1“To the angel3:1 Or messenger; also in verses 7 and 14of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits3:1 That is, the sevenfold Spiritof God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
He who has 3:1 Possibly a symbolic reference to the Holy Spirit in His fullness, or to seven key angelsthe seven spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, and yet you are dead.
1“To the angel (divine messenger) of the church in 3:1 Sardis (modern Sart, Turkey), in Roman times, was a wealthy city known for the manufacture and dyeing of woolen fabric and carpets. Originally, it was the capital of the ancient Lydian Empire and was the first city to mint coinage (600 b.c.). A stream that flowed through its market place carried gold dust from a nearby mountain. King Croesus of Lydia (560-546 b.c.) financed the building of the great Temple of Artemis in Ephesus (550 b.c.). The city was conquered twice, under Cyrus the Great and under Antiochus, due to lack of adequate watchfulness.Sardis write:
These are the words of Him who has 3:1 See note 1:4.the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds; you have a name (reputation) that you are alive, but [in reality] you are dead.