7 And to the messenger of the assembly in Philadelphia write: These things says the Holy one, the True one, Who holds the key of David, Who opens and no one closes, and closes and no one opens: 8 I know thy works: Lo, I have placed before thee a door, an opened one, and no one is able to close it. Because thou hast little ability, and thou kept My word, and did not deny My name: 9 Lo, I give out of the synagogue of Satan, of those saying themselves, “They are Jews,” and they are not, rather they lie: Lo, I will make them, so they should come and worship before thy feet and know that I myself dist love thee. 10 Because thou dist keep the word of my patience, I also will keep thee out of the hour of the trial which is about to come upon the whole habitable earth to try those dwelling on the earth. 11 Lo, I come quickly; hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown. 12 Who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and out no more at all shall he go, and I shall write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, the one coming down out of heaven from my God and my new name. 13 He having ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.
Like this book is a “gift” to Christ, v.1:1, so is this “opened door”: Christ “has given it (placed it)” before this assembly. In front of them lies this opened door; whether it is the unrestricted access to the great plateau of Asia which geographically Philadelphia held or otherwise, it is a door opened to bring the gospel out to the lost. Like with Paul, where a door was closed to Asia another was opened to Macedonia, Acts 16:6-11. The phrase in v.3:8 “and no one has ability or power to close it” seems to indicate failed attempts on the part of the Jews or Roman authorities to resist the ministry of this small assembly: “little ability or power.” They had been going through this door keeping Christ’s word and confessing His name. This door will remain opened to bring the gospel out to the lost so the assembly must, v.3:11, "hold fast" in this, that no one take thy crown. Here we see Christ’s omnipotent sovereign administration in evangelism, church building and good works: the gates of hell can not prevail against it. We may sow or water, as his will may be, But God gives the increase,1Cor.3:7 with Is.9:7. All opened or closed doors are such; this is why we watch and pray.
“The holy one, the true one, the one holding the key of David, the one unlocking-open and no one locks-shut, also locking-shut and no one unlocks-open”,(Psalms 33:4,5), this is the one addressing them. Holiness unto Yahweh, the theme of OT ceremonial and civic law, and the substance of that which made Israel a peculiar people, a kingdom of priests and kings, is of a truth embodied in our LORD, who is the genuine one as apposed to false ones. His people shall be holy because he is holy; we are sanctified in Christ, saints by calling, 1Cor.1:2. He is the only acceptable sacrifice for sin and the true shepherd of the sheep, the genuine King of kings, the root and offspring of David. He is the fullness of that which fills all in all, who, as head over all things, is given unto the assemblies. Some Jews out of the synagogues will be won over to this truth by the faithful witness of this assembly to the word and name of Christ. It has this promise from its sovereign. Philadelphia will have a successful ministry to the Jews right out of the synagogue of Satan. From hatred and loathing anti-Christ detestation, they will be persuaded to the truth confessing their previous lie. The gospel opens the eyes of the blind and it becomes their joy to repent of their former deceit. The idea of the synagogue was that: in a sense, the Abrahamic and Davidic covenant rule that existed on earth: they, themselves, were the keepers of. This was the lie that was exposed by their rejection of the true messiah when He came to give His life a ransom for many, the cursed one being cursed for us taking our place on the tree. Paul’s life before conversion is a good example of this. This letter’s attribution of the key of David to Christ literally signifies this, (Is.22:15-25). Jesus Christ, the risen one, is he upon whom the key is hung, Eliakim being his foreshadowing. The whole book of Hebrews makes upon this and similar themes. In Christ we have bold access unto the throne of grace, the mercy seat, that we may find help in time of need. When the scales fall off the eyes, this is cause for rejoicing and reversal of opinion regarding the assemblies of the Lamb. Through Him we can genuinely go in and out doing kingdom business, and he has been given unto the assemblies as head over all things.
This church worked, kept Christ’s word, and denied not His name. Though small in wealth, influence, and/or numbers, yet it went in and out through this opened door. Wonder and surprise should gird their attention as Christ calls them to consider His majesty in effecting this: “Lo, Behold”. There are likewise to wonder and to attend to His expanding their ministry even unto their enemies who presently think the gospel foolishness and weakness. Such as these will come worshipfully into the assembly’s presence, given by Christ and created anew, knowing experientially that Christ has Loved the assembly of Philadelphia. Representing all faithful assemblies everywhere, Philadelphia by keeping the word of their LORD’S patience, not shunning the shame of the cross, but exalting in it as the work of the Fathers will to save sinners, consistently maintained a Biblical doctrine of the atonement capable of opening the eyes of the people of the Old testament. There are three phrases declaring their faithfulness in the gospel : “thou kept my word”, “dist not deny my name”, and “Thou dist keep the word of my patience”. Christ endured the cross despising the shame and is sat down on the right hand of the Father in the heavens, he endured the contradiction of sinners unto the shedding of blood for the remission of sins, and he endures the vessels of wrath patiently longsuffering that all the elect should be saved. This word they were true to. God-Man-Messiah, incarnate Son of the Triune God, David’s greater son, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, The one of whom the roll of the Book proclaims: Lo, I am come to do thy will, O my God, This one’s word they kept. The one who’s day Abraham rejoiced to see, who’s city Abraham looked for, the seed (singular) of promise, the messenger of the new covenant, the one who is not delaying his coming as some men count slackness but is patient, long suffering, not willing that any should perish, This is the one who was before Abraham was born, the “I am”, the same that Job confessed: I know that my redeemer lives. This is the one who by virtue of an indestructible, infinite life, without beginning nor end, is the perfect sacrifice for sin, the true alter of propitiation that the brazen one was patterned after in the heavens, the archetype of all priesthood and ceremonial law, the true temple made without hands, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth, the only acceptable intercessor between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. The Word of God forever settled in the heavens, God’s hammer that breaks the rock into pieces, this, though they were little, gave them strength. Their Biblical faith and the immovable open door gave them passage to gospel success, and would remain so, even expanding to their very enemies, wonder of wonders!
They have this promise as well: “I also will keep thee out of the hour of the trial which is about to come upon the whole habitable earth to try those dwelling on the earth.” The word “also” here joins their keeping the word of Christ’s patience with their Lord’s future keeping of them. The idea in the word used for keep is to guard, hold, keep, observe, and preserve against loss, damage, or misuse. This assembly historically guarded, held, kept, observed, and preserved against loss, damage, or misuse the word of Christ’s work of redemption, a trial in the will of the Father that the Son remained under its end (“It is finished”, Jn.4:34; 17:4; 19:30; Rom.10:4; Gal.3:13; Heb. 10:5-10 with Jn.6:37-40 and Jn.10:25-30), so Christ will do the same to the assembly out of the hour of trial. Philadelphia will not suffer loss, damage or misuse. What is this hour of trial, its extent, and its intent? Historicists apply this language to Trajan’s trial policies begun in 98a.d. which ran on for hundreds of years. The whole habitable earth was Trajan’s words for the Roman empire, and loyalty to Rome was to be tested by offerings to lord Cesar upon everyone who might be called into question. There is much to be said in favor of this interpretation especially as directly applying to the 95a.d. Philadelphia assembly. However, to reject an application to the times of Revelations 13 is strange: 1st. the universal nature of the final lines to each of these churches requires an expansion to the whole age of the Church, and 2nd. In Rev.13 the elements of that particular line are reiterated there, “if any man have an ear, let him hear,” v.13:9. Is not the trial at that place in time the same, in kind, as Trajan’s? Pre-tribulation rapture doctrine takes this “keeping out of” as a removal from the earth itself while God’s wrath is pored out on it. For other Pre-millennial positions, ideas of being caught up to meet Christ in the air that do not include such timing, a promise to be kept out of loss, damage, or misuse during such times, as well as the boldest of presumptions: that we might actually have an immovable open door to overcomingly go in and out professing the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony and labor to effectually call Israel to repentance in fulfillment of Romans chapters 9-11, is too good to pass up. “Trial” does not equal “tribulation” nor “Jacobs troubles”; it has a meaning of its own. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
“Lo, I come quickly; hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown,” they are to wonder at and attend to the promise of his coming quickly, and in that awe continue in that which they have been commended in keeping his word and going on through that open door. A bit of warning, however, that no man take, thy “Stephen” crown of life. False doctrine, persecution, not repenting, not watching, growing lax, are only some of the ways an assembly may loose its spiritual life. Hold fast is an admonition often in passages: 1Thes.5:12 whole chapter; 2Thes.2:15 whole chapter; 2Tim.1:13; Tit.1:9-16; Heb.3:6; 4:14; 10:23 all in context; Rev. 2:13,25 and 3:3. The world, the flesh, and the Devil, all do not want you to live by faith nor any assembly. Hold fast!
Promises to the overcoming ones are all suggestive of eternal life with our Lord in His presence. “I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and out no more at all shall he go,” the first one is a bit impressive. A pillar in the true sanctuary will be all and more than Jachin and Boaz were to the temple of Solomon (see 1 Kings 7:13-22). Works of stunning beauty, impressive architecture, engineering marvel, and memorable testimony, these saints will adorn the temple of His presence in eternity at rest from their going out labors. “And I shall write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, the one coming down out of heaven from my God and my new name,” next there are 3 writings: they belong to God, the city of God, and to the Holy and True one having the key of David. Oh, how much this is a confession by Christ that they are his: consider this passage, Matthew 10:24-42.
“He having ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.” This word is addressed to us, and it has as much promise as “let there be light” had power in the day God created the heavens and the earth. The condition it rests on is our possession of ears. He who created the ear can quicken the dead and give hearing to the deaf. This too is the key of David. All these seven letters end with this call. God calls believers everywhere to hear what he says to these seven assemblies, because through them it is for us upon whom the end of the ages has come. Churches like all these exist at all times, and this is the covenant they sustain with the Lord. Lo, this one comes quickly.
DGB
Like this book is a “gift” to Christ, v.1:1, so is this “opened door”: Christ “has given it (placed it)” before this assembly. In front of them lies this opened door; whether it is the unrestricted access to the great plateau of Asia which geographically Philadelphia held or otherwise, it is a door opened to bring the gospel out to the lost. Like with Paul, where a door was closed to Asia another was opened to Macedonia, Acts 16:6-11. The phrase in v.3:8 “and no one has ability or power to close it” seems to indicate failed attempts on the part of the Jews or Roman authorities to resist the ministry of this small assembly: “little ability or power.” They had been going through this door keeping Christ’s word and confessing His name. This door will remain opened to bring the gospel out to the lost so the assembly must, v.3:11, "hold fast" in this, that no one take thy crown. Here we see Christ’s omnipotent sovereign administration in evangelism, church building and good works: the gates of hell can not prevail against it. We may sow or water, as his will may be, But God gives the increase,1Cor.3:7 with Is.9:7. All opened or closed doors are such; this is why we watch and pray.
“The holy one, the true one, the one holding the key of David, the one unlocking-open and no one locks-shut, also locking-shut and no one unlocks-open”,(Psalms 33:4,5), this is the one addressing them. Holiness unto Yahweh, the theme of OT ceremonial and civic law, and the substance of that which made Israel a peculiar people, a kingdom of priests and kings, is of a truth embodied in our LORD, who is the genuine one as apposed to false ones. His people shall be holy because he is holy; we are sanctified in Christ, saints by calling, 1Cor.1:2. He is the only acceptable sacrifice for sin and the true shepherd of the sheep, the genuine King of kings, the root and offspring of David. He is the fullness of that which fills all in all, who, as head over all things, is given unto the assemblies. Some Jews out of the synagogues will be won over to this truth by the faithful witness of this assembly to the word and name of Christ. It has this promise from its sovereign. Philadelphia will have a successful ministry to the Jews right out of the synagogue of Satan. From hatred and loathing anti-Christ detestation, they will be persuaded to the truth confessing their previous lie. The gospel opens the eyes of the blind and it becomes their joy to repent of their former deceit. The idea of the synagogue was that: in a sense, the Abrahamic and Davidic covenant rule that existed on earth: they, themselves, were the keepers of. This was the lie that was exposed by their rejection of the true messiah when He came to give His life a ransom for many, the cursed one being cursed for us taking our place on the tree. Paul’s life before conversion is a good example of this. This letter’s attribution of the key of David to Christ literally signifies this, (Is.22:15-25). Jesus Christ, the risen one, is he upon whom the key is hung, Eliakim being his foreshadowing. The whole book of Hebrews makes upon this and similar themes. In Christ we have bold access unto the throne of grace, the mercy seat, that we may find help in time of need. When the scales fall off the eyes, this is cause for rejoicing and reversal of opinion regarding the assemblies of the Lamb. Through Him we can genuinely go in and out doing kingdom business, and he has been given unto the assemblies as head over all things.
This church worked, kept Christ’s word, and denied not His name. Though small in wealth, influence, and/or numbers, yet it went in and out through this opened door. Wonder and surprise should gird their attention as Christ calls them to consider His majesty in effecting this: “Lo, Behold”. There are likewise to wonder and to attend to His expanding their ministry even unto their enemies who presently think the gospel foolishness and weakness. Such as these will come worshipfully into the assembly’s presence, given by Christ and created anew, knowing experientially that Christ has Loved the assembly of Philadelphia. Representing all faithful assemblies everywhere, Philadelphia by keeping the word of their LORD’S patience, not shunning the shame of the cross, but exalting in it as the work of the Fathers will to save sinners, consistently maintained a Biblical doctrine of the atonement capable of opening the eyes of the people of the Old testament. There are three phrases declaring their faithfulness in the gospel : “thou kept my word”, “dist not deny my name”, and “Thou dist keep the word of my patience”. Christ endured the cross despising the shame and is sat down on the right hand of the Father in the heavens, he endured the contradiction of sinners unto the shedding of blood for the remission of sins, and he endures the vessels of wrath patiently longsuffering that all the elect should be saved. This word they were true to. God-Man-Messiah, incarnate Son of the Triune God, David’s greater son, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, The one of whom the roll of the Book proclaims: Lo, I am come to do thy will, O my God, This one’s word they kept. The one who’s day Abraham rejoiced to see, who’s city Abraham looked for, the seed (singular) of promise, the messenger of the new covenant, the one who is not delaying his coming as some men count slackness but is patient, long suffering, not willing that any should perish, This is the one who was before Abraham was born, the “I am”, the same that Job confessed: I know that my redeemer lives. This is the one who by virtue of an indestructible, infinite life, without beginning nor end, is the perfect sacrifice for sin, the true alter of propitiation that the brazen one was patterned after in the heavens, the archetype of all priesthood and ceremonial law, the true temple made without hands, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the earth, the only acceptable intercessor between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. The Word of God forever settled in the heavens, God’s hammer that breaks the rock into pieces, this, though they were little, gave them strength. Their Biblical faith and the immovable open door gave them passage to gospel success, and would remain so, even expanding to their very enemies, wonder of wonders!
They have this promise as well: “I also will keep thee out of the hour of the trial which is about to come upon the whole habitable earth to try those dwelling on the earth.” The word “also” here joins their keeping the word of Christ’s patience with their Lord’s future keeping of them. The idea in the word used for keep is to guard, hold, keep, observe, and preserve against loss, damage, or misuse. This assembly historically guarded, held, kept, observed, and preserved against loss, damage, or misuse the word of Christ’s work of redemption, a trial in the will of the Father that the Son remained under its end (“It is finished”, Jn.4:34; 17:4; 19:30; Rom.10:4; Gal.3:13; Heb. 10:5-10 with Jn.6:37-40 and Jn.10:25-30), so Christ will do the same to the assembly out of the hour of trial. Philadelphia will not suffer loss, damage or misuse. What is this hour of trial, its extent, and its intent? Historicists apply this language to Trajan’s trial policies begun in 98a.d. which ran on for hundreds of years. The whole habitable earth was Trajan’s words for the Roman empire, and loyalty to Rome was to be tested by offerings to lord Cesar upon everyone who might be called into question. There is much to be said in favor of this interpretation especially as directly applying to the 95a.d. Philadelphia assembly. However, to reject an application to the times of Revelations 13 is strange: 1st. the universal nature of the final lines to each of these churches requires an expansion to the whole age of the Church, and 2nd. In Rev.13 the elements of that particular line are reiterated there, “if any man have an ear, let him hear,” v.13:9. Is not the trial at that place in time the same, in kind, as Trajan’s? Pre-tribulation rapture doctrine takes this “keeping out of” as a removal from the earth itself while God’s wrath is pored out on it. For other Pre-millennial positions, ideas of being caught up to meet Christ in the air that do not include such timing, a promise to be kept out of loss, damage, or misuse during such times, as well as the boldest of presumptions: that we might actually have an immovable open door to overcomingly go in and out professing the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony and labor to effectually call Israel to repentance in fulfillment of Romans chapters 9-11, is too good to pass up. “Trial” does not equal “tribulation” nor “Jacobs troubles”; it has a meaning of its own. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
“Lo, I come quickly; hold fast what thou hast, that no one take thy crown,” they are to wonder at and attend to the promise of his coming quickly, and in that awe continue in that which they have been commended in keeping his word and going on through that open door. A bit of warning, however, that no man take, thy “Stephen” crown of life. False doctrine, persecution, not repenting, not watching, growing lax, are only some of the ways an assembly may loose its spiritual life. Hold fast is an admonition often in passages: 1Thes.5:12 whole chapter; 2Thes.2:15 whole chapter; 2Tim.1:13; Tit.1:9-16; Heb.3:6; 4:14; 10:23 all in context; Rev. 2:13,25 and 3:3. The world, the flesh, and the Devil, all do not want you to live by faith nor any assembly. Hold fast!
Promises to the overcoming ones are all suggestive of eternal life with our Lord in His presence. “I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and out no more at all shall he go,” the first one is a bit impressive. A pillar in the true sanctuary will be all and more than Jachin and Boaz were to the temple of Solomon (see 1 Kings 7:13-22). Works of stunning beauty, impressive architecture, engineering marvel, and memorable testimony, these saints will adorn the temple of His presence in eternity at rest from their going out labors. “And I shall write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, the one coming down out of heaven from my God and my new name,” next there are 3 writings: they belong to God, the city of God, and to the Holy and True one having the key of David. Oh, how much this is a confession by Christ that they are his: consider this passage, Matthew 10:24-42.
“He having ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.” This word is addressed to us, and it has as much promise as “let there be light” had power in the day God created the heavens and the earth. The condition it rests on is our possession of ears. He who created the ear can quicken the dead and give hearing to the deaf. This too is the key of David. All these seven letters end with this call. God calls believers everywhere to hear what he says to these seven assemblies, because through them it is for us upon whom the end of the ages has come. Churches like all these exist at all times, and this is the covenant they sustain with the Lord. Lo, this one comes quickly.
DGB
