Philadelphia stood about 28 miles southeast from Sardis in the plains of Hermus, and about midway between the river of that name and the termination of Mount Smolus. It was a city of commercial importance conveniently located as the gateway to the high central plateau of Asia in Asia Minor. The name means “brotherly love” and commemorated the loyalty and devotion of Attalus II (220-130 BC) to his brother Eumenes II. Strabo, the historian, called Philadelphia, “a city of earthquakes.” Earth tremors were frequent, and had caused many former inhabitants to leave the city for a safer home. The severe earthquake of 17 AD, which devastated Sardis almost completely, demolished Philadelphia — but by the ’90’s it had been completely rebuilt with the aid of an imperial subsidy.

THE KEY OF DAVID

Found within the city was a church of Jesus Christ to which the sixth of the seven letters in Revelation is addressed. It has been observed that this epistle has a tinge throughout of Old Testament prophetic language and imagery in connection to the circumstances of the church in conflict with the Jewish community dwelling there. It opens with a description of the Savior: “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 no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth” (Revelation 3:7).

This address was Hebraic both in conception and expression. The holy One is he of Acts 3:14 as opposed to “the synagogue of Satan,” in Revelation 3:9. He is “the true One,” and this title appears to be chosen to declare an attribute of our Lord as opposed to “those who say … and are not, but do lie,” in verse 9. We also learn that He is the Sovereign One — “He that hath the key of David.” Literally this was a reference to Eliakim, son of Hilkiah (Isaiah 22:20-25.) “And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open” (Isaiah 22:22).

“He that hath the key” is a symbol of right and authority referred to in Matthew 16:19, where David is a type of Christ, the true church, head and body (Gems from the Mine, page 664.) Indeed we may see that Eliakim also typifies those to whom is entrusted the “key,” the emblem of right and authority, “over the house of David.” Christ, the heir of the throne of David, shall reign over both the house of Jacob, that is, fleshly Israel (Luke 1:32, 33) and spiritual Israel “for ever” as “a son over his own house” (Hebrews 3:2, 6). Note carefully where this key is, Eliakim had the key laid upon his shoulder. In the Millennium, Christ, the antitypical David, has the key of supreme power of government “upon His shoulder” (Isaiah 9:6, 7).

The phrase, “he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth,” are generally to be taken to mean that only Christ has the power, that is, the right and authority, to enlarge the work and opportunities of his church and to contract them. The verse that follows seems to require this. It was proper that Peter should open the Gospel door to the Gentiles (Acts 10, 11:l7, 18 and especially 14:27). However, he was wrong when he tried to shut it again (Galatians 2:11-18). A great door and effectual had been opened for Paul at Ephesus in spite of enemies (1 Corinthians 16:9, RV). He found that a door was open for the Gospel when he went to Troas (2 Corinthians 2:12) and he asked the believers at Colosse to pray that “God may open unto us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ” (Colossians 4:3, RV). Christ has the keys to open the very prison of the grave and death (Revelation 1:18).

CHRIST’S APPRAISAL OF THE CHURCH — AND PROMISED OPPORTUNITY

“I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name” (Revelation 3:8).

The translation should read “thou hast little power,” not “a little strength,” as in the Authorized Version. This probably was a consequence of the fewness of the Christian congregation there; possibly also to their poverty as contrasted with the wealth of their Jewish adversaries. The commendation that they had kept Christ’s word and did not deny his name both employ the past tense. Possibly this refers to some time of special trial when both those temptations to break Christ’s word and deny his name were put before the church. When Christians were brought before the heathen magistrates in times of persecution, they were required to renounce the name of Christ and to disown him in a public manner. It is possible that, amidst the persecutions that raged in early times, the members of the Philadelphia Church had been summoned to such a trial, and they had stood the trial firmly. It would seem from the following verse in Revelation 3:9 that an effort was made to induce them to renounce the name of Christ. Sadly, this was encouraged by those who professed to be Jews, though they evinced the spirit of Satan (John 8:37-45, especially verse 44). Thus, the Philadelphia Church had this in common with the church at Pergamum, who held fast his name and did not deny the faith (Revelation 2:13, 14:12, RV). Indeed, as the church in that city was at the heart of the great road system for Lydia, Phrygia and the lands to the east it was in an ideal location for the proclamation and spread of the Gospel. This meant an opportunity for mission work, since the Gospel had not yet penetrated northeast of the central Phrygian plateau.

Christ also promises that he will humble, but not destroy their enemies: “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and 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” (Revelation 3:9).

This is a bold metaphor directed against hostile and unbelieving Jews (Romans 2:28, 29) and the promise to Philadelphia holds a larger promise for these enemies of the Gospel than that to Smyrna. To Smyrna it was that “the synagogue of Satan” should not prevail against the faithful in her (Revelation 2:9, 10). To Philadelphia, the promise is that she should even win over some of the synagogue of Satan “to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.” Paul writes in harmony with this speaking of those convicted of their error who will fall “down on his face [and] he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth” (1 Corinthians 14:25). Assuredly, the Philadelphia church is the special object of Messiah’s love, for it is the Christian church that is now the true Israel of God. And though Isaiah’s words have a partial fulfillment now, they will be wholly fulfilled in the kingdom.

“The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 60:14).

CHRIST’S PROMISE

“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial (temptation), which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:10).

They had manifested the patience that he required through all their trials (Revelation 14:12). Patience in one trial results in the grace the Lord gives us to bear another. The evidence that we have been patient and submissive may be regarded as proof that he will give us grace that we may be patient and submissive in the trials that are to come. The Greek phrase in the promise “keep you from” can mean either “keep you from undergoing” or “keep you through.” He will so keep them that they shall not sink under the trials, which will be a severe temptation to many; and that they would be kept from the temptation of apostasy in calamity.

Philadelphia, in Asia Minor

The hour of trial (temptation) may have been inspired by the terror and calamity of the frequent earthquakes. The memory of disaster as in 17 AD was an ever-present warning. The whole city had to live in the midst of such danger and was always in dread of such a trial.

Yet the phrase, “which shall come upon the whole world,” shows the widespread nature of these trials (Daniel 12:1, Matthew 24:21, Mark 13:19, 20). The whole Roman Empire was the world to them and in Trajan’s time (98-117 AD), these persecutions, which raged elsewhere, were to come upon all Christians living under the Roman Empire. Prophetically, the great time of trouble and period of testing occurs at Christ’s second coming (presence, parousia). As such, it should be connected with the phrase “I come quickly” in Revelation 3:11. The persecutions that befell Philadelphia shortly after were the earnest of the great tribulation at Christ’s second presence (parousia). The purpose of this trouble is explained to the church. Christ seeks “to try them that dwell upon the earth” — to test their character.

“Behold, I come quickly; hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown,” stands as an encouragement and comfort to the Philadelphia church and a great incentive to faithfulness and consolation under trial. Whatever truth and piety they possessed, “the word of my patience” just committed to them for keeping involved the promise of the kingdom and the “crown of life” (Revelation 2:10, 2 Timothy 4:8). The warning is that no “man” (tempter) should cause them to lose the reward which shall be the portion of those that persevere to the end. This they would lose if they exchanged consistency and suffering for compromise and ease.

“I COME QUICKLY”

Do the words, “I come quickly,” have any prophetic significance? We notice in these letters that to Ephesus (33- 73), to Smyrna (73-325) and to Pergamum (325-1160) nothing was said about Christ’s second advent. To Thyatira (1160- 1378) the message was, “Hold fast till I come” (Revelation 2:25). To Sardis (1378-1518) it was, “if therefore thou shalt not reform, I will come on thee as a thief” (Revelation 3:3). To Philadelphia (1518-1874) it was, “Behold, I come quickly” (Revelation 3:11).

Does the Trend Continue? To Laodicea it is, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock” (Revelation 3:20). It appears evident that the messages to the Churches are epochs drawing nearer and nearer to the Fifth Universal Empire!

PILLARS IN THE TEMPLE

“Him that conquereth (overcometh) will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall no more go out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God; and I will write upon him my new name” (Revelation 3:12).

The challenge to conquer, or overcome, occurs in each letter (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21). He that conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, i.e., he shall have a fixed and important place in the glorified church hereafter.

It is no objection to this view, that there is no temple in the heavenly Jerusalem (Revelation 21:22) but rather a corroboration of it. That glorious city is all temple, and Christ’s victorious ones are its living stones and pillars (1 Peter 2:5, 1 Kings 6:7). He that is thus fixed in his eternal place as a pillar in the heavenly temple will never more, from any cause, depart from it. He will be immovably firm, unlike Philadelphia, so often shaken and notorious for calamities by quakes.

The language in which Strabo (Books XII, XIII) describes the earth tremors of Philadelphia is remarkable in connection with the promise of the pillar that should not be moved: “The city of Philadelphia is full of earthquakes; the walls are constantly cracking, and some part of the city is always in trouble, wherefore the inhabitants are scanty.”

Concerning 17 AD, Tacitus (Annals 2:47) remarks, “twelve populous cities in Asia fell in ruins from an earthquake which happened at night, and therefore the more sudden and destructive was the calamity … it is related that mountains sank down, that level places were seen to be elevated into hills, and that fires flashed forth during the catastrophe” (Revelation 16:18, Isaiah 40:4, Luke 3:5, R511:3).

Philadelphia was one of these twelve shattered cities. Yet, Christ’s promise of the overcoming church’s pillar-like stability, and “I will write upon him the name of my God,” seems to build upon the promises to the conqueror we read elsewhere (Revelation 7:3, 9:4, 14:1, 22:4). As the golden plate on the High Priest’s forehead bore the sacred epithet “Holiness to Jehovah” (Exodus 28:36-38), even so the overcoming saints in their royal priesthood shall bear His name openly as being wholly consecrated to Him and His service.

Holiness is the basic moral quality within a person whether in action or at rest. Holiness applies to what one is, e.g., “the Holy one of Israel” (Isaiah 60:14). Inward and substantial holiness is the significant thing that God requires and highly values. Such holiness was shown in type in the rites and ceremonies of Israel and this is to be a reality for the overcomer. There was also a sense in which God’s name was put on every Hebrew of the children of Israel. Each child received the words of the priestly blessing as a sign that their lives should be dominated by a sense of consecration: “And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:27, also see Exodus 19:6, 1 Peter 2:5, 9, Revelation 1:6, 5:10, 20:6).

This name will be written on the forehead of all who see His face (Revelation 14:1, 22:4) as will the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem. Those who belong to the New Jerusalem as one of its citizens (Philippians 3:20) hold the inscription of the name of the city as a token of citizenship. The character and atmosphere throughout are the marks of the New Jerusalem’s heavenly origin as the city “which cometh down out of heaven from my God” (Revelation 21:2,10).

The name of this city had been foretold by the prophet Isaiah, “They shall call thee the city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 60:14). A city is a symbol of a kingdom or dominion, and so is symbolized by the new dominion coming from heaven to earth. At first it will consist only of the Bride of Christ and the company enumerated by Paul (A295, Hebrews 12:18-23).

“MY NEW NAME”

Names reveal character. Christ’s new name at his second advent symbolizes all that he is by virtue of his redemptive work for mankind (Isaiah 9:6,7). Yet we read, “and he had a name written, that no one knew but he himself” (Revelation 19:12) and, “the natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; neither can he know them” (1 Corinthians 2:14, R1820:6).

In this sense, no person “knows” the new name except they who receive it, for it is, “The Righteousness of Jehovah.” This is the name whereby she shall be called (Jeremiah 33:16, 23:5, 6). Righteousness is the outworking of that inner quality when its activity conforms to God’s accepted standard. Righteousness applies to what one does as we read, “Thy righteous acts (judgments) are made manifest” (Revelation 15:4).

This name is appropriate to the work and office of our Lord Jesus, the head of the Church and our Bridegroom. He stands as the representative of God’s righteousness. That this name will be appropriate to the glorified Church is shown in that she not only shares her Lord’s suffering for righteousness, “filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ” (Colossians 1:24, l Peter 5:9), but is also promised a share in all the glories of the Lord, as a wife shares her husband’s honor and name.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

The church in Philadelphia was located in a rich and powerful city, connected by trade with a large district towards the east and north, for which it formed a center. Thus it was well suited to be one of the central churches in Christianized Asia. In so far as a church attained Christian purity, its character rises to a higher plane; in so far as it degenerates from that high level it becomes affected by its earthly surroundings.

Smyrna and Philadelphia are the two churches which are addressed in terms of almost unmingled praise. Philadelphia had kept the Lord’s word and not denied his name. It is described in Revelation 3:8 as having but a little power (strength). They knew the meaning of real weakness. Perhaps they were small in number, poor in material matters, mean in social standing being composed of the lower classes of Roman society. The church may have exerted little influence on the city and was to all outward appearances in a state of weakness. But Christ is building his Church with earth’s broken things. Men want only the strong, the successful, the victorious, the unbroken in building their empires — but God, through Christ, is the God of the weak, the unsuccessful, of those who have failed.

To this church Christ has set before it an open door, as in Ephesus, so in Philadelphia. Yet, if the door was open, there were many adversaries (1 Corinthians l6:9) and there was opposition as in Smyrna (Revelation 2:9). This opposition appears to have come from the Jewish population of the city. Their resistance to the Gospel of Messiah was so fanatical that they are again called, not a synagogue of God, but, “the synagogue of Satan who say they are Jews but are not, but lie” (Revelation 2:9, 3:9).

How gracious of the Lord that there is the promise that this synagogue shall yet recognize the love which the Lord had bestowed upon this church and come to worship before their feet. Yet, there was the threat of future tribulation. The clouds of persecution were gathering. Christ warns them of the coming trials and temptations but at the same time promises, “I will keep you from the hour of temptation which is coming upon the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the earth.”

They had kept his word. He would keep them. He would not spare them from the suffering, but he would uphold them in it. They are exhorted to continue strong and energetic, as it had hitherto been, and to “hold fast what thou hast” (Revelation 3:11). Philadelphia had so many festivals and temples that it was called “Little Athens.” The hope of a memorial — a name, a statue, or a pillar — in one of its great temples proved a powerful incentive to good citizen- ship. But the volcanic region of Philadelphia was frequently visited by seismic shocks in which the most massive buildings and all their memorials perished. In Christ’s name the church is promised the things that cannot be shaken. Every victor in the spiritual conflict will be as a pillar, not in a crumbling earthly shrine, but in the enduring temple of God, and graven on the tablets of his own memory (intellect) the mystic names of God and His New Jerusalem, and Christ’s new name.

— David Skein

 

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