Revelation part 9: Philadelphia
Notes
Transcript
PRAY
Review
Overview of the Messages to the 7 Churches in the Province of Asia
7 Churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea
7 Elements of Letters: The recipients, The Speaker's Identity, Jesus's knowledge of them, His rebuke, His commendation, His call to listen, His promise for overcomers
Reminder about the letters to the churches
These letters are written to specific churches going through specific situations, yet their message is also timeless - it applies to us today. This is why he says, “hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (not “to the church”).
Although each message was for a specific church of the first century, it also had applications for other churches of that time and throughout church history.
As we read each of these letters, we ought to ask, “How does this apply to my church today?” and also, “How does this apply to my life individually?”
For study purposes, we will divide up these churches according to the general tone of Jesus’s message to them:
Churches with balanced strengths and weaknesses mentioned: Ephesus, Pergamum, & Thyatira
Churches with only strengths mentioned: Smyrna & Philadelphia
Churches with mostly / only weaknesses mentioned: Sardis & Laodicea
Summary of Smyrna
The church of Smyrna was suffering in terrible ways, opposed by the devil and his agents among the Jews. The suffering was going to get worse, and some of them would give their lives for Christ.
In the midst of this terrible suffering, Jesus commends this church for their faithfulness to Him, He reminds them who He is, and He promises His reward to all who faithfully endure.
Jesus’s Letter to Philadelphia (3:7-13)
7 To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.
8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.
9 Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.
10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
12 The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it. Upon him I will write 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.
13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The recipients (v. 7)
7 To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.
To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write…
The City of Philadelphia
It was called “the gateway to the east.” (Osborne, 74.) It was an important city for trade.
The Church of Philadelphia
Little or nothing known about the origins of the church in Philadelphia. They were suffering greatly like their brothers and sisters in Smyrna, and their suffering was also in large part because of the Jews.
The Speaker's Identity (v. 7)
7 To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.
These are the words of (lit., This is what he is saying - )
the One who is holy
Yahweh (God) is the “Holy One” - 30x in Isaiah
15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.
3 And they were calling out to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Hosts; all the earth is full of His glory.”
4 Our Redeemer—the LORD of Hosts is His name— is the Holy One of Israel.
10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.
In Acts 2:27 and 13:35 this verse is applied to Jesus, the Holy One.
27 because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.
This reminds us that Jesus is God. And He is holy. Set apart from sin, set apart for the glory of God.
and [the One who is] true,
Yahweh (God) is the one who is true
10 But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.
Jesus is the one who is true
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
(see also Revelation 15:3; 16:7; 19:2, 11)
Jesus is God. The true God, the trustworthy God - He always speaks the truth and acts in accordance with what is true.
who holds the key of David.
Alludes to the prophecy of Isaiah concerning Eliakim in Isaiah 22:20-22
20 On that day I will summon My servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah.
21 I will clothe him with your robe and tie your sash around him. I will put your authority in his hand, and he will be a father to the dwellers of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
22 I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
This was pointing forward to Jesus, the one who has the real and ultimate authority over David’s house - perhaps referring both to the kingdom and temple as the dwelling place of God.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,
What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.
Regeneration/door of salvation; the scroll of ch. 5
3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look inside it.
4 And I began to weep bitterly, because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or look inside it.
5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
9 And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
16 And they entered, the male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.
10 But while they were on their way to buy it, the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut.
14 Among those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
Jesus's knowledge of them (v. 8)
8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.
I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.
He knows their deeds/works; he knows their small strength; he knows their perseverance. God knows everything about us.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways.
His rebuke - NONE!!
Not that this church was perfect, but there is no major issue He needs to correct at this time.
The churches that were suffering the most - Smyrna and Philadelphia - are the ones who receive no rebuke or correction of wrong beliefs and behaviors. Suffering is to be expected for Christians if we are living godly lives, so if we are not suffering for our faith and commitment to Christ, it may be that we are not living in the truth and love He’s called us to.
His commendation and encouragement (v. 8-11)
8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.
9 Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.
10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut.
Jesus Himself is the door of His sheep; He is the way of salvation, and these believers have entered through Him: John 10:9
9 I am the gate. If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture.
All believers - whether Jew or Gentile by birth - have access to the Father through Christ by the Spirit.
18 For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Though the “Jews” are trying to close the door and shut them out of God’s kingdom, ultimately God Himself in the person of Christ is sovereign over the door, and He chooses when it opens and when it closes.
The NT also sometimes speaks of open doors as opportunities for evangelism; though it may not be the meaning here, it’s still helpful to think about.
9 because a great door for effective work has opened to me, even though many oppose me.
12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and a door stood open for me in the Lord,
3 as you pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
For you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.
Strength ultimately comes from God, and often through trials. God’s strength is magnified in our weakness.
9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.
13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
Believers must hold fast to the truth of the gospel and so prove that they are genuine believers.
14 Guard the treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
To deny the name of Christ is to deny Him, and those who deny Him show that they do not belong to Him:
32 Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven.
33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.
22 Who is the liar, if it is not the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, who denies the Father and the Son.
23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.
Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead.
Just as with the church at Smyrna, the physical Jews were showing themselves to be children of the devil, while the believers in Jesus show themselves to be the true Jews because of their faith.
9 I know your affliction and your poverty—though you are rich! And I am aware of the slander of those who falsely claim to be Jews, but are in fact a synagogue of Satan.
44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
28 A man is not a Jew because he is one outwardly, nor is circumcision only outward and physical.
29 No, a man is a Jew because he is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise does not come from men, but from God.
I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.
In a mysterious reversal, the first became last, as the Jewish people rejected their Messiah and became the outsiders.
The prophecy of Isaiah is that the outsiders, those oppressing God’s true people, will bow at the feet of those who truly belong to God.
14 The sons of your oppressors will come and bow down to you; all who reviled you will fall facedown at your feet and call you the City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
23 Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They will bow to you facedown and lick the dust at your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in Me will never be put to shame.”
The love God speaks of here is not His general love for mankind and all creation, but His particular love for the people that He has sovereignly chosen by grace to be saved through faith in Christ:
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,
10 Because you have kept My command to persevere,
He has commanded us to persevere in faith and obedience:
13 But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.
19 By your patient endurance you will gain your souls.
We persevere by keeping our eyes on Jesus through the Word, fellowship with other believers, and the faithfulness of other believers who have gone before us.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.
2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
What is this hour of testing?
Destruction of Jerusalem/Temple
The Olivet Discourse (Jesus’s message on the Mount of Olives), recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, most likely refers to the destruction of Jerusalem rather than a future “Great Tribulation” as many have taught. There are many clues in the text that point to events in the lifetime of the Apostles.
Jesus uses similar language in that message to what is used here in Revelation.
21 For at that time there will be great tribulation, unmatched from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again.
22 If those days had not been cut short, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.
This might be what Daniel referred to in Daniel 12:1
1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress, the likes of which will not have occurred from the beginning of nations until that time. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.
It’s possible that the events of A.D. 70 are in view here, assuming that Revelation was written before that, as many have argued. Of course if Revelation was written later, that could not be the meaning.
The “Great Tribulation” - a 3.5 or 7 year period of intense trial/judgment on earth
14 “Sir,” I answered, “you know.” So he replied, “These are the ones who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Final Judgment
9 Therefore, since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him!
What does it mean that Jesus will keep these believers from the hour of testing?
The Greek word ἐκ can mean “from” or “out of” - so either He will protect them from the suffering or He will take them out of the suffering. “From” is more likely here because of the parallel with John 17:15
15 I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.
This is also similar to how He worked in Egypt with the final plague; Israel was still in Egypt when the plague hit, but they were protected from it by the blood of the Passover lamb:
13 The blood on the houses where you are staying will distinguish them; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will fall on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
One thing we know clearly is that Jesus is not promising these believers a life free of suffering. In fact, they have already suffered. And He promised that believers would.
33 I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!”
As believers, we should expect suffering and difficulty in life, and the greater our commitment to Christ, the greater the opposition will be. But Jesus has already won the war. He has overcome.
11 … Hold fast to what you have…
Continued perseverance is what He expects. They’re doing well in that, and He encourages them to keep up the good work.
7 “Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.”
35 So do not throw away your confidence; it holds a great reward.
36 You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.
His promises for overcomers (v. 9-12)
9 Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.
10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
11 I am coming soon. Hold fast to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
12 The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it. Upon him I will write 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.
General Promises
Promise 1: I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.
Those who oppose God and His people will someday bow and acknowledge God’s plans and purposes.
Promise 2: Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is about to come upon the whole world…
Whether out of suffering or through suffering, God promises to deliver those who trust Him.
Promise 3: I am coming soon.
7 “Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.”
He will return at the right time. Our job is to be ready.
Promise 4: no one will take your crown.
God promises a crown to those who win the race of faith:
10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful even unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.
25 Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable.
12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
8 From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but to all who crave His appearing.
They might be able to take other things away from you, but they cannot take away your eternal life with God.
Specific promises to “The one who overcomes” (v. 12)
Promise 5: I will make [the overcomer] a pillar in the temple of My God,
By persevering in faith, you demonstrate that you’re part of God’s eternal temple, His forever dwelling place - His people.
5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
19 Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household,
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.
21 In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
22 And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.
Promise 6: he [the overcomer] will never again leave it [God’s temple].
The one who overcomes will always dwell in the presence of God.
6 Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
4 One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple.
4 Blessed is the one You choose and bring near to dwell in Your courts! We are filled with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple.
13 Planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.
35 The perimeter of the city will be 18,000 cubits, and from that day on the name of the city will be: THE LORD IS THERE.”
Promise 7: Upon him [the overcomer] I will write [1] the name of My God, and [2] the name of the city of My God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God), and [3] My new name.
Three names (identity-belonging to…) written on the overcomer:
God (the Father)
God’s city, the new Jerusalem
Jesus’s new name
Isaiah looks forward to a day when God’s people will get a new name:
15 You will leave behind your name as a curse for My chosen ones, and the Lord GOD will slay you; but to His servants He will give another name.
The new Jerusalem is God’s city, His dwelling place
2 I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
believers in Christ are the new Jerusalem
22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to myriads of angels
God’s name is written on the foreheads of believers
4 They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.
His call to listen (v. 13)
13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
He who has an ear, let him hear
A call and warning to pay attention, to listen and obey the message
23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
What the Spirit says to the churches
Though Jesus is the One speaking, giving this message, He says that the Spirit is saying these things to the churches
This is a message for the churches (plural), not only for Smyrna
The present tense indicates that it is a timeless message (not only for the first century but for us today also); even now the Spirit is saying these things to the churches
Summary of Philadelphia
This church is doing a great job of persevering in faith and love. As a result, they are suffering from those who oppose God.
Jesus calls them to keep up the good work, keep persevering and holding onto Him, and He makes many promises to them to remind them of His presence, His power and His love for them.
Application
We also must persevere in faith and love. Regardless of the opposition, we must cling to Christ. The reward for persevering in faith far outweighs whatever we might gain from forsaking Christ.
Jesus is with us in our suffering and will give us victory over suffering. We must live confidently in the reality of Jesus’s victory, even when our circumstances seem to tell us otherwise.