dailywordofdestiny

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(Revelation 3:7)

The city of Philadelphia was 25 miles south east of Sardis on an 800 foot rise. To this church, which Christ says ‘has a little strength,’ the Lord comes to open an avenue of opportunity that no force in hell can shut. ‘Possessing the key of David’ means that He has the authority to open this supernatural door. Jesus shows Himself to the church of Philadelphia in the very same way that they worship Him.

He is Holy. Jesus tells us to be Holy even as He is Holy (Leviticus 11:44, I Peter 1:15). He shows Himself as truth. He is the Way, The Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). JESUS IS THE DOORWAY TO HEAVEN!

The church in Philadelphia and its symbolic church of 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.

God promises these believers that He will keep them from the hour of temptation which will come upon the world. Note that the event spoken of:
• Is a definite time period – “the hour.”
• Is a period of trial.
• Was future from the time of John’s writing.
• Was to be worldwide.
• The promise, in Greek, was to “keep thee out of” the hour.

These facts make it evident that the event refers to the Great Tribulation described in Matthew 24:15-22. To the believers in the Philadelphia church who have only a “little strength” but have nevertheless kept God’s Word and have not denied His Name; God promises that they will become pillars in the temple of God (Revelation 3: 12). This church may have been small in number or in material resources, but God was going to make them strong. They are promised an open door, which refers to Christ (John 10:7), an opening to preach the Gospel (Acts 5: 19,20), or the rapture of the Church (Revelation 4:1). Each of these may be interpreted as the “open door” promised to this church, even as each can be applied to the Church today.
In these end times, I see God opening many tremendous doors of opportunity and there is always an inherent danger of failing to advance at Christ’s command. You may feel you have only a little strength, but God can make you a strong and mighty pillar in His Kingdom, a spiritual warrior who is able to walk through every door He opens.

Let me ask you: What is holding you back from fulfilling God’s call for your life?

• Fear?
• Your finances?
• Your health?
• Your relationships with others?

God has set before you an open door which no man can shut. All the demons in hell cannot shut it. Jesus is the way. All you must do is walk through Him and in Him (The Door) in the Almighty power of God (Revelation 3: 8)!

We must also 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. But, many have watered down the Word until it has been short circuited and lost power. We must not tamper with its power.  The Philadelphia church was small in size, but big in love and the Holy Spirit.

Revelation 3: 9 speaks to the fact that there really is no difference between 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 encouraging this church that has tried so hard, that there will be a day of reward. Jesus loves the faithful. He has His ear turned to our needs.
Trials, tribulations, and temptations come to all. It seems the Philadelphia church has been tested and found to stand in their temptation (Revelation 3: 10). 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 temptation wins, then you will go through this particular temptation over and over until you stand against it and overcome it.

There is a time specified by God when 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 a seven year time 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 (Revelation 7: 9-14).   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.” “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 this begins.

Revelation 3: 11-13 reminds us of Christ’s return to this earth for the collection of His sons and daughters who have not lost their belief and trust in Him, the overcomers who have not bowed to the god of this world. They will be the ones that have remained strong and steadfast in upholding the Word of God within and through Jesus Christ and His church. These people would be like founding fathers, high in principles. They would be the ones who would see to it that the church has remained firmly planted on solid ground.

Verse 12 tells us 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.  Praise God!!!