Letters to the Churches 6 (Philadelphia – Revelation 3:7-13)

Modern-day Aleşehir. Was well known for its vulnerability to earthquakes.

MEANING: “brotherly love”, derived from φίλος phílos (beloved, dear) and ἀδελφός adelphós (brother, brotherly).

“An inscription found in the ruins suggests that Philadelphia was founded at least as early as the 2nd century BC during the reign of King Eumenes II of Pergamum, who named the city after his younger brother, Attalus II, who was called Philadelphus in honour of his love and loyalty to his brother the king.”

“For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35)

“the neighbour in the spiritual sense is not every man, but it is that which is with man. … everyone loves another, not for the sake of his person, but for the sake of what is with him; this is the ground of all friendship, all favour and all honour.” (Apocalypse Explained 204, section 2)

“Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For “He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (1 Peter 3:8-12)

“to write is to commit to paper anything from the memory, thought, or mind, that is to be preserved; in the spiritual sense, therefore, it signifies that which is to endure in man’s life, inscribed on it and implanted in it.” (222a)

“Two principle things of the church: the acknowledgement of the Lord’s divine in his human, and making the truths of the Word to be of one’s life; moreover, no one can be in the one unless he is at the same time in the other.” (209, Section 2)

“So far as the way from heaven is opened with man, so far he is affected by truth, and becomes rational, that is, sees truth from the light of truth.” (208a)

Recorded on Sunday 27 August 2023