TO THE CHURCH AT PHILADELPHIA – REVELATION 3:7-13 Our Heavenly Father, Creator of all things and Master Teacher, we humbly come into Your presence to seek Your Holy Spirit to open our eyes to these Holy Scriptures. We earnestly pray for enlightenment as we study together, and we ask You, Father, to open our eyes to see the truths contained in these words. Open our minds to comprehend that which we are reading, and open our hearts to receive the message that You have for us. Finally, dear Father, we ask for the strength and courage to live our lives in a manner of the called, constantly giving You the glory, honor, and praise that You deserve. We claim these things in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Revelation 3:7 (a) And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: In this next phase of church history, we see a stirring in the dead denominationalism that had strayed from the simplicity of the gospel. Two books sat in the London shop of a young cobbler: a well-worn Bible and Captain Cook’s journal. As the days went by, the cobbler found himself losing interest in working on the soles of shoes, and caring more about the souls of people in far regions. So deep was the passion that stirred within him that on May 31, 1793, he walked into the little Protestant church he attended and said, “Could I please share?” Allowed to speak a word, he read Isaiah 54:2, 3. “We must lengthen the cords; we must strengthen the stakes,” he preached passionately. “We must include others who have never heard. I want to go. Send me to India.” His request stunned his congregation. After all, it had been one thousand years since anyone had launched a foreign missionary endeavor. But their surprise didn’t stop Carey’s congregation from sending him to India. In his first ten years, he became fluent in twelve languages. One of his works, the Bible he translated in Sanskrit, is still used to this day. William Carey goes down in history as the father of the modern missionary movement—as suddenly the church awoke from her lethargy. Carey set the example that one doesn’t have to be skilled, gifted, or special to be used in the kingdom. God is simply looking for men who are willing to go. The church at Philadelphia speaks of this age of church history beginning in the 1800s, for it was through men like Carey in India and Hudson Taylor in China, D. L. Moody in America, and C. H. Spurgeon in London that evangelism was taking place and missionaries were being sent out. The letter to Philadelphia is one of only two letters of the seven in which Jesus has nothing critical to say. Why? Perhaps it is because the Philadelphians were involved in evangelism. They were loving the lost—and love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). There are three Greek words for love. Eros is erotic or sensual love. Phileo is brotherly love. Agape is God’s love. The city of Philadelphia was founded in 189 B.C. by a man named Eumanes II. When he died, he was succeeded by his younger brother, Attalus II, who named buildings after his older brother, minted coins bearing his brother’s image, and talked about his brother constantly. Consequently, the people of the town began to call this place Philo-delphia, or the city of brotherly love. Nothing is coincidental in the Scriptures. I believe it is true that every book of the Bible is inspired. And every chapter of every book is inspired. And every verse of every chapter is inspired. And every word of every verse is inspired. And every letter of every word is inspired. In fact, I agree with the Rabbis that every space between every word is inspired! Thus, it is no surprise that Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love is the center of evangelism. Revelation 3:7 (b) These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David… In chapter 1, we read that Jesus holds the keys of hell and death (1:18). To this missionary church, He says He holds an additional key: the key of David—which takes one back to the key of David spoken of in Isaiah 22, wherein we read of a man named Shebna, who was the treasurer in the kingdom of Judah during the reign of Hezekiah. After Shebna used temple money to purchase a sepulcher and chariots for himself, Isaiah came on the scene and said, “What are you doing? You had opportunity, but you abused it.” So the key to the treasury was taken from off Shebna’s shoulder, where the key was traditionally worn, and given to a godly man who wore it wisely. Isaiah went on to speak of this one who used the keys properly as being “fastened like a nail,” or steadfast and dependable. Of course, we think of another who was fastened—not like a nail, but with a nail. We think of another who perfectly carried the key of the government upon His shoulder (Isaiah 9:6). We think of Jesus. Revelation 3:7 (c)–8 (a) …he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it… Jesus is the One who opened the doors for William Carey in India, Hudson Taylor in China, for us in the United States, in Mexico, in Honduras, in Vanuatu. But He also shuts doors that can’t be opened. If a man continually says, “No,” to the Lord, there will come a time when he will be unable to say, “Yes”—at which point he’s locked in to his eternal decision and destruction. Revelation 3:8 (b) …for thou hast a little strength… There are those who teach that in the last days there will be a major manifestation of the sons of God; that miracles will happen, wherein every sick person is healed and glorious things will occur. But I believe that’s hype and hyperbole. Yes, there are some good things happening. But it’s the time of little strength. Jesus does not say this condemningly. He merely says that’s the way it is during the age of Philadelphia. Thus, it’s not an indictment, but rather an honest assessment of the “last days” church at Philadelphia. Revelation 3:8 (c) …and hast kept my word… Besides having little strength, the “last days” church at Philadelphia is a church that has returned to the Word, has a desire for the Word and studies the Scriptures constantly. Revelation 3:8 (d) …and hast not denied my name. The idea here is “You have not denied My deity. You recognize I am who I claim to be—not just an interesting teacher, not just a model of how to live successfully, of how to have prosperity, or of how to be happy. I am the Christ.” Revelation 3:9 Behold, 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. In this end-times church there is a synagogue of Satan—those who say they are Jews but aren’t. Who are these people? In John’s day, the reference would have been to the Jews who persecuted believers. Jesus said previously and reiterates here, “They’re not true Jews, any more than Christians who persecute Jews are true Christians.” In our day, I believe the reference is to the growing number of people in the Christian community who say, “Because God is through with the Jew, we are Israel.” In The Road to the Holocaust, Hal Lindsey proves that the deaths of six million Jews did not begin with the Third Reich. They began one hundred years earlier, when Bible teachers began to teach that God is through with the Jew. Anti-Semitism is always the mark of a people who fail to read their Bibles, for in Romans 9–11 God declares He is not through with Israel. There are three categories of people in the Bible: Jews, Gentiles, and the church. Who makes up the church? Former Jews and former Gentiles. This is important to understand because we need to realize that the reason for the Tribulation is the fact that God is not through with Israel. The Rapture is when Jesus comes to get us—but the Second Coming is when Jesus comes back to rescue Israel. May God help us to never lose our understanding of Israel’s importance. Revelation 3:10 (a) Because thou hast kept the word of my patience… What is the word of His patience? In 2 Thessalonians 3:5, we are told that God is establishing us in the patience of waiting for Jesus Christ. I point this out because the church at Philadelphia is the church interested in Bible prophecy. Although in the first two centuries, the topics of Jesus’ Second Coming and the Rapture of the church were central themes of preaching and writing, Bible prophecy was lost as an interest in the church until the 1800s because people said, “It’s impossible for a nation to come back from the dead. “It’s unthinkable that the Jewish people could have a national identity again. It’s gotta be an allegory. Why would the Middle East be the focal point of a battle? Who cares about the Middle East?” We now understand why that region of the world is so strategic: oil. Economically, militarily, politically, the attention of the whole world is constantly focused on the Middle East. Revelation 3:10 (b) …I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation… The Greek word translated “from” is ek, which means “out of.” In other words, Jesus says, “You at Philadelphia, you of little strength, you’ve kept My Word and you haven’t denied My Name. You’ve gone through the open door, and you’ve been patiently awaiting My coming. Because of this, I will take you out of the time period of temptation yet to come.” Revelation 3:10 (c) …which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. I believe the church is the group of people who will be taken out of the hour of temptation that shall come upon all the world. This is not simply local persecution in Philadelphia, but a time of difficulty that encompasses the entire globe. And there’s only one event that fits this description: the Tribulation. Revelation 3:11 (a) Behold, I come quickly… Tachu, the Greek word translated “quickly,” actually means “suddenly.” Thus, the Lord could come at any moment. Only we who believe in a pre-Tribulation Rapture can say, “It could be today.” Mid- and post-Tribulationists, on the other hand, have no recourse but to say, “The Lord can’t come back today because the Tribulation hasn’t begun yet.” But we say, “It could be today.” And such is the throbbing heartbeat of Bible prophecy. Revelation 3:11 (b) …hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. This is intriguing. “I’m coming suddenly,” Jesus says, “so hold fast in order that you don’t lose your crown.” “Crown?” you say. “I don’t have one yet. What does this mean?” I believe the answer is found in 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20, where Paul identifies the crown as people—people with whom we’ve shared, people for whom you’ve prayed. “Stay with them,” says Jesus. “Keep praying for them. Don’t give up on them.” Revelation 3:12 (a) Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out… “Hold fast to your crown, look for My coming, and you will be planted firmly as a pillar in My kingdom,” says Jesus. Revelation 3:12 (b) …and I will write upon him the name of my God… One of the best parts about making the football team was that you get to wear the jacket. Especially if your team is the state champions. If the football team at my alma mater, Columbia High School, was to win the state championship this year, there would be a certain amount of pride that would go with wearing a jacket with the word “Tigers” emblazoned across it. Even in years where the Tigers had a losing season, there would still be something special about wearing that state championship jacket. So, too, the Lord says, “I’m going to put the name of My Father on your jacket. His will be the Name you wear for eternity.” Revelation 3:12 (c) …and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God… You’re not only going to have the glory of God emblazoned upon you, but you’re going to have the government of God given to you. The New Jerusalem is going to make any city on this planet look insignificant. And we will be residents therein. Revelation 3:12 (d) …and I will write upon him my new name. Proverbs 25:2 says it is the glory of God to conceal or to hide His name, but the honor of kings to search it out. Because we are a nation of kings and priests (Revelation 1:6), we will be those who search out His name. It’s as if the Lord is saying, “There are aspects of who I am of which you have no idea on this earth, for it will take eternity for you to perceive and enjoy the aspects of My being. It’s My glory to conceal a thing. It’s your privilege to search it out.” When we get to heaven, we’re truly going to be the bride of Christ. I pity our poor brides, guys, because as time goes on, it must be disappointing, disheartening, disillusioning, and depressing to them to see our flaws become ever more evident. Not so with God. Unlike any relationship on earth, this one will only produce greater and greater ecstasy, greater and greater delight as we explore the nooks and crannies of His nature for all eternity. Revelation 3:13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. Brotherly love, evangelism, holding fast are all characteristics of this church at Philadelphia—which is perhaps best typified by Francis of Assisi when he said, “Witness wherever you go, and if absolutely necessary, use words.” Truly, evangelism is directly connected to love. Have a blessed day!
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 13:00:00 +0000
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