What is this “hour of trial”? Well, it is generally believed that it has to do with the severe persecution and killing of Christians, which had already begun—which is already underway—thanks to the Roman Emperor Domician. But, it will intensify—it will “mushroom,” so to speak—in the years to come. Is the Lord’s commitment to these Christians, then, to keep them from this? We see in verse 10 that this “hour of trial” is characterized as a time of “testing.” Well, here is a church that, already in the face of persecution, has shown their faith and fidelity to the Lord. They have demonstrated their “perseverance;” they have demonstrated their “patient endurance.” The Lord has commended them for that. Have they already passed the “test”? Is the Lord satisfied with what they have done, and what they are doing now, and what they will continue to do? It’s interesting for us to think about this. Is the Lord going to protect them; is He going to seal them, as we will read when we get to chapter 6? Will they be sealed in a special way from this increased persecution that the Romans are going to bring upon the church as time goes on? Perhaps so.

In verse 11, the Lord encourages and says, “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” He is the One Who is going to come, and so He encourages them to “hold fast,”—to hold tight, or we might say to “keep on keeping on,” and don’t let anything happen to that “crown”! Now, does He have reference here to the final coming—to His coming that is yet to take place—or does He have in mind, perhaps, a spiritual visit when He will come and strengthen and encourage and assist them? Some commentators believe that rather than protecting them and keeping them from that “hour of trial” we have spoken about, He will come spiritually. Now, we’re not talking about His final coming, but we’re talking about a spiritual visit to help them to endure that “hour of trial.” Well, that could be as well. But nevertheless, He says, “I am coming quickly!” And He says, “Don’t let anything happen to that ‘crown.’ ” There is a Message there for them, and that is that they need to continue to be faithful, to continue to endure, and that they need to continue to be watchful. That Message is there for us, as well. We, too, must continue to be faithful. We, too, must continue to endure. We, too, must ever be watchful, because “no man knows” “that day or the hour” when the Lord will return [Matthew 24:36-37, 42, 44: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be…Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming…Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Mark 13:32-33, 37: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is…And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”].

Concerning the “crown,” we know, in this Revelation that John is getting from the Lord,that the Lord is borrowing the symbol of athletic games and what the winner was given. This is a metaphor that Paul used several times during his writing to the churches. In 1 Corinthians 9, verse 25 he talks about not inheriting a “corruptible crown,” but, rather, an “incorruptible” crown [King James’ Version: “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”].

We know that the winners of the athletic contests there in the 1^st Century were given a crown that was sometimes made out of laurel branches or even pine boughs, and it was a great honor. But because they made them with live foliage, they would eventually die. They were “corruptible.” Paul says we have waiting for us an “incorruptible” crown. This is, again, a metaphor representing what is waiting for those who are faithful in the last day. As we go through our study of Revelation, we are going to see a great deal said about crowns. This is the first “salvo” [“barrage,” “bombardment,” “round”], so to speak.

The Lord says to them to “hold fast to what you have,” so“that no one may take your crown.” They are to guard what they have, keep it secure. How will they do that? Well, they will do that by “keeping on keeping on.” “Keep doing what you have been doing.” Now, this sets up the scenario which suggests that if the Lord is urging them to guard their crown—to guard their prize, if you will—it is possible for one to lose it, or for something to happen to it, or for it to be removed or taken away. Indeed, that is certainly a possibility. Unlike those who preach and teach and believe a “once saved always saved” doctrine, this certainly flies in the face of that doctrine. You CAN lose your crown if you do not remain faithful. [1 Timothy 6:21-22: “O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge — by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith.”]

Verse 12 says, “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the Name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My New Name.” In Galatians, chapter 2, verse 9, Paul is writing to the several churches that were in the region of Galatia. He spoke about those who were faithful leaders in the church, and he refers to them as “pillars,” as in those who support the structure of the church. Well, does the Lord have in mind the church here when He tells them that if they “overcome,” they will become “pillars”? Could be, but, more likely, I believe what the Lord is referring to here has to do with eternity, and has to do with heaven. As we’ll see later on in Revelation, chapter 7, verse 15 [“Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He Who sits on the throne will dwell among them,” and chapter 11, verse 19 [“Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.”], it very specifically refers to and talks about the “temple” of God and it is representing—not the church—but heaven. So, here the Lord makes a promise. If you “overcome,” then I will plant you in—I will put you in—I will make you part of—that structure that is in heaven. Heaven is described euphemistically, or metaphorically, as a temple, and you will be part of that.

Also notice that they will be inscribed with the “Name” of God. This carries on here with the analogy and symbolism of the temple, of temple worship in the Old Testament under the Law of Moses, and so on. In Numbers, chapter 6, verse 27, we see that as part of the priestly blessing that the high priest gave, the Name of God was written on every Israelite. Well, for those who are faithful, for those who “overcome,” both in the church of Christ in Philadelphia there in the latter part of the 1^st Century, and those who today are part of the Kingdom of God, God will “write” His “Name” on His people. And not only His “Name,” but also the name of His “city,” referred to here in verse 12 as the “New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God.”