Hold On!

Continuing on our journey to the seven churches in Revelation, we go about 25 miles further Southeast of Sardis. This city is named Philadelphia. We know from the U.S. city of the same name, that it means the city of brotherly love. It is actually taken from the Greek word for brotherly love, phileo. It was known as the gateway to the East.

Philadelphia actually had a fairly large Christian population, due to the positive influence of the church in that city. History tells us that even when the city was taken over by Muslims, the church stayed firm. Their influence actually was fairly strong until around 1392. This was one of the longest periods of success for any of these seven churches. The churches at Philadelphia and Smyrna were the only churches of the seven, which God did not say anything against them. That doesn’t mean they were perfect, since there were real people in them. They just were wanting to live for the Lord. The church at Philadelphia actually makes for a fairly good model for current day churches to imitate.

Those who truly belong to Christ must live in the knowledge that Christ will reward for faithful, persevering service.

Hold On to the One Who has the Key.

Revelation 3:7 (NASB95)

“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:

Christ is described in this verse as being holy and true. No matter what others may say about Him or who may try to pretend to belong to Him, Christ is always holy and true. God alone is holy. This is another claim that Jesus is deity; He is God. He is also true, in that He is absolutely real and genuine, without any error or falsehood.

He also states that He holds the key of David. This refers to the understanding that whoever has the key is the One Who has the ultimate and absolute authority and control. That sounds impressive, but what exactly is this key of David.? The cross reference can be found in Isaiah 22.20-22 “Then it will come about in that day, That I will summon My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, And I will clothe him with your tunic And tie your sash securely about him. I will entrust him with your authority, And he will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. “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.”

This verse, from Isaiah, describes where the transfer of the power of the keys is taken from Shebna to Eliakim, who was found to be faithful. This also points out that Christ was and is the Messiah, being linked to having the key of David. We know from earlier in Revelation that Jesus has the key to death and hell. Whereas, in this case, He also has the key to salvation.

Then He continues by stating that [what He] opens . . . no one will shut. And if [He} will shut . . . no one opens. That shows absolute power, yet what is the significance? It would seem to be connected with the next verse, which we’ll look at shortly. However, a fairly obvious answer would be that Christ alone will choose Whom He lets into His kingdom and whom He keeps out of His kingdom. Why was that even necessary to say? It is probable that the Judaizers were saying that they would be the only ones to make it to heaven and no one else could could enter heaven unless they followed the Law of Moses. The reality is that Christ will make it clear who will get in or not get in to heaven.

Hold On to the One Who Gives the Rewards.

Revelation 3:8–10 (NASB95)

‘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. ‘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. ‘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.

In these verses, we see Christ recognizing the church for their deeds. It appears that they were good deeds, since there was not any negative comments given to this particular church. Their deeds may have seemed to go unnoticed, but Christ was fully aware of them.

In fact, Christ tells them that He is giving them an open door which no one can shut. And we know that if Christ says that is the way it is, then it will be so. In other words, it seemed that they were and would continue to have a fruitful ministry. This church was not in any danger of their lamp stand, or their witness being removed, as were some of the other churches. They were going to be blessed in their ministry opportunities at Philadelphia. As a result of their belief and stance for Christ, they would certainly enter into the kingdom of God and nobody could keep them outside of it.

In the face of all that was going on around them and the opposition they had experienced, they still remained true and holy before the Lord. It is telling that these were the very characteristics Christ used to describe Himself in the first part of this letter. The have kept [God’s] Word, in action and in word. They had not denied Christ’s Name by their actions or their words.

Interestingly, this church was not known as a super church. Yet, they were known as a faithful church. In fact, they are described as hav[ing] a little power. They would have been a great example of what Paul was sharing in 2 Corinthians 12.10, “Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” Church, it is far better to have little power and have God bless it, than to try to have a big name without God’s blessing.

Verse 9 implies that there were some Jews who were not believers who were trying to pretend to be something they were not. In fact, Christ refers to them as the synagogue of Satan. That is a pretty harsh commentary to a people who wanted to be known for their closeness and connection to God. Those individuals probably did whatever they could to malign and attempt to destroy the Philadelphian church. They probably spared no energy trying to discredit the church as being a fringe group that was not really in touch with God.

Those Judaizers were promoting the idea that if you were to be a Christian and live a truly Christian life, you had to adhere to the law of Moses. Anything less would prove the person to not be a Christian, according to those Christ referred to as the synagogue of Satan. They had rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah. They were constantly stirring up trouble and attempting to cause dissension. Just like others from this group, they may have had all the blood line and credentials, they may have practiced all the rituals, but since they were not of Christ, they were not truly Jews. Paul explained this in Romans 2.28-29, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.”

This type of behavior is not much different than what many churches experience today. There often appears an individual or a group of people who are bent on extra-biblical requirements for salvation, or requirements to prove a person is truly living a spiritual walk. They are constantly busy stirring up trouble in their self-righteous piety, they don’t even recognize God’s hand against them. Being part of a church, even a baptized member, does not make a person a child of God. To be a child of God requires a commitment to following Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Yet, verse 10 goes on and encourages us and the church at Philadelphia that in spite of opposition, the church persevered.

Christ promises to reward His church at Philadelphia. The first reward is seen in the fact that God lets it be known that those Judaizers and troublemakers are going to eventually humble themselves before the church. Those people who pretended to be God’s people, while at the same time rejecting Christ, would find out exactly who it was that Christ loved—His church.

What an encouragement to us! Sometimes, we might find ourselves wanting to put people in their place when they spend their energy and time trying to put a weight upon others which Christ never required. Here we see, that if we just leave the judging up to God, then He will indeed judge those people.

The second promise is found in verse 10. They would be spared the testing that was to come. What was that testing? The answer can be found in the phrase those who dwell on earth. This phrase is uniquely used throughout Revelation to describe unbelievers. This testing will be upon unbelievers. God is, more than likely, going to remove the believers prior to this severe testing. We can also assume that this is more than likely the Great Tribulation.

Hold On to the One Who Writes the New Name.

Revelation 3:11–12 (NASB95)

‘I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. ‘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.

Christ promises to come quickly. What that knowledge, the church is encouraged to hold tight. What a blessing! They are not to let anyone rob them of what is theirs. The crown is literally worded, the crown which is life. The same can be said of Christians today. We dare not allow either Satan or his workers (whether in the demonic or in the form of other people), to distract us or divert our absolute loyalty to serving Jesus.

The Christian is known as an overcomer. The overcomer has four thing which should be of great encouragement.

First, they will be a pillar in God’s temple, never needing to leave. To help this make more sense, it was known that those who were considered dignitaries would have pillars erected in their honor in the city of Philadelphia. It might be much like the Lincoln Monument in Washington, D.C., or even Mount Rushmore and the four presidents. Believers, will be pillars in God’s temple. The pillar represents stability, permanence, and immovability, as well.

Second, they will have God’s Name written upon them. This implies God’s ownership of the believer. This states to all as to Whom we belong. That is further assurance of salvation.

Third, they will have the name of the New Jerusalem written upon them. Thus, they are guaranteed citizenship in the heavenly city. Again, for the believer, we are guaranteed citizenship in God’s kingdom.

Finally, they will have Christ’s new name written on them. This is for them and us who have been bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. One day, we will truly know Jesus in His fulness. 1 John 3.2 “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

Conclusion

I find it so wonderfully encouraging to be able to look at a church in these letters and not feeling depressed, frustrated, or terrified.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to hear people referring to our church as a church just like the one at Philadelphia? Wouldn’t it feel good knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are for sure going to heaven because you know the One Who hold the key, Jesus Christ? It wouldn’t matter what anybody else said about you; because of your relationship with Christ, you would know for certain that heaven was waiting for you.

Wouldn’t it feel good to know that no matter how much persecution you received, Christ would still give opportunity for ministry? How great that must have felt when others were telling them, No, you can’t do church that way and be used by God. You must do it our way; knowing that as long as you were being faithful to the Christ of the Scriptures and were serving Him only, and not trying to make a name, nor a list of do’s and don’ts, Christ would bless your ministry. The church of Philadelphia didn’t have to buckle into keeping an appearance of peace that was merely compromise. Neither do we. They were being true to the One Who called Himself holy and full of truth.

Through it all, to know that we will one day receive our rewards. Wow! It ought to make us excited enough to keep on doing ministry. It ought to make us want to get out and touch lives for Jesus Christ.

Those who truly belong to Christ must live in the knowledge that Christ will reward for faithful, persevering service.