Jesus Says: Stand!
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Today’s message comes from Jesus’ letter to a church whose reputation is one that we all hope to attain. It’s the reputation that we would all hope to have at our funerals: faithful. This church is solid. They’ve remained steadfast in the face of persecution and so Jesus writes to encourage them to continue in faithfulness and stand tall, knowing that they are his. And so he says to his servant, John:
“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.
This is the message from the one who is holy and true,
the one who has the key of David.
What he opens, no one can close;
and what he closes, no one can open:
“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
“Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.
“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
City is named Philadelphia- "φιλεω" (phileō) love and "αδελφος" (adelphos) brother. It was named after the city's founder- Attalus II, king of Pergamum who earned the title, Philadelphus (which means, “one who loved his brother”) due to his love and loyalty to his brother.
What a beautiful picture is described that the man loved his brother so much that it’s become his name, and so when he goes to found his own city, they call name it after him, not in name, but in deed. That's his reputation, and this church is living up to the same name.
Philadelphia was also known for its violent earthquakes.
The ancient historian, Strabo, describes Philadelphia this way:
Geography (English) Chapter IV
Philadelphia, subject to constant earthquakes. The walls of the houses are incessantly opening, and sometimes one, sometimes another, part of the city is experiencing some damage. The majority of people (for few persons live in the city) pass their lives in the country, employing themselves in agriculture, and cultivate a good soil. Yet it is surprising that there should be even a few persons so much attached to a place where their dwellings are insecure; but one may marvel more at those who founded the city.
He says it is “σεισμων πληρης” (literally, “full of earthquakes”). So much so that people wouldn’t even live in the city; they would live in the country to avoid danger.
AD 17, Philadelphia was mostly destroyed by a massive earthquake that also devastated Sardis. Aftershocks lasted for 10 years. The city was rebuilt by the 90s AD due to a subsidy from the Emperor. Because of their gratefulness for the subsidy, in parts of the city, the renamed it "Neocaesarea"- the new Caesar.
The church in Philadelphia, like the church in Smyrna, had apparently been expelled from the Jewish community. (Keener, Craig S. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993. Print.)
And it’s in this context that Jesus sends his letter:
“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.
This is the message from the one who is holy and true,
the one who has the key of David.
What he opens, no one can close;
and what he closes, no one can open:
“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.
There is a strong allusion here to Is. 22:22, especially for the Jewish Christians who had been thrown out of the synagogue. Basically, Christ is saying that even though they are being slandered as not real Jews, Jesus has the authority of the house of David, and they are the real Jews because him who has that authority acknowledged them as his own people.
I will give him the key to the house of David—the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them.
So Jesus writes to them as the Holy and True one with the key of David. And keys represent authority. If he has the key of the house of David, he has authority over everything that was promised to David. He is the true King of Israel. He is the Holy and True one, which is also an idea that is borrowed from Isaiah.
Beale says this:
The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Book of Revelation Christ Commends the Church in Philadelphia for Its Persevering Witness, in Which He Will Empower Its Members Further, and Encourages Them to Continue to Persevere so as to Inherit End-Time Fellowship and Identification with Him (3:7–13)
“Holy” and “true” are divine attributes elsewhere in Revelation (so 6:10), so their use here suggests Jesus’ deity. In fact, Isaiah uses ἅγιος (“holy”) almost exclusively of Yahweh as part of the title “the Holy One of Israel” (about 20 occurrences). This background is probably present here in anticipation of the Isa. 22:22 quotation and of the Isaiah allusions in 3:9, where Jesus assumes the role of Yahweh and his followers represent the true Israel
Do you see how the whole of Scripture agrees to the testimony that Jesus is divine? That attributes used to describe him are ones generally reserved for God. The claims he make are generally reserved for God. The things he says and does are functions of God. Jesus, through John, is making a claim about his identity. He is equating himself authoritatively with the Father.
Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.
What happened with the Christians when they were expelled from the synagogue politically? Socially?
Jews anticipated that at the end of time, the kings of the nations would come and bow down at their feet (Is. 49:23, 60:11, 14), and here, Jesus is saying, “yeah, you were right that I am going to make the nations come and bow at the feet of my people, but like the Pharisees, you misjudged on which side of the equation you fit.”
Kings and queens will serve you
and care for all your needs.
They will bow to the earth before you
and lick the dust from your feet.
Then you will know that I am the LORD.
Those who trust in me will never be put to shame.”
Those who wait on Yahweh will not be put to shame. And that’s what we seek, church. To be faithful to Yahweh in what he has commanded his people so that on that Day of the Lord, we can stand like Jesus calls the Philadelphian church to stand!
“Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world.
The word translated “testing” is the greek word, πειρασμός. And consequently, this is one of the verses that people who support the rapture use to defend their position. But there are some observations we need to make about this word:
πειρασμός (peirasmos) is the same word in the Lord's prayer when we pray "lead us not into temptation." It is a spiritual ordeal, not a physical one in which God promises to help us pass (could be the final hour or day of judgment). He's not saying we will be unfazed or unaffected. He's saying the same thing that the rest of Scripture says- that God will give us grace to face the trial. He will give us an "A" and we will pass the test.
Beale says this, and, follow me on this, because it’s important.
The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Book of Revelation Christ Commends the Church in Philadelphia for Its Persevering Witness, in Which He Will Empower Its Members Further, and Encourages Them to Continue to Persevere so as to Inherit End-Time Fellowship and Identification with Him (3:7–13)
Some commentators have affirmed that the way in which Christ will protect believers from the coming tribulation of 3:10 is by physically “rapturing” them from earth into heaven. This is primarily argued on the basis that this view best accords with the most logical and literal force of τηρέω ἐκ (“keep from”). However, Gundry has shown the improbability of this understanding by demonstrating parallels between Rev. 3:10 and John 17:15, which is the only other NT occurrence of τηρέω with ἐκ: there Christ prays, “I ask not that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from (τηρήσῃς αὐτοὺς ἐκ) the evil one.” Thus Jesus denies a physical removal from tribulation and affirms a spiritual protection from the devil (τηρέω [“to keep”] with ἀπό [“from”] in Prov. 7:5 and Jas. 1:27 has the same idea of protection from evil for those living in the midst of evil).
I am passionate that we as Christians don’t go beyond what Scripture promises. And we’ll talk about the Rapture more in depth in a couple of weeks, but let me ask you this: is the great hope presented to the people of God throughout the Bible the hope that we get to escape from suffering? Is that really the message so far to the churches in Revelation? I want us to be a people who put our hope not in a rapture, but in Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith. Let’s be a people whose hope, regardless of what happens is found foremost, securely, securely, and solely in Christ, not in a perceived promise of escapism! Because he will come:
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.
Crown is στεφανος (stephanos) is the same kind of crown that military or athletic victors are given by the emperor. This is not a ruling crown, but a crown of leaves. It may be more appropriately translated "wreath".
This is the promise of everyone who runs faithfully though: they will win the prize. They will be able to echo the words of Paul as he prepares to give up his life:
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
Jesus continues:
All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.
We know there won’t be literal pillars in a literal temple because Revelation 21:22 says:
I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.
So what's he saying? Pillars were often commemorative in honor of someone else. Could be a reference to Is. 56:5, where those that the Jews rejected received a place within God's house and a new name. These people have honored Jesus, and as a result, they will be with him forever. And this is the same promise for all believers.
"Never shall he go outside"- earthquakes. Their security is no longer dependent upon location. They can know that they are secure forever because they are with God. This would be a sweet
New in both instances is καινός (kainos). Most accurately "restored" or "re-made".
I’m excited for that day, when Jesus says to each of you and to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You endured. You didn’t quit because you were tired. You didn’t quit because it hurt. You didn’t quit because it was uncomfortable. You were faithful.
When you watch athletes play in their big game, be it the NBA finals, the Super Bowl, the World Series, whatever, every player has an injury. EVERYONE is playing hurt. And Jesus says, “I know it hurts,” but don’t quit on me now! I know you’re playing hurt, but play to win.
Don’t stop loving me.
Don’t stop loving each other.
Don’t stop serving.
Don’t stop praying.
Stand.
And that’s the message of Jesus today to his church: Stand! Let’s respond symbolically in obedience and stand to sing.
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