“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.’” Revelation 3:7 (ESV)
The city of Philadelphia was given its name by its king and founder for the love of his brother. The king’s loyal brother so loved the king that it earned him the nickname Philadelphos that literally means “one who loves his brother”. Philadelphia was built upon a very unstable fault line and suffered damage from a number of earthquakes with aftershocks lasting for weeks. The worst earthquake occurred in A.D. 17.
The Philadelphian church was one of two churches of the seven that received no rebuke from Jesus. Although they must have been a weak congregation, Jesus commends them for keeping his word about patient endurance (Revelation 3:10) and not denying his name (Revelation 3:8). It appears that the church suffered some form of persecution from Jews who did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah and were teaching that the Torah should continue to be observed. Although disputed by some, it is widely accepted that the early church father Ignatius wrote an epistle to the Philadelphian church warning them of these Judaizers. Jesus made it plain that these people were not really Jews but were of the synagogue of Satan. They were Jews in ethnicity, but not in covenant status.
Because they had kept his word and patiently endured persecution, Jesus promised the church that he would keep them from the hour of trial that was coming to test the inhabitants of the world. Jesus did not reveal the nature or timing of the trial (Revelation 3:10). It could even be referring to a season of trial. Jesus did not say he would remove the church from the trial rather he would keep them. The Greek word for keep here means to watch, to guard from loss or injury by keeping the eye upon. (Psalm 33:18)
David wrote in Psalm 55:22 that God will not permit the righteous to be moved. The Hebrew word for moved here means to waiver, slip, shake and be fallen into decay. No matter the trail or temptation God will keep the righteous from ultimately falling into perdition. God’s grace will so sustain his people that no matter how great a trial comes upon the world it will not endanger the salvation of the saints (Jude 1:24). The world may fall, but God’s people will not. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
Jesus said, “The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and 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 from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.” (Revelation 3:12 ESV) As pillars in God’s temple God’s people will be marked with his name and the name of Jesus showing that they belong to him. God’s people will always be secure. Earthquakes may have shaken the city of Philadelphia, but God’s people will not be shaken from his temple.
The conquerors will also bear the name of the city of God, the New Jerusalem. God’s people are his city. John is shown the new Jerusalem and describes the city as “a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:1-2). In Revelation 21:9-10 one of the seven angels bids John to come and see “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb”. And he shows him the holy city Jerusalem. We need not look for a physical city to descend from heaven for the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God (Revelation 21:3).
Do you belong to God? Are you a citizen of the new Jerusalem?
Scriptures for meditation:
Psalms 46:5, 112:6, 121:3