The Revelation of Jesus Christ - The Herald

of Luther and his friends. The Reformation was, in a sense, the beginning of a new era, a
dawning of light where all had been darkness, the separation of the true from the false,
and a new start in the way of truth. . . . During the Philadelphian period, especially during
the first and the last phases of it, the faithful have either been obliged to come out of the
nominal temple [Church] or have been cast out for their straight testimony."
Sardis represents what might properly be termed a Christianized world, yet continuing to
be the "world lying in the wicked one," with here and there a Christian. Philadelphia
would seem to represent the operation of God's spirit in these comparatively few "working
in living energy to deliver from that which is threatening to engulf the people of God in a
flood of worldliness." A movement of such a character can but have the effect of bringing
the spiritually minded ones together and uniting them in the bonds of love, which is the
Philadelphian spirit. It has always been true, however, and is no less true in the present
Laodicean period, that many unite themselves to these movements who either do not
possess, or after uniting fail to attain to the Philadelphian spirit of brotherly love.
Such, because of being carnal and walking as natural men (1 Cor. 3:1-4), become ready
subjects of the spirit of intolerance and bigotry, which always leads to dissensions and
strife over non-essential matters, thus occasioning further testings and siftings in order to
make manifest who are exercising the Philadelphian spirit, the spirit of the overcoming
class.
Coming now to consider the message itself in its details, the first thing we see as seemingly
in itself sufficient to locate the beginning of the Philadelphian period in history is, as
observed in the preceding messages, that of the names and titles assumed by Christ in
addressing this Church and its messenger. We cannot but notice that these very names and
titles are those blasphemously assumed by the Popes, who had been claiming to rule in
Christ's stead. The exercise of these false claims on the part of this great hierarchy,
flooding as it did the world with its soul-defiling errors, until the pure Gospel had become
entirely hidden from sight, was that which necessitated a new beginning, or what might
be termed a second commission to preach the Gospel. This new beginning started by a
recovery of the Bible and a diligent and independent study of it by the Reformers, Luther
and others. The titles and names assumed by Christ in this epistle to Philadelphia would
seem to suggest that one special work of the Reformers of the sixteenth century, the
beginning of the Philadelphian period, would be that of exposing the false and
blasphemous claims of the Papacy. The words of Christ, "These things saith He that is
holy, He that is true," are in the original more an expression of title than of qualities
possessed by Christ; indeed, they are expressive of both. A very striking rendering of these
words which emphasizes this is: "These are the words of the True Holy
One."