Revelation 3:7-22

Message to Philadelphia

7 "And to the angel of the church in ¹Philadelphia write: ²He who is holy, ³who is true, who has ⁴the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:

8 '⁵I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you ⁶an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and ⁷have not denied My name.

9 'Behold, I will cause those of ⁸the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie -I will make them ⁹come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that ¹⁰I have loved you.

10 'Because you have ¹¹kept the word of ¹²My perseverance, ¹³I also will keep you from the hour of ¹⁴testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole ¹⁵world, to test ¹⁶those who dwell on the earth.

11 '¹⁷I am coming quickly; ¹⁸hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your ¹⁹crown.

12 '²⁰He who overcomes, I will make him a ²¹pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the ²²name of My God, and ²³the name of the city of My God, ²⁴the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My ²⁵new name.

13 '²⁶He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

Message to Laodicea

14 "To the angel of the church in ²⁷Laodicea write: ²⁸The Amen, ²⁹the faithful and true Witness, ³⁰the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:

15 '³¹I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; ³²I wish that you were cold or hot.

16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

17 'Because you say, "³³I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,

18 I advise you to ³⁴buy from Me ³⁵gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and ³⁶white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that ³⁷the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

19 '³⁸Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and ³⁹repent.

20 'Behold, I stand ⁴⁰at the door and ⁴¹knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, ⁴²I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.

21 '⁴³He who overcomes, I will grant to him ⁴⁴to sit down with Me on My throne, as ⁴⁵I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

22 '⁴⁶He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' "

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Revelation 3:7-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO REVELATION 3

This chapter contains the epistles to the churches at Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, and begins with that to Sardis; in which the sender describes himself by some things taken out of a former description of him; and gives an account of the state of this church; that her works were known by him, which were imperfect; and that she had the name of a living church, but was dead; wherefore she is exhorted to watchfulness and diligence, to remember how she had heard and received the Gospel, and to hold it fast, and repent of her sins: if not, he threatens to come as a thief unawares upon her, Re 3:1-3, but excepts some few persons from this general account, who were not defiled with the corruptions of the majority, and who therefore should be favoured with communion with him, Re 3:4, and then some gracious promises are made to persevering saints, and the epistle is concluded in the usual form, Re 3:5,6. Next follows the epistle to the church at Philadelphia; in which the sender assumes some peculiar titles not before mentioned, taken from his holiness, truth, and power, Re 3:7, signifies his approbation of her works; declares he had set before her an open door, which could not be shut; affirms she had a little strength, and commends her for keeping his word, Re 3:8, and, for her encouragement, promises that some persons, formerly of bad characters, should come and worship before her, and should know what an interest she had in his love; and that since she had kept his word, he would keep her from an hour of temptation, which will be a trying time to all the world, Re 3:9,10, and in consideration of his speedy coming, he exhorts her to hold fast what she had, that she might not lose her honour and glory; and promises the overcomer a fixed place and name in the house of God; and closes the epistle as the rest, Re 3:11-13, and then follows the last epistle of all, which is that to the church at Laodicea; in which the sender describes himself by some characters taken from his truth and faithfulness, and from his eternity, power, and dominion, Re 3:14, represents the members of this church as lukewarm, and very disagreeable to him, Re 3:15,16, and as having a vain opinion of themselves, being ignorant of their real state and case, Re 3:17, wherefore he gives them some wholesome counsel and advice, suitable to their condition, Re 3:18, and whereas there were some among them he loved, he lets them know that his rebukes and chastenings were from love, and with a view to stimulate them to zeal, and bring them to repentance, which became them, Re 3:19, and then he informs them where he was, what he expected from them, and what they might upon a suitable behaviour enjoy with him, Re 3:20, and next promises to the overcomer great honour and glory, such as he had with his Father; and concludes the epistle in his usual manner, Re 3:21,22.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 46

1. Revelation 1:11
2. Revelation 6:10
3. 1 John 5:20; Revelation 3:14; Revelation 19:11
4. Job 12:14; Isaiah 22:22; Matthew 16:19; Revelation 1:18
5. Revelation 3:1
6. Acts 14:27
7. Revelation 2:13
8. Revelation 2:9
9. Isaiah 45:14; Isaiah 49:23; Isaiah 60:14
10. Isaiah 43:4; John 17:23
11. John 17:6; Revelation 3:8
12. Revelation 1:9
13. 2 Timothy 2:12; 2 Peter 2:9
14. Revelation 2:10
15. Matthew 24:14; Revelation 16:14
16. Revelation 6:10; Revelation 8:13; Revelation 11:10; Revelation 13:8, 14; Revelation 17:8
17. Revelation 1:3; Revelation 22:7, 12, 20
18. Revelation 2:25
19. Revelation 2:10
20. Revelation 3:5
21. 1 Kings 7:21; Jeremiah 1:18; Galatians 2:9
22. Revelation 14:1; Revelation 22:4
23. Ezekiel 48:35; Revelation 21:2
24. Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 13:14; Revelation 21:2, 10
25. Isaiah 62:2; Revelation 2:17
26. Revelation 3:6
27. Revelation 1:11
28. 2 Corinthians 1:20
29. Revelation 1:5; Revelation 3:7
30. Genesis 49:3; Deuteronomy 21:17; Proverbs 8:22; John 1:3; Colossians 1:18; Revelation 21:6; Revelation 22:13
31. Revelation 3:1
32. Romans 12:11
33. Hosea 12:8; Zechariah 11:5; Matthew 5:3; 1 Corinthians 4:8
34. Isaiah 55:1; Matthew 13:44
35. 1 Peter 1:7
36. Revelation 3:4
37. Revelation 16:15
38. Proverbs 3:12; 1 Corinthians 11:32; Hebrews 12:6
39. Revelation 2:5
40. Matthew 24:33; James 5:9
41. Luke 12:36; John 10:3
42. John 14:23
43. Revelation 2:7
44. Matthew 19:28; 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 2:26; Revelation 20:4
45. John 16:33; Revelation 5:5; Revelation 6:2; Revelation 17:14
46. Revelation 2:7

Footnotes 9

[a]. Or "deeds (behold...shut), that you have"
[b]. Lit "give"
[c]. Lit "before"
[d]. Or "steadfastness"
[e]. Or "temptation"
[f]. Lit "inhabited earth"
[g]. Or "tempt"
[h]. I.e. Origin or Source
[i]. Lit "vomit"