Jesus and the Church in Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13)

Philadelphia was the youngest of the cities to which John sent letters. It had been built by a ruler of Pergamos (who had ‘Philadelphia’ has one of his names) as a centre for the dissemination of Greek language and culture. After a great earthquake in AD 17 the city changed its name to Neocaeserea, because of the help given by the Emperor Tiberius in rebuilding it. (Later, under Vespasian, the city’s name was changed to Flavia. Nevertheless the original name persisted.) The earthquake was followed by several years of recurring tremors which caused the populace not to live in the city but in huts in the surrounding countryside. They felt that the situation was not stable enough for permanent living.

There was a Jewish community in Philadelphia and indeed Ignatius, the church father, near the beginning of the next century warns the church in Philadelphia about Jewish preachers. This Jewish background explains the Old Testament allusions in the letter.

The character of Christ

In verse 7 Jesus refers to two personal attributes and one prominent position. The attributes are holiness and truthfulness. In claiming these attributes, Jesus is asserting that he is divine. Indeed, John mentions in John 12:41 that the person that the seraphim addressed as ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ in Isaiah 6 was none other than Jesus. Holiness means perfection. In describing himself as true, Jesus is saying that his words and actions are reliable. This may be an allusion to the unreliability of the Roman Emperor, who in the year 92 ordered the destruction of the many vineyards of Philadelphia, despite the city’s loyalty to Rome. Jesus will never be unpredictable or callous, but will always act according to his character.

The prominent position is seen in the phrase ‘has the key of David’, which is an allusion to Isaiah 22:20-22: ‘In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.’ Eliakim was made steward instead of Shebna, which means he was given total control of the palace affairs. The key referred to his authority to give or deny access to the king’s presence. Jesus, in using this phrase, is saying that he has been given complete authority by God. It is the same as what he stated in the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18: ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’ Therefore he is able to open and shut doors of any kind.

For example, Jesus is the one who opens the door for sinners to come into his kingdom. When they repent of their sins and trust in him they discover that he gives access to God – he is the door of entry into the kingdom of God. Once in his kingdom, believers discover that Jesus opens other doors: as prophet he opens the door of edification and teaches his disciples; as priest he opens the door of representation in which he intercedes for his people; as king he opens the door of extension of his kingdom, which is the door he mentions in the following verses.

The commendation of Christ

In verse 8, Jesus affirms their works, which the context indicates included evangelism. He commends them for loyalty to himself despite their weakness. It is better to omit the indefinite article before ‘little strength’ because that gives the impression that they possessed strength. In what ways could they have been small? There may be a reference to their numbers or to their social influence. It is not specified whether Jesus is referring to loyalty in general or loyalty shown in a specific occasion.

In verse 9, Jesus refers to the door of evangelism. This imagery is found elsewhere in the New Testament in the same context. In Acts 14:27, Luke reports that when Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch after the first missionary journey, they ‘gathered the church together, [and] they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.’ In 1 Corinthians 16:8-9, Paul writes: ‘But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’ Again, he writes in 2 Corinthians 2:12-13, ‘When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.’ And in Colossians 4:3-4 he writes, ‘At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.’

In particular, Jesus promises to the church evangelistic success among the Jewish community. John quotes from prophecies in Isaiah 49:23 and 60:14 in which the prophet predicts that Gentiles will come and join Israel as they worship God. In Isaiah’s day, the Gentiles were outsiders and Israel was God’s people. By the time of John, things have changed. The Jews now are also outsiders, indeed their worship centre is called Satan’s synagogue, and the church is the people of God. In calling their worship ‘Satan’s synagogue’, Jesus is saying that even the Jewish religion is a false religion. This promise refers to Jewish converts in one place. But it is comforting to remind ourselves of the future conversion of the Jewish race, which will lead to great spiritual blessing for the Gentile world.

The Jews had great difficulty with the fact that God loved Gentiles. But through his mercy they will come to realise that this was the case, that their Messiah loved Gentile sinners.

This statement should lead us to have limitless confidence in the power of Christ. The church in Philadelphia would have regarded the conversion of the Jews as impossible, but what is impossible with men is possible with Christ. Although the church is weak, Jesus can use her to bring blessing to the most unlikely people. He has the key to earthly growth as well as to heavenly glory.

In verse 10, Jesus promises to the Philadelphian church divine protection from a worldwide trouble. This may be a reference to a natural disaster such as famine, but it is more likely to be a reference to empire-wide persecution of the church. The reference then to testing concerns the commitment of professing Christians. Jesus’ followers would not be exempt from trouble but they will be kept through the trouble.

The counsel of Christ

In verse 11, Jesus assures his people in Philadelphia that he is coming soon. Nevertheless they are not to cease being faithful. Instead they have to hold fast to their profession in order that they will not lose their reward.

The comfort of Christ

In his promises to the church in verse 12, Jesus mentions three details: the person will be a pillar in the heavenly temple, the person will have written on him or her the name of God and the name of the heavenly city, and Jesus will also write his new name on the person.

Every temple had pillars or columns within it on which were written various details connected to people or the place. This illustration would be meaningful to people in a city prone to earthquakes and tremors, without stability. Perhaps they had seen buildings shake and collapse due to the earthquake. But the building that Jesus is building cannot be shaken. All the pillars with it are set on an immoveable foundation. What Jesus is promising here to his people is permanent stability and security. They would not need to leave it in the way the inhabitants of Philadelphia had to leave the city for fear of earthquakes.

Second, on the pillar is written the name of God. It was customary for a master to write his name on the foreheads of his slaves, thus indicating they were his possession. Believers belong to God and he will delight to say about them, ‘They are mine.’ He is their Father and they are his children.

In addition, Jesus will write the name of the heavenly city on these human pillars. This is probably an allusion to the failure of the Roman Emperor to change the name of the city. Although he was powerful, his influence was external and could have no inner effect without the person’s agreement. It is different with Christ, for he has the power to change people internally.

Furthermore this new city is a permanent location. It is not like the cities of earth, which become dangerous and insecure places for a variety of reasons.

Third, Jesus will write on them his new name. This again points to ownership and to intimacy. It is not clear what Jesus’ new name is. Some think it is the title ‘Lord’ which was given to him when he ascended to God’s throne. But it is difficult to see how this title could be described as ‘new’. More likely, it refers to details of the person and work of Christ that will be revealed to his people when he returns.

Application

First, it is good for churches to focus on the power of Christ. He is enthroned as the King of Kings with supreme power, but he is also the King who is enthroned to dispense mercy. Second, great rewards can be received by churches if they remain faithful to Jesus. Third, these rewards can be ours if we believe on Jesus. They are promised to the overcomers, that is those who have faith in Jesus.