Revelation 3A (2011)

Transcription

1 (2011) The fourth letter to Thyatira, following the same pattern SLIDES 3-1, 3-2 Rev. 2:18 And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: Rev. 2:19 I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first. Rev. 2:20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. Rev. 2:21 I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Rev. 2:22 Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. Rev. 2:23 And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. Rev. 2:24 But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them I place no other burden on you. Rev. 2:25 Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. Rev. 2:26 He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; Rev. 2:27 AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father; Rev. 2:28 and I will give him the morning star. Rev. 2:29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Thyatira is another city in Asia Minor (Turkey) It s name means unending (or perpetual) sacrifice SLIDE 3-3 Another city full of pagan worship The principle deity was Apollo Trimnaeus He was said to be the son of Zeus He was worshipped alongside the emperor god Apollo Both these gods were considered sons of gods

2 2! Thyatira had more trade and craft guides (or unions) than any other Asian city Each guild was dedicated to a patron god Membership in a guild was crucial to practicing a trade and surviving economically During the regular guild meetings, meat sacrificed to the guild god was served Often orgies were part of the meal Refusing to participate in these meals could result in banishment from the guild and the inability to earn a living Looking at the letter, the description of Christ taken from chapter 1 focuses on the eyes of fire and the feat of glowing bronze Both His eyes and the feet are glowing like a hot flame or furnace These symbols reflect the same meaning but in different ways Eyes of flame or fire represent all-seeing, a piercing vision capable of discerning all things The ability to render perfect judgment Feet or glowing bronze suggest the fires of judgment The strength of feet and the glowing heat of a hot fire represent the fierce judgment of God The trampling of the ungodly So taken together, the images testify to Christ s perfect judgment and capacity to carry it out to the destruction of the ungodly So to Thyatira, Christ reminds His Church that He is a Judge of His Church In v.19 the Church gets its only positive statement The Church in Thyatira is a church known for its good works They have love for one another and others They exhibit faith in that they are committed and pious

3 3! They are a Church of service, remaining active And they have perseverance, not tiring easily in their works But beginning in v.20, the rest of the letter turns negative, and it s one of the lengthier letters Jesus begins by saying He has against them that they tolerate the woman Jezebel Much speculation concerning the identity of Jezebel The original Jezebel was a Phoenician wife of the evil king Ahab She persuaded her weak and godless husband to commit many immoralities in the Northern Kingdom of Israel Her name has become synonymous with an evil, immoral manipulating woman There s a reason few girls are called Jezebel today And neither were many women using that name in the day the letter was written So this Jezebel was probably not called by that name but was some other female influence in the Thyatira church So just as the earlier letter to Pergamum included a reference to Balaam, this letter has a reference to a Jezebel The names are used as stand-ins for a real name Their substitute names tell us much about what they were doing The behavior of this woman in Thyatira is identical to the things credited to the original Jezebel in Israel The Jezebel said it was appropriate for believers in that city to eat the meat sacrificed to idols in the temples or guild suppers And to engage in the immoralities that accompanied those meals Clearly this was wrong, as Paul himself had written against the practice in his earlier letters to Corinth

4 4! But this negative influence brought the church in Thyatira into sin Christ says he gave time for the woman to repent, but she didn t want to cease her immoralities Which kind of repent is Jesus suggesting here? To know the answer, look at the consequence The consequence for the woman is she will be incapacitated through a sickness And those who participate in her immoralities will also suffer great tribulation, unless they repent of what she promoted The woman s children or followers will also die by a pestilence These are not eternal judgment but bodily judgment, suggesting repent with a small r The effect of these judgments will be to make clear to the rest of the churches that Christ is at work in His role of judge over the church And they He awards outcomes to His children according to their deeds In the day of the letter we can imagine that those who were following this Jezebel s teaching suddenly succumbed to a disease Probably one related to their immoral practices Possibly something unique and visible, like leprosy or smallpox Those who were committing immorality were dying while those who had abstained weren t It would have been obvious to the rest of the church that Christ had brought judgment against the sinners Finally, to the obedient believers, Christ gives no other burden The sense is that they are already burden enough by a church that practiced many works and brought many pressures upon the body to conform to the Jezebel teachings

5 5! Jesus says I place no more burdens on them In Greek, there is a word play at work Jesus will cast Jezebel and her children into suffering and tribulation But Jesus will not cast any more burden on the believers To those who believe (overcome), they will have the authority over nations to rule with Christ Thyatira is a church ruled by a Jezebel placing burdens on the believers But in the kingdom, the role will reverse and the true believers will have the power to rule with Christ And they will have the morning star, a symbol for Christ Himself in Rev 22:16 Turning to the prophetic view of this church, let s start by remembering this church begins at the end of the previous church period That period of Pergamum ended with with Roman Empire in about 600 AD When the Roman Empire fell, it disintegrated in stages over many centuries Initially, it split East-West The West was ruled from Constantinople The East was ruled from Rome in Italy Slowly the two halves dissolved into the nations of Europe and the Middle East But as the Roman Empire crumbled, a new power rose in its place that continued to wield power across the new borders Remember that during the period of Pergamum, the church and the Empire were thoroughly married, hence the name Pergamum This married church was set loose from her attachment to the Roman Empire

6 6! And the church now stood alone and continued to rule the people from Rome It became known as the Roman Catholic (or worldwide) church Look back through the letter to Thyatira with this church period in mind The name means continual sacrifice, which refers to one of the worst Catholic heresies, that the communion bread is the literal body of Christ And as His physical body, it is re-sacrificed every time it is broken at the altar Altars are only for sacrifice, so the Catholic Mass is understood to be a re-enactment of the sacrifice of Christ, hence continual sacrifice The Catholic church period also introduced many more heresies and spiritual immoralities including: Justification through works rather than faith alone Worship of idols and images Celibacy of priests (Nicolatian teaching) Confessing sins to an intercessor other than Christ Purgatory Indulgences Penance Worship of Mary These practices were spiritual immorality similar to the way the real Jezebel corrupted Israel In fact, anytime a woman is used to stand for something in Scripture, it stands for a religious system or group Israel is represented as a woman, and harlot The Church is represented as the Bride of Christ

7 7! The one world religion of Tribulation will be represented as the Harlot later in Revelation So just as the original Jezebel gained her power through a marriage to a world leader Likewise the Jezebel of the Thyatira period is the Catholic church Which gained its authority through a marriage to the Empire, and later other state governments Consider the judgment Jesus promised to this period of Church history Jesus said that if Jezebel didn t repent, she would be made sick Together with her children, they would suffer at the hands of a great pestilence It would be a great tribulation When we look at history, we see this exact judgment fulfilled during this period of church history Jesus says in v.21 that He gave Jezebel (the Catholic Church) the opportunity to repent As Jesus promised, the Thyatira church began at around 600 AD, and continued for at least a thousand years By the thirteen century, the effects of this Jezebel had influenced the entire Christian world It was centered in the Eastern Orthodox church in Constantinople and in the Roman Church in Rome Then in the later 13 th century, Jesus judgment of a terrible pestilence came to the Jezebel and her children SLIDE 3-4 The Black Plague first appeared at the dawn of the fourteenth century It started in Constantinople, resulting in nearly 40% of that city dying as a result The disease spread next by cargo ships to the Sicily and it quickly moved north into the rest of Italy becoming centered in Rome

8 8! By the mid fourteenth century all Europe was infected It killed as much as 60% of Europe s population And it severely and permanently weakened the Catholic Church Since priests and monks were often pressed into service in caring for the sick, they were among the worst hit leaving the church leadership devastated Fearing spread of the disease, people refused to attend mass Since there was no understanding of it s cause, the common view in that day was it was a judgment from God SLIDE 3-5 It was a great tribulation for those who ensured it They died by the hundreds, both day and night, and all were thrown in... ditches and covered with earth. And as soon as those ditches were filled, more were dug. And I, Agnolo di Tura... buried my five children with my own hands... And so many died that all believed it was the end of the world. How many valiant men, how many fair ladies, breakfast with their kinfolk and the same night supped with their ancestors in the next world! The condition of the people was pitiable to behold. They sickened by the thousands daily, and died unattended and without help. Many died in the open street, others dying in their houses, made it known by the stench of their rotting bodies. Consecrated churchyards did not suffice for the burial of the vast multitude of bodies, which were heaped by the hundreds in vast trenches, like goods in a ships hold and covered with a little earth. Two Italian Writers SLIDE 3-6 This period began in 600AD and ended in 1587AD, because of an event that triggered the next church period So fill out our charts SLIDE 3-7

9 9! The next church is Sardis Rev. 3:1 To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Rev. 3:2 Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. Rev. 3:3 So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. Rev. 3:4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. Rev. 3:5 He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Rev. 3:6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Sardis means remnant or those escaping Today the city is in ruins in Turkey SLIDE 3-8 The ancient city was built on a mountain and was protected by a virtually impregnable watch tower and fortress Though many attackers tried to take the city, none succeeded On one day a local slave in the city noticed one of the guard soldiers on the city wall lose his helmet over the wall and down the side of the mountain Thinking the helmet lost, the slave was surprised to see the same soldier appearing a short time later from out of the side of the mountain and then climb down the hillside to retrieve his helmet The the soldier climbed back up the mountain, disappeared into the rocks and then reappeared a short time later back at his post on the citadel walls, helmet in hand The slave realized that there must be a secret entrance into the city through the mountainside In 214 BC, Antiochus the Great lay siege to the city, and during the siege this slave was captured

10 10! The slave offered to tell the invading forces of a secret entrance into the city in exchange for his safety When the help of the slave, Antiochus conquered the city through the secret entrance, like a their in the night The patron god of the city was Cybele, an Asian mother-goddess She was said to raise the dead She was worshipped as the mother of all life and of all gods Worship included the usual immoral practices The people of Sardis were particularly focused on pleasure seeking and luxury It was known as a decadent city Turning to the letter, the description of Christ to this city was that Christ had the Seven Spirits of God and the seven stars (or angels) The emphasis on the whole (i.e., 7) Spirit and the angels of the churches communicates the authenticity of the church It is a Spirit-led church with the full protection of Christ through His angels Sardis was a true church but a weak one in several ways First Jesus says they have a name they are alive but they are dead The church was known to be a spirit-led church, but in lifestyle and deeds they were dead They were like those described by James when he wrote that faith without works is dead or useless That s why Jesus says He has not found their deeds complete in His sight Sardis was commanded to wake up and strengthen what remained so that they might regain a better testimony and judgment Consider Jesus warning to the church If they do not wake up, then Jesus will return when they do not expect

11 ! 11 This is a concerning thing if you are not ready for your master s return The New Testament is full of warnings to believer to be ready for that coming day of judgment Be ready with a life of deeds done in faith so that your faith will have been useful to Christ, rather than useless as James warns Notice that the deeds must be considered complete in the sight of My God referring to the Father Ultimately, our judgment will depend on whether our deeds meet the Father s expectations Deeds that were prepared beforehand for us to complete, according to Paul Eph. 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Then Jesus says that there are a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments They will walk with Jesus in white, for they are worthy What does this picture mean? What is a soiled garment and how do you become worthy to wear a white one? The fact that Jesus is talking about being worthy of an award takes us out of a discussion of salvation, since it is never said to be earned Nor are we ever declared to be worthy of salvation Following our rules of interpretation, we look elsewhere in the book for a definition of the symbol, in this case a white garment Rev. 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. Rev. 19:8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

12 12! So in keeping with Jesus warning, there are some who have incomplete works and have soiled garments But other have done the deeds of faith and have earned a reward for their righteous acts Putting both the description of Christ together with His exhortation and the warning, it s clear that Jesus knows this is a true church that has the Spirit But it is also a lazy or inactive church without works consistent with its faith and confession And it s at risk of a bad judgment when the Lord returns to judge each believer in Sardis Finally, Jesus tells the overcomer (the believer) will thus be clothed in white garments The word thus means in this manner Jesus is reminding the believer that this is the way to earn the white garments But as well, the believer will not be erased from the book of Life And Jesus will surely confess their name before God, just as Jesus promised Matt. 10:32 Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. And they will not be erased from the Book of Life The Book of Life records all those who are saved (we will see it later in Revelation) The word erased causes some students to be concerned that Jesus is implying that loss of salvation is possible The wording in Greek is simply an artful way of saying that believers are assured of being found in the book Remember, the word not is in front of the word erase for all overcomers (believers)

13 13! So what period of history does this church represent? The name is the first clue The name means a remnant, those escaping The Roman Catholic church was so weakened in authority after the Black Plague, it helped give rise to the Reformation The Wikipedia article on Reformation opens this way: The efforts of the self-described "reformers" who objected to ("protested") the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Catholic Church, led to the creation of new national Protestant churches. This was encouraged by the series of events such as the black death...that led to the loss of people's faith in the church. The formation of the protestant church was a direct consequence of the heresy and apostasy of the Catholic Church This church became the true church reflected in the way Jesus says this period will have the seven Spirits of God After 1517 AD, the true Church was now distinct from the Catholic Church The Reformation brought about a recommitment to Biblical truth in the doctrines of the Church Most of the heresies of the Catholic Church were eliminated The true Gospel of salvation by grace through faith alone in Christ alone was restored Yet some false practices remained like clergy-laity distinctions and infant baptism But with the return to orthodox teaching came an over emphasis on doctrines, and creeds and orthodoxy and a dearth of works of charity and of seeking the lost with the Gospel The Reformation church evolved into very much a club or a society It had a name it was alive, in the sense that it maintained a good testimony in its creeds and in its defense of God s word against the attacks of Catholicism

14 14! But in many ways it was a dead church, in the sense of James letter The church lacked works of faith and was useless in ministering to the needs of Christ s children Reformation church were still married to their respective state governments Money flowed from congregants to the governments and church authorities Most of the money was spent on impressive church buildings rather than on the needs of the believers or on preaching to the unreached So Jesus warned that he would visit the church when it does not expect Him and pass judgment When the Reformation Church began, one protestant faith dominated Lutherans But in 1648, the Thirty Years war between Protestants and Catholics ended with the Peace of Westfalia This treaty established the basis for modern Europe Among its many tenets, Christians were permitted to worship when and where they please It protected Christian expression in greater forms And the Reformation Church lost control of its own creeds New Protestant faiths emerged And the Reformation church eventually gave way to a worldwide awakening of faith And a new evangelism to the New World Finally the works of faith were re-ignited in a new generation So the dates of the Sardis church are SLIDE 3-9 Fill out the chart SLIDE 3-10