Revelation 3:7-13 - In Depth Bible Commentaries

408(...continued)The student of the Jewish Bible immediately thinks of the young David, chosen andanointed by YHWH (through Samuel) to come and take the place of a rejected King Saul.This anointed king had to go through long years of tedious suffering and rejection and neardeathexperiences before becoming Israel's great king. As king, one of David's greatestaccomplishments was to conquer the City of Jerusalem, and make it into the capital city of allIsrael, both north and south. But the biblical student's thought is also directed to the hope,expressed time and again throughout the writings of the Spokespersons of YHWH that a new"David" would arise in the future, who would restore the kingdom to God's people, and reignover them in right relationships and in peace.If this is the background of this phrase, then the claim of Revelation is that the risenLord is that new "David," who holds royal authority ["Anointed King"] over the people of God,both Jewish and Gentile, and Who opens up to God's people a new capital city, the "NewJerusalem" that comes down from heaven, and Who has the authority to open [and shut] thegates of that heavenly city. It is the replacement of a physical Jerusalem with a spiritual Jerusalem.What a claim!Isaiah 22:15-25, is the background for this statement in Revelation 3:7:“This is what my Lord, YHWH of Armies, says: Go, come to this steward, to Shebna,who is over the house [i.e., the king's palace]: What right do you have here, and who belongsto you here, that you have dug out for yourself a grave here--those digging a high place [for]his grave, and those chiseling in the rock a dwelling-place for him? 'Look--YHWH is hurlingyou violently, (with a) hurling of a mighty man! And He is grasping you forcibly. He will windyou up entirely with a winding [the root @nc, tsanaph is used three times, evidently with aword-play based on the ‘turban’ worn by this official]--a ball--into a country large of hands.There you will die, and there your splendid chariots (will remain)--a dishonor (to) your Lord'shouse! I will drive you out from your office, and He will oust you from your position!“'And it will happen in that day--and I will call to My servant, to Elyakim, son of Chilkiyahu.And I will clothe him with your tunic, and with your sash I will take strong hold of him; andyour dominion I will place in his hand. And he will be a father to the one who inhabits Jerusalem,and to the House of Judah. And I will place (the) opening instrument (to) David's houseon his shoulder; and he will open, and there is no one shutting; and he will shut, and there isno one opening. And I will drive him (like) a tent-peg into a firm place; and he will become athrone of glory for the house of his father. And they will hang upon him all the glory of hisfather's house: its offspring and offshoots--every small vessel, from the bowls to all the jars(or, wineskins). In that day, it is a saying of YHWH of Armies, it will give way, the peg driveninto the firm place; it will be cut off and it will fall, and the load which is upon it will be cut off.For YHWH has spoken."This entire passage has been troublesome for commentators, but has become clearerin modern biblical scholarship. Israeli archaeologists have discovered ancient tombs, one ofwhich belonged to a court "chamberlain," on the steep slopes arising from the Kidron Valley in(continued...)208

408(...continued)ials at His will. These "Jews" may arrogantly claim, like Shebna of old, hereditary and exclusivepositions of authority "over the house" of God's people. But God can displace them as Hepleases, and can put in their place those who will be faithful "fathers" to God's people! (Nonetheless,let the church at Philadelphia take warning from Elyakim--they too can be cut off!)What the language of the risen Lord means is that God has in fact already displacedthe so-called "Jews" from their position of authority over the house of God's people; and intheir place, He has installed the risen Lord Himself–He is the One Who now has the key toDavid's house over His shoulder, and He has the right to open and shut, to allow entrance andto bar from entrance! Here, then, according to John's vision, is a new "Chamberlain," a newauthoritative official who acts like a "father" to God's people! Let the church at Philadelphiaunderstand this, as they are subjected to the accusations and opposition of the synagogue ofthe adversary!Compare such passages as the following: “...All authority in heaven and upon earthhas been given to Me!” (Matthew 28:18);“...God highly exalted Him, and freely gave to Him the name that is above every name,so that in the name of Jesus every knee might bow of things in the heavens and upon theearth and beneath the earth; and every tongue might confess out that Jesus Christ is Lord, tothe glorious radiance of God (our) Father!” (Philippians 2:9-11);“And God placed all things under His feet, and appointed Him to be Head over everythingfor the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.”(Ephesians 1:22);“But (our) Christ is trustworthy as a Son over God's house. And we are His house, if wehold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.” (Hebrews 3:6);“...I have the keys of death and of the unseen world / grave!” (Revelation 1:18)For this matter of "keys," and the opening and shutting of the doors into the Kingdom ofGod, compare the following two passages:“So answering, Simon Peter said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!’ ThenJesus, answering, said to him, ‘How blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, because flesh andblood did not unveil (this) to you, but rather My Father, the One in the heavens. And so I sayto you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church, and gates of the unseenworld / grave will not prevail over it! I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of the heavens,and whatever you may bind upon the earth will have been bound in the heavens; and whateveryou may loose upon the earth will have been bound in the heavens!’" (Matthew 16:16-19);“...The religious officials and the Separatists have sat down upon the seat of Moses.Everything, therefore, that they may say to you people, do it and keep it; but do not act(continued...)210

410 411 412your works; look--I have placed before you a door having been opened, which no one is408(...continued)according to their works. For they talk and they do not act! So they bind heavy burdens (andthings doubly heavy), and they place (them) upon the shoulders of humanity; but they are notwilling to move them with their finger!...So woe to you people, religious officials and Separatists,you hypocrites! Because you lock up the Kingdom of the Heavens before humanity--foryou people are not entering in, neither do you permit those coming in to enter!” (Matthew 23:2-4, 13-14)These two passages picture Jesus as giving His authorized representatives the right toopen and close the doors of the Kingdom of Heaven before people. They will have a highresponsible position in opening those doors to humanity, and in giving authoritative instructionto those who seek to enter. But at the same time Jesus pictures the Jewish officials andSeparatists of His day as playing a similar role--they too bind and loose (mostly "bind"!), butthey themselves do not follow their own teaching. They have the "keys of the Kingdom of theHeavens" just as does Peter--but instead of opening the doors of that Kingdom beforehumanity, they lock the doors shut! Is this not another way of saying that while they claim tobe the Jews, the people of God, they are in reality a "synagogue of the adversary"?In Matthew 23 Jesus calls them "sons of the Valley of Hinnom," and "snakes," a "broodof vipers," who cannot escape being condemned to the Valley of Hinnom! While not identical,the meaning of the letter to the church at Philadelphia and the meaning of Jesus in Matthew23 are remarkably similar. The leaders of the synagogue at Philadelphia, instead of usingtheir authoritative positions to "open" the doors of the Kingdom to others, are standing in theirway, refusing to enter in themselves, and doing everything in their power to prevent othersfrom entering. Thereby, they have become in fact, a "synagogue of the adversary"! But therisen Lord has the "key of David," and He is the One Who determines who can enter and whowill be shut out. And since He shares the divine nature, His decision is final.Compare the following similar statement from Job: “To God belong wisdom and power;counsel and understanding are His. What He tears down cannot be rebuilt; the person Heimprisons cannot be released. If He holds back the waters, there is drought; if He lets themloose, they devastate the land. To Him belong strength and victory; both deceived anddeceiver are His!” (12:13-16, see also verses 17-25). This is the kind of divine power thatbelongs to the risen Lord Jesus!409Aune comments that “The supernatural knowledge of the exalted Christ is emphasizedin the [‘I know’] clauses found in the proclamations to the seven churches (2:2, 3, 9, 13,19; 3:1, 15). The supernatural knowledge of Christ is frequently mentioned in John (1:47-48;2:25; 4:16-19; 6:61, 64; 18:4; 21:17).” (P. 236)410Aune translates by “conduct” (p. 228). Compare this same statement in five of theletters to the seven churches: Revelation 2:2, 19; 3:1, 8 (here), and 15. The followers of therisen Lord at Philadelphia need not think that they are "orphans," or that no one knows orcares about their situation. The risen Lord knows, because He is present in their midst, walk-211(continued...)

413 414 415 416able to shut --because you have a little strength, and you kept My word, and you did410(...continued)ing among the golden lampstands! He sees and knows! Never forget that, says Revelation--let every church, in every time and place never forget that great fact of faith!Swete comments that ”No description follows as in 2:2, 19; 3:1. The Lord's [‘I know’] ishere one of unqualified approval...needing no specification, since there are no deductions tobe made. This tacit witness is the more remarkable in view of His claim to be [the Set-apartOne, the True One]." (P. 54)411 stThe verb is 1 person singular, perfect indicative active, de,dwka, dedoka, literally “Ihave given.” Aune explains that “In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, dido,nai,didonai, ‘to give,’ is often used as a synonym of tiqe,nai, tithenai, ‘to place,’ since Hebrew!tn, nathan, literally ‘to give,’ can mean both ‘to give’ and ‘to place, set.’” (P. 229)412Aune asks concerning the meaning of this “open door” metaphor. He thinks thatthere are “essentially two possible meanings:(1) opportunities for effective evangelization (1 Corinthians 16:9; 2 Corinthians 2:12;Colossians 4:3...(2) guaranteed access to eschatoogical [‘final’] salvation (see Luke 13:24 [but this isthe metaphor of a ‘narrow door,’ not an ‘open door’]), that is, entrance into themessianic kingdom, i.e, the new Jerusalem...“It is therefore probable that the metaphor has a fixed meaning among Christians andrefers to opportunities for evangelization...However, the fact that missionary activity is nevermentioned elsewhere in Revelation [is this true? What about the two witnesses in chapter11:3-7, who speak for God and give testimony like lamp-stands? What about the descriptionof the followers of Jesus as a kingdom and priests in 1:6?] and also that such an emphasisdoes not fit the context [but why not? It seems very appropriate that a church with littlestrength should still be given an opportunity for evangelism] makes this meaning doubtful.” (P.236)We disagree with Aune’s view, and think that opportunities for evangelization is the onlygenuine possibility of meaning for the metaphor. What do you think?413What is involved here is metaphorical use of language--the risen Lord does not meana literal "door" such as enters into a building, but a symbolical "door" that enters into opportunitiesfor evangelism, or into the Kingdom of God. In footnote 409 we have noted the use of thesymbolical "keys" that were held by the Jewish officials and by Peter, which enabled thoseholding them to impart "entrance" or "refusal of entrance" into the Kingdom of the Heavens.Compare the following passages from the New Testament:212(continued...)

413(...continued)Acts 14:27, "...God opened a door of faith for the nations...";1 Corinthians 16:9, Paul states he will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost, "For a greatand effective open door for me has opened, and there are many opponents...";2 Corinthians 2:12, Paul states that when he came to Troas for the Good News of theAnointed King, "a door had been opened for me in the Lord";Colossians 4:3, Paul asks for the prayers of the Colossians for himself and hisassociates, "...that God may open for us a door for the Word, to speak themystery of the Anointed King..."The question which must be answered here in Revelation 3:8 is what kind of "door"does the risen Lord mean? Is it a "door of opportunity for service" such as those mentioned inthese passages just referred to, or is it the "door into the Kingdom of God" such as has beenmentioned in the passages quoted in footnote 409? Commentators differ in their interpretationof this, and such is only to be expected, since the text itself is ambiguous, allowing either interpretation.Perhaps, once again, it is best to say "both / and" rather than "either / or." Therisen Lord certainly means that the "door into the Kingdom" is open before His followers inPhiladelphia, in spite of whatever the "synagogue of the adversary" may say to the contrary.But He may also mean that He has a great opportunity for service awaiting them, throughwhich they will be able to take full advantage of the "little power" which they have--probablymeaning an opportunity for spreading the Good News in their area, such as is envisioned inthe Pauline passages quoted above.Swete holds to this last understanding: “...The faithfulness of the Philadelphian Churchfound its reward in fresh opportunities of service, on the principle of the Lord's familiar saying[’The one who has, it will be given to him...’] The position of Philadelphia on the borders ofMysia, Lydia and Phrygia, and ‘on the threshold of the eastern country’...gave this churchpeculiar opportunities for spreading the Gospel. If she had already availed herself of these,the ‘open door’ would readily explain itself; her opportunities were to be regarded as Christ'sgift...and she was assured of its continuance [’no one is able to shut it’].” (P. 54)414Aune translates by “limited (strength)” (p. 228).415These words of the risen Lord can be understood in a pessimistic sense, or in a morepositive sense: "You have little strength," i.e., "You are very weak and can do little." Or, "Youhave a little strength," i.e., "In spite of your smallness in size and the greatness of the opposition,you still have a certain amount of strength, and are able to accomplish something..."Swete interprets this as follows: "The church had little influence in Philadelphia; hermembers were probably drawn from the servile and commercial classes; compare 1 Corinthians1:26, [’not many powerful people’]..." (Pp. 54-55)213(continued...)

not deny My name! 4174183.9 Look--I am giving some of those from the synagogue of the adversary, some of419those who are claiming to be "Jews," and they are not, but rather, they are lying. Look415(...continued)Aune comments that “This statement suggests that the Christian community was relativelysmall, and indeed we know from the report of Strabo that the population of Philadelphiaitself was relatively small since many chose to live outside the city on farms.” (P. 236)416For this phrase, “to keep (My) word,” in 3:8 see 3:10; 22:7, 9; “keep the words of thisbook.” Compare John 8:51, 52, 55; 14:23, 24; 15:20; 17:6; also see Luke 11:28 and 1 John2:3-5.417In spite of the fact that the church in Philadelphia had only a "little power," it was alsothe case that this church had remained loyal to the risen Lord, "keeping" His word, and notdenying His name in the midst of demands that they do so. There had evidently been a periodof testing at Philadelphia, during which the followers of the risen Lord had proven faithful.418Aune translates by “I will cause” (p. 228).419Compare Revelation 2:9, where this same phrase, “a synagogue of the adversary”occurs, and also see 2 Corinthians 11:14-15, where Paul states that the adversary disguiseshimself as an “angel of light,” and that his servants disguise themselves as “servants of rightrelationships.”Once again a biting, sharp criticism is made of a Jewish synagogue--one that cancause the reader to feel that Revelation is "anti-Semitic" in its teaching (so, Martin Rist, p.394).But such a charge, we believe, is based on misunderstanding. The risen Lord is Himselfa Jew, along with the large majority of His earliest followers. And the charge that Hemakes against the synagogue at Philadelphia is the same charge that is made by the spokespersonsfor YHWH against both Israel and Judah, including the temple in Jerusalem in theirindictments--compare the sharp charges leveled in Isaiah 1 and in Jeremiah 7-10. Jesus, inMatthew 23 and here in Revelation 2:9, says nothing that has not been earlier said by thegreat spokespersons of Israel!What is involved in this charge is the belief that the true "Jew" is one who is a "Jew atheart," not simply by genetics or by religious ritual. If people claim to be "Jews," but standagainst and oppose the movement of YHWH God in human history, they are in truth no longerthe people of God, but have by their actions become the people of the adversary--since theyare falsely accusing and fighting against the people who are seeking to serve YHWH, the Godof Israel, who has come to the nations in Jesus, His Son!214

420 421--I will work (among) them so that they will come, and they will bow in worship before your422 423 424feet, and they will know that I have loved you! 3.10 Because you kept the word of My420Aune translates by “I will force them” (p. 228).It is impressive to see how even though the risen Lord rejects the so-called Jews as notbeing a synagogue of YHWH, but instead calls them a "synagogue of the adversary," He is stillworking in their midst, accomplishing His purposes through them, in spite of their rejection anddisobedience!421Aune translates by “grovel” (p. 228). He notes that the verb proskunei/n, proskunein,“to worship,” occurs 24 times in Revelation, and concludes that “In every instance butRevelation 3:9, cultic worship is in view, and the supposed contrast between the attitude ofworship and adoration and that of external physical bowing or prostration is untenable.” (P.230)422In a unique way, the language of the risen Lord takes up a motif from the writings ofthe great Spokespersons of Israel, and "turns the tables" on the so-called Jews in the synagogueat Philadelphia. Israel of old received the divine promise that one day the nationswould come and fall in worship before the feet of the Jews, seeking their guidance andteaching, cringing like beaten enemies at their feet. The risen Lord affirms that His followersare now the true "Jews," and that one day soon the falsely named "Jews" would come tothem, fulfilling the role predicted by Israel's Spokespersons concerning the nations! See thefollowing passages from the Jewish Bible:“This is what YHWH says: The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, andthose tall Sabeans--they will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you,coming over to you in chains. They will bow down before you and plead with you saying,Surely God is with you, and there is no other; there is no other God." (Isaiah 45:14);“This is what my Lord, YHWH says: See, I will beckon to the nations, I will lift up mybanner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry their daughters on theirshoulders. Kings will be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They willbow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet...”(Isaiah 49:22-23);“The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bowdown at your feet and will call you the city of YHWH, Zion of the Set-Apart One of Israel!”(Isaiah 60:14);“This is what YHWH of Armies says: Many peoples and the inhabitants of many citieswill yet come, and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, Let us go at once toentreat YHWH and seek YHWH of Armies. I myself am going. And many peoples andpowerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek YHWH of Armies and to entreat Him...This iswhat YHWH of Armies says: In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take215(continued...)

422(...continued)firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, Let us go with you, because we haveheard that God is with you." (Zechariah 8:20-23)Swete comments that “...The prophets’ anticipations of the submission of the Gentilenations to Israel will find a fulfillment in the submission of the members of the synagogue tothe Church, the Israel of God...Twenty years later the Philadelphian Church was more indanger from the Judaizing Christians than from the Jews [referring to Ignatius, Epistle toPhiladelphia, 6, ‘But if anyone expounds Judaism to you, do not listen to him; for it is better tohear Christianity from a man who is circumcised than Judaism from a man uncircumcised;both of them, if they do not speak of Jesus Christ, are to me tombstones and graves of thedead on which nothing but the names of men are written.’] Was this the result of a large influxof converts from Judaism in the previous generation?” (P. 55)Beasley-Murray comments that "...This is not intended to convey a promise that theJewish opponents of the church will be converted. It is a declaration that the Jews concernedwill have to acknowledge their mistake in denying the Christians a place in the kingdom andrecognize them to be the beloved of the Lord, the true Israel." (P. 101) But the text can easilybe understood to mean that the Jews are converted--that they turn from their opposition to thechurch, and come to share in its convictions, confessing them to be the truth.Aune comments that “The ironical use of this motif is clear: in all these passages theGentiles are expected to grovel before Israel, while in Revelation 3:9 it is the Jews who areexpected to grovel before the feet of this (largely gentile) Christian community...”This verse cannot refer to the final conversion of Israel mentioned in Romans 11:25-32...since it concerns only the Philadelphian community. Further, not all Jews will prostratethemselves before the Philadelphian Christians since the phrase didw/ evk th/j sunagwgh/j,dido ek tes sunagoges, ‘I will compel some from the synagogue...’ includes a partitive genitiveused as the object of the verb dido,nai, didonai, ‘to compel’ [literally, ‘to give’].” (Pp. 237-38)423Swete notes how the past tense used by the risen Lord ã ãÜðçóÜ óå, ego egapesase, “I, I loved you,” "...carries the love of Christ for the church back into an indefinitepast..." (P. 55) Compare the language of Isaiah 43:4, "Since you are precious and honoredin My sight, and because I loved [qal perfect in Hebrew] you..." In the Greek translation, theverb is in the aorist ("past") tense, êãþ óå ãÜðçóá, kago se egapesa, "...and I loved you..."Aune comments that “The notion of ‘love’ conveyed here is not primarily that of affectionbut rather that of election. The verb avgapa/n, agapan, ‘to love,’ occurs just three times inRevelation, once referring to self-preservation (12:11) and twice to the Self-sacrificing lovethat Christ had for His people (1:5; 3:9; compare John 13:1; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians5:2).” (P. 238)424Aune comments that “The three main problems in Revelation 3:10 are:(continued...)216

424(...continued)(1) the meaning of thrh,sw evk, tereso ek, ‘preserve from,’(2) the meaning of th/j w`,raj (tou/ peirasmou/), tes horas (tou peirasmou), ‘the hour(of the testing),’ and(3) the meaning of peirasmo,j, peirasmos, ‘temptation,’ ‘testing.’“(1) Here threi/n, terein means ‘to cause a state to continue’...That is, the exaltedChrist seems to promise that the situation of the Philadelphian Christians will not be adverselyaffected by the hour of tribulation that is approaching...Apart from Revelation 3:10, the onlyother occurrence of thrh,sw evk, tereso ek, ‘I will keep from,’ in Greek literature is found inJohn 17:15, evrwtw/...i[na thrh,sh|j auvtou.j evk tou/ ponhrou/, eroto...hina tereses autous ektou ponerou, ‘I ask.l..that You will protect them from the evil one’...“(2) The fact that th/j w[raj tou/ peirasmou/, tes horas tou peirasmou, [has the definitearticle] indicates that it refers to an event with which the author assumed his audience wasfamiliar, that is, a period of great distress and suffering that early Judaism (Daniel 12:1...) andearly Christianity (Matthew 24:15-31; Mark 13:7-20; Revelation 7:14) expected wouldimmediately precede the eschatological victory of God [but Matthew 24 and Mark 13 are bothdescribing the suffering that would precede the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple in 70A.D., within the life-time of some of Jesus’ contemporaries!]. Revelation 7:14 designates thisperiod as h` qli,yij h` mega,lh, he thlipsis he megale, ‘the great tribulation.’ A specialdesignation for this period is ‘the woes of the Messiah’...[Note that there are no capital lettersin the Greek phrase, and Revelation never mentions either ‘the eschatological victory of God’or ‘the woes of the Messiah’–all of this is being read into Revelation! What do you think? IsAune genuinely finding this in the biblical text, or reading these ideas into the text?] (P. 241)“(3) The substantive peirasmo,j, peirasmos, ‘testing,’ occurs only here in Revelation(the verb peira,zein occurs three times: 2:2, 10; 3:10)...Peirasmos has two primary meanings:(a) ‘testing,’ in the sense of trying to learn the nature or character of someone or somethingby subjecting...to extensive examination...or (b) ‘temptation,’ in the sense of attemptingto cause someone to sin...Here temptation refers not only to the testing of the faith of thebelievers but to an eschatalogical [‘final’–but where in the text is there mention of ‘eschatological’?]event as well...yet it must be considered a ‘trial’ since it is the means whereby thefaith of Christians will be demonstrated.“This verse has been a crux [‘crucial verse’] for the modern argument between the Pretribulationand Post-tribulation views on when Christ will return...Unfortunately, both sides ofthe debate have ignored the fact that the promise made here pertains to PhiladelphianChristians only and cannot be generalized to include Christians in the other churches of Asia,much less all Christians in all places and times. Furthermore, to be ‘preserved from the hourof tribulation’ means not that they will be physically absent but rather that they will not betouched by that which touches others.” (P. 240)(continued...)217

425 426 427patient endurance, I also will keep you from the hour of trial that is about to come upon424(...continued)What do you think? Is it not a far stretch to make this text apply to the Pre-tribulation[Christ returns before the millennial kingdom] or the Post-tribulation [Christ returns followingthe millennial kingdom] views, neither of which is mentioned in Revelation?425Aune translates by “My command to endure” (p. 228), and comments that “Thephrase to.n lo,gon th/j u`pomonh/j mou, ton logon tes hupomones mou, literally ‘the word ofthe endurance of Mine,’ is problematic. “If the substantive in the genitive is construed as anobjective genitive, then the phrase can be rendered ‘My word (i.e., ‘command’) concerningendurance’...” Another possible understanding is that the phrase means “the Gospel of theendurance practiced by Christ.” (P. 231)Swete comments on this statement, "Not 'My word of patience,' i.e. My commandmentto exercise patience, but 'the word of My patience,' i.e. the teaching which found its centralpoint in the patience of Christ." (P. 56) Compare 2 Thessalonians 3:5 and Hebrews 12:1-2.426Since His followers in Philadelphia have "kept" His word, now the risen Lord promisesto "keep" them. Compare Matthew 10:42; John 17:6 and 11. Aune translates by “preserve”(P. 228).427What does the phrase "hour of trial" mean? Does it mean that the trial will last forsixty minutes, not a minute less or more? No, the word "hour" is used as a symbol for a "shorttime," one that won't last for too long, but still one that will be long enough to constitute agenuine testing and trial. Compare Martyrdom of Polycarp, 2.3, where it is said that “throughone hour [of torture] the eternal life is being purchased.”In the Greek translation of the Jewish Bible this noun "hour" is used to translate wordsthat mean "appointed time," or just "time" in general. Sometimes, in the Greek manuscripts,"hour" and "day" are interchangeable, both of them meaning "a short while." See, for example,Psalm 95:8-9, "Today, if you will hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did atMeribah, as you did that day at Massah (‘Testing,’ peirasmou, peirasmou) in the desert,where your fathers tested and tried me..." Psalm 95 makes that experience of "testing in thewilderness" a living experience that every generation of worshipers in the temple must gothrough, in a similar "day of testing" in their own lives.In John 16:2, Jesus uses language similar to that of this passage: "...But rather, anhour is coming in which every one who kills you people will think he is offering up service toGod."The "hour of trial" is not something far off in the future, i.e., something to happen 2,000years later to a completely different generation--but something that the church at Philadelphiamust be prepared for in their own life-time.Beasley-Murray holds that "This is the first mention made by John of the messianicjudgments, which take up a large part of his book." But this is reading a great deal into the(continued...)218

428 429 430the whole inhabited earth, to test those who dwell upon the earth.427(...continued)text, which never makes mention of the phrase, “the messianic judgments." Rather, thisphrase has been imported into the interpretation, just as have ideas such as "the end of time,"and "the second coming of the Lord Jesus," and "the rapture," and "the anti-Christ."Gregg notes that “Dispensational futurists find in this statement a promise of the pretribulationrapture. Taking the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to besuggestive of a global crisis, it is thought that this refers to a future tribulation period. SinceJesus promises to keep (the church) from this terrible time, it is argued that the church mustbe removed from the earth prior to the tribulation of the last days...“Those of other approaches would not agree that the ‘hour of trial’ is to be identifiedwith a period of a few years at the close of history. Even if this identification is allowed, however,it is far from clear that the removal of Christians from the earth would be the only possibleway in which Jesus could keep His people from the wars and plagues anticipated to occurat that time. For example, Jesus prayed...for His disciples: ‘I do not pray that You should takethem out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one’ (John 17:15)...Nondispensationalistsargue that ‘keeping from’ does not require removal from the planet, sinceJesus specified that His prayer was not that the disciples be taken out of the world.“To the idealist, the time of trial is generic. All people the world over experience timesof trial...Through all such trials, the believer, who has kept faith with the Lord, is secure inGod’s care.“Preterists argue that an empire-wide crisis would satisfy the normal use of the terminologyin Revelation 3:10. The whole world is a term used to designate the Roman Empire inLuke 2:1 and elsewhere. That it is to test those who dwell on the earth (or ‘land,’ i.e., Israel)may suggest that there is a crisis that will shake the whole empire and put the Jews in particular,into special peril. In A.D. 68, the death of Nero, and the civil wars that followed, greatlythreatened the stability of the Roman Empire, until Vespasian was made emperor in A.D. 70.During this same period (A.D. 66-70), the Jews were embroiled in a fight for the survival oftheir nation against the Romans...which they lost. Preterism suggests that this judgment onJerusalem is what is implied in the promise, I am coming quickly! (verse 11).” (Pp. 76-77)What do you think? Which of these three different ways of interpreting this passageseems most true to the text? Where in Revelation do you find any clear mention of thedestruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.? Many have held that this is taught in 11:1-13, where theholy city is trampled by the non-Jews for 42 months, and then only a tenth part of the city isdestroyed in an earthquake. But is this a depiction of the destruction of Jerusalem? And if itis, what relevance could this have for the church at Philadelphia?Again, where in Revelation do you find mention of either a Pre-tribulation or a Posttribulationrapture? Does not the “idealist” view ring most true to the text at this point?219

431 4323.11 I am coming quickly! Hold firmly to what you have, so that no one may take428The phrase ôò ïêïõìÝíçò ëçò, tes oikoumenes holes, literally “of the inhabitedearth whole,” means "the entire inhabited earth." It was used for "the inhabited earth, theworld," and also for "world" in the sense of its inhabitants, "humanity." But ïêïõìÝíç, oikoumenewas also used as an equivalent for "the Roman Empire," which, in the exaggeratedlanguage commonly used by the emperors of Rome, was equal to the whole world (as wasalso done by the Persian Empire of Xerxes). In Revelation this phrase occurs three times:here, at 3:10; and then at 12:9 and 16:14.429The infinitive verb ðåéñÜóáé, peirasai, “to test,” is found at Revelation 2:2, 10 and3:10 (here). The members of the church at Ephesus have "tried" or "tested" those who claimto be authoritative messengers, and they are not (2:2). The accuser is about to throw some ofthe followers of Jesus into prison so that they may be "tested" or "tried" (2:10). And the "hourof trial" that is about to come upon all who dwell upon the earth has as its purpose to "try" or to"test" people, to determine the nature of their relationship to God and to his truth.What do you think? Is God “testing” the whole world through its wars, and famines, andaffluence? Is not life itself a “test”?430This phrase, ôïò êáôïéêïíôáò ð ôò ãò, tous katoikountas epi tes ges, "thosewho dwell upon the earth," occurs some eleven times in Revelation, beginning here at 3:10,and then at 6:10; 8:13; 11:10, 10; 13:8, 12, 14; 17:2 and 8. Aune comments that this phraseis “a favorite of the author’s and occurs...always in the negative sense of non-Christian persecutorsof Christians.” (P. 240) Once again we note that this linguistic usage is another indicationof the unity of Revelation.John uses this phrase to describe the "non-Christian world," including within its reach allpeople throughout the earth who do not have their roots in heaven, who are not already standingon Mount Zion, even though living upon this earth. The same thing may be true here, forthe followers of Jesus are promised that they will be kept from the hour of trial that is about tocome upon "all who dwell upon the earth." Beasley-Murray notes that "The preservation of thechurch from the effects of these judgments is set forth under a variety of images in John'sbook (e.g., the sealing of the saints, 7:1ff., the measuring of the altar and its worshipers, 11:1,the hiding of the woman in the wilderness, 12:6)." (P. 101)431Compare this identical phrase in Revelation 2:16, here, 3:11, and then at 22:7, 12,and 20. Compare also Revelation 1:4, 7, 8; 2:5; 4:8; 11:14, and 16:15. With this phraseology,once again the unity of Revelation is indicated, as the language of the first part of thebook is taken up again in the middle parts of the book, and then again at its close. See theappropriate footnotes on 1:4 and 22:7, where it is emphasized that an understanding of thisphrase is of greatest importance for our interpretation of Revelation."I am coming quickly" does not mean "I am coming 2,000 or more years from now, atthe end of time," but rather means exactly what it says--quickly, very soon. The risen Lord isthe Lord of history, who "comes with the clouds," in every life-time, in every generation, atevery crisis in human history, as He topples oppressive rulers from their thrones, treading(continued...)220

431(...continued)them down in the harvest-vintage of divine judgment, and as He delivers the oppressed, usingthem to build His "new Jerusalem," not just once, at the end of time, but throughout humanhistory, in the midst of the rise and fall of nations!What a farcical promise it would be to His followers at Philadelphia, faced with oppositionand trials, to promise them that "I am coming quickly 2,000 years from now!" What a"promise of despair"! How much would such a promise help that church? But if the risen Lordmeans, "I am coming quickly--at the very time of your trial, during the course of your boldwitness against those who oppose you, to be in your midst, to help and encourage you, and togive you victory--even if you must die!", such a promise offers great encouragement to thefollowers of Jesus at Philadelphia!432Compare similar language at Revelation 2:13, 14,15 and 25. "Holding on," keepinga firm grasp on the truth they have learned, and the commitment that they have made to Jesusas their High Priest and King, is deeply important for the followers of Jesus. They do not needa "new revelation"--what they need is to "hold fast" to what they already have!Swete comments that "Each church has its own inheritance...which it is called to guardon pain of losing its proper crown." (P. 56)In our modern world, we have many people who want to go on to a "new age religion."But the so-called "new-age religion" is little more than a compound of the ancient easternreligions, and the fact is that in "going on" we are leaving behind the most precious heritage ofreligious faith that this world has ever known. Before we "go on," let us be mighty sure that wehave "laid hold firmly" on the teaching of the Jewish and Christian Bibles! For the fact is thatwhen we begin to grasp the beauty and grandeur of their unified message, we will realize howweak and insipid are the claims to modern revelation and "new-age religion"!In some ways, the Christian religion is a "religion of having." It is not so much a religionof seeking and hoping for salvation, as it is a religion of having and possessing salvation.In the Jewish Bible, there are many expressions that state YHWH God is "my" or "our"God, Inheritance, Rock, Refuge, Hiding-Place, Consolation, Light, Salvation, Helper, Joy,Delight, and Deliverer. That is, the Jewish worshiper in the temple boldly states in essencethat he "has YHWH"!Hermann Hanse has written an article on the verb ev ,cein, echein in Theological Dictionaryof the New Testament II, pp. 816-32, from which the following material is derived:In the New Testament the confident affirmation is made that the confessing followersof Christ "have God the Father and have God the Son" (1 John 2:23; 5:12; 2 John 9). "Onemay believe in God, speak of Him and think one knows Him, yet still not have Him, i.e., notreach Him in prayer, not share His blessings, His forgiveness and eternal grace, not enjoyliving personal fellowship with Him." (P. 823)221(continued...)

433 434 435 436 437away your crown! 3.12 The one who is conquering, I will make him a pillar in the432(...continued)Hanse tells of how the warrior Frederick the Great complained to his brother who was atheologian, saying that "Wolff in Halle and other humbugs taught me five proofs for the existenceof God--is it my fault that I have no God?" (Ibid.)We "have a great High Priest" (Hebrews 4:14-15; 8:1; 10:21); we "have hope" (Acts24:15; Romans 15:4; 2 Corinthians 3:12; Ephesians 2:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:13; 1 John3:3); we "have boldness" (Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 10:19; 1 John 2:28; 3:21; 4:17; 5:14.)We "have comfort" (Hebrews 6:18); we have an Advocate or Comforter (John 14-16); we"have redemption" (Colossians 1:14); we "have access to God the Father" (Ephesians 2:18;3:12).This is what may be accurately described as "realized eschatology," as a realizationalready in this present life of the future blessings of eternal life in the heavenly Kingdom ofGod. See Romans 8:23; 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13. Much more can be saidconcerning this.The Gospel of John "...Divests the concept of eternal life of its eschatological characterand uses it to express the richness of the Christian life. This is characteristic of [John’s]whole approach. For him Christianity is not so much life in hope; it is full possession of salvation,a 'having'...And where other apostles expect these blessings in eternity or constantly seekthem afresh for their congregations, he always speaks consciously of a 'having'..." (P. 825)See John 5:42; 16:33; 17:13; 8:12; 12:35-36. "Thus one has God's Word (5:38),God's love, peace, joy, light and life, fellowship with God, and even God Himself, in Christ.This is Johannine 'having.'" (P. 826)Hanse concludes that "If we consider the New Testament as a whole, it is evident thatChristianity is a religion of having as distinct from other religions of seeking and expecting."(P. 826)And so the risen Lord commands, "Hold firmly to what you have!"433Swete comments that the verb here is ëÜâ, labe, “might take,” the aorist subjunctiveform of lamba,nomai, lambanomai, "to take," not another verb such as avfai,romai, aphairomaior avfarpa,gomai, apharpagomai, which would imply forcefully taking away whatbelonged rightfully to the Philadelphians. “... The picture is not that of a thief snatching awaywhat is feebly held, but rather of a competitor receiving a prize which has been forfeited. Thevacant room left by the lapse of a church may be filled by the rise of another...” (P. 57)434John's language implies that the followers of the risen Lord at Philadelphia already"have their crown," since he urges them not to let anyone take it away! In the letter to thechurch at Smyrna, the promise was "I will give to you the crown of life" (2:10)--obviouslysomething that lies out in the future--a futuristic hope for "the crown." But here, the crown is(continued...)222

434(...continued)already possessed by the Philadelphians--"don't let anyone take it away!" Thus we may saythat Revelation expresses both a "realized eschatology" and a "futuristic eschatology," side byside in the same document. The "crown" is both a "present possession" and a "future hope."In striking contrast to most of the other seven churches, the risen Lord speaks not oneword of condemnation to the church at Philadelphia. This ancient church still reportedly existsin the modern city, in spite of its Turkish-Muslim environs. There is no mention of any failure,or lack; there is likewise no mention of false teaching being allowed in the church. There isonly commendation for a job well done! Would to God we could all receive a letter such asthis from our risen Lord!435This phrase, "The one who is conquering" is found earlier at 1 John 5:5, "Who is theone who is conquering the world, other than the one who is having confidence that Jesus isthe Son of God?" In Revelation, it occurs in each of the letters to the seven churches (2:7,11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, and 21). Then in 21:7 it occurs for the eighth and last time, in a way thathelps to demonstrate the unity of Revelation.As we have emphasized, it is the implication of such descriptive language that the life ofthe followers of Jesus is one of "battle," of "struggle," of courageously facing opposition andhardship, making every effort to "win" life's "battle." In some ways, that battle has alreadybeen won--since the Lord of the Church has gained eternal victory through His death andresurrection, and since those who unite their lives with His share in that eternal victory. But inanother sense, the battle is still in progress, and the followers of Jesus have to put on the fullarmor of God, and struggle faithfully to the end of their lives, following in the pathway of thisgreat Lord of History who is trampling out the vintage of the grapes of wrath.Sometimes, when we begin to indulge in self-pity, and say that "Life's not fair!", or "I'mhaving such a hard time!", we need to ask ourselves the question, "Who told you that life wasgoing to be fair, or that there weren't going to be any hardships?" Isn't it the biblical teachingthat life is going to be a struggle, that we are going to have to "fight the good fight"? Maybethings are going exactly like they ought to go! See the appropriate footnotes on 2:7, 2:17, and21:7.436It is important to note that the risen Lord, who "holds the key of David" promises tomake the individual church member at Philadelphia a "pillar in the temple of My God." He hasthe authority, since he wears the emblem of authority "over the house/.” This is not somethingthat they could possibly accomplish by themselves--it can only happen because the One withthe proper authority says He will do it for them.437The reader of the Jewish Bible is immediately reminded of the "pillars" that playedsuch a large role in the portable sanctuary of Israel in the desert-wanderings (see Exodus 26-27, and 37-38). Then, in the temple built by Solomon, there were again "pillars" which playedan important role, especially the two pillars given the names Yakin ("He will establish") andBoaz ("In him is strength"), which stood on either side of the main entrance portico to thetemple. See 1 Kings 7 (especially verse 21), and 2 Chronicles 3-4. As the risen Lord's(continued...)223

438 439temple of My God; and he will not go outside again; and I will write upon him the name437(...continued)words go on to indicate, it is these "pillars" in the later Jewish temple that are the backgroundof this symbolical language.Swete holds, to the contrary, that these ancient pillars are not in the mind of the risenLord, but rather, the rabbinic use of the metaphor "pillar" as a description of a great rabbi inthe Jewish community. Compare Galatians 2:9, where Peter and Jacob ["James"] aredescribed as "pillars" of the church in Jerusalem. Swete comments that "There is a doublefitness in this metaphor; while a pillar gives stability to the building which rests upon it, it isitself fixed firmly and permanently fixed..." (P. 57)But it must be noted that the risen Lord immediately mentions "the temple of my God,"and it is, we think, quite obvious that the reference is to the ancient temple-pillars--the samereference that lies behind the rabbinic use of the term for prominent rabbis.Beasley-Murray notes that "As in ancient times pillars frequently bore the names ofpeople honored by them, so the conqueror will be inscribed with the name of My God, and thename of the city of My God...and My Own new name...The [person] so inscribed belongs toGod, and to the city of God, and to the Son of God." (P. 102)Compare 1 Maccabees 14:25-27: "When the people heard these things they said,'How shall we thank Simon [Maccabees] and his sons? For he and his brothers and the houseof his father have stood firm; they have fought and repulsed Israel's enemies and establishedits freedom.' So they made a record on bronze tablets and put it upon pillars on Mount Zion."438Behind this language of the risen Lord lies a long story of Israel's building of itsbeloved temple in Jerusalem--first by Solomon (which was destroyed by the Babyloniansunder Nebuchadnezzar in 587-86 B.C.), and then by the returning captives from Babyloniancaptivity in 537-536 B.C., the so-called "Second Temple," which was gloriously refurbishedand enlarged by the greatest builder in Israel's history, King Herod the Great, at the close ofthe first century B.C. and during the first part of the first century A.D. (but which was subsequentlydestroyed completely by the Romans and Titus in 70 A.D., leaving the temple mount inJerusalem barren of any Jewish temple--until the present time).Jesus of Nazareth worshiped in the second temple in Jerusalem, and it was out fromthat temple that He cast the money-changers, and concerning which He spoke the harshwords of divine judgment found in Mark 13 and its parallel passages in Matthew 24 and Luke22. One of the earliest recorded and vividly remembered sayings of Jesus had to do with thepromise that if the Jewish temple were to be destroyed, He would raise up a new temple afterthree days. Whatever the exact nature of that strange statement, it was quoted and usedagainst Jesus at His trial, as an example of His being an enemy of Israel who was deserving ofdeath.In later Christian understanding, that basic statement was taken to mean that whileJesus, the Son of the Person and Lord of history, would come upon the Jewish temple with the(continued...)224

440 441of My God and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, the one that is coming438(...continued)clouds of divine judgment, to utterly destroy it, at the same time He would raise up a newpeople of God from nations and peoples all across the face of the earth--and that He wouldform of them a "new temple"--a "spiritual temple," designed to be the dwelling--place of God,as their hearts became open to the divine presence, and their united hearts and lives becamea "universal temple," composed of the followers of Jesus all across the world, who wouldconstitute the "new Israel of God."With all of this in mind, it is obvious how meaningful this promise of the risen Lord is toHis people at Philadelphia. Their Jewish opponents are claiming that they have nothing to dowith the God of Israel, and its worship. But the risen Lord pronounces them mistaken. Hispeople at Philadelphia have very much to do with the God of Israel--indeed, they are part ofHis new temple! And, in fact, the risen Lord promises the individual members of the church atPhiladelphia that He will make of them pillars in that divine temple! They will be like "Yakin"and "Boaz" in this new temple of God--God will establish them, and He will give them strengthto endure!439Not only are the so-called Jews, who are in reality a "synagogue of the adversary,"unable to prevent the followers of Jesus at Philadelphia from entering into the temple of God,or from becoming "pillars" in that temple, they are likewise unable to force them out of thetemple. The risen Lord gives them a place of importance, and a place of permanency as well,in the temple of His God!The word "outside" probably bears with it connotations of "excommunication," being"thrown out" of the Jewish synagogue! Compare such passages as John 6:37 ("he whocomes to Me, I will never drive away, outside!"); 9:34-35, where the Jewish leaders "threwoutside" the man who had been born blind, but whom Jesus had healed; Hebrews 13:12(Jesus suffered "outside" the city), and Revelation 22:15 ("outside" the heavenly Jerusalemare all the morally impure).440Compare the following two passages from Revelation: "And I saw, and look--theLittle Lamb, standing upon Mount Zion; and with Him, a hundred and forty-four thousand,having His name, and the name of His Father, written upon their foreheads." (14:1) "And theywill see His face; and His name will be upon their foreheads.” (22:4)The presence of the name of God upon their foreheads means that they have been"sealed" as God's Own people, with a divine engraving that no human being is able to deface,and that marks them as being under the divine protection from all harm. Aune notes thathaving the name of God written upon a person “is a metaphor for both divine ownership andthe dedication of the one so inscribed to God.” (P. 242)441It may well be that the so-called "Jews" (who are in reality a "synagogue of the adversary")will seek to "cast the followers of Jesus outside," refusing to acknowledge them as trulyJews, and holding that they are not worthy of participation in the divine family and Kingdom. Itmay also well be that these followers of Christ would not be welcome in the earthly Jerusalem(continued...)225

442 443down out of heaven from My God, and My name, the new one! 3.13 The one who has an441(...continued)--in so far as that (now destroyed) city stood for Judaism and the Jewish people. But the risenLord promises to them that He will write upon their foreheads the name of the "new Jerusalem,"the “city of God”! That means they are citizens of that heavenly city, no matter what theirdetractors may claim, no matter the terrible accusations made against them!Swete comments that "To bear the name of the city of God is to be openly acknowledgedas one of her citizens, a privilege already potentially belonging to the members of thechurch." (P. 58) Compare Philippians 3:20, “our citizenship is in heaven!”Revelation 21:2 states, "And the set-apart city--new Jerusalem--I saw coming down outof the heaven from God..." In the footnotes on that passage, there is a lengthy discussion ofthe origin of this kind of language, and its usage in the Jewish Bible, especially in Isaiah. Wehave held there that "What John seeks to affirm in his own unique way is that Isaiah's greatdream of the future City of God has been caught up in the hope that vibrates at the heart ofChristian faith."442The new Jerusalem is pictured by its risen Lord as in the act of coming down (êáôáâáßíïõóá,katabainousa, a present active participle) from heaven even at the very time thatthe members of the church in Philadelphia are face to face with their "hour of trial"! Hebrewsstates: “You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; todarkness, gloom and storm [that is, you have not come to Mount Sinai, where Israel enteredinto her original covenant with YHWH God, as described in Exodus 19]...But you have come(ðñïóåëçëýèáôå, proseleluthate, the perfect tense, meaning that it has already happened] toMount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God...to thousands upon thousandsof messengers in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn ones, whose names arewritten in heaven...” 12:18, 22-23a)What is the "tense" or "time" of this heavenly city? Is it only the blessed hope of thefuture, or is it a present reality into which the followers of King Jesus have already entered?The only correct answer to such a question is, "Yes, it is!" It is the future hope that throbs atthe very heart of the Christian faith. It is also the present reality, the location of every devoutfollower of Jesus--all of whom already, in this life, in this world, “have come to,” “have enteredinto” this heavenly city! Once again we note in this letter to the church at Philadelphia bothfuturistic and realized eschatology being combined as one.443Compare the following two passages from Isaiah:“The nations will see your right relationship, and all kings your glorious radiance; youwill be called by a new name that the mouth of YHWH will bestow!” (62:2)“You will leave your name to my chosen ones as a curse; my Lord YHWH will put you todeath, but to His servants He will give another name.” (65:15)226(continued...)

ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches! 444443(...continued)Certainly the risen Lord means that the ancient promise to God's people has beenfulfilled in the midst of His followers. YHWH had promised His people a new name; now thatnew name is promised to the faithful members of the church at Philadelphia!Aune notes that “Ramsay suggested that the theme of the new name would have beenmeaningful to the Philadelphian Christians since...their city had been re-named twice. Thefirst new name was ‘Neokaisareia’ (after Tiberius or Germanicus), given to this city after theearthquake of A.D. 17, while the second, ‘Flavia,’ the family name of the emperor Vespasian,was given during his reign, that is, A.D. 70-79.” (P. 244)444Of course, every normal person literally "has an ear"! But the risen Lord has referenceto "spiritual ears," to the ability to listen for and hear and obey the divine message. Justas the ancient Spokespersons for YHWH had accused Northern Israel and Judah of being"deaf," and "blind," Jesus' language has that same kind of experience in mind. Whoeverwants to listen; whoever has spiritual ears, listen up! Pay attention! See Revelation 2:7, 11,17, 29; 3:6, 13 (here) and 22. This refrain, repeated at the close of each of the seven letters,is an urgent call to attention, to devout listening for the word of God that is being deliveredthrough these letters.Revelation intends as its audience a much larger group than simply the members ofone small congregation in a first-century city in Roman Asia. No, through the words written byJohn, the risen Lord is speaking his pastoral encouragement and advice to His sheep, andthrough those words, the Set-Apart Spirit of God is also speaking. What is spoken to one ofthe churches is meant for all of the churches. And we who live twenty centuries later can wellprofit from the teaching that comes through the letters to the seven churches, as well as fromthe visions of Revelation as a whole, which impart a dynamic world-view and form a basis forfacing persecution in any and every age!227