Revelation 3:7-13
7 And 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; 8 I 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. 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. 10 Because 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. 11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 12 Him 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. 13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
John MacArthur once wrote about prospective pastors entering the ministry, “Occasionally I am asked by young men seeking a church to pastor if I know of a church without any problems. My response to them is ‘If I did, I wouldn’t tell you; you’d go there and spoil it.’ The point is that there are no perfect churches. Churches struggle because all are made up of imperfect, sinning people. The church is not a place for people with no weaknesses; it is a fellowship of those who are aware of their weaknesses and long for the strength and grace of God to fill their lives.” The church at Philadelphia certainly wasn’t a perfect church, but it was one of the two churches in Asia Minor addressed in Revelation that the Lord Jesus had nothing glaring to correct them on. They were a small church that was faithful to Him despite opposition and He promised them a tremendous door of opportunity. From the letter addressed to them, we can learn three things that define for us what it means to faithfully follow Christ.
First, we learn that we must trust in His sovereign power. The city of Philadelphia means “city of brotherly love” and it got its name from The King of Pergamum, Eumenes, who founded the city in the second century B.C., and his brother Attalus II that ruled after him. Philadelphia was the youngest of the seven cities of Asia Minor and was known as “The Gateway to the East” because of its location on important trade routes leading to the rest of Asia. It would be destroyed by the same earthquake that destroyed Sardis in 17 A.D. and would be rebuilt by Emperor Tiberius. Various emperors would change the name of the city throughout its history. The church was likely founded in connection with Paul’s ministry in Ephesus as with most of the other churches of the region (Acts 19:10). Church history records that Philadelphian believers were martyred alongside Polycarp, the pastor of Smyrna and Ignatius passed through Philadelphia on his way to martyrdom in Rome. To this church, Jesus first identified Himself as “He that is holy” a description and title of God in the Old Testament (1 Samuel 2:2; Isaiah 43:3; 45:11; 48:17; Hosea 11:9). “He that is true” is fitting for the One who is “the truth” (John 14:6) and is “the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20). The next two references are Old Testament designations for the authority of the Messiah. “He that hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth” comes from Isaiah 22:22. The possession of “the key of David” and the authority to open and shut referred to the extended authority of the king given to his palace administrator. In Isaiah, it referred to Eliakim who replaced Shebna as King Hezekiah’s palace administrator. Other than the king himself, this position could alone grant access to the king. It is a description taken up by Jesus for Himself here as the One who alone grants access to the Father in heaven through His work as Intercessor and Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5). The only way a person is given access to the Father is through the Son of God (John 14:6) and Jesus carries all of the authority of the Godhead as God the Son (John 5:20-29). He told His disciples “All power [authority] is given unto Me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18) and it was on that basis that He called His disciples to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). These references would be a great comfort and encouragement to the church at Philadelphia and a reminder to us as to whom we serve. Jesus is the One with all authority. We are accountable to Him and any success or opportunity that we have in serving Him comes by way of His sovereign rule over all things.
Next, we learn that we must trust in His superior plan. “I know thy works” accompanies the address to each church, but for the church at Philadelphia, Jesus had nothing but commendation, encouragement, and promise for them. He set before them “an open door, and no man can shut” because the church had “little strength” and had “not denied” His “name.” “Little strength” means that they were small in number and insignificant by fleshly, human assessment. Numbers are not the test of faithfulness. Certainly, faithful proclamation of the gospel and discipleship lead to more believers, but ultimately all increase comes from God (1 Corinthians 3:5-9). What we are accountable for is not results, but faithfulness (1 Corinthians 4:1-5). Here was a church that was small, but faithful. For that, Jesus promised them an “open door” that no one could shut. What was this open door? The most obvious answer is that it referred to an opportunity for ministry. He was going to bless their faithfulness with fruit. The concept is used this way elsewhere in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 16:8-9; 2 Corinthians 2:12; Colossians 4:2-4). However, there is perhaps another meaning. In the next verse, the reference to the Jews as “the synagogue of Satan” indicates that the church faced persecution at the hands of the Jewish population in Philadelphia. Those Jews would have tried to hinder and oppose the work of the church and had likely excommunicated from the synagogue the members of the church who came from a Jewish background. They had metaphorically closed the door on them, but Jesus promised as “open door” to them. The “open door” would lead to those Jews that had rejected the church to one day bow before them and know that Jesus loved His church. This concept of the world coming and bowing before God’s people is actually a promise that comes from the Old Testament (Isaiah 45:14; 49:23; 60:14) to Israel. It was applied by Jesus to His church in Philadelphia. It could therefore mean specifically that those Jews would be converted or it could be referring to a future time when Christ returns and they are made painfully aware that those that they persecuted were God’s true people. Either way, Jesus promised to His people victory and success until they one day stand before Him. Attached is another promise that He would keep those that are His “from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” This specific reference in Revelation likely refers to the seven-year tribulation period. The phrase “them that dwell upon the earth” is used repeatedly in Revelation to refer to the lost world under God’s wrath. While the church would suffer persecution from the world around them, they would not suffer the wrath of God. We must trust in His plan. We must trust that the sovereign Lord is on His throne accomplishing His purposes through us. Our task is simply to remain faithful for as long as He has us where we are.
Lastly, we learn that we must trust in His supreme promises. The promise of the “crown” in verse 10 is in reference to “the crown of life” that has been mentioned already to the church at Smyrna (Revelation 2:10). The warning against allowing someone to take it is not a warning against someone else stealing our salvation. The Bible is clear that that is not possible (John 10:27-29). Instead, it refers to the proof or test of genuine salvation being endurance. To the one who endures, Jesus gave a new promise, that they would be made “a pillar in the temple of…God.” In the Old Testament, there were two pillars that stood outside the temple of Solomon that everyone had to pass by to enter in. They were named Jachin (meaning “He will establish”) and Boaz (meaning “by strength”) (1 Kings 7:15-22). Those two pillars were reminders to Israel of how God delivered them and gave them victories over their enemies through His power. That concept is applied by Jesus to believers as He promises that we will all be permanent fixtures in the eternal temple of God, the city of New Jerusalem. We will be there as perpetual reminders of God’s power to save and His faithfulness to His people. God will write His name and the name of His city on us as eternal reminders that we are His forever. In the Old Testament, the high priest bore the name of God on his forehead while he ministered on behalf of the people in the holy of holies. Jesus’s promise is that we will serve God continually as His priests forever in the eternal holy of holies, the New Jerusalem. Our service to Christ does not go unnoticed. All that we do or endure in this life will one day prove to be well worth it. Why would we settle for less? We must trust in His supreme promises.
What does it look like to follow Jesus faithfully now? The church at Philadelphia teaches us to trust in Christ’s sovereign power, His superior plan, and His supreme promises. We must look past our present circumstances to eternity. We must look through our present trouble and opposition and understand that He will accomplish His good purpose in our lives. He is on the throne and He will usher in His eternal kingdom. We, on this side of that reality, must decide whether we will serve and live for our kingdom in this world or His kingdom in the next.