Letters to the Seven Churches
Letter to the Church in Philadelphia
Revelation 3:7-13
Keith Sharp
Salutation
The Son of God now writes to “the angel of the church in Philadelphia” (verse 7).
The City of Philadelphia
Philadelphia was located on the Cogamus River, 28 miles southeast of Sardis. The city was founded by King Attalus II Piladelphus of Pergamos in 140 B.C. in order to spread Greek culture in Asia. He named the city “Philadelphia,” “brotherly love,” to show his love for his own brother.
It was located on a main east-west trade route between Europe and Asia and thus became an important and wealthy trade center. It was also situated on the edge of a volcanic plain, which insured rich soil but frequent earthquakes. It was destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 17 and rebuilt by Tiberius Caesar. Of course, the people in panic would flee from the buildings of the city out into the open plain during these earthquakes.
The adjacent plain was famous for wine; thus, Philadelphia’s chief pagan cult was the worship of Dionysius, the Greek god of vine and wine, worshiped in drunken orgies. Philadelphia was called “little Athens” because of its numerous temples and festivals to pagan deities. When a man had served the city well, a column in one of the pagan temples would be dedicated to him.
Self-Identification of Christ
Christ identifies Himself as “He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, he who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens” (verse 7).
To be “holy” is to be “separate from common condition and use” (Mounce. 1071). The Lord God was to ancient Israel “the Holy One of Israel” and is so called twenty-five times in Isaiah alone (cf. Isaiah 43:3). Messiah, the promised Savior was called the “Holy One” (Psalm 16:10; Luke 1:35; Acts 2:27; 3:14). Christ is that Holy One, the divine, promised Messiah, Savior of the world. “In Christ is set forth the ideal demanded by God of absolute separation from the profane and sinful” (Hailey. 149).
He is also true. This was in contrast with the false Jews of Philadelphia (verse 9). Their claims were false, and they lied.. Jesus is the real Christ, and, as God is true (Romans 3:3-4; 1 John 5:20; Revelation 6:10; 15:3; 16:7; 19:2), so also is His Son (1 John 5:20; Revelation 3:14; 19:11). We can so trust His Word as to rest our eternal destiny on it (Romans 10:11-13).
In chapter one the Lord Jesus identified Himself as the One having “the keys of Hades and of Death” (verse 18). The bearing of a key represents authority (cf. Matthew 16:19), and having the “key of the house of David” means authority over that house (cf. Isaiah 22:15-22). God had promised David concerning one of David’s descendants, “And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever" (1 Chronicles 7:14). Jesus Christ is the promised Seed of David who rules to the end of time over the kingdom of God on the throne of David (Luke 1:30-33; Acts 2:29-36; 1 Corinthians 15:22-26).
He is the One “who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.” The Lord Jesus has all authority (Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:22-23), authority over the heavenly realm (1 Peter 3:21-22), the church (Ephesians 1:22-23), the governments of the earth (Revelation 1:4-6), and death and Hades (Revelation 1:17-18). We must hear Him (Matthew 17:5), obey Him (Matthew 28:20), and both act and speak by His authority (Colossians 3:17; 2 John 9).
Commendation
Of Philadelphia He states, “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name” (verse 8). Philadephia and Smyrna were the only congregations for whom Jesus had no criticisms. Thus, the church in Philadelphia was a model congregation that we should emulate.
“An open door” represents access and opportunity. Christ is the Door, the only way to come to God for salvation and spiritual sustenance (John 10:7,9; 14:6). He provides for His faithful servants opportunities for success in His work that no one, not even Satan, can close (Acts 14:27; 1 Corinthians 16:9; 2 Corinthians 2:12; Colossians 4:2-3). As the city had been built on the borders of Mysia, Lydia, and Phrygia as an open door for the spread of Greek civilization, so now the Lord had opened a door of evangelism to the church in that city (Hailey. 151). The Lord opens doors for us to take the gospel, and Satan cannot close them. We must take advantage of these open doors (Matthew 25:14-30).
The brethren in Philadelphia had three qualities that insured their success. They had “a little strength.” Perhaps they were small in number, impoverished, or uneducated. We must learn not to rely on our own wisdom, eloquence, or ability, for God testifies, “My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10; cf. Hebrews 11:34). If we have the other two qualities manifested by the Christians in Philadelphia, the Lord can use our “little strength” to His great glory.
They kept His word. Steadfast adherence to the word of God is the divine standard of faithfulness and the means of our salvation (John 14:23; 2 Timothy 1:13). We must always be determined to be able to give “book, chapter, and verse” for all that we believe, teach, and practice.
They had not denied His name. It would have been far easier before the persecution of unbelieving Jews and pagans demanding loyalty to Caesar as god to “go with the flow” and deny Christ Jesus. But the Lord had warned, “whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:33) and “whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38). We can either deny Him or confess Him in both word and act. If we go along with the ungodly behavior of our worldly friends, we deny Him. If we are ashamed to talk to them about Christ, we are ashamed of Him.
Promise
Due to their faithfulness, the Lord made three promises to these good brethren.
He pledged: Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you (verse 9). A synagogue is a congregation of Jews and, by metonymy, a Jewish place of worship (cf. Acts 6:9; 14:1). But the Lord Jesus calls these enemies of Christ and Christians “the synagogue of Satan.” The Jews had been the people of God (Exodus 19:5-6). But because they rejected His Son, God rejected them as His people (Matthew 21:33-46). Now, all people, Jew or Gentile, who come to Christ in obedient faith are the people of God , having the same special relationship with God the ancient Jews had (Romans 2:28-29; Galatians 3:26-29; 6:16; 1 Peter 2:4-10). Since the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus, those who claim to be the people of God because of physical descent from Abraham are in reality “the synagogue of Satan.” One day they shall fall at the feet of Jesus and Christians and worship (cf. Romans 14:11; Revelation 3:21).
Christ further assured them, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (verse 10). The term “trial” is the same Greek word often translated “temptation,” and applies both to enticements to sin (James 1:13-15) and tribulations that try our faith (1 Peter 1:6-9). Great persecution was soon to come over the world of the Christians of that day. This is not a promise to keep them from being persecuted, for all Christians must endure this (Acts 14:21-22; 2 Timothy 3:12), but to keep them from falling due to the trial. The Lord will not allow Satan to either entice or try us beyond our ability to withstand (1 Corinthians 10:13). But we, for our part, must have perseverance, “the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings” (Thayer. 644).
Furthermore, the Lord promised the one “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 (verse 12).
The worthy citizen of Philadelphia had a column in a pagan temple named for him. But the faithful Christian actually becomes part of the temple in which the true and living God dwells (Ephesians 2:19-22; Revelation 7:14-15; 21:3-4). He will never flee from that temple in fear, but shall dwell there in peace and safety forever and ever (Romans 2:5-8).
The Lord promises that the victorious Christian will have “the name of My God, the new Jerusalem..., and My new name” written on Him.” Three different names would not be written, but one name which would have all three characteristics. To have this new name stamped upon one was an indication to whom he belonged (Exod. 28:36-38). He is the child of God (14:1), whose habitation is the city of God (Heb. 12:22; Rev. 21:2). At the last he will dwell in the eternal abode where the Lord will make ‘all things new’ (21:3-5) (Harkrider. 55).
Exhortation
The Son of God exhorted, “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown” (verse 11).
He is not referring to His second to judge the world, for no one except God the Father knows when this shall occur (Mark 13:31-33), and the apostle Paul warned the Thessalonians that this coming would be delayed (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4). Rather, this was a coming in time to aid His beleaguered people because of their faithfulness.
Though this was an ideal church, still, Jesus warned them to “hold fast” lest they lose their crown of victory. Even the strongest Christians must be wary of the danger of falling away.
Invitation
"He who has an ear, let him hera what the Spirit says to the churches" (verse 13).
Works Cited
Haily, Homer, Revelation An Introduction and Commentary
Harkrider, Robert, Revelation
Mounce, William, Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.
Thayer, J.H., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament.
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