REVELATION LESSON 10


    We will begin this study with the church at Philadelphia. Oh!  To
be like the church at Philadelphia.  This church is sometimes thought
to be the missionary church. I believe, if we carefully look at this
church , we will be able to see a church in our time. The church would
be strong and active in the gifts of the Spirit. They would be
teaching holiness and righteousness. They would not be tolerant to
compromise. They would not be any particular denomination, but rather
grounded in Jesus.  Taught by the Holy Spirit of God.  This church
would be promoting Spirit rather than bringing the world into church.

    Let us begin in Revelation 3:7 "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;"

    Jesus shows Himself to this church of Philadelphia in the very
same way that they worship Him. #1. He is Holy. Jesus tells us to be
Holy even as He is Holy, Leviticus 11:44, I Peter 1:15. #2. He shows
Himself as truth. He is  the Way, The Truth, and the Life, John 14:6.

    Jesus is the one that opens the door to heaven or hell for us.
JESUS IS THE DOOR TO HEAVEN. He is the only one who can shut or open
either door. He took the keys of hell away from the devil when Jesus
went there and preached. Jesus is the final Judge for everyone's
resting place.

    This church in Philadelphia and its symbolic church today, are not
only well aware of who Jesus is, but they are patterning their lives
after His. They are the very elect.  Full of the Word, so full that it
would be terribly difficult to deceive them.

    Revelation 3:8 "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."

    Jesus is aware of everything the churches are doing.  He has first
hand knowledge, because He walks in the church.  Jesus is the door and
has provided Himself for us to go through to heaven. The door that
Jesus opens can only be closed by Him. Jesus cares for His own.

    It is very interesting here that He says this church has a little
strength. This is very true of all strong believers. In our weakness,
Jesus is strong. The strength that sustains us and sees us through is
His, not our own. The very good statement Jesus makes about this
church is that they have kept His Word.

    We, too, must be careful to guard the Word of God.  The Bible is
our instruction book for living.  If we change it in any way, the
instructions won't work. So many have watered down the Word until it
has been short circuited and lost power. We must not tamper with the
power.  This church mentioned here might be small in size, but big in
love and the Holy Spirit. Again, we see so many denying the name of
Jesus. I believe here that the name they are denying is that Jesus was
God. We touched on it before, but it is worth mentioning again.  Most
churches today want to call Jesus:  Prophet, Teacher, Healer, Man.
Very few realize that He was God manifest in the flesh (God the Son).
This is a very important thing, and I will probably mention it more
and more as we go.

    Revelation 3:9 "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."

    There is no difference, really, in someone who follows Satan and
someone who pretends to be a Christian and is not.  Both are lost.

    The "...synagogue of Satan..." is just a place of worship where
God is not Lord. A Jewish synagogue could be of Satan if evil
prevailed. A body of Christians meeting could also be a synagogue of
Satan, if the true Word of God is not taught and received.

    There will come a time when the Truth will prevail.  The church,
which does not compromise and prevails unto the end, shall reign with
Christ. Jesus is just encouraging this church that has tried so hard,
that there will be a day of reward. The Christians will rule over
those who have rejected Jesus for 1000 years here on this earth, as we
will see later on in Revelation. Jesus loves the faithful. He has His
ear turned to our needs.

    Revelation 3:10 "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."

    Trials, tribulations, and temptations come to all.  It seems the
group, here mentioned, have been tested and found to stand in their
temptation. There is a time of testing, and a time of victory, or
defeat. Jesus was tempted forty days and nights and came out
victorious. When trials come, we can do one of two things.  We can
stand against the temptation and experience victory, or we can take
the easy way out and succumb to temptation and fall to defeat. If you
are a Christian and if the temptation wins, then you will go through
this particular temptation over and over until you stand against it
and overcome it.

    It appears that this group mentioned here has stood against these
temptations, so their promise from Jesus is that they will not be
required to go through the great temptation. There is a time specified
of God when the temptations, tribulations, and trials will be so great
that it will be next to impossible to stand. An hour with God can be
any specific time. God's time and our time is not the same. This hour
mentioned here certainly does not mean sixty minutes, but a period of
time.  There will be seven years of tribulation at the end of the
Gentile age. The last three and a half years of this will actually be
the wrath of God.  God has promised the believers in the Lord Jesus
Christ that we will be saved from the wrath to come.

    I believe this is the case here.  Temptation here, I believe, is
the same as tribulation.  Revelation 7:9 and 7:13-14 tells of the
Christians who are saved from the unbearable temptation at the end of
three and a half years of tribulation.

    Revelation 7:9 "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude,
which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people,
and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed
with white robes, and palms in their hands;" Revelation 7:13 "And one
of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are
arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?" Revelation 7:14 "And I
said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they
which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

    You see, these are believers in Jesus the Christ (the saved) who
have been brought out (saved in) of great tribulation.  Matthew 24:21-
22 describes the severity of this great tribulation. Matthew 24:21
"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the
beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."  Matthew
24:22 "And except those days should be shortened, there should no
flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be
shortened."

    This is the hour of temptation, I believe, this Scripture in
Revelation 3:10 is speaking of. The believers in Jesus will be taken
out just before the temptation becomes impossible to withstand.  So
many people believe the believers will not be tried; I believe they
will be tried, to prove whether their belief is real or superficial.
They will not be tried beyond what they can endure. This is one of the
reasons I believe in the mid-term rapture.

    Revelation 3:11 "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou
hast, that no man take thy crown."

    This statement in V-11 is just verifying what we said above, that
there is a test time for the believers. We will be required to stand;
and when we do, then we will be raptured and saved from the horrors.

    Revelation 3:12 "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."

    Again we see here that there is something that we must overcome.
A person many times is spoken of as a pillar of the community, or a
pillar of the church, which just means, that they are strong and are
holding up the church. These people would be like founding fathers.
high in principles. They would be the ones who would see to it that
the church stays on solid ground.

    This writing of the name of God just means that we are sealed into
His kingdom.

    If we were to read very much about this city, we would find that
sometimes it is spoken of as a bride.  The believers in Jesus are the
bride of Christ.  This name of the city being on the believers just
indicates that we are the bride of Christ.

    This new name of Jesus that is written upon us is showing that we
are Jesus' possession. We are His; we have been bought and paid for
with His blood.

    When it says we shall no more go out, it means that our eternal
home is here with Jesus.

    Verse 12 is saying that we, the believers, have put our trust and
faith in Jesus and endured hardship.  We then have an eternity of
nothing but pure joy in this new Jerusalem with Jesus.  Once we have
passed from death into life through accepting Jesus as our Lord and
Savior, we are sealed by Jesus Himself. We belong to Him.  No one can
snatch us back away from Him.  Jesus has the keys. Look to Him and no
other. He is salvation.

    Revelation 3:13 "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the churches."

    Please remember again that all of these messages to these churches
are printed in red, in my Bible.  This means that Jesus Himself
uttered these words. He reminds us once again here to open the ears of
our understanding to His teachings.

    Verses to study in addition to those in this lesson: James 1:2,
1 Peter 1:6, 2 Peter 2:9.

    Memorize 1 Peter 1:15 and St.  John 14:6.



















                      REVELATION QUESTIONS 10


1.  This church at Philadelphia is sometimes thought to be what
    church?
2.  Besides being strong in the Word, what attributes would this
    church possess?
3.  What two things would they teach?
4.  How would they feel about compromise?
5.  What four things does Jesus call Himself to the church at
    Philadelphia?
6.  Why?
7.  Who is the only one who sends us to heaven or hell, besides our
    own decisions?
8.  What has Jesus set before them?
9.  What nice things did Jesus say about the Philadelphia church?
10. What does Jesus mean when He says they have a little strength?
11. What specific thing does Jesus honor?
12. Name four things most churches call Jesus instead of God.
13. Those who say they are Jews, and are not, will be called what
    group?
14. What will happen to them?
15. What do Satan worshippers and pretending Christians have in
    common?
16. For how many years will the Christians rule over those who reject
    Jesus here on the earth?
17. Why will Jesus keep the Christians from the hour of temptation?
18. Why is this hour coming?
19. When temptation comes, what two things can happen?
20. What does this hour mean?
21. Who are this great multitude dressed in white who stand before the
    throne?
22. What made them white?
23. In Matthew 24:21-22, what is described?
24. Why will we be tried?
25. "To Him that overcometh will I make a ------- in the temple of
    God."
26. What does this pillar mean?
27. What will Jesus write on the believers?
28. What does the writing of the name mean?
29. Who are the bride of Christ?
30. What does it mean "we shall no more go out"?
31. What ears are we to open?
32. Write 1 Peter 1:15.
33. Write St. John 14:6.
34. Tell what you think is the main theme of this lesson.