The End? Standing strong

This post, the 8th in a series on Revelation, looks at Christ’s letter to the church in Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13). A recording of this session is available on the Shofar Durbanville YouTube channel as part of the Revelation Series.

During the reign of Domitian, emperor of Rome (AD 90-92), Christians were persecuted for refusing to worship him as “King of kings, Lord of lords.” He charged the Roman army and Roman courts to cleanse his realm from any subjects who denied him this glory. Not only did the state persecute the disciples of Jesus, but the trade guilds of the day refused to do business with people who did not worship their pagan gods, claiming they were the cause of lousy karma resulting in natural disasters. Christians were especially despised by the Jews for worshipping Jesus as God.

This left first-century Christians generally destitute (unemployed), persecuted by the state, hated by their Greek and Jewish neighbours, and pushed into the corners of society. These social pressures, in a world pursuing sensual pleasure and social power, filled with pagan spiritualism, left believers vulnerable to doubt, desertion and dualism (to believe in Christ yet live like the pagans). After all, if indeed Christ is Lord of all, why should they suffer like this? Where was their God? Will he still return to reign?

These were the cries of the apostle John while imprisoned on Patmos when Christ revealed himself as the One among the Lampstands – present among his church. This letter to Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13) is the fifth church Christ addresses in the opening section of the Revelation (unveiling) John received.

Collage_Philadelphia — Remains of Ancient Philadelphia testify to the prominence of massive pillars – a sense of security and stability in a city plagued by earthquakes.

Philadelphia (“brotherly love”) is situated in the fertile Kuzucay valley between Sardis and Laodicea. The city was built by Pergamon King Eumenes, who named it after his love for his brother Attalus. During the first century, the town was renamed often, from Decapolis to Flavia (in honour of Emperor Vespasian AD 69-79), to Neo-kaisaria. The city was also called “Little Athens” because its many pagan temples and public buildings were set on propagating Greek culture within Asia.

This city was known for the quality of its wine, for the colour of its “burnt soil” (volcanic ash) and for the frequent earthquakes it suffered. These tremors caused many to flee the safety of the city walls, choosing to stay outside the city in fear of the prominent structures collapsing on them. The size of the pillars that remain today indicates the tenacity of the early settlers to build a civilization in this unstable place. As such, these enduring pillars provide a proper context for the letter addressed to the church in Philadelphia.

The Revelation of Christ (3:7). In this volatile, insecure environment, Christ reveals himself to this congregation as… [Read the full commentary of Revelation in Faithful to the End]