PREPARATION FOR THE THIRD SEASON FEASTS: THE CONGREGATION OF PHILADELPHIA (Revelation 3:9-11)

Elul 18 (31 August 2026)

The KING is in the FIELD! AWAKEN the BELIEVERS!

CONGREGATION SIX: PHILADELPHIA (Revelation 3:9-11)

THE BELIEVERS IN PHILADELPHIA ARE COMMENDED BY MESSIAH YESHUA AND TOLD:

Them as discussed yesterday:

1. He knows what they are DOING – HE HAS put in front of them an OPEN DOOR and NO one can shut it. 

2. He KNOWS that they have LITTLE POWER, yet they have OBEYED HIS MESSAGE and have NOT disowned (not renounced/ rejected) Him.

And furthermore:

3. He will give them some from the Synagogue of the Adversary (Satan), those who call themselves Jews (who say they are from the tribe of Judah and Benjamin, the Southern Kingdom), but aren’t – on the contrary, they are lying – see, He will cause them to come and prostrate themselves (lay face down) at their feet, and they will know that He has LOVED them.

We also read about the Synagogue of the Adversary (Satan), those who call themselves Jews but aren’t in the message to the CONGREGATION of SMYRNA in Revelation 2:9-10 indicating that they INSULTED (verbally abused and offended) the believers in SMYRNA. These people were RELIGIOUS HYPOCRITES (frauds, pretenders) who did not know Yeshua the Messiah, neither God the Father and they were used by Satan to TEST the Congregation of Smyrna and they were instructed by MESSIAH YESHUA to REMAIN FAITHFUL, even to the point of death and He will give them eternal life.

The believers in PHILADELPHIA did not have to be TESTED because they have already been proved FAITHFUL through PERSERVERANCE. Furthermore, Messiah Yeshua promises that these individuals will ultimately recognize the TRUE BELIEVERS and ACKNOWLEDGE HIS LOVE for them. It therefore symbolizes acknowledgement of God’s FAVOR and the ULTIMATE TRIUMPH of TRUTH over DECEPTION.

Messiah Yeshua further told them:

4. Because they did OBEY HIS MESSAGE about PERSERVERING, He will keep them from the TIME of TRIAL coming upon the whole world to put the people living on the earth to THE TEST.

Again it is CONFIRMED that the CONGREGATION of PHILADELPHIA had already passed through TRIALS and been known to PERSERVERE. They therefore had already been TESTED and proved FAITHFUL.

We read in James 1:12 “How BLESSED is the man who PERSEVERES through temptation! For after he has PASSED the TEST, he WLL RECEIVE as his crown the (capital letter) LIFE God (the Father) has POMISED those who LOVE HIM (remember God experience our LOVE through OBEDIENCE to HIM as we read in many verses like Exodus 20:6, Deuteronomy 7:9, John 14:15 & 21  and 1 John 5:3).

It is not totally clear how this Philadelphia-type of FAITHFUL BELIEVER who already passed through trials and persevered will be kept from the TIME of TRIAL coming upon the world but we know it will involve SUPERNATURAL PROTECTION from God the Father.

We find examples of this as written in:

• Genesis chapters 7-8 with Noah acting in OBEDIENCE and FAITHFULNESS in building the Ark and YHVH protecting him and his family (in total eight people) during the FLOOD (Also read Matthew 24:29-44 and 1 Peter 3:20).

• And King Josiah of Judah who were spared from the calamity of Babylonian captivity because of his faithfulness to YHVH, by taking him to his grave in peace prior to the Babylonian Captivity as we read in 2^nd Kings chapters 22-23 and specifically chapters 22:14-20 and 23:29-30.

• And Revelation 7:1-8 and 14:1-5 telling us the 144,000, 12,000 of every tribe of the twelve tribes of ISRAEL, ransomed (redeemed, rescued) from among humanity as FIRSTFRUITS for God the Father and the Lamb, following the Lamb wherever He goes with no lie found on their lips, they were without defect, being sealed on their foreheads prior to Lamb breaking the seventh seal and the seven angels commencing to blow trumpets one to six.

• And the FIRST RESURECTION of BELIEVERS in MESSIAH YEHSUA from every nation, tribe, language and people during the SECOND COMING of MESSIAH YESHUA at the blowing of the SEVENTH and LAST TRUMPET (depicted by the Feast of Trumpets, Feast 5 of YHVH) prior to the outpouring of the JUDGEMENT of YHVH the Father, consisting of the SEWEN SCALES, also known as the FINAL PLAGUES. Read Revelation chapters 15-19 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

And Messiah Yeshua further told the Congregation of Philadelphia:

5. He is COMING SOON and they are advised to HOLD on to what they have, so that no one will take away their crown (eternal life).

When we PASSED the TEST, we must WATCH that we do not backslide or be defeated by future TIRALS. Many people will try to make us avoid the NARROW WAY, the difficult PATH, to take an EASIER one – a path of COMPROMISE and DISOBEDIENCE.  

Believers must not relax or give in, but keep on clinging to their FAITH, the TRUTH of the WORD of YHVH and following MESSIAH YEHSUA despite temptations or distractions, so that no one can rob them from the ultimate reward of ETERNAL LIFE.

SOUL SEARCHING

1. Am I professing faithfulness but denying it through my actions, leading others away from the TRUTH of the WORD of YHVH?

2. Am I only proclaiming that I believe in Messiah Yeshua or am I actively FOLLOWING HIM, living out my FAITH daily through my thoughts, words and deeds?

3. Do I truly represent YHVH my God or do I allow worldly influences to distort my faith?

4. Am I persevering in OBEDIENCE to the WORD of YHVH my God regardless of trials and tribulations (troubles and problems)?

5. Am I holding FAST to my FAITH and the TRUTH of the WORD of YHVH my God so that no one can take away my promise of ETERNAL LIFE?

REPENTANCE, RESTORATION AND ENCOURAGEMENT

• We need to realize we have to LIVE beyond appearances and reflect our salvation in living our lives for God, following in the FOORSTEPS of Messiah Yeshua with the help and support of the HOLY SPIRIT. This requires a close RELATIONSHIP with YHVH our God through daily prayer and reading His WORD and aligning of our behavior accordingly.

• When we practice LOVE, KINDNESS and INTEGRITY God will acknowledge it and reward us in ways that may not be immediately visible in our earthly lives, but we are assured that our faithfulness to Him will produce fruit and be recognized in His timing.

• The way we live as FOLLOWERS of MESSIAH YESHUA has a profound effect on those around us, and we become REPRESENTATIVES of YHVH our God’s LOVE and TRUTH in a broken world, available to ALL people who CHOOSE to come to Him.

• We may encounter individuals who misinterpret faith, but we must stand fast in our trust that YHVH our God will address those discrepancies in His perfect time. And we need to remain instruments of His RIGHETEOUSNESS, showing HIS LOVE, PEACE and UNDERSTANDING to others (also read 1 John 4:8 & 21).