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Commentary on Revelation 3 verses 7–13
We have now come to the sixth letter, sent to one of the Asian churches, where observe,
I. The inscription, showing,
1.For whom it was more immediately designed: The angel of the church of Philadelphia; this also was a city in Asia Minor, seated upon the borders of Mysia and Lydia, and had its name from that brotherly love for which it was eminent. We can hardly suppose that this name was given to it after it received the Christian religion, and that it was so called from that Christian affection that all believers have, and should have, one for another, as the children of one Father and the brethren of Christ; but rather that it was its ancient name, on account of the love and kindness which the citizens had and showed to each other as a civil fraternity. This was an excellent spirit, and, when sanctified by the grace of the gospel, would render them an excellent church, as indeed they were, for here is no one fault found with this church, and yet, doubtless, there were faults in it of common infirmity; but love covers such faults.
2.By whom this letter was signed; even by the same Jesus who is alone the universal head of all the churches; and here observe by what title he chooses to represent himself to this church: He that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, etc. You have his personal character: He that is holy and he that is true, holy in his nature, and therefore he cannot but be true to his word, for he hath spoken in his holiness; and you have also his political character: He hath the key of David, he openeth, and no man shutteth; he hath the key of the house of David, the key of government and authority in and over the church. Observe, (1.) The acts of his government. [1.] He opens. He opens a door of opportunity to his churches; he opens a door of utterance to his ministers; he opens a door of entrance, opens the heart; he opens a door of admission into the visible church, laying down the terms of communion; and he opens the door of admission into the church triumphant, according to the terms of salvation fixed by him. [2.] He shuts the door. When he pleases, he shuts the door of opportunity and the door of utterance, and leaves obstinate sinners shut up in the hardness of their hearts; he shuts the door of church-fellowship against unbelievers and profane persons; and he shuts the door of heaven against the foolish virgins who have slept away their day of grace, and against the workers of iniquity, how vain and confident soever they may be. (2.) The way and manner in which he performs these acts, and that is absolute sovereignty, independent upon the will of men, and irresistible by the power of men: He openeth, and no man shutteth; he shutteth, and no man openeth; he works to will and to do, and, when he works, none can hinder. These were proper characters for him, when speaking to a church that had endeavoured to be conformed to Christ in holiness and truth, and that had enjoyed a wide door of liberty and opportunity under his care and government.
II. The subject-matter of this epistle, where,
1.Christ puts them in mind of what he had done for them: I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it, Rev 3:8. I have set it open, and kept it open, though there be many adversaries. Learn here, (1.) Christ is to be acknowledged as the author of all the liberty and opportunity his churches enjoy. (2.) He takes notice and keeps account, how long he has preserved their spiritual liberties and privileges for them. (3.) Wicked men envy the people of God their door of liberty, and would be glad to shut it against them. (4.) If we do not provoke Christ to shut this door against us, men cannot do it.
2.This church is commended: Thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name, Rev 3:8. In this there seems to be couched a gentle reproof: "Thou hast a little strength, a little grace, which, though it be not proportionate to the wide door of opportunity which I have opened to thee, yet is true grace, and has kept thee faithful." True grace, though weak, has the divine approbation; but, though Christ accepts a little strength, yet believers should not rest satisfied in a little, but should strive to grow in grace, to be strong in faith, giving glory to God. True grace, though weak, will do more than the greatest gifts or highest degrees of common grace, for it will enable the Christian to keep the word of Christ, and not to deny his name. Obedience, fidelity, and a free confession of the name of Christ, are the fruits of true grace, and are pleasing to Christ as such.
3.Here is a promise of the great favour God would bestow on this church, Rev 3:9, Rev 3:10. This favour consists in two things: -
(1.)Christ would make this church's enemies subject to her. [1.] Those enemies are described to be such as said they were Jews, but lied in saying so - pretended to be the only and peculiar people of God, but were really the synagogue of Satan. Assemblies that worship God in spirit and in truth are the Israel of God; assemblies that either worship false gods, or the true God in a false manner, are the synagogues of Satan: though they may profess to be the only people of God, their profession is a lie. [2.] Their subjection to the church is described: They shall worship at thy feet; not pay a religious and divine honour to the church itself, nor to the ministry of it, but shall be convinced that they have been in the wrong, that this church is in the right and is beloved of Christ, and they shall desire to be taken into communion with her and that they may worship the same God after the same manner. How shall this great change be wrought? By the power of God upon the hearts of his enemies, and by signal discoveries of his peculiar favour to his church: They shall know that I have loved thee. Observe, First, The greatest honour and happiness any church can enjoy consist in the peculiar love and favour of Christ. Secondly, Christ can discover this his favour to his people in such a manner that their very enemies shall see it, and be forced to acknowledge it. Thirdly, This will, by the grace of Christ, soften the hearts of their enemies, and make them desirous to be admitted into communion with them.
(2.)Another instance of favour that Christ promises to this church is persevering grace in the most trying times (Rev 3:10), and this as the reward of their past fidelity. To him that hath shall be given. Here observe, [1.] The gospel of Christ is the word of his patience. It is the fruit of the patience of God to a sinful world; it sets before men the exemplary patience of Christ in all his sufferings for men; it calls those that receive it to the exercise of patience in conformity to Christ. [2.] This gospel should be carefully kept by all that enjoy it; they must keep up to the faith, and practice, and worship prescribed in the gospel. [3.] After a day of patience we must expect an hour of temptation; a day of gospel peace and liberty is a day of God's patience, and it is seldom so well improved as it should be and therefore it is often followed by an hour of trial and temptation. [4.] Sometimes the trial is more general and universal; it comes upon all the world, and, when it is so general, it is usually the shorter. [5.] Those who keep the gospel in a time of peace shall be kept by Christ in an hour of temptation. By keeping the gospel they are prepared for the trial; and the same divine grace that has made them fruitful in times of peace will make them faithful in times of persecution.
4.Christ calls the church to that duty which he before promised he would enable her to do, and that is, to persevere, to hold fast that which she had. (1.) The duty itself: "Hold fast that which thou hast, that faith, that truth, that strength of grace, that zeal, that love to the brethren; thou hast been possessed of this excellent treasure, hold it fast." (2.) The motives, taken from the speedy appearance of Christ: "Behold, I come quickly. See, I am just a coming to relieve them under the trial, to reward their fidelity, and to punish those who fall away; they shall lose that crown which they once seemed to have a right to, which they hoped for, and pleased themselves with the thoughts of. The persevering Christian shall win the prize from backsliding professors, who once stood fair for it."
III. The conclusion of this epistle, Rev 3:12, Rev 3:13. Here,
1.After his usual manner, our Saviour promises a glorious reward to the victorious believer, in two things: - (1.) He shall be a monumental pillar in the temple of God; not a pillar to support the temple (heaven needs no such props), but a monument of the free and powerful grace of God, a monument that shall never be defaced nor removed, as many stately pillars erected in honour to the Roman emperors and generals have been. (2.) On this monumental pillar there shall be an honourable inscription, as in those cases is usual. [1.] The name of God, in whose cause he engaged, whom he served, and for whom he suffered in this warfare; and the name of the city of God, the church of God, the new Jerusalem, which came down from heaven. On this pillar shall be recorded all the services the believer did to the church of God, how he asserted her rights, enlarged her borders, maintained her purity and honour; this will be a greater name than Asiaticus, or Africanus; a soldier under God in the wars of the church. And then another part of the inscription is, [2.] The new name of Christ, the Mediator, the Redeemer, the captain of our salvation; by this it will appear under whose banner this conquering believer had enlisted, under whose conduct he acted, by whose example he was encouraged, and under whose influence he fought the good fight, and came off victorious.
2.The epistle is closed up with the demand of attention: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, how Christ loves and values his faithful people, how he commends, and how he will crown their fidelity.
The sixth class is the mode of life of the best election. The habit of saints is set forth; of those, to wit, who are lowly in the world, and unskilled in the Scriptures, and who hold the faith immoveably, and are not at all broken down by any chance, or withdrawn from the faith by any fear. Therefore He says to them:-
"I have set before thee an open door, because thou hast kept the word of my patience." In such little strength.
"And I will keep thee from the hour of temptation." That they may know His glory to be of this kind, that they are not indeed permitted to be given over to temptation.
"He that overcometh shall be made a pillar in the temple of God." For even as a pillar is an ornament of the building, so he who perseveres shall obtain a nobility in the Church.
He that shall overcome, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. God's temple is the Church, according to this: The temple of God is holy, which you are. [1 Cor. 3:17] Since not only the preachers, but also the good listeners triumph over the old enemy, and in this verse everyone who overcomes is said to become a pillar in God's temple, we are forced to confess that a pillar is the same as the temple, that is the universal Church. In what follows, and he shall go out no more, it is openly shown that the Church, in the younger brother, had once passed from the unity of faith and work it kept in the prophets under the law to the error of perfidy and perverse work; but it was recovered through the killing of the fatted calf. [Luke 15:11-31] Alternatively, all of us, Jews as well as Gentiles, went out in Adam; but after we have been brought in victorious to the second Adam, we are made into a pillar of God's temple, because, overcoming the temptations of the old enemy through the blood of that same Mediator of ours, we are established in the heavenly glory of the saints by that steadfastness in the commandments which we are demonstrated to have lost in the first Adam. But we shall never go out again, because no incitements of the enemy shall tear us away from that common happiness of the heavenly fatherland. Note also that he says he has a God as he speaks according to his humanity. And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and my new name. He that hath ears, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. The name of the Father being written on the one who overcomes means that he becomes his Son by adoption of the Spirit. Indeed, with what pen is it written, if not with the grace of the Spirit of both? Whence the apostle: The Spirit himself giveth testimony to our spirit, that we are the sons of God. [Rom. 8:16] As for Jerusalem, it translates to “sight of peace.” It is said to come down out of heaven from God because the Church of the elect, which directs its course towards the sight of heavenly peace with the steps of love, went down, as it was predestined to, into the womb of the Virgin together with the Lord, whose body it is; or it is because its number increases every day through heavenly grace. It is called new because, through baptism and love, it is stripped of the oldness of the earthly man and clothed in heavenly newness; whence this: The old things are passed away, and behold all things are made new. [2 Cor. 5:17] So the name of Jerusalem is written on the victor when he joins the number of the saints. As for where we get all this from, it is revealed when it is added and my new name (implying I will write) namely the one that was given in time to the same Mediator, that is “Christ.” This is where our dignity and high position comes from, this is the cause of our being called sons of God, New Jerusalem, and Christians. Therefore, where we hear the sum of all salvation, let us at last put a due end to this book.
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SUMMARY
Revelation 3:13 serves as a profound and universal concluding exhortation within the letters to the seven churches, urging all who possess spiritual receptivity to attentively heed the divine message conveyed by the Holy Spirit. This imperative call transcends its immediate context within the letter to Laodicea, underscoring the critical importance of discerning and obedient listening for every believer and congregation throughout history, as God continues to communicate His truth and will to His people.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Revelation 3:13 employs several potent literary devices to convey its profound message. The most prominent is Idiom, as "He that hath an ear, let him hear" is a well-known proverbial phrase frequently used by Jesus throughout the Gospels (e.g., Matthew 11:15). Its repetition here signifies a continuity of divine communication and underscores the critical importance of spiritual discernment. The phrase also utilizes Imperative Mood ("let him hear"), transforming a general observation into a direct command, demanding a specific response from the audience. Furthermore, the concept of the Spirit "saith" employs a subtle form of Personification, attributing human speech to the divine Spirit, thereby emphasizing the active and personal nature of God's communication with His people. Finally, the Repetition of this entire verse at the close of each of the seven letters in Revelation 2-3 serves as a powerful rhetorical device, highlighting its universal significance and ensuring its impact on every reader and hearer.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Revelation 3:13 stands as a theological cornerstone, emphasizing God's continuous and active communication with His people through the Holy Spirit. It highlights the divine expectation that believers will not merely hear sounds but will engage in a deep, spiritual listening that leads to understanding, conviction, and obedience. This verse underscores the Spirit's vital role as the interpreter and conveyer of Christ's will to the church, making the messages not just historical artifacts but living words relevant for every generation. The call to hear is intrinsically linked to the concept of covenant faithfulness, where God speaks and His people are called to respond in trust and obedience, shaping their corporate and individual lives in anticipation of Christ's return.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Revelation 3:13 is a timeless summons to cultivate a posture of profound spiritual attentiveness. In a world saturated with noise and competing voices, this verse challenges us, both individually and corporately as the church, to prioritize listening to the singular, authoritative voice of the Holy Spirit. It demands more than passive reception; it calls for active discernment, humility to receive correction, and courage to obey challenging truths. Are we truly listening for what the Spirit is saying to our church, to our lives, in this season? This requires intentional quietness, prayer, deep engagement with Scripture, and openness to prophetic insight. The Spirit continues to speak, guiding, comforting, rebuking, and preparing the church for Christ's glorious return. Our spiritual vitality and effectiveness depend on our willingness to truly hear and respond to His ongoing communication.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why is this phrase repeated so often in Revelation?
Answer: The repetition of "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" at the conclusion of each of the seven letters (found in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 and Revelation chapters 2 and 3) serves several crucial purposes. Firstly, it emphasizes the universal applicability and timeless relevance of the messages. While each letter addresses specific issues within a particular historical church, the concluding call ensures that the principles, warnings, and promises are intended for all believers and congregations throughout history. Secondly, it highlights the divine authority of the messages, affirming that they originate from the Holy Spirit, who is conveying Christ's mind to His church. Thirdly, the repetition acts as a rhetorical device, underscoring the critical importance of spiritual discernment and active obedience. It's a solemn and urgent summons, ensuring that the reader grasps the gravity of what has been said and the necessity of a personal and corporate response.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Revelation 3:13 finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the ongoing reality of Jesus Christ as the living Head of the Church, actively communicating His will and truth through the Holy Spirit. The "Spirit" who "saith unto the churches" is none other than the Spirit of Christ, sent by the Father to continue the work of revelation and guidance that Jesus initiated during His earthly ministry (as promised in John 14:26). This verse powerfully affirms Christ's present reign and His intimate involvement in the affairs of His people, speaking prophetically to correct, encourage, and prepare them for His glorious return. To "hear what the Spirit saith" is, therefore, to hear the voice of the resurrected Lord, who continues to shepherd His flock, revealing His truth and calling them to deeper communion and faithfulness. This divine communication through the Spirit ensures that the church remains aligned with Christ's purposes, empowered to live out His mission until He comes again (as seen in Revelation 22:17).