REV.# 10~ 3:7-13~ PHILADELPHIA ~1730-1900 A.D.~ 6-20-09
Today we’ll continue our study of this great book of Prophecy, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, let me remind us, this is not the Revelation of John, God used John to pin the Prophesy as he was exiled to the small island of Patmos by the then Emperor Domition, because of Johns testimony of Jesus, unknowing to Domition, it was all in the plan of God in order for John to receive and write down what was made known to John.
Rev. 1: 1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Philadelphia, the Faithful Church: ~1730-1900 A.D.~
This church is the church of the faithful remnant; all true believers from among all 7 church periods are members of the one true church. There are no words of rebuke for this church.
Ø Back ground and history~
The city was named after its founder, Atta lus Philadelphus, who was king of Pergamos from (159–138 b.c.), because he was loyal to his brother Eu me nes.
The city got its name because of the love that Atta lus had for his brother Eume nes, Attalus had a great love and loyalty for his brother, and because of that it is called “the city of brotherly love.”
The modern name of this town is Ala se hir.—which means [the city of God]
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In 17 b.c. a great earthquake struck this city and totally destroyed it. The same earthquake totally destroyed Sardis and many other Lydian cities throughout that area.
Tiberius, who was the emperor at that time, allocated a vast sum of money for the rebuilding of these cities, and they were then restored.
Afterward, some of the citizens refused to move back into the city and remained in the surrounding countryside afraid perhaps of another earthquake, more of the population than normal chose to live outside the city walls.
Philadelphia {6th church} along with Smyrna {2nd church} that are named in chapters 2&3, are the only two churches that the Lord had no word of rebuke. And the reason was, these 2 churches had remained true to the Word of God.
The places where these two churches were located are still in existence, although the churches themselves have disappeared.
Let me give us the 7 named churches again; Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicia.
There were more churches there in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey, than these 7 named churches.
But the Lord chose these 7 particular church’s to represent 7 different pictures we could say, of what would be taking place during the entire time the Church would be on earth, and let me say once again that each of these 7 churches are still with us today in some form or fashion, and there were true believers in each of these 7, which one of these churches do you attend? ~~the Apostolic church, the persecuted church, the compromising church, the corrupted church, the reformed church, the church of brotherly love, or the pretenders church.
Philadelphia covers the times of revivals and missions that began about the nineteenth century after the deadening effect of doctrinal controversies and state & church union in the midst of professing Protestantism. –SARDIS CHURCH--.
As a result of the carnality, division and worldliness of the Church of Sardis, God rebukes its dead orthodoxy and deals with this remnant, the missionary Church of the revival of the nineteenth century.
Until the nineteenth century the blessed hope of the pre millennial return of the Lord was seldom TAUGHT AND PREACHED. The truth was believed by many of God’s faithful remnant, but it was seldom preached and was utterly unknown to the masses of church members.
The church of Philadelphia was the time the Gospel was sent to distant shores through missionary work.
This period of the church is when great revivals broke out with such men as the Wesley brothers and Charles G. Finney.
Ø Christ was the One who opened the missionary door for this church.
The church of Philadelphia will exist side by side for a period of time with the Laodicean church, the pretenders.
When Christ calls out His True Church at what is known as the rapture, He will catch up the Philadelphia church out of the world to meet Him in the air. He will keep this church from the “hour of trial” which refers to the period of time known as the Great Tribulation period, which will come upon the whole earth.
The Lord will call out His true church and spew out the false church. The Laodicean church, the pretenders.
Ø Listen as I read today’s text found in Rev. 3:7-14
7And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
8I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
9Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
10Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
11Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
12Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. 13He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
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7And to the angel** of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy,-
Here He reminds them that He is holy. He was holy at His birth, He was holy at His death, and He is holy today in His present priestly office.
In His death He was holy. Acts 2:27: “Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption”
1 Pet. 1:15-16 15But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
7-b~He that is true, true (genuine, there is not another like Him, no one could ever take His place.),
“He that is true.” John 14:6 tells us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life….” True means “genuine” along with perfect and complete.
Moses did not give the true bread; Christ is the true Bread
(John 6:32–33 32Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world
7-c~He that hath the key of David, Jesus claimed to have God’s full administrative authority to distribute or not distribute all God’s resources according to His will.
This speaks of His regal claims as the Sovereign Ruler of this universe. Luke 1:32–33 “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” He will sit on the throne of David in the Millennium,
7~d~he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
In the New Testament, an “open door” speaks of opportunity for ministry.
He is the Only One today who is able to open and to close.
Matt. 28:18 All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
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8I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength,
The church at Philadelphia was the one, which was true to the Word of God. In our day the church, which it represents, could not be called the Protestant church or the Roman Catholic Church or any other church. It represents all churches the world over—regardless of their labels—that still remain true to the Word of God.
The open door is that of witness and testimony, including the worldwide mission field. It is not a matter of human power and ingenuity; for these believers hast a little strength.
But no individual or group has power to frustrate the service of those joined to Christ
Smyrna and Philadelphia are the only churches without reproof; the one is a suffering church, the other, of little strength.
The Philadelphia Christians had received an "open door" to opportunity for spiritual blessing, with the opportunity for evangelism. This opportunity would continue because they had a little "power" (spiritual power) even though they were few.
But many church pulpits that at one time were occupied by men of God who loved and preached the Bible as God’s Word, are now taken over by modernists who ridicule any literal belief in the Bible. The reason is because we are now in the Laodicean period.
It’s true that Christ has kept a few doors open. But prophesied apostasy is increasing, and Romanism, modernism, Islamism and communism are hindering the opportunities for service.
We are nearing the end of the Age of Grace. We believe the world is getting its last chance to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.
8-c---and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. This church kept Christ’s Word, we read of their obedience and submission in Jn 14:23-24 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings:
Ø They did not denied the name of Christ:
9Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie;
Since there is a return to the first principles in this assembly, Satan is on the attack. He brings in legalism; it is the Judaizing system in its opposition to the truth of grace. Satan is the accuser and he even uses religious people to assist him.
The true believers of Israel, which was being saved, had left the synagogue by this time. They had given up the Law as a means of salvation and sanctification. Those who continued in the synagogue were now in a false religion.
9-c-Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
The trouble making Jews of that day would eventually have to acknowledge that the Christians were the true followers of God (cf. 2:9).
They claimed to be the true followers of God, but they were not because of rejecting Jesus Christ.
Eventually they will have to admit their mistake at the judgment of unbelievers (the great white throne judgment) if they never receive Jesus as their Savior.
The future repentance of Israel at their Messiah’s second coming will result in the Jews’ respectful treatment of Gentile believers.
10Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
This is a promise from God that no part of His True Church will in any way go into the Great Tribulation that’s still to come on the world.
11Behold, I come quickly: This means that when its time for Him to come, it will be sudden, quickly.
-hold that fast which thou hast,
We have the right faith, lets just continue on not wavering, because He is coming.
- that no man take thy crown. Don’t be deceived by ungodly preachers,- there are 5 crowns found in the bible that believers can earn by their stewardship.
Notice the word is not that anyone would take their salvation, but their crown. A faithless servant may lose his crown, but not eternal life. Lost opportunities will result in lost crowns.
12Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, He will make them pillars in the spiritual temple of God, the New Jerusalem-
and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God,
Jesus Christ will identify with His faithful people. Since they have honored Him on earth He will acknowledge them in heaven, writing one’s name on something indicated ownership.
and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. ------We’ll have a new name.
13He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
You that have an ear of understanding understand what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches.
