King James Version

Revelation 3

Revelation 3 holds the last three of the seven letters Jesus sends to churches in Asia: Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. Sardis looks alive but is dead, Philadelphia is given an open door that no man can shut, and lukewarm Laodicea is told to repent, with the words "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock."

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Revelation 3 (KJV)

Sardis: a name that thou livest, and art dead v. 1-6

¹And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

²Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

³Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

⁴Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

⁵He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

⁶He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Philadelphia: an open door no man can shut v. 7-13

⁷And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

⁸I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

⁹Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

¹⁰Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

¹¹Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

¹²Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

¹³He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Laodicea: neither cold nor hot v. 14-22

¹⁴And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

¹⁵I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

¹⁶So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

¹⁷Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

¹⁸I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

¹⁹As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

²⁰Behold, 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.

²¹To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

²²He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

What Revelation 3 means

Each letter follows the same pattern. Jesus names himself with a title, says "I know thy works," gives praise or blame, makes a promise to him that overcometh, and includes the call "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Revelation 3 finishes the set that began in chapter 2.

Sardis had a reputation for life, but Jesus calls it dead and tells it to wake up, remember what it received, and repent. If it will not watch, he will come as a thief. Even so, a few people there have not defiled their garments, and they will walk with him in white.

Philadelphia gets no rebuke at all. It has only a little strength, yet it has kept his word and not denied his name. Jesus, who holds the key of David, sets an open door before it and promises to keep it from the hour of temptation coming on the whole world.

Laodicea gets no praise. It thinks it is rich and needs nothing, but Jesus says it is wretched, poor, blind and naked. Because it is lukewarm, he will spue it out of his mouth. He counsels it to buy from him gold tried in the fire, white raiment and eyesalve.

The chapter still ends with an invitation. Jesus rebukes and chastens those he loves, and he stands at the door and knocks. Read in context, verse 20 is spoken to a church that has shut him out. Christians have also long used it as a picture of Christ's invitation to any one person who will open the door.

Background and context

The writer names himself John and says he was on the isle called Patmos when he received the vision (Revelation 1:9). He is traditionally identified as the apostle John.

Revelation 1:11 lists the seven churches in Asia, a Roman province in what is now western Turkey. Chapter 2 covers Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos and Thyatira; chapter 3 covers the last three.

Key verses

I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Revelation 3:8 · KJV

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:16 · KJV

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 · KJV

Cross references

Revelation 1:20 Explains that the seven stars are the angels of the seven churchesThe mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Isaiah 22:22 The key of the house of David that opens and none shall shut, echoed in verse 7And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
Revelation 16:15 Behold, I come as a thief: the same warning given to Sardis in verse 3Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
Colossians 4:16 Paul asks that his letter also be read in the church of the LaodiceansAnd when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.
Proverbs 3:11-12 Whom the LORD loveth he correcteth, the idea behind verse 19My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Luke 12:37 Another picture of the Lord coming to his watching servants and sharing a mealBlessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
Revelation 21:2 The new Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, promised in verse 12And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Revelation 2:7 The first of the seven promises to him that overcomethHe that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

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Common questions

What are the three churches in Revelation 3?

Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea. They are the last three of the seven churches in Asia named in Revelation 1:11.

What does lukewarm mean in Revelation 3?

Jesus says Laodicea is neither cold nor hot, so he will spue it out of his mouth. The church was comfortable and self-satisfied, saying it had need of nothing, while it was actually poor, blind and naked.

What does Revelation 3:20 mean?

Jesus says "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock," and promises to come in and sup with whoever opens. In context he is speaking to the church at Laodicea, and Christians have also long read it as an invitation to each person.

Which churches in Revelation 3 are praised?

Philadelphia receives only praise. Sardis is rebuked but has a few faithful names, and Laodicea receives no praise at all.

Who wrote Revelation?

The writer calls himself John and says he was on Patmos (Revelation 1:9). He is traditionally identified as the apostle John.