Revelation 3:7-13
Q.1. How did God address the church in Philadelphia? What encouraged the Lord about this church? How do others view this church? – (Rev.3:7-9)
God is utterly sovereign, and speaks as – 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 will open (Rev.3:7). In our prayers for the church and His work, it is always wise to defer to the Lord’s sovereign plan and power. There was much that encouraged the Head of the church – I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name (Rev.3:8). They had been prepared to make the tough decisions about false teachers. One day, God would exonerate their claims and doctrine. It is always difficult to oppose troublemakers and those causing division.
Q.2. What special promise and challenge did the risen Lord give the church? What was the destiny promised to overcomers? – (Rev.3:10-13)
The risen Christ made an extraordinary promise to those with the spirit of Philadelphia – 10 Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, 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. 11 I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown (Rev.3:10-11). As much as this was a promise at the time, it is also a prophecy about a future time that John would go on to unfold, namely – that hour, which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth (Rev.3:10). He warned His church to persevere – so that no one will take your crown (Rev.3:11). The faithful are promised a glorious future – He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name (Rev.3:12). Overcomers will figure prominently in Christ’s plan for time and eternity.