⁵ Those who ·win the victory [overcome; conquer] will be dressed in white clothes like them. And I will ·not [never; ^Can emphatic negation] erase [wipe out; blot out] their names from the ·book [scroll] of life [Ex. 32:32–33; Ps. 69:28; Dan. 12:1], but I will ·say they belong to me [^Lconfess their names] before my Father and before his angels. ⁶ Everyone who has ears should ·listen to [hear; obey] what the Spirit says to the churches.

To the Church in Philadelphia

⁷ “Write this to the ·angel [messenger; see 1:20] of the church in ·Philadelphia [a city in the Roman province of Lydia in western Asia Minor]:

“This is what the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David [^Cthe resurrected Jesus; holding the key of David signifies access to the king; Is. 22:22], says. When he opens a door, no one can close it. And when he closes it, no one can open it [^CJesus controls access to God].