What they receive, therefore, is a wake up call, which has the twin imperatives, remember and repent. They are to “remember” what they have received and heard; and they are “repent” by returning to obedience and to holding fast to what you have received and heard. Thus in keeping with the metaphor with which the letter begins, that they have a reputation of being alive, the fact is that life is ebbing out of them—they are about to die. But if they do repent, then the promise (v. 5) will follow, I will never blot out their names from the book of life—a term that now also serves as a wordplay on their presently being dead.
But not all is warning and judgment. Some (a few) are walking with unsullied garments now; they have not soiled their clothes. The end result, therefore, and in keeping with the metaphor, is that they will walk with, me dressed in white. Given the history of this city and its loyalty to Rome, this metaphor is very likely an allusion to the Roman triumphal procession, where to honor their returning, conquering heroes the citizens lined the streets in white and thus joined in the parade. In like manner some in Sardis will be considered worthy to join in the Lord’s triumph when he returns as conqueror.
More importantly still, their names will not be blotted out from the book of life, which in 21:17 is called “the Lamb’s book of life.” In this first occurrence, however, it would seem to have a double referent. First, this very well may refer in part to the citizen rosters of the Greco-Roman cities, thus reflecting their own pride of place in Sardis. But second, its more immediate referent biblically is by way of two Old Testament texts. Thus, in Exodus 32:32–33 Yahweh responds to Moses’ interceding for Israel by saying, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book,” a concept that in Psalm 69:28 is referred to as “the book of life.” This language is then picked up by Paul in Philippians 4:3, as well as here and later in the Revelation. Thus the names of the believers in Sardis are enrolled on the heavenly citizenship roster, and because of this at the final procession of Christ and his saints they will walk with him in white (cf. 19:14).
The final part of the promise is equally compelling, where Christ’s promise to the victors is that I will acknowledge their names before my Father and his angels. Given the significance of naming in the ancient world, this would most likely have been seen as the ultimate kudo. Thus, not only will their names not be blotted out, but at the Eschaton the Savior will acknowledge them by name before God the Father and the entire heavenly host. One can only hope that this kind of promise, following the censure in verse 2 (having a reputation for being alive, but being actually dead) and the warnings in verse 3, would have caused the whole community indeed to “wake up,” so as to have their names acknowledged by the Son before the Father.
To the Church in Philadelphia (3:7–13)
7“To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:
These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 8I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars—I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. 10Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
11I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12Those who are victorious I will make pillars in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name. 13Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The youngest of the seven cities, Philadelphia sat a little more than thirty miles east-southeast of Sardis. Although its origins are a bit obscure, it was apparently founded during the early second century BCE, at the height of the Attalid (Pergameme) control of Anatolia. It was named after Attalus II, fifth successor to the throne in Pergamum, who came to that position after the death of his brother, to whom he had shown such remarkable loyalty that he had received the name Philadelphus. It was most likely founded as an outpost city, thus securing Hellenistic influence over local peoples in the area.21
Its location secured for it a long history after our period. Nestled as it was at the southern edge of a level river basin, it sat astraddle the main routes north and south, and at the head of a large plain of lava deposit soil that was perfect for vineyards. The most important feature of the town, however, was its location almost atop the fault responsible for the severe earthquake noted above regarding Sardis (17 CE), of which Strabo writes just a few years later, “Philadelphia has not even its walls secure, but they are daily shaken and split in some degree. The people continually pay attention to earth-tremors and plan their buildings with this factor in mind.” And later,
beyond the Lydians are the Mysians and the city of Philadelphia, full of earthquakes, for the walls never cease being cracked, and different parts of the city are constantly suffering damage. That is why the actual town has few inhabitants, but the majority live as farmers in the countryside, as they have fertile land. But one is surprised even at the few, that they are so fond of the place when they have such insecure dwellings. And one would be even more amazed at those who founded it.22
The result was that the emperor Tiberius actually let them off paying taxes for one five-year period, until they could recover adequately from earthquake damage.
The insecurity of the people was furthered by a devastating earthquake near Laodicea in 60 CE. Added to this was the economic disaster imposed on them by the emperor Domitian in 92 CE, just a couple of years before our letter. In the kind of ill-advised move that the powerful can make, the emperor required grape growing empire-wide to be reduced in half—most likely, it is thought by historians, as a way to force the growing of corn for his armies. This rather foolish law had particularly devastating effect on places like Philadelphia, which were largely dependent on vineyards for their livelihood. It appears to have fostered a strong sense of betrayal among the people, who had always been very pro-emperor. In a variety of ways much of this history makes sense of some of the data in our letter.23
The ascription about Christ in verse 7 is the first in the series that is not basically a reflection of the vision in 1:16–18; yet even here John’s creativity is at work, for the key word is “key,” which appeared in 1:19, where Christ holds “the keys of death and Hades.” But before that we are given a description of Christ that is especially significant. What the NIV has chosen to render as adjectives with who is holy and true, are rather titular, since the adjectives in both cases are preceded by the definite article (“the”). Thus Christ is here designated as “the Holy One” and “the True One.” The significance of these referents is that, in the first case, it reflects Old Testament language about God, who is frequently designated as “the Holy One” (see e.g., Isaiah 40:25; Habakkuk 3:3). Later, in Revelation 6:10, this is the very language used of God the Father—“the Holy and True One”—while in 19:11 Christ is called “Faithful and True.” All of this again reflects John’s assumed high Christology, where titles elsewhere used for God the Father are without note or argumentation used for the Son.
The second descriptor of Christ is that he holds the key of David, which is then clarified to mean that what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. This language is taken directly from Isaiah 22:22, in an oracle of judgment against Shebna, the “keeper of the keys” (= the steward in charge of the royal palace), that another would take his place. In John’s imagery, this royal privilege belongs not to the king’s steward, but to the King himself;