Philadelphia was founded around 190 B.C. by the king whose close relationship with his brother earned Philadelphia the meaning “brotherly love.”
Philadelphia was called The Doorway to the East because you had to pass through it from a shipping port in the west if you wanted to get to the East, to India specifically – and a lot of people wanted to get to India. The main roads from nearby commercially rich regions converged in Philadelphia.
In the 2nd century BC, the Greeks had used it as a base to spread their culture into all the surrounding regions. It had an almost evangelistic fervor. Their religion, philosophy, government, art and language all spread throughout Asia Minor.[1] Philadelphia was a doorway to spread a worldview and a culture.
It was a flourishing town, at one point earning the nickname “Little Athens.” The one major drawback was earthquakes. These were such a problem that the residents of Philadelphia got used to leaving for a while and coming back. It was just kind of life in Philadelphia. It was shaky. One historian wrote that every wall had cracks; people were often injured or killed by falling bricks and stones.
Their temples, however, were built to withstand earthquake damage. They put the foundations on charcoal beds covered with fleeces, so the temple “floated.” For this reason, the temples would be among the most secure structures in the city. It was not unusual for the temple columns to be the only thing left standing after severe earthquakes.
In AD 17, the same earthquake that leveled Sardis also leveled most of Philadelphia. People stayed outside the city for as long as three years after that one. When it was rebuilt, Philadelphia became Neocaesarea, the city of Caesar, thanks to the help from Rome.
This brings us to our text.[2]
7 Write down My words, and send them to the messenger of the church in Philadelphia. “These are the words of the holy One, the true One, and the One who possesses the key of David,[3] which opens the doors so that no one can shut them. The One who closes all doors so that no one can open[4]:
8 “I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut.[5] I have done this because you have limited strength, yet you have obeyed My word and have not denied My name. 9 Watch, and I will make those of the congregation of Satan—those who call themselves ‘Jews’ but are not because they lie—come before you humbly penitent, falling at your feet.[6] Then they will know how much I have loved you.[7]
10 Because you have obeyed My instructions to endure and be patient[8], I will keep watch over you and preserve you[9] from/through the hour of trial, the time of temptation/test[10] which will come upon the whole earth and put the inhabitants of the earth[11] to the test.11 I will soon/quickly return.[12] Hold tight to what you have so that no one can take away your victor’s wreath.
12 “As for the one who conquers through faithfulness even unto death, I will plant that person as a pillar[13] in the temple[14] of My God, and that person will never have to leave the presence of God. Moreover, I will inscribe this person with the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, New Jerusalem—which descends out of heaven from My God—and My own new name.[15]
What is the "hour of trial"?[16] Three main possibilities show up in commentaries:
the time known to the Jews as the "messianic woes," a time of trouble before the final "day of the Lord" (Daniel 12:1, Joel 2:31; Mark 13:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Revelation 14:7).
times of tribulation in which many Christians are martyred (6:9-11; 7:9-14, etc.).
a judgment from God on unbelievers
Whichever one of those it is, it’s going to be a really tough time. A really tough time. I just want to note something about this verse by offering an amplified translation that captures some of the nuance going on in the language.
I will keep watch over you and preserve you from/ keep you intact through the hour of trial, the time of temptation (negatively destructive) or test (positively refining) which will come upon all the inhabitants of the earth and put the ‘earth dwellers” to the test.
My sense is that it’s a situation (and/or ongoing situations throughout history) which reveals who we are: are we “earth dwellers” who crumble under temptation and trials or are we “heaven dwellers” who endure, and for whom those times of testing refine and mature us thanks to God’s protection rather than tear us apart internally and corporately?
What does it mean, then, when God says that "I will also keep you from the hour of trial"? There are three possibilities again.
"To keep from" is to be removed.
It’s preservation while in the trial, being kept from the spiritual destructiveness of evil (John 17:15).
Exemption from the hour of trial has often not been deliverance from persecution (see Foxe’s Book Of Martyrs). It’s being spared divine judgment but not hardship.
I think the biblical record and church history show us that Christians have experienced all of these in times of trials. Because I’m not that interested in trying to fit comfortably into an eschatological niche, let’s just note two things I think everyone agrees on:
Times will be tough.
God will be faithful to “keep us” either through or from these trials.
If you find that you are in them, it’s through. If you aren’t, it’s from. What I want to land on is their reward for their faithfulness in the midst of either resisting the allure of Babylon or enduring the persecution of Rome. Their reward was eternal stability and opportunity.
ETERNAL STABILITY
The temple pillar imagery is about stability, assurance and hope. Jesus is a firm foundation. No matter what happens in this life, those who faithfully endure will stand strong through eternity.
John’s audience lived in a place where the world was literally crumbling around them – except for pillars in temples. We live in a world that is crumbling in a different way: everything around us has cracks (families, churches, government, jobs, friendships, health); we are often injured by falling bricks and stones. We bear the bruises of a fallen world.
But there will be a day with no more earthquakes, no more instability, no more collateral damage from the chunks of sinful mortar others drop on us (and we drop on them). There will be a day where, by the grace and power of God, we are made new (Revelation 21), and that transformation will never come to end.
OPPORTUNITY
The opportunity is to spread the gospel of Christ and His Kingdom.
Christians in Philadelphia were not meant to see what was happening around them as problems but as opportunities to speak to people about where real security can be found. It was a church that allowed its obstacles to become, through the power of Christ, open doors of opportunity for building the kingdom and extending the gospel.[17] Think of problems in Scripture that became opportunities:
Paul’s shipwreck leads to a miraculous sign (Acts 28)
Paul and Silas lead their jailor to Christ (Acts 16)
A lack of food becomes an opportunity for the miraculous (Mark 8)
A Roman trial becomes an opportunity to witness (Acts 26)
Poverty becomes an opportunity for generosity (Acts 4)
Persecution becomes opportunity for testimony (all martyrs)
Being cursed brings an opportunity to bless (Luke 6)
Pagan entertinment become part of a Gospel presentation (Acts 17)
It appears that, in Philadelphia, the persecution from the Jews was an open door for testimony and/or ministry, which would result in their attackers eventually giving them honor.
Even death, for a Christian, opens a door to life.
So I am wondering what it looks like to find the open doors around us in the midst of trials that are opportunities for sharing the gospel and spreading the Kingdom. I suspect if we begin to have that mindset, the hardship and challenges of life are more likely to be positively refining rather than negatively destructive.
The economy is unsettled right now. Both production and supply chains are disrupted for a variety of reasons; businesses lack workers; rising wages are impacting the cost of everything.
Our poverty rate is around 11% on average; about 20% of us are uninsured or significantly underinsured, and health challenges can very quickly become a health crisis. “Real wages” have been dropping steadily for a while.
From 2010 - 2019, racial and ethnic minorities accounted for all of the nation’s population growth. We are probably more ethnically diverse than we have ever been as a nation (which is not a bad thing at all), but the US has not always handled this kind of diversity well.
The rate of church attendance might be the lowest it’s ever been. In the 1950s, about 3% of people did not claim any religious identity. Now it’s at least 20%. Church membership is at an all-time low (47%), but that’s measuring all houses of worship. Of those who attend church, only about 35% attend in a way that could be described as “regularly.”
We have a crisis of theology. 30% of evangelicals think Jesus was a good teacher, but not God. 35% disagree that The Holy Spirit gives a spiritual new birth or new life before a person has faith in Jesus Christ.” 17% agree that modern science disproves the Bible. 46% think most people are good by nature. 42% agree that God accepts the worship of all religions.[18]
Everything surrounding COVID.
Housing is really expensive; cars are becoming a precious commodity (first the lack of computer chips, and now a looming problem making the frames).
Political tensions are such that the possibility of violence remains an ever-present concern here and abroad.
Racism (and the best way to address it) is a front and center concern.
The #metoo problem is ongoing. The way in which we treat each other sexually in our culture is far too often appallingly bad.
Identity is perhaps on shakier ground than ever.
What if instead of seeing these things as obstacles, or getting consumed by seeing them as problems, or using them as opportunities to unleash anger, we see them as open doors of opportunity to spread the Gospel, represent Jesus, and introduce people to the beauty of life in the Kingdom.
Economic uncertainty - open door to look for businesses to support and people to help.
Poverty - open door to be generous, or help people find jobs, education or resources.
Changing demographics – open door to learn from the incredible variety of image bearers. More specifically, since immigrants are more Christian than we are (by percentage of affiliation)[19], we get the opportunity to worship with other believers in a way that points toward the image in Revelation of every tribe, nation and tongue gathered together.
Low church attendance – open door to go out into the highways and byways, and invite people to join us.
Huge cracks in our theological armor – open door to study Scripture more than ever and re-present truth wherever we go.
COVID – open door for the people of God to enter with stability, peace, hope and love.
Housing and transportation are pricey – open door to share space and vehicles as we are able.
Political tensions – open door to be the peacemakers Jesus calls us to be.
Racism (and the best way to address it) – open door to talk about the value and dignity of all image bearers of God, demonstrate in word and deed the commitment to see and treat all people as Jesus would, and be a voice for those whose voices are too often not heard.
The #metoo movement– open door to commit ourselves to honoring other with our eyes, our words, our thoughts and our actions; to teach our kids to do the same; and to offer the healing and hope that Jesus brings to those whose lives feel shattered.
Questions of identity – open door to talk about why we believe seeing ourselves as God sees us and finding our identity in Jesus above all else are so important to bring stability and purpose to our lives.
And then, there’s our homes, our families, our church. Those, too, are places to which God has called us to spread the good news of the gospel minister on his behalf. These, too, have open doors. And if we build from the situation in Philadelphia, those doors will open in the midst of hardship and trials as often as not.
Everybody around us needs ministry. They may look they are already pillars in the heavenlies (they aren’t), they may be idiots; maybe you just don’t like them. They need the ministering healing of God embodied in the church and re-presented by the people of God just as much as you do.
May we be the kind of people who can see the doors around us that God has opened; may we have the Holy Spirit infused wisdom, strength, and love to walk through them.
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[1] https://storage.snappages.site/HD257D/assets/files/Revelation-3.7-13-See-the-Open-Door.pdf
[2] All the commentaries at Biblegateway were really helpful. I tried to keep track, but I’m sure I did not properly credit them all.
[3] Isaiah 22:22.
[4] Jesus claimed His authority to “open” and “shut” the doors of the kingdom (see Matthew 16:19). This passage is either admission into the kingdom or an opportunity for evangelism and service (see 1 Corinthians 16:9; 2 Corinthians 2:12; Colossians 4:3).
[5] “There may be an allusion here to the fact that the ancient town of Philadelphia lay at the entrance of a mountain pass to the inner region of Asia Minor. The opportunity lay before the church to enter that door and spread the gospel to the surrounding area.”
https://israelmyglory.org/article/philadelphia-church-of-the-open-door-revelation-37-13/. Paul wrote to Colosse, “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message” (Colossians 4:3). Also, the phrase looks forward to the open door to heaven, which John is given in Revelation 4:1.
[6] This fulfills OT prophecies that Gentile oppressors would bow down before Israel (Isaiah 49:23; 60:14). Perhaps this is making the point that followers of Jesus are the true Children of Abraham.
[7] Christians were persecuted by the Jews, who believed they (not the) Christians) would inherit David’s kingdom (see 2 Samuel 7:12–16). In A.D. 90, right around the time Revelation was written, the Council of Jamnia expelled Christians from the synagogue.
[8] “Not the words which Christ has spoken concerning patience, but the word of Christ which requires patience to keep it; the gospel which teaches the need to be patient waiting for Christ.” (Vincent's Word Studies)
[9] “5083 tēréō (from tēros, "a guard") – properly, maintain (preserve); (figuratively) spiritually guard (watch), keep intact.” (HELPS Word Studies)
[10] The ‘hour of trial’ is an image used throughout the Bible (Daniel 12; Matthew 6:13; Mark 13:4; John 17:6, 15; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12), referring to the testing and trials that we endure before God’s eternal Kingdom arrives. The parallel expression in John 17:15 refers to spiritual protection. “Cognate: 3986 peirasmós (from 3985 /peirázō) – temptation or test – both senses can apply simultaneously (depending on the context). The positive sense ("test") and negative sense ("temptation") are functions of the context (not merely the words themselves).” (HELPS Word Studies)
[11] “Those who dwell on the earth” is apparently a term for “men of the world who have their portion in this life” (Ps. 17:14b). Other commentators are more blunt: it’s unbelievers who worship the beast, persecute believers, and deserve divine judgment (see also Revelation 6:10 and 13:8).
[12] Implied here is “without unnecessary delay.” (HELPS Word Studies). Sometimes, this is a warning that God will return in judgment (verse 3; 2:5, 16) but this is a hopeful event. Christ will deliver his church either through or from the hour of trial.
[13] A pillar is constantly used in Scripture as a figure of strength and durability. A faithful municipal servant or a distinguished priest was sometimes honored by having a special pillar added to one of the temples and inscribed with his name. (Expositors Bible Commentary)
[14] The church is God’s temple (2 Corinthians 6:16)
[15] Philadelphia had taken Caesar’s name at one point in their history. Jesus promises those who love him a new identity and citizenship in the New Jerusalem (Philippians 3:20; Hebrews 11:10, 16; 12:22). Christ's "new name" could be either the unknown name that he alone knows, or the new name of Christ given to the believer through redemption (cf. Isa 62:2; 65:15). The significance of these names is further developed in Revelation 19–22. (Expositors Bible Commentary)
[16] In Revelation, this “hour of trial” unfolds through the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments.
[17] I could probably dedicate a sermon to what it means that God closes doors. I don’t have time to address it in this sermon. In brief, I can see two ways we can miss what God is opening and closing: by failing to see what’s been opened, and by trying to pry open what’s been shut.
[18] https://thestateoftheology.com
[19] https://www.pewforum.org/2013/05/17/the-religious-affiliation-of-us-immigrants/