To the Church at Philadelphia
History
The Church in Philadelphia was the youngest of the seven churches, and the name Philadelphia simply means “brotherly love”. Philadelphia was said to have been founded around 150 BC by the Greek king Attalus II who was known as “Philadelphos” because of the love he had for his brother King Eumenes II who was the king of Lydia. The city was used as an outpost to guard the pass between the Hermus and Meander river valleys which protected Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamum. It also had very important roads that ran from Philadelphia to Pergamum, Sardis, and Smyrna which allowed it to become the trade hub of the area. The early language of Philadelphia was Lydian, but by the time of the Apostles it had changed to Greek. Philadelphia became a Roman province when the king of Pergamum bequeathed his kingdom over to Rome in 133 BC. Philadelphia did not have the natural defenses that other cities had so it fell constantly in battle throughout its history, and it was also located on a major fault line so earthquakes were a normal activity for the city. In 17 AD a major earthquake devastated the cities of Philadelphia and Sardis, and because of their destruction the Roman ruler Tiberius Caesar had to allocate large amounts of money to rebuild them. However, when Philadelphia was rebuilt it was given the new name of “Neocaesaria” which meant "The New City of Caesar”. Because of all the earthquakes, volcanic activity, and constant warfare the city of Philadelphia had a hard time existing and became a risky place to live. However, a major plus for Philadelphia was that it was located in an area of rich soil and became famous for its wine making. Finally Philadelphia was known for worshipping the Greek god of wine Dionysius, and the only temple in Philadelphia was dedicated to her.
As far as the spiritual side of Philadelphia, it served as a major thoroughfare for evangelists, which gave Christians access to pagan areas in the east, and it provided them with a huge mission field to work. An interesting point here is that five of the seven churches ceased to exist after the time of the Apostles, but Philadelphia was around until the 14th Century. Many have speculated that this was because the Church at Philadelphia was constantly evangelizing the area and they were blessed because of their work. However, with the rise of the Turkish Empire that would eventually encompass the city; Philadelphia was forced to become a standalone Christian city. Finally, the Seljuk Turks besieged Philadelphia and brutally killed every Christian within its walls. Today Philadelphia is known as “Alasehir”, and there is not much left of the original city because of all the calamities that it went through.
To the Church at Philadelphia Write:
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 denied my name.
9) Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
10) 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.
11) Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
12) Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
13) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Chapter 3 Verse 7
Unlike the other five letters to the churches, the letter to the Church of Philadelphia does not use any of the former descriptions that John used to describe Jesus in Chapter One. The description of Jesus here starts with “These things saith he that is holy, he that is true” so immediately we get a new insight into who Jesus is. The word holy means pure from carnality, morally blameless, and physically pure, and because of His holy sacrifice we are allowed to be whom we are in Christ. This is very humbling because none of us can say that there is ever anything good in us, and we are only who we are because of what Jesus did for us. However, when Jesus came to die he did not die so we could do whatever we wanted but that we could be made “Holy even as He is Holy”. Our Lord wants us to be different from the world and it says in 1 Peter 2:9 that “ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”. When we realize that our salvation and our lives are to show forth His praises it makes us accountable for everything we do or in some cases what we don’t do. Next Jesus says that He is the one that is true. Jesus tells us in John 14:6 that “I am the way, the truth, and the life”, and why is this important? Because he said in John 8:32 that “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall