The history of Sardis: Sardis was a gre...

The history of Sardis:
Sardis was a great power in the world. They were a capital city. They were located on a mountain and they were surrounded on 3 sides by shear rock cliffs. There was only one path up on one side. They thought themselves militarily impregnable. They did not believe themselves to be vulnerable to attack.

The king decided to attack the Persians when they were near. Before the attack he asked the Oracle about the attack. The oracle responded that "if you cross the river, A great empire will fall."

Bolstered by the prophecy the king took the army down the mountain and attacked the Persians. They were routed. The king had mis-understood the prophecy. So they retreated to their city. The king was so confident in his city that he did not prepare for an attack.

The Persians sent one man to watch the city. He sat for days just watching. One day he saw a single guard. This guard dropped his helmet on accident and it rolled down the mountain. This one guard made the descent down the one path on the mountain. He retrieved his helmet and then ascended the only path back up to the city.

That night, the Persian lookout led the army up that single path and under the cover of darkness, while the guards slept, they sacked the city.

When John spoke the words of Jesus to this city: like a thief in the night

Created 9 months ago