Revelation
2:18-29
The
church of Thyatira was unique among the seven to which Jesus spoke. There is no
mention of external opposition to this congregation, but the major threat to
their well-being came from within. Though this may seem like something that
should have been easily handled by God’s people, we must remember that the most
dangerous foe always comes from within. Lillie McCutcheon wrote, “Truth is ever
the same. Inward foes of evil cause decay and death more rapidly than outward
foes of persecution. The longest letter of the seven is written to this church
with the least outward danger.”[1] It
is not physical danger that threatens the church most – in that day or this day
– but compromise of the integrity of the truth. It is when the attention of
God’s people is turned away from Him that we see judgment begin within the
ranks of the church. “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of
God…” (1 Peter 4:17).
I
have been asked to compromise God’s word many times over the course of my short
ministry. There are pastors who have been asked to compromise countless times
throughout the years. If you were to ask them who most often asks them to do
this you would most likely find that these requests come from those who profess
to be Christians. I have never been criticized by an atheist for anything
except for my belief in God. No atheist has ever criticized the doctrine of
holiness of lifestyle. They have never given me much trouble about eschatology
or Bible typology. I have received complaints, and even requests to compromise
on all of these, but each time those conversations have taken place it has been
with people who are a part of the church.
The
world wants God’s people to compromise, we can make no pretense about that
fact. But when God’s people turn their attention to worldly things we find that
they want compromise and “tolerance” as much as the sinner who is convicted by
the Word of God. We live in a day where our secular society does not need to
overwhelm the church to defeat her, but simply stands back and watches as God’s
people willingly give up the clear teaching of Scripture. Many accept
homosexuality today, and some even support the theory of evolution rather than
the Biblical account of creation. The tolerance of our day has given free rein
to every “Jezebel” that Satan has placed in the midst of God’s people. We
accept almost every conceivable form of idolatry because of our need to please
the purveyors of political correctness.
The
dangers of this tolerance are embodied in the name of one who had misled the
people of God many years before the church of Thyatira was established:
Jezebel. “It is improbable that Jezebel was her real name; but she was a
Jezebel in character, named in this letter after King Ahab’s wicked wife, who
killed the Lord’s prophets, seduced her husband into idolatry, and fed the
priests of Baal at her own table.”[2]
This woman turned the attention of the people of Old Testament Israel from God
to the desires of the world. God’s inspired law ceased to be the standard by
which people lived. This is much the same as the church we see today. Rather
than looking for direction in God’s word we look to the business models of
society. Some look within to their own ideas, while others look to the
mega-churches and their methods. The work of Satan was taking place in
Thyatira, a church where God’s word had been abandoned in the name of
tolerance. People were living by the standard of “understanding” which is
little different from what Jesus called the “deep things of Satan.”
The
remedy to such a sickness in the church was established by God through Jesus
Christ. It is holiness. When the church returns to God’s word we find a purity
in belief and doctrine, a oneness of motive that drives our actions and
thoughts. There is no reason the church cannot live with such purity today,
except that we do not want it. The church of the modern world, much like the
one in Thyatira, would much rather live with the favor of the world than that
of God. However, the triumphant church is never a church that bows to political
correctness. It is never a church that gives up the word of God for acceptance
by any worldly or ecumenical organization. The victorious church is, and always
has been, a holy church. The triumphant church does not seek the methods or materials
of the world, but the purity that emanates from the heart of God. This is the
mark of victory in the church no matter what age or society in which she finds
herself.
Purity
Provides Us a Consistent Vision of God
When
so many people are seeking something spiritual, why is it so difficult for them
to find God? Though He continually pursues their lost souls it seems like they
cannot find their way to Him in the dark. Why is this? It is because the church
has compromised the Word that reveals God to man. When we water down the Word
we find that God is harder to distinguish from all the idols of the world. God
is no longer consistent, unchanging, and infallible when we refuse to live in
light of His Word. This is a dangerous God to portray. It affects more than our
own lives. It has an impact on the lives of each person who hears our
profession of faith and looks to us for some revelation of God. Dennis Kinlaw
was right in saying, “If your concept of God is wrong, the more religion you
get, the more dangerous you become to yourself and everyone else.”[3]
Despite
popular opinion, it is not tolerance of acceptance we must show the world
around us. It is God! It is His holiness and purity shining through the
Christian life that fulfills the Scripture that says, “And I, when I am lifted
up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32). We have never
been given the charge to define God for ourselves, or in light of our culture.
We have only the call to lift up Jesus Christ as He is revealed to us in
Scripture. Some Christians like to say, “my god would never judge anyone,
condemn anyone, or even become angry with sin.” But to worship “my god” is
nothing more than idolatry. We commanded to worship “the God”, creator of
heaven and earth, not some distant figure of our fallen imagination. Without
purity and holiness we cannot even find consistency in our vision of God.
The
consequences of wrong ideas about God go even further. Without purity in our
pursuit of Him we can never really know what we are following. Some Christians
follow those who preach and teach the prosperity gospel and find themselves
chasing worldly things rather than their Heavenly God. Jesus told us, “Blessed
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). It is when our heart
is taken by love for God that we are willing to devote ourselves to His Word
and truly seek His face. Our motives cannot be defiled by any other pursuit or
interest but God’s will. This is how He is revealed to a fallen world. God’s
people seek Him to such an extent that His character of holiness becomes a part
of them. The world sees a very distinct God working through their lives as He
transforms their lives, and conforms them to His holiness. This defines God for
them. It is when the Word is not simply a living and active entity in theory,
but living and active in our lives. It is only the uncompromised Word of God
that gives us clarity on who He is.
Purity
Averts God’s Judgment
The
doctrinal impurity in Thyatira would have wreaked havoc in the church. Jesus
told them that if there were no repentance he would cast this woman onto her
sickbed, and her children also. This is a reference to those who followed her
teaching and had become her spiritual children. Teaching what is false about
God is without a doubt a serious offense. It is one that needs to be understood
by all who teach and preach. “Not many of you should become teachers, my
brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater
strictness” (James 3:1). The tolerance of false doctrine not only affected the
lives of those who promoted it, but also those who heard the teaching.
Ultimately,
false teaching would affect the entirety of the church. When it is allowed to
spread it works like a cancer metastasizing within the body. It grows to the
point that it will eventually overtake the body. Eventually some of those who
follow this false teaching would become leaders, and make decisions that would
affect the church and her witness to the world. People would begin to be a part
of the church because of the attractiveness of what is false. They would seek
any number of things, but the Kingdom of God would no longer be one of them as
this teaching overtook the church.
This
Jezebel-like spirit continues to affect the church today. “This is the real
Jezebel – the spirit of tolerance and compromise, one we have allowed to
infiltrate the Church rendering her impotent of all spiritual life, and
diverting her energy into carnal pursuits, rather than advancing the Kingdom we
are supposed to love.”[4] Jesus told us that if we love Him we will
“keep His commands” (John 14:15). We often claim a love for Christ, but
tolerate things that are contrary to His commands.
This
tolerance, if allowed to continue, will surely bring about the judgment of God.
The Apostle Paul wrote about this judgment:
"For
the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth…For
although they knew God, they did not honor
him as God or give thanks to him, but
became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened…Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity…And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done (Rom.
1:18, 21, 26, 28)."
When
we turn our hearts from God, He will not simply strike us dead, but will give
us up to our own desires. He will allow us to pursue our worldly passions, and
turn us back over to the sin-cursed world. The same is true for the church. God
will not allow the church to live under His power, or experience His presence
when they have turned from Him. Holiness is not an optional addition to our
faith, as some believe today. It is absolutely necessary for the church if she
is to live in the favor of God. Without holiness “no one will see the Lord”
(Heb. 12:14). And without holiness no one will escape the judgment of the Lord.
“How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” (Heb. 2:3).
Purity
Helps Us Understand Repentance
Purity
also does more than keep us from judgment. It also helps us to understand what
it means to repent from our former lives so that we may walk with God. We seem
to have lost sight of the truth in the modern church, but the call of Jesus
remains: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17). It seems
that one of the first things we compromise when we turn from the truth is the
need to repent, and change our lifestyle from a worldly one to a godly one. To
repent is literally to turn from what we were facing, and to face in another
direction. Without a consistent doctrine that reveals God to us we may find
ourselves following any number of worldly things. That is why doctrine remains
so important. That is where we define the God to with whom we are called to
walk.
Repentance
is more than turning away from sin. It is also turning to God. It means that we
look through all the distractions of the world to see the heavenly prize before
us. Our lifestyle becomes one that seeks God above all else. A life that
emulates His character and is marked by a love for Him. This is why purity and
holiness are so important. This Jezebel about whom Jesus speaks taught people
to eat what was sacrificed to idols. She set an example that taught acceptance
of the pagan worship of their time. Such an example can never lead us to a Holy
God. It will only hide His face from us. Doctrine has always – and will always
– dictate the direction we face. Based on the purity, or lack thereof, of what
we teach, we will either face God, or the world. There is no third option.
Purity
Defines Authority for Us
Purity
in doctrine does not simply tell us how to live as a part of the church. It
outlines for us the way the church is supposed to work as it submits to God’s
will. We live in a society that does not like authority. In fact, we have much
less respect for authority than generations that have come before, but this
popular opinion does not exempt us from submission to God’s authority, and that
which He puts in place. Many churches around the world (and especially in
America) take it upon themselves to establish authority in any way they would
like. This, however, is not the way God establishes authority. He does not do
it according to the methods of the world, He does not take a vote, and He does
not poll public opinion. He establishes it through His Word. He speaks His Word
through those whom He wishes to influence His people. He uses those who submit
to His will. Watchman Nee commented, “Spiritual authority does not come through
man’s attainment. Rather, it comes through God’s selection. Spiritual matters
are entirely different from worldly principles.”[5]
God
does not put those in leadership who are the best business men, the most
educated, or even the most respected. He uses people who will submit to His
will no matter how unlikely it may be. God used Moses to part the Red Sea. He
told Elijah to proclaim that the rain would cease. Even Jesus came to earth and
modeled a life of submission to the authority of God the Father. Why should we
expect any different in the church today? The Acts of the Apostles gives us an
example of the act of sending someone into ministry to do God’s work. “While
they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart
for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after
fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off” (Acts
13:2, 3).
False
doctrine opens the door to many kinds of false authority. It allows man to turn
from God in pursuit of his own work and ways. It outlines for us the authority
that is established by God so that as we submit, we see the work of our King
take place through our lives. It is imperative that we measure authority by
Scripture alone if this is to happen. If we are to see God’s work and hear
God’s message through leaders, it will be when Scripture defines their
authority and position.
The
message of Jezebel may have attracted untold masses to the church, but it was
not a message of authority. There are many modern-day teachers and preachers
who teach the same compromising doctrines. Their churches are large, but God
does not dwell among them. It is only a message from God that has the power to
transform lives and impact the soul. We find such messages unpopular at times,
but we must heed the Word of God nonetheless. There are days we leave worship
services thinking, “I can’t believe my pastor said that,” but if what was said
is biblical there is no room for complaint. Many church could grow to great
numbers if we were willing to teach the doctrine of Jezebel and compromise
God’s Word, but that is not the triumphant church that overcomes opposition and
rules over the nations. That is not the church that has come face to face with
the Morning Star, Jesus Christ. The message may not make us comfortable, and
sometimes may actually make us mad, but when God speaks it is important for His
people to listen, realizing that this message comes with authority.
"Theodore
Epp, founder of Back to the Bible radio ministry, realized something was wrong when he stopped receiving critical mail. Convicted that he was
not challenging the flock enough, he changed
his preaching. “I’m afraid that when I’m pleasing
everybody, I’m not pleasing the Lord,” he later said, “and pleasing the Lord is what counts.”[6]
We
must realize that God’s Word, even as it is spoken by teachers and preachers,
carries with it the full authority of heaven. “No prophecy of Scripture comes
from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the
will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy
Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20, 21). The criteria for a message is Scripture. If it
conforms to what the Bible teaches, it is a message from God – even if it is
sometimes proclaimed in a way that offends or upsets us. Our happiness or
comfort can never be the measuring rod against which we judge the Word. There
are thousands of Jezebels among us teaching people what they want to hear, but
there is only one God, and His message, if applied, will change our lives. This
is the Word that sustains us, and brings us into an ever-growing relationship
with God. What the church needs today is not another program or gimmick, but
the unfettered Word of God. It will not be accepted by the word, or even all
those who claim to be the church, but it will bring us into fellowship with
God.
The
world tells us that everything is relative; that there is no definite truth.
Society continually draws us toward compromise of the principles God has set
forth for us. But it is the voice of the Spirit speaking to the churches that
leads us into God’s presence. It is a voice that calls us to purity; a voice
that calls us to holiness; a voice that calls us out of the sin and darkness of
the world. The triumphant church listens to such a voice today. He who has
ears, hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
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