In the Greek of the Septuagint the word for love is agapan ( G25) which indicates the unconquerable attitude of goodwill which nothing can turn to hate; but it is a word which maybe has more of the head than the heart in it; and in the quotation the Risen Christ changes agapan ( G25) to philein ( G5368) which is the most tender affection. He must, therefore, be ever on the watch. I know your works. 11 [ b]Behold,I am coming quickly!Hold fast what you have, that no one may takeyour crown. One of the highest rewards of patience in one trial is the grace that God gives us to bear another. Philadelphos ( G5361) is the Greek for one who loves his brother. This poor creature has no power or influence; he is rather ridiculous than useful. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come." This is not at all the way in which His coming is spoken of for His own. He will reward them at his return (10-11). They had abated in their first love. When the prodigal son returns, it is the best robe that is put upon him ( Luke 15:22). Peter and James and John were the pillars of the early church in Jerusalem ( Galatians 2:9). But more than this, it is Christ seen according to the largeness of His glory. In the writing to the angel of the church in Smyrna, a totally different state of things meets us. For the heathen this was an external thing; but this may describe the man who has kept his soul clean so that he can enter into the presence of God and not be ashamed. He is forward going to look into the future. Here observe it is not now a trial by false apostles. There is perfect liberty now liberty for service, liberty for every one that belongs to the Lord. This is the reason why they were golden. Let us see how the idea of discipline runs through the Bible. And Jesus is always wanting to eat supper with people. The Risen Christ urges it to buy white raiment from him. (a) In the ancient world white robes stood for festivity. If God is the God of Amen, he is utterly to be relied upon. At any rate, the great Head of the church did not think it unwise to say to the church at Philadelphia that he thought well of it because it had kept his word. Philadelphia, Promise And Warning ( Revelation 3:7-13 Continued). we're increased with goods, we have need of nothing; you know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked ( Revelation 3:17 ): Interesting how the church observes itself and how Jesus observes the church. It is the promise of the Risen Christ that he who keeps will be kept. A return to earth could not be characterized as soon by any stretch of the imagination. It is only by the grace of God that we can escape the death of sin. But for all that the voice of the Christian is at once heard and so much the more remarkably, because it is one of the few exceptional ripples which cross the ordinary current of the book at the end as well as at the beginning. Laodicea prides itself on the magnificent garments it produces but spiritually it is naked and nakedness is shame. The Protestant reads the Bible more at liberty, which is a real good and precious boon; but for this very reason, the Protestant incurs no light responsibility. Observe, First, The greatest honour and happiness any church can enjoy consist in the peculiar love and favour of Christ. The overcomers in Philadelphia were promised future positions with Christ which appear to be described by the meanings of the names given to these two pillars. But it is another thing when we hear of the angel of this or that assembly. It was a sure token that all was over for the present, for any immediateness of communion between God and His people. It is true for us all; but it is in harmony with the latter day sufferers, not what specially linked him with the Christians and the church. Of all the cities Philadelphia receives the greatest praise and it was to show that it deserved it. He therefore "sent and signified this by his angel unto his servant John." Surely love can go no further than that. For in Him was life: yea, He was that eternal life which was with the Father before the worlds were. Whatever discovery may be made by the wise men of the age, let Christ be wisdom unto you. "Behold, I come quickly!" He who overcomes will be thus clothed in white raiment and I will not wipe his name out of the Book of Life, but I will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels. Learn here, (1.) Revelation 10:1 I saw (1) another strong angel coming down out of heaven, (2) clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; 1. [Note: Beale, p. Whichever picture is behind this, the sense is that the faithful ones will wear the unmistakable badge of God. For this we must stand up and fight to the death. It is a quotation from Proverbs 3:12, but one word is altered. Laodicea, The Wealth That Is Poverty ( Revelation 3:14-22 Continued). Thus we have had the general condition falling into decline; we have had the early persecution from the heathen; we have had the power of the world patronizing the church; and we have had finally Romanism, which alone (from the allusion to Christ's coming) is supposed to go on to the end. . We can't really sit back and say, "Look, how many we have got coming here." Bible > Commentaries > Revelation 3:9 Library Free Downloads eBibles Revelation 3:9 The man who will not submit to Christ has necessarily resisted him. Therefore they appear as golden lampstands. Truth does not die through being buried. Here we have for the first time the formal recognition of saints not included in the public state of the assembly, yet not so openly separate as was found at a later day. Who then can escape? But what He is in heaven is exactly what is not given here. Be eager, therefore, and repent. The Lord presents Himself even there in the most gracious way to meet their need. None the less is it "the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ," even if it consists not of that which ministers directly to the edification of the Christian in his own position, but indirectly as announcing the doom of such as despise God and do their own will in the face of His revelation. Is it supposed that we shall cheer him on to do better by always finding fault with him? The sheep which grazed round Laodicea were famous for their soft, violet-black, glossy wool. Isaiah 45:14; Isaiah 49:23; Ezekiel 36:23; Ezekiel 37:28; Zechariah 8:20-23). I should not wonder that the kindly words of God's people may be but a rehearsal of that "Well done, good and faithful servant" which will one day sound in their ears; and be a useful rehearsal, too, helping them on their weary way. If they are what they should be, they will not think so much of our little praises as to be unduly exalted thereby; but they will be sometimes so encouraged as to be nerved to higher and nobler things. Scripture: Revelation 19:1-10 (Commentary helps listed at the end) Bottom line: We worship Jesus Christ because of who he is and what he's done. There can be few of us who have not experienced the power of some habit into which we have fallen. Revelation 10 Commentary Interval before the seventh trumpet (10:1-11) During the lengthy interval before the blowing of the final trumpet, John has several other visions. He is seen in His glorious return to this earth in defeat of His enemies. He is going therefore to show unto His "bondmen" a term that would suit not only Christians now, but those who might be in another relationship after we have been taken away from the world. The star, as we are told here, so far acted upon the church for good. (iii) Jesus Christ will confess their names before his Father and the angels. 283-91; Daniel K. K. Wong, "The Pillar and the Throne in Revelation 3:12, 21," Bibliotheca Sacra 156:623 (July-September 1999):303. "I rebuke and discipline all those whom I love." "To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? III. In any decision regarding the Church, the decisive factor must be not what any man wishes the Church to do but what Jesus Christ wishes to be done. The Lord at the close gives a promise suited to the condition. But if a man has a faith tried and refined in the crucible of experience, there is nothing which he cannot face; and he is rich indeed. Oh, that they would cease to display their own thought, their own cleverness, and individuality. For every one that is in the first resurrection is destined to reign with Christ, as even will the Jewish sufferers, earlier or later, under the antichrist. Even the once great citadel was now only an ancient monument on the hill top. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent ( Revelation 3:19 ). As Beasley-Murray said, "This is not a designation of a period of time, but of the trial itself. The real meaning is that the promise is to those who have practised the same kind of endurance as Jesus displayed in his earthly life. The whole book supposes saints in suffering, and this too in the form of tribulation, with their spiritual experience formed into the associations of Christ's kingdom rather than those of His body the church, yet surely suffering on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. Deceived by Satan, they were his zealous instruments, so much the more actively deceiving others, because earnest and honest after the flesh. There were a few futile attempts at rebellion; but Cyrus followed a deliberate policy. Moses is willing to be wiped out of the book which God has written, if by his sacrifice he can save his people from the consequence of their sin ( Exodus 32:32-33). Not that the full church or Christian relationship was lacking to John personally; but he stands here a representative man for others as well as ourselves. Above all, if we have but little strength of any kind, let us keep God's word. Revelation 1:1-3 indicates the judgment of which this book is about, was to come soon, for the time is at hand. However other Scriptures make it clear that God will catch up all Christians, faithful and unfaithful, at the same time (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). Though few and small and weak your bands. Find fault with a brother and he will be kept from growing too proud; and he will, no doubt, go forward blessing you very much for your kind consideration in promoting his humility. In the ancient world a king kept a register of his citizens. He saw the blind confidence of Croesus and his people that nothing could end this splendour; but he also saw that the seeds of softness and of degeneration were being sown. Did He thus walk? Identification of Christ as Sender = He who has the seven Spirits of God. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief." I hold one single sentence out of God's word to be of more certainty, and of more power, than all the discoveries of all the learned men of all the ages. Still, after all, one of the grand points fought for at the Reformation, and gained for Protestantism, whatever might be its defects, was this; that man was put fairly, freely, and openly in presence of the Bible. We have met with instances where they wrote out part of the word of God, and hid it away in a wall; and afterwards, when the wall was pulled down, the priceless record was discovered and used. "Let us not sleep, as others do," writes Paul to the Thessalonians. After a day of patience we must expect an hour of temptation; a day of gospel peace and liberty is a day of God's patience, and it is seldom so well improved as it should be and therefore it is often followed by an hour of trial and temptation. They had also little strength in the direction of talent. It was theirs, they heard it and had no wish to hear anything else. In truth, the moral reason lay in this: that Christ, if rejected as the object of faith, and the only channel of grace, becomes an executor of judgment. There is a very lovely thing about the way this is put. But where was the work of faith? 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. B. John is commissioned to preach. [1.] Believe you God's word, and you have wrought a god-like work. What is the meaning of this open door? The Jews claimed they were the people of Gods kingdom and tried to shut the Gentiles out. (iii) It was a very considerable medical centre. I cannot give them up, therefore; and especially because as I read, and the more I read, I perceive these things to be written in the word of God, and therefore I must hold them. The white robes may stand for the fact that the faithful will be guests at the banquet of God. As we have so often seen, the Jews divided time into two ages, the present age which is wholly bad, and the age to come, which is wholly good with in between the terrible time of destruction when judgment will fall upon the world. This is the Lord's complaint against them. It is a serious thing where and how we dwell. And so too with our Lord Jesus, as we shall see. Laodicea, The Claims Of Christ ( Revelation 3:14-22 Continued). 3. (a) It denotes the Holy Spirit with his sevenfold gifts, an idea founded on the description of the Spirit in Isaiah 11:2. Here we find Jezebel later. (ii) He is he who is true. This chapter completes the record of "the things which are" ( Rev. It was rich and had acquired wealth and had need of nothing--so it thought. In a certain sense it was better to be a Daniel in the midst of ruin than to have had the best position when times were prosperous, and when things looked fair. Revelation 3:9 Commentaries: Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie-- I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. We may safely strike out the word "and," if we respect the best authorities. What He is is the main point. They are supposed to be not marked by such mighty doings, as Sardis was, Sardis did great exploits, Philadelphia nothing of the sort. But no man knows when eternity will invade his life and God will bid him rise and come; and that must warn the careless to prepare to meet his God and cheer the oppressed with the thought of the coming glory of the faithful soul. I am afraid that there are great truths in God's word which we do not intelligently believe, but take for granted. [Note: Gundry, p. "It is exemption from the period of time that is promised. They have now a compact character, and can be spoken of as a synagogue. [Note: Beasley-Murray, p. There the king of Lydia ruled over his empire in oriental splendour. So, the promise of being kept from the Great Tribulation, because we have kept the word of His patience. In the old story of the kings, Abijah alone of all the sons of Jeroboam was spared because in him was found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel ( 1 Kings 14:13). With the exception of Smyrna the other Churches are in ruins but Philadelphia still holds aloft the banner of the Christian faith. ISBN-13 9780952489429 ISBN-10 0952489422 Num total owners: 3 Recall from Revelation 1:9, perseverance, or patience comes through trial and tribulation. For justification this is manifest; for a rule of life it is not so apparent, but it is just as real a denial of the gospel. (a) Christ is looking for something from us. 46-50, 108-37; and Jeffrey Townsend, "The Rapture in Revelation 3:10," Bibliotheca Sacra 137:547 (July-September 1980):252-66.]. And I will kill her children with death." He who is not written in the book of life is cast into the lake of fire ( Revelation 20:15); only they who are written in the Lamb's book of life shall enter into blessedness ( Revelation 21:27). 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. Smyrna and Philadelphia are the only churches that receive no blame from the Lord, but only praise and encouragement. 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