Philadelphia Research Paper

When you think of Philadelphia, you may think about many things. For many of you, Philadelphia is the town in Pennsylvania, founded by William Penn in 1682. Philadelphia played an instrumental role in the American Revolution as a meeting place for the Founding Fathers of the United States, who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the Constitution in 1787. Philadelphia was one of the nation’s capitals in the Revolutionary War, and served as temporary U.S. capital while Washington, D.C., was under construction. In the 19th century, Philadelphia became a major industrial center and railroad hub that grew from an influx of European immigrants. It became a prime destination for African-Americans in the Great Migration and surpassed

The city derives its name from the loyalty between the two brothers who were influential in founding the city: Eumenes II and his younger brother, Attalus II. The younger brother resisted pressure from Rome to turn against his older sibling, earning him the nickname “Philadelphus” (“brotherly love”).1

So Philadelphia represents perseverance in the midst of difficulty. This is confirmed when we look at the structure of the letter:

SEVEN PARTS OF THE LETTER TO THE CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA

1. Address – to Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7)

“Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia…” (Revelation 3:7, HCSB)

2. Depiction of Jesus – The Holy One, The True One, the One Who Has the Key of David (Revelation 3:7)

“The Holy One, the True One, the One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and closes and no one opens says:” (Revelation 3:7, HCSB)

There are three qualities that define Jesus in this verse:

Unique
Jesus is holy. Holy means to be separate, or unique. Jesus is unique. Unlike the other gods that the people trusted, Jesus is not made of stone or wood.

Philadelphia is the only church to receive a praise. The praise is because the church is enduring persecution. Persecution grows the church. It is a quality of endurance. When things are tough, the church learns to get innovative. We learn how to reach out to others.4

4. Condemnation or Rebuke – To the liars, but not the church (Revelation 3:9)

“Take note! I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying—note this—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.” (Revelation 3:9, HCSB)

We can catch the flavor of the Greek word for ‘lie’ by thinking of these people as ‘pseudo-Jews’. They claim, falsely, to be the holy people of God. In contrast, Christ speaks as the true Holy One (verses 9, 7).5 The point here is that if you are going to persevere, you have to real. You can be a fake and try to make in the Christian life.

5. Exhortation – Take Note! (Revelation 3:8-9)

“…look, I have placed before you an open door that no one is able to close. Take note! I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying—note this—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.” (Revelation 3:8–9,