#35 – The Church Of Philadelphia

(Revelation 3:7-13)…..⁷ “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”: ⁸ “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. ⁹ Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. ¹² He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. 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. And I will write on him My new name. ¹³ “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’

Philadelphia was the youngest and smallest of all the cities addressed in these letters, and was located in a narrow pass between two mountain ranges. It stood as a literal doorway between Asia Minor and the other cities situated in Lydia along the Hermus River valley. It was about 38 miles southeast of Sardis, backed by volcanic cliffs, and even though the ground was fertile due to the volcanic ash, it was very dangerous to live there due to frequent earthquakes and tremors. As a result, many of Philadelphia’s inhabitants lived in huts outside the city in open country so the block buildings (such as their place of worship) would not fall on them. Notice the allusion to this in the promise of (3:12).

In 17 A.D. Philadelphia was destroyed by an earthquake along with Sardis and other cities in that locality, but the after shocks continued in Philadelphia for several years, and people had to flee the city repeatedly. Tiberius Caesar helped Philadelphia to recover, and out of gratitude the city changed its name to Neocaesarea (New Caesar). Because of its strategic location, Philadelphia was used as a military buffer city to the region of Lydia. It was also the home to numerous temples dedicated to the gods and goddesses that were worshiped in the region, especially the worship of Caesar and Dionysus, the god of wine and drunkeness. This was fitting since grapes were one of the principle crops of the fertile valley.

The city was named by King Attalus II for his brother Eumenes, King of Pergamous. King Attalus being renowned for his love of his brother Eumenes, was the reason the city came to be called “Philadelphos.” The word means “one who loves his brother,” so the city became known as “The city of brotherly love,” much like the city of “Philadelphia” in modern day USA.

We see that Jesus introduces Himself in (3:7). “These things says He who is holy. Such a title belongs to God and God alone, and if we go back into the Old Testament we see this truth (Isaiah 6:1-4) (Isaiah 40:25) (Isaiah 43:15) (Psalm 16:10) (Habakkuk 3:3) (Revelation 4:8). What does it mean to be holy? It means to be separate! From what? Sin! The word holy means separate and He is utterly separate from sin, identifying Him as absolutely sinless, absolutely unstained, absolutely unblemished, and absolutely flawless. He is without blemish. He is absolutely perfect and sinless (Hebrews 4:14-15) (Hebrews 7:25-27) (1 Peter 2:22). That is the Lord we serve. But to take that a step further, this is also a common title for the Messiah (Mark 1:21-24) (Luke 1:31-35) (John 6:66-69) (Acts 2:27) (Acts 3:13-15) (1 Peter 1:13-16).

Jesus not only introduces Himself as “He who is holy” but as “He who is true.” He who is holy, who is true, this same combination is used in (Revelation 6:10). The word “truth” in Scripture is attributed to…..

1. God’s law – (Psalm 119:142-160)
2. God’s word – (John 17:17-19)
3. The Gospel – (Galatians 2:5, 14)
4. Holy Spirit – (John 14:17)
5. Jesus Christ – (John 14:6)

Jesus is truth, He is true in Himself, He is the author of truth, and He is the revealer of truth. In the midst of so much that is false, in the midst of so much that is perverted, and in the midst of so much error, the Lord Jesus is truth, that was true for Philadelphia and that is true for us today. Jesus selected these descriptive terms of Himself for John to write down because this would be an immense encouragement to this church. Notice, that the church in Philadelphia is addressed by the true One, the genuine One, the real One, the true Messiah, the true Son of God, the genuine God. He is the One who is truth in all He says, truth in all He does, the One who has placed the ultimate premium on truth, and is the One who looks at the church and finds them only to be commended. What an encouragement!