Philadelpohia

Philadelphia Revelation 3:7-10   ·          Located in Lydia ·          28 miles SE of Sardis ·          Established to teach Greek language and Greek culture to the East (Asia) ·          Several earthquakes in the past ·          Latest was 17 AD when 10 towns tumbled ·          Rich land for crops with remains of volcanoes ·          Main crop was Grapes ·          Chief god was Dionysus and goddess was Bacchus.  They were gods of sine, drama, fertility ·          Christianity was there until WWII when all left for Greece   “Philadelphia” is from “philadelpos” which means one who loves his brother. ·          It was named for King Attalus II of Pergamos who was called “Philadelphos” because of  his loyalty to his brotherEumenes II, king of Lydia ·          “Philadelphia” is used in Rom. 12:10; 1 Thes. 4:9; Heb. 13:1; 1 Pt. 1:22; II Pt. 1:7 (2x)   This letter is entirely praise and is similar to #2 Smyrna But is unlike #5 Sardis and #7 Laodicea   3:7 “Him who is holy and true ·          Right doctrine and right living go together ·          This image is not drawn directly from chapter 1   1)  Holiness   1 Peter 1:15   “Holy” speaks of God’s character that separates him from the created world.    He is perfect, separate, flawless   Notice Demons called him “the Holy One of God” in Mk.1:24   Jesus claims here to have the unaltered essence of the holiness of God   POINT:  Philadelphia is not rebuked by the Holy One.   2)  Truth   alhqinoV means “true, genuine, authentic, real”   Author of truth   Jesus is compared with all error and false doctrine     This combination, Holy and True, is used in Revelation to describe God in   6:10  15:3  16:7  19:2,    19:11   3)  Key of David   Reference back to chapter 1 is closest to keys of Death and Hades.   Isaiah 22:22   Eliakim son of Hilkiah was to replace a royal official by being given the   Keys of David:   a)  Keys to the treasure house   b)  Keys to the king himself   Keys of David represent:   a)  complete control over royal household   b)  authority   c)  Who ever has the keys has control   d)  Who ever has the keys drives the car   David symbolizes the office of the Messiah   a)  Rev. 5:5   b)  Rev. 22:16     Salvation and Blessing     Jesus has the keys to:     Death and Hades   3:8  “I know your works”   did their previous works cause him to open this door?     “opening and no one will shut. . .   and shutting and no one opens. . .   a door having been opened which no one can shut”     a)  “having been opened” is perfect passive part.   - indicates a continuing condition   - a door is standing open   - opportunity to preach the gospel   - Open door is not salvation for the church   - Open door is an opportunity for service as in:   1)  1 Cor. 16:8-9   2)  2 Cor. 2:12   3)  Col. 4:2-3   b)  “shut” is aorist active  infinitive   The city of Philadelphia was the natural door to the East:       Agean Sea         Coast     Smyrna  Philadelphia            Asia Minor     a road led from Smyrna through Philadelphia to NE parts of Asia Minor and to the East     Philadelphia was the keeper of the gateway to Asia.     - It is interesting that this church continued into the 20th century.   Isaiah 43:13, “When I act who can reverse it?”   Isaiah 46:9-11, “I say, ‘My purpose will stand.’ ”   Daniel 4:35, “No one can hold back his hand.” 3:8  a) “Little Strength”. . . Speaks of their own natural strength, but Jesus will open the door   because of their faithfulness.   - They had learned to rely on Jesus power, his will and his grace   - 2 Corinthians 12:10   - Physically limited, but spiritual power flowed   - “you have” is pres. Ind. active   b) “Kept my word”. . .guarded the deposit   - kept the truth   - not departed from the faith   - held to the apostolic doctrine   - “kept” is aorist* indicative active   - Job 23:12,   - Martin Luther said, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God.”   c) “Not denied name”. . .loyal to Jesus name in “holiness” and in “truth”   - Their teaching/doctrine did not deny Jesus   - Their actions/lives did not deny Jesus   - aorist* indicative middle     * the aorist refers to some distinct occasion in the past,   being put to the test, they proved faithful   * dokimazw  James 1   3:9  Synagogue of Satan ·          Unbelieving Jews   1)  Romans 2:28-29, “A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is   circumcision merely outward and physical.  No a man is a Jew if he is  one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit.”   2)  From Deuteronomy 30:6, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the  hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and  with all your soul, and live.”   3)  The church is called “the Israel of God” in Galatians 6:16 ·          Jews opposing Christianity   - Saul   - Thessalonica   - Smyrna—Syn. of Satan ·          Satan opposed church here but church had remained faithful   - relying on God for strength   - holding to the word   - not denying Jesus ·          So God opened a door that Satan/Jews could not shut ·          “lie” is in the present indicating an habitual action ·          “fall down” proskunhsousin” (fut. Ind. Act.) means “to worship”    -What Israel expected the gentiles to do to them will be done by the Jews to the church.   - Isaiah 45:14— “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush and those tall   Sabeans—they will come over to you and will be yours;  they will trudge behind   you, coming over to you in chains.  They will bow down before you and plead   with you, saying, ‘Surely God is with you, and there is no other;   there is no other god.’”   -Zechariah 8:23— “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In those days  ten men from   all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe   and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you’.’ ”   -Isaiah 49:23   -Isaiah 60:14 ·          “I loved you” focuses on the subject, the Philadelphia church. ·          Many had doubted that the Messiah could love the church of Gentiles and “fallen” Jews ·          In fact, many of those Jews would become believers it would appear    -Romans 11:26   -Zech. 12:10 ·          The faithfulness of Philadelphia would lead to the conversion of some of the Jews that had persecuted the church.  Just like Saul’s persecution of Stephen and others preceded his    conversion.   3:10  “endurance” “patience” “ ’upomonhV” means “remaining under, patient endurance.    It is the spirit which can bear things not simply with resignation but with blazing hope   Used in James 1:2-4   Hebrews 12:2-4   Faithfulness results in deliverance from trial This is not deliverance form the “trial” because here it is speaking of a trial on earth and not   a local church trial in history. This is deliverance from the “hour of trial” It is deliverance from a time period:  Tribulation   Daniel 12:2  Isaiah 26:16-19   Daniel 9:25-27  Micah 4:9-10   Jeremiah 30:7  Hosea 13:13   Joel 2:2  Haggai 2:6   Matthew 24:21  Mark 13:7-20   1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11   Revelation 7:14   The word “from” is “ek”   a) it can mean “out of” (rarely as in John 17:15)   b) can mean “from” as is here since the rest of the book’s content is the period of trial.   Concerning a pretrib. Rapture this has to be deliverance before the tribulation “from”. The second choice, but not as good, is deliverance during the tribulation, mid trib. Rapture. And it can not mean deliverance “through” the tribulation, post trib. Rapture   A better word for mid. Trib. Or post trib. Is “en” ( meaning “in”) or “dia” (meaning “through”)   Here the rapture is a promise and a future hope Those who are promised deliverance during the tribulation are the 144,000   Some reasons that it must be the Pre-Tribulation rapture: A)        “from” means “kept from entering this period” B)      Israel is sealed in chapter 7 C)      It is a time period D)      It is a test for the world E)     The context of the book is this period of suffering F)      Those who are tested are the unbelievers who must choose   Why would the church go through the tribulation only to be untouched? What is the point?  Because believers in the tribulation are not preserved:   Revelation 6:9-11   Revelation 7:9-14 The text show: A)        The test is future B)      The test is for a limited time period C)      The test will expose people’s hearts D)      The test is worldwide E)     The test is for “those who dwell on the earth” (also, known as unbelievers)   Revelation 6:10   Revelation 8:13   Revelation 11:10   Revelation 13:8, 12, 13   Revelation 14:6   Revelation 17:2, 8   These unbelievers will either: 1)       Repent and be saved:   a)  Revelation 6:9-11   b)  Revelation 7:9-10, 14   c)  Revelation 14:4   d)  Revelation 17:;14 2)       Reject and be judged:   a)  Revelation 6:15-17   b)  Revelation 9:20   c)  Revelation 19:17-18   This can not be referring to a Post Tribulation rapture: 1)       Linguistically it does not work— see interlinear Greek pages 2)       Theologically it does not work— church and Israel are the same, rapture and second coming are the same, judgments do not work out, the bride of Christ is nation of Israel, etc. 3)       Logically it does not work—why test the church with something that can not touch them?  In Smyrna it says, “The devil will pout some of you in prison to test you,  . . .be faithful to the point of death.”  This is a test and a promise to Smyrna to be with them through the test 4)       As a true promise it does not work—Believers are not delivered in the tribulation. 3:11  “I am coming soon.”   Christ coming to Ephesus (2:5), Pergamum 2:26) and Sardis (3:3) referred to his coming to   judge the local church.   - In Ephesus the lampstand would be removed   - In Pergamum He would fight against them with the sword of his mouth   - In Sardis he would come like a thief to judge them Here to the church of Philadelphia Jesus is talking about an eschatological event.   - He will come to end their time on earth and its trials   - He will come and take them to a place of eternal citizenship and reward   This verse can only be read with the understanding that this church will remain until the return of Jesus.    “Coming soon” means “sudden and unexpected” not necessarily immediate. The promise of his return being ready and unexpected is in:  2:5; 2:16; 22:7; 22:12; 22:20   3:11  “Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”   This is the promise to the faithful believer Crown is stefanoV (stephanos) and means the victors crown. Refers to the race of the Christian life. Hebrews 12:1  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us   throw off everything that hinders. . .and let us run with perseverance the race marked   out for   us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, . . .” 1 Corinthians 9:26 “Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a   man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have   preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.    Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness. . .   12 “Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God.   Never again will he leave it.”   This is the promise to the believer   An overcomer is one who believes in Jesus Christ (1 John 5:4)   A pillar represents stability and permanence. A pillar is a permanent feature in a city They will stand when all eso has fallen In pagan temples they were carved or engraved with the image of names of the deities honored in the temple. Four promises for the believer: A)        pillar B)      Name of God C)      Name of the city D)      Jesus’ new name   12 “I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new   Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God;   and I will also write on him my new name.”   A)        Name of my God means. . . . . .   The faithful belong to God   Show ownership, and dedication B)      Name of the city means . . . . . .  The faithful hold permanent citizenship in Heaven   A passport  Galatians 4:26  Philippians 3:20 A)        My new name. . . . . . . . . . . . . .  The faithful were related to Christ and his newly   revealed position.  Christ’s new name reveals a new understanding of who   Christ is.  We can not currently comprehend it but   the faithful will be able to grasp and understand it A new name in scripture shows:   a) a change of status or function of a city or nation (Is.1:26; 60:14; 65:15; Je. 3:17; 23:6;  33:16; Ezek. 48:35; Zech 8:3)   b) a change in character, conduct or status of a person (Gen. 17:5, 17; 32:27-28; 41:45;   Dan. 1:7; Mk. 3:17; John 1:42)   The City The city is the eternal city, or heaven.   Hebrews 11:16 Hebrews 12:22 Revelation 21    3:12 “Never again will he leave” Philadelphia had experience earthquakes.  People lived outside the city to avoid the danger. This city was so stable and eternal you will never have to leave.