By Robin Sam
THERE were 4 promises God gave to the church at Philadelphia in verses 8, 9 and 10 of Revelation 3.
I want to quickly list out the four promises Jesus gave to the church at Philadelphia.
1. An unhindered opportunity
2. An unseen soul harvest
3. An unprecedented validation of God’s love and
4. An unequivocal guarantee of security
In verse 8 Jesus told the Church: ‘“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.’
An open door that no man can shut. That’s an unhindered opportunity.
In verse 9 Jesus said: ‘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.’
There are two promises right there in that verse. A soul harvest that you have not seen before and an unprecedented validation of God’s love for you.
In verse 10 Jesus told the Church: ‘Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.’
That’s an unequivocal guarantee of God’s security.
Who are the people from the synagogue of Satan that Jesus talked about in verse 9? They were, in Apostle John’s time, adherents of a sect of Judaism but they were not really Jews, because they did not worship God the Father. They were liars, they were agents of the devil and they were a crick in the neck for the believers. God is saying to some of you today: Be ready to accommodate some who were known enemies of the Gospel. Some of devil’s agents are soon going to be ambassadors of Christ. Hallelujah! They will come and bow before your feet and see that Jesus really loves you. What a validation of His love!
God is also saying that He is going to save you from the hour of trial without doubt. Let there not be any apprehensions about it. If you stay faithful to the Lord and His Word, you will be saved from the dark hour that descends upon all those who are in the world. You will be kept away from it because you are a child of God. Will you say Amen?
Now, who is the One who is giving us these promises?
Jesus revealed Himself thus to the apostle and the messenger of the church at Philadelphia: ‘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 is the God of truth. There is no variation or shadow of turning in Him. What He has promised that He will fulfill. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He will never leave you till He has accomplished what He has promised to you.
To whom are these 4 promises given?
To find out, ask yourself why were these promises given to the Church at Philadelphia?
Because
It had works.
It kept God’s Word.
It did not deny the Name of Jesus and because
It persevered.
If you have works to show God, if you have kept God’s Word, if you have not denied the Name of Jesus and if you have patiently persevered, you can also inherit these 4 promises.
I’ll tell you the key to unlocking these promises. That’s Revelation 3:11. ‘Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown’.
Be a victor in Christ and retain your crown. May God bless you and yours! Amen.
