“You have kept My Word.” -Jesus
(Rev. 3:7-13)
*Commendation: Works, missions, little strength, kept My Word, you have not denied Me.
*Condemnation: none given.
*Counsel: Hold fast what you have.
*Challenge: “To him who overcomes…” I will make a pillar in the temple of God.
Reversing the “death” of Sardis’ circumstance, the church at Philadelphia became truly “alive” in its dynamic and faithfulness. Reflecting this is the fact that while Sardis received the extremely harsh condemnation of being spiritually dead, Christ offered no condemnation whatsoever toward Philadelphia. Essentially getting back to basics, this church’s missionary focus brought a spiritual weight and reward that far surpassed Sardis despite Sardis’ much larger congregational size.
Well known is the meaning of the word philadelphia, “brotherly love.” The reason behind the city’s name rests in its historical origin. Philadelphia was founded around BC 150 by Attalus II Philadelphos, a former king of Pergamos, and it was due to his deep love and commitment to his brother, Eumenes (an eventual king of Pergamos), that the city gained its name.
In AD 17 an epic earthquake annihilated Philadelphia and Sardis, but soon both were restored by the Romans. By the latter end of the first century, a solidly Christian congregation existed and Philadelphia remained a Christian city until the late fourteenth century when it was conquered by the Turks.
Mission Accomplished
The Philadelphia church era witnessed a revival of truth amidst and following the Reformation in Europe, then Britain, then eventually in the Americas which led to a worldwide Christian missionary offensive. Two factors merited this missionary zeal.
First, there was the mass production/printing of the Bible into common and multiple languages so that every individual could experience the “simplicity that is in Christ” (2 Cor. 11:3); for example, when one read the Lord’s command to “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to all creation,” one was inclined to obey it, literally.
Second, in part due to the greater availability of the Bible, there was a resurrection of study concerning the Lord’s Second Advent, for it had all but disappeared by the end of the third century. The doctrine of the Lord’s return, when taught properly in its prophetic and scriptural context, will always result in a consecrated church that is “in the world but not of it,” ever increasing in zealousness for evangelism and missionary outreach toward fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).
Are We Full of Ourselves or Full of the Spirit?
Revelation 3:7-8 mentions Jesus having the “key of David” (Isaiah 22:22) and setting before the church an “open door.” Keys represent authority in prophetic Scripture and the open door signifies opportunity or perhaps Jesus Himself (John 10:9). Jesus’ absolute authority enables us–the Church–to accomplish His will as we look to Him to open the doors He would have us go through. Too often we assume divine direction in the opportunities we pursue, sometimes pushing through doors that should remain shut. Jesus’ yoke is easy only when we submit to His lead (Matthew 11:30).
Revelation 3:8 records Christ’s commendation, including the mention of the church having “a little strength.” This is not intended as conveying any sort of weakness, but refers to the initial minority status of believers in Philadelphia in that the Philadelphia church era is to be characterized by small though powerfully strong congregations that rely on the Holy Spirit, and thus little human strength “lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-10).
A modern trend often belittles the smaller church while praising the megachurch; however, as churches increase in size (at times beyond what is effectual) so too often does the ego of their leaders. Indeed, a growing church is a blessing, but not when its discipleship, dynamic, and effectiveness are sacrificed for numbers. Tim Lahaye has stated: “There is a tendency to compromise in order to gain opportunities, whereas in truth it is our responsibility to do right and God’s responsibility to open the doors of opportunity.”[1]
Revelation 3:9 speaks of the “synagogue of Satan” and Jewish pretenders–the same stock we saw in Smyrna (Rev. 2:9). This is a warning of law-worshiping legalists who will attempt to infiltrate the church with the heretical teaching of salvation by works, negating the “free gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9). But Jesus promises eventual full vindication (Isaiah 60:14).
Note that both the Smyrna and Philadelphia churches suffered hard persecution by these apostate Jews, and both churches thrived! Also, the spiritually dead church at Sardis outwardly appeared to be alive but endured little to no persecution. This evidences that a truly living church will be under constant attack. Jesus said, “Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you” (Luke 6:26). From some people it is better to receive enmity and criticism than friendship and praise, for when opposition dies compromise flourishes.
Interpretive Logic
Revelation 3:10 buttresses our faith with Jesus’ words:
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.
The “hour of trial” (or “hour of temptation”) is equivalent to the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7), the “seventieth week of Daniel” (Daniel 9:24-27), and the time of future “tribulation” that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:9. This seven-year period of judgment is particularly detailed in chapters 6–18 of Revelation and is intended specifically for the hardhearted unbelievers who “dwell on the earth,” including those Jews who have yet to recognize Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
Those who “dwell on the earth” in this context are those who will be left behind when Christ gathers His Church unto Himself in the clouds at the rapture.[2] With the Church gone, however, the Lord God will not leave the world without a testament to truth; He will raise up specific individuals (144,000 prophets/witnesses; Rev. 7:4) during this time of judgment and there will also be many worldwide who come to know Christ as their Savior–although these Tribulation saints are not exempt from suffering the effects of judgment and martyrdom (with the exception of those He supernaturally protects for specific purposes, such as His preservation of the Jewish remnant against genocide so that there will indeed be a believing remnant to become a reinstated priesthood among nations during the Kingdom Age).
The prominent unbelieving population during the Seventieth Week (seven-year Tribulation) will echo Pharaoh’s response to the judgments of God in that their hearts will harden ever deeper as the judgments intensify. The purpose of this judgment is to provoke repentance–but “they blasphemed God, and did not repent of their deeds” (Rev. 16:11).
No Wrath For Christ’s Bride
There need not be any difficulty in comprehending the precise meaning of the “hour of trial” that shall befall the whole earth, for “the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment” (2 Peter 2:9). In other words, there will be no wrath for Christ’s Bride–the Church.[3] Yet numerous commentators often assault this premise by refuting the reality of the “catching away of the Church” prior to the Day of Judgment, insisting that the Church will remain on earth to suffer the wrath of God detailed in Revelation (or else be immune to it).
Unfortunately, commentators often fall to a herd mentality in their assumptions that common and/or long-standing (personal) postulations are incontestable. Their lonely argument against the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church rests in John 17:15, which reads, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” Here Jesus beseeches His Father toward strengthening the disciples against Satan while they are yet in the world, thus promoting spiritual growth in resisting the devil and temptation during their earthly lifetime. Jesus’ prayer was not an appeal to negate the rapture, nor is it proof that the Church will suffer the Seventieth Week. Rather, we are encouraged to endure–with Christ’s help–the tribulations of life in a hostile world, but can anticipate an imminent hope that Christ will appear in the clouds to gather His Bride to Him and then take her to His Father’s heavenly house before His Father’s wrath falls on a hateful planet.
What is implied by wayward interpreters is that since Jesus prayed on behalf of the disciples for divine protection from the devil, then divine protection (or immunity) would likewise be afforded the faithful during the Tribulation judgments, thereby “proving” the rapture to be either late in the Tribulation or outright fiction. But just as with believers through history, believers during the Tribulation will in fact experience suffering and martyrdom, negating the implication of immunity (Rev. 6:9-11; 7:9-14; 11:7-10; 12:11; 14:1-3; 15:1-3). The believers during the final Judgment are not Church Age saints (Pentecost to rapture), they are Tribulation saints and an altogether different entity than the Church.
Further clarity is gained by utilizing interpretive logic. In the John 17 passage the disciples were already subject to the wiles of the devil, just as they had been prior to becoming disciples, placing the context of Jesus’ prayer in their immediate sense relative to the historical time of His prayer. And relative to the time of His prayer, the rapture and judgments of Revelation were still in the future, as they remain at the time of this writing. Hence, the situation of being “in the world but not of it” is alluded to as Jesus’ prayer continues (John 17:16-19), further illuminating the context of immediacy that shall endure while the disciples are in the world that they have now been sent out into by Jesus Himself.
It is a fantastic stretch to force the context of God’s wrath at the end of the age into the clear context of everyday discipleship Jesus communed with His Father about on behalf of His followers (John 17).
Moreover, in light of the previous information, Jesus prayed that His Father would keep the disciples from the evil one (Satan), not from trials and judgment that will in actuality be sent by God Himself and thus not of satanic origin. Said judgment cannot be identified as “evil” or “of the evil one” since the Lord God sends His wrath so that “the inhabitants of the earth will learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9).
It is further notable that Jesus specifies the “hour of trial” as being sent for the benefit of “those who dwell on the earth” as opposed to the Church He is actively assuring will be kept from said trial, clearly implying that the Church will not be on earth during the final Day of Judgment, “having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Romans 5:9).
The Blessed Hope
Revelation 3:11 proclaims “Behold, I am coming quickly!” This is the only church message of the seven that carries such an announcement. Former messages speak of preparation and watchfulness, but Philadelphia alone holds the promise of the Lord’s soon return, paralleling Revelation 22:7.
The prophetic significance of this invites unequaled anticipation for the Philadelphia church era in that it is viably our present circumstance, and modern believers have reason for a “blessed hope” soon to be realized! The hour or day cannot be known, but the nearness of Jesus’ return is perceived by those who have an “ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
It is of peculiar interest that the Philadelphia church is given only commendation, praise, and encouragement with no condemnation at all, while the Laodicean church (the last of the seven churches) receives only condemnation and no commendation. This we will find leads to the revelation that Laodicea is none other than the apostate church of the Tribulation, filled with foolish virgins and lamps with no oil.
Notes:
1. Tim Lahaye, Revelation Unveiled, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1999), p80
2. The “rapture” of the Church was taught by both Jesus and Paul. Jesus retained the mystery by alluding to it in parables and via the Jewish wedding customs. However, Paul explicitly revealed the mystery and encouraged the teaching of the “blessed hope.” References by Jesus: John 14:2-3; Matthew 25:1-13. References by Paul: 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; Titus 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 5:1-10; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8.
3. For a biblical view of the pre-tribulation rapture of the Church, click here: http://jonbirch.com/blog/no-wrath-for-his-bride/