“Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one
may take your crown.” Revelation 3:11
In the last half of Revelation 3:11 the Lord makes clear to us the impact His imminent return is to have on us. As with everything the
Lord does, there is a purpose behind His action.
Hold fast Hold fast is a common command in God’s word. It is found in Deuteronomy 11. “For if you will be careful to do all this commandment that I command you to do, loving the LORD your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to Him, then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.” Here we see holding fast requires
being careful – to pay attention. We are to hold hold on to God
because we love Him, know who He is and trust His words and
promises.. Holding fast involves obedience to His Word. Proverbs
4:4 says “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live”. Hebrews 4:tells us “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” We are to hold fast to our witness that Jesus is Lord– our Lord. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 tells us to “Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good.” We are to examine what we are taught against the word of God and hold fast to God’s truth not man’s wisdom. The Apostle Paul says it this way, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain”. (I Corinthians 15:1-2) Hold onto His truth, sound doctrine. Then Hebrews 3:14 tells us “For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end”. We are to hold fast our confidence, our assurance that God’s word is true until the end of time.
The Greek word for holding fast John uses in Revelation 3:11 is one word. It means using our strength and power to grab onto something. It can refer to the physical act of grasping or holding something. We know the Lord and His truth, do not let go.
What can we learn? The small weak church in Philadelphia was doing mighty things for the Lord because they depended on Him for their strength and power. Like the other citizens in Philadelphia they faced shaking by the mighty earthquakes that threatened all they had. They knew the physical act of standing firm as everything around them was shaken to its core.
They knew what the Lord mean when He said seize what you believe and hang on. Additionally this small congregation was under attack by the assembly of Satan. They were under intense pressure to compromise the truth to make peace with evil. So far they had held true to God’s word – the Lord tells them to continue.
There is another important point here. Some twist this command to prove that a believer can lose their salvation. That is diametrically opposite of what the Lord is saying. He tells them genuine faith does not let go of the truth that brought it to salvation. Believers will be tested. Genuine believers may doubt from time to time and sin against God’s truth but in the end they hang on – genuine faith endures by latching on and not letting go. Endure!