PHILADELPHIA
12/04/18 10:01
Revelation 3:7-13 (NKJV) “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,
“These things says He who is holy, He who is true, ‘He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
13 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
The "key of David" represents power and judgment (Rev 1:18). Notice that the statement says "The WORDS of the Holy One". When asked who we will be judged by, in the end, some say God and some say, Christ. Yes, Scripture says Christ will judge the living and the dead (2 Tim 4:1); but Christ said it's not He that will judge but the words He's already spoken (John 12:44-50). For those who push people away, people who are trying to restore, saying not to judge that God will judge them... this passage should not be a comfort. Actually, if you ever really read the words of Christ, the words that judge us, most Americans should not rest easily.
The most likely reason this church was one of little strength is that the Christians were so few in number. He then makes a very hard statement about a false religion in that day calling them "a synagogue of satan". This may have been referring to the many "Jews" who claimed to be followers of Christ while trying to force gentile to keep rites and rituals of the Old Testament. It could also be a reference to the New Testament "Jews", claiming to be followers of Christ (Gal 3:29; Rom 2:28-29). There was a man by the name of Theoleptos who rejected Catholicism but who he himself practiced secret rites of mysticism. It was by Theoleptos's mystic rites that the Orthodox were formed and from this practice came Hesychasm.
Though Smyrna was a church that had no reproof, like Philadelphia, Smyrna was told it would go through a period of suffering. To the Philadelphians, they were told they would be spared trials. I believe these are two different things.
Trials can mean a period of suffering but can also mean a period of riches. America is going through trials today. Not in any problems we are having but in the abundance we have. You can not serve both God and money and we are in a constant test, a constant trial, of which we will choose. Unfortunately, we are failing miserably.
Things get interesting in verse eleven and things that are believed. It's believed that, while these are real churches with descriptions of real churches, these are also periods of time. I'm not saying this is true, but I'm not saying it's not. It's interesting when you look at the different comments made to this point. To Ephesus Christ said He "will come". To Pergamon, He said He "will come to you quickly". To Thyatira He said "till I come" and Sardis He said they "do not know the hour" of his coming. Yet to Philadelphia Christ says He's "coming soon".
When one looks at this theology and then the sparing from trials, and when we look at how America is being tested on her obedience to God versus the love of pleasures; and when we look at the theology says the Philadelphia era ended in mid-1800's, we then have to ask the question... "What's the trials?".
If the "era of Philadelphia" would be spared the trials then the generation would need to pass away before the trials started. That brings us to the early 1900's. It was in the early 1900's that the greatest form of time wasting was invented.... television. While not everyone had on in their home during this time, the popularity eventually grew. From this technology came cable, VCR's (that's like old people's DVD's for those who may not know what that is), DVD's, digital movies, etc. Since then computers were invented and from that comes internet, YouTube, Facebook, and the likes. For the first time in history, we can carry several versions of the Bible, commentaries, writings of Josephus and Spurgeon, and many others all in a notebook-sized device. Yet, do we use this technology to study, to learn? People say they don't have time to study Scripture but how involved are they in sports, TV, movies, Facebook, etc.? If these churches are era's of time, this would be the trial - this would be the testing.
The person who overcomes the trials will be a pillar of the temple. The apostles are the foundation, with Christ as the cornerstone. Those who withstand the fiery trials were good building materials in the building we are working. We must be cautious to build with good materials. I believe the trials and the reference to the pillars of the temple work hand in hand with Paul's parable in 1 Cor 3:9-15.
What do we get from this letter? Even in leaving out the mysteries and theologies, God honors those who stand strong though they are weak. Our strength needs to be in God.
“These things says He who is holy, He who is true, ‘He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: 8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
13 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
The "key of David" represents power and judgment (Rev 1:18). Notice that the statement says "The WORDS of the Holy One". When asked who we will be judged by, in the end, some say God and some say, Christ. Yes, Scripture says Christ will judge the living and the dead (2 Tim 4:1); but Christ said it's not He that will judge but the words He's already spoken (John 12:44-50). For those who push people away, people who are trying to restore, saying not to judge that God will judge them... this passage should not be a comfort. Actually, if you ever really read the words of Christ, the words that judge us, most Americans should not rest easily.
The most likely reason this church was one of little strength is that the Christians were so few in number. He then makes a very hard statement about a false religion in that day calling them "a synagogue of satan". This may have been referring to the many "Jews" who claimed to be followers of Christ while trying to force gentile to keep rites and rituals of the Old Testament. It could also be a reference to the New Testament "Jews", claiming to be followers of Christ (Gal 3:29; Rom 2:28-29). There was a man by the name of Theoleptos who rejected Catholicism but who he himself practiced secret rites of mysticism. It was by Theoleptos's mystic rites that the Orthodox were formed and from this practice came Hesychasm.
Though Smyrna was a church that had no reproof, like Philadelphia, Smyrna was told it would go through a period of suffering. To the Philadelphians, they were told they would be spared trials. I believe these are two different things.
Trials can mean a period of suffering but can also mean a period of riches. America is going through trials today. Not in any problems we are having but in the abundance we have. You can not serve both God and money and we are in a constant test, a constant trial, of which we will choose. Unfortunately, we are failing miserably.
Things get interesting in verse eleven and things that are believed. It's believed that, while these are real churches with descriptions of real churches, these are also periods of time. I'm not saying this is true, but I'm not saying it's not. It's interesting when you look at the different comments made to this point. To Ephesus Christ said He "will come". To Pergamon, He said He "will come to you quickly". To Thyatira He said "till I come" and Sardis He said they "do not know the hour" of his coming. Yet to Philadelphia Christ says He's "coming soon".
When one looks at this theology and then the sparing from trials, and when we look at how America is being tested on her obedience to God versus the love of pleasures; and when we look at the theology says the Philadelphia era ended in mid-1800's, we then have to ask the question... "What's the trials?".
If the "era of Philadelphia" would be spared the trials then the generation would need to pass away before the trials started. That brings us to the early 1900's. It was in the early 1900's that the greatest form of time wasting was invented.... television. While not everyone had on in their home during this time, the popularity eventually grew. From this technology came cable, VCR's (that's like old people's DVD's for those who may not know what that is), DVD's, digital movies, etc. Since then computers were invented and from that comes internet, YouTube, Facebook, and the likes. For the first time in history, we can carry several versions of the Bible, commentaries, writings of Josephus and Spurgeon, and many others all in a notebook-sized device. Yet, do we use this technology to study, to learn? People say they don't have time to study Scripture but how involved are they in sports, TV, movies, Facebook, etc.? If these churches are era's of time, this would be the trial - this would be the testing.
The person who overcomes the trials will be a pillar of the temple. The apostles are the foundation, with Christ as the cornerstone. Those who withstand the fiery trials were good building materials in the building we are working. We must be cautious to build with good materials. I believe the trials and the reference to the pillars of the temple work hand in hand with Paul's parable in 1 Cor 3:9-15.
What do we get from this letter? Even in leaving out the mysteries and theologies, God honors those who stand strong though they are weak. Our strength needs to be in God.
