With Pastor Dan Nickerson – April 13th, 2021
(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.” ’
Look at – (3:9)…..“I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews and are not but lie; behold, I’ll make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
Now, you will remember that Jesus said this to the church in Smyrna (2:9). Jesus says it’s the synagogue of Satan. They don’t worship God there, they worship Satan. He is going to take those people in that synagogue, those Jews who say they are Jews and are not but lie, come and worship before your feet. What does He mean by that? – They claim to be – true Jews – sons of Abraham – sons of God – but they lie
These Jews were persecuting the true followers of God, hating the fact that they were saying Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus is the Son of God, notice what Jesus is going to do about this, (3:9)…..“I’ll make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.” Bowing down at someone’s feet was the ancient posture of a humbled, defeated enemy. I’m going to bring these enemies in and they’re going to bow down at your feet. That imagery is so vivid, and if you were Jewish in Philadelphia at that time, very upsetting to hear. The perspective on this comes if you look into (Isaiah 45:14-17).
He says all these nations are going to bow down to you, that’s what the Jewish people thought. They believed that the whole world would eventually bow down to them (Isaiah 49:22-26) (Isaiah 60:10-16). But what is Isaiah saying? The day is going to come when the whole world bows down to the Jews, but do you know what the letter from Jesus is saying here? These prophecies are not playing out as they thought, for now those who are claiming to be Jews are going to bow down at the feet of others.
That would be more than those Jews could bear to hear. He is saying, they’re going to come, they’re going to bow down at your feet, they’re going to know that I, God, have loved you, that you’re the objects of my love, and all who have come to faith in the Son. Now historically what this verse meant was that some of those people in the synagogue of Satan are going to get converted, they are going to recognize that God was saving and working in the ones they were persecuting.
There’s even an eschatological perspective here, that there is a day coming in the future when the nation of Israel is going to bow before Christ (Romans 11) (Zechariah 12). As with everybody (Romans 14:10-12) (Philippians 2:9-11). Have you bowed your knee to Christ and confessed to Him that He is Lord? That is extremely important!