SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:7
¶ Y escribe al ngel de la Iglesia que est en Filadelfia: El Santo y Verdadero, que tiene la llave de David; que abre y ninguno cierra; que cierra y ninguno abre, dice estas cosas:
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Revelation 3:7
Verse 7. He that is holy] In whom holiness essentially dwells, and from whom all holiness is derived. He that is true] He who is the fountain of truth; who cannot lie nor be imposed on; from whom all truth proceeds; and whose veracity in his Revelation is unimpeachable.
He that hath the key of David] See this metaphor explained, Matt. xvi. 19. Key is the emblem of authority and knowledge; the key of David is the regal right or authority of David. David could shut or open the kingdom of Israel to whom he pleased. He was not bound to leave the kingdom even to his eldest son. He could choose whom he pleased to succeed him. The kingdom of the Gospel, and the kingdom of heaven, are at the disposal of Christ. He can shut against whom he will; he can open to whom he pleases. If he shuts, no man can open; if he opens, no man can shut. His determinations all stand fast, and none can reverse them. This expression is an allusion to Isa. xxii. 22, where the prophet promises to Eliakim, under the symbol of the key of the house of David, the government of the whole nation; i.e., all the power of the king, to be executed by him as his deputy; but the words, as here applied to Christ, show that He is absolute.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 7. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write , etc.] Of the city of Philadelphia, (see Gill on Revelation 1:11); According to the Apostolical Constitutions f108 , one Demetrius was ordained bishop of this church by the Apostle John; but this is not to be depended on; nor is it known who this angel was: however, certain it is there was a church in this place in the second century, in the times of Ignatius, who wrote an epistle to it, and which then had a bishop or pastor over it, whom he mentions f109 , though not his name. And in the same century twelve Philadelphians suffered martyrdom at the same time Polycarp did f110 ; and in the third century a church remained in this place; and also in the fourth, since a bishop of this church was in the council at Nice; and in the fifth century, a presbyter of Philadelphia was in the synod at Ephesus under Celestine; and in the sixth century, a bishop of this place assisted at the fifth synod at Constantinople; and in the eighth century, Stephen, bishop of the church here, was in the Nicene synod f111 ; and there are now very many that bear the name of Christians of the Greek Church in this place f112 . This church is an emblem of, and represents the church in that period of time, in which will be the spiritual reign of Christ. Its name signifies brotherly love, which in this interval will be very remarkable; saints shall not envy, vex, and distress one another any more; they shall be one in the hand of the Lord, and among themselves. Love, which is now so cold, and so much wanting in our present Sardian church state, will be exceeding warm and fervent, and in its highest pitch in the Philadelphian state. The characters Christ here assumes point at the holiness of life, truth of doctrine, and purity of discipline, for which this church state will be distinguished: in this period of time an open door for the Gospel will be set; it will be preached in its power and purity, and; will be greatly succeeded; the fulness of the Gentiles will be brought in, and the Jews will be converted; hypocrites and formal professors will be discerned and detected; great honour and respect will be shown the church by all men; and this state will be an emblem and pledge of the new Jerusalem state, of which mention is made in this epistle, or the thousand years' personal reign of Christ with all his saints: these things saith he that is holy ; which character not only agrees with Christ, as God, who is the Holy One of Israel, and equally glorious in holiness as his Father, but as man; his nature was free from original sin; his life from any actual transgression; his doctrines were pure and holy, and so were all his works, and all his administrations in each of his offices: and, as Mediator, he is the cause and author of holiness to his people; they are sanctified in him, and have their sanctification from him, and are sanctified by him: this character he chooses now to take, because he was sending an epistle to such as were lovers of holiness, and famous for it, both internal and external; so that while he describes himself, he points at persons, the members of churches in this interval: he that is true ; truly God, and truly man: true and faithful in the discharge of his several offices, and in the trust reposed in him, both of the grace and persons of the saints, and in what he undertook to do for them: he is truth itself, the truth of types, promises, and prophecies; and the sum and substance of all the truths of the Gospel; and is therefore to be depended on in every prediction and promise; and this title of Christ may have some view to the truth of doctrine which shall, in this period, prevail, and to the faithfulness and integrity of his people to his cause and interest: he that hath the key of David ; mention is made of David, because he was a type of Christ; and because from him Christ came according to the flesh, and whose throne he was to sit upon, in a spiritual sense; and because, in this period of time, the Jews are to be converted, who will seek the Lord their God, and David their king: and by the key of David is meant the key of the house of David; that is, the church of Christ, of which David's house and family were a type: and this key is either the key of knowledge, or it is expressive of power and authority. Christ has the key of knowledge, he knows all the persons of his people, all their affairs, and what they do in his house, and how they behave there: he has the key of knowledge in the Scriptures, and gives it to his ministers. And it may also design his authority in his house and church, in fixing the ordinances of it, in bestowing gifts on men, and in dispensing the blessings of grace and goodness; this may have some regard to the pure discipline of this church, as well as to its light and knowledge in the doctrines of the Gospel. The Targum on ( Isaiah 22:22) interprets the key of the house of David, of jlw , the dominion or government of the house of David. He that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth ; he opens the Scriptures, which are shut to a natural man, as he did in his own personal ministry, when here on earth, and now by his Spirit; and none can shut them, either men or devils, or hinder the spread of light and knowledge by them: he opens the door of the Gospel, and gives an opportunity to preach it, and liberty of mind and expression to his ministers, and a door of utterance to them, and of entrance for it into the hearts of men, which none can shut, or hinder: he opens the door of the church, which is himself, and lets in his sheep into the sheepfold, into a Gospel church state, and the ordinances of it; and he opens the door of heaven by his blood and righteousness, and gives his people liberty and boldness to enter into the holiest of all, and brings many sons to glory in spite of all the opposition of men and devils: on the other hand, when he pleases, he shuts up the Scriptures, and the eyes of men from seeing what is in them; he shuts up the door of the Gospel, and forbids the preaching of it in this and that place; and the door of heaven will be shut by him at the last day, when all called to the marriage of the Lamb are entered, and there will be no opening. This shows the sovereignty, power, and authority of Christ, and which he will exercise in this church state, (see Job 12:14).
A like phrase is in the Talmud f113 , jtwp wnya bw rgws wyk , when he shuts again, there is none that opens.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 7-13 - The same Lord Jesus has the key of government and authority in and ove the church. He opens a door of opportunity to his churches; he opens door of utterance to his ministers; he opens a door of entrance, open the heart. He shuts the door of heaven against the foolish, who slee away their day of grace; and against the workers of iniquity, how vai and confident soever they may be. The church in Philadelphia i commended; yet with a gentle reproof. Although Christ accepts a littl strength, yet believers must not rest satisfied in a little, but striv to grow in grace, to be strong in faith, giving glory to God. Chris can discover this his favour to his people, so that their enemies shal be forced to acknowledge it. This, by the grace of Christ, will softe their enemies, and make them desire to be admitted into communion with his people. Christ promises preserving grace in the most trying times as the reward of past faithfulness; To him that hath shall be given Those who keep the gospel in a time of peace, shall be kept by Chris in an hour of temptation; and the same Divine grace that has made the fruitful in times of peace, will make them faithful in times of persecution. Christ promises a glorious reward to the victoriou believer. He shall be a monumental pillar in the temple of God; monument of the free and powerful grace of God; a monument that shal never be defaced or removed. On this pillar shall be written the ne name of Christ; by this will appear, under whom the believer fought the good fight, and came off victorious.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 τω 3588 αγγελω 32 της 3588 εν 1722 φιλαδελφεια 5359 εκκλησιας 1577 γραψον 1125 5657 ταδε 3592 λεγει 3004 5719 ο 3588 αγιος 40 ο 3588 αληθινος 228 ο 3588 εχων 2192 5723 την 3588 κλειδα 2807 του 3588 δαβιδ 1138 ο 3588 ανοιγων 455 5723 και 2532 ουδεις 3762 κλειει 2808 5719 και 2532 κλειει 2808 5719 και 2532 ουδεις 3762 ανοιγει 455 5719
Vincent's NT Word Studies
7. Philadelphia. Seventy-five miles southeast of Sardis. The second city in Lydia. The adjacent region was celebrated as a wine-growing district, and its coins bore the head of Bacchus and the figure of a Bacchante. The population included Jews, Jewish Christians, and converts from heathenism. It suffered from frequent earthquakes. Of all the seven churches it had the longest duration of prosperity as a Christian city. It still exists as a Turkish town under the name of Allah Shehr, City of God. The situation is picturesque, the town being built on four or five hills, and well supplied with trees, and the climate is healthful. One of the mosques is believed by the native Christians to have been the gathering-place of the church addressed in Revelation. "One solitary pillar of high antiquity has been often noticed as reminding beholders of the words in chapter iii. 12: 'Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God.'" He that is holy (o agiov). See on Acts xxvi. 10. Christ is called holy, Acts ii. 27; xiii. 35; Heb. vii. 26; in all which passages the word, however, is osiov, which is holy by sanction, applied to one who diligently observes all the sanctities of religion. It is appropriate to Christ, therefore, as being the one in whom these eternal sanctities are grounded and reside. Agiov, the word used here, refers rather to separation from evil.
He that is true (o alhqinov). See on John i. 9. Alhqinov is not merely, genuine as contrasted with the absolutely false, but as contrasted with that which is only subordinately or typically true. It expresses the perfect realization of an idea as contrasted with its partial realization. Thus, Moses gave bread, but the Father giveth the true bread (ton arton ton alhqinon). Israel was a vine of God's planting (Ps. lxxx. 8), Christ is the true (h alhqinh) vine (John xv. 1). The word is so characteristic of John that, while found only once in the Synoptic Gospels, once in a Pauline Epistle, and four times in the Epistle to the Hebrews, it occurs nine times in the fourth Gospel, four times in John's First Epistle, and ten times in Revelation, and in every instance in these three latter books in its own distinctive signification.
The key of David. See on chapter i. 18, and compare Isa. xxii. 22. David is the type of Christ, the supreme ruler of the kingdom of heaven. See Jer. xxx. 9; Ezek. xxxiv. 23; xxxvii. 24. The house of David is the typical designation of the kingdom of Jesus Christ (Ps. cxxii. 5). The holding of the keys, the symbols of power, thus belongs to Christ as Lord of the kingdom and Church of God. See on Matt. xvi. 19: He admits and excludes at His pleasure.
No man shutteth (oudeiv kleiei). Read kleisei shall shut So Rev.
