It is rather to be imputed to the encroaching spirit of infidelity, where there is not also a truckling to superstition. To report dead links, typos, or html errors or suggestions about making these resources more useful use the convenient, Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament, The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary, International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Beasley-Murray regarded the hour of testing as a designation of the trial itself rather than as a period of testing (cf. But how are we to describe or understand "the word of God"? Philadelphia is one of seven churches addressed with its own letter in Revelation 2 & 3. No wonder that Laodicea could boast that it was rich and had amassed wealth and had need of nothing. Hence it is that the Lord introduces Himself to them as the Amen, the end of every thing human, where all the security is in the faithfulness of God. Take equally little notice of what any man says, be he orator, thinker, bishop, or whatever he may be. I do not mean of course for Christians, who needed no such bulwark as this, but for Christendom. In order to make this more realised by the believers then or at any other time, be it remarked that we have another word remarkably annexed which lies altogether out of the beaten path of the Lord. The words of men are trifling in value; it takes a mass of them to come to the value of a farthing; but any one word of the Lord is worth a mint of gold. "Alas," said one minister to me, "I see some of my best people becoming sceptical; are you not worried by seeing the thoughtful ones drifting off into new views?" Wish. There is an evident allusion to the manner in which the Lord presented Himself to the church in Ephesus. The people of Philadelphia knew all about taking a new name. Mr. Moody would say, "Make a bee line for heaven." It is nothing special. "The sons of those who oppressed you shall come bending low to you; and all who despised you shall bow down at your feet" ( Isaiah 60:14). 1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. "What shall be after these" must be owned as the true translation of the words. Here the name of Jesus is enough to stir the heart in a sweet and suited doxology. He is spoken of as Son of man; and, as we know, this is the quality in which it is given Him to execute every kind of judgment. This was an excellent spirit, and, when sanctified by the grace of the gospel, would render them an excellent church, as indeed they were, for here is no one fault found with this church, and yet, doubtless, there were faults in it of common infirmity; but love covers such faults. Whichever picture is behind this, the sense is that the faithful ones will wear the unmistakable badge of God. In order to defend themselves on a religions footing, men fall back on a system of ordinances and of the law. They have been firm and steadfast in their confession of the faith once delivered unto the saints, and the Lord who gave them the grace to be so will give them yet more grace as the recompense of their fidelity. It is a grand thing to work your passage to a truth, to mine your way to the golden ore by digging and clearing. "I am the door," said Jesus ( John 10:7; John 10:9). God gives a revelation of Jesus; and Jesus passes it on to His angel, or rather by His angel to His servant John; and then John at last sends it to other servants. Oh, that men who have ten talents would not be so anxious to be original in their teaching! I will also keep thee from the hour of trial Norris' Commentary on the Book of Revelation, Spurgeon's Verse Expositions of the Bible. We see the telegraph wires, but we do not see what messages they may carry. It is essentially a special case instead of the general one we have seen. I cannot doubt that this letter contains an apt adumbration, as far as could be there in present facts, of what was found in mediaeval times. Cf. Persistent faithfulness and devotedness still characterised them at Ephesus. In his book Out of Nazareth Donald Baillie cites three witnesses to the uniqueness of this conception. If, then, you are not on the watch, I will come as a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. Clericalism came in rapidly after this. God help you to keep to it. In Philadelphia the tremors went on for years; Strabo describes it as a "city full of earthquakes. The star, as we are told here, so far acted upon the church for good. So many Jews emigrated here that the Rabbis inveighed against the Jews who sought the wines and baths of Phrygia. The seven stars are angels of the seven churches: and the seven lampstands are seven churches.". We must therefore look for another explanation. So, it wasn't a complete reformation. Seven hundred years before this letter was written Sardis had been one of the greatest cities in the world. Through the lower town flowed the River Pactolus, which was said in the old days to have had gold-bearing waters from which much of the wealth of Sardis came. Thus the Lord speaks with exceeding tenderness of those that were true to His name. What they did was this they kept the word of God: "Thou hast kept my word, and thou hast not denied my name." The holy pilgrims were not so rude as to tell him to go; they only talked about heavenly things, which he did not understand, and he went of his own accord. (i) It may be the door of missionary opportunity. Not that the full church or Christian relationship was lacking to John personally; but he stands here a representative man for others as well as ourselves. This is one of the main sources of confusion on the subject of the Apocalypse to this day. Our last point was to be A WORD OF PROMISE; for, according to the tenth verse, it is written, "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." "The time is at hand." They have the truth in a measure, but not so as to clear souls from bondage, or bring them distinctly into liberty, peace, and the power of the Spirit. Phillips puts it: "They will maintain a facade of 'religion,' but their conduct will deny its validity.". This is a strange title and may go back to either of two origins. The hour of temptation A time of sore and peculiar trial which might have proved too much for their strength. Do not imagine that there is anything like arbitrary innovation in this. Most of the population lived outside the city in huts and feared even to go on the city streets lest they should be killed by failing masonry. The Lord help you to keep his word, and then to go in for public testimony. For this we must stand up and fight to the death. 7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; 8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not . It was all over with them, unless they judged themselves, and in the power of the Holy Ghost Christ regained His place. The Christian must be ready to open whenever he hears his Lord knocking ( Luke 12:36). First he sees a huge angel towering over land and sea, and holding a small scroll in his hand. "Ephraim is joined to idols; let him alone" ( Hosea 4:17). Tzamalikos, P. Cambridge University Press 10.1017/CBO9781139208758, pages 120-120, 2013. . The ground of such a thought lies in the fact that the introduction to Sardis indicates the Lord beginning again a new state of things. They had lost the very perception of what was for God. The Jews lost their place to the Gentiles ( Romans 11:11). "I know thy works, and thy love, and faith, and service, and patience, and thy last works (to be) more than the first." In the descriptions of the second chapter what was said about the Lord is a repetition of what was found in the vision John had just seen. I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth; this hour seems to refer not to any of the vials which will be poured out on the antichristian states, but to some affliction and distress which will befall the reformed churches, and will light upon the outward court worshippers among them It seems to be the last struggle of the beast of Rome, and to denote some violent and sharp persecution, such as what Daniel mentions, that never was before nor since; but it will be but short, but one hour, the twenty fourth part of a prophetical day or year, perhaps about a fortnight; yet it will be very extensive; it will reach all the world, the whole Roman empire, and all that dwell upon the earth, that are called by the name of Christians, and will try them, whether they are so or not; Christ will now have his fan in his hand, and purge his floor of all his formal professors and hypocrites; and it will be known who are his true churches, and pure members; and these he will keep close to himself, and preserve safe amidst all the distress and confusion the world will be in. God as such is then introduced in Old Testament style and character, but at the same time applied to New Testament subjects; the Holy Ghost also is similarly brought before us. I have no intention to enter at any length on this way of looking at the churches as quite by-gone, and the prophecy as at once flowing on; but I mention it because it seems due to truth to name this as well as the other, according to which "what shall be after these" is when the church condition is no longer applicable at all. The solid truth of revelation, the doctrine of the Holy Ghost, a divine experience given to you by that Holy Ghost all this is the treasure of the church, and you are doing a holy thing when you guard it against every adversary. The meaning would be the same, Jesus is one whose promises can be relied upon. And I am persuaded there is no place which is more likely to generate neutrality than a sound and true position, if there be not self-judgment maintained and godly sincerity. But he that keeps God's word, we may be sure, is deeply in love with it. They had shown this in the trials which they had experienced; he promises now, that in return he will keep them in the future trials that shall come upon the world. To say that Jesus Christ is holy is to say that he shares the being of God. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. Whether it be Christ that is represented or the description of the state of the church, whether it be the fault that is charged home, or the remedy that is proposed, whether it be the judgment that is threatened or the promise that is held out, all is of the most general description. Their subjection to the church is described: They shall worship at thy feet; not pay a religious and divine honour to the church itself, nor to the ministry of it, but shall be convinced that they have been in the wrong, that this church is in the right and is beloved of Christ, and they shall desire to be taken into communion with her and that they may worship the same God after the same manner. To the true heart His approval is enough, and sweeter than triumph before the universe. The fire must be kept burning. Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, perfect one" (SS 5:2-6). I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in, and will sup with him ( Revelation 3:20 ), Eating supper is a very significant act from a Biblical standpoint, from a cultural standpoint at the time of Christ. Flaccus, the governor of the province, became alarmed at the amount of currency which the Jews were exporting in payment of the Temple tax which every male Jew paid and put an embargo on the export of currency. I should like to see a few more of such Protestants. We will take you to heaven next Sunday night.Oh God, give us ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the church. It is a fact of life that certain things sharpen memory which has grown dull. When Talkative came up to gossip with Christian and Hopeful, he chattered away upon all sorts of topics, and they were wearied with him. 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