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5. The Sardisean Candlestick: The Reformed Church Age (John Wycliff)
Well, I am acquainted with this one. Having been brought up in the military some guy started a bus ministry in which my mother thought it was a good thing to go. So off we went to the Fellowship Baptist church where the services were as dry as last years toast. Some lady would put her arm along side the pew and scowl at we teenagers as the preacher preached. Nobody said amen, no hallelujahs, and the services would put me asleep. We had about a dozen of the girls start smoking pot and they invited the one and only committed Christian to go. Well the girl told on them and the church went in an uproar and fired the preacher. They got an even deader fundamentalist preacher and the attendance went from 400 a week to 100.
So begins the topic on the Sardisean age. As sardis is a gem so these people are an elegant people, and as a sardis is a gem very hard on rigid on the doctrine. If you are of different persuasion it is not a good idea to converse with these people. Two of the church ages that the Sardiseans hit on the most are the Catholics (Thyatireans) and Pentecostals (Philadelphians) . If you want to know if a Sardisean is a true Sardisean ask if they believe in Catholicism or speaking in tongues. If they are 100% true blue Sardisean they will be very much against the two. I thank God that I received came into communion with the Holy Spirit in a Pentecostal church. However, as a gem is elegant so the Sardiseans are an elegant people. I miss the outings with these people as everything was decent, well planned, and organized. I go to Gatlinburg and see the many Sardisean functions in which the Sardisean children come out of the conferences with bible in arms and with a elegant, beautiful look about them. I also find the Sardisean way in the Victorian age where we find an elegant fashion. I also admire the Amish and think that it is a great way of life. So the elegance of the Sardiseans make Christianity very appealing in which if any of these readers are contented within a Sardisean Church I would not recommend leaving.
The beginnings of the Sardisean Church age can be traced in 1392, when John Wycliff translated the bible into English. Because of the strong influence of the Thyatireans, Wycliff’s books were burned and his remains exhumed. Nonetheless he started a flame that would lead to the reformation of the church. It was in 1517 that Luther would nail his 95 thesis and thus begin the Sardisean Church age. The Sardisean Church age was an age most adventurous! With the discovery of the new world in 1492, the rise of the English and Spanish empires, and the German reformation, would shed in a whole new era in discovery and adventure. There was also renewed religious fervor with John Bunyan, George Fox, Puritans, Moravians, non-conformists, Shakers, Quakers, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Baptists, Huguenots, and a whole new era of religious thinking.
“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. He 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. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” – Revelation 3: 1-6
A regrettable fault in the Sardisean church age was in their ability to become just as evil as the Church they rebelled from. An example was the Anglican Church, who would persecute people for not acknowledging their book of prayer. There were also many regrettable wars in which Christians would fight against Christians, it seems that the only place Christian sects could dwell in unity was in the new world. The Lord here in scripture sought to strengthen the true light of reformation, which things were ready to die with the Sardisean Church age. The reason for this spiritual death was Europe’s unwillingness to accept a variety of faiths, to take over a faith, and to persecute those who would resist the faith. It seemed the desire of the Europeans to have a single faith within their country, and often times that faith would become just as evil as the faith they rebelled from. At the end of the Sardisean Church many of the good things died. The exceptions were the German Moravians, French Huguenots and the English Non-conformists, who were persecuted in their own countries. The Sardisean Church began in adventure and ended in violence. So the need of a new church age was imminent.
Out of Sardis also came many Baptist denominations, which believe in a single born again experience, unlike the Methodist which believe in many experiences such as sanctification and the witness of the spirit. Nonetheless much good fruit came out of Baptist doctrine in which there are still many good bible colleges and churches today. From the Primitive Baptist to the Southern Baptist, we see a wide array of church age influences, from the Sardisean age to the Laodicean. The word to the Sardiseans seems also to challenge John Calvin, who would also be challenged by Jacob Arminius. As a gem is hard (shelled) it is not a good idea to discourse with these people if you are of a different persuasion. As a gem is also elegant, so the Sardiseans were also an elegant people. It would take more that doctrine to issue in a revival! Mentality ≠ Spiritual Light!
John Calvin - Calvinist - Sardisean doctrine
Jacobus Arminius - Armenian - Philadelphian doctrine
Case in point was the story of Charles Spurgeon. This was the Sardisean poster boy in the mid-1800's. However in the late 1800's the Sardiseans gave him the boot over a 'downgrade' article in which afterwords Spurgeon's health deteriorated and finally died. Another indication of Calvin as being Sardisean was his treatment of Michael Servetus. John Calvin, having spotted Servetus in his service, had him arrested where he would eventually be burned at the stake. What kind of love was that?
Well, I am acquainted with this one. Having been brought up in the military some guy started a bus ministry in which my mother thought it was a good thing to go. So off we went to the Fellowship Baptist church where the services were as dry as last years toast. Some lady would put her arm along side the pew and scowl at we teenagers as the preacher preached. Nobody said amen, no hallelujahs, and the services would put me asleep. We had about a dozen of the girls start smoking pot and they invited the one and only committed Christian to go. Well the girl told on them and the church went in an uproar and fired the preacher. They got an even deader fundamentalist preacher and the attendance went from 400 a week to 100.
So begins the topic on the Sardisean age. As sardis is a gem so these people are an elegant people, and as a sardis is a gem very hard on rigid on the doctrine. If you are of different persuasion it is not a good idea to converse with these people. Two of the church ages that the Sardiseans hit on the most are the Catholics (Thyatireans) and Pentecostals (Philadelphians) . If you want to know if a Sardisean is a true Sardisean ask if they believe in Catholicism or speaking in tongues. If they are 100% true blue Sardisean they will be very much against the two. I thank God that I received came into communion with the Holy Spirit in a Pentecostal church. However, as a gem is elegant so the Sardiseans are an elegant people. I miss the outings with these people as everything was decent, well planned, and organized. I go to Gatlinburg and see the many Sardisean functions in which the Sardisean children come out of the conferences with bible in arms and with a elegant, beautiful look about them. I also find the Sardisean way in the Victorian age where we find an elegant fashion. I also admire the Amish and think that it is a great way of life. So the elegance of the Sardiseans make Christianity very appealing in which if any of these readers are contented within a Sardisean Church I would not recommend leaving.
The beginnings of the Sardisean Church age can be traced in 1392, when John Wycliff translated the bible into English. Because of the strong influence of the Thyatireans, Wycliff’s books were burned and his remains exhumed. Nonetheless he started a flame that would lead to the reformation of the church. It was in 1517 that Luther would nail his 95 thesis and thus begin the Sardisean Church age. The Sardisean Church age was an age most adventurous! With the discovery of the new world in 1492, the rise of the English and Spanish empires, and the German reformation, would shed in a whole new era in discovery and adventure. There was also renewed religious fervor with John Bunyan, George Fox, Puritans, Moravians, non-conformists, Shakers, Quakers, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Baptists, Huguenots, and a whole new era of religious thinking.
“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. He 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. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” – Revelation 3: 1-6
A regrettable fault in the Sardisean church age was in their ability to become just as evil as the Church they rebelled from. An example was the Anglican Church, who would persecute people for not acknowledging their book of prayer. There were also many regrettable wars in which Christians would fight against Christians, it seems that the only place Christian sects could dwell in unity was in the new world. The Lord here in scripture sought to strengthen the true light of reformation, which things were ready to die with the Sardisean Church age. The reason for this spiritual death was Europe’s unwillingness to accept a variety of faiths, to take over a faith, and to persecute those who would resist the faith. It seemed the desire of the Europeans to have a single faith within their country, and often times that faith would become just as evil as the faith they rebelled from. At the end of the Sardisean Church many of the good things died. The exceptions were the German Moravians, French Huguenots and the English Non-conformists, who were persecuted in their own countries. The Sardisean Church began in adventure and ended in violence. So the need of a new church age was imminent.
Out of Sardis also came many Baptist denominations, which believe in a single born again experience, unlike the Methodist which believe in many experiences such as sanctification and the witness of the spirit. Nonetheless much good fruit came out of Baptist doctrine in which there are still many good bible colleges and churches today. From the Primitive Baptist to the Southern Baptist, we see a wide array of church age influences, from the Sardisean age to the Laodicean. The word to the Sardiseans seems also to challenge John Calvin, who would also be challenged by Jacob Arminius. As a gem is hard (shelled) it is not a good idea to discourse with these people if you are of a different persuasion. As a gem is also elegant, so the Sardiseans were also an elegant people. It would take more that doctrine to issue in a revival! Mentality ≠ Spiritual Light!
John Calvin - Calvinist - Sardisean doctrine
Jacobus Arminius - Armenian - Philadelphian doctrine
Case in point was the story of Charles Spurgeon. This was the Sardisean poster boy in the mid-1800's. However in the late 1800's the Sardiseans gave him the boot over a 'downgrade' article in which afterwords Spurgeon's health deteriorated and finally died. Another indication of Calvin as being Sardisean was his treatment of Michael Servetus. John Calvin, having spotted Servetus in his service, had him arrested where he would eventually be burned at the stake. What kind of love was that?
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