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Sunday 9/27/26
Title: Saints in Philadelphia don’t lose your Crown
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Saints in Philadelphia don’t lose your Crown
Philadelphia
This week we are going to examine Jesus‘ letter to the church in Philadelphia, so let’s read it first and then we will begin working our way through this letter.
Revelation 3:7-13,
“(7) And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
‘The words of the Holy One, the true One, Who has the key of David, Who opens and no one will shut, Who shuts and no one opens.
(8) “‘I know your works.
Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.
(9) Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you.
(10) Because you have kept My word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.
(11) I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.
(12) The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God.
Never shall he go out of it, 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 from My God out of heaven, and My Own new name.
(13) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
Philadelphia was a comparatively young foundation for the region — established in the mid-2nd century BC.
Its whole reason for existing was geographic. It stood at the point where the borders of Mysia, Lydia, and Phrygia met, making it a border town and effectively the gateway to the eastern plateau.
The main Roman postal road from Troas through Pergamum and Sardis ran on through Philadelphia into the interior. The Pergamene kings deliberately built it as a “missionary city” meant to carry Greek language and customs into the more oriental hinterlands of Lydia and Phrygia.
Economically it ran on wine. Philadelphia was specifically situated on highly fertile, volcanic soil. This land produced exceptional grapes, making the city a massive hub for viticulture and wine production. Wine was its primary source of early revenue, and the local culture was so deeply tied to this trade that the Greek god of wine, Dionysus (Bacchus), became the city’s chief deity. It also possessed mineral hot springs and an unusually dense cluster of trade guilds for a city its size.
Additionally, the city was built on a faultline and a major earthquake in 17AD set the stage for many future decades of quakes and tremors over the course of many decades. Many lived outside the city and did farming for this very purpose.
So Philadelphia was a small city, but like Sardis it had a well established Jewish presence which had been planted there following the Babylonian exile.
This addresses the “synagogue of satan” and those who say that “they are Jews are not” part of the passage.
Our Lord deliberately makes a reference to Isaiah 22 as being the One Who possesses “the key of David” and connecting that with being “the One Who opens doors that no one can shut and closes doors no one can open”. So the connection is not a superficial one.
The difficult thing is that there is much you can do in terms of connecting these verses with Isaiah’s prophecy, but I want to be cautious. We need to follow the evidence where it leads, rather than lead the evidence where we’d find it convenient to go.
Isaiah is addressing Israel’s rejection of God and without their expressly knowing it – Jesus the Messiah as the Holy One – which is how Jesus introduces Himself here to the church in Philadelphia.
Let’s read the intro to Isaiah, then we will connect that with the passage Jesus specifically quotes from in Isaiah 22.
Isaiah 1:1-31,
“(1) The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.”
“(2) Listen, heavens, and pay attention, earth, for the LORD has spoken:
“I have raised children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against Me. (3) The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s feeding-trough, but Israel does not know; My people do not understand.
(4) Oh–sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, brood of evildoers, depraved children! They have abandoned the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel; they have turned their backs on Him.”
In Isaiah God laments His loss of the Jewish hearts, His need to judge and often speaks prophetically of the day when Israel will be a righteous nation
Isaiah 2:1-22,
“(1) The vision that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
(2) In the last days the mountain of the LORD’s house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills.
All nations will stream to it, (3) and many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about His ways so that we may walk in His paths. For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (4) He will settle disputes among the nations and provide arbitration for many peoples. They will turn their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nations will not take up the sword against other nations, and they will never again train for war.”
Towards the end of Isaiah’s prophetic ministry he says in chapter 60:14-15,
“(14) The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you; all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.
They will call you, ‘The City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’ (15) You were once abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, but I will make you a permanent source of pride and joy to coming generations.”
He even offers a description which loosely seems similar to these believers in Philadelphia being pillars in the house of God who no longer go out, but are permanently in the presence of God. (See Isaiah 33:20-22)
But the reference to “the key of David” and “opening” and “shutting doors” point to Isaiah 22 in which two people are mentioned – Shebna and Eliakim. Shebna was in a political position of Hezekiah’s head of household, making him second only to the King himself in terms of practical authority. He oversaw the royal household staff, controlled access to the treasury and stores, and managed the machinery of court administration.
This man was confronted by God through the prophet as someone out of place – perhaps not even of national Israel, but a foreigner. He was a pride filled man who only looked out for himself. He sought to build a legacy for himself rather than faithfully serving in the role entrusted to him.
This position was, by the authority of God Himself, given to Eliakim which is where “the key of David” comes in. This “Key” is referred to in Isaiah as being to the house of David. Now this will immediately conjure the entirely wrong mental image in the modern mind.
The “key” here may refer to a literal insignia worn by the chief administrator and would symbolize the administrator’s authority to grant or exclude access to the king.
The “house of David” is a reference to God’s Kingdom and His people which make up that kingdom.
In Isaiah this is given to Eliakim, who in stark contrast to Shebna is represented as someone to be trusted. Rather than self promotion, his promotion was entirely sponsored by God’s Own initiative — “I will call… I will clothe… I will commit“. Furthermore, his role is described in fathering and pastoral terms: “he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah” (22:21), not merely an administrator but a protector and provider for the people under him.
Later in the passage Eliakim is referred to as a nail affixt to a strong wall upon which heavy burdens would be placed, but that it would fall.
Let’s read it…
“12 In that day the Lord GOD of hosts called for weeping and mourning, for baldness and wearing sackcloth; 13 and behold, joy and gladness, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine.
“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
14 The LORD of hosts has revealed Himself in my ears:
“Surely this iniquity will not be atoned for you until you die,” says the Lord GOD of hosts.
15 Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts,
“Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is over the household, and say to him: 16 What have you to do here, and whom have you here, that you have cut out here a tomb for yourself, you who cut out a tomb on the height and carve a dwelling for yourself in the rock?
17 Behold, the LORD will hurl you away violently, O you strong man. He will seize firm hold on you 18 and whirl you around and around, and throw you like a ball into a wide land. There you shall die, and there shall be your glorious chariots, you shame of your master’s house.
19 I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station.
20 In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, 21 and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand. And he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22 And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.
23 And I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father’s house. 24 And they will hang on him the whole honor of his father’s house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons.
25 In that day, declares the LORD of hosts, the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way, and it will be cut down and fall, and the load that was on it will be cut off, for the LORD has spoken.”
Now, in the view of many some of these connections seem superficial and convenient, since that prophecy regarding Eliakim also referred to a future when, “the peg that is fastened in a secure place will be removed,” which seems to suggest to many commentators a failing on the part of either Eliakim or his future descendants but since this whole arrangement was so close to the 400 years of silence and God’s presence being removed from the holiest of holies through the Ark of the Covenant it’s quite possible there was no personal failing on the part of Eliakim or his family. The burden he carried may have been removed purely as a result of the Babylonian captivity as well as God’s lapse into silence for 400 years not long afterwards.
As such it might actually be a great baton Pass stretching over 400 years from the hands of Eliakim or his descendants into the palm of the hand of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ the Messiah.
So in many ways Eliakim, is a “type” of Christ Who replaced the assumed authority of the religious elite of His day, Who shepherded Israel and upon Whom the heavy burden of their sins was laid when He fell in death through crucifixion.
In any case, Eliakim is the example which Jesus unapologetically uses as a comparison with His Own person towards this church and it still carries undeniable comparative truths.
Now placing all of this together as we read through this passage once more.
Revelation 3:7-13,
“(7) And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
‘The words of the Holy One, the true One, Who has the key of David, Who opens and no one will shut, Who shuts and no one opens.
So in keeping with the text of the prophecy of Isaiah from which this wording is lifted, Jesus is Eliakim – the One Who presides over “the House of” God, Whose authority opens free access to the King’s presence and no foreigner can shut – not even a one from the synagogue of satan who identifies as a true Jew but is really not. They were national Jews only, descendants of the flesh but not by faith as Paul said,
In Romans 2:28–29, “A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.”
In Romans 9:6–8, Paul explains:
“For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children… In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.”
And in Galatians 3:7 and verse 29, he says “Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham“ and “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Then Jesus says,
(8) “‘I know your works.
Then He takes the connection with the natural “Key to the House of David” being given to Eliakim in Isaiah 22 as the real spiritual authority He has over the house of God and says,
“Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.”
But why a “little power”? If this is referring to will power, or strength in grace against temptation, it would seem odd to call it “little” since it was sufficient enough to keep them from falling.
There are three things this phrase was known to represent in Greek and they are:
- Physical/economic vulnerability. A city that had been leveled once and kept shaking for two decades, and whose wine economy took another hit later when Domitian ordered vineyards in Asia cut back by half around 92AD, wasn’t operating from a position of civic strength. A small congregation inside a materially unstable town plausibly had correspondingly modest resources. But this doesn’t fit Jesus’ address since it is all focused upon natural provision and nothing is said of these saints being particularly poor.
- Small numbers and low social standing. Nothing about the church in Philadelphia suggests the church there was large, wealthy, or politically connected. It was likely a modest house-sized church without patrons or standing in a city that already had entrenched pagan cults, guilds, and a very confident, well established Jewish community who Jesus refers to as belonging to the synagogue of satan himself.
- Exclusion and hostility from local Jewish leadership. This is where verse 9 becomes directly relevant to verse 8. Judaism was legally protected in Rome having an official status, and being reckoned as a form of Judaism (or at least being under a synagogue’s wing) carried real civil advantages. A hostile local synagogue faction actively denying that status to Jesus-following Jews and God-fearers would have stripped the church of protective cover, leaving it exposed in exactly the way this phrase “little strength” implies — not spiritually deficient, but socially and legally unshielded.
Now, in keeping with the greater force of what Jesus says, this has a more eternal and spiritual connection with the church of Philadelphia and on many future churches who would arise down through the ages.
To them He says,
“(9) Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you.”
You couldn’t get a clearer picture of one of the fulfillments of Isaiah’s prophecies I outlined earlier than this – and like the time in which it was first mentioned, the realization of this truth will not come until the end of this and the next age. That is the end of the church age, and the end of the tribulation, which interestingly, Jesus brings up next.
“(10) Because you have kept My word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.
(11) I am coming soon (suddenly). Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.
What is Jesus’ word about patient endurance? Hebrews 10:32-35
What crown?
There are 5 crowns mentioned in the New Testament and 3 of these 5 the believers in Philadelphia were qualified to receive. They are…
- The Imperishable (or Incorruptible) Crown: Mentioned in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25, this is given to believers who exercise self-control, spiritual discipline, and endurance in their walk with Christ.
- The Crown of Rejoicing: Mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 2:19 and Philippians 4:1, this is often called the “soul-winner’s crown,” awarded for evangelism, discipleship, and leading others to faith.
- The Crown of Righteousness: Mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:8, this is promised to those who eagerly love and long for the return of Jesus Christ.
- The Crown of Life: Mentioned in James 1:12 and Revelation 2:10, this is given to those who triumph over severe trials, temptations, persecution, and martyrdom.
- The Crown of Glory: Mentioned in 1 Peter 5:2-4, this is awarded to faithful pastors, elders, and spiritual leaders who shepherd God’s flock with selflessness.
Of some importance to this promise and the next statement Jesus makes is the meaning of the word crown. It is the Greek word stephanos, representing a symbol of honor and a wreath of victory.
“(12) The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God.
Never shall he go out of it, 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 from My God out of heaven, and My Own new name.
(13) He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
Notice He says they will never go out – just like the true Jews prophesied about by Isaiah in chapter 33.
It is also worthy of mention that Philadelphia was a merging point of three major cities and a pathway to the east. People would go through Philadelphia as a celebrated roadway to the East and would purchase wine, raisins, leather goods and textiles as well as medicinal healing waters. And Isaiah 60:15 said,
“(14) The children of your oppressors will come bowing to you; all who treated you with disrespect will bow down at your feet.
They will call you, ‘The City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.’ (15) You were once abandoned and despised, with no one passing through, but I will make you a permanent source of pride and joy to coming generations.”
Again I don’t want to bear down too hard on the references outside of chapter 22 where Jesus was specifically quoting, BUT the overall message of Isaiah and the future promised to these saints in Philadelphia align in nearly every meaningful point.
So as best as I can tell, Jesus is addressing not only the ancient church in the city of Philadelphia, but all future churches who find themselves outnumbered, and marginalized by the cultures in which they exist. Who, externally appear of little significance or importance and who are treated with disrespect and dishonor. Jesus is saying, “I see you” and those who mock at you and deride you will one day come bowing at your feet, recognizing My love for you and asking for YOU to be the one with the “Key to the house of David” by asking to learn of God and His ways from you!
Only persevere and don’t let these loud but ultimately meaningless voices compromise your obtaining the prize and the honor Jesus will bestow upon you! He reminds them of the uncertainty of the WHEN of His return by mentioning that it will be sudden – so get and stay ready.
This letter to the saints in Philadelphia could in many ways be summed up in the two parables of Jesus – the 10 virgins and the wedding feast.
Finally I will remind you that the Pergamene kings deliberately built Philadelphia as a “missionary city” to the East. By this they meant a pathway to the East to carry Greek language and customs into the more oriental hinterlands of Lydia and Phrygia.
Jesus used the words “open door” which in other contexts in the New Testament Paul uses as a metaphor for an evangelistic opportunity, so it is possible this is the door Jesus was opening to this church making it truly a “missionary city” in reality. This breaks down however, in that there is no historical proof such ever happened or if it did, that the church of Philadelphia took advantage of the door Jesus opened for them to the East.
