Philadelphia: The Church Of The Faithful Series

A key in Scripture represents authority, and whoever holds the key has control. (1:18; 9:1; 20:1;Matthew 16:19) The key of David also appears in Isaiah 22:22; where it refers to Eliakim, the steward or prime Minster to Israel’s king. Because of his office, he controlled access to the monarch. As the holder of the key of David Jesus now alone has the sovereign authority to determine who enters His messianic kingdom. (John 10:7,9; 14:6;Acts 4:12) John Macarthur said it best when he said, “Revelation 1:18 reveals that Jesus has the keys to death and hell; here He is depicted as having the keys to salvation and blessing. “He opens doors, and no one can shut them; he shuts doors, and no one can open them.”

Jesus alone holds all the keys to the doors of opportunity in our lives. If we seek Him; He will seek us giving us that which our soul longs for; to be in communion with our Father. He alone can open the doors to serve in the body of Christ and deal out the offices of His Church.

Vs.8, “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can shut. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. “

True Obedience follows the open doors that Christ lays before us. How then can we know when a door is open, and when it is shut? We can know the direction of our Christian journey as we pursue God with all of our heart, mind and soul. This involves being with Him in silent; quiet reflection on His Character, allowing it to refine our fallen character so that our character would be like His Character. Vs.9, “Look! I will force those who belong to Satan--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.”

I love the message’s translation of this verse. It reads, “And watch as I take those who call themselves true believers but are nothing of the kind, pretenders whose true membership is in the club of Satan-watch as I strip off their pretensions and they’re forced to acknowledge it’s your that I’ve loved.”

This verse invites us to intimacy not to pretend that our faith is real while it is not, but to the authenticity of true belief. Those who are born again by the Spirit of God will demonstrate in their lives the fruit of the Spirit. This is the sure-fire way to know whether you are dealing with a believer or a non-believer; if they demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit then they are filled with the Spirit of Christ, if not then they are not.

12, “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 my God’s name on them, and they will be citizens in the city of my God--the New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And they will have my new name inscribed upon them.”

This is the promise to the believers of Philadelphia that they would be made pillars in the temple of the Lord. Temples is not literal. This is apparent because the whole heavenly city is considered a temple. John Walvoord put it best, “In the keeping with the symbolism, the Philadelphian Christians will be permanent like a pillar in the temple and, speaking figuratively, they will stand when all else has fallen.” The New Jerusalem is where out our citizenship lies. Those who are faithful to Christ shall receive these blessings not in this life, but in the life to come.