In verse 8 the Lord said, “Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut.” As the One who has the key of David and who opens and no one can shut, the Lord has given the recovered church “an open door which no one can shut.” Since the recovery of the proper church life began, in the early part of the nineteenth century, until now, a door has always been wide open to the Lord’s recovery. The more that organized Christianity tries to shut the door, the wider it is open. In spite of much opposition, the door today is open worldwide. The key is in the hand of the Head of the church; it is not in the hand of the opposers. Hallelujah, we have an open door! During the past fifty years, the denominations have tried their best to close this door. But the more they attempted to shut it, the more the Lord has opened it. No one can deny that there is an open door for the Lord’s recovery today. The Lord has the key. As long as we are in His recovery, the door will always be open to us.
Verse 9 says, “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, those who call themselves Jews and are not, but lie; behold, I will cause them to come and worship before your feet, and they shall know that I have loved you.” The Jewish synagogue holds on to Judaism, which comprises the mediatorial priests, the ordinances of letters, the material temple, and the earthly promises. The recovered church has subdued Judaism by exposing its error and stubbornness in holding on to the above four things and has made the Jews know that the Lord has loved her. As we pointed out in message eleven, the Judaizers were Jews in flesh but not in spirit. Due to their stubbornness in clinging to their traditional religious concepts, they became one with Satan in opposing God’s way of life to fulfill His purpose. Hence, the Lord calls them “the synagogue of Satan.” Nevertheless, according to the epistle to the church in Philadelphia, the opposing Jews are subdued before the church, and the Lord’s love toward the church is made known to them.
All denominations are actually today’s synagogues. Do you know what a synagogue is? As revealed in Deuteronomy chapters twelve, fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen, God’s economy is to have one unique temple on earth. The Lord charged His people in Deuteronomy not to have any place as their worshipping center other than that place which He would choose. That chosen place was Jerusalem, and on the selected site God had the temple built. This unique temple not only signifies that the testimony of God must be one; it also maintains the oneness of God’s people. Eventually, however, God’s people became degraded, and, due to this degradation, division came in. As a result of this division, the people of God were scattered, having lost their unity. But since they still had to worship God and since they had no right to build the temple except on the designated site in Jerusalem, they established worshipping centers called synagogues wherever they went. A synagogue is a degraded worship center. There can be only one temple, but there are many synagogues, all of which are divisive. This is a type of the degradation of the church. As we apply this type to the church situation, we see that in God’s economy the church is uniquely one. But due to the degradation, the church was divided. In every division there is a worshipping center. These worshipping centers have become today’s synagogues. Just as the temple was unique, but the synagogues were many, so the church is unique and the denominations and free groups are many.
When the epistles to the seven churches were written, the church was being slandered by the Jewish synagogue (2:9). But eventually, the synagogue realized that the Lord loved the church in Philadelphia. In typology, this is a sign of the real church in Philadelphia that the Lord raised up about one hundred fifty years ago. In the late 1820’s the brothers were raised up in England as the fulfillment of the church in Philadelphia. At that time, they were surrounded, not by Jewish synagogues, but by the synagogues of the denominations which criticized and slandered them. During the past fifty years, we also have been the subject of slander and rumors, and even today many rumors and slanders are circulating about us. The source of these rumors and slanders is today’s synagogues. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that the Lord loves the recovery, and eventually all the slanderers will acknowledge this fact.
While some slander us, some say, “We cannot explain why they are so strong,” others testify, “They truly understand the Bible,” and still others confess, “They always have new light.” Any light and understanding we have come from the blessing from the One who holds the key of David. Although I do not boast of myself, I may boast of the Lord’s blessing. The Lord’s recovery in this country is not the work of man. Who could do such a work? I certainly cannot. Eventually, all the critics of the Lord’s recovery will be subdued and realize that Jesus Christ loves us. Wait for another period of time and you will see more of how much the Lord loves His churches. He will vindicate His church before all the denominations. Our work is not the common work of Christianity, nor a work under human control. No, it is the work of His recovery. It is the Lord’s heart’s desire, and He loves it. When people touch this matter, they touch the apple of His eye. The Lord loves Philadelphia, and the opposing Jews of the synagogue of Satan were subdued before the church because the Lord’s love for the church was made known to them.