Philadelphia

Biblical Text

Philadelphia first appears in Revelation 1:11, where the seven churches are named. Revelation 3:7–13 contains the letter addressed to this church. In the letter, Christ identifies himself as "he that hath the key of David" and as "he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth." He says that the church has "a little strength" yet has kept his word and has not denied his name, and he promises that he has set before it "an open door" that no one can shut. He also declares that he will make those of "the synagogue of Satan" come and worship before the church, and that because it has kept the word of his patience, he will keep it from "the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world" (Revelation 3:10). Finally, he promises to make the one who overcomes a pillar in the temple of God and to write upon that person the name of God and the name of the New Jerusalem. Among the seven churches, only the letters to Smyrna and Philadelphia contain no rebuke.

Background

Philadelphia lay southeast of Sardis along a route through the Hermus River valley. The city's name comes from the Greek philadelphia ("brotherly love"). The name is generally associated with Attalus II, king of Pergamum, who earned the epithet Philadelphus for his devotion to his brother. The region was prone to earthquakes, and the city is reported to have suffered heavy damage in the great earthquake of AD 17 and to have been rebuilt with the support of the Roman emperor Tiberius. A letter from Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, to the church in this city in the early second century has survived, showing that the church continued after the time of Revelation.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The phrase "the key of David" draws on Isaiah 22:22, where it describes the authority given to Eliakim, the steward of the royal household during the reign of King Hezekiah. Revelation applies this expression to the authority of Christ as Messiah. The expression "open door" is also used in the Pauline letters to denote an opportunity for proclaiming the gospel (1 Corinthians 16:9; Colossians 4:3).

Interpretation and Debated Points

• The open door: Many interpreters read it as an opportunity for mission and evangelism. Others read it as the way of entrance into the kingdom of God.
• Kept from the hour of temptation (3:10): Those who hold the pretribulation rapture view of dispensationalism cite this verse as one basis for the belief that the church will be caught up before the Great Tribulation. Other interpreters read the verse not as a promise of escape from trial but as a promise of preservation in the midst of trial, or they understand it as referring to the persecution the church of that time would face.
• Periods of church history: Some interpreters regard the seven churches as representing seven eras of church history and associate Philadelphia with the period of modern missionary revival. This reading is a later interpretive framework rather than something the text states directly, and many scholars read the seven churches as actual congregations that existed in the first century.

In the Korean Church

In Korean churches, Philadelphia is frequently cited in preaching as a model of "the church that kept the word with a little strength" and "the church that received no rebuke." Along with the meaning of the city's name, "brotherly love," this has also made it a common name for congregations.