3:18 “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”

• Christ counseled [advised] them to buy of Him gold tried in the fire.  They needed the type of faith that withstands and endures (I Peter 1:6-7).
• They needed the white raiment representing the clothing of purity (Revelation 3:5).
• Finally, eye salve as they were known for the ointment that helped physical vision now they need spiritual vision (Acts 28:25-27).

• The Lord loves His people and thus His rebuke is to bring them back to Him (Proverbs 27:5 and Hebrews 12:6-13).

• First off, we must realize that these words are written to saints who are unfaithful.  The world often times applies this to alien sinners, but this is not the case.
• What the passage does teach is that the spiritual fellowship we have with the Lord when faithful (I John 1:7), can be restored just as was the relationship with the Prodigal Son and his father (Luke 15:11-32).

• The idea in this passage is not that of a special seat with Christ (Matthew 20:20-23).
• The teaching of this passage is one of reward to those that overcome the things present in this world that tempt us and lead us away from God.

• Finally, and once again, listen to what the Spirit is teaching to the churches.  We can conclude the seven of these letters by learning from the good and bad that these brethren did.

A Brief Point of Introduction:

We have concluded John’s inspired words that directly applied to seven of the congregations in Asia Minor.  Now we are going to have a metaphorical scene of the throne of God above all creatures and things created, affirming that God rules both in Heaven and earth (Genesis 14:19, Daniel 5:21b, and Acts 17:24).  God’s power or knowledge is not limited to one realm or the other (Jeremiah 23:23-24).  Jesus has been given this authority (Matthew 28:18).  Finally, we will see that all creatures owe God reverence as He is the creator and sustainer of life.

• John’s usage of the phrase “after this” shows transition from one point to another.  He does this also in other transitions throughout the book of Revelation (7:1; 7:9; 15:5; 18:1; 19:1).
• What John saw was a door opened in heaven.  In words similar to the account of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:1) and Stephen (Acts 7:56), God allows John to have a revelation.  The opening of this metaphorical door suggests that something is now being seen that John and / or others have not seen.
• Similarly to verses one and two of chapter four, John writes of his being in the spirit and hearing a voice he likened unto a trumpet [loud and clear] in the tenth verse of chapter one.
• The voice indicates that there is going to be a revelation of things to come (Isaiah 42:9 and Acts 2:23).

• John being in the spirit reveals this is something not of the flesh.  Again, similar to what he said in the tenth verse of chapter one and similar to what Paul wrote to the Corinthian brethren (II Corinthians 12:1-4).
• The vision was of a throne in Heaven and one sitting on that throne.  We know that it is God who sits upon the throne of power and dominion in Heaven with Christ at His right hand (Hebrews 8:1; 12:2).  Heaven itself is God’s throne (Matthew 5:34).

• A jasper stone represents itself clear as crystal (Revelation 21:11), thus representing the holiness of God.
• A sardine stone was “transparent red (like a cornelian)”, thus representing the nature of fury and judgment of the Lord (Hebrews 12:29).
• The rainbow that shined as an emerald represents God’s covenant with man in which He said He would never destroy the earth by flood again (Genesis 9:12-17).
• Thus, we have a pure God who shows judgment and mercy (Psalms 89:14).

• The people of Israel were divided into twelve tribes.  The chosen Apostles of the Lord were twelve.  Thus, the twenty-four seats and overseers symbolize the total representation of the people under both covenants.
• The white garments represent purity and the crowns represent victory.  Thus, people under both covenants enjoy redemption that came at the cost of the blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:11-12).

• As we see lightnings and thunderings we can realize that Moses ascended unto God at Mt. Sinai, and God showed forth similar things to him and the people of Israel (Exodus 19:16).
• Revelation 1:4 identifies “the seven Spirits of God” as one who is directing this message along with God the Father.  While one may wonder why the plural ending to Spirit, one has to also take the whole passage into consideration.  No where in the scriptures do we find a more logical conclusion than this terminology referring to the Holy Spirit.  In our current context we find that the seven Spirits of God are shown as seven lamps of fire.  The work of the Holy Spirit is to illuminate [reveal] the truth, therefore this imagery displays this fact (John 16:12-13).  In contrast to the lighting and thunder, the Spirit is the comforter (John 14:26; cf. Romans 15:4).

1. All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.
2. James Orr, John L. Nuelsen, Egar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Hendrickson, 1929),
3. Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, (Reprint by Hendrickson, 2002, original copyright 1896).