PHILADELPHIA The Compensation Revelation 3v12-13.
"Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven, from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches".
With the use of symbols the Infinite is communicating with the finite; God is communicating with man in language that we can all understand. The truth is, that if He were to describe heaven as it really is, it would be beyond our understanding, so He puts it in terms of what will not be there, that is unpleasant in this life. Over in chapter 21, the new heavens and the new earth is described in terms of what will be absent of the curse that is on this present earth. "There will be no more sea.....there will be no more pain..... no more death.....no more sorrow.....no more crying....etc.etc. He uses the same approach to the seven churches of Asia: the fallen church at Ephesus will eat of the tree of life; the persecuted church at Smyrna will not be hurt of the second death; the church at Pergamos, living within the restrictions of "Satan's throne" will know all restrictions lifted and given free access in heaven; the people at Thyatira who knew the moral depravity in connection with the idol temples, will then know the benign rule of Christ and the dawning of a new day where no evil will be present; the church at Sardis who lived among those who had defiled their garments, will then walk with Him clothed in white raiment. This is how God presents the compensations for faithfulness in this life and He does the same with Philadelphia.
He does it in three ways:
- He first speaks of the permanence of their existence. "I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God." This must have been a delight to the people at Philadelphia. They lived their lives in a combination of transience and instability. The city was plagued with regular earthquakes and natural disasters causing turmoil, nothing was permanent in Philadelphia; they got over one disaster and went into another. However through all the turmoil there was one pillar in the temple that withstood all the shocks, and remained proud in a shattered city that knew nothing of stability. This imagery of heaven must have been a great blessing to them. They would become pillars in the temple of His God, in a place of permanence, and prominence in which they would stand forever.
- He speaks of the peacefulness of their existence. "They shall never go out." They will dwell in the sanctuary of God forever, never again to be exposed to the evils caused by earthly turmoil and worldly clamour and spiritual departure from the living God. They will reside always in His presence like Anna the prophetess in Luke chapter 1v36-38 where it says "She departed not from the temple but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. "Their occupation will be constant worship. For those of us who don't understand what that possibly could mean, a consideration of Isaiah chapter 6 and Revelation chapter 4 would reveal that beings superior to us (the seraphim) spend their entire existence in such worship. So great is the presence of God that they have eyes for nothing else, and time for nothing else, and that is the whole topic of their conversation, and that is where we human beings are headed. The occupation of worship is indicated in the repetition of the word "God" in this picture of heaven. God is the supreme object of worship in the universe, there being no one else like Him, as He exudes the perfections of Deity all around. He speaks of "the temple of my God"; He speaks of the "name of my God"; He speaks of the "city of my God"; He says "the new Jerusalem which cometh down out of heaven from my God." The occupation of the believers in eternity will be one of wonder and worship.
- He speaks of the privilege of their existence. Three times He speaks of names that will be given to the saints. "The name of my God." ;" the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from heaven from my God;" and "the new name of Christ." What all that means is just beyond our imagination. People who are called "celebrities" today have their names emblazoned in public places, written on pillars for all to see or inscribed on "hallowed pavements" as in Hollywood. The saints will have the honour of all their associations permanently displayed in the hallowed courts of heaven, and in chapter 22v4 it says "His name shall be on their foreheads." This is privilege beyond any human description. Not only will God publicly associate with us, He will permanently grant us a place in the new Jerusalem. The details of this new city are found in Revelation chapter 21, which we will consider later. He said "I will write upon Him my new name." In Revelation 19v12 it says "He had a name written, that no man knew but He Himself ." What this means, I think, is that of all that we know of Christ, we are only touching the surface. He has a new name, there will be new revelations, there will be endless and fresh aspects of His character which will go on for all eternity and we will know Him in an entirely new way. This leaves us all breathless as we consider the unfathomable glories of Christ that will yet be revealed to us in that glorious place of peace and permanence.
No wonder the Holy Spirit seeks to draw the attention of God's people to these things. In the words of the apostle Paul "our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2nd Corinthians 4v17-18
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