And to the angel of the church in Laodicea, write...Rev. 3:14.
 
    The message to the church at Laodicea connects strongly with the history and the environment of the city.  The city was infamous for its wretched water supply.  Lukewarm in temperature, it was filled with sediment and lime.  The water was too cold for bathing and too warm to be refreshing on a hot summer day.  Jeremiah used rotten food to illustrate the disgust God felt for the behavior of the people (Jer. 24).  In this text Jesus offers an image appropriate to the situation of Laodicea.
 
    The city also had a reputation for its self-sufficiency.  It was a prominent banking center during the time of the Roman emperor Domitian.  Laodicea was so proud of its wealth that it refused aid from the emperor after a major earthquake.  The city was also famous for its textiles, particularly cloth and carpets woven from black wool, a startling contrast to Jesus' offer of white garments.  The city was also home to a first-century medical school that specialized in ear and eye ointments.
 
    So Laodicea the city, like the church it housed, was a self-sufficient place that did not feel its need of outside support, even though its water system came from outside and was not palatable.  Jesus used the history and environment of Laodicea as an illustration of the shortcomings of the local church.
 
    "[Why does God], contemplating the condition of the church of Laodicea, see one thing, while Laodicea, considering her own status, beholds an entirely different condition?  The reason lies in the fact that God and Laodicea are really looking at two different things.  Laodicea gazes upon material things.
 
    "She tends to observe her achievements, which are not inconsiderable.  She thinks of her missionaries at the end of the earth.  She recalls the hospitals and dispensaries which her wealth has erected and which her generosity maintains.  She surveys the schools and colleges in which she purposes to lead her young people in the way that is right.  She counts her printing presses and publishing houses, established to enlighten the world.  She remembers her stately houses of worship, erected in many cities of many lands.  She counts her membership, and analyzes her offerings.
 
    "Her mind goes back to her humble beginnings, and traverses with a subtle and unconscious pride the years of growth, of progress, of attainment.  It is a splendid showing.  Laodicea is happy, is complacent.  She has a flawless doctrine, a competent organization, a triumphant message.  Who can deny these things?"
 
Lord, we cannot always control where we live.  Help me to resist the things around me that draw me away from You purpose for me.

  The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God and that one will not go out of the temple anymore.  I will write upon him or her the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and I will write upon that one My new name.  He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.   Rev. 3:12, 13.
 
    Just outside Aswan, Egypt, in the middle of Lake Nasser, sits an island temple called Philae.  It is reachable by felucca (Egyptian sailboat) or small motorized boats.  On my visit a small, barefooted boy from Sudan, who didn't look a day over 10 years old, drove my boat.  The Greek monarchy of the Ptolemies had built the Temple of Philae about two centuries before the time of Jesus.  While the Greek rulers didn't worship Egyptian gods, they respected the venerable culture of Egypt and sought to provide temples that carefully copied the ancient Egyptian art and architecture of Thebes    
 
    Because of its relative youth and the fact that sand had covered it for hundreds of years, Philae today remains in remarkable condition, compared to the ruins of Karmak and the area around the Valley of the Kings.  Its roof is intact, and so is the artwork inside, including colorful paintings amazingly preserved even after 2,200 years.
 
    Like other ancient Egyptian temples (and like the temple to Yahweh in Bible times), one passes through a gigantic gate into an outer courtyard.  Another gate opens into the temple structure itself, with successive chambers leading to the tiny inner shrine that is the holiest part of the whole complex.  At each level of holiness, access became increasingly limited, until the highest order of priests could enter the inner shrine.
 
    The book of Revelation is full of allusions to the heavenly temple.  Revelation 4 and 5 mention the lamps, the incense, the Lamb, the worship, and the presence of God Himself.  Revelation 6:9 speaks of the altar of sacrifice, and Revelation 8:3-5 and 9:13 the altar of incense.  Revelation 11:19 explicitly connects the ark of the covenant with the inner shrine of the heavenly tabernacle.  That heavenly temple appears again in chapter 15, this time only to be emptied because of the glory of God manifested within (Rev. 15:5-8).  The book declares that the people of God perform priestly service before Him day and night in His temple (Rev. 7:15-17; 22:2-5).
 
    The promise to Philadelphia includes permanent dwelling in the innermost part of the heavenly temple.  Christians will always be in the divine presence.  This means that they will have a major role on the governance of the universe (see also Rev. 3:21).  Though often weak and despised on this earth, God's servants will be elevated to the highest place in eternity.
 
Lord, prepare me now for the glorious role You have in store for all of Your people.

 I am coming quickly.  Hold fast to what you have in order that no one might take your crown.   Rev. 3:11.
 
    I have three children who are just about grown up now.  But while they were all born to my wife and me, they are all different.  For example, when I used to read them stories in the evening, the oldest would tend to repeat everything I said, trying to tell the story better than I had just done.  The middle child would try to get into my lap so he could see the pictures.  The youngest would bounce around the room acting out the different parts of the story.  While all of these behaviors were at times annoying, each child exhibited a unique learning style.
 
    Now the differences show up in the way they handle money.  One likes to hoard everything for a "rainy day."  She usually has each semester of college paid up in advance before the application of subsidies or scholarships.  Another child tends to spend every dollar as soon as it comes in, or even beforehand (a persuasive borrower), but almost always spends that money wisely on things that will make a difference on the long run.  The third child is just as quick to spend money, but tends to use it for short-term indulgences such as candy, computer games, and cheese breadsticks.  As parents we advice, but we also allow them to make some mistakes so they can learn.
 
    When the oldest was about 3 years old we visited another couple who had a child her age.  Early on the mother distributed some raisins to both children.  Later in the day I noticed that my daughter was doing everything one-handed.  In playing games she would move the pieces with the same hand each time, the other hand held out of sight.  Even while eating she didn't dive into the food with her usual two-handed vigor.  It finally became evident that she had balled the other hand into a fist and that she wouldn't loosen it for anything.  When I asked her to show us what as in her hand, she shyly opened it for inspection to reveal about eight raisins.  Liking raisins, she had decided to save them for a "rainy day."  She hung on to those raisins as if her life depended on it.
 
    Jesus encouraged the Philadelphians to "hold fast" what they have.  They must cling to certain values as determinedly as my daughter did to her raisins.  Jesus wanted them to hang on tightly to their salvation (John 10:29).  He wanted them to hang on to their patience and not move ahead of God's plans for their lives.  And He wanted them to hang on to their consistency in obeying Him and in doing good.
 
    So never give up!  Hang on tight to all that truly matters.  Jesus is coming soon.
 
Lord, help me identify the things in my life that truly matters to You.  I want to hang on to them with all the strength You can give me.

    Because you have kept the word of My patience I will keep you from the hour of trial which is about to come upon the whole inhabited world to test those who live on the earth.  Rev. 3:10.
 
    The game wasn't a sellout, by any stretch of the imagination.  It lured 25,623 fans, more than half of them Black Americans, to the 32,000 seats in Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York.  What they saw was a slice of history in the making: a Black man playing in a major league game for the first time.
 
    Of course, Jackie Robinson didn't break the color line in baseball all by himself.  He needed Branch Rickey, the president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, to help him do it.  Rickey was the one with the will and the power to ignore the idiotic myopia of the sport's other leaders.  Were the rulers of baseball afraid that Blacks couldn't play baseball?  Or were they afraid that they would play it too well?
 
    For some time Rickey had been searching for a special Black athlete, someone whose poise matched his skills.  Robinson needed to be able to swallow the racist insults he would surely face from both players and fans.  Rickey told Robinson at their first meeting that he had to have "guts enough not to fight back."
 
    And Robinson proved to be that man.  The first four-sport star at UCLA, an Army veteran, and a budding Negro League phenom, Robinson neither smoked nor drank and possessed a heroic reserve off the field to compliment his fiery resolve on it.  As he stepped to the plate in a Dodger uniform, he was a mature 28 years old (by contrast, Derick Jeter was playing in his eighth major league season when he turned 28).
 
    But in a magnificent 10-year Hall of Fame career Robinson made up for lost time, his and that of the great Negro League ballplayers who never got the chance to shine in the big leagues.  When Robinson conducted himself with dignity in the face of insult, the game of baseball truly became the "national" pastime.
 
    In our world today people prize athletes who brag and posture, doing their deeds "in your face."  But real greatness is found in patient endurance, the kind that embodies the service and self-sacrifice of the Lamb.  Jesus praises Philadelphia not for their skills, their wealth, or their worldly success, but for their patience in the face of poverty, weakness, and persecution.  The message of Revelation turns the philosophy of this world on its head.  Anyone can fight back when rage takes over.  It takes strength of character not to respond to provocation.
 
Lord, You set the tone for Jackie Robinson and me when You endured insults and suffering with patience at Your trial and on the cross.  I choose to follow Your example today.

   Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan--who say that they are Jews, but are not, they are actually liars--I will cause them to come and bow down before your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.   Rev. 3:9.
 
    Bob is a Presbyterian minister from the Philippines.  Some call him a "natural-born" pastor.  To speak with him is to know that you have been with a believer.
 
    One day, on his way to the pulpit to preach, he stopped near his wife and picked up his 10-month-old daughter.  Carrying her in his arms, he stepped up to the podium and began his sermon.  At first the little girl stared wide-eyed at the people before her, but soon she reached out and grabbed her dad's tie, and put it in her mouth.  Everyone laughed.  Pastor Bob freed his tie and put it back in his suit, and continued his sermon.
 
    His tiny daughter then grabbed his glasses and pulled them off.  People chuckled.  Retrieving his glasses, Pastor Bob put them back in place and kissed his daughter.  Then he continued to preach.  After a minute or so, the little girl reached out and grabbed him by the nose!  Everyone, including Pastor Bob, broke out in laughter.
 
    When it finally became still, Pastor Bob said to the congregation, "Is there anything that she could do that you could not forgive her for?"  People began to nod, thinking of their own children and grandchildren.
 
    "And when does that end?"  Pastor Bob continued.  "At 3?  At 15?  At 30?  How old does someone have to be before you forget that everyone is a child of God?"
 
    The audience fell totally silent.  You could hear a pin drop.
 
    Very softly the pastor asked, "And when did you forget that you too are a child of God?"
 
    Does God love us less than we love our children?  Is a 3-year-old's continuation as part of the family conditional upon never making a mess?  Conditional on earning his or her keep?  Do we think God is a poorer parent than most of us?  Do we feel inside that we could never be good enough to merit His acceptance and favor?  Consciously, or unconsciously, we often operate from a fear-driven covenant with God, many of our behaviors and relationships motivated by an effort to avoid His judgment.
 
    Many of us strive fearfully to deserve God's love.  We are reluctant to believe that we belong.  Perhaps that is the cause of most of our stress.  Maybe we need to become like children again to know just how much God loves us.
 
Lord, thank You for accepting me as part of Your family in Christ.  Thank You for the many tokens of love You have placed in the world around me.  I will rest in Your love today.

 Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan--who say that they are Jews, but are not, they are actually liars--I will cause them to come and bow down before your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you.  Rev. 3:9.
 
    Because the place where I teach has long had a strong contingent of Korean students, I have become intrigued by aspects of Korean culture.  One of the most interesting involves bowing.  As with many Asian cultures, ritualized bowing is part of the Korean greeting process, as well as in the expression of thanks and apologies.
 
    I have observed that "bows" come in a variety of forms.  When two individuals of equal status meet, the bows are roughly equal in proportion, low but not too low.  As a person of higher status meets a person of lower status, he or she acknowledges that person with a bow, but the bow is not as low as the one directed toward the higher status person.  And when someone has made a nice gesture toward another or has given a gift, the depth of the bow is proportionate to the appreciation for the gift or gesture.
 
    Something similar holds true for the apology bow.  It is an aphorism in the Korean culture that when one has truly messed up, the situation can be redeemed only if one "remembers to bow very low."  The deeper the bow the greater the contrition.  This can be helpful even in the Western context.  My wife can be ever so upset with me, but something about a male bowing in contrition to a woman melts her heart (or triggers amusement) and defuses what could otherwise turn into an ugly situation.
 
    It is affirming for teachers to bow to a Korean student, but it is usually a shallow bow, almost a nod.  But for Koreans this system of bowing is not a carefully calculated action.  Rather, it is instinctive, a spontaneous cultural reaction to events and people.  Similar rituals must have been common in the Greco-Roman world of antiquity.
 
    The Greek word behind "bow down" in our text is the typical one for "worship" in the book of Revelation.  As such it implies a willing acknowledgement that someone else is superior, worthy of adoration and praise.  The background to this text appears in the Old Testament.  The sons of those who oppressed the Jews in Babylon would bow down to them, showing that the exiles were no longer despised, but now were honored (Isa. 45:14; 49:23; 60:14).  The Jews would not need to avenge their own humiliations.  God Himself would reverse their fortunes.  Likewise, Christians, oppressed by both Jew and Gentile, would be exonerated one day by God (Rev. 3:9).
 
Lord, when I get put down or others get the opportunities I feel I deserve, help me to trust in You to right wrongs in Your good time.  Help me not to take things into my own hands, but to wait patiently for Your timing.

  And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write:  These things says the Holy and True One, the One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.  I know your works.  I have placed before you a door already opened, and no one is able to shut it.  Although you have little strength, you have kept My word and have not denied My name.  Rev. 3:7, 8.
 
    In the heart of Beijing, China, lies the old imperial palace called the Forbidden City.  Within the walled boundaries of this network of buildings the ancient emperors of the Chinese dynamics once lived and ruled.  Common people could never set foot on grounds considered sacred, hence the name Forbidden City.
 
    In order to enter the well-fortified "city" one must go through the very large and imposing Meridian Gate, which consists of five entrances.  The central and grandest of them was reserved only for the emperor himself.  All the other officials and royal family members had to pass through one of the other four gates.  The only exception was that a princess on her wedding could enter the city through this special Gate.  Also, once a year, the three top scholars in China had the rare honor of using the emperor's gate.
 
    The letter to Philadelphia has a unique feature.  Jesus does not just analyze the church's past and offer a remedy--He describes what He is doing for them in the present, having placed before them an open door that no one can shut.  The ultimate Emperor does not reserve that door for Himself but throws it open to His followers from Philadelphia.
 
    What is this door, and why does Jesus offer it and hold it open?  Commentators have three suggestions.
 
    1. Jesus as the door.  As in John 10, He is the one who guards the entrance to the church.  Nothing can deny access to His faithful Philadelphians.
 
    2. A door of missionary opportunity.  Jesus promises them that their efforts to evangelize the lost would be successful (cf. 1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12; Col. 4:3).
 
    3. The door of heavenly knowledge.  If this is Jesus' intention, it would be in anticipation of Revelation 4:1, which depicts a door standing open in heavenly places.  The people of the church of Philadelphia have the knowledge about heavenly things that they are receiving from John in the book of Revelation.
 
    While all three suggestions have spiritual support, I particularly like the first.  Although others (the synagogue in Philadelphia) have excluded them from salvation, Someone far greater than their opponents welcomes them!
 
Thank You, Lord, for providing a full and free salvation in Christ.  As I continue in my walk with You, help me never to doubt my access to You.

  And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write: These things says the Holy and True One.  The One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.  Rev. 3:7.
 
    Jesus declares Himself to be the one who holds the key of David.  He has the authority to open and to shut, making Him the one who controls entrance to the royal palace, the place where the authority of the kingdom concentrates.
 
    The language of this text is based on Isaiah 22:22.  Sennacherib of Assyria was attacking Jerusalem.  The leaders of the nation had gathered weapons, shored up the city walls, and secured the water supply of the city.  But God criticized their work because in all their preparations they never asked Him for help.  Instead, when they realized that their situation was hopeless, they decided to party and enjoy what few resources they had left before death overtook them (verses 1-13).
 
    Shebna, who was in charge of the royal palace, proved to be as materialistic as the people, commissioning a spectacular grave to be carved out for himself in a prominent place (verses 15, 16).  The Lord deposed him from his position and gave the key of David to Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, instead (verses 17-21).  From then on Eliakim would be the one with the authority to open and shut the doors of the kingdom (verse 22).
 
    In the American government we would call the position described here as chief of staff.  This position came to the attention of the American people during the Watergate crisis of 1973-1974.  H. R. Haldeman, President Nixon's chief of staff, had full control of the president's schedule.  He decided who could get in to see the president and who could not.  If he didn't like someone, that person would never have access to the president unless the president intervened personally!
 
    Many people have the idea that the top leaders of American government meet with the president on a daily basis.  Actually very few have that privilege.  Above all others the chief of staff is in constant contact with the president.  If he wishes and the president allows, the chief of staff can become the most powerful and influential position in the U. S. government, even though the individual is neither elected by the people nor ratified by Congress.
 
    As in Smyrna, the members of the church at Philadelphia experienced conflict in relation to the local synagogue.  It is likely that the Christians of Philadelphia found themselves disfellowshipped from the synagogue, and they may have questioned whether they had lost their place in heaven as well.  Jesus assures them that He, and He alone, decided who enters the temple of God.  As long as they remain in relationship with Him, their position with God is secure.
 
Lord, I treasure the access I have with You in Christ.  Help me to serve You today with joy and confidence, knowing that Jesus has set before me an open door.

 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, write....Rev. 3:7.
 
    As most Americans know, the name Philadelphia means "brotherly love."  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has become called, therefore, the City of Brotherly Love.  I'm not sure how the ancient city of Philadelphia received its name, but the Turkish people who live there now still exhibit this characteristic.
 
    I have visited the ancient site of Philadelphia twice.  It is located in the modern city of Alashehir.  I have never been in a place that more warmly receives strangers.  The first time we visited I was not feeling well.  So I was walking down the street on market day, noticing my surroundings, but not wanting to talk or be involved with people.
 
    Suddenly a man rushed toward me from behind a vegetable stand.  Unable to speak English, he pointed to my camera and then himself and his vegetable stand.  He wanted me to take a picture.  I was used to this Middle Eastern drill--or so I thought.  "You take picture--I take baksheesh."  In other words, the privilege of taking his picture would relieve me of some of my dollars.  In a bad mood to begin with, I was not interested in a picture of his vegetable stand.  But for some reason I went along, expecting to get fleeced.
 
    When I finished taking the picture, an amazing thing happened.  He motioned for me to wait, pulled out a paper bag and filled it with vegetables from his stand, then handed them to me and said, "Welcome!"  With a smile and a wave he sent me on my way.  I was truly humbled and somewhat ashamed of my attitude.  It dawned on me at that moment that here was a great example of the brotherly love that lay behind the ancient name of the place.
 
    A little later my family and three students found a place to eat.  It was a little restaurant a few hundred meters from the market square.  Their specialty was Turkish cheese bread and salad.  As we were vegetarians, that sounded like the perfect meal for a traveler.  We watched, fascinated, as the baker laid out long strips of bread, filled a tiny trench with local cheese, and then put the results in a brick over with an open fire.  The food was delicious and cost the eight of us only US$5!  I was so moved by the experience that I left a 25 percent tip in gratitude.  Since the children were sometimes slow, we left ahead of the students to head for the bus.
 
    The students arrived 15 minutes later with another whole meal of cheese bread.  The man had been so moved by my tip that he refused to let the students go until he had prepared a second meal for all of us as a gift!  It deeply touched me.  Brotherly love is a wonderful thing that brings profound joy to both the giver and the receiver.  I will never forget my Turkish friends!
 
Lord, I want to show Your love today by giving of myself to others.  May You exhibit the meaning of Your love through me.

   The one who overcomes will likewise be dressed in white garments, and I will not remove his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.  He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  Rev. 3:5, 6.
 
    In some parts of the ancient Greek world, when the authorities were about to execute a person for a crime they would first erase his name from the roll of the citizens.  This seems to have been a necessary step before the state could condemn a citizen to death.
 
    It seems clear from this text that John didn't believe in the popular version of "once saved always saved."  Remaining in the book of life is the result of an ongoing process of "overcoming" (a Greek participle in the present tense).  Thus remaining in the book of life rests on continuing relationship with Jesus, not some arbitrary decree on God's part.  While our works are never the basis for our salvation, good works are the ongoing evidence that people are saved (Rev. 19:7, 8).  Righteous deeds are the garments of the righteous.
 
    The promise that God gives to those who continue to overcome--that He will not blot their names out of the book of life--is a warning to all Christians who think that mere profession or church attendance will be sufficient to ensure their salvation.  When Mickey Cohen, a famous Los Angeles gangster of the 1940s, made a public profession of Christian faith, Christians everywhere were elated.  They considered it a marvelous example of God's saving grace.  But as time passed they begun to wonder why he did not renounce his gangster lifestyle. 
 
    Sometime later when Christian friends confronted him about it, he responded, "You never told me I had to give up my career.  You never told me that I had to give up my friends.  There are Christian movie stars, Christian athletes, Christian businessmen.  So what's the matter with being a Christian gangster?  If I have to give up all that--if that's Christianity--count me out."  Cohen gradually drifted away from his Christian friends and ultimately died alone and forgotten.
 
    Christians need to realize that when we take the name of Jesus, we immediately become witnesses for Him.  But when we merely go through the motions, when we don't allow Him to change us, we give others the excuse not to allow Jesus to change their lives either.  We may not be gangsters, but if we take on Christian faith as a thin veneer over our selfishness, we bear witness to a faith that will not change the world.  It is a faith that may seem alive to others, but is nevertheless either about to die or is already truly dead.
 
    The victory of faith comes to those who persevere in overcoming.
 
Lord, I pray that I will never be satisfied with merely a veneer of faith.  Take over the core of my being and transform me into a true witness for you.