Apocalypse 3:7-13

Helping to Spread the Church

A sermon by Rev. Göran Appelgren

“These things says He ... who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens. I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it.” (Revelation 3:7, 8)

When we reflect on our text, which is describing one of the seven churches, we have to be aware of three aspects of those churches, the background, the future and the present.

The background is the Christian church, both as it was at the time of the Last Judgment some two hundred years ago and as it is today, and they are two different things.

The future is the realization of the true New Church, the Church where “the tree of life is on either side of the river of water of life.” (Revelation 22:1, 2) This is the Church that is in true communication with the New Church in heaven, or in other words with the New Heaven.

And the present ... Yes, what is the present? Where do we stand today between yesterday and tomorrow--between the Last Judgment of the former Church and the true kingdom of God on earth, a Church where the Lord’s living voice is heard and received?

We know the following three things for sure. Firstly that we have organized ourselves in a Church body. Secondly, that this body recognizes the Revelation given in the Lord’s second coming, and this Revelation both talks about the New Church and provides the truths necessary for its foundation. Thirdly, we know that we want to follow the Lord and contribute to the establishment of His New Christian Church on earth as a counterpart and earthly foundation for the New Christian heaven. So, are we therefore the New Church, or is the New Church a broader idea than we might have thought?

For reasons unknown to us we have been led by the Lord to acknowledge His new Revelation. Yet humility is needed to keep us back from any claims; claims of being chosen or better than other people on this earth. Therefore, one virtue that is in place here especially is humility.

One reason for being humble is that knowledge brings responsibility. We are responsible for what we know. This should however not frighten us, for the Lord will certainly give us the strength to take on that responsibility once we are prepared to do so.

Another reason for humility is the teaching that the whole Christian world is invited to the New Church. The seven churches being addressed are in fact a description of “all those in the Christian Church who have religion, and out of whom the New Church, that is the New Jerusalem, can be formed.” (Apocalypse Revealed 69) It is said in the Apocalypse Revealed that the New Church is “formed from those who come to the Only Lord, and at the same time repent of evil works” (Apocalypse Revealed 69), that is from those who acknowledge the Lord’s Divine Human and live according to the Commandments. (Apocalypse Revealed 69, Apocalypse Explained 224) It is even said that those of the seven churches that are called “lifeless” or in “dead worship” also are invited by the Lord to the New Church. (Apocalypse Revealed, Contents, Ch. 3) So, is the New Church much more than we have thought of?

We know that a judgment has taken place on dead doctrines, and living ones have been given. But that was yesterday and not today. People are seeking life, and the answer is living doctrines that make sense, not dead ones that do not lead to the good of life. In the world of spirits the false doctrines lost their power at the Last Judgment, and therefore people on earth are able to respond to the new, living truths. The “today” that we live in is that potential of receiving life-giving truths which were not attainable before the Last Judgment.

At the time of the Last Judgment, the Christian Church consisted for the most part of those who were in works without any truths, and on the other hand those in faith alone without in neither works nor truths. But still even these are invited by the Lord to become of the New Church, provided that they repent and acknowledge His Divinity. (Apocalypse Revealed, Contents, Ch. 3) The invitation means that there now is the spiritual freedom necessary for rejecting the false doctrines that were judged and receiving the new living ones.

When we think of the future, we should not have the idea that the Church is a unified Church organization with identical features throughout the whole world. The truth is that the Church is one but at the same time composed of many diverse expressions of its worship and submission to the Lord. The one Church is like a king’s crown with many different and beautiful jewels in it. (True Christian Religion 763:e) The differences come from a variety in reception of the Lord’s influx of truth. (Apocalypse Revealed 73) That is why “seven” churches are addressed. “Seven” means “all things whatsoever with man that constitute the Church.” (Apocalypse Explained 203) Since all these seven churches are invited, the entire future “New Church with its varieties is described by the seven churches.” (Apocalypse Revealed 73)

When we say that all are invited, it means all who are “able to receive the doctrine of the New Jerusalem and to live in accordance with it.” (Apocalypse Revealed 88) So, what is the role of the organized New Church? Maybe it is to spread the living doctrines, so that people are able to respond to them.

To all of the churches it is said that there is something they have to “overcome.” That means that they have to fight against evils and falsities, for without temptations no faith can be given to anybody. (Apocalypse Explained 256) And for all churches something is promised for those overcoming. In the case of the church in today’s text-- the Philadelphia church--they are promised to become “pillars in the temple of God.” (Apocalypse Revealed 88) The living doctrines create the necessary foundation structure for a living Christianity.

It is those who overcome that will be of the Lord’s New Church. They will “receive goods and truths from the Lord” (Apocalypse Explained 90), that is, the living doctrines in exchange for dead doctrines.

From all this we can imagine that the Lord’s work for His Church is infinitely more complex and wonderful than we can ever think of. We do not know how the entirety of the New Church, the seven churches, will materialize. We know that we are playing a small but hopefully important role in it, and we hope that we are doing it well. All the encouraging words being said to the Philadelphia church we hope are applying to ourselves. And if they are not, we try to see where we can do better to serve the Lord and His true Church on earth.

But let us now see how today’s text can encourage us to continue in our search to express our beliefs and be true followers of the Lord and the pillars of the New Church..

When the Lord speaks to the Philadelphia church, He says that He has the “key of David.” (Revelation 3:7) To have the key means to have the power of opening and shutting both hell and heaven. It therefore involves the Lord’s Omnipotence from which He first opens hell, so that man can be led out of it, and then to open heaven and to introduce man into it. This is the salvation of man, for “to open heaven and to shut hell is to save.” (Apocalypse Explained 205)

This concept overshadows the whole message to the church of Philadelphia. He who follows the Lord is in truths and goods from Him, and through them that person is protected against evil and led into good. Hell is shut and heaven is opened. The Lord has the key, for from Him come all truth and good.

The Lord is said to have the key of David, because by David is meant the Lord as to Divine truth. The power to open and to shut comes from that Divine truth. (Apocalypse Revealed 62,174)

That is also why Peter in the Gospel story was given the keys of the kingdom of heaven. (Apocalypse Revealed 798) The name Peter means Rock. The Rock as a foundation for the Church is the Divine truth that has life within it from the Divine Good in the Lord. Such truth is capable of receiving the life from the Lord that creates man’s spirit anew. That truth is the same as Peter’s acknowledgment, when he said to the Lord: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) That fundamental acknowledgment opens heaven, because on that Rock heaven has its foundation in the minds of men. That Rock is the truth of good coming from the Lord. (Apocalypse Explained 206:3; Cf Apocalypse Revealed 768)

It is this truth of good coming from the Lord that characterizes the Philadelphia church. People in this state have an affection for truth from the Lord. They are open toward heaven and receive the influx therefrom. The only way to be open to heaven is “to think well about the Lord and about the neighbor,” thus to be longing for good. When this happens man will be enlightened, and the truths will have life within.

This idea is enhanced in our text by the image of the door. Doors, doorways and gates are often mentioned in the Word. They have an interesting and encouraging meaning. Doors are important in our lives. We can open them when we want to see others. We can shut them when we want to be on our own. When we go to see others we often have to face a closed door before it is opened to us. This opening that we take for granted carries a deep meaning. If the door was not opened we could not enter in to see our friends. Have you lost a key at some point? Was it unpleasant to have to stay out?

In the letter to the Philadelphia church the Lord says that He “sets an open door” before them. This means that the door to heaven is open and that it will never be shut. How can the Lord make such a promise? The answer lies in the words that precede: “I know your works.” When the works are works of charity from a spiritual principle, then life is in harmony with heaven, and heaven is open to man.

This harmony comes from being in truths of good coming from the Lord (Apocalypse Revealed 172, 176), which means being in a life of charity. (Apocalypse Explained 207) To those the Lord opens heaven, and “no one of such a quality will be refused” to enter. (Apocalypse Explained 208:1)

A door means both introductory truths and therefore subsequently admission into heaven. In the Old Testament Law there is a vivid imagery of truths being introductory to heaven: “These words which I command you ... you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:6, 9) Still today many Jews have a little cachet containing quotes from the Old Testament mounted on their doorpost. But in the spiritual sense “house” means the reborn man. And likewise the “gates of the New Jerusalem” represent introductory truths. (Apocalypse Explained 208:8, 13)

What introduces a person to the Church and thence heaven, is truths of good coming from the Lord. It means that the Lord Himself both introduces and admits. This is what is meant in John, where it is said that no one can enter the sheepfold other than through the door. The Lord Himself says, “I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7), and also “If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.” (John 10:9)

The same thing is meant by the words, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (3:20) Here it is pointed out that man has to make an effort. Once he has done it, an open door will be set before him that no one is able to shut. The effort is: (1) to approach the Lord, (2) acknowledge Him in His Divine Human, as the Son of God, as Peter did, (3) believe in Him and (4) follow His Commandments. (Apocalypse Explained 208:2, 3, 209:2; Apocalypse Revealed 70,72)

If man is neglecting to lead faith into deeds, he will not be admitted. If the person holds tenets of faith but still holds on to his love for himself and the world, the faith will be only in his memory and not in life. It will therefore after death be dissipated, and he will retain nothing that corresponds to what is heavenly (Apocalypse Explained 204:3), because there has been no communication with heaven during the lifetime. (Arcana Coelestia 8989:8) To open the door is to allow the Lord to see who we truly are and to accept the need for changes in our lives.

The introductory truths which will admit a person into heaven, will during his lifetime mean a communication with heaven. He will gradually be perfected in wisdom and understanding because his love is receiving the good from heaven. “Every one receives truth in proportion as he is in good.” (Arcana Coelestia 6628)

Throughout the letter to the people of the Philadelphia church there are several images of being in truth of good coming from the Lord. Because of this they are said to be loved, or chosen in relation to others who as to doctrine are in untruths.

And again it is said that they will be kept in the hour of temptation. In the Last Judgment, the interior qualities were investigated and these people represented by the Philadelphia Church were found good, and therefore they were saved. (Apocalypse Revealed 186) The same persistence in temptations applies to all who are of this interior quality.

When the Lord says “I am coming quickly,” He refers to the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, because those words are being repeated at the end of the Book of Revelation (22:20) when the New Jerusalem has been seen in spirit by John. Those are going to be of this Church who are in truth of good coming from the Lord. (Apocalypse Revealed 187)

Further on they are warned to “hold fast to that which they have that no one may get the crown.” The crown is a reward for victory over evils, which victory is won by means of truths of faith. (Arcana Coelestia 9930:11) If he ceases to love the truths, the wisdom will perish, and the crown will be taken away. (Apocalypse Revealed 188-9)

And finally of him who “overcomes,” the Lord says, “I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God.” Those who are in truth of good coming from the Lord will constitute the foundation for the Lord’s Church in heaven, because they are of His Church on earth. What makes this foundation is nothing else than the Divine truth of the Word, which is the Lord’s Divine Human. (Apocalypse Revealed 190-91)

A person can be raised up to a new life only by means of truth to which later the good is united. Only truth from a Divine source that looks towards a life of use can achieve this. This is how a person is led into the New Church and into the New Heaven.

When we are able to live up to these truths and make them part of our lives, when we accept the call and see the open door and enter it, then we overcome and, then the Lord will write His New name on us. That “New” name means that we acknowledge that the Lord’s Human is Divine, that the Son of God, Jesus Christ is God of heaven and earth. Through this acknowledgment together with leading a good life, by shunning evils as sins against Him, we can be led closer and closer to the Lord, and more and more become true members of the New Church, and then we will rejoice when we see the seven churches appearing all over the world. Amen.


Lessons: John 10:1-11; Revelation 3:7-13; Apocalypse Revealed 69, 73


Apocalypse Revealed 69. THE EXPLANATION. This and the following chapter treat of the seven churches, by which are described all those in the Christian church who have any religion, and out of whom the New Church, which is the New Jerusalem, can be formed; and this is formed of those who approach the Lord alone, and at the same time perform repentance from evil works. The rest, who do not approach the Lord alone, from the confirmed denial of the Divinity of His human, and who do not perform repentance from evil works, are indeed in the church, but have nothing of the church in them.

Apocalypse Revealed 73. Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write, signifies, to those and concerning those, who primarily regard the truths of doctrine and not the goods of life. It was shown above ..., that by “the seven churches” are not meant seven churches, but the church in the whole complex, which in itself is one, but various according to reception; and that those varieties may be compared with the various members and organs in a perfect body, which yet make one. They may also be compared with the various diadems in a king’s crown; and hence it is that the whole New Church, with its varieties, is described, in what now follows, by “the seven churches.” That by the church of Ephesus, are meant those in the church who primarily regard the truths of doctrine and not the goods of life, is clear from the things written to that church, when understood in the spiritual sense. It is written to “the angel” of that church, because by an angel is meant an angelic society which corresponds to a church consisting of such, as above....