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Revelation

About this book
Chapter 3

1 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write the following: “This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a reputation that you are alive, but in reality you are dead. 2 Wake up then, and strengthen what remains that was about to die, because I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Therefore, remember what you received and heard, and obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at what hour I will come against you. 4 But you have a few individuals in Sardis who have not stained their clothes, and they will walk with me dressed in white because they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be dressed like them in white clothing, and I will never erase his name from the book of life,⁠ but will declare his name before my Father and before his angels.⁠ 6 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ 7 “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write the following: “This is the solemn pronouncement of the Holy One, the True One, who holds the key of David, who opens doors no one can shut, and shuts doors no one can open:⁠ 8 ‘I know your deeds. (Look! I have put in front of you an open door that no one can shut.) I know that you have little strength, but you have obeyed my word and have not denied my name. 9 Listen! I am going to make those people from the synagogue of Satan—who say they are Jews yet are not, but are lying—look, I will make them come and bow down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my admonition to endure steadfastly, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have so that no one can take away your crown. 12 The one who conquers I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never depart from it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from my God), and my new name as well. 13 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ 14 “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write the following: “This is the solemn pronouncement of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God’s creation: 15 ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot! 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth! 17 Because you say, “I am rich and have acquired great wealth, and need nothing,” but do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked,⁠ 18 take my advice and buy gold from me refined by fire so you can become rich!⁠ Buy from me white clothing so you can be clothed and your shameful nakedness will not be exposed, and buy eye salve to put on your eyes so you can see! 19 All those I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent! 20 Listen! I am standing at the door and knocking! If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come into his home and share a meal with him, and he with me.⁠ 21 I will grant the one who conquers permission to sit with me on my throne, just as I, too, conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.⁠ 22 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Texts in conversation

Compare Jubilees 30:22 and Revelation 3:5

Pseudepigrapha, Hebrew Bible Expansions · New Testament

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Summary

In Jubilees, an angel warns that those who defile Israel are erased from the book of the living and marked for destruction. Revelation echoes this when Jesus promises the one who conquers that his name will never be erased from the book of life.

Passages

Jubilees 30:22

Pseudepigrapha, Hebrew Bible Expansions
21 All this account I have written for you, and have commanded you to say to the children of Israel, that they should not commit sin nor transgress the ordinances nor break the covenant which has been ordained for them, (but) that they should fulfill it and be recorded as friends. 22 But if they transgress and practice impurity in every way, they will be recorded on the heavenly tablets as adversaries, and they will be destroyed out of the book of life, and they will be recorded in the book of those who will be destroyed and with those who will be rooted out of the earth. 23 And on the day when the sons of Jacob killed Shechem a writing was recorded in their favor in heaven that they had executed righteousness and uprightness and vengeance on the sinners, and it was written for a blessing.
170–125 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Jubilees

Revelation 3:5

New Testament
4 But you have a few individuals in Sardis who have not stained their clothes, and they will walk with me dressed in white because they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be dressed like them in white clothing, and I will never erase his name from the book of life, but will declare his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
92–96 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Revelation

References

“... The Books of Deeds and the Book of Life are distinguished in Revelation 20:12 (for the redactional character of 20:12c, see Comment there). The motif of having one’s name erased from, or blotted out of, the Book of Life is a metaphor for judgment (Exodus 32:32-33; Psalm 69:27-28; 1 Enoch 108:3; Jubilees 30:22), based on the notion of expulsion or disenfranchisement from the record of citizenship. Originally, however, to be blotted out of the Book of Life meant ‘to die’ (Exodus 32:32-33; Psalm 69:27-28; Isaiah 4:3). ... Jubilees 30:22 refers to two books, the Book of Life and the Book of those who will be destroyed. ...”
David E. Aune, Revelation 1–5 (Dallas: Word, 1997), 468–469.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Jubilees 30:22 and Revelation 3:5

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