into a person it corrupts all his worship. For this reason this person has to hurry to save his dying soul who is about to die by the work of self-righteousness, the works that seems perfect in the eyes of people not God's. c) Remember the goodness of God to us "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent." Thus, acknowledging what we owe Him, knowing that every righteousness we have is from Him not from us, repenting of our love of people's praise. d) Remember the day of judgment: He who is not attracted by remembering the blessings of the Lord granted to him will be restrained by His threats, "Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you” [3]. The time of the coming of the Lord as a thief upon the hypocrites, will be a wedding day for those who did not defile with hypocrisy their affections, their feelings, their senses and their goals. As He says to them, "You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy” [4]. “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” [5]. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” [6]. He knows them by their names... He keeps them in the book of Life... The Lord acknowledges them before His angels... They wear white garments. Is not all this enough for us to reject every vain glory in this world?! 6 - TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA 1) Who is he ? "And to the Angel of the church in Philadelphia write.” It is said that he is the bishop Codranos; however St. Jerome says that this father was the bishop of Athens not of Philadelphia. 2) Description of the Lord a) As the church was marked by slackness at work, therefore, the Lord presents Himself to her saying, "These things says He Who is Holy” [7]. It is enough for the four living creatures (Rev. 4) to understand that the Lord is Holy to permanently worship Him day and night, tirelessly. As soon as the twenty four heavenly presbyters hear the four living creatures saying, "Holy, Holy, Holy,” they get up from their seats, take off their crowns and throw them at His feet bowing down. They do that since their creation up to this day. They remain this way forever, longing, and in love with this Holy One, not knowing what to offer Him? In the same way, when man understands the true holiness of God, he inflames with the fire of abundant love to worship the Lord, to prostrate to Him and to serve Him earnestly. b) The Lord presents Himself as "the Truth," so that this church abandons her slackness to follow the way of truth. 7 c) He presents Himself to her "He who has the key of David, He who opens, and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens." This description which has been proclaimed before by Isaiah (22:12) points to Jesus. It is as if the Lord is encouraging His church saying; why are you slacking at work, and I alone open for you the doors of heaven and shut you in, so that Satan would not approach you?! As for the key with which He opens, it is: a) Saints Cyril the Great and Jerome think that it is the power of binding and loosening, which the Lord granted to His bride through His disciples (Mat. 16 : 19). b) St. John Chrysostom sees that it is the Cross with which the Lord opens for us the door of Paradise and gets us into the kingdom. Also with it, He shuts hell and Hades in our faces. c) St. Gregory the Miracles-Worker1 thinks that this key is the understanding of the Holy Bible, especially the prophecies, for the Spirit of Jesus who wrote the prophecies is Himself alone who is able to clarify and reveal it. 3) The State of the Church "I know your works. See I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word and have not denied My name” [8]. In spite of the slackness at work which this church was marked with, the Lord knows her few works and does not forget them. Every prayer how weak it seems to be, every alms, every perseverance how negligible it may be, God does not ignore it, letting the door of salvation open in front of us. For the little we do God offers much. Perhaps the open door here is the door of the effective service (1 Cor. 16:9). As he had little strength in preaching and pastoring, God grants him strength in serving and does not forget that he kept His word and did not deny His name . For that He tells him; "Indeed, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, and are not, but - lie indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you” [9]. “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial, which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” [10]. In spite of the weakness of the struggle, God does not forget this toil. For that, God grants him grace as a tool in his hand to destroy the power of Satan which is not the synagogue of the Jews. Here, God presents to us two principles: a) The first principle is that we are not sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves in worshipping or serving, but our sufficiency is from God (2 Cor. 3: 5). By the grace of God we are adequate and able to destroy with courage and trust the power of evil. We, in ourselves, "had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.” "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" (2 Cor. 1:9, 4:7). b) The second spiritual principle is to be honest with what's in our hands so that God grants us a superhuman honesty. In keeping ourselves from evil as possible as we 1 Oration and Panegyric addressed to Origen. 8 can, God will keep us from what is beyond our will. We should work with honesty now, and God will bestow honesty on us in the darkest moments to come. 4) The Remedy and the Reward The remedy of slackness at work lies in understanding the reality of man’s position and of what God has prepared for him in the eternal life. Thus he is filled with hope and he works with joy and trust without despair. The Lord tells him: “Behold I come quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown” [11]. “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name” [12]. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” [13]. By this hope, the Apostle calls on His children to be full of enthusiasm saying, "Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown" (1 Cor. 9: 24,25). God supports our hope by saying, "Behold I come quickly.” Therefore we should hold fast to the blessings we have which we obtained in behaving as sons of God through baptism, and as blessed temples of the Holy Spirit. He also warns us "that no one may take your crown," as the human beings have taken the fallen angels’ crown. Jacob took Essau’s blessing (Gen. 24), Judah took Reuben's blessing (Gen. 49); David took Saul's crown; Maetthias took Judah's crown; and the Gentiles took blessings that the Jews had rejected. What is our crown, or our hope? a) The winner becomes "a pillar in the temple of the Father.” It is amazing that He calls the Father "My God,” repeating it four times, showing the relationship of Jesus and the victorious believer in its best image. He brings to light the unity of the infinite love until He calls His Father with us saying, "My God.” This would be enough for us as our crown, this unity that we do not deserve and that the mind can not imagine! b) He raises us up as living pillars in heaven, and the pillars point to the victory, as the Maccabees erected pillars on their tombs and carved their names on them (1 Mac. 13:29). Bishop Victorianus sees that the pillars are the ornament of the building. Therefore, on the great day of the Lord, the victorious pastors are the ornament of the believers in heaven. Paul the Apostle called Jacob, John and Peter the pillars of the church (Gal. 2:9). And called "the church of the living God, the pillars and ground of the truth" (1 Tim 3 : 15). c) He will not go outside anymore; for as the pillars on which the building is based, and as a son who remains in the house forever(john 8: 35), so are the victors in eternity. As St. Augustine says, [Who does not long for the city from which no friend departs and no enemy enters?!] d) On the pillars are carved three names of the hidden victorious. First: The name of the Father, for every victory is held by the love of God and His 9 hidden plan. Second: The name of the City of God, the New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven. The victorious City over all evil powers and she remains victorious forever, not harmed by the factors of time or attacked by the enemy anymore. Third: The Lord Jesus’ new Name. Perhaps the Name is "The Lamb," as it is repeated about 28 times in the Book of Revelation. But in any case, the name of the Lord will be registered upon every believer not in a human language, but through the hidden unity and the eternal tie between us and Him, as members in His Body. The name of the Lord will remain new in our taste of Him in eternity. The believer will not age or get tired of enjoying utterance of His name, and delight at its sweetness. 7 - TO THE ANGEL OF THE CHURCH IN LAODICEA1 1) Who is He? "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write.”[14] He is Eurelius or Sepharios the martyr who was praised by Eusebius2. 2) Description of the Lord "These things says the Amen, the Faithful, and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God” [14]. The Lord presents Himself to the church who was marked by the "spiritual lukewarmth,” by these qualities to support her. a) The Amen: It means the "Truth.” God was thus described as in Isaiah (65:16). In the Lord Jesus is our Amen to the glory of God through us (2 Cor. 1:20). Therefore, the church united to her Christ is working through Him so that within her we may have the Yes and the Amen. In other words, she is marked by the truth and is witnessing to Him without lukewarmth, for the Glory of God. b) The honest and truthful witness: In Greek it means the "martyr.” The Lord witnessed to the Father, a true, faithful and practical witness. He witnessed: By words, as He is "the true Teacher.” By conduct, as He is "fairer than the sons of men.” By love, as He "sacrificed Himself on the Cross.” Thus, He sent His disciples saying, "and you shall be witnesses to Me" (Act. 1:8), by the same true witness that is His. The faithful witness spares no effort in bringing out the truth and in revealing what he had seen and heard, no matter how much, his witness costs him. c) The Beginning of God's creation: The translation of the Greek word is "Head," or He has the right to administer, manage and work, hence He does not cease caring for His creation. It is a headship of love in action as is said about Him, "and gave Him to be head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" (Eph. 1:22,23). He grants, to His secret Body, growth in everything. How does the head do all that while the body or one of its members remains lazy?! So every spiritual lukewarmth is a direct insult to the Head! 1 A city founded probably by Antiochus II from the third century, and named by him Laodicea, after his wife Laodice; 40 miles east to Ephesus. 2 His. Eccl. 5:24 10 3) The State of the Church "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot; I could wish you were cold or hot” [15]. “So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth” [16]. What does He mean by cold, hot and lukewarm? The first opinion: The cold is the unbeliever who is immersed in evil, and the hot is the believer who is inflamed with the fires of God's love, but as Bishop Victorianus says, [The lukewarm is neither an unbeliever nor a believer, he is all things to everyone. He lives without principle, cold with the cold and hot with the hot.] The second opinion: The cold is the one who refrains from sin for fear of punishment. The hot is he who refrains from sin for his love to the Lord. As for the lukewarm, he is empty of both, fear and love. The third opinion: Cassian believes1 that the lukewarm is the hesitant between virtue and vice. He wants virtue but is coward to struggle, and he hates to strive for it. The forth opinion: The cold is he who deep down perceives his weakness and his fallings as the adulterer woman, the tax-collector, the thief, St. Moses the Black, and Mary the Egyptian. This kind gets inflamed quickly by God "the consuming fire" and becomes warm in spirit. As for the lukewarm, he snores in deep sleeping. He thinks in himself that he is virtuous, a disciple of the Lord and faithful. That he himself is in need of nothing but to preach others without humbling to listen, to accept advice and to accept blame. How poor is this man because he is deceived! St. John Cassian2 says, [We saw many of the cold people, monks and laymen, turn to be spiritually warm but we have not seen lukewarm persons becoming warm.] St. Augustine3 says, [I dare to say that it is good for the proud to fall into clear disobedience that they may mourn in themselves, for their fall is because of their delight in themselves. Peter was in a better state when he wept unsatisfied with himself than when he was daring and self-conceited. This is what the Psalmist assured by saying: "Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O Lord" (Ps. 83:16). St. Augustine sees that God allowed the disgrace of the faithful virgins when the barbarians invaded the city of Rome because they were struck with pride, so God took away from them the people's praise. He allowed them to lose their virginity to mourn and weep so that he may remove their lukewarmness to usurp the invisible heavenly praise4. The fifth opinion: is attributed to Father Daniel. St. John Cassian has written his conference with him, and handled the subject of "the lukewarmness of the spirit" from all aspects. He explained how the lukewarmness could be allowed by God for our good, or could be because of a satanic war, or because of our gradual carelessness. He, as well treated each kind separately5. As for the danger of the lukewarmness, it appears from the Lord's saying, "I will spit you out of my mouth." The lukewarm person does not find comfort in God's mouth. He does not endure to hear His words, as God does not endure to see a lukewarm person. 1 On monks 4:12,19. 2 Ibid. 3 City of God, 14:13. 4 Ibid, 1:28. 5 Cassian: Conferences, p. 107-132 (in Arabic, Alexandria 1968.) 11 Therefore, St. Jerome1 says that the Savior does not like the half and half things. He also says, [While God does not want the death of the sinner, but to repent and live, He hates the lukewarm who makes Him vomit.] Why does God spit the lukewarm? "Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing” and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked" [17]. 1) Feeling rich leads to doing without God. As the lukewarm does not realize his weakness, therefore, he does not feel his need for righteousness and grace of God. He becomes like the proud Pharisee who does not know what he needs from God! 2) He thinks that he is happy although he is empty of the secret fellowship with God. He is miserable because one day his apparent worshipping will vanish and his nakedness, blindness, poverty and misery will be revealed. 4) The remedy and the reward First: "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich.”[18] There is no remedy for the lukewarmness unless one comes back to the Lord to buy from Him. In other words, man should pull up his self-centralization in order to fix his eyes and heart on God to buy his needs from Him. The difficulty of this remedy is to empty oneself, to come as a needy to the Lord. The other difficulty is buying "without silver and without price" (Isa. 55:1), "being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24). What does he buy? a) He buys the gold tried in fire, that is to posses the Incarnate Word of God, "though He was rich yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). He who bore the fire of suffering on the Cross to enrich us with all the hidden virtues. Ibn-el-Assal sees that the gold is the patience acquired through sufferings. It is also the true and self-giving love that we obtain through the Lord Jesus. b) "And white garments that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed.”[18] When we were baptized, we were clothed with the Lord Jesus. He alone takes away our disgrace and conceals us with his righteousness, as He grants the church, "to be clothed with pure linen because linen is the saints’ righteousness" which is the work of His grace. c) "And anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see" [18]. What could be this eye salve that opens the eye to see the depth of the word of God and His wisdom other than the Holy Spirit who opened the disciples’ mind that they may understand the scriptures?! Fr. Gregory the Great observes that it is the contemplation on the Divine Commandments which enlightens the eyes.2 Second: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent" [19]. When the lukewarm accepts God's chastening and rebukes, his heart is humbled by repentance, and is opened before God who desires to enter into it as He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I 1 Letter 31. 2 Pope of Rome after the schism and he had refused the papal authority. 12 will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" [20]. It seems that the lukewarm is in a dark night and God wants to come into his heart to enlighten it and make it fruitful that he might find in it precious fruits (Song 4:16). He approaches the heart as He had approached the two disciples of Emmaus. As He was talking to them, they urged Him to stay with them for it was getting towards evening. He reclined with them, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him (Luke 24). How great is God's love! God hides behind the door of His commandments so that anyone who opens his heart to the commandments, God is revealed in Him. St. Mark the Hermit1 says, [God hides in His commandments therefore he who asks for Him, will find Him in them.] St. Ambrose2 says, [The Lord Jesus is standing at the door of yourself; hear Him talking to the Church... He says, "Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my perfection, for my head is drenched with dew, my locks with the damp of the night" (Song 5:2). He does not stand alone. He is preceded by the angels who say, "Open the doors O Kings." What doors? In another place He says: "Open to me the gates of righteousness" (Ps. 118:19). Let us open to Him the gates of righteousness, the gates of purity, the gates of courage and wisdom.] What is the reward for opening the gate to the Lord? "To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” [21]. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" [22]. For the Son, sitting on the divine throne is a natural matter, but for us, sitting on the Lord's throne is because of our unity with, and our attachment to, Him. Through Him we obtained all that the Father desires to offer us. We are unable to bear this glory, it is the Son who owns this glory. He abandoned it ,then He took it back so that we may obtain through Him the purpose of the glory that humanity cannot bear. Thanks be to the Son who left everything and became as one of us. He fought Satan and won, was crowned and glorified so that through Him we may have all this in Him. 1 The Philokalia: translated by the author (in Arabic) p. 130. 2 Of the Christian Faith 14:19.
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