THE OPEN DOOR
Revelation 3:7-13
The Church Faithful To Christ – 1700 AD to 1900 AD
Other parts of this series are found in The Bride folder
The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions, and the nearer we get to him, the more intensely missionary we must become. Henry Martyn
As we move some 28 miles southeast of Sardis we find ourselves in a city that was strategically placed along the Roman postal route that was called the “gateway to the East.” It was also called “little Athens” because of its many temples. While it was the youngest of the seven cities it was an important one to the Greeks as it became the center of missionary outreach; to spread the Greek language and culture well beyond its borders. It was so successful in this effort that the Lydian language was replaced by Greek by AD 19.
The city was located on the edge of a great lava plain called Katakekaumene (burned land), which provided fertile soil for growing the grapes used to make the wine for which it was famous. But it was also located on a fault line and was rocked over the years by numerous earthquakes and tremors; several so severe that the city was destroyed on a number of occasions. So fearful were the citizens that most of them moved outside the city for fear of the falling debris; they lived in a constant state of fear.
As a result the city was rebuilt and had its name changed frequently: Neocaesarea (the new city of Caesar); Flavia; Neokoros (Temple Warden) and then to Little Athens because of its festivals and pagan cults. Finally it came full circle and regained its original name with a church that had a vision to reach a lost world; Philadelphia (love of the brethren).
Rev 3:7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens“:
He who is holy (hatios; different, separate from) means the one who is different from man; the one who embodies the characteristics that God alone possesses.
Isa 6:1-3 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”
Therefore He is the one who has the right to call man to holiness:
1 Peter 1:15-16 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
By the way, did you ever wonder why it is so often written … Holy, Holy, Holy … Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Jesus is also the one who is true (alethes; real as compared with something that is unreal) as opposed to all the pagan gods that are false. He is the one, holy and real God, the creator of the universe and all that it contains and as such He holds supreme power. We first saw that in Rev 1:8 where we are told that Jesus holds the keys of hell and death. Now, to this missionary church, we are told that He holds an additional key; the key of David.
The key of David is a symbol of His authority, the authority of one who has the final word on who will enter in and who will not. To the Jews it clearly referred to the story of Eliakim who was given the key to the house of David; the key to all the treasure and only he could open it. It was given to him because the previous holder, Shebna, used the treasure to purchase a sepulcher and chariots for himself and it was taken away.
Isa 22:22 The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open.
In this context the house of David referred to Jerusalem and here in The Revelation it refers to the New Jerusalem.
Rev 21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
However, the door being referred to here represents more than the city.
Rev 3:8 “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
The important thought to grasp here is that the one holy and true God (Jesus) who has the ultimate authority (the key) to open and close doors has opened a specific door for the church at Philadelphia. Jesus alludes to the missionary efforts of the Greeks as He tells the church that He has opened a door to evangelism. It is the door that every church and every believer should be praying to have opened. It was Paul’s constant prayer:
Col 4:2-4 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
We need to remember that there is a missionary door for every believer that Jesus will open, and we don’t have to go to Africa to find it. That door is at home or in the office; anywhere within the circle in which we move every day. They are doors that no man can shut, no matter how hard they may try. If the Lord opens it… it stays open until He decides to close it. To the Philadelphians this meant those who called themselves Jews (Jesus said they were not) that were trying to shut the door on Christianity, and so He is also saying to the church today that no one can shut the door He has opened.
We should be cautioned, however, to remember that it is the Holy Spirit that prepares the hearts of men to receive the gospel— it’s not our tracts, crusades or witnessing. We must simply be where He leads us, to be the messenger to the right person at the right time. He is opening doors for the “loving” church to reach out to the lost world and He is looking for those who will step through them; a step for which there is a great reward. Our reward will be the same one that He gave to the church at Philadelphia for their faithfulness; Jesus will open yet more doors and provide more opportunities for us to evangelize (share the gospel). These are the doors that we will not necessarily walk through “shouting scripture” with the Bible raised in our hands. I think Paul hit the nail on the head:
Rom 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
As did Francis of Assisi: Witness wherever you go, and if absolutely necessary, use words. Although I might add that if your witness draws a response you would be well advised to have the pen of a ready writer available to testify about the hope that is within you.
We are God’s “living epistles” and who we are reflects more perfectly “whose” we are than anything we may say. So remembering that, it is important for us to stay in a close relationship with the one who is opening the door, and that is accomplished by going through another door that no man can ever shut; prayer. That door is always open because Jesus knows that in and of ourselves we can never get the job done; in fact at the end of the day it isn’t our job in the first place.
He knew that the Philadelphians had “a little strength” (mikran echeis dunamin; having little strength in one’s self; miracle working strength). He didn’t say… You’re Weak! He acknowledged that they were depending upon His strength; something Paul recognized and preached throughout his ministry:
2 Cor 12:9-10 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Jesus commended Philadelphia because in their “little strength” they rested solely in His power and kept His Word, unlike the church at Sardis. He doesn’t ask us or expect us to open heavy doors. All He wants is for us to just walk through the ones He opens; a task that isn’t hard because He empowers us. God isn’t looking for or calling for super Christians—just the garden variety that is experiencing the love of Christ in their own lives and is willing to share it. When the world sees this type of love (agape) in the church (in the believer) the doors will swing wide open; the world is starved for this kind of love.
Not only did the church at Philadelphia believe God’s word, they kept it and did not deny His name. This church is a good example for believers in America to follow:
- They sensed their own weakness and walked in His strength.
- They were strongly committed to the Word of God.
- They maintained the integrity of their doctrine.
As a result, doors of opportunity were opened for them. They understood that what keeps a Christian faithful is a vision of the world for Christ; a vision that is accompanied by action.
Rev 3:9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie — indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
As in Smyrna, some of the Jews were the cause of the problem for the Christians in Philadelphia. Jesus here also referred to them as the synagogue of Satan. They were a Jewish element that actively denied Jesus as the Messiah and persecuted those who believed. They were the direct opposite of Jews like Paul and John who viewed the true Jew as one who had found forgiveness in Christ.
1 John 2:22-23 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
“Those who say they are Jews” believed that the Gentiles would fall and worship at their feet; a perversion of the word of God through Zecariah
Zech 8:20-23 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Peoples shall yet come, Inhabitants of many cities; 21 The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, “Let us continue to go and pray before the Lord, And seek the Lord of hosts. I myself will go also.” 22 Yes, many peoples and strong nations Shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, And to pray before the Lord.’ 23 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”‘”
Paul directly challenged the idea that these Jews were espousing; that Jesus was not the Messiah and Christianity was a false doctrine.
Rom 2:28-29 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
To the church at Smyrna Jesus promised that the synagogue of Satan would not prevail against them. To the church at Philadelphia He promised that the faithful would even win some of them over and they would fall on their faces and confess the Lord. Their conversion would be so profound that they would be willing to take the lowliest place in the church (worship before your feet); serving those whom they once persecuted rather than continuing to be a part of the ungodly Jews.
Phil 2:10-11 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
We see this same type of heresy today in reverse with Christians who say—in compete contradiction to the Word of God—that God is finished with Israel and the church (Christians; the bride) are now Israel. Nothing could be further from the truth. One only need read Romans 9-11 or for that matter the remainder of the Book of Revelation. No, God is not done with Israel by a long shot and to take the position that the church is now Israel is strictly against the Word of God. There are three types of people in the Bible: Jews, Gentiles and believers; the church (the bride of Christ) who are all either former Jews or Gentiles.
Next time we will look at one to the greatest promises that Jesus made to the church at Philadelphia and to His bride.