Jesus' message to the believers at Philadelphia
7 ‘Write this to the angel of the church at Philadelphia:
“This is my message to you. I am the one who is completely good, the true God. I have King David's key in my hand. When I open a door, nobody can shut it. And when I shut a door, nobody can open it.
3:7David was a great king of God's people, Israel. He lived on the earth a long time before Jesus lived here as a man. Both men belonged to the same family.
8 I know everything that you do. Look! I have opened a door that is in front of you. Nobody can shut that door. I know that you are not very strong. But you have obeyed what I told you. You have continued to believe in me. 9 Some people there say that they are Jews. But that is not true. They are telling lies. Instead, they belong to a group of Satan's people. I will cause those people to bend down low in front of you to give you honour. Then they will understand that I love you. 10 I have told you to be patient in this difficult time. You have obeyed what I told you. Because of that, I will keep you safe from the time of great trouble that will come. This trouble will come to everyone who lives in the world. It will show me what each person is really like.
11 I will come soon. Continue to obey my message that you already know. Then nobody can take away your crown which is God's gift to you.
3:11‘soon’ or ‘quickly’.
3:11The crown is Jesus' gift. It shows that the person has won against Satan. That person will live with God for ever. See Revelation 2:10. 12 Everyone who wins against Satan will be safe in God's house. I will make them like a strong pillar in the temple of my God. They will never leave that place again. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of his city. The name of that city is the new Jerusalem. It will come down from heaven. My God will send it down to the earth. I will also write my new name on those people. 13 God's Spirit is speaking to you in the churches. You should understand what the Spirit is saying to you. You have ears, so listen carefully!” ’
3:12Jerusalem was the capital city of Israel. Israel was the country on this earth where God's people lived. New Jerusalem will be the place where God's people will live for ever. Revelation 21-22 describes this New Jerusalem. 