II. To the Church at Philadelphia, 7-13. The one Church of whom the Lord could say, “I’m proud of you. Keep up the good work.”
A. “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:” What are the keys of David?
1. Isaiah 22:22, “Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens no one will shut. When he shuts no one will open.”
“On his shoulder” means that on him rests the burden of government. This is not something that will be fulfilled in some future millennium. Jesus establishes the fulfilment of this prophet's words in himself as already possessing the key of David. He does not say, “I will have the keys....” He says “I have the keys.” The language expresses authority, control, and possession. Jesus now possesses that which once belonged to David. Just as David represented the king of Israel, so also, Christ occupies the same throne possessing even greater regal authority.
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7
2. “He opens, and no man shuts.”
He has free and unrestrained access to the house. He has the power of admittance and the power of exclusion. He is the one who decides who is welcomed as his people and who is not. He can invite whom he chooses. He can exclude those whom he judges unworthy to be admitted. In his kingdom, he has absolute control.
“No man shuts” expresses the power of the House of David / the Church / the kingdom. No one can overturn the power of the one who sits on the throne. The kingdom will stand and endure, and all of the power that worldly governments will bring against her through persecution and the wholesale slaughter of Christians will not shut her doors.
B. “I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut.”
The open door would seem to be that of opportunity. The door of admittance is opened before them. Jesus is promising them productivity in the spread of the gospel. There is great expectation for results. Not only this, but the door of opportunity will remain open until Jesus decides to close it. All the power of Rome would not be able to close this door of admittance.
C. “You have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”
1. “You have a little power.”
Jesus always nourishes even the smallest presence of faith as long as one's fidelity remains intact.
2. “You have kept My word.”
They had not broken their covenant with God as Sardis had. They continued to honor the terms and conditions of the covenant agreement.
3. “You have not denied My name.”
This would certainly suggest the presence of persecution at Philadelphia. Pressure had apparently been put upon them to deny the name of Jesus, yet they had endured.
D. “Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie.”
What was the claim of the Jew? “We are sons of Abraham.” “We are the chosen people of God.” Jesus calls them liars. Just as with the Church at Smyrna, the Jews of Philadelphia represented a source of persecution for the Christians, and Jesus called them the “synagogue of Satan.” This is not the first time Jesus describes the Jews in such inflammatory language. In John 8:44 Jesus says to the Jews, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
This certainly gives rise to a new definition of what God regards as a Jew. “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh,” Romans 2:28. In other words, the covenant people of God are not those who designate themselves as such though the keeping of the Law of Moses. Fleshly circumcision was a condition imposed upon the flesh as a symbol of covenant relationship. The Jew who is a Jew according to the flesh is now no more the covenant people of God than fleshly circumcision is the symbol of the New Covenant. The Jew is now one who is circumcised of heart and mind, and Jesus says that those of the “synagogue of Satan” will ultimately be called upon to recognize this fact. They would be forced to acknowledge that the church constitutes the true people of God.
The background for verse nine comes out of Isaiah 60:14 “The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, and all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet; And they will call you the city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.” These Jews whom Jesus now acknowledges as the “synagogue of Satan” would experience a complete reversal of this. Now Jesus says of them, “I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and know that I have loved you.” This is a denunciation of unbelieving Israel as the people of God.
E. “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance (kept covenant), I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
This is the only Church whom Jesus promised to protect from the effects of the persecution and disasters that are about to be pronounced in this book. “I am coming quickly.” His judgment is immanent, but always with judgement comes the redemption of the people of God, so judgment is also redemptive.
A. “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:” What are the keys of David?
1. Isaiah 22:22, “Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens no one will shut. When he shuts no one will open.”
“On his shoulder” means that on him rests the burden of government. This is not something that will be fulfilled in some future millennium. Jesus establishes the fulfilment of this prophet's words in himself as already possessing the key of David. He does not say, “I will have the keys....” He says “I have the keys.” The language expresses authority, control, and possession. Jesus now possesses that which once belonged to David. Just as David represented the king of Israel, so also, Christ occupies the same throne possessing even greater regal authority.
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” Isaiah 9:6-7
2. “He opens, and no man shuts.”
He has free and unrestrained access to the house. He has the power of admittance and the power of exclusion. He is the one who decides who is welcomed as his people and who is not. He can invite whom he chooses. He can exclude those whom he judges unworthy to be admitted. In his kingdom, he has absolute control.
“No man shuts” expresses the power of the House of David / the Church / the kingdom. No one can overturn the power of the one who sits on the throne. The kingdom will stand and endure, and all of the power that worldly governments will bring against her through persecution and the wholesale slaughter of Christians will not shut her doors.
B. “I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut.”
The open door would seem to be that of opportunity. The door of admittance is opened before them. Jesus is promising them productivity in the spread of the gospel. There is great expectation for results. Not only this, but the door of opportunity will remain open until Jesus decides to close it. All the power of Rome would not be able to close this door of admittance.
C. “You have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”
1. “You have a little power.”
Jesus always nourishes even the smallest presence of faith as long as one's fidelity remains intact.
2. “You have kept My word.”
They had not broken their covenant with God as Sardis had. They continued to honor the terms and conditions of the covenant agreement.
3. “You have not denied My name.”
This would certainly suggest the presence of persecution at Philadelphia. Pressure had apparently been put upon them to deny the name of Jesus, yet they had endured.
D. “Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie.”
What was the claim of the Jew? “We are sons of Abraham.” “We are the chosen people of God.” Jesus calls them liars. Just as with the Church at Smyrna, the Jews of Philadelphia represented a source of persecution for the Christians, and Jesus called them the “synagogue of Satan.” This is not the first time Jesus describes the Jews in such inflammatory language. In John 8:44 Jesus says to the Jews, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
This certainly gives rise to a new definition of what God regards as a Jew. “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh,” Romans 2:28. In other words, the covenant people of God are not those who designate themselves as such though the keeping of the Law of Moses. Fleshly circumcision was a condition imposed upon the flesh as a symbol of covenant relationship. The Jew who is a Jew according to the flesh is now no more the covenant people of God than fleshly circumcision is the symbol of the New Covenant. The Jew is now one who is circumcised of heart and mind, and Jesus says that those of the “synagogue of Satan” will ultimately be called upon to recognize this fact. They would be forced to acknowledge that the church constitutes the true people of God.
The background for verse nine comes out of Isaiah 60:14 “The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you, and all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet; And they will call you the city of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.” These Jews whom Jesus now acknowledges as the “synagogue of Satan” would experience a complete reversal of this. Now Jesus says of them, “I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and know that I have loved you.” This is a denunciation of unbelieving Israel as the people of God.
E. “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance (kept covenant), I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”
This is the only Church whom Jesus promised to protect from the effects of the persecution and disasters that are about to be pronounced in this book. “I am coming quickly.” His judgment is immanent, but always with judgement comes the redemption of the people of God, so judgment is also redemptive.
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