Revelation Now :
Daily Devotional Bible Studies in Revelation
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Jesus Command to Endure Patiently : Day 17 
"I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars - I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 3:9-13)
Faithful Philadelphians
Until now, the Philadelphian Church had been faithful. The sentence, "You have kept my command to endure patiently" describes one definite act in past time; and the implication is that there had been some time of trial out of which the Philadelphian Church had emerged triumphantly true. They may have only a little strength; their resources may be small; but, if they are faithful, they will see the dawn of the triumph of Christ.
"My command to endure patiently" does not refer to a command of Jesus to the Philadelphian Church about patience but to the example of Christ's patient endurance. God doesn't expect us all to be and act the same, but he does expect us to "hold on" to what we have, to persevere in using our resources for him. The Philadelphians are commended for their effort to obey and encouraged to hold tightly to whatever strength they have.
Jesus Keeps Us
It is the promise of the Risen Christ that he who keeps will be kept. "You have kept my commandment," he says, "therefore, I will keep you." Loyalty has its sure reward. The phrase "my command to endure" means those who have practiced the same kind of endurance as Jesus displayed in his earthly life.
When we are called upon, Jesus Christ supplies us with three things. There is an example, an inspiration and the endurance of Jesus Christ. We must walk looking to him, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame (1). He suffered first when we are called upon to endure. "Because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted" (2).
The Jews divided time into two ages, the present age which is wholly bad, and the age to come, which is wholly good with a time in between the terrible time of destruction when judgment will fall upon the world. It is to that terrible time that John refers. Even when time comes to an end, and the world as we know it ceases to exist, he who is faithful to Christ will still be kept safely in his keeping.
Jesus is Coming Soon
Christ is coming to Philadelphians to reward them for their faithfulness. He is also coming to Ephesus, Pergamum and Sardis but as judge of their evil ways. I am coming soon, he says. Until then, the Christian Church in Philadelphia needs to hold on and be patient in adversity. The Risen Christ tells them that he is coming quickly or coming soon. It is used as a warning to the heedless and also as a comfort to the oppressed. James urges patient endurance on his people because the coming of the Lord is drawing near (3); soon their distress will be at an end.
Hold on to Your Crown
The Risen Christ bids the Philadelphians to hold to what they have, that no one may take their crown (4). It is not a question of someone stealing their crown but of God taking it from them and giving it to someone else, because they were not worthy to wear it.
A Pillar in the Temple of God
We come to the promises of the Risen Christ to those who are faithful. The faithful Christian will be a pillar in the Temple of God. A pillar of the Church is a great and honored support. Peter and James and John were known as the pillars of the early church in Jerusalem (5). "Abraham," said the Jewish Rabbis, "was the pillar of the world."
He who is faithful will in the end come to a time when he is like a pillar fixed in the Temple of God and goodness has become the constant atmosphere of his life. This phrase describes the life of untroubled goodness which is lived when, after the battles of earth, we reach the presence of God.
The Name of God
Those who do overcome this adversity will have God's name written upon them. I will write on him the name of God, says Jesus. All will then see that they belong to Jesus, they are citizens of the New Jerusalem and they have a special relationship to Jesus. In the cities of Asia Minor, and in Philadelphia, when a priest died after a lifetime of faithfulness, the community honored him, by erecting a new pillar in the temple in which he had served and by inscribing his name and the name of his father upon it. This then would describe the lasting honor which Christ pays to his faithful ones.
When God told Moses about the blessing which Aaron and the priests must pronounce over the people, he said: "They shall put my name upon the people of Israel" (6). It is the same idea again; it is as if the mark of God was upon Israel so that all may know that they are his people.
The Name of the New Jerusalem
On the faithful Christian the name of the new Jerusalem is to be written. That stands for the gift of citizenship in the city of God. On the faithful Christian, Christ will write his own new name. The people of Philadelphia knew all about taking a new name. When in A.D. 17 a terrible earthquake devastated their city and Tiberius, the Emperor, dealt kindly with them, remitting taxation and making a generous gift to rebuild it, they in their gratitude, called the city Neo-Caesarea, the New City of Caesar, and later when the Emperor Vespasian was also kind to them, they called it Flavia, for that was the family name of Vespasian. Jesus Christ will mark his faithful ones with his new name: what that name will be we need not even speculate, for no one knows it (7), but in the time to come, when Christ has conquered all, his faithful ones will bear the badge which shows that they are his and share his triumph.
Meditation
Do you have the invisible name of Jesus inscribed upon your forehead?
Prayer
"At the name of Jesus, Every knee shall bow, Every tongue confess him, King of glory now"
Notes
(1) Hebrews 12:1,2 (2) Hebrews 2:18 (3) James 5:8 (4) verse 11 (5) Galatians 2:9 (6) Numbers 6:22-27 (7) Revelation 19:12
"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place."
