Verse 1
1. Destination and description of Christ 3:1a-b
Sardis (modern Sart) stood about 33 miles southeast of Thyatira on a major highway that led all the way to Susa in Mesopotamia. [Note: See Caird, p. 47.] It had been the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia. It was famous for its military history, jewelry, dye, and textiles. Due to its situation on a steep hill, many people thought the city was impregnable. However Cyrus the Persian had captured it about 549 B.C. by following a secret path up a cliff. Antiochus invaded the city in the same way about 218 B.C.
"The dominant religion of the city . . . appears to be that of the general Anatolian religious forms: a worship of the forces of nature, which were viewed as subject to death but also as having the power of self-reproduction." [Note: Thomas, Revelation 1-7, p. 243.]
The Lord presented Himself to this congregation as the all-wise God. The "seven Spirits" may refer to the seven principal angels of God (cf. Revelation 1:4). The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches (Revelation 1:20). Christ also reminded the readers of His lordship over the churches (the "seven stars," Revelation 1:20; Revelation 2:1).
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