Chapter 31 Revelation
The End of Time

Jesus' Letter to the Church in Philadelphia
 
“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open."
 
“I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. 9 Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love. 10 “Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world."
 
"I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. 12 All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name. 1" 

“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches." Revelation 3:7-13(NLT)

Jesus “dictated” one letter each to each of seven churches located in what is today the nation of Turkey. The letter to Philadelphia is encouraging and it’s the only of the seven without a criticism for the church members, which is cool since we’re a Philly ‘burb’! 

There’s a lot to learn from this letter: vs 8 - no one can undo what God is doing. Even weak and imperfect obedience is effective. Vs 9 - imposters exist, yet the truth will be exposed. vs 10 - Perseverance is rewarded. This world is a testing ground. Vs 11 - all of us will one see “soon” as actually having been soon. Vs 12- more astonishing promises of reward for those who don’t give up.
 
And, did you notice, it’s not that we go “up” to heaven, rather it is that the New Jerusalem “comes down” to us and that (here) will be our new dwelling place in the new creation.

Prayer
 
“Lord, thank you for the reminder that I don’t need to be perfect or sin free, rather that you have already overcome sin. Our task is simply to trust and obey and persevere, even if very imperfectly. Thank you Lord. I will not give up. Amen."