Revelation 3:7 - Meaning and Application

We now come to the sixth letter, written to one of the Asian churches. First, notice the address: it is sent to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This was a city in Asia Minor, on the border between Mysia and Lydia, and its name came from brotherly love. It is hard to think that this name was given after the city became Christian, and more likely it came from the civic kindness its people showed one another. That made it a fitting place for a strong church, because love, when shaped by the grace of the gospel, helps cover many faults.

Next, notice who signs the letter. It is the same Jesus, the only universal Head of all the churches. He presents himself as the Holy One and the True One, holy in his nature and therefore always true to his word. He also says he has the key of David, that is, the key of the house of David, meaning the authority to govern and rule over the church.

From that authority, Christ opens and shuts according to his will. He opens doors of opportunity for his churches, doors for his ministers to speak, doors into people’s hearts, doors into church fellowship, and the door into the victorious church in heaven. When he chooses, he also shuts doors, closing off opportunities, stopping people’s freedom to hear, and leaving stubborn sinners in the hardness of their hearts. He shuts the door of fellowship against unbelievers and wicked people, and he shuts heaven against foolish virgins who wasted their time of grace and against workers of evil, no matter how confident they may be.

He does this with full authority, not depending on human will and not blocked by human power. He opens, and no one can shut. He shuts, and no one can open. He works in such a way that he turns the heart and enables obedience, and no one can stop him. These were fitting titles for Christ as he spoke to a church that had tried to live in holiness and truth, and that had enjoyed a wide door of liberty under his care.

Now to the message itself. Christ reminds them what he has already done for them: “I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it” (Revelation 3:8). He had opened it and kept it open, even though many were against them. We should learn here that Christ must be honored as the giver of every liberty and opportunity his churches enjoy. He keeps count of how long he preserves their spiritual freedoms. Wicked people envy God’s people this open door and would gladly shut it. But if we do not provoke Christ to shut that door against us, no human power can do it.

The church is also praised: “You have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name” (Revelation 3:8). There seems to be a gentle rebuke in the words “little strength.” They had little grace, and though it was not as great as the large opportunity Christ had given them, it was true grace, and it kept them faithful. Christ approves even weak true grace. Still, believers should not be content with little strength. They should grow in grace, become strong in faith, and give glory to God.

Weak true grace does more than the greatest gifts or the highest levels of common grace, that is, grace shared in outward ways by people who are not truly converted. It enables a Christian to keep Christ’s word and not deny his name. Obedience, faithfulness, and a bold confession of Christ are the fruits of true grace, and Christ is pleased with them.

Christ also promises this church great favor (Revelation 3:9, Revelation 3:10). Part of that favor is that he will bring their enemies under them. These enemies are described as people who said they were Jews, but were lying. They claimed to be the only true people of God, but in reality they were a synagogue of Satan. Any gathering that worships God in spirit and truth is the Israel of God. But gatherings that worship false gods, or worship the true God in a false way, are synagogues of Satan. Even if they claim to be the only people of God, their claim is false.

Their being brought low is described like this: “They shall worship at your feet.” This does not mean they will offer divine worship to the church or its ministers. It means they will be convinced they were wrong, see that this church was right and loved by Christ, and want to be received into fellowship with her so they can worship the same God in the same way. How will this great change happen? By God’s power working on their hearts and by clear signs of his special favor toward his church: “They shall know that I have loved you.” The greatest honor and happiness any church can have is Christ’s special love and favor. Christ can show that favor so clearly that even enemies are forced to see it and admit it. And by his grace, this can soften their hearts and make them want communion with his people.

Another promise Christ gives is keeping grace in times of severe trial, and this comes as a reward for their past faithfulness (Revelation 3:10). To the one who has, more will be given. The gospel of Christ is called the word of his patience. It comes from God’s patience toward a sinful world, it shows Christ’s patience in his sufferings, and it calls all who receive it to patient endurance like his. This gospel must be carefully kept by all who enjoy it. They must hold to the faith, practice, and worship the gospel teaches.

After a season of patience, we should expect a time of testing. A day of gospel peace and liberty is a day of God’s patience, and it is often poorly used. For that reason, it is often followed by an hour of trial and temptation.

Sometimes the trial is broad and reaches the whole world. When it does, it is often shorter. Those who keep the gospel in times of peace will be kept by Christ in the hour of temptation. By holding to the gospel, they are prepared for the test, and the same grace that made them fruitful in peace will make them faithful in persecution.

Christ then calls the church to the duty he had already promised to help them do, which is to keep going and hold on to what they have. The duty is clear: “Hold fast what you have,” meaning their faith, their truth, the strength of grace, their zeal, and their love for the brothers and sisters. They have been given a rich treasure, and they must keep it.

The motive comes from Christ’s soon coming: “Behold, I am coming quickly.” He is coming to help them in the trial, reward their faithfulness, and punish those who fall away. Those who lose their grip will lose the crown they once seemed to have and once hoped for. The persevering Christian will win the prize from backsliding professors, people who once looked fit to receive it.

The epistle ends in Revelation 3:12-13. As he usually does, our Savior promises a glorious reward to the believer who overcomes, and he names two things. First, the believer will be like a pillar in the temple of God, not a support holding up heaven, but a lasting monument of God’s free and powerful grace, one that can never be broken or removed. Many proud pillars once raised for Roman emperors and generals have long since faded, but this one will remain.

Second, this pillar will have an honorable inscription, as is common in such memorials. One part of the inscription will be the name of God, whose cause the believer served and for whom he suffered in this battle. It will also bear the name of the city of God, the church of God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven. There will be a record of the believer’s service to the church, how he defended her rights, widened her borders, and kept her pure and honored. That will be a greater name than Asiaticus or Africanus, a soldier under God in the wars of the church.

Another part of the inscription will be the new name of Christ, the Mediator, that is, the one who stands between God and people, the Redeemer, and the captain of our salvation. This will show under whose banner the victorious believer enlisted, under whose leadership he served, by whose example he was encouraged, and under whose power he fought the good fight and won.

The epistle closes with the call to listen: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Let believers hear how Christ loves and values his faithful people, how he praises them, and how he will crown their loyalty.