Jesus Message to the Church – Philadelphia
Today we will look at the
church in Philadelphia, one of the seven churches to which Jesus sent messages
through the apostle John.
Philadelphia is known as
“Alashehir (city of god, exalted city). This city was very syncretistic, from
Anatolian and Hellenistic practices. Its patron deity was Dionysus, god of wine.This city was almost destroyed in 17AD by an
earthquake that devastated Sardis and nearby cities.The population of the city was small due to
the constant earthquakes; this caused people to move outside the city.Philadelphia became a missionary center for
spreading the Greek language and customs into eastern parts of Lydia and Phrygia.
Some believe disciples of
Paul planted this church there.