THE REVELATION OF JESUS
PHILADELPHIA - THE FAITHFUL
Revelation 3: 7-13
Philadelphia was established by the Pergamenian king Attalus II who had the nickname, philadelphus, because of his love for his brother Eumenes II, the former king of Pergamum. Philadelphia = brotherly love. The city was thus named to commemorate this affection.
Philadelphia is located about thirty miles inland from Sardis, at the head of the fertile plateau. It was the center of the highway from Rome to the rest of Asia. It was commercially quite important.
Philadelphia was founded with a special purpose and intention. It was located where the borders of Mysia, Lydia and Phrygia met. It was a border town.
The purpose of the founding of Philadelphia was that it would be a missionary of Greek culture and the Greek language to Lydia and Phrygia. It did its job so well that by AD 19 the Lydians had forgotten their own language and were totally Greek.
In AD 17 a severe earthquake devastated the city, causing most to move else where. The city was rebuilt, but slowly. Many were still afraid of the shakes. There has been no detailed archaeological work on the site, so little is known of the ancient city. The Turkish town of Alashehir now occupies the site.
Although nothing is known about the origin of the Philadelphian church, the church prospered under the ministry of a woman named Ammia. She was known for her gift of prophesy.
Long after all the surrounding country had succumbed to Muslim control, Philadelphia held out as a Christian city until 1398. To this day there is a remnant of the church in this city.
Characteristic vs 7
Jesus begins each letter with reference to his authority. To Philadelphia he describes himself as the one who is holy and true.
Only God is holy. Only through holiness can we approach God. It is through the redemptive work of Christ that you and I have access to the holy of holies, the presence of God.
In Greek there are two words for true. The first one means true in the sense that a true statement is different from a false statement. The second Greek word means real or genuine.
Not only is Jesus the truth, as opposed to false, but He is the real thing, the genuine article. He is the only reality. Since He is the truth we can count on Him to be true to His Word.
Then, something that hasn’t happened before in these letters. Jesus identifies himself with a symbol not found in the opening vision of chapter one. He who holds the key of David.
This is similar to Isaiah’s prophesy concerning Eliakim, king Hezekiah’s servant, who became the royal guardian of ancient Jerusalem. I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. Isaiah 22: 22.
Eliakim had the key which gave him the authority as to who could see the king. i.e. president’s chief of staff.
Jesus has absolute power and authority over who enters his kingdom (1:18). No one can oppose the will of Jesus, he has authority over the church, and no one can go against his will.
Because Jesus is holy and true no one can ever argue that his admission of some and refusal of others is unrighteous.
Compliment vs 8-10
The congregation of Philadelphia was not large. It’s members had little strength to oppose the force of evil. Yet they had kept my word... not denied my name (vs 8). They are also described as having kept my command to endure patiently (vs 10). What great words from the Lord!
In Philadelphia, members of the Jewish synagogue had played havoc with the Christians. Such Jews refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. They had become a synagogue of Satan (just like in Smyrna), they had become liars.
Jesus’ compliment to the church continues. It includes three specific pledges: first, he had placed before them an open door that no one can shut. Second, he promised that hostile Jews would one day fall down at your feet.
And third, he promised to keep these believers from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world. Each of these promises can be understood in a variety of ways.
What is the open door? Some scholars believe the door to be the same as what John sees next in 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. This refers to the entrance to heaven. While the Jews had closed their synagogue doors on earth, Jesus was opening the door to heaven for them, for Jesus their Lord holds the true key of David.
The Apostle Paul used this phrase to describe opportunities for evangelistic work. A great door for effective work has opened to me (1 Corinthians 16:9). Many Bible scholars believe that our Lord is encouraging these believers to become more aggressive in their evangelistic effort. After all, Philadelphia was founded to be a Greek missionary outpost, now it should be an outpost for the Gospel.
William Carey was a shoe cobbler. In his little workshop you could find the tools of his trade, a Bible, a Dutch grammar book and a copy of Captain Cook’s voyages and a home made leather map on the wall.
As Carey cobbled shoes, his thoughts were far away, he had seen the King of Kings in all his majesty and the countries in their dark and crying need.
May 31, 1792 William Carey preach his famous sermon in Nottingham, England. His message deeply moved the believers that day, thus was formed the Northamptonshire Baptist Mission Society. This act awoke the church from a sleep of a thousand years, as Carey became the first missionary.
He went to India and gave himself to the task. He started a factory, he learned a dozen languages, he became professor of Bengali, Sanskrit, and Mahratta. He preached the gospel through out India. He built the finest college in the country and produced a brilliant translation of the Bible.
I like both views!
When and how would these hostile Jews submit to the Christians of Philadelphia?
You can imagine in your mind the captives from an ancient battlefield kneeling before their captors. Some scholars believe that this passage refers to an event that occurred shortly after John wrote Revelation, but there is not record of any such event.
I believe this is a reference to when God’s books are finally opened. It will not, for the most part be gentiles kneeling at the feet of Jews. But rather Jews acknowledging that the church is truly the people of God that I have loved (vs 9).
These Jews will not be worshiping the followers of Christ, but the Lord himself. At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2: 10-11
The hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world is the first reference in Revelation of the coming time of trouble for the whole earth, the Great Tribulation, which is initiated by God.
This will be a terrible time for those living on the earth, a phrase meaning the unbelievers. In the literal sense, the first century Philadelphians were kept from this time.
Obviously this promise has a broader interpretation. Our challenge here is whether Jesus is promising to remove the believers physically out of the world before the time of testing, (This view is favored by those who expect a pre-tribulation rapture for the church) or is He promising to keep (protect) these believers from the experience of his wrath (a post-tribulation viewpoint).
Two examples, Noah and the ark on one side and the Israelites in Egypt on the other side. God provided a way of escape for one and protected the other while his judgement was poured out.
Criticism
NONE
Command vs 11
These believers must hold on to what you have so that no one will take your crown. Keeping a firm grip is difficult for those who have little strength. Heaven is assured, but they must not let go. They might lose their rewards by falling into sin as some had already done in the other churches.
Commitment vs 12-13
read vs 12
This is a picture of stability and security if ever there was one. Those from a Jewish background reading the letter knew that the Romans had destroyed their earthly temple in Jerusalem a generation earlier (AD 70).
Here is a promise to be an integral part of God’s eternal temple. This would be extremely encouraging because the Philadelphians had lived through a devastation earthquake.
This is the first of three times Jerusalem is specifically named in Revelation. In all of these instances, the portrait is of a city coming down out of heaven from God. Those who overcome will be part of the God’s temple. Not a literal building, it is speaking figuratively as we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. It speaks of permanence and stability of the overcomers in eternity.
In chapter 21 the absence of a temple is obvious because God will dwell eternally with his people, therefore they have no need of a building to represent His presence.
