"To the Church in Philadelphia" Revelation 3.7-13
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About Philadelphia
About Philadelphia
Named Philadelphia by Attalus II in honor of his love for his brother and heir Attalus III
philadelpheia = from the word philaelphos meaning loving one’s brother, brotherly.
If you’ll remember, Attalus III died without an heir and bequeathed his Kingdom to Rome. This includes Philadelphia and Pergamum.
The city was at a commercial junction between roads running to Smyrna and Pergamum.
The city had an agrarian economy - grapes for wine and flocks for textile and leather.
The city experienced an earthquake in AD 17 and was rebuilt by Roman imperial money.
Many moved out of the city because of the unstable buildings.
It seems that the Philadelphian Jewish community impacted the church.
Fun Fact - modern day Philadelphia is called Alasehir which means “city of Allah.”
Identification Rev. 3.7
Identification Rev. 3.7
“Holy One and True” - not from the inaugural vision, but ties to Rev. 6.10 (Cf. Isa 22.22).
In 6.10 the Martyrs attribute this title to Jesus.
Emphasis on “true” in the context of the letters concerns faithful testimony (war of words).
“who do you say I am?”
With a Jewish opposition in the context, the concern is most likely the truth of Jesus’ Messiahship. Is Jesus simply another false pretender?
1 Cor 1.23
but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,
Messianic Claims
Judas of Galilee, founder of the sect of the zealots, led a failed Jewish revolt against Rome in 6 CE. Mentioned by Josephus.
Theudas (?- c. 46 CE), led an unsuccessful short-lived revolt against Rome somewhere between 44 and 46 CE. Mentioned by Josephus.
Simon of Peraea (?- died c. 5 BCE -15 CE), former slave of Herod the Great (74/73 BCE - c. 4 BCE), led a Jewish revolt. Mentioned by Josephus.
Athronges, leader of a Jewish insurrection against Herod Archelaus (23 BCE - c 18 CE).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Jewish_messiah_claimants#External_links
Key Imagery - Back to the Inaugural Vision Rev. 1.18
John’s use of Isa. 22.22
“The allusion was to King David’s palaces steward, Eliakim. The Key of David is explained as possessing the unique authority to open and no one shut, and to shut and no one open. “
We see here strong elements of Jewish imagery in the context.
Account Rev. 3.8
Account Rev. 3.8
Here we have a positive account.
“Open Door” for the Philadelphians that no one can shut (allusion to the key of David).
The idea is that Entrance into the Royal House of David is through the true Messiah.
I’d imagine that this would be a great encouragement to Christians at Philadelphia who may spend a lot of time locked in apologetic encounters with Jews who deny Jesus’ messiahship.
As we will see, it seems that the Synagogue has rejected Jesus. They then have no right to speak about who is in and who is out.
Exclusivity of Christ
Exclusivity of Christ
The claim of Christ is exclusive - “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” John 14.6 ESV
Some believe that the Church and Israel have two different Eschatologies. How ever we parse that out, we have to remember that both Christ’s claim and call are exclusive. Jesus is the only way to the Father.
Logically this holds.
Law of Excluded Middle - Either A or non-A, but not both. If A is true then all non-A is false.
If Jesus’ claim of salvific exclusion is true, then all other salvific systems are false.
this holds with any system. If____ religion is true, all other religions are false.
whatever eschatology looks like for Israel, salvation has to be grounded in the person and work of Christ.
Account Continued…
Account Continued…
those Christians have little power and yet they hold fast to their faith in Jesus.
Maybe those Christians are experiencing issues like what Pliny did to Christians.
Regardless of the persecution this church has been faithful to not deny Christ in a public context.
Chiasm in the Letters
Chiasm in the Letters
a literary device used by biblical authors especially in the OT.
“In a chiasm a list of items, ideas or events is structured in such a manner that the first item parallels the last item, the second item parrallels the next to the last item [etc]...” Grasping God’s Word, 100.
Remember Smyrna and how Jesus spoke highly of their witness? Same is said for Philadelphia.
Chiasms place emphasis in an artistic way. For Revelation, the Emphasis is on Thyatira and the False Prophet Jezabel.
Sources:
https://literarydevices.net/chiasmus/
https://www.sbl-site.org/publications/article.aspx?ArticleId=296
Assessment and Exhortation Rev. 3.9-11
Assessment and Exhortation Rev. 3.9-11
“Synagogue of Satan” - we’ve seen this in 2.9. These so-called people of God are actually opposing God and are under the rule of Satan.
“who say they are Jews and are not, but lie” - these people do not follow their religious heritage. They do not follow in their father Abraham’s spiritual foot steps, that is, they are not walking faith consummated in the true Messiah Jesus.
Their opposition to Jesus shows their activity as a synagogue of satan.
The Christians at Philadelphia have and are encouraged to continue their faithful witness like that of Christ in the inaugural vision and like that of Antipas who died for the Faith.
“I will make them come and bow down before your feet and they will learn that I have loved you” - not so much Jew subjugation, but a point of God’s covenant love toward Gentiles in Christ.
Is. 45.14 ; 49.23; Ps. 86.9 John is innovating OT language, showing God’s love toward those who have a faithful witness in Christ.
Thus says the Lord: “The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you and be yours; they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will plead with you, saying: ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides him.’ ”
Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”
All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.
“I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” - holding fast to Christ, preserve the life of the believer against the second death.
John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, seeing the world he lives in, sees a future time when the church will be tested (or continue to be).
We need to understand as we think about our eschatology, the church is not taken out of the suffering. Instead, the suffering of the church mirrors the suffering of Christ.
… the hour of trial coming upon the whole world is because the church refuses to give up her gospel testimony. No church, no persecution, no persecution, no hour of trial. Stevens, 347.
Whatever the end of the story of the church looks like, suffering and faithful witness are apart of it.
So what do you think about the Rapture?
So what do you think about the Rapture?
it depends on how we interpret 1 Thessalonians 4.13-18
it depends on how we consider a theory that is only around 200 years old in Christian history.
it depends on how we take the view of Revelation, the church will suffer.
what ever conclusion you come to, do it biblically and do it worshipfully.
Promise Rev. 3.12
Promise Rev. 3.12
“the one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the Temple...”
Possibly drawing on the Patron/Client system. Patrons would have their name inscribed on temples to show their civic beneficence.
possibly thinking of the architecture of a temple. Temples and their huge columns evoke honor and respect.
There is honor and respect waiting those Christians who conquer by holding their faithful witness.
These conquers will never go out of it in the new Jerusalem.
When a conquering army came, they took temples. They would desecrate them, force out the priests and/or slaughter them.
This happened in the larger Greco-Roman world and to the Temple in Jerusalem in the first Jewish Roman war.
First Jewish Revolt AD 66-70 - Jews revolted, Nero sent Vespasian to deal with the rebellion. Vespasian's son Titus would take command leading 80,000 Soldiers to seige Jerusalem. After 5 months, the temple was destroyed, an estimtated 1,000,000 Jews died and an estimated 900,000 were taken captive.
For the conquering Christian, this is not a problem. In God’s redemptive work, they will never be forced out.