Destination Reached

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write…I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing…. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore” (Rev. 3:7-8, 10-12).

“This is it, ladies and gentlemen…the final leg of our journey. All other stops were grouped together in the same part of Asia. This time we will travel slightly south, through the Promised Land, to a city north-east of Israel, Philadelphia. So, sit back and enjoy our final flight.

“We’re now coming up on Philadelphia. This city is found on the Cogamus River, and was known for its wine industry. Since wine was held in such regard, the chief deity of this region was Dionysus, the god of wine.

“We here at B. L. Airways trust that you’ll enjoy your stay at this destination. Thank you for flying with us”

The city of Philadelphia is not to be confused with the one bearing its name in Pennsylvania. You will not find Rocky running triumphantly up steps in this city. Instead, believers can look at this early-church town as a place representing where we wish our spiritual destination to be.

All of the other cities we have reviewed had negative qualities attached to them. Five were lacking in some aspect of their spirituality, while one contained immense persecution. The letter John was asked to write to Philadelphia was the only one remaining positive throughout.

The two main compliments given to this church were that they kept God’s Word and they did not deny His name. In other words, they were true to the person of God was as well as what He said. It’s important to notice that this was accomplished though they had “little power.” How was this possible?

I believe the mention of the lack of power of the people highlights the power of God. That is the key to the success found in the Philadelphia church—they recognized the supreme power of the Lord, which enabled them to obey Him and never deny Him. This recognition brought about a humility that enabled the people to lift God up and place Him in charge and on His throne, like He belongs.  

The Philadelphians were given an immediate promise of reward for their obedience. God said that He would make those who practice deception “to come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.” God guaranteed protection against the deceptions that can bring his people down.

In addition to this, He said, “I also will keep you from the hour of testing.” He promised them escape from physical hardships. A way to summarize these promises is simply that the obedience of the people brought about promises of spiritual and physical protection.

Though God certainly allows us to be tested in the spiritual and physical realms, this does seem to be a general rule that God follows. The physical suffering is the one that is definitely the one that God most allows His people to endure. But we do have the promise of release when we make it to the next life. Spiritually speaking, though, I believe God is always willing to give us protection as a reward for obeying Him and recognizing His ultimate power.

It must also be mentioned that the promises above are followed in Revelation by a plea from God, as He says, “hold fast what you have.” God pleads with us to cling desperately to what we know to be right. The more we are in God’s Word, the greater knowledge we have of who God is and what He expects of us. The Lord wants us to cling to that knowledge with all of our might.

Additional promises are given to those who overcome and endure to the end. We are told that we will be pillars in the temple, and have God’s name and His kingdom written on us. What these amazing promises mean are that God will make us permanent fixtures in His Kingdom, from which no one can remove us. We will be branded by God as belonging to Him, further indication that no evil will be able to separate us from Him. To further solidify this idea, God brands us with the name of Jerusalem, which is the place where we will forever dwell with our Maker and Creator for all of eternity.

So, we have these great promises to look forward to, but what do we do in the meantime as we await fulfillment? Well, we have the applications discussed above: get in the Word, obey what you find there, and proudly lift up the name of the Lord. There is another lesson, though, that reaches outside of our own physical and spiritual well-being.

Scripture says, “Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut.” One of the greatest promises we have for living for the Lord is the opportunity of spreading Gospel. God wants people to know about Him and to know how He sent His Son to die for us, making a way for us to be with Him in Heaven. When we submit to the Lord in obedience, we are making ourselves into the type of ambassadors He can use to accomplish His will. So let’s go through that open door and spread the Gospel in love to those who will hear. But in order to do this, let’s make our faith match that of the church of Philadelphia.

Good Evening…it’s eleven o’clock. Our first story tonight involves the Brotherly Love Airways flight that traveled throughout Asia Minor these past months, and made a final stop in Philadelphia earlier today. New evidence has surfaced indicating there were secret passengers stowing away on those flights. Not much is known at this time, but the investigation will be ongoing [and conclude next month].