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Revelation 3:7-13 – The Church in Philadelphia
(Rev. Barry Johnson and Rev. Rodney Johnson)
Introduction
Hello everyone and welcome to lesson 2 of our study on the seven Churches of Asia from the book of Revelation. This morning we will be studying the Church in Philadelphia, the second Church that Jesus did not find fault with. Before we begin, let’s pause for a word of prayer.
Let me give you a little history of the city and the Church that was in Philadelphia. The city of Philadelphia was located on a hillside 30 miles from Sardis and was founded in 190 B.C. by Attalus II, king of Pergamum. His unusual devotion to his brother earned the city its name, “brotherly love.” The city was an important commercial stop on a major trade route called the Imperial Post Road, a first century mail route. It was prosperous until 78 AD, the year an earthquake destroyed many cities in the region. After this, Rome gave the city a five year exemption from paying tribute. During this time, vineyards were the backbone of the city’s economy but Rome made the city tear down their vineyards to give them exclusive rights over wine production. This of course affected the economy of the city. However, the Church in Philadelphia was the Church that was true to the Word of God. They understood the Word and kept it. The Lord Jesus commends the Church on several counts which we will talk about when we get into the verses. As I mentioned earlier, this is the second Church that Jesus did not find any fault with. Please listen and read closely what Jesus said to this Church. Barry, why don’t you begin with verses seven and eight.
Verses 7 & 8
“7And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; ‘These things says He that is holy, He that is true, He that has the key of David, He that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens.’”
The first thing Jesus tells the pastor is “I’m holy.” The word holy means “set apart, sanctified, consecrated, saint.” Its fundamental idea is separation, consecration, devotion to the service of Deity, sharing God’s purity and abstaining from earth’s defilement.” When Rodney gets into verses 9 through 11, we will see that Jesus makes the connection to His holiness with what the church in Philadelphia was doing. Holiness is a big deal to God and we see this in 1 Peter 1:14-16. 14As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16because as it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’ For those taking notes, the Lord said the same thing to the children of Israel in Leviticus 11:44-45. So we see that the first thing Jesus looks for in His Church is holiness. And we are holy. It’s part of the nature that we received when we were born again. Here, the Christians in Philadelphia were living out their holiness. Too many in the Church today are not doing that.
The second thing Jesus says is “I am true.” Remember how Rome told the city that they would be exempt from paying tribute for five years and then had them destroy their #1 way of living? Jesus is letting the church know that He will never do this. And this reminds me of what Jesus says about the devil in John chapter eight verse 44. We’re not going to read all of the verse. I simply want to point out the one characteristic of the devil that we must never forget. “[He] does not stand in the truth, because there is not truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
The third thing Jesus says, and for me this is most significant, is that “He holds the key of David.” The imagery here is unmistakeable. David was first king of Israel that shared God’s heart for His people. Remember we talked about that when we looked at the 23rd Psalm. Now Jesus, who was a descendant of David, is God’s heart. The kingdom of David is the natural reference to Jesus’ spiritual kingdom. Do you remember what Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 16:19 that also apply to us today? “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind (close or shut) on earth will be bound (closed or shut) in heaven, and whatever you loose (open or release) on earth will be loosed (opened or released) in heaven.” Jesus says there are keys that open or close what the kingdom of heaven has to offer and He has given them to us. But here Jesus is telling the Church “I am taking back the keys and I will be the one doing the opening and closing.” We’re going to see why this is important in the next verses.
Barry, before you continue I want to add something that stood out to me in verse seven. I love how John describes Jesus according to His attributes as you stated. He referred to Him as “holy, true, has the key of David, He opens and when He does, no man can close it and what He shuts, no man can open. We think of Him opening and closing doors, but this goes a lot deeper than that. As you alluded to, Jesus has the keys to heaven and hell – keys to the Kingdom (which we should be experiencing here, right now), keys to salvation and blessings, and the list goes on and on! I love this description!
Rodney – excellent point. Let’s continue with verse eight.
“8I know your works: behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it: for you have a little strength, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.” What is the door that Jesus has opened that no one can close? Rodney told us earlier how Rome destroyed Philadelphia’s economy when it removed all the vineyards. But Jesus tells the church “I am the open door that Rome can’t close and My open door is My holiness and My truth and you will be able to unlock all that My holiness and truth entails with the keys of My kingdom.” Most Christians are led by natural open and closed doors. The doors Jesus is talking about requires faith. And that’s why when Jesus says they have little strength, He’s talking about what one can see with their eyes. They had been faithful to Jesus but hadn’t seen everything come to pass that they were looking for. Again, that’s why faith is so important. And Jesus lets them know that He knows their work, which we see clearly in this verse: they have kept His word and they have not denied His name. God’s Word was their standard for living and they demonstrated this by standing up for Jesus when everything around them pushed them to deny Him. Are we not seeing this in our country today? Rodney is going to walk us through verses 9, 10 and 11. Rodney.
Verses 9-11
“9Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10Because you have kept the word of My patience, I also will keep you 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 you have, that no man take your crown.”
Let’s take a close look at verse nine. It says, “9Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.” If you recall from lesson one, Jesus referred to those who were Jews but were more aligned to the synagogue of Satan when He sent His message to the Church in Smyrna. In His message to the Church in Smyrna Jesus said while their persecutors called themselves Jews they deserved rather to be called of the synagogue of Satan. The meaning here is plain. These Jews worshipped in a synagogue and professed to be the worshippers of God, yet they were not worthy of the name, and deserved rather to be regarded as being in the service of Satan. Well, He mentions them again to the Church in Philadelphia. Barry tell them the point that you shared with me when we were preparing this lesson.
Rodney the thought that came to mind was when He said “Who say they are Jews and are not.” Being a natural born Jew is not the same as being a spiritual Jew, a person who is born of spiritual seed. The Apostle Paul talks about being in peril of his countrymen, Jews, in Second Corinthians 11:26 and calls them “false brethren” who had come in secretly to find reasons to deny the liberty they had in Christ and bring them back under the law. And in Romans 2:28-29, Paul writes “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 of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letters; whose praise is not from men but from God.”
Barry you are spot on. And as I said in lesson one, there are many who go by the label Christian who are not. Jesus knows those who truly belong to Him – Inside and Out! Jesus told the Church that He would “make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.” I want you to think about this. This Church was being hated by those who referred to themselves as Jews. These Jews persecuted them solely because they believed in Jesus. Imagine the day when all of these tormentors (the Jews and ours), will be marched before the very people they hated for serving Christ and will kneel down and worship Christ themselves before they are cast into hell. Remember, the Word says in Philippians 2:9-11, “9Therefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name. 10That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” I do not care what your religious beliefs are here on earth, whether you accept Christ and believe in Him or not, but one thing I can tell you with 100% confidence, EVERYONE becomes a believer when they die and EVERYONE will bow and worship Christ before they enter into heaven or hell! I cannot imagine spending a lifetime persecuting people for believing in Christ and then dying and finding out He was real and there is a heaven and there is a hell and I have to worship Christ and acknowledge Him as Lord in front of those I persecuted and then get thrown into hell. Can you visualize this?
Barry, it reminded me of what Jesus said about weeping and gnashing of teeth, which describes great anguish a person will feel when confronted with the consequences of rejecting Jesus. Let’s continue with verse ten.
Verse ten says, “10Because you have kept the word of My patience, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Jesus said they had kept “the word of My patience…” Jesus commends us to exercise patience. For example, Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” When we patiently go through the trials and tribulations service Christ, we will be rewarded. Exercising patience stops us from giving up when times get hard. This word is also translated “endure or endurance” in the New Testament. This is what I believe Jesus was commending the Church in Philadelphia for – not giving up. One of the highest rewards of patience (endurance) in one’s trial is the grace that God gives us to bear another. The fact that we have been patient and obedient may be regarded as proof that He will give us even more grace that we may be patient and obedient in the trials that are to come. God does not leave those who have shown that they will not leave Him. As a matter of fact, God doesn’t leave us at all, we leave Him. I heard a story about wife who was talking to her husband and trying to make him feel a little guilty about them seemingly growing a part. She told him that there was a time when people saw them in the car and they couldn’t tell if there was one person or two in the car. The husband responded by reminding her that the car’s design is the same. When they were younger, he was the driver, so he is still in the same position today as he was when they were younger. Then he asked her “Who moved?” The point he was making was that she was the only one in a position to move when they rode in the car. God doesn’t move away from us, we move away from Him. Ok, let me get back on message.
Paul wrote of Jesus’ example of patience in reference to himself. He said, “But for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering, for an example to them who should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting.” (First Timothy 1:16) They had shown patience in the trials which they had experienced and Jesus promises now that in return He would keep them in the future trials that shall come upon the world. Jesus’ description of an event that is yet to happen will severely test the whole world – the time of tribulation, the 7 year period before Christ’s earthly kingdom is consummated. During this time there will be an unleashing of divine wrath in judgments expressed as seals, trumpets and bowls. This period is described in detail later in this book and I highly recommend you read it.
In verse eleven Jesus says, “11Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which you have, that no man take your crown.” I want to call out something. Jesus said He will come quickly and yet we are still waiting two thousand years later. What Jesus is saying here is that He will be returning when no one is expecting Him and He is saying we should be ready. In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus said, “39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42Watch therefore: for you know not what hour your Lord does come.” (Matthew 24:39-42) We must be ready. We must be watchful. We must be prepared. Please review what Jesus said in Matthew chapters twenty-four and twenty-five about being ready and being sure. Let’s look at verses twelve and thirteen. Barry please read the final two verses and share your insights.
Verses 12-13
“12He that overcomes 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 comes down out of heaven from My God: and I will write upon him My new name. 13He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches.”
“He that overcomes” – As we talked about in the first lesson, overcoming is a choice. It’s not automatic. The phrase follows what Jesus commends them for – they have kept His Word and have not denied His name. Holding on to these two things will enable the believers in Philadelphia to overcome everything Rome has taken from them. And there are promises promised to the overcomer.
Barry, I agree with you. Many people believe they are going to heaven simply because they got baptized and said the words that they accepted Christ as their personal Savior. But as we have discussed before, that is not the picture that Jesus paints. He says repeatedly “He that overcomes…” which indicates that some will overcome and some will not. Remember Matthew chapters twenty-four and twenty-five? Jesus makes it extremely clear that we need to be ready.
“I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God” – The person who overcomes will live forever in the presence of God. I like the way the Amplified Bible presents this: “I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of My God; he shall never be put out of it or go out of it.” Jesus says “I will make him a pillar.” He’s able to do this because of how they responded to the persecution from Rome – “Because you have kept the word of My patience.” And He will do the same for us if we remain faithful to His Word and unmovable in our stand for it.
Barry I like that word pillar. When I think of this word I think about support columns that hold things up. I think about leaders who are “pillars” in society because they are keeping their society together. Jesus is saying that these people will hold a special place in His temple. Praise God!
“I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God” – What is the significance of having name of God and the name of His city written upon us? Rodney, when I asked myself this question, I wasn’t sure I understood what the text was saying. So, I looked up the word write. It’s a word the ancient Greeks use when they carved figures with meaning on wooden tablets. So the word originally meant to “cut in, make an incision.” When Jesus uses this word, He’s emphasizing that He will remember them and will not forget them because their names are now fixed – carved – with His name! He repeats this at the end of the verse as if to reassure the church that they are hearing this from He, who is holy and true. And Rodney, everything He says also applies to us! Praise God!
Verse 13
13He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches.”
We here this expression again as we heard with the church in Sardis. As a matter of fact, we will hear it with all of the Churches. What is Jesus saying with this statement? He is saying let every intelligent person, and every Christian, attend carefully to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Churches. It is a form of expression designed to capture the reader’s attention, and to indicate that what was said was of special importance. This statement indicates a choice that each person must make to listen to what the Spirit is saying. And, this applies not only to the message to the seven Churches, but in all of Scripture and what He tells us individually on a daily basis. We must learn to hear and pay attention to what the Spirit says to us. Barry why don’t you close us out.
