Day 47: Hold fast to what you have - Revelation 3 vs 7 - 13

7 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open!

8 “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. 9 Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue - those liars who say they are Jews but are not - to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.

10 “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. 12  All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God - the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name. 13 “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Revelation 3:7-13 New Living Translation

When some opportunity in life is suddenly lost people sometimes refer to it as being ‘like a door slammed shut in their face’. I wonder if the Christians in Philadelphia had experienced something like that? Jesus’ reference to a Synagogue in vs 9 (which he calls ‘Satan’s synagogue’) could imply that Jewish people who’d become Christians had been kicked out of the local Synagogue by those who said such converts were no longer ‘true Jews’. If that was the case, what is the tremendous encouragement Christ gives to these Christians who’d been shut out from the community? vs 8.

This is not a battle that ended in Philadelphia. Through the centuries people who’ve been truly converted have been rejected in religious institutions such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism and many Orthodox Churches, as well as by other religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism etc. And it will often have led to ‘closed doors’ in the community. They may have lost business opportunities and income, and even family. And, like the Christians at Philadelphia, they may have felt terribly weak through the struggle, and even like giving up!. But look at what Jesus said to these struggling saints.

What does He commend them for in verse 8?

What does He say the people who’ve rejected them will ultimately come to see? Vs 9?

What was the promise He gave them in vs 10?

What does He urge them to do in vs 11?

While the ‘open door’ Jesus mentions could refer to things such as ‘doors of opportunity to witness’ and so on, I think vs 12 suggests it is speaking of heaven! It’s like what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 6: 10, ”Dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do the things I’ve written to you about, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” We must hold fast to the gospel and to Christ and then, no matter what else we may lose in this world, or what doors are slammed in our face, we will never lose the crown God has promised to those who persevere. Heavens gate will be open wide for us to enter.

(A housekeeping note. In short devotions like this one can’t cover everything and you may have questions about verses or things that were not touched on. You’re welcome to raise these in the comments section and I will seek to address them.)