One outstanding feature of the church in Philadelphia is that she has a little power and has kept the Lord’s word (v. 8). According to church history the brothers raised up in the early part of the nineteenth century did not care for tradition; they strictly kept the Lord’s word.
In Revelation 3:8 the Lord also said that the church in Philadelphia did not deny His name. The brothers raised up by the Lord in England in the early part of the nineteenth century did not take any name other than the Lord’s name. They called themselves Christians only, that is, those belonging to Christ. They not only returned in a full way to the Lord’s word but also abandoned all names other than that of the Lord Jesus Christ. They belonged to the Lord absolutely, having nothing to do with any denominations (any names). The church, as the pure virgin espoused to Christ (2 Cor. 11:2), should have no name other than her husband’s. All other names are an abomination in the eyes of God. By taking names other than the Lord’s name, the Protestant church has committed spiritual fornication. Deviation from the Word to heresies and the exaltation of so many names other than that of Christ are the most striking signs of degraded Christianity. Returning to the pure Word from all heresies and traditions and the exaltation of the Lord’s name by abandoning every other name are the most inspiring testimonies in the church of brotherly love. In the church in Philadelphia there is only the pure word of the Lord and His unique name.
In Revelation 3:8 the Lord said, “I know your works; behold, I have put before you an opened door which no one can shut.” The Lord is the One who has the key of David and who opens a door which no one will shut (v. 7). He has given to the church in Philadelphia an opened 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 opened to the recovered church all over the world. There is no way for organized Christianity to shut this door because the key is in the hands of Christ, the Head of the church.
The Lord promised the church in Philadelphia: “Because you have kept the word of My endurance, I also will keep you out of the hour of trial, which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them who dwell on the earth” (v. 10). Trial in this verse undoubtedly denotes the great tribulation, which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth (Matt. 24:21). Hence, this promise refers to the rapture of the overcomers before the great tribulation. Since the church in Philadelphia has kept the word of the Lord’s endurance, the Lord promises to keep her out of the hour of trial; that is, she will be raptured before the great tribulation.
The seventh epistle was written to the church in Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22). As a sign, the church in Laodicea prophetically signifies the degraded recovered church. Less than a century after the Lord recovered the proper church in the early part of the nineteenth century, some of the recovered “assemblies” (called such by the Brethren) became degraded. The degraded recovered church, signified by the church in Laodicea, will exist until the Lord comes back.
Laodicea means “the opinion, judgment, of the people” or “of the laymen.” This indicates that the degraded recovered church is full of human opinion. Christ is the Head of the church, His Body, and the believers are the members of the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18; 1 Cor. 12:27). When the recovered church no longer holds Christ as the Head, no longer receives the discipline of the Holy Spirit, no longer remains in the position of brothers, and no longer honors God’s word but instead does things according to fleshly human opinion, she becomes Laodicea in her degradation.
The Lord rebuked the church in Laodicea, saying, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spew you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:15-16). Even though the degraded recovered church is living, she is not burning. She pursues spiritual knowledge but has lost her zeal toward the Lord. Dead, vain knowledge and doctrinal forms have made the degraded recovered church neither cold nor hot. Being neither cold nor hot, the degraded church is in danger of being spewed out of the Lord’s mouth, that is, losing the enjoyment of all that the Lord is to His church. Hence, she needs to repent of her lukewarmness and be zealous, boiling, burning, that she may regain her enjoyment of the reality of Christ (v. 19).