The Church at Philadelphia | Revelation 3:7-13 | J. Allen Mashburn

Today, we will consider the church in Philadelphia.

·         Philadelphia was the youngest and smallest of all the cities addressed in these letters.

·         The city was located in a narrow pass between two mountain ranges.  It stood as a literal doorway between Asia Minor and Asia.

·         Because of its strategic location, it was used as a military buffer city.  Enemy armies passing through the narrow pass could be delayed by a small force at Philadelphia.

·         The city was named for King Attalus II, the king of Pergamum.  He was renowned for his love of his brother Eumenes, and he came to be called “Philadelphos”.  The word means “one who loves his brother”.  Thus, Philadelphia became known as “The city of brotherly love”.

·         Philadelphia was built on a geological fault.  As a result, the city was plagued by frequent earthquakes and tremors.  The citizens were often forced to flee the city to avoid being injured or killed by falling buildings.

·         Philadelphia was also the home to numerous temples desiccated to the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece.

·         Philadelphia was the last of the seven cities to lose its Christian testimony.  There was a thriving Christian community there as late as 1,000 AD, when the city was captured by the Muslim armies of the Middle East.

       It is to the church in Philadelphia that Jesus speaks in these verses.  He comes to them with no words of complaint.  He comes to them with words of praise and words of promise.  I think the Lord’s words to this weak, but faithful church, have much to say to our own hearts today.  If we are going to model ourselves after any of these seven churches, it should be this church.