The obedience of the church at Philadelphia comes up at the beginning of Revelation 3:10. It says, “Because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come…
In Revelation 3:9, Jesus promises that a time will come when the Jews who are persecuting them will bow at their feet. He says, “Behold, I will cause those from the synagogue of Satan, who are calling themselves Jews and…
Overview of the Philadelphia Letter The Philadelphia letter provides a marked contrast to the noticeable trajectory of decline that one observes in the progression from Pergamum to Thyatira to Sardis. Her letter corresponds to the letter to Smyrna in terms…
Several years ago, when my kids were small, I heard about the idea of celebrating the Passover with your family on the Thursday night before Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I thought this was a good idea and wanted to…
The promise of white garments is also the first element of Jesus’ promise to the conquerors. Revelation 3:5 says, “The one who conquers will thus clothe himself in white garments and I will certainly not erase his name from the…
What Does Jesus Mean by “Defiled Their Garments”? In Revelation 3:4, Jesus commends those who are exceptions to his criticism of the Sardis church. He says, “But you have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments,…
Overview of the Sardis Letter The Pergamum and Thyatira churches are struggling to maintain their doctrinal purity in the midst of stumbling blocks from false teachers and the prophetess Jezebel. In spite of the damaging effects of false teaching, Christ…
In an ideal world, seminary students would be able to find more mature Christians who could invest in them and help them to learn to work with people. I was in seminary in Louisville from 1992 to 1997 at Southern…
Teaching the Seven Letters of Revelation, Part 4c: The Reward for the Conquerors in the Thyatira Letter Those who have rejected Jezebel’s teaching deserve no other “burden” (2:24). However, Jesus does exhort them to persevere until his coming and places…
What Is Jezebel’s Sexual Immorality or Harlotry? In Revelation 2:20, Jesus highlights the glaring weakness of the church at Thyatira. Revelation 2:20 says, “But I have against you that you are tolerating the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess,…