“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says
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.”
Revelation 3:7
The Lord does everything decently and in order. As He walks between the candlesticks, He now turns His attention to the 6th candlestick, His church at Philadelphia.
Philadelphia was one of the newest cities in Asia Minor. It was founded in 189 B.C. by Pergamon King Eumenes who named the city in honor of the love he had for his brother Attalus Philadelphus (the city of brotherly love).
The city was located 28 miles southeast of Sardis on five hills in the Kuzucay valley, at the base of Mount Bozdad. It sat about 1,000 feet above sea level. Volcanic cliffs towered over the rear of the city. These cliffs housed volcanic hot springs which enhanced the city’s economic and tourist status . Outside the city walls was a fertile valley about 58 miles long by 46 miles wide where the soil was perfect to grow grapes. With these grapes the city of Philadelphia produced a wine for which it was famous.
Philadelphia sat at the entrance of an important pass through the mountains. It was known as the keeper of the key to the door, or gateway, (Keep that in mind as the Lord speaks to His church) to the east. The door to Europe was opened at the will and discretion of the city officials. As a result of the control of this transportation the city became very prosperous. Its total control of the highway which led from Europe to Asia made it extremely powerful.
Philadelphia was founded to spread Hellenism, the culture of ancient Greece, throughout the land. Its mission was to spread Greek language and culture throughout the region. It had many pagan
temples and other public buildings that it housed. Philadelphia was a center of worship of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and fertility but from images on coins found in Philadelphia it appears to have had temples to Artemis, Helios, Zeus and Aphrodite as well. As a result the city 2as nicknamed the “Little Athens”. Additionally, about 2,000 Jewish families lived in or around Philadelphia and attended the synagogue inside the city walls.
The city changed names multiple times. It was often named after the Roman Emperors who reigned at the time, such as Neocaesar, or Flavia (after the family name of the Roman emperor Vespasian). Today The city of Philadelphia still exists but is called Alasehir which means “the city of God”.
What can we learn? Philadelphia is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible than in the book of Revelation. Inside this prosperous but anxiety-ridden city existed a body of believers in Jesus Christ. From this introduction we know a few things about them.
They were small and weak and their enemies are many. They were weak and their enemies were many and strong. But the church loved the Lord and the ones He died for. It is to this small insignificant group of believers that had little but their love for the Lord that the Lord sends one of the most amazing messages to all His churches.