The church at Sardis has a reputation for "being alive," but in reality they are a "dead" church. Jesus's response is simple: he tells them to have a change of heart and "wake up." But there are other aspects of this passage that are difficult to understand. For example, Jesus tells Sardis that, if they don't repent, he "will come like a thief." Does this mean his second coming is contingent on their decision? Moreover, Jesus seems to imply that, depending on how they respond, Christians in Sardis risk having their names blotted out of the "book of life." How do we make sense of this?

+++

Check out Matt's newest book, The End of the World As You Know It:⁠⁠⁠ (link ⁠⁠here⁠⁠)

Support the podcast via Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheBibleUnmuted⁠⁠⁠