|
Philadelphia (The church with
Opportunity)
After the harsh words Jesus had
for Sardis, it's a relief to see the contrast between it and
Philadelphia. Being the 6th of the seven churches we have not seen
a single one yet that was doing everything right. Every single one
of them so far were condemned for at least one transgression and were
warned to repent or suffer the consequences. It is a sobering
thought when one considers the state of the Lord's church today and
compares it with the fact that all but one of the churches addressed in
Revelation had problems which threatened their standing with Jesus
Christ. This is not enough of a model to build a worldwide
comparison by any means but it is significant enough to give any
Christian sufficient reason for some serious reflection of their own
standing with God. It is truly an encouragement at this
point to see that it is possible to please Jesus Christ with faithful and
diligent service.
Philadelphia
was the youngest of the seven cities of Revelation. It was founded
by colonists from Pergamos in honor of, and named after, Attalus II Philadelphos of
Pergamos during the reign of his elder brother, Eumenes II, king of
Lydia. The word "Philadelphos" literally means "brother lover"
so the name Philadelphia came to mean the city of brotherly love.
According to history, Attalus reigned over Philadelphia during the
years of 159 to 138 B.C. Philadelphia was established for a
specific purpose. It was a Lydian border
town built where Mysia and Phrygia joined with Lydia.
It is located about 105 miles from Smyrna near the Cogamus River and on
one of the main highways which led to the interior of Asia Minor. The
intent was to encourage the spread of the Greek language and culture
into Lydia and Phrygia and this strategy was successful so that by A.D.
19 both of them had abandoned their native languages and spoke primarily
Greek.
Pagan Worship in Philadelphia:
Philadelphia had a nickname of "Little
Athens" because of its many temples and festivals to pagan gods.
Philadelphia also preached loyalty to Hellenism.
The word, Hellenistic, is derived from the word,
Hellene, which was the Greek word for the Greeks.
The principal meaning of Hellenism is the
propagation of culture and religion from classical Greece to the rest of
the world, with classical Greek culture and beliefs either replacing or
joining with local culture and ideas. So Philadelphia was in
reality a missionary city with the intended purpose being to spread
Greek culture to the rest of the region.
The soil of the plain near
Philadelphia was particularly fertile and was used for vineyards.
Wine was the chief source of revenue for this city. Baachus (the god of
wine) was worshipped in Philadelphia.
Revelation 3:7
"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 none shall shut, and that shutteth and none openeth"
Jesus makes some statements here about Himself to the Christians in
Philadelphia. First, He declares His holiness. In several
New Testament passages holiness is applied to Christ (Mark 1:24; Acts
3:14; 4:30). Holiness is a characteristic which sets Jesus apart
from mankind. Jesus is without sin, guile or deception, in every
way holy. He is to be reverenced and obeyed. This
characteristic of Jesus is seen also in God the Father. "Holy
holy holy is the Lord of hosts" was the song of the seraphs heard
and recorded by Isaiah in 6:3. "To whom then will ye liken me,
that I should be equal (to him)? saith the Holy One" (Isaiah 40:25).
Throughout the Bible God is portrayed as the "holy one".
The combination of words "God" and "Holy"
occur 247 times in the King James translation. Here we see this
title claimed by Jesus Christ which positively identifies Him as sharing
the attributes of God the Father. John teaches us in chapter 1
of the Gospel account bearing his name that Jesus Christ was God in the
beginning and took on flesh to live amongst man.
"He that is true"
This statement refers to the nature of Jesus Christ. In the Greek
the word here for "true" is "Alethinos" which is similar
to the word "Alethes". The latter carrying the meaning of a
statement which is true, while the former refers more to the relation of
the originator of the statement. In simple terms "Alethes"
is something that can be believed without question. Jesus Christ
who is here described as "Alethinos" is the originator of truth and can
be believed without question. Jesus Christ doesn't just make
statements that are true. He is the source from which truth comes. Not only can we trust and believe what Jesus said and
taught as the truth, we can trust and believe in Him because of His
nature.
"he that hath the key of
David"
A key is a symbol of authority. Keys are used to open locks
and doors which protect things of value. Those who possess the
keys have the authority and the right to grant access to that which is
protected by locks or doors. Jesus Christ said He would
build His church in Matthew 16:18-19 and to Peter He gave the keys to
the kingdom. Peter and the others were given the authority and the
right to grant access to the kingdom of Heaven. Peter and the rest
of the apostles would open the door of opportunity to all who would
believe and obey. There were no literal keys being exchanged,
neither should we visualize a literal physical key in the possession of
Jesus Christ. These word pictures are meant to convey an idea to
the reader of someone who has the authority to grant access to things
which are concealed from general view.
"he that hath the key of
David, he that openeth and none shall shut, and that shutteth and none openeth"
This statement of Jesus is a direct reference back to Eliakim in Isaiah
22:22, "And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his
shoulder; and he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and
none shall open" Shebna was an evil officer of King
Hezekiah who was driven from office by God. Eliakim was entrusted
with the power of the key of David. He was given the power to open
doors of opportunity and duty to which no other could close and doors he
closed remained closed. Jesus claimed for himself the authority of
the key of David.
The key of the house of David
is a reference to the promise God made to David as recorded in 2 Samuel
7:16, "And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever
before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever." Jesus
Christ in the flesh was a direct descendant through the lineage of
David. The house of David here is therefore a reference to the
everlasting kingdom that was to be established in the future before him.
The "new Jerusalem" mentioned in verse 12 of this same letter is
the spiritual kingdom that Jesus rules from the right hand side of God
the Father in Heaven.
Jesus likewise opens and shuts doors.
Doors represent the means by which something worthwhile is obtained or
just opportunity in general. When Jesus opens the doors to
anything, no man can shut them. And when He shuts those doors, no
man can open them. The doors to everlasting life have been opened
by Jesus Christ. And they will remain open until He shuts them.
And when they have been shut, opportunity to gain access to salvation
will forever cease.
Revelation 3:8
"I know thy works (behold, I have set before thee a door opened,
which none can shut), that thou hast a little power, and didst keep my
word, and didst not deny my name."
As we learned earlier, Philadelphia was built for the purpose of
assimilating Greek culture and language into the heart of Asia Minor.
It was built on a major highway that was used as one of the postal
routes of the Roman Empire. The church at Philadelphia had the
same opportunity to spread the gospel as the original Philadelphians did
to spread the Greek culture and language eastward into the interior of
Asia Minor. Jesus is telling them that this door of opportunity is
open to them and that He put it there and it will not be shut by any
man. They were strong, they had been obedient to His will and they
have not denied His name no matter what persecution they faced.
There was no shortage of Pagan worship in Philadelphia. Christian
persecution naturally arose in the presence of pagan worship due to the
fact that Christians utterly reject any association whatsoever with
pagan gods or the worship thereof.
Jesus praised the church at
Philadelphia for not denying His name. This would be a great
comfort to them in light of the fact that Jesus made this promise
earlier in His teachings while still on earth. "And I say unto
you, Every one who shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man
also confess before the angels of God: but he that denieth me in the
presence of men shall be denied in the presence of the angels of God"
(Luke 12:8-9). The church in Philadelphia had not denied His name
and were praised for it.
It is interesting to note here
that the reward for faithful service to God is more work to do.
Philadelphia had proven to be faithful and her reward for this was the
open door of opportunity for more work to do. The life of the
Christian is never one to set back and be at ease, rather it is the life
of high endeavor and self sacrifice in service to God. "...behold,
I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are
white already to harvest" John 4:35. "I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service" (Romans 12:1).
Revelation 3:9
"Behold, I give of the synagogue of Satan, of them that say they are
Jews, and they 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."
The Jews who rejected Christ
were bitter enemies of the Christians in the first and second century.
There were a lot of Jews living in Philadelphia They had a
Jewish synagogue there and all Jews
made the claim that God entrusted them with the key of David. They
claimed that as God's children they were the only rightful recipients of
God's heavenly kingdom and because of this, any member of the synagogue
that dared to confess Christ as Savior or Lord was cast out (John 9:22;
12:42).
What happened to Shebna, the
servant of king Hezekiah, also happened to the Jews. The power of
the key of David was stripped from them and given to others. The power
of the key of David entrusted to the Israelite nation was taken from
them and given to the saints of the church. The Christians in
Philadelphia who were given the open door were able to take advantage of
the opportunities associated with being the true Jews who were the "the children
of God".
The Jews of the synagogue
claimed to be the children of God but they were not. Paul
taught that those who were Jews outwardly were not, rather those who
were inwardly spiritual were true Jews (Romans 2:28-29). Paul was
drawing a contrast between those who claimed to be Jews through the
flesh from those who were true Jews of the heart. All who believe
and confess Jesus Christ as Lord and the Son of God, and who serve Him
obediently, are spiritual Jews. The Jews in Philadelphia
falsely claimed something they did not have the authority to claim.
Jesus called them liars and identified their synagogue as being of
Satan. Certainly this bodes ill for them and in all their
haughtiness and self important pride Jesus said they were ultimately
going to be the ones who would come and worship before the feet of the
spiritual Jews and know for a certainty that it was true children of God
that He loves and not them. The application for us today is that
all who serve Christ are of the spiritual "Israel of God", and
who are the true "children of God" and these are the ones who God
truly loves.
Revelation 3:10
"Because thou didst keep the word of my patience, I also will keep
thee from the hour of trial, that (hour) which is to come upon the whole
world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."
They had kept the word. This means they had been obedient to the
words and will of Jesus Christ through hard times. Harder times
were on the horizon for them. The first sentence of Revelation
indicates that the hardships described in the letter are in the not too
distant future. God promised the Christians at Philadelphia that
because of their faith and obedience thus far, they would receive help
from God in the trials yet to come upon them. This is a promise
made to all faithful Christians who keep the words of Christ and remain
faithful during times of difficulty:
1 Corinthians 10:13
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God
is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are
able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye
may be able to endure it."
All Christians are tried by the
things that happen in the world. The door of opportunity is ever
open to all mankind to repent and to come to God and find salvation.
Unfortunately, it is the cross which Christians must bear to live with
the consequences of sin in the world and with the consequences of the
activities of the sinful. Throughout history, the children of God
have suffered because of the sinful activities of the Godless. Our
God is truly just and fair and every accountable living person on earth
has the same opportunity that followers of Christ took advantage of.
God desires all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,
therefore the Godless are allowed to wreak persecution on the God
fearing and it is the duty of the saved to shine the way to the door of
opportunity in the face of it all, even unto death.
Revelation 3:11
"I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy
crown."
Jesus says He is coming quickly. The Greek word for quickly also
means suddenly and abruptly. Scripture teaches that His coming
will be like "a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 2 Peter
3:10), suddenly and swiftly.
Jesus admonished them to hold
on to what they had. Jesus had only praise for the works of the
Christians at Philadelphia but they were warned here that they could
lose it if they failed to remain faithful and persevere. All of
the churches of Asia started out on the right path and none of the other
six were told they had a crown. This crown could either be the
crown of life or a crown of glory, either of which, if removed, put them
into the same category as the others. In danger of judgment and
eternal loss.
The entire core theme of
Revelation is for the Christians to persevere, to remain faithful and
never give in to the world around them, to overcome it, even to the
point of death. And this warning was given even to the one group
that was doing everything right. The importance of this cannot be
overstated. If the Christians living under the horrific
persecution of the first century had to remain faithful unto death in
order to receive eternal life, we can be assured today that it is no
different. Let us learn from the examples of the faithful
Christians who went before us to glory and likewise strive to remain
ever "faithful unto death".
Revelation 3:12
"He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my
God, and he shall go out thence no more: and I will write upon him the
name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem,
which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and mine own new name."
Here again we see Jesus use the
words "He that overcometh" All of the churches of Asia were
exhorted to overcome. All of the churches of Asia in Revelation
had to remain faithful. God was working against the Roman Empire
from Heaven, but the Christians on earth had their part to play in it as
well. It was their responsibility to stay faithful and overcome
all opposition against them while God worked His will on their
oppressors. The application for us today is no different.
Nothing about God's will as expressed in the New Covenant under which we
live has changed in the last 2000 years. The principle of
obedience and perseverance that
applied to the first century Christians is likewise applicable to us today.
If they had to remain faithful and overcome, then so do we.
"I will make him a pillar in
the temple of my God, and he shall go out thence no more"
Philadelphia was built on the edge of plain called the
Katakekaumenē, which means The Burned Land. There was a volcano
nearby and the ash deposits from it made the ground in that area
particularly fertile for agriculture. While Philadelphia enjoyed a
thriving agricultural benefit from this, there were also perils
associated with living this close to a volcano. The same
earthquake that destroyed Sardis in 17 A.D. also destroyed Philadelphia
along with ten other cities in the region. In the other cities,
the earthquake was over and done with, but in Philadelphia the
aftershocks and tremors continued for years afterward. The
citizens of Philadelphia would leave the city and go out into the plains
and live in huts during these prolonged events when they would become
severe enough to threaten their lives. Some of the citizens lived
in the city during this, but were sometimes driven out to safety during
the worst of these earthquakes. Eventually the earthquakes
subsided but the memory of this lived on in the minds of the citizens of
Philadelphia. People in Philadelphia were well aware of what Jesus
was referring to when He told them they "shall go out thence no
more". This promise of Jesus assured them of the ultimate
peace and security that awaited those who "overcome".
"and I will write upon him
the name of my God"
Those who overcome and keep the faith will have the name of God written
on them as opposed to those who succumb to emperor worship and receive
the mark of the god they serve. This was not a literal name
written on their physical bodies, but a means of identification of
ownership. Those who bear the mark of the beast belong to Satan,
while those who bear the name of God belong to Him. What a
tremendous blessing it is to belong to God. This is most certainly
a blessing well worth the trials of life of the first century and any
thereafter.
"and the name of the city of
my God, the new Jerusalem"
As with the earthquakes we see the history of Philadelphia reflected in
the words of Jesus. After the earthquake in 17 A.D. destroyed the
city, Tiberius gave them the necessary backing to rebuild the city.
Philadelphia was grateful to Tiberius for this so in his honor they
renamed the city to Neocaesarea meaning The New City of Caesar.
During the reign of Vespasian, the citizens decided to change the name
of the city yet again to Flavia, for Flavius was the family name of the
Emperor Vespasian and of his two sons Titus and Domitian. Neither
one of these names lasted, and the name of the city was restored to
Philadelphia. Philadelphia was also nicknamed Little Athens
because of all the pagan worship that went on there. The readers of this letter who were citizens of
Philadelphia knew what it was to receive "a new name" And
the name of the city promised to them was better than any that man could
devise and would last forever.
The "new Jerusalem" is
the name given to this eternal city with the eternal name. Old
Jerusalem was where the Jewish Temple had been and from there worship to
God was offered by the Israelite nation. The city had been
destroyed by Titus, son of Vespasian and the temple was torn down stone
by stone and burned so that the soldiers could get to the gold used in
the stonework. Jerusalem represented the city of God in the minds
of the first readers of the Revelation. The "new Jerusalem"
would therefore represent to the citizens of Philadelphia a city after
which they could be named, a holy city, an eternal home with an
everlasting name. The application here for us today is that all
who believe and obey Jesus Christ have their citizenship in this "New
Jerusalem" The new city of God, that will never be destroyed,
with a name that will endure long after the Caesars and the rest of the
evil rulers of the earth have passed, and on into eternity.
What a comfort this must have been for them and likewise what a comfort
it should be for us today.
"which cometh down out of
heaven from my God, and mine own new name."
The name of the eternal city being given to the overcomers is not
coming from the earth, or from man in any fashion. This name is
coming from God, on His throne, in Heaven.
Some in the religious world
today who hold to millennial doctrine teach that this passage indicates
that God will establish an earthly "New Jerusalem" here on earth
some day. The primary subject of this narrative is the "name",
not the "city". Jesus rules his kingdom from heaven
(Ephesians 1:19-22). His authority comes down to us from heaven
where He is pictured as being seated on the right hand side of God the
Father. Christians on earth are members of His body, the church
(Colossians 1:18), which he rules from Heaven; His spiritual kingdom.
A literal new city, named Jerusalem, is never going to descend from
Heaven and be established upon earth. The city mentioned here is a
figurative term describing the church which is the body of Christ, the
spiritual kingdom of God, ruled from Heaven, by Christ and already
present in the first century and until this day and beyond. "For
our citizenship is in heaven; whence also we wait for a Saviour, the
Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20).
The new name of Christ which
will be written on them can be non other than the term "Christian".
As previously stated, the term "written" is not to be taken literally, but is a means
by which we are identified. We are identified with and belong to
God, as His children, when we live obediently and serve Jesus Christ before the world.
The faithful were called Christians by inspiration in the first century,
they are likewise identified as Christians today. This name given
to us by God is the only name we wear. Coming from God, this name
is holy and revered by faithful and true followers of Christ who will
utterly reject being associated with any other name. This is
the God breathed name given us by inspiration, it is therefore this name and
no other that we should wear before the world.
Revelation 3:13
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches."
Every letter to the seven churches closes with this admonition. It
is similar to the one Jesus closed the sermon on the mount with:
Matthew 7:24-27
"Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth
them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the
rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds
blew, and beat upon that house; and if fell not: for it was founded upon
the rock. And every one that heareth these words of mine, and
doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house
upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and
the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was
the fall thereof."
Those who overcome and
persevere to the end have listened, heard and obeyed what the Spirit
said and therefore have their houses built on the rock. |