SARDIS CHURCH AGE
“SARDIS”
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- 5th
Church Age
- Revelation 3:
16
- Age started
1520 A.D. to 1750 A.D.
- The star of
this age is Martin Luther.
- This age
started the “Reformation Age”
- Coming out of
the Dark Ages God began restoring the WORD to its original power.
- It was not
the Full Restoration that we will SEE IN THE LAST AGE but the power of the
WORD was being RESTORED.
- REFORMATION means: The change of religion from the
corruptness of “popery” to its primitive purity. It began with Martin Luther about 1517 A.D.
- The City of Sardis
- The capital
of ancient Lydia.
- It was a very
important city at one time. The
art of dying wool was invented there.
Also, carpet weaving was invented there. The city had a large amount of gold and silver and the use
of gold coins originated in Sardis.
It also had a slave market.
The city was finally destroyed by earthquakes and plagues, today it
is a heap of ruins and uninhabited.
- The religion
was the impure worship of the goddess Cybele. Her son was Deoius.
- The concept
of mother and son relationship can be seen here. He was the sun god, she the moon goddess. He the lord of heaven, she the queen of
heaven. He being killed, raised
and ascended to heaven, she carried there bodily by the son. Now in Rome this same god is given the
title of our Lord, he is called the Son of God while she (Mary) is called the mother of
God. As time went on the worship
of the son began to lose out in favor of the worship of the mother, so she
literally began to take the place of the son. Here in this age it is Cybele who is worshipped (sound like
another Catholic Doctrine?) Cybele
wore a key around her neck giving her authority over heaven and earth and
mysteries.
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- Note – Pope
Pius literally exalted Mary to glorification in a resurrected body. See the comparison with the Babylonish
doctrine of Deoius caring Cybele into heaven.
- Martin Luther
- Born November
1483.
- On a visit
home at 22 years old Luther was struck by lightening and knocked off his
horse. He told the Lord at that
time he would dedicate his life to the Mona-static calling.
- He was always
trying to conquer fleshly desires.
- To try to
purify himself, he locked himself in an unheated cell and prayed until he
collapsed with exhaustion. His
fellow brethren broke down the door to get him out. He would pray at the altar until
falling unconscious to the floor.
- He soon
learned to distrust the papacy.
- He knew the
scriptures so well he would recite whole passages by heart. One of his teachers at college told him
to leave the bible alone
- In 1510 he
walked from Erfurt, Germany to Rome Italy, While in Rome a story was told
of someone climbing a set of stairs in the “Holy City” and while finishing
the climb the scripture “The just shall live by faith” kept ringing in his
head Luther saw during his visit to Rome how that each pope had set
examples of breaking ALL 10 Commandments. Rome had become notorious
for Anti-Christian living; mistresses and scandals were a part of each
pope’s life. He later quoted that Rome
is a Harlot.
- He lectured
at universities from 1513 to 1515 on the book of Psalms. In 1516 he began lecturing on the book
of Romans (Note Romans 1:17) at this point he began to speak out against
the pope and all church hierarchy for widespread corruption.
- In early 1517
a cry went out for the church to reform itself. The cry of scandal had been heard for over 50 years and many
wanted change. The root cause was
religious, so the leadership of this charge must come from a religious
source. The Brethren of the common
life fell short; the churchmen in Italy were too close to the source of
the infection. But in Wittenberg,
where Luther was from, was being formed a religious experience strong
enough, intelligent enough and courageous enough to bring leadership.
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- Luther began
speaking out against sin and civil overlords, robbing from the poor. Thus Luther wrote his 95 questions or
Thesis and posted them on the bulletin board of the Catholic Church he was
teaching at.
- In May 1518
Luther wrote a letter to the pope, but the pope did not take him serious
and brushed him off. But soon
Luther became increasingly important and he was called to Rome in August
1518, where he met Cardinal Cajentan.
A shouting match ensued and nothing was accomplished. Luther apologized for his actions. But he continued to preach and teach
that faith is what we must live by, not works.
- In 1520 the
Catholic Church called for Luther to recant within 60 days or be
excommunicated. He was branded a
heretic at this time.
- The letters
and all books of papal decrees and church theology were taken by Luther
and his followers and burned at the university. He also placed the book of the canon law on the fire and
said “Because thou has brought down the truth of God, He also brings thee
down to this fire today, Amen.
- He began to
attack the authority of the popes and maintained that priest and laity was
equal. He continued to cry out
against the corruption of the church.
- He was so
hunted by the church that he grew a beard and dressed as a knight so he
could move around undetected.
- Luther
translated the New Testament into the German language
- He was
married in 1525. His close friends
and Catholic critics thought this was a tragedy, for he had taken a vow as
a monk not to marry.
- He set out to
preach his reform doctrine and people accepted it
- In 1529
Charles V, and other leaders of the church called a meeting. They voted to prohibit reform
worship. In response to this,
Luther sent delegates to protest this action. After this meeting the party of non-Catholics were called “Protestants”. Thus the name we use today as someone
opposing the Catholic Church.
- In 1534 the 1st
translation of the Bible was printed
- Luther also
wrote many hymns including “Away in a Manger.”
- Luther had 3
sons, 3 daughters, 2 of which died at an early age.
- He helped
many followers through their problems during his late years.
- Martin Luther
died February 22nd, 1546 of a stroke at the age of 62. His last words were “who hath my word,
shall not see death”.
- Martin Luther
influenced John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli.
- What stirred
his heart by the Holy Ghost, which was the little green shoot that
signified that truth was coming back to the church as it was known at
Pentecost, was the doctrine of justification: salvation by grace, apart
from works.
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- The word
Sardis means the “ESCAPED ONES”
- Verse 1 –
He that hath the 7 spirits of God and the 7 stars.
- Again showing
his Deity as in Revelation 1:4, Revelation 4:5 and Revelation 5:6.
- Not 7
different spirits, but (1) spirit manifested in (7) ways.
- Seven spirits
of God refer to the continuous ministry of the same Holy Spirit in the
lives of (7) men or messengers sent to each age to call out a people. The stars only reflect the light of the
sun.
- “I know
thy works, thou hast a name thou live by, but are dead”
- * In previous
ages the Spirit first praised the true believers and then denounced the
false. But in this age there is
evidently such disregard for the Lord and His Word that the entire message
to this fifth age rings with condemnation. Even though this age brought forth the reformation, it was
most sternly rebuked by God, because it sowed the Seed of Denomination
that organized right back to the Harlot, this era did not have the signs
and wonders among them. They gave
up the Power of God for the power of the state.
- A name you
live by, but are dead.
- There rose up
in this age Lutherans, Hussites, Zwinglis, and Calvinism etc. They began to organize under a name
other than what God had appointed and when they organized or denominated
under these names, they so fragmented the body of Christ that they died.
- Verse 2 – Be
watchful and strengthen the things, which remain that are ready to die,
for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
- Remember this
age was a reformation, not a restoration.
- “Strengthen
the things which remain that are ready to die”
- This age had
justification, but it missed sanctification and the Baptism of the Holy
Spirit.
- This age had
the written word, but not the revealed word.
- For I have
not found thy works perfect before God.
- The words “not
perfect” really means “unfulfilled”.
- Verse 3 – Remember
how thou has received and heard, and hold fast and repent.
- It is very
evident from this verse that God had given them truth. The “just shall live by faith” is a
basic truth of the whole Gospel. The doctrines of Rome were being cast down.
- I will
come as a thief.
- Bandits
constantly harassed ancient Sardis.
- As the people
of Sardis became vigilant and prepared, so did the Christians of this age.
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- Verse 4 – A
few names in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments.
- Shows the two
vines are present in this age. A
few walked “pleasing unto the Lord.”
Still, this age was unfulfilled, chaotic and split scores of ways,
and God rebuked it almost in its entirety. It was weak and sickly and ready to die, but a few spirit
filled “names” “Acts 1:15 people” held to the true word.
- They shall
walk with me in white for they are worthy.
- This is part
of their inheritance for walking upright and holding true to Him. They had walked through the world and had
not partaken of it.
- Verse 5 – Overcometh,
clothed in white.
- A repeat of
verse 4, kept their skirts clean, those who stay true to God and clean
from the defilement of this “world system”.
- I will not
blot his name out – Church Age Book, pages 274-290.
- Book of
Life, Eternal
section. (Not 2 books).
- Revelation
13:8
- Luke 10:17-24 – A section of the Book that your name
can be removed from it. “Blotted Out”.
- Genesis 35:23-26 – tribes of Israel.
- Numbers
10:11-28, Revelation 7:4-8, Deuteronomy 29:16-20 “from under heaven”
not “in heaven”.
- Ezekiel
48:1-8 and 22-29
- Revelation
22:19, Revelation 20:11, Revelation 3:21, I Corinthians 6:2-3, Daniel
7:9-10, Revelation 21-2, Revelation 21-10
- Matthew
25:31-46
- I will
confess his name before my Father and his angels.
- A roll call
in heaven
- Thou shalt
call and I will answer.
- Names called
in the Resurrection.
- Verse 6,
listen to what the spirit says