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’: I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it…” (Revelation 3:7-13 NKJV)
Church Origin
Ancient Philadelphia—the city of “brotherly love”—was known throughout the Roman Empire for its agricultural bounty and earthquakes. Numerous earthquakes leveled the town on many occasions, including the big one of AD 37, but the survivors always kept clearing the rubble and rebuilding. This stalwart little town still exists today in Turkey under the name Alaşehir. The never-say-die, strive-to-survive, love-your-neighbor attitude that characterized this city also exemplified the church that grew and flourished inside its borders.
Christ’s Reveal
In His greetings to the Church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3, Jesus Christ revealed five wondrous truths about Himself.
First, Jesus is holy, meaning pure, sinless, righteous, divine, and morally perfect. “He who called you is holy” (1 Peter 1:15).
Second, Jesus is true. He declared so in this stunning verse, which shatters all claims to universal salvation: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Only a belief in Jesus Christ can provide a person with forgiveness of their sins and the gift of eternal life.
Third, Jesus holds the Key of David. The reference harkens back to Isaiah 22:20-24, as Jesus is being compared to Eliakim, a steward of King David. “The throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever” (1 Kings 2:45). Jesus Christ, as King David’s descendant, holds the key, the access, and the authority to rule and reign forever on the Davidic throne.
Fourth, whatever action Jesus performs is final. Eliakim opened doors nobody was allowed to shut and shut doors nobody was allowed to open. Whatever God intends to do, no force in the universe can stop Him.
Fifth, He knows. Jesus, in His omniscience, knows all. Nothing we do, say, or think makes it past the God of the universe.
Report Card
Out of the Seven Churches of Revelation, Philadelphia performed at the top of its class and was commended for three things: Jesus said they had “kept My word,” “not denied My name” and “kept My command to persevere” (3:8,10). The Philadelphian church believed and obeyed and persevered. Find any Christian who practices these three virtues, and you will encounter a mighty servant of the Lord.
Beyond the scope of this one town in Asia Minor, Philadelphia—the “Alive Church”—also represents a period in Church history (1750-1925). The door of opportunity Christ flung open released a flood of missions-minded churches filled with life and vitality, and empowered them by the Holy Spirit to spread the Gospel worldwide.
From the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries, the Gospel exploded around the globe as missionary societies passionately embraced the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). William Carey (1761-1834), known as the “father of modern missions,” trekked to India. Other greats of the modern mission movement included Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) in Burma, David Livingstone (1813-1873) in Africa, Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) and Jonathan Goforth (1859-1936) in China, and Amy Carmichael (1867-1951) also in India. Bibles were being translated into every language at a frantic pace, grounded in the literal interpretation of the Bible and a resurgent interest in the return of Christ. As Tim LaHaye once noted, “Nothing ignites the fire of evangelism in the heart of a congregation like dynamic preaching on the promised return of Jesus.”
Gentle Words
Unlike the five previous letters to the churches, Jesus offered no scathing rebuke. He only noted, “For you have a little strength” (3:8). Certainly, that fragile condition was not due to any fault of their own. The Philadelphian era in Church history eked out small memberships and worked off scant resources. But, when united, their combined strength of conviction, powered by a God who can feed thousands with a boy’s lunch, set off an unstoppable tidal wave of evangelistic endeavors.
Wise Counsel
The wise counsel Jesus gave to the church in Philadelphia—to persevere in the Christian faith—should echo in the mind of every believer who holds a Philadelphian heart for Christ. His counsel bound itself to a promise. “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” (3:10). Christ promised that He will return, but first, He will catch up—Rapture—all who believe in Him up to Heaven before the prophesied seven-year Tribulation befalls the earth. Believers in Christ will not endure the Tribulation, for we are promised to be kept from it. Knowledge of this ironclad promise of the Rapture of the Church is meant to “comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
Promised Challenge
In addressing the overcomers, meaning those who have accepted Christ in faith and repentance, the Holder of the Key of David unlocked four incredible rewards.
The first reward challenged them to “hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown” (3:11). Overcomers keep their eternal crowns, forged out of the sum total of all the good deeds the Holy Spirit has performed through us during this life. These good deeds constitute the eternal treasures we lay up in Heaven (Matthew 6:20).
The second reward was confirmation: “I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God” (3:12). The temple of God will be no mere building, but rather the eternal city called the New Jerusalem. Whereas pillars hold up a building, providing strength and security for the structure, in the New Jerusalem, the combined faithful will create a living temple. After all, “the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands” (Acts 7:48).
The third reward certified, “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” (3:12). The overcomer has their passport stamped with:
- Name: Child of God
- Country of Origin: New Jerusalem
Why? Because Jesus Christ paid the entry fee… with His life. Once saved from our sins, the overcomer becomes like that old Stevie Wonder song, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours.”
The fourth reward conveyed to the faithful Philadelphians was the revelation of a brand-new name for Jesus Christ. “And I will write on him My new name” (3:12). “Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jeremiah 23:6). Maybe because the name of Jesus has been reviled for so long, haplessly used as a curse word, that He will henceforth go by His new name—Yahweh-Tsidkenu. We faithful will proclaim Christ’s magnificent new name as we praise Him forever and ever!
