Message to Philadelphia

⁷ “And to the angel of the church in ^(A)Philadelphia write:

^(B)He who is holy, ^(C)who is true, who has ^(D)the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this:

⁸ ‘^(E)I know your ^[a]deeds. Behold, I have put before you ^(F)an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have followed My word, and ^(G)have not denied My name. ⁹ Behold, I ^[b]will make those of ^(H)the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them ^(I)come and bow down before your feet, and make them know that ^(J)I have loved you. ¹⁰ Because you have ^(K)kept ^(L)My ^[c]word of perseverance, ^(M)I also will keep you from the hour of the ^[d](N)testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole ^[e](O)world, to ^[f]test ^(P)those who live on the earth. ^11 (Q)I am coming quickly; ^(R)hold firmly to what you have, so that no one will take your ^(S)crown. ^12 (T)The one who overcomes, I will make him a ^(U)pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; and I will write on him the ^(V)name of My God, and ^(W)the name of the city of My God, ^(X)the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My ^(Y)new name. ^13 (Z)The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Those Who Died in Christ

¹³ But ^(A)we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who ^[a](B)are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed ^(C)the rest of mankind do, who have ^(D)no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead, ^(E)so also God will bring with Him ^(F)those who have fallen asleep ^[b]through Jesus. ¹⁵ For we say this to you ^(G)by the word of the Lord, that ^(H)we who are alive ^[c]and remain until ^(I)the coming of the Lord will not precede ^(J)those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord ^(K)Himself ^(L)will descend from heaven with a ^[d](M)shout, with the voice of ^(N)the archangel and with the ^(O)trumpet of God, and ^(P)the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ Then ^(Q)we who are alive, who remain, will be ^(R)caught up together with them ^(S)in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always ^(T)be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Therefore, ^[e]comfort one another with these words.

^9 (A)The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but ^(B)is patient toward you, ^(C)not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.