What do we know about the church in Philadelphia?

from the old testament

• While this church is only mentioned in the New Testament, Jesus’ letter begins by saying that He holds “the key of David,” an allusion to Isaiah 22:22. That passage, speaking about another king, Eliakim, reads, “I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” “Key” refers to authority, whereas “house of David” refers to the descendants of David to whom God had promised an everlasting kingdom (2 Samuel 7:16). Jesus borrowed this language to say that He had ultimate authority as the ultimate King.

from the new testament

• Revelation 3:7–13, a letter from Jesus to the church in Philadelphia, contains promises and hope that hinge on His authority to accomplish what He says. This is why He began by informing them that He “has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens” (Revelation 3:7).
• He then tells the church that, by His authority, He has “set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut” (Revelation 3:8a). This was meant to comfort the believers in that region who were under fierce persecution, assuring them that the King was keeping the door open. An open door likely refers to their outsized opportunity to have a Gospel presence, given Philadelphia’s strategic location along a trade route.
• Having an open door would have been a particularly strong comfort given the apparent small size of this church, which is suggested by Jesus’ words, “I know that you have but little power” (Revelation 3:8b). That could also refer to their undersized religious influence within the city itself, as it was run by a “synagogue of Satan” (v 9a). Jesus calls them that because there is a heavy presence of Jews who consider themselves to be the people of God, while, at the same time, persecuting His people.
• Of that synagogue, Jesus said, “I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you” (Revelation 3:9b). Jesus promised to humble them. There is no historical record of such an event, so either it happened, and the record was lost, or Jesus was referring to His return when the unbelieving Jews would realize their grave error.
• Because of their faithfulness, Jesus promised, “I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:10). This statement has sparked considerable debate among biblical scholars. Because Jesus gave this promise to only one church, it seems that He meant a localized event, yet He explicitly refers to the whole world. The views on this passage are too numerous to cover here, but they range from seeing it as a local event, with “whole world” as hyperbole, to seeing it as a promise to all believers about Jesus’ return, expressed to a single church that represented true Christian faithfulness. Regardless, from this we learn that Jesus is particularly pleased by faithfulness and let this church know that they would be protected from a worse trial to come.
• The letter ends with an encouragement to continue to “Hold fast what you have” and the promise that Jesus was coming soon, meaning the difficulties had a definitive end (Revelation 3:11). He said that “The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God” (v 12), indicating that His faithful have a great future with God, one that overshadows the difficulties now.

implications for today

Many churches today place a strong emphasis on cultural relevance and engagement, believing the best way to reach unbelievers is by making church more appealing to them. As a result, some tailor—or even water down—the worship, preaching, and message itself to fit the preferences of the world. Yet Scripture teaches that the church is first and foremost the “body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27), made up of believers gathered together to worship God, grow in truth, encourage one another, and be equipped for ministry. A local church is not meant to mirror the culture around it but to stand apart from it as a visible expression of Christ’s people. When a church faithfully holds to sound doctrine, boldly proclaims the gospel, and lives in authentic Christian community, it becomes a powerful witness to the world precisely because it is different from it.When churches are focused on satisfying the needs of unbelievers, biblical truth, which can sometimes sound harsh to unbelievers, starts to be compromised. Unfortunately, even small compromises lead to larger ones. Compromising is a slippery slope—society will always demand more compromise!

However, the church can be both evangelistic, reaching unbelievers outside the church, and faithful, teaching believers within. The church of Philadelphia was one such church. They were able to have such a strong influence because Jesus was pleased with their faithfulness, and He protected them even as He gave them more opportunities to share His message with the world. Let us strive to keep the church pure by standing against our modern pressures to compromise, looking forward to the day when Jesus will say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).