Transcription
Good evening everyone and welcome to this presentation. As we agreed in class, I will try to present some parts of the online course to save, I would say, much more time. Because normally, this course is a survey that professors usually do at the seminary, but I tried to do something new. Last year, I tried it, unfortunately it didn't work, and this year again, I tried to modify the approach a little bit. It's not working, and once again, so I will still try to do some kind of mix. I spent too much time in Daniel, and we had already lost a good part of the first part, in fact, a good part of the session with the catch-up. So I will still try to do something.
This presentation concerns the church of Philadelphia. This is the faithful church, the model church, and I believe it is also the missionary church, the church that had zeal for the Master's work. Okay, what I will do is first read, let me see, two verses from Revelation chapter 3. And so, these are verses 7 and 8, and we will also read verse 10. Look with me, written to the angel of the church of Philadelphia, "These things says the Holy One, this is a description of Jesus Christ himself, so the Holy and the True One, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one will open." Here is a description of the one who is writing, and we must remember that each presentation, let's say each letter, is addressed in a particular way, and each letter is addressed to a particular church. And at the level of each introduction, there is something special that tells us, well, a few words, in fact, that reveal something about the character of the one who is writing, about his person, about what he does, about his power.
In this text, for example, we see that the one who is writing is sovereign, so he does what he wants. He has the key, so when he opens, no one can shut; when he shuts, no one can open. So, he is someone who has unlimited power, he has full control, and he is the Alpha and the Omega, one could say, so he is the first and the last, the one who has the first word and the last word too. Look, for example, at this aspect of the presentation of the one who is writing, and it is said, "He who has the key of David." He who has the key of David. This could refer to the fact that Jesus Christ is the son of David, the one who has the right to reign on his father's throne eternally. Remember that in, and what passage already, it is in 2 Samuel chapter 2, verses 12 to 16, we find the Davidic covenant. So God had promised David that he would have a descendant on the throne forever, and in this text, God made a commitment, and he kept it to respect his commitment. And he started with this king, his name is Solomon, and God did something special with him. But after Solomon, you know, the people experienced dark moments, experienced dark times, times of idolatry. But God had already promised that his name would not be, so he would not erase his name from David's lineage. So David would always have a descendant, and even if this descendant sinned, so he had foreseen to correct them, to chastise them, but he had promised not to reject David's lineage. And in 586, with the Babylonian invasion, so it is a period in the life of the people that God had to bring correction, and after the 70 years of captivity, the people returned to Jerusalem in Judah, and the tribe of Judah endured in history, and to this day there is a remnant, and this remnant will exist until the future, and at the end of the tribulation, so the one who has the keys of David will come and he will gather on his father's throne, so it is Jesus Christ.
So this is just a presentation of the one who is writing. I must go with much more speed. And in verse 8, we see Jesus saying to the church, "I know your works. See, because you have little strength, you have kept my word, and you have not denied my name. I have set before you an open door that no one can shut." Well, what does this mean, an open door that no one can shut? In reality, we do not know exactly what Jesus Christ is saying to the church of Philadelphia. But one way to understand an open door is a possibility to enter the kingdom. So this could refer to salvation. So the people, the church, or rather, each believer at the level of the church, the true believers, they have, overall, so believers have eternal life. So the door that is open could, in this sense, be a door to salvation, entry, or at least access to salvation. It can also be an opportunity for ministry. So "open door" can mean access to the kingdom of God, and "open door" can be an opportunity for salvation.
So what you see here, and can I, okay, so here you see, this is a ruin of the city of Philadelphia. So we did not take the time to give you too many details about the city, so you will have to search for yourself when you have to do biblical studies at your church. The church of Philadelphia is located in Turkey. I told you in class, so practically all these churches are located in modern Turkey, which is practically Asia Minor. And we have these are columns here at the level of the city, a special place. But let's move on. There is another important aspect in this church, and it is at verse 10 that we will look at it. Verse 10 tells us, "Because you have kept the word of my perseverance, I will also keep you from the hour of trial which is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth." Now, what temptation is he talking about? The temptation that will come on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth. Apparently, it is a figure of judgment. Now, if it is a figure of judgment, it can refer to the tribulation period. And if we say that it will happen during the tribulation period, then we will want to say that the church of Philadelphia will exist during the tribulation so that the faithful of this church will be spared from the temptation. So that will be a bit problematic. But in reality, I have seen that many commentators have understood it this way. Personally, I would refrain from attributing this meaning of the word, this interpretation, to it. And the primary reason is because the church of Philadelphia, of Philadelphia, does not exist today. Or at least, another aspect could be that we consider the church of Philadelphia as a figure of the church in general at any period in history. And at that moment, we could consider the Church as being, we could consider this verse as referring to the tribulation period, so to the hour of temptation that will come on the whole world, and I am to try those who dwell on the earth. And this verse is used to support the, in fact, the pre-tribulationist view, so the view that concerns the rapture of the Church even before the tribulation period. So the only way to be kept from that time is to be absent from the earth. But still, to consider that it refers to the tribulation period, we must consider the church of Philadelphia as a figure of the church in general at any period in history. In fact, practically all churches are considered as referring to the Church of Jesus Christ in general at any period. So it is only in this way that one can purify, that one can attribute this verse to the tribulation period.
Now, another question could be, how does this apply to the life or present situation of the church of Philadelphia? This is a question mark. We don't know. But we tend to recognize, or at least attribute this verse to the tribulation period anyway. Now, another thing is that the expression "those who dwell on the earth" is repeated several times in the book of Revelation. In this expression, does it mean in this context that the church will be on earth at that time? I don't think so, because otherwise, if we consider that the church will be on earth and that the church will simply be spared, no, the church will simply be spared. No, I cannot go back. Unfortunately, yes. So if the church will be spared from the tribulation period in this sense, we will want to say that the Church will practically not be raptured even before the tribulation period. So there must be another way to think about this aspect. So there must be another way to think about this aspect, and unfortunately, I cannot go back. And there is another part that I should have considered in this presentation, but I will still advance. I will advance, but let me look at you, "Because you have kept the word of my perseverance, I will also keep you from the hour of trial which is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth."
So, just to summarize what we have just seen about the church of Philadelphia. First, it is a church that apparently had zeal for the word, zeal for the mission, zeal for ministry opportunities in general. A church that had the opportunity to receive the message that this church will not be tested in the hour of trial. Now, something I had not mentioned: it could be imminent persecution, persecution from the time of Diocletian, when God was dead, before the ancient, before Jesus Christ. But it could be something that befell the churches, the society in which the Church evolved, perhaps before the end of the first century, or at least early after the first century. We don't know exactly, but the Church had received the promise of being kept at the time of the tribulation.
Now, let's move on to the church of Laodicea. Laodicea is a problematic church. So, I say problematic church because Laodicea received reproaches from the one who is the true head of the church. And here is how he is introduced in this passage, at verse 14: "Write to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans. 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.'" Okay, "I know your works. I know that you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!" Look closely here, because we will need this aspect in the text. So the one who is the true one, here he says, my preference would be that you be cold or hot, so practically both extremes, one or the other, so no half measures. Well, thus, "because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth."
Okay, let me consider some elements in the slide. Listen, Laodicea had many sites, many sites in this city. And so I mentioned in class that some of these church sites are not even known by the inhabitants of the areas where the church or these churches were located. And a professor said he was there, it was at Colossae, I believe. Unfortunately, he was in the area where the church was located, but he asked the people of the area, unfortunately, they didn't know what he was talking about, unfortunately. So this shows how intense apostasy is, how much people don't care about the church, don't care about the Word of God. Laodicea, okay. And this concrete block you see here. So just before, know that Laodicea had water. So this is the image that God will use to present his message, or rather, his reproach to the church. Look here, this is a concrete block that formed the conduit that transported water in the city of Laodicea. And God uses water as an image to convey his message to the church. And verse 16 will emphasize Jesus Christ as the Creator of all things. Let me look at verse 16. Here it says, "Thus, because you are, and because you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth, because you say, 'Okay.'"
So, let me, my preference, and draw your attention to the fact that Laodicea was very close to the city of Colossae, and you will see this in a slide in the next one. But let's say Colossae, there was in the city of Colossae, there was a heresy, a heresy. Do not forget that the Apostle Paul spoke to the Colossians concerning, and to guard themselves concerning the philosophies of this century, and not to be seduced by the philosophies of this century. And on the other side, there was this heresy. Well, here God takes care to draw the attention of this church to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things, and he uses water as elements that he himself had created, since he is the Creator of all things. And in the next slide, you will see that the city of Colossae, you see here the city of Colossae, was not too far. There is Laodicea here, and there is Hierapolis on the other side. And listen well, there was this river on this side, and there is a river here, but there is a situation that is a bit complex here. Sometimes people consider that the water of Colossae is cold, and the water of Hierapolis is hot, and this is a reality. But what happens is that it is considered that the water of Laodicea comes from Hierapolis, so before arriving at Laodicea, the water has lost its heat, and that is why the water of Laodicea is cold, and in fact, it is lukewarm. But this is not the case at all, because scholars have discovered that the water of Laodicea comes from another river, and not from the river that bathes Hierapolis. Okay, so know that the hot water found in Hierapolis has healing effects. So the water of Hierapolis has healing effects, and the water in Laodicea is cold. So one can drink the water of, in fact, Colossae, rather, the water of Colossae is cold, one can use the water of Colossae normally, so as a drink. And unfortunately, the water of Laodicea is of no use. So the water of Hierapolis is useful for healing, but the water of Laodicea is of no use. And you will see a little later that the water of Laodicea is even harmful to health.
Look here, so I will not give you the history of this group, in fact, of this city, just to save time, but I will give you some ideas anyway. But some details here that I will not read. But let me draw your attention to the fact that the site of Laodicea has 17 springs, and some of them have a temperature of over 45 degrees Celsius. And so the water of Laodicea, in fact, most of the springs are saturated with these minerals and carbon dioxide. So these are elements that are not beneficial to health. So this makes the water of Laodicea useless. So it cannot be used for healing, nor can it be used to quench thirst. So practically, the water is useless. And this is why Jesus Christ will say, "Thus, because you are, you are not, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth." This is the reality of the city, or rather, the church of Laodicea. So this is the conduit that transports water in the city. Practically, this is something, among the ruins of the city.
Now, there are interpretations concerning "because you are neither cold nor hot." First, it is said that hot water could be a symbol, rather a symbol of fire, of zeal, of burning love for the Lord. And practically, hot water is a reference to the warmth, the motivation of the church. And cold water, and that the church doesn't care about God at all. So this is what many people say. So I don't think this is a good way to consider the matter. So it doesn't make sense because, as Simita said, "God wants you to be hot or you yourself," so no half measures. I expect you to be hot or cold. So hot, you are for me; cold, you are not for me. I don't think we can adopt this idea. And it makes more sense to understand that hot water is good for something, so for health, and good for something for health. And cold water is also good for something, because one can refresh oneself with cold water. But lukewarm water is good for nothing. And so, if we consider the image that Jesus Christ uses in this context, it makes sense to consider that lukewarm water is practically something that is not, has nothing in this context. So Jesus Christ would have preferred the church to be hot or cold. So in this sense, the church would still be useful for something.
And the people of this city, and well, were very rich, and it must be said, the people of this city were so rich that history reports that they rebuilt the city without asking for money from the state, so without the tax money of the citizens, they accepted nothing from the government, they practically took charge of everything. And this city also had a rich banking system. There were quality clothes in this city, and it was famous for medicine too. So there are medicines for, for eye medicines, I would say, medicines for the eyes, so they discovered that there in the city of Laodicea. Unfortunately, nothing is said about the church of Laodicea itself, let's say about the particular wealth of the church. Unfortunately, there is nothing. But concerning the spiritual state of the church, it will work.
Okay, now there is a verse that is very popular, I would say it is probably the most popular verse, the most popular verse in the book, Revelation chapter 3 and verse 20, where it says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and sup with him, and he with me." And so, I forgot to do something here, okay, anyway. So it is a popular verse, as I just said. Now, what does this mean? "I stand at the door and knock." Well, there are many interpretations around this verse. There are many people who say that this verse relates to salvation. So there are several views in this sense. There are three main views, especially.
The first view relates to salvation. It is said that the Laodiceans are lost and must be saved. Now, this view is a bit problematic because normally, at the level of a church, we cannot consider that everyone is lost. It is a bit problematic at first glance. And this is based on, in fact, let's say that this view is based on the quintuple description of Laodicea in chapter 3, verse 17, where it says that the church is miserable. So we are talking about believers. So you are miserable, wretched, poor, blind, naked. So those who share this point of view see this as a clear description of an unbeliever. I just mentioned to you that it would be inconceivable to consider that this description could be attributed to the church in general as having no personal relationship with God. And most of these words are used for true believers as well in other places. In reality, we can say that these are not illogical words to describe a believer, but these words are also used for genuine unbelievers.
Second view: it is an eschatological view. So it is said that the door that is open is the eschatological door through which Christ will enter at his coming. Is this true? And it works. Well, Christ gives those who have not yet accepted the time to prepare for his return. And the supper is the messianic banquet. So "I will come in to him and sup with him, and he with me." Okay, so it is explained with the idea that, well, the supper is something, entry into the messianic supper, so it relates to the future anyway. Well, if we consider this view, it will be problematic in the sense that it seems to make Christ's coming dependent on man's response. So if he knocks at the door and man does not open, it means that, in fact, Jesus Christ will not return as long as man delays opening the door. So that is a negative point, a weakness in this position.
Now, if the view of salvation does not hold, if the eschatological view does not hold, well, let's look at our view. The other view is a communication, a fraternal communion rather with the Master. So the Laodiceans are believers who need to renew their communion with Christ. It is like the image of lukewarm water. So the water can be hot. So the Laodiceans needed to remove the impurities from the water. Now, to make the water useful, this is an image that God used to show, or at least point to the spiritual state of the church, and that the church needed to undergo spiritual reform in order to be useful in the kingdom of God. So the Laodiceans, we can assume they were believers, they needed to take care of their communion with God because when we are believers, our communion with God can be altered by sin. That is why the Bible encourages us not to grieve the Spirit of God by whom we have been sealed for the day of redemption. When we grieve the Spirit of God, we cannot truly do effective things that contribute to the edification of the whole body. That is why the Apostle Paul tells us to walk according to the Spirit, so as not to fulfill the desires of the flesh. So the third view seems to be much more appropriate. Do not forget that we do not have a solution for practically all ideas, for all biblical texts. So there are some positions that have weaknesses, but they are less problematic, and we adopt those that pose much less problems, much less problems. It sounds a bit funny, but it works well. And so, although the words of chapter 3, verse 17, are certainly very strong and could apply to an unbeliever, so the view of fraternal community is the best. Look closely here, it is the best. And so this does not mean that one cannot consider the other views, but the other views are much more problematic than this one.
Well, thank you very much for being here. We will move on. Third view, still. There is another part. The verb "to love" here, which is repeated at verse 19, can be useful for this part. The words of Christ could only apply to a true believer. "I rebuke and discipline all whom I love." So, "be zealous and repent." So I mentioned that. So zeal, motivation, and the idea of taking care of one's relationship with God is practically what the author is saying, or at least what Jesus Christ is saying to the church of Laodicea. Okay, so the verb "to love" used here is the verb "phileo." So "phileo" here means "I love," and when it is used for God's love, it always refers to his love for believers. Moreover, the Lord Jesus disciplines only his children, and we have this idea in Hebrews: "He chastens whom he loves." Well, thank you very much, and until next time for another presentation.