CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA

The Church in Philadelphia

part of a Bible study by Paul George

Revelation 3:7-13
Philadelphia, which means “brotherly love,” was situated in Lydia along the Hermus River valley about 38 miles southeast of Sardis. Though the land was rich and fertile from the volcanic residue, Philadelphia was a dangerous place to live due to the many earthquakes experienced in the region. As a result, many of its inhabitants chose to live in huts outside the city in the open country.

“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; I know your deeds. Because I have put before you an open which no one can shut” (Revelation 3:7-8).

“He who is holy” asserts the Savior’s deity, the One totally set apart from sin. “Who is true,” means “the real, the ideal,” and stands opposed to what is false and to what is only a picture or type of the real. “Who has the key of David.” In Revelation 1:18 the keys speak of Christ’s power to give salvation and victory over death and the unseen Satanic world which tries to hold men under the dominion of sin and death (Hebrews 2:14). Here, however, the key speaks of (1) His royal claims as Lord and Head of David’s house. It anticipates and looks to His rule and kingdom on earth. (2) But it also reminds us of His royal authority or sovereignty even now over heaven and earth (Matthew 28:19).

When men by their arrogance and ecclesiastical or political position and actions strive to shut out true Bible believing believers from effective service, we need to remember the power and authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. Men may bind us, as they did John and Paul, but God’s Word is not bound (2 Timothy 2:9). When men think they must compromise God’s principles of the ministry and resort to human gimmicks, Madison Avenue techniques, or any kind of worldly means to accomplish spiritual objectives or as the keys to open doors, we need to reflect on the truth of this passage. The Lord holds the key to opening doors to ministry as well as the door to the hearts of men. In the final analysis it is always our Lord who opens all true doors of ministry to us. The church in Philadelphia had a little strength, they were small in numbers by man’s standards as man counts success, but this must never disturb or discourage us.

“And who shuts and no one opens” There is also an important lesson here as believers seek God’s guidance for ministry. Paul and His missionary team had planned to minister first in Asia, but were forbidden by the Holy Spirit (Acts 16:6). Then they wanted to minister in Bithynia, but they were not permitted to minister there either (Acts 16:7). Instead, they were called to Macedonia. In other words, at that point at least, the Lord shut the doors to Asia and Bithynia, but opened them in other places. Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 16, Paul expressed his plans to eventually visit Corinth (1 Corinthians16:5-7), but he carefully qualified this with “if the Lord permits” (v 7). However, for the moment, he was committed to staying at Ephesus to minister, because “a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16: 8-9).

The lesson that we must learn is, take advantage of the opportunities when they come, but not push and get frustrated when the Lord is not opening the door.

There are two points here; first, open doors of opportunities, no matter how hard we think we have worked to open the doors to this ministry or that one, are gifts from the Savior because without Him, they would not open. Second, open doors are trusts given to us for faithful stewardship just as with our spiritual gifts or our finances.

The church in Philadelphia was small in number by comparison to the religious and idolatrous people of the city. Though they were small, they did have power, spiritual capacity because their source of power was the presence of the Holy Spirit in the church and they were committed to Christ’s Word or the Word about the Savior to preserve it from false ideas and adulterations, but they were also committed to observing its truth in their lives.

Jesus commends the church in Philadelphia because they did not deny His name. This is evidence of their spiritual fidelity and separation from the world. Remember, one may confess the Lord with his mouth and yet, in some way, deny Him with a life that is inconsistent with the truth of Scripture or the character of Christ.

Revelation 3:9-11 contains a promise of comfort.

First, comfort concerning their persecutors, “Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they 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” (v 9).

The synagogue refers to the place of Jewish worship and study. “Of Satan” refers to possession, Satan’s synagogue, that which belongs to him. Satan was its head and the power behind the scenes. More crime, evil and persecution have been perpetrated in the name of religion and by the religious, self-righteous type than almost any other one source of evil. Religion is Satan’s trump card, and one of his primary weapons that he uses to both deceive and hurt humanity. This is what we have here, religious persecution by religious Jews operating under Satan’s control whether they realized it or not.

“Who say they are Jews and are not.” They were literal Jews, physical descendants of David and Abraham, but in claiming to be Jews, they were also claiming to be God’s people, religious guides to the truth, and the means and access to God. They were not children of God regardless of their claims and religiosity. They had rejected God’s Son and revelation of God; they were of their father the Devil. To be a true Jew in the biblical sense one had to have the hope and faith of Abraham. Abraham was the possessor of faith in the promises of God to him and faith in the coming Messiah. Since faithful believers will reign with Jesus Christ and share in His throne, these persecutors will in essence have to fall down at the believer’s feet.

Second, “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I will also 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” patience” (Revelation 3:10). “The word of My perseverance” refers to the testimony of Scripture regarding the truth of Christ as the suffering, resurrected, victorious Savior who endured the shame of rejection and the cross and who endures today as the resurrected and ascended Lord now sitting at God’s right hand (Hebrews 1:3).

Because they have trusted in the person and work of Christ He promises them He would keep them from the hour of testing that will come upon the world. The hour of testing sometimes referred to as “the Tribulation,” refers to the time of wrath or judgment described in chapters 6-19. This is the same as Daniel’s Seventieth Week (Daniel 9:27) and the time of Jacob’s trouble described by Jeremiah as unprecedented in its judgment (Jeremiah 30:7).

This protection from the hour of testing is not a reward; instead, this is a promise to the church as a whole. All believers are to listen to these messages and their warning, exhortations, and promises and act accordingly. As in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, this is to bring comfort to the church. In the recording of the promise to keep believers from the hour of testing John used the phrase “tereo ek,” which means, “to keep out.” This is a promise that believers will never go into the Tribulation.

In John wanted to imply that church age believers would be in the hour of testing he could have used a term that means, “to keep in.” This would be a promise of preservation in the Tribulation. He could have used a term that means, “to keep through.” This would be a promise to keep us through the Tribulation. He could have used “airew ek” that means, “to take out” or “swzw ek” that means, “to save out.” This could mean that believers would go into the Tribulation and then taken out of the Tribulation. He could have used “airew apo” that means, “to take from.” This would mean that believers would go into the Tribulation and then taken out of the Tribulation. Instead, John used the term that means, “to keep out.”

Third, the promise of the imminent return of the Lord, “I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown” (Revelation 3:11).

The promise to come quickly means “suddenly, unexpectedly, without announcement” and not necessarily soon. It implies immanency and so the charge here is to “hold fast,” a warning against spiritual carelessness and carnality. The warning reminds us to live in the light of His coming, to hold fast to Him in faith and service, when He comes it will mean examination and rewards. He will not forget our service on His behalf, but we must hold fast to the hope and expectation of His coming for us or we will live carelessly, indifferently to our calling and purpose as believers. When that happens, we lose our crowns, rewards for faithful service. So the Spirit quickly adds, “that no one take your crown.”

“That no one take your crown” refers to be deprived of the honor or glory potentially available through faithful living.

There are two possible ideas here:

First, it could refer to rewards that are lost and given to others because we failed to hold fast. There is a parable in Luke’s Gospel where the mina is taken away from a servant and given to the one who has the ten minas (Luke 19:24).

Second, it could refer to rewards lost because of the evil influences that we might allow to hinder us in the race of life (Matthew 13:7, 22; Colossians 2:18). Actually, both are true as the above Scriptures make clear.

In verse 12, the believer who overcomes is promised three specific things:

First, he will have as a reward a permanent and prominent ministry in the temple of God. All believers are in the spiritual building and household of God (Ephesians 2:21-22), but some will be pillars. To be a pillar is a sign of a reward with a permanent position of honor and responsibilities in the millennium and eternal state. Pillars stood for stability, ornamentation, and service.

Second, he will never be removed from this place of preeminence in the eternal temple, “He will not go out from it anymore.”

Third, he will have three special names: he will have written on him God’s name and the name of the New Jerusalem along with Christ’s own new name. This would all signify the priestly dignity and prominence given to the victors.

Finally, the letter is closed with the usual charge to all the churches wherever they may exist in the world to hear and take this message to heart.