The day before Thanksgiving, I received a phone call from the hiring manager I interviewed with a couple weeks previously. He made me a formal job offer. After a little over four months of being out of work, I had gotten the phone call I had been waiting for.

God was at work through it all. In fact, I also had a great opportunity to go back to work for a former employer. I had put all of my focus on that when I got the call to come in for an interview with the company the ended up hiring me. I even had an opportunity in September that was minutes away from my house, but I do not believe that is what God had for me. He had something better for me if I would just listen to his voice.

So, since Thanksgiving–how appropriate that God would allow the phone call the day before Thanksgiving–I have received the formal offer letter and have filled out all the requisite forms and went to the drug screening. Now it’s just a matter of the company confirming I am who I say I am. I will be showing up at the office on Monday, December 21. Praise God!

I never doubted that God had plans for us while I was in the unemployment wilderness. I knew that He had things to teach me and I did the best I could to learn those lessons. It was easier at some times than others.

Ironically, it wasn’t until this past Sunday that God gave me a passage that really opened my eyes to what I went through. It came from my pastor during service yesterday. He shared it as the key verse that helped him during a dark time in his ministry. And so, I would like to share it with you in case you find yourself in a dark place.

Why has my pain been perpetual and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will You indeed be to me like a deceptive steam with water that is unreliable? –Jeremiah 15:18.

Sound familiar? Can you relate?

Therefore, thus says the Lord, “If you return, then I will restore you–before Me you will stand; and if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, but as for you, you must not turn to them.” –Jeremiah 15:19.

There’s the key: “If you return [to Me], then I will restore you.” How often will God send trials our way to get our attention so we draw closer to Him.

And then God gives Jeremiah a key lesson: “if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman.” If we go through dark times and learn nothing, then the trial and the lesson were worthless! Don’t squander an opportunity to listen to the voice of God when He is trying to teach you something!

“Then I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; and though they fight against you, they will not prevail over you; for I am with you to save you and deliver you,” declares the Lord. –Jeremiah 15:20.

The verse reminds me of Paul’s words to the Romans:

What then shall we say to these things? IF God is for us, who is against us? –Romans 8:31.

I know there are brothers and sisters-in-Christ struggling through trials right now: health, unemployment, finances, etc. But God is faithful! Return to Him; draw nearer to Him. Hold fast!

But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good. –1 Thessalonians 4:21.

I’d like to open this up to prayer requests or sharing what you’re going through or to testify to what God has taught you through trials.

The letters we have looked at so far are:

• Ephesus: “The Light of Asia“
• Smyrna: “The Church of Suffering“
• Pergamum: “The Pagan Church“
• Thyatira: “The Church of Romanism“
• Sardis: “The Protestant Church“

We now come to Philadelphia. It’s one of my favorite letters. It’s the letter that speaks to the church of our time!

Philadelphia: “The Revived Church”

Philadelphia is the smallest city of the seven. As you probably know, “Philadelphia” means “brotherly love.” It was located about 38 miles SE of Sardis.

Today, Philadelphia is a prosperous little Turkish town known as Alasehir. It sits on the Cogamis River, a tributary of the Hermus River. The city got its name from Attalus II. He had a great love for his brother, Eumenes who was king of Pergamum. Because of Attalus’ great love and loyalty to Eumenes, it is called “the city of brotherly love.”

Philadelphia is the only other church, besides Smyrna, that Jesus has no word of condemnation. It’s noteworthy that the two churches Jesus only has praise for, are the only to cities still in existence! The churches have disappeared, though, since that time.

The church in Philadelphia represents church history from about the beginning of the nineteenth century to the Rapture. This is the revived church: the church that turns back to the Word the God.

Jesus’ Letter to the Church at Philadelphia

“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this.” –Revelation 3:7.

Here is yet another self-description of Jesus. Jesus describes Himself as the Holy One, the truth, and the All-Powerful One.

The “key of David” is a quote from Isaiah:

“Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder, when he opens no one will shut, when he shuts no one will open.” –Isaiah 22:22.

This is a different key from the “keys of death and of Hades” that were mentioned in Revelation 1:18 and the “keys of the kingdom” that are found in Matthew 16:19. The key of David signifies Jesus’ royal claim as Ruler of the Universe.

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” –Luke 1:32-33.

Jesus is clear who has the authority:

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” –Matthew 28:18.

The Good News

“‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.’” –Revelation 3:8.

Jesus commends this church on several points:

• “I know your deeds”: Jesus is looking for our fruit (Ephesians 2:8-10).
• “An open door which no one can shut”: this is the Word of God.
• “You have a little power”: the Greek word used is “δύναμις” which is transliterated “dynamis” where we get our English word “dynamite.” As we have said, Philadelphia was the smallest of the churches. But their power was likened to dynamite. What was that power? The Word of God!
• “Kept My Word”: Jesus praises this church for keeping His word. Jesus would have the same praise for us today who treat His word–the Bible–as the authoritative and inspired Word of God!
• “Not denied My Name.”

“‘Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie–I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.’” –Revelation 3:9.

The true “Jews” spoken of here are those that left the synagogue and the practice of the law for Christ (Romans 9:6). Paul considered the true Jews to be those who gave up the law as a means of salvation and justification for Christ’s redemptive work of the cross.

• “I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you”: Jesus tells the church that the enemies of Philadelphia will know that Jesus loves this church.

“‘Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.’” –Revelation 3:10.

• Perseverance: so often Jesus tells His followers to have patience and perseverance (2 Thessalonians 3:5).

Jesus then promises to keep the believer from the “hour of testing.” Here Jesus specifically says that He will deliver His church from the Great Tribulation that “is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”

The Deliverance of the Church from the Great Tribulation

I believe the Bible teaches a pre-Tribulation rapture. There are different schools of thought on this point, but I believe that if you carefully study what the Bible teaches, it would appear that the church will be taken up to heaven before the Great Tribulation begins.

Paul sets the stage for this in his second letter to the Thessalonians:

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. –2 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

This is the believer’s “blessed hope”:

Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. –Titus 2:13.

Because of this, the church should not anticipate the Great Tribulation with all of its judgment:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” –John 5:24.

And:

It was also given to [the Antichrist] to make war with the saints and to overcome them, and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain. –Revelation 13:7-8.

Getting back to Revelation 3:10, Jesus specifically says that He will keep the church “from the hour of testing.”

If the rapture had occurred in the first century preceding the tribulation which the book of Revelation describes, they were assured of deliverance. By contrast, those sealed out of the twelve tribes of Israel in [Revelation 7:4] clearly go through the time of trouble. This implies the rapture of the church before the time of trouble referred to as the great tribulation. Such a promise of deliverance to them would seemingly have been impossible if the rapture of the church were delayed until the end of the tribulation prior to the second coming of Christ and the establishment of the kingdom. –Dr. John Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ.

The Believer’s Crown

“‘I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.’” –Revelation 3:11.

This is a short, but interesting verse. The flip side of this verse is that you can lose your crown.

In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. –2 Timothy 4:8.

Incredible. But keep in mind, this is not the believer’s salvation. That is completely different. The crown is the reward for works done in faith because of the believer’s free gift of salvation.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. –Romans 6:23.

The Promise to the Overcomer

“‘He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” –Revelation 3:12-13.

J. Vernon McGee says of the pillars:

There are two pillars in Philadelphia today. One is that of the Byzantine church, which I do not think is the reference here. But there is also a pillar on the side of the hill, hidden among those cedar and laurel trees. That pillar is all that remains of the city of John’s day. “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God.” The church down here was destroyed, but the permanent pillar is up yonder. –J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee.

Jesus’ statements about writing “the name of My God” and the “city of My God,” are the authorizations for the believer’s access anywhere in God’s kingdom. Much like a passport gives you access to other countries, this is our heavenly passport in the heavenlies!

The last letter, written to the church of Laodicea, we will look at next time. The church of Laodicea is the apostate church. It’s a sobering letter, but not one without hope.

May He Increase!

In Luke 18, Jesus was giving a parable concerning prayer. The introductory verses are critical to understanding the rest of the parable and, indeed, to understand how prayer works: it’s on God’s timetable, not ours.

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart…. –Luke 18:1.

Right away, God tells us through Luke that we need to pray and keep on praying and not to lose heart. How many times have we prayed for something and it seems God isn’t listening?

Jesus now continues in verse 2:

“In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” — Luke 18:2-8.

The picture here is that this helpless widow begs justice from this unrighteous judge. It’s as if she parks herself on his doorstep so that he cannot avoid her. It’s persistence!

But note in Jesus’ response: does it give any indication of when? Does it give any indication that the justice would be brought about on any other time-table but God’s?

Another parable is found earlier in Luke. It comes right after Jesus gives the disciples the Lord’s Prayer.

Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’.” –Luke 11:5-6.

In Jesus’ time, people traveled during the day. When it would get dark, they would find the nearest home and ask the family to shelter them for the night. It was common practice. So in this parable, the traveler is known to the man of the house and evidently, pushed on and traveled late into the night. He did not have anything prepared for his guest so he goes next door to his neighbor to ask him. Typically whatever food you made for that day you ate. You didn’t keep it as left-overs since it would spoil.

“…and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’” –Luke 11:7.

The people of that time would sleep around the stove in the middle of the house to keep warm. It’s the same stove they use for cooking. What is happening here is that the neighbor is saying that his door is closed and locked–it would be open during the day, but at night it’s locked to protect themselves–and all of his family is asleep together. If he gets up to to get him something, he’s going to wake up his children and being a good father, he doesn’t want to do that.

Jesus continues the parable:

“I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and given him as much as he needs. So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” –Luke 11:8-9.

Jesus is saying that not only do we need to ask, seek and knock, but we need to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking! In other words, don’t give up. Don’t lose heart!

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. –1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. (emphasis mine)

Again, keep in mind that God is not at our beck and call. God is sovereign. We need to pray humbly and with a heart that realizes that no matter what we think we need, God knows all. God, our Heavenly Father, knows all of our needs before we ask Him. We need to praying with that in mind and with God’s will at the forefront of our petitions.

Remember, Christ Himself prayed in such a way in the Garden. Jesus, the night before He went to the cross, prayed to the Father for another way but the cross to save us from sin. But Jesus, each time ended His prayer with “Your will be done.”

May He Increase!