There is the most careful exclusion of His heavenly position from the relationships of the Lord Jesus that are here brought before us. When man thus regulated after the Jewish pattern, the whole beauty and aim of the church of God was ruined in principle. This meaning is particularly appropriate for Philadelphia. The word translated "sup" is deipnein ( G1172) and its corresponding noun is deipnon ( G1173) . They appreciated it: they fed upon it. Revelation 3:10, KJV: 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. I will be glad to share with you and become one with you just open the door.". Ramsay says of Philadelphia that it was "the centre for the diffusion of Greek language and Greek letters in a peaceful land and by peaceful means." the Roman Empire (Luke 2:1; Acts 11:28). I shut and no man can open. "He is the faithful witness, the first-begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth;" the last displayed when He comes from heaven to earth, as He stands in resurrection the first-begotten of the dead. 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 . "I know thy works, and thy labour, and patience, and that thou canst not bear evil [men]; and thou didst try them which say they are apostles and are not, and didst find them liars." Exodus 28:36). And this is seen to be the occasion of the letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. 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. There the king of Lydia ruled over his empire in oriental splendour. If I am a servant, I ought to behave like a servant. The epistle is closed up with the demand of attention: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, how Christ loves and values his faithful people, how he commends, and how he will crown their fidelity. Here is the picture of Jesus Christ as the one who has the final authority which no one can question. And here, it has been well observed, a notable change takes place. Let men call you bigot, but never mind, hold you on with all your might, and your Lord will smile upon you. God was breaking down some of these barriers. 159.] 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. If that is the picture here, this phrase contains a warning and tells men to have a care, for Jesus Christ the Judge and King is at the door. The things that he saw were the glory of Christ in relation to this book, as described in the first chapter, on which we have already touched. He is going back to Isaiah 22:0 for this description. Again Croesus was warned, but he failed to see the warning. (i) It individualizes the message of the letters. Come, brother, you did not reckon that such usefulness would ever fall to your lot; did you? Beasley-Murray regarded the hour of testing as a designation of the trial itself rather than as a period of testing (cf. And the apostle Paul showed that it was really to annul Christ to fall from grace if the law, introduced either for justification or for a rule of life, were imposed on the Christian. Not so, I apprehend, where angels of the churches are spoken of. May we not presume that it is for the express purpose of graciously encouraging His servants as well as to anticipate the doubts and cavils of unbelief? It is to the rest, or the remnant in Thyatira, "as many as have not this doctrine," that the Lord turns. The Spirit says, "Thou hast a little strength." If there is a secret entrance to heaven he prefers it; he means to go round about and climb over the wall somewhere, or sneak in at the back gate. The Greek is elegchein ( G1651) and it describes the kind of rebuke which compels a man to see the error of his ways. Undoubtedly the inference is mistaken; still there is no possibility of charging the writer with putting himself forward in the manner in which he has written. Did they like to be near a throne, although it were the throne of Satan to dwell there? and keeps to it with all its force. May God grant to us that whatever form of temptation may come upon the face of the earth, we may stand fast for his truth, so that none of us may perish like Judas, the son of perdition. When we are called upon to show endurance, the endurance of Jesus Christ supplies us with three things. He taught Bible studies and cared about other men facing death. "It is full time," says Paul, "to wake from sleep" ( Romans 13:11). We will get the picture right if we remember that the eastern throne was more like a couch than a single seat. "To you I say, the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not known this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. When a man committed a crime against the state, or when he died, his name was erased from that register. It is much better to take this saying of Christ as expressing the appeal of the lover of the souls of men. 98. Particular care is taken here to show it to us. The hour of temptation A time of sore and peculiar trial which might have proved too much for their strength. This effect of placing the faithful in Philadelphia (and hence, the faithful in all the churches; cf. Revelation 3:10-11 New King James Version 10 Because you have kept [ a]My command to persevere,I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come uponthe whole world, to test those who dwellon the earth. 1. They had abated in their first love. Do you not in this merely sink to the world's level? Some would get a few copies of the New Testament, and go about and sell them in their baskets; and so they kept the truth. Philadelphia is one of seven churches addressed with its own letter in Revelation 2 & 3. towards rebuilding and Sardis recovered itself by the easy way. 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. These foes claimed to be the true followers of God, but they were not, having rejected Jesus Christ (cf. It was not merely the tendency of individuals. Mark 14:35). Ecclesiasticus ( Sir_43:20 ) speaks of the cold north wind which makes the ice congeal upon the waters. That which must keep a Christian faithful is the vision of a world for Christ, for the coming of such a world depends on the fidelity of the individual Christian. No doubt, morally speaking, He must needs execute judgment; but John could not lose sight of His divine glory, even where the subject is judgment, and the kingdom everywhere prominent. In the introduction to this letter the Risen Christ is called by three great titles, each of which implies a tremendous claim. Or perhaps the text may mean that if the temptation shall come you shall be preserved from it. Daniel sees the "Ancient of days" in one way, and the Son of man in quite another. That, perhaps, is the central thought here, "Thou hast kept my word." This can hardly be denied to Jezebel at least; whilst "the remnant" represents those who, without being Protestants, form a witnessing company apart from popery, yet before the rise of Protestantism. Hezekiah had a faithful steward called Eliakim, who was over all his house and who alone could admit to the presence of the king. The Jews lost their place to the Gentiles ( Romans 11:11). In the temptation you will fall, for indeed you are fallen already. The A, B, Come and See Revelation A commentary on the Book of Revelation by Elder James Stroud 9781644689851 (Paperback, 2021) Delivery UK delivery is usually within 10 to 12 working days. When a man begins his Christian life in a kind of dubious, half-hearted way, his friends do not know whether he is really going to carry it out or not: at any rate, as he endeavours to avoid all persecution, they do not know what to think of him, and they feel encouraged to treat him as one who can be pressed and squeezed at pleasure. Just so God will put his mark upon his faithful ones. the beginning of the creation of God ( Revelation 3:14 ); Or who was in the beginning of God's creation. Perhaps this name is a symbol of His character, which overcomers can appreciate only when we see Him (cf. This marks particularly the change in the chapter, and especially in the part before us. I know of one only spirit to whom I desire to be subject, and that is the Spirit of all the ages, who never changes. Life in Christ, where there is spiritual intelligence, takes one out of the vanities of the world in principle. Go ahead! He that is seen as Son of man is really described with those marks which belong distinctively to the "Ancient of days." Let it be seen that you do not go to be stirred in those vital points, till your friends say of you, "Oh, you can twist William anywhere, but not in his religion. Is it supposed that we shall cheer him on to do better by always finding fault with him? Dear hearer, see that you win it too. Nor is it that I have any doubt that it is a great sin to wipe off all public recognition of God in the world. The Risen Christ is telling the lethargic Sardians to remember the thrill with which they first heard the good news. Never but here occurs an address to a certain number of assemblies, particularly one so definite and significant symbolically as seven. They may express either the reason why the door stands open before the Christians of Philadelphia or the reason why they will be given those who belong to the synagogue of Satan. But there is more also. Does it mean what we commonly call an angelic being? The world had got in, as it still remains, and alas! It was founded for a special purpose. Laodicea, Neither One Thing Nor Another ( Revelation 3:14-22 Continued). Their character is plain. (b) The things a man must do lie to his hand. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy ( Revelation 3:4 ). In Revelation 3:3 we have a series of imperatives. "Thou hast a little strength:" there are very few of you, but you have been observant of all precepts and ordinances. It was all over with them, unless they judged themselves, and in the power of the Holy Ghost Christ regained His place. Habits grow upon him until he can no longer break them. You wonder why they are ministers. (Daniel 12:1-13, Matthew 24:1-51, Mark 13:1-37) If so, how rich and full is the promise: "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." It is only by the grace of God that we can escape the death of sin. This is the reason why they were golden. He may speak but seldom of himself, and this he does so effectually that there are not wanting those who have questioned whether after all he were "the disciple whom Jesus loved." Tiberius, the Roman Emperor, in his kindness remitted all tribute for five years and gave a donation of 10,000,000 sesterces, that is, L400,000. The road, therefore, detoured through the Lycus valley. When the Lord is seen in the vision of chapter 1, these are not the ways in which He is described at all "He that hath the key of David.". Login Register. You will bring many to Christ, because you yourself abide in Christ. "Pretrib Rapture" - Revelation 3:10. The promise of the Risen Christ is that the victor will sit with him in his own victorious throne. Cyrus initiated the siege of Sardis, waited for fourteen days, then offered a special reward to anyone who would find an entry into the city. The gospel of Christ is the word of his patience. Jesus himself tells of the wicked servant, who took advantage of his master's absence to conduct himself evilly and to whom the master made a sudden return that brought judgment. (a) In the cities of Asia Minor, and in Philadelphia, when a priest died after a lifetime of faithfulness, men honoured him, by erecting a new pillar in the temple in which he had served and by inscribing his name and the name of his father upon it. It is quite true that, in the literal sense, Jesus Christ did not come back to those who were so warned and exhorted. [46] Walvoord as quoted by Robert H. Mounce, op. So famous were its doctors that the names of some appear on the coins of Laodicea. But the drift is plain enough where the conscience is not blunted. In chapter one, He was known as the faithful and the true witness. Every band of believers has some strength: weak as we are in ourselves, the very fact of our possessing faith proves that we have a portion of strength. Is not this the revival of that dreadful scourge that had afflicted the early church (even Smyrna)? Here again it is all comprehensive. This favour consists in two things:--. Hold on to what you have, that no one may take your crown. A city with a history like that knew what the Risen Christ was talking about when he said: "Watch!". In Revelation 3:10 in the Greek the phrase my command to endure is highly concentrated. I know thy works: behold I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it ( Revelation 3:8 ): That to me is exciting. 1. It is crucial to distinguish between the tribulations believers endure in faith and the wrath of God that falls on an unbelieving world. Here is Christ the lover knocking at the door of the hearts of men. Here is your anchorage. The Book is our ultimatum. The A, B, Come and See Revelation A commentary on the Book of . But of this I would say but a few words, considering the late hour. 71-72; Thomas R. Edgar, "An Exegesis of Rapture Passages," in Issues in Dispensationalism, pp. Isaiah heard God say of this faithful Eliakim: "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" ( Isaiah 22:22). [Note: For a study of the references to the temple in Revelation from a Reformed perspective, see Simon J. Kistemaker, "The Temple in the Apocalypse," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 43:3 (September 2000):433-41. ", Come you, then, and search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of Christ and let it not be said that you will not come unto him that you might have life. It is not what I think; it is not what some greater man may think; it is not what may be the consensus of all the enlightened minds of the period; the decision lies with what the Lord has spoken. Thank God that He has set before us the open door. Was it not thus when the epistle to the Ephesians was written by Paul? We can't really sit back and say, "Look, how many we have got coming here." Are you not just taking advantage of an earthly position to escape part of what Christ calls you to? It is "he that openeth, and no man shall shut." Paul warns the Thessalonians of the terrible fate which awaits the disobedient and the unbelieving when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven and shall take swift and final vengeance on his enemies ( 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9). This has been always the case. Sardis, Watch! If the Lord has rebuked you, then be thankful He loves you. The Philadelphian saints, like the limpet, which has but little strength, stuck firmly to the rock, and they are commended for it. The connection of the Son with creation is frequently made in the New Testament. (a) Christ is looking for something from us. Life was lived in an atmosphere of insecurity. (i) The Church at Sardis was untroubled by any heresy. An Ancient Commentary on the Book of Revelation (A Critical Edition of the Scholia in Apocalypsin) || Scholion XIII. 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. The writer to the Hebrews urges patience, for soon he that shall come will come ( Hebrews 10:37). Though few and small and weak your bands. Jesus Christ will mark his faithful ones with his new name: what that name was we need not even speculate, for no man knows it ( Revelation 19:12), but in the time to come, when Christ has conquered all, his faithful ones will bear the badge which shows that they are his and share his triumph. To him that hath shall be given. to be of no esteem in the world? They were themselves corrupters and destroyers of true Christianity without knowing it. ], "When Solomon built the temple following his ascension to the throne, he had a worker of brass from Tyre construct two massive pillars for the porch. No wonder that Laodicea could boast that it was rich and had amassed wealth and had need of nothing. It is amazingly easy to go through a door when it is wide open, and it will be very easy to you much easier than you think, now that you have been schooled by God's Spirit into steadfastness of character, just to say in God's name, dependent upon God's strength, what he has taught you. The first epistle, the message to the angel of the church in Ephesus, looks at the state of the Christian testimony on the earth in its most comprehensive form, and, as I suppose, from the days of the apostle John himself. In each letter the Lord addresses "the angel." The Protestant Reformation in Europe is dead. From the hour of temptation - The season; the time; the period of temptation. A Church with a positive message is bound to be one to which there will be opposition. (3) The Spirit of Counsel: A lifeless dying church or individual needs to heed the counsel of God. He sees you at your Bible-reading, he marks you in your endeavours to get at the meaning of his word, he notes you when you sit down and meditate upon his divine thoughts, and he takes pleasure in your eagerness to know what the will of the Lord is. The framers of this were those that held the doctrine of Balaam. The Christian must live well and live in love because the judge is standing at the doors ( James 5:9). Have we not heard of it? Christ is to be acknowledged as the author of all the liberty and opportunity his churches enjoy. Philadelphia had proved faithful and the reward for her fidelity was still more work to do for Christ. We have set these letters carefully against the local situations to which they were addressed; but their message is not local and temporary. Even when time comes to an end, and the world as we know it ceases to exist, he who is faithful to Christ will still be said in his keeping. Here again we have a present imperative indicating continuous action. It was theirs, they read it and searched it and made it their own. This is exactly as we would have it. Rush to the front. This hour of testing will involve the "whole world" (Gr. Thus the Lord speaks with exceeding tenderness of those that were true to His name. There is an immense change in turning to the last three churches. When Abraham is pleading with God for Sodom, he appeals to God: "To slay the righteous with the wicked, far be that from thee" ( Genesis 18:25). We shall find it in relation to Christ dealing with church matters in Revelation 3:1-22; we shall find it in His relation to the earth inRevelation 5:1-14; Revelation 5:1-14: but it is always the fulness of the Spirit in governmental power, and not the same Spirit viewed in His unity forming the church into one body. But those who loved the Lord showed their love then not so much by intelligence in His ways, as by unsparing and habitual self-denial. To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. "He that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations." ], "Probably the most debated verse in the whole discussion about the time of the Churchs rapture is Revelation 3:10." Cf. The address is to the overcomer, who is accordingly put before the call to hear. The man who is faithful to his pledge will, beyond a doubt, some day hear God say: "Well done!". 46 ] Walvoord as quoted by Robert H. Mounce, op that openeth, no. Local situations to which they first heard the good news does it mean what we commonly call angelic! Local situations to which there will be opposition Christ is telling the Sardians. Ought to behave like a servant || Scholion XIII individual needs to heed the Counsel of God he. And live in love because the judge is standing at the door of the Lord that. 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