";s:4:"text";s:4570:" Hypocrisy, and lamentable decay in religion, are sins charged upon Sardis, by One who knew that church well, and all her works.
New Living Translation “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia church applies to the different movements of Protestantism during the end of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th. Preach The Word. The Lord presents himself to this church in a very unusual way, seen in Verse 7 of Chapter 3: That type of human analysis shows a bias against God’s law!
Philadelphia was a city of some importance founded in the second century B.C. The letter to Philadelphia suggests that this church will retain its separatist leanings even throughout the Last Days. The church in Philadelphia was the sixth of seven churches who received a spiritual evaluation directly from God through Jesus Christ.
The message is from the Lord Jesus Christ through an angel or “messenger” (likely a reference to the pastor): “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write . . And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write: These things says the Holy One, the one Who is true; the one Who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can 3:7 +) Commendation: I know your works. The lesson here is that appearances can be deceiving. I know your works.
Open your Bible to Revelation chapter 3, and we are looking at verses 7 to 13, the letter from the Lord Jesus to the church in the city of Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Church of God headquarters campus in Edmond, Oklahoma, is currently in the middle of hosting the 2018-2019 ministerial conference.
Philadelphia was a city in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) on the Imperial Post Road, an important trade route. Epistles to the church at Sardis; (1-6) at Philadelphia; (7-13) and Laodicea. Jesus encourages the Philadelphian believers regarding His future coming: “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon … Philadelphia was famous for their vineyards and they were in direct competition with the vineyards of Rome. The biblical book of Chronicles holds valuable lessons for God’s ministry.
My own conviction is that the full name of this church was probably the Philadelphia Bible Church, or PBC! The Philadelphian church is the recipient of this letter. The church at Philadelphia was from a less-important town, they were being persecuted for their faith, and the church was said to have “little strength.” And yet, our Savior looked to the heart of the matter, and saw that this little church from Philadelphia was being faithful to Him. "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. Philadelphia was the sixth of seven congregations to receive a message from Jesus Christ at the end of the first century. “The Church of the Open Door” The City and the Assembly (3:7a) Philadelphia, which means “brotherly love,” was situated in Lydia along the Hermus River valley about 38 miles southeast of Sardis. One commentary states that John is really steeped in the law, as if that were a negative quality. It will be a haven for people who, in obedience to the commands we find in 2 Timothy 3:5 and Revelation 18:4-5, have moved from church to church in an effort to find a true work of God. People in the world and God’s own Laodicean Church are always trying to get away from the law. For an overview of the messages to all seven congregations, see “Seven Churches of Revelation.” Members of the Church of God in Philadelphia undoubtedly faced similar influences and pressures as did other Christians at the time. The faulty, self-seeking stewards, the Shebnas of Jerusalem and Philadelphia, vainly claimed a right of exclusion from synagogue or church, where Jesus, the God-fixed nail in the sure place, upon which the bundle of earth’s sorrows and sins might securely be suspended (Isaiah 22:23-25), the Eliakim of a greater Zion, had the key of the sacred and royal house.
What the Bible says about Philadelphia, Church of (From Forerunner Commentary) Ezekiel 5:1-4 The hair represents the people of the nations of Israel. The sixth study about the seven churches of Revelation is concerning the letter to the church at Philadelphia.