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: 8I 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. 9Behold, 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. 10Because 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. 11I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown. 12He 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. 13He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.

Jesus the Speaker

The Lord identifies himself as being in character, “holy and true”; in official position, as the one who “hath the key of David”; and in administration, as the one who “openeth and none shall shut, and that shutteth and none openeth.”

This means that Jesus is not only the “root of David” but the one who controls entrance into the royal palace, a position of the highest authority in the kingdom (Isa. 22:15–25, a metaphorical expression indicating complete control over the royal household. Eliakim replaces Shebna under Hezekiah

The City

This city dates back to about 159 B.C. It won its name from Attalus II, whose loyalty to his brother Eumenes won him the epithet Philadelphus, “brother-lover.” It was founded as a center for the spreading of the Greek language, culture, and manner. From its beginning it was a missionary city for the promotion of loyalty to Hellenism throughout the land.

In A.D. 17 a powerful earthquake rocked Philadelphia. Philadelphia, being nearer the epicenter, experienced frequent aftershocks during the coming years.

Many of the inhabitants remained outside the city living in huts and booths over the vale.
In gratitude for Caesar Tiberius’s financial aid in rebuilding their city, the Philadelphians joined with several other cities in erecting a monument to him.

The Church

Little is known about the Philadelphia church apart from this passage. Like most of the other seven churches, it was probably founded during Paul’s ministry at Ephesus (Acts 19:10). A few years after John wrote Revelation, the early church father Ignatius passed through Philadelphia on his way to martyrdom at Rome. Some Christians from Philadelphia were martyred with Polycarp at Smyrna.

Jesus Commends Them

The Philadelphia church had a little power. That was not a negative comment on their feebleness, but a commendation of their strength; the Philadelphia church was small in numbers, but had a powerful impact on its city.

The believers at Philadelphia were marked by obedience; they kept Christ’s word. They did not deviate from the pattern of obedience, proving the genuineness of their love for Christ (John 14:23–24).

Revelation 14:12 describes the Tribulation saints who refused to take the mark of the beast: Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

Jesus Promise To the Faithful There

Because of their loyalty under weakness and difficulty, the Lord promises complete vindication for them. He will make the persecuting Jews who are doing Satan’s work to realize that these despised Christians are the ones whom he really loves. Because they have been faithful, he promises his sustaining grace in the tribulation that is about to engulf the world; it will not overcome them.

Jesus has opened the door to the kingdom of God to this church.”14 No matter if the door to the synagogue has been closed, the door into the messianic kingdom remains open

Though the authorities believe they have excluded these believers from God’s people, Jesus is the one who truly provides access to the new Jerusalem (21:12–14).

The Jewish population was convinced that by national identity and religious heritage they were the people of God. Not so, claimed the Christians. Had not Paul, alluding to Deut 30:6, taught that “a man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly … . A man is a Jew if he is one inwardly: and circumcision is circumcision of the heart” (Rom 2:28–29)?

It was the church that could now be called “the Israel of God” (Gal 6:16), for the Jewish nation had forfeited that privilege by disbelief. Members of the local synagogue may claim to be Jews, but the very claim constitutes them liars. By their slander and persecution of Christians they have shown themselves to be the “synagogue of Satan.” Jesus had said to hostile and unbelieving Jews, “You belong to your father, the devil” (John 8:44), and later in Revelation Satan is labeled “the accuser of our brothers” (12:10). Little wonder that their synagogue was called “the synagogue of Satan”

The biblical prophets had promised God’s people that the Gentiles would one day bow down to them (Isa. 60:14; 66:23). But here unbelieving Jews join unbelieving Gentiles in bowing down before the faithful believers (Rev. 3:9).

The major question is whether Christ is promising deliverance from the period of trial or safekeeping through the trial. The preposition “from” ( ἐκ) is inconclusive.

Several things are promised. “I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God.” Because one has been faithful, Christ will make him an important part of the sanctuary, symbolized as a pillar which keeps the temple from falling.

The metaphor is found elsewhere in the NT, the church is “the pillar and foundation, It conveys the idea of stability and permanence. To a city that had experienced devastating earthquakes that caused people to flee into the countryside and establish temporary dwellings, the promise of permanence within the New Jerusalem would have a special meaning.

Philadelphia was true and experienced the fulfilment of this promise.

“I will write upon him the name of my God,

The impact of the threefold inscription is to show that the faithful belong to God, hold citizenship in the New Jerusalem, and are in a special way related to Christ.

The name of God is branded upon him; the name of the city of God is there as a mark of his place of habitation; the name of the triumphant Christ is upon him.

Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

Some people think this verse promises that the church will be delivered from the Tribulation, thus supporting a pretribulation Rapture.

There are three views of the timing of the Rapture in relation to the Tribulation: that it comes at the end of the Tribulation (posttribulationism), in the middle of the Tribulation (mid tribulationism), and the view that seems to be supported by this text, that the Rapture takes place before the Tribulation (pretribulationism).

Unbelievers will either pass the test by repenting, or fail it by refusing to repent. Revelation 17:14 describe those who repent during the Tribulation and are saved, thus passing the test; Revelation 6:15–17; 9:20; 16:11; and 19:17–18 describe those who refuse to repent, thus failing the test, and are damned.

There has been much debate over the meaning of the phrase (keep from). Those who argue that the church will go through the Tribulation hold that this phrase means preservation in the midst of and emergence from. They believe the church will go through the Tribulation judgments and that God will preserve it in the midst of them, so that the church will thus emerge successfully at the end from the hour of testing.

To interpret keep from, as a promise of preservation in the midst of the Tribulation poses another difficulty: the Philadelphia church was never in the Tribulation, which is still in the future.

Another obvious objection to interpreting keep from, as a promise of preservation in the midst of the Tribulation is that believers in that terrible time will not be preserved. In fact, many will be martyred (6:9–11; 7:9–14), leading to the conclusion that promising preservation is meaningless if the believers face the same fate as sinners during the Tribulation.

Some hold that the promise of deliverance is only from God’s wrath during the Tribulation. But a promise that God will not kill believers but will allow Satan and Antichrist to do so would provide small comfort to the suffering church at Philadelphia.

He put before them an open door which no one can shut. Their salvation was secure; their entrance both into the blessings of salvation by grace and into Christ’s future messianic kingdom was guaranteed.

The name of the city of God in Ezek. 48:35 is “the Lord is there.” It is the place of the presence of God and the location of His temple, that Christ will make the overcomer a pillar in the temple of My God. Jesus has unlocked the doors of the kingdom to the Philadelphians, and here He holds before them the culmination of this promise, opening the door of the temple and entering into His temple forever.

It is no accident that God’s eternal temple is mentioned in the same letter as the synagogue of Satan.
The religious system, even in our day even institutional churches, will always attack genuine believers who draw their strength from fellowship with Christ, not identification with an earthly system about to be unmasked in the visions in all its horrible reality as the servant of the beast and the dragon.

Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie, I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.

Christians in Philadelphia faced hostility from unbelieving Jews. Ignatius later debated some hostile Jews during his visit to Philadelphia. Because of their rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, they were not at all a synagogue of God, but a synagogue of Satan.

Racially, culturally, and ceremonially they were Jews, but spiritually they were not. Paul defines a true Jew in Romans 2:28–29:

Christ promised that some of the very Jews who were persecuting the Christians at Philadelphia would come and bow down at their feet, and know that God had loved them. This imagery derives from the Old Testament, which describes the yet future day when unbelieving Gentiles will bow down to the believing remnant of Israel (Isa. 45:14; 49:23; 60:14).

Jesus Commands them to continue in there Faith in Him

Jesus commands them to hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.

Because of the Lord’s imminent return for His church, believers must hold fast what they have. The members of the Philadelphia church had been faithful and loyal to Christ; He commanded them to remain so. Those who persevere to the end thereby prove the genuineness of their salvation (Matt. 10:22; 24:13).

It is true that believers are eternally secure because of the power of God. Yet the means by which He secures them is by providing believers with a persevering faith. Christians are saved by God’s power, but not apart from their constant, undying faith.

The letter to the faithful Philadelphia church reveals that the holy, true, sovereign, omnipotent God pours out His blessings on churches that remain loyal to Him

Thoughts for Reflection

These verses use passages from Isaiah to show that the church is the continuation of the true Israel in God’s covenant purposes.

This must refer to events which, however, necessarily affect believers and unbelievers alike: economic trials, warfare, climatic catastrophes, and so on.

How then can it be said that God keeps believers safe from such events?

Have you noticed a difference in how believers and unbelievers respond to the same difficult events such as natural disasters? How might this reveal the judgment of God on the one hand and, on the other, the refining work of God with respect to believers?

Does our Christian culture place too much significance on size? The church at Laodicea, which stood under threat of God’s judgment, was apparently thriving. How can the church at Philadelphia be an encouragement to us when, either as individuals or as a church community, we feel insignificant or even forgotten by God?