We are studying the messages of Christ to each of the seven churches of Asia. We have already looked at five of the seven churches. We have studied Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira and Sardis. We are now ready to study the message to the church of Philadelphia. You will probably have heard Christians today refer to themselves as the church of Philadelphia. As we study we will see why we would like to be a part of this church. Also we want to remember that though the message was written to the church of Philadelpia of long ago, we can still find a message here for our own personal lives as well as for our own home churches of today.
The Message to Philadelpia - 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.
The church of Philadelphia is often referred to as the "faithful church". We see from the Scripture passage that Jesus did not rebuke this church for anything. In all of our previous studies, Jesus has called for repentance and for the churches to make some much needed changes.
The word Philadelphia means "brotherly love". That is very pleasant thought already as we begin. Philadelphia was a small city located about 40 miles away from Sardis. It was a wealthy city having many vineyards and was know for its wine production. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 17 with many frightening aftershocks plaguing the city in the days following the actual earthquake.
Verse 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;
Jesus is holy, He is true. Everything that Jesus says is always true! None of us could say that all we have ever said is true . .. but with Jesus, there is never anything but truth in Him, always has been and always will be. We never ever need to wonder if we should take heed or pay attention to what Jesus says. Why? - because His words are always important and always true!! Jesus holds the key to eternal life. The door is currently open to receive Christ as Savior and to become a part of the family of God ...BUT when Jesus shuts that door - no one can open it. Jesus holds that key. One way the door is shut is when we pass through death and into eternity. There is no chance to get right with the Lord once we have passed through the door of death. The time is to trust Christ is here and it is now! The other way that Jesus will shut that door is when He returns in the second coming. All is final at that moment - no time left to turn to Christ then.
Verse 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.
Jesus tells the church in Philadephia that He knows their works. This is so comforting to know. Even if no person on earth ever gives you any recognition for the hard work you do for your family and for the Lord, He sees it and He knows it and someday will reward you openly. Here also in verse 8, Jesus again declares that the door to salvation is currently open.
He continues with the following commendations - they have a.) kept my word, b.) have a little strength, c.) not denied the Name of the Lord.
Verse 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.
Jesus says He will deal with those people who claim to be Jews but are not. You may know some people who say they are Christians but their actions don't match up with them saying they are Christians. While we cannot judge another person in this matter, Jesus does know the heart of each individual. He can see if our heart is true to Him, or whether it is a just a fake. It is possible to fool other people but it is impossible to fool or trick Jesus. He sees, He knows what our every thought is. He knows what is in our heart.
Jesus will clearly let everyone know who it is that are his beloved children.
Verse 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.
This verse brings about a lot of debate among Christians. Is Jesus saying here that He will rapture the believers out of this earth before the time of the seven year great tribulation or is He saying that He will protect and keep believers in His care in the midst of the troubles and tribulation that is to come. I am not sure what the correct answer is to this debate but one thing I do know - that is God is able to deliver us both ways. He is able to swoop us out of here if He chooses to do so but He is also able to protect, guard and hide us in the midst of troubles and tribulation. He is honored by our faithfulness to Him in difficult times. The important thing is that we set our hearts firmly on the decision that no matter what comes our way, we will continue to trust in the Lord. If in the midst of great trouble and tribulation, we would be killed, we would immediately enter the presence of the Lord - so even that is not a real harm or danger to a true Christian. Stand firm in your faith regardless of your circumstances and in the midst of the difficult situations that you may face.
Verse 11- Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
In verse 11, Jesus reminds us that He is coming again. We need always to be prepared for His coming. Hold fast - stand firm in your faith in the Lord Jesus. There are crowns awaiting us in heaven. Crowns are some of the rewards that Jesus will award to the faithful at the judgement seat of Christ. We do not want to stand in regret before the Lord on that day.
Verse 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.
How blessed a thought indeed that the Lord Jesus will write His own new name on us. We belong to Him. It reminds me a bit of a wedding ring ( I realize this is not a perfect analogy). The wedding ring sends a message to everyone who sees that ring - it is a message of belonging and tells the whole world "I'm taken, I belong with my husband, I love him and he loves me, I am his and he is mine." A ring speaks volumes without any actual words being spoken.
Back to verse 12 - a pillar in the temple of my God - this indicates a permanent place. When we enter heaven, we take up permanent residence there. We belong and remain with Jesus in the presence of God forever!!
Verse 13 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
I have noticed that this is a reoccuring message to each of the churches we have studied. Listen up - hear and understand what the Lord is teaching us in these messages to the churches.
Note: Feel free to leave your comments to any of the posts here on my blog. Thanks
The Message to Philadelpia - 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.
The church of Philadelphia is often referred to as the "faithful church". We see from the Scripture passage that Jesus did not rebuke this church for anything. In all of our previous studies, Jesus has called for repentance and for the churches to make some much needed changes.
The word Philadelphia means "brotherly love". That is very pleasant thought already as we begin. Philadelphia was a small city located about 40 miles away from Sardis. It was a wealthy city having many vineyards and was know for its wine production. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 17 with many frightening aftershocks plaguing the city in the days following the actual earthquake.
Verse 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;
Jesus is holy, He is true. Everything that Jesus says is always true! None of us could say that all we have ever said is true . .. but with Jesus, there is never anything but truth in Him, always has been and always will be. We never ever need to wonder if we should take heed or pay attention to what Jesus says. Why? - because His words are always important and always true!! Jesus holds the key to eternal life. The door is currently open to receive Christ as Savior and to become a part of the family of God ...BUT when Jesus shuts that door - no one can open it. Jesus holds that key. One way the door is shut is when we pass through death and into eternity. There is no chance to get right with the Lord once we have passed through the door of death. The time is to trust Christ is here and it is now! The other way that Jesus will shut that door is when He returns in the second coming. All is final at that moment - no time left to turn to Christ then.
Verse 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.
Jesus tells the church in Philadephia that He knows their works. This is so comforting to know. Even if no person on earth ever gives you any recognition for the hard work you do for your family and for the Lord, He sees it and He knows it and someday will reward you openly. Here also in verse 8, Jesus again declares that the door to salvation is currently open.
He continues with the following commendations - they have a.) kept my word, b.) have a little strength, c.) not denied the Name of the Lord.
Verse 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.
Jesus says He will deal with those people who claim to be Jews but are not. You may know some people who say they are Christians but their actions don't match up with them saying they are Christians. While we cannot judge another person in this matter, Jesus does know the heart of each individual. He can see if our heart is true to Him, or whether it is a just a fake. It is possible to fool other people but it is impossible to fool or trick Jesus. He sees, He knows what our every thought is. He knows what is in our heart.
Jesus will clearly let everyone know who it is that are his beloved children.
Verse 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.
This verse brings about a lot of debate among Christians. Is Jesus saying here that He will rapture the believers out of this earth before the time of the seven year great tribulation or is He saying that He will protect and keep believers in His care in the midst of the troubles and tribulation that is to come. I am not sure what the correct answer is to this debate but one thing I do know - that is God is able to deliver us both ways. He is able to swoop us out of here if He chooses to do so but He is also able to protect, guard and hide us in the midst of troubles and tribulation. He is honored by our faithfulness to Him in difficult times. The important thing is that we set our hearts firmly on the decision that no matter what comes our way, we will continue to trust in the Lord. If in the midst of great trouble and tribulation, we would be killed, we would immediately enter the presence of the Lord - so even that is not a real harm or danger to a true Christian. Stand firm in your faith regardless of your circumstances and in the midst of the difficult situations that you may face.
Verse 11- Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
In verse 11, Jesus reminds us that He is coming again. We need always to be prepared for His coming. Hold fast - stand firm in your faith in the Lord Jesus. There are crowns awaiting us in heaven. Crowns are some of the rewards that Jesus will award to the faithful at the judgement seat of Christ. We do not want to stand in regret before the Lord on that day.
Verse 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.
How blessed a thought indeed that the Lord Jesus will write His own new name on us. We belong to Him. It reminds me a bit of a wedding ring ( I realize this is not a perfect analogy). The wedding ring sends a message to everyone who sees that ring - it is a message of belonging and tells the whole world "I'm taken, I belong with my husband, I love him and he loves me, I am his and he is mine." A ring speaks volumes without any actual words being spoken.
Back to verse 12 - a pillar in the temple of my God - this indicates a permanent place. When we enter heaven, we take up permanent residence there. We belong and remain with Jesus in the presence of God forever!!
Verse 13 - He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
I have noticed that this is a reoccuring message to each of the churches we have studied. Listen up - hear and understand what the Lord is teaching us in these messages to the churches.
Note: Feel free to leave your comments to any of the posts here on my blog. Thanks
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