,, 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. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. 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. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and [I will write upon him] my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.“
Rev. 3: 8-13
"I know your works ... because you have little strength, and you have kept my word, and you have not given up my name."
Jesus did not criticize this small church in Philadelphia and the true believers were always in a large minority and Jesus called his own "little flock" in Luke 12:32 and with the help of that "little flock" of 120 disciples on the Day Spirits who were filled with the Holy Spirit Jesus evangelized the world with the gospel.
,, and you kept my word ”this little church spread the Good News to all sides wherever they could and they were probably not in good standing, they were not people politically or economically oriented like other citizens but they had love for Jesus and that is It was the good news that Jesus was dead on the cross but that he rose victoriously and thus opened the door to God for them and for us. It was theirs and also ours to believe in Jesus and to apply and practice Bible truths in our lives because:
,, He that is of God heareth God's words:...”
John 8:47
Jesus goes on to say, "and you have not renounced my name," which means that they have publicly professed their faith and practiced it in life, they were not like some of their countrymen who spoke one thing and did another and thus showed that they were not part of flocks ". here is what is written about such people in Psalm 50.
,,
But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee.”
Ps 50: 16-17
These people were not of a pure heart and God calls them ungodly and that is why the apostle Paul writes to young Timothy:
,, Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all [men], apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
And [that] they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
2 Tim.2: 22-26
Because the members of this church lived according to the Bible, they were persecuted and had Jewish opponents who did not agree with what they preached and taught, but considered them apostates from the "paternal faith" and that only they were "true of God." the people "and therefore hated them.
Furthermore, the collection of Satan is mentioned, which is first mentioned in the letter to the Smyrna church, “Here I give those from the collection of Satan who say that they are Jews and they are not, but lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship at thy feet, and to know that I love thee. "
Philadelphia in translation means "brotherly love" and that is exactly how the members of the church in Philadelphia behaved and recognized them by that. About this love Jesus said:
,, By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
John 13:35
and to this love we also read:
,, We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not [his] brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. "
1 Job 3: 14-15
,, If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.”
1 John 4: 20-21
And if someone has this kind of love, God can make unbelievers bow before their feet as the brothers did to Joseph, even though they sold him out of envy, thinking that they would never see him again. However, God had other plans and in the end they worshiped Joseph who he loved his brothers no matter what they had done to him before because he understood God's plan and fit into it and that is why God exalted him so much that he was even on the throne.
"For thou hast kept the word of my suffering, and I will save thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world to tempt them that dwell upon the earth."
We saw that the members of the church in Philadelphia were loyal to Jesus, and the promise that they would be preserved was fulfilled at the time when the Roman emperor Trajan began to persecute Christians in 98. Then he issued a proclamation that Christians should be persecuted. and all the churches were persecuted, but the church in Philadelphia was not touched.
"Here I come quickly: hold what you have, so that no one takes your wreath" Jesus did not rebuke this church for anything, but tells them that they will come soon and that they will be rewarded. The wreath is a reward, it is not eternal life because they are eternal life already had, these members of the church were waiting for the coming of Christ, and with the coming of Jesus come wreaths, ie rewards
,, And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”
1 Pet.5: 4
"Whoever overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the church of my God, and he will not go out; and I will write on it the name of my God, and the name of the new Jerusalem, the city of my God, which comes down from heaven from my God, and my new name. "We have seen the members of the church in Philadelphia overcome infidelity, in the church of their God, ". So there will be pillars in the sky and nothing will shake them there anymore. While they were on earth, they had little strength and maybe they rocked like pillars under various troubles, but they did not fall. There are solid pillars in the sky that no one and nothing will be able to shake anymore.
In the end, we see that Jesus says that no one will be able to drive the victors out of the kingdom of God and that the victors will bear the name of the Heavenly Jerusalem that will one day be in this new earth and whose name the victors will bear and Jesus will bear a new name that may It has to do with the new name of Joseph we mentioned, which was a prophecy of Jesus' life on earth.
,, Which in his times he shall shew, [who is] the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;”
1 Tim.6: 15
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."