Sardis is the fifth of seven churches in Asia Minor that received an evaluation of its overall spiritual condition from God:
"And 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.
"Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember 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.
"Thou 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. " (Revelation 3:1-4).
Sardis was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Lydia, one of the provinces of Asia Minor, and was situated at the foot of Mount Tmolus, in a fine plain watered by the river Pactolus, famous for its golden sands. It was the capital where
the celebrated Croesus, proverbial for his wealth, reigned. Sardis was taken by Cyrus (548 B.C.), when Croesus was king, and was at that time one of the most splendid and opulent cities of the East. It subsequently passed into the hands of the Romans, and under them sank rapidly in wealth and
importance. In the time of the Roman Emperor Tiberius it was destroyed by an earthquake, but was rebuilt by order of the emperor.
Sardis is said to have been the first city in that part of the world that was converted by the preaching of the apostle John. It also may have been the first city that revolted from Christianity, and one of the first that was laid in its
ruins, in which it still lies, without any church or ministry.
The inhabitants of Sardis bore an ill repute among the ancients for their voluptuous modes of life. Perhaps there may be an allusion to this fact in the words which are used in the address to the church there: "Thou hast a few names
even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments." ( Rev. 3:4).
Scriptural References: Revelation 3 (KJV Bible)
Sources Used: Adam Clark's Commentary on the Entire Bible; Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible; Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole
Bible
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