Study of Revelation and End Times week 12

The Letter to Philadelphia wk 12

We have studied the first five letters to the first five churches in the Book of Revelation.

Ephesus was considered the careless church they had lost their passion for Jesus.

Smyrna was then considered the crowned church as they did not receive any rebuke.

Pergamum was then the compromising church as many in the church were following the pagan teachings.

Thyatira was the corrupt church as they tolerated Jezebel as this was pagan teachings.

Then last we seen the church at Sardis the feeble church as they looked alive from the outside but as God examined their hearts, the inside, the reality is they were dead.

Now tonight we will be looking at the sixth letter of the seven, the letter to the church at Philadelphia which is referred to as the faithful church, we find it in Revelation 3:7-13.

Church at Philadelphia

Just as the other letters we are given some different points, Philadelphia has an exception that is only seen in one other letter, which is the letter to the church at Smyrna, neither of these churches receive any rebuke.

I. Destination.

Revelation 3:7 NASB95

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:

The city of Philadelphia was located 28 miles southeast of Sardis.

It was located in an area noted for its agricultural products but afflicted with earthquakes which destroyed the city several times.

Christian testimony continues in the city in this present century.

The city was situated in a strategic place on the main route of the Imperial post from Rome to the East, and thus was called the gateway to the East.

The city still exist under the Turkish name of Allah Shehr, a living monument of the faithfulness of Divine promises in the midst of ruins.

The city was named for a king of Pergamum, Attalus Philadelphus, who had built it.

Philadelphus is similar to the Greek word Philadelphia, meaning brotherly love, which occurs seven times in the Bible (Romans 12:10; 1Thess 4:9; Heb 13:1; 1 Peter 1:22; 2 Peter 1:7 [twice]; Rev 3:7)

Certainly brotherly love is an important mark of the Christian.

We are taught of God to love one another.

But it is not enough to love God and our fellow brothers; we must also love a lost world and seek to reach unbelievers with the Good News of the Cross.

The church at Philadelphia had a vision to reach a lost world, and God set before them an open door.

Verse seven, tells us after we are told which church, Thus says the Holy One, The True One, here Jesus is describing Himself as holy that is sinless, pure, that is He is separate from sin, He is pure, perfect.

He is true, being that He speaks the truth, and is genuine and authentic.

Verse seven continues with - Who has the key of David, which comes from Isaiah 22:22

Isaiah 22:22 NASB95

22 “Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder, When he opens no one will shut, When he shuts no one will open.

Verse seven, continues with - who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens.

The key of David originally, was kept by the steward of his house, it was this official that granted and denied access to the king.

But this key of David, here in verse seven, is referring to the key that Jesus holds, the key to the kingdom of heaven, and therefore, Jesus has sovereign authority to control entrance into the kingdom.

Jesus tells us in chapter one that he holds keys to death and hades or hell, Revelation 1:18

Revelation 1:18 NASB95

18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

These keys represent access to death and hades, and by extension, access to heaven.

Now here we see that Jesus also holds the key of David, or the Key to heaven, on can only gain access to heaven through Jesus, with permission of Jesus.

II. Commendation

Revelation 3:8–9 NASB95

8 ‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 ‘Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.

Like the other letters, Jesus states I know your works, most the time it comes with a rebuke, but here it comes in the commendation section.

Jesus tells the church I have placed an open door that no one can close, there is some difference of opinion of what the meaning here is.

One way to look at this open door is that it is an entrance to heaven, and the other is an opportunity for service in the form of missionary work, witnessing to the pagan religions there in the city.

Either one can work, and in reality it could be both of them combined, as Christians, true followers of Jesus Christ, He has opened the door to heaven for us and no one can shut that door, that is a door that only He can shut to someone that rejects Him.

But there is also the case of service, Jesus can open those doors and when He does no one can shut them, and when He opens the doors people will get saved.

Verse eight continues with because you have a little power’ Jesus has open the door because the church has little power, that is the church was small in stature or in physical size, but we must not take that in spiritual weakness.

Because as we continue to look in verse eight, Jesus says, you have kept My Word and have not denied My name; therefore, we cane see they were spiritually strong.

It is not the size or strength of a church physically that determines its ministry, but its faith in the call and command of the Lord.

The church had faced opposition, and even though they were small in numbers, they were large in spiritual strength, they had stood in the face of opposition, they did not back down when the pagan religions cam against them, when the opposition arose, but they stood firm.

Jesus continues in verse nine, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, that is there was a Jewish community in the city of Philadelphia but they were not following Jesus so He says they are a synagogue of Satan.

See we must remember if we are not on Jesus’ side then we are on Satan’s side.

Jesus then tells the believers at Philadelphia that He will make these Jews come and bow down at their feet, that is the Jews would one day acknowledge that these Christians were right.

As verse nine continues, the Jews would bow, and they will know that Jesus has loved the Christians, the fact that all people will bow and confess Jesus has been prophesied since the Old Testament somewhere around 600 years before Jesus we see it in Isaiah 45:23

Isaiah 45:23 NASB95

23 “I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.

We even see it in the New Testament as Paul writes to the Romans in Romans 14:11

Romans 14:11 NASB95

11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.”

Paul also told the Philippians about it in Philippians 2:10-11

Philippians 2:10–11 NASB95

10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore, no matter what people believe here on earth, they will find out the truth, but if they do not believe and follow Jesus on this side of eternity it will be to late, when they find out when all bow and confess.

III. Promise

Revelation 3:10–11 NASB95

10 ‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 ‘I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

We now come to the promise, Jesus points out more of what the believers are doing right but adds promises because they are being obedient.

He begins with you have kept my command to endure, that is they have stood in the face of persecution and opposition, and Jesus says, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world.

This hour that Jesus is speaking of here is the great tribulation period, the seven years of tribulation, of persecution that will happen, this is the time described in Revelation chapters 6-19.

Jesus says I will keep you from that is you will not go through the severe persecution, the tribulation period that will come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

If Christ had meant to say that they would be preserved through a time of trouble, or would be taken out within the tribulation, a different verb and a different preposition would have been required there.

But here the expression I will also keep you from the hour of testing, or I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation - makes it clear that they would be kept out of the tribulation period.

Some might say well that was written to the church at Philadelphia but we must remember the Word of God is relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago.

Yes the letter was written to the church of Philadelphia, but it was also intended for all the churches from the time of the writing until the time of Jesus’ return.

The promise continues in verse eleven, I am coming soon, Hold onto what you have, so that no one takes your crown.

Jesus says, I am coming soon, when we hear this, If I told you I was coming soon, you would think in a few days, but this phrase coming soon is repeated often in the Book of Revelation but the phrase is better understood for us as coming suddenly or quickly.

Now we may still think, well isn’t that about the same thing, or giving the same idea.

But what Jesus is meaning here is when He returns it will be quickly or suddenly, it won’t be a slow process but will happen in the twinkling of an eye.

The verse continues with: hold on to what you have, that is to the faith that they have, to the works that they have been doing for Jesus.

Do not let up, do not slack up, but continue keeping the faith, continue doing what God has called you too, until Jesus returns.

The verse then ends with: so that no one will take your crown: this is not to be misunderstood as we can lose our salvation, but when thinking of life in a sense of an athletic event, do not let temptation, and false teachings trip you up to lose the race, and therefore lose the crown.

When we win the race, just as the athlete that wins the race wins the crown, when we win in life, we win a crown, again this is not meaning, Salvation.

Jesus tells the church at Philadelphia that because they have been obedient, that He will keep them from the tribulation period, and that He will come quickly, just hold on to what they have.

They were doing the right things, they just needed to continue doing the right things because Jesus was going to keep them from the tribulation, and when he comes for them it will be like a blink of an eye and because of their obedience they will win a crown.

IV. Exhortation

Revelation 3:12–13 NASB95

12 ‘He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. 13 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

In these two verse we have our three normal statements to close the letter out, the conquer, anyone who has ears to listen, to what the Spirit has to say to the churches.

The one who conquers - that is the one who remains faithful, that does not fall to temptation, or the false teachings.

Jesus says, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God: that is they would be honored by God, and this symbolism here would be especially meaningful to people who lived in constant danger of earthquakes.

The pillar shows stability and no need to go out or to flee, the heavenly city cannot be destroyed.

These would not be made of stone, but God’s pillars are the faithful people who bear His name for His glory.

Which we are told there verse twelve, that the conquer would have the name of God written on them, and the name of the city of God, the new Jerusalem.

When Jesus walked on earth He always used parables that related to the people that He was talking to, He made the story fit the crowd.

Now here in these letter when He is describing things and making promises, He uses words that fit the people and the surroundings.

Then Jesus closes with let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.

God opens doors for us, doors of opportunity to reach the lost, to serve the community, to do mission work.

If He opens the doors, we must work; if He shuts doors, we must wait.

Above all, we must be faithful to Him and see the opportunity, not the obstacles.

We must keep our eyes on Jesus, in order that we may see the doors that open, and when doors are closed.