Revelation, Authority, & Infallibility ...

Who are you?  What are you?  The answers to these questions will say a lot about you.  Your identity can be self-described in a number of ways.  It may begin with your name.  When others pose the question to you, “who are you”, the most common response may well be your name.  Your name is a title given to you since birth.  It is meant to distinguish you from others in your family.  It is meant to identify you in terms of great affection, originating from your parents, where no matter the relationship you have today, it most probably began with one of extreme love at the birth of a new child to them.  But over time, some decide the name given them at birth, does not suit them, and they decide to change it to something better in their minds, to something else.  This is not meant as disrespect.  And in fact, in the Bible it happens a few times.  Abram, was changed to Abraham, and Simon to Peter.  The change for Abraham had meaning beyond affection, it meaning in designation to “who” he would become.  The same is true is for Peter.  And at the end of all things, Jesus intends to give us all new names in the Kingdom of heaven, names better suited to identify who we are meant to be, and who we will also become in the state of perfection throughout eternity.

What are you; is perhaps the more interesting question.  The answer here could originate in a combination of your age, or sex, or religious or political affiliation.  But most commonly your answer may find root in your job, your occupation, your skill set – that help you earn a living and sustain yourself.  Most of us grow up into the job we have, through a series of educational progressions, and then influenced by a set of circumstances we never could have predicted but find ourselves either victim of; or reaching the aspirations of.  We do what we need to do, to make a living, to provide for ourselves, or for our families.  So what we are matches the demands of the place, opportunities, and times we live in.  And there are few among us who answer this question as … I am a prophet of God.  The ones who do answer this way, are pretty much seen as “cuckoo lulu” right out of the gate.  Our minds jump right to the ideas of con-man, or self-deluded, and in the worst of all states, an agent of Satan.  So what kind of revelation, does it take to be a prophet of God?  And could it be a position more of us could occupy, if we only understood it better?

When we think of the great heroes of the Bible a few of them stand out because they are most closely associated with the ideas and the term prophet.  Isaiah prophesied of the coming Messiah.  Daniel of the Old Testament and the apostle John of the New, prophesied in tandem of the timeline of our world, all the way to the end of all things as we know them.  So it is easier to look at John and declare he was a prophet, even though He was also a disciple, and a fisherman, and a searcher of God.  After reading the book of Revelations however, it is easy to see how John could carry the title “prophet”.  But then is the gift of prophecy a full-time occupation?  Saul, the first king of Israel, who is known more for his ignominious end than his life, was given to bouts of prophecy.  So much so, that it was a common expression to ask, is Saul among the prophets.  And Matthew reveals to us that Peter too was given revelations that would become prophetic.  Does this make Peter a prophet, and if not, could the idea of prophecy being a more limited thing that happens in the course of one’s life, make you a more likely candidate than you might have once believed?

I ask for many reasons, but the context of my question comes from personal experience.  No, it was not me this time 😊.  In this instance it was my wife of 30+ years.  Over the course of our life together my life has not always been what it should have been.  I went to the Lord in prayer asking what His will was as I struggled with the situations I put myself in.  And out of the mouth of my wife (totally unbeknownst to her) were descriptions of my situation as clear as if she had first-hand knowledge – which she did not at the time.  My answers came from her lips, and all the way to the writing of this blog she has never known it.  But I did.  And God did.  His word passed the lips of my wife without her knowledge or cognition.  Does this make her a prophet, perhaps, perhaps not.  But more importantly, does it mean that revelation that comes from God, can pass through any human vessel – even when they are unaware it is happening, this I think is how it happens.  Matthew in his gospel to the Hebrews seems to cite an example of just such a case.

The story begins in chapter sixteen picking up in verse 13 saying … “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?’  The story begins with a simple question of identity.  Jesus is not looking for an answer directly from the crowds, He has chosen to wait until the troop has traveled far from the last crowds, and He is now                                                                                                                                                           focusing in on what the disciples think about who He is.  His question (like many a helpful teacher) already has the answer in it.  The “Son of Man” is another way of referring to the Messiah, the Christ, or the Son of God.  Nevertheless His disciples appear to miss the clue and offer more genuine insights into what the common answers are (perhaps including what they themselves are thinking).  They respond in verse 14 answering … “And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.”  This answer is meant to be flattering.  For Jesus to be associated or identified with Elijah or Jeremiah or even more recently John the Baptist (all of them back from the dead) means that Jesus would definitely be a hero to the nation.

It might account for all the miracles, if God saw fit to bring back a prophet of such high caliber back from the dead to be His messenger / Messiah to His people.  While a “normal” Jewish believer could not do what Jesus does, perhaps a resurrected hero of the past could do it.  So it is not altogether impossible to believe that the disciples were using the response of the people to this question, to hide the fact that they may have shared these beliefs.  As such, Jesus gets more specific, and removes the cover of the people and the collective “they” in their answers.  Picking up in verse 15 He asks … “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?”  Now the veneer of what other people think has been stripped away from the answers they will give.  And to us the answer should be obvious.  Frankly, they must have been having a collective memory problem for it to be anything less than obvious to them.  It was only days ago when Jesus walked on water, calmed a storm, instantly bent time and space for them to move a great distance.  He fed 5000 then 4000 men (plus their women and children).  He healed like Israel had never seen before.  No prophet of the past had ever done anything like this, on any scale like this, ever.  So why did they hesitate in their response?

Could it be, that they, like us, get fixated on an idea, and even when the Truth is presented differently to us, we may declare it for a moment, but begin reverting to our preferred ideas almost immediately.  The disciples were falling victim to their respect of the existing church leadership, believing that it would be hard for them to get it entirely wrong.  These ideas of an answer they already offered, while supposed to be flattering, were also a compromise between what they should have known, and what the church leadership would offer as a counter argument at the time.  The miracles of Jesus were undeniable.  But if Jesus were Elijah come back from heaven, then perhaps not so implausible.  It keeps Jesus from being the Son of God, while offering a “logical” argument on how Jesus did what He did.  And generations of non-believers continue to look for compromises of the idea of faith where the identity of Jesus remains.  Make Jesus a “really good guy” and throw out the miracle stuff as exaggeration.  Even within in the church, make Jesus a partner in your salvation, not the author and finisher of it.  A compromise between what the Truth says about Himself, and what we will allow ourselves to believe about Jesus and how it all works.

However Peter offered a dissenting voice from his peers continuing in verse 16 saying … “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. [verse 17] And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”  The revelation of who Jesus is, is indeed a revelation sent from God the Father to Simon Barjona (who will be called Peter momentarily).  This revelation cuts through all the compromises and makes clear who the Truth is.  Peter did not know it was coming.  Peter was not in deep prayer asking for a revelation.  Peter was there, and God spoke through him.  The words of the Father God sent through the mouth of Peter, not for the benefit of Jesus (who already knows who He is), but for the benefit of the church (those others around him) who needed to hear it loud and clear.  To chase the compromise out of the room, and out of the thinking, God spoke through Peter.  And because of this Jesus rightly points out that this revelation is a blessing.

Prophecy, and revelation, need not be a full-time occupation, or gift of the Spirit that happens every moment of every day.  It can come as it is needed and through any vehicle our God chooses, at the time when it is needed most.  It is not a casual thing, it is an important thing.  It is not needed to predict the conditions of the roads before you travel to work, or help you find your misplaced keys.  God may help you find those keys, but that is not revelation, it is the love of a Father.  Revelation has immediate impact on the church, it drives away compromise.  The words of my wife had exactly that effect for me.  They made clear my compromises and clear what Jesus is capable of fixing, even when I could not see the way clear for it.  The words of Peter did the same thing for those like-minded friends & followers in that venue, and were verified by Jesus Himself as being true.  This was revelation indeed, but was it authority?

Jesus continues in verse 18 saying … “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”  The first thing Jesus does after this revelation is to change the name of Simon Barjona into Peter, which has the meaning of a small stone.  Throughout scripture Jesus is referred to as the cornerstone (or the stone upon which everything else relies in the structure).  Telling now formerly Simon, that his new position is Peter, is telling him that he too will be a stone in the structure of the church Jesus is going to build.  Peter will NOT be the cornerstone.  Only Jesus could ever be that.  A church built upon any man is sure to fall.  But a church built upon God will last and the gates of hell will not prevail against it, and believe me, they have tried, and continue to try.  Jesus is trying to convey to Peter that he has a position in the new church, that it will be his shared mission to promote and grow the church Jesus will build.  This is the same position Jesus offers you and I.

Jesus then looks across the group of His disciples and continues saying in verse 19 saying … “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  The disciples are to be given the keys of the kingdom.  This is obviously symbolism.  There were no literal keys ever minted or transferred.  The meaning was to be symbolic.  Whatever the church was to ask for (in unity) would be granted and done by Jesus who would soon return to heaven.  Whether to open a door, or to seal one up for protection, requests of the church (when two or more would gather), were to be heard by the kingdom of heaven. 

It is important to understand how DIFFERENT this model was, than the one Israel had since the days of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt.  Since the wilderness wanderings, Israel had a temple first constructed with gold plated boards, and covered in tent materials, containing a physical ark with a mercy seat.  Later king David would collect the materials and make the plans for a temple his son Solomon would build over many years.  That temple would survive until Nebuchadnezzar invaded and twice destroyed it progressively.  Israel would rebuild it and in the days of Christ it would be only a former shadow of itself yet still magnificent.  Even then Israelites tended to face the temple when they prayed (no matter where they were in the world).  They were proud of their temple and believed that the presence of God Himself could only be found in that location.  What Jesus was saying now, was something entirely different.  From now on, the unity of believers would represent His church and as few as two of them could open or seal up the kingdom.  The presence of God would be found anywhere instead of only in one place.  That was radical.  That was contradictory to the prescriptions of Moses at the time, and for centuries of tradition since.  But this was to be the new model.

So then the question; was authority transferred by the words of Jesus?  And what authority?  Obviously the church of Jesus would forever belong to Jesus not men.  Obviously the work of our salvation would forever belong to Jesus not men.  And often we would not understand it, or even like it.  Matthew continues picking up in verse 20 saying … “Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. [verse 21] From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.”  Right off the bat instructions from Jesus regarding His church include NOT sharing the revelation that Jesus was the Son of God.  How completely counterintuitive.  You would think the idea of sharing the identity of Christ would be priority one.  But the timing was not right.  So it was not.  Had the disciples been wholesale sharing their beliefs at this time, the anger of the church leadership would have cut short the ministry of Jesus.  And Jesus knew that cutting short His ministry without time to prepare His disciples would have an even more catastrophic effect on them with what was coming.

Jesus also begins revealing to His church what was to come in the near future.  This was prophetic, as it had not happened yet.  Yes, Jesus was a prophet in the terms we think of.  But then Jesus was God, so knowing what God knows, can it still be considered prophecy, or just more of the Truth.  But it did not matter, the message of the Truth, was something His church did not want to hear.  The shortsightedness of man sees the death of Jesus as the end of hope with respect to the Romans.  This was true.  The reign of Rome was to continue for centuries after Jesus (first militarily, and then as a great religious persecuting power).  Jesus did nothing to undo that.  And the Truth He was sharing with them was about His death, but also about His resurrection.  It seemed the back half of that news never could pierce the hearing of His own church leadership.  Peter (the newly identified small stone in the house of the Lord) now does what any prudent deacon should do, when the Pastor seems to be running amuck.

Matthew continues in verse 22 saying … “Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.”  Peter takes Jesus aside (keep in mind this is a rebuke) and says to Him, hey look, this just isn’t going to happen to You.  The people are ready to make You our King.  In fact, they have tried several times by force already, and somehow You have been able to disappear from the adoring crowds.  But in any case; You have a job to do according to our interpretation of scripture, where You are supposed to throw off Roman oppression, and setup Your Kingdom forever.  So You need to put this death nonsense out of Your head, and get busy with Your primary mission.  No more death talk, you get it.  Especially accusing the church leadership of wanting to torture and kill You.  That kind of talk is going to get You tortured and killed, by the people who still trust them, if not by them.  Now are we clear with what needs to happen?  I am sure all of us believe the same way here, and want the same things here.  You just gave us keys, so this is how we intend to use them.

And there it is folks, a paraphrase of every church leader throughout the ages reacting to news and the Truth they did not want to hear.  Reciting every logical reason why the Truth was wrong.  Reciting every long held doctrinal position so clearly backed up by scripture there could be no possible argument against it, except the words of the Truth, they do not want to hear.  In short, they all net down to the desires and vision of men, stacked against the will of God, that remains in our best interest, and not the best interest of God.  That is what Love means to Him.  Jesus responds in verse 23 saying … “But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”  Ouch!  There is no stronger rebuke in history.  If Peter was given this name of affection because of his new role as being a stone in the construction of the church, he has just gone from blessed – to an offense as bad as Satan himself.

It is interesting that Jesus does not throw Peter out of the church.  But what occurs here is an object lesson on why authority can never be transferred from Jesus to any human.  Peter, and men throughout the ages, and in our churches still, and in our mirrors still; value our own desires – the desires of men – more than the will of God.  It is Satan himself behind this phenomenon.  And it seems perfectly reasonable, perfectly logical, perfectly sensible.  We know God loves His people.  We know God does not want His people to suffer at the hands of injustice.  We know God does not enjoy people worshipping pagan gods as a substitute for Himself.  So it only makes sense that Jesus end all the suffering brought on by Rome.  How could He not?  How could He leave the most cruel empire in human history in charge of the fates of His own people?  This empire ultimately being responsible for the deaths of so many of them.  That does not make any sense.  Yet Jesus looks at that line of thinking, and states, get thee behind me Satan.

In a short period of time Peter has gone from reciting the will of God through his lips, to reciting the will of Satan.  He has fallen so far he is literally “an offense” to Jesus.  No person is perfect, or should be revered just because the words of prophecy have passed their lips.  The message is what is important.  And as to the message, just because you have recited the will of God through your lips, does not make you immune to becoming the messenger of Satan and allowing his words to escape your lips as well.  There is fallibility in mankind, or in any office within the church of Jesus.  Leaders, and lay people alike, make mistakes.  We sometimes pursue a direction that is more akin to the will of Satan than it is the will of God.  To avoid this, we must heed the council of Jesus.  Put aside our own desires, as He did.  Submit our very desires to the transformation only Jesus can enact in us.  And allow Jesus to put our will in harmony with the will of God.  This takes submission on our part, and transformation on His.  But He does not fail.

Our Catholic friends like to use this sequence of texts to proffer the idea that here is where Jesus made Peter the first pope.  I see no evidence of that.  Nor do I see any evidence of establishing a line of succession of the transference of power through the ages.  What is clear, is the absolute fallibility of men, even of Peter.  Peter went from the revelation of God the Father, to attempting to rebuke Jesus citing the words of Satan as what Jesus should do.  That is not the mark of perfection, or of a church leader who can do no wrong.  It is quite the opposite.  It is also a demonstration of what occurs when the will of one person is offered without submission.  Even groups can be convinced of the wrong thing.  It is not just that when two or more are gathered.  It is not just the gathering.  It is the submission of self in the name of, to the person of, Jesus – only then can the will of God can be discerned.

And we must be willing to accept that will and that direction, even when we do not understand it.  Even when we do not think it makes sense.  Even when it seems entirely counterintuitive.  No matter what the revelation we receive over the course of our lifetimes, He is always right, we are often wrong.  Better to rely upon the authority of Jesus to run His church, and your life.  Better to trust the infallibility of Jesus who has never been wrong, than the record of your decisions which are scattered with wrong choices.  Better to look for the revelation of the will of God which comes when we are in submission to Jesus, than find ourselves uttering the revelations of Satan that are so much more pleasing to ourselves, and aligned with our desires and goals.  And the Truth has so much more to say …

 

 

How Death Begins ...

Imagine Joel Osteen, Billy Graham, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Ted Wilson, the Pope, and the leader of your particular church or faith sit down to consider the state of Christianity around the world.  Such a superstar team like this one would surely represent the leadership of the faith.  Some might consider it, the authority of the faith.  And while each of them might represent subtly different doctrines or dogma’s, perhaps different traditions and interpretations, in general, ALL would still be considered the leadership of the Christian faith in our world today.  It would not stop them from arguing with each other, with disagreements over traditions and doctrines, but their collective association still represents a leadership.  These men would be the superstar team of our faith.  The right religion (or faith), the right Bible (or scriptures), and the right God to follow.  Now imagine they ALL to a man, plot to kill Christ.

Impossible you say.  It could not happen you say.  But it happened before, with a team of men equally famous in their day, equally recognized in their day, equal leaders in their day.  Our superstar team is no different than the leadership of the faith in the days of Jesus Christ (when He walked this earth).  And that superstar team decided to kill Jesus Christ.  We think ourselves immune from making the same mistakes.  We think that “our” leaders could never come to that same conclusion.  We think that “we” have moved beyond the dangers of this thinking, that in fact the entire Christian faith is prefaced on following Jesus Christ so “we” could never kill our leader … it would not make any sense.  But then, what was different in the days of Jesus than is in our day?

The superstar team of old, had the right Bible (or scriptures).  In fact, they spent their lives, dedicated their lives to the study of scriptures.  They were not part time farmers, or soldiers, or sea-fairing tradesmen, they were full time dedicated since childhood students of the right Bible, the right scriptures, and a better understanding of these texts.  The superstar team of old followed the right God.  They worshipped God the Father the creator of our world.  They did not worship idols of any kind.  No stone or wooden images stained their places of worship.  They followed an invisible God whose face they did not know.  They followed the God of their heritage, of the faith that had been passed down to them.  And the singular hope they shared was in their Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God, who would come and free them from their burdens, creating a new Kingdom that would never pass away.  It would not make any sense to kill the Messiah, ever, He was their great hope.  Yet they plotted to do just that, in spite of all of this.

The superstar team of old were not stupid, or ignorant, or lazy.  They were motivated, dynamic, deep thinkers who commanded the respect of a nation, and of a faith spread around the world of that day.  So even in their plans to kill Jesus, must come stealth, precision, and effectivity.  Peter records this in his recollections to John Mark in his gospel in chapter fourteen picking up in verse 1 saying … “After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death. [verse 2] But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.”  Notice how the superstar team of old does not even want to corrupt their own traditions, skipping the feast day itself, in order to avoid upsetting the people and disrupting the feasting.

Notice too, it was the “chief” priests and leaders of the scribes meeting together despite any differences on doctrine or interpretations.  It did not matter if you were Pharisee or Sadducee, ALL were united in singular purpose of killing Jesus Christ, and doing it by “craft” as well.  Spy craft, trade craft, as Jason Bourne might put it.  This was to be a mission of stealth and precision.  Chop the head off the snake so to speak (but it was here that Satan plotted his own demise).  What could have motivated this superstar team to abandon the scriptures that pointed to the fulfillment of the Messiah in Jesus Christ?  What could have caused the superstar team to have ignored the miracles that Jesus Christ performed, and the voice of God Himself who confirmed Jesus as His Son and in His ministry?

I don’t know.  What causes Joel Osteen, Bishop T.D. Jakes, the Pope, and the leader of your particular faith, more importantly you and I, to continue to amass wealth rather than let it ALL go and put our trust in the God we claim to follow?  I remember the words of Jesus to the rich young ruler, to one who already had the right Bible, right religion, and claimed the right behavior; to sell everything He had, give it to the poor, and come and be a disciple of Christ.  And the rich young ruler wept, turning away, because he already had too much wealth, to give it all away, and show that much trust in Jesus to keep him and preserve him and save him.  Private planes, multiple limousine’s, multiple houses, golden watches, and art such as exists nowhere else in the world; are not examples of selling it all and trusting Jesus.  But then modest homes, with modest cars and clothes and jewelry, are still wealth of a certain kind.  Should they be any less exempt by Jesus who asks us for ALL we have, even down to the widow’s 2 mites?  And how far would we go to keep what we have “earned”, would we fight for it?  Would we kill for it?

What if the challenge of Jesus would tear away from us our means of making a living, our jobs, our careers, ended forever because of Christ?  The leaders of the superstar team of old faced losing the one thing that kept them in the positions they had become accustomed to; the people.  Jesus was not establishing a church with hierarchy, He was establishing a one-on-one relationship with each of its people.  Jesus was asking each church member to put their trust in Him alone, not in the leadership of the church, not in the faith of others, or intercession of others, but in Jesus alone.  The new church model was to be flat in management structure.  There is Jesus leading you, case closed.  No need for a preacher, or leader, those are only positions of service to others, not of vanity from others.  Prophets, apostles, and care givers, are only characteristics given by the Holy Spirit in service to the church, not designed to lift up the ego of those who serve.  In the new model of church, that Jesus proposed, there would be no people to follow you, only a vast number of people for you to serve, washing their feet, pointing them to the only leader, Jesus Christ.   This model destroys the livelihood of preachers, evangelists, conference leaders, denomination leaders, and papal powers.  It leaves each of these men having to lose all wealth, and trust Jesus alone, exactly like the believers below them now should do.

What would you do if faced with a loss of wealth, loss of career, and loss of income?  Peter continues with a further example of what the new church will look like as he recalls to John Mark in verse 3 saying … “And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.”  Jesus and His disciples are in the town of Bethany, having dinner at home of Simon the leper, a character we have yet to meet in the scriptures.  We know Jesus healed many lepers, but we know few, if any, by name.  But here Simon is called out of the masses, for only His gesture of response, in desiring to feed Jesus and His disciples.

Then enters a woman (likely Mary Magdalene) though she is not called out by name here.  This could have been someone like Mary the sister of Lazarus, or a sister relation / a family member of Jesus Christ, or it could have been Martha, or the Samaritan woman who carried the gospel to her entire region and converted so many through her testimony.  Jesus had touched so many women, valued so many women.  It would appear Jesus loved women the exact same way in which He loved the souls of men.  Jesus picked Mary to be the first one to carry the gospel to the disciples after His resurrection.  Jesus had women who followed Him and ministered as they could to Him throughout His entire ministry, even following after the cross He dragged up the hill to His death.  His mother, John, and other women were there.  It would appear women were more brave than men, and thereby staying with Christ through death and resurrection, being eye witnesses to both events, and carrying the news of both to those disciples who could not bear to be at either event.  In the new church, women were to have an equal place, an equal role, but this will tear at the male dominations of tradition that lasts even into our age.

This woman has sold all she has.  She has prepared the best gift she could, given everything she has, and poured into a single bottle to be given for Him.  She holds nothing back, not a penny is left in her back accounts after this gift.  Not an ounce of dignity or pride will be held back after using her hair as a towel to dry her Lord if needed.  She will give all, for she can sense there is little time left.  But the church has other opinions about her flagrant display.  John Mark records the responses beginning in verse 4 saying … “And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? [verse 5] For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.”  The church, here represented by at least a few of the disciples, is not happy about the loss of control of this offering, or where it went, or how.  The church, wanted control over the money, over the value of this gift.  Sound familiar?  The superstar team of old wants the same control over the offerings, and the one today looks to want the same controls.  But what does Jesus say?

Mark continues in verse 6 saying … “And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. [verse 7] For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.”  Jesus challenges our greed.  Jesus challenges our desire to control where His offerings are used or expended.  Jesus should be in control of that as well.  Once we give all, we are not supposed to continue to control where it goes, we are meant to unburden ourselves, not just maintain the burden of running our own mini-foundations of charity.  Let it go means let it go.  Then Jesus reminds us, we always have an opportunity to do something for someone else.  We “could” be serving others full time.  If we choose not to, isn’t that on us? 

Jesus continues in verse 8 saying … “She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. [verse 9] Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.”  This woman has broken with tradition.  She is anointing the body of Jesus before His burial instead of after it.  Like the wine at the wedding in Cana, the good wine was given after Jesus created it; here the good oil will be poured out before He is killed.  Traditions are NOT as important as hearts, and as the deeds done by those who love.  Jesus then states her charity will not sink into oblivion, it will be remembered through all of history.  Her name is not mentioned, perhaps that “she” does not receive the credit, but that her action is the thing we remember.  The new church will recognize deeds of love, more than the names of people.  The new church will remember women as much as it remembers men.

And what is the response of the leaders of the church, of the superstars of the church, of one who has been with Jesus throughout His ministry?  The pope cannot have this loss of control.  Joel Osteen cannot have this message of poverty valued over wealth.  Bishop T.D. Jakes cannot have this level of anonymity.  Ted Wilson cannot have this loss of hierarchy and embrace of women as equals.  Your leader cannot lose what neither you or I are willing to lose; namely our wealth, our careers, our all.  John Mark records as if a warning to us all beginning in verse 10 saying … “And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. [verse 11] And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him.”

The church does what the church always does when faced with radical change dictated by radical love, it plots to kill its creator.  Judas left this exchange with Jesus, where Jesus valued a woman, stated that a woman would be remembered throughout history, stated that the church would not have control over all the money.  Judas left that and sought to betray Jesus unto death.  This was Judas the superstar people.  This was Judas the disciple the other disciples looked up to the most, he was likely the most educated, likely the shrewdest in business dealings.  It was the leader in the church, most admired in the church, who took it upon himself to turn away from humility, and begin a cycle that would end in the death of Jesus Christ.  Judas did not even seek money at first, it was the priests that were so happy about his actions they were willing to give him money to insure he followed through with it.

The old superstar team, and the new superstar team were of one accord, of one mind, on how the church should be operated.  This Jesus character was and is a threat to that operational spec.  In short, our ideas are not His ideas, our traditions are not what He values, our exclusions are not His exclusions.  He appears not to have any exclusions, even for women, even for sinners.  This cannot be tolerated.  The church must maintain control.  The church must control the finances.  There has to be a hierarchy or how will order be maintained?  Through Jesus, how will He maintain order without a hierarchy, it’s impossible.  The arguments raised by the superstar team of old, are echoed through time, to be raised again by the superstar team of today, and by you, and by me.  It boils down to a lack of trust in Jesus, and it is reflected widely.

So many in our day decry an organized religion as being the enemy.  Perhaps it is.  But I see even fewer individuals who decry organized religions giving up ALL they have to follow Jesus Christ instead.  To me it looks only like an excuse to withhold even the little of themselves they would part with to an organized religious entity.  Instead offerings are reserved for opportunities when credit and convenience are available.  Sacrifice is a notion long since departed, and with it trust in the Jesus that said we need not worry about food, homes, or health.  But the church today, trusts in the medicines and advancements of science to heal our wounded and sick, not in the greater hand of the Holy Spirit.  The church today, trusts in the programs of our government to address the problems of the poor.  It does not wish to become the poor by losing its wealth and trusting in Jesus.  The church today trusts in its male dominated hierarchy to maintain order and control, when both belong to Jesus anyway, formed by trust in Him as a foundation.  Do we truly trust the Lord of one-on-one relationships, or must we insert ourselves to provide hierarchy for order and controls?

We think ourselves immune to the thinking that once plotted to kill Christ.  But is our thinking a great self-deception?  Would our leaders and ourselves plot to kill Jesus once again, before we give up our ideas of church operations and our all? …

 

Three Beasts [part two] - The Rise of Blasphemy ...

In a war between good and evil, there was to be a three pronged attack by the enemy of souls.  First there was to be a direct assault on heaven itself.  Next would be an attempt to control the conscience of men and kill any that would not comply.  Finally the plan would be to control commerce, and simply starve or kill those who would not comply.  Control is the name of the enemy’s battle plan.  Control has always been his mantra.  Death has always been his tool to achieve compliance.  To avoid his penalty all one need do is make a gesture of humility to his supremacy.  It has always been thus.  In the wilderness after Christ had gone without food or water for 40 days, after he was emaciated and nearly dead from His human frailty, it was in His worst condition that the evil one would come to Him with 3 temptations.  Turning stones into bread, or throwing Himself from a high point would have been for Him to “prove” His divinity by using His power, but for Himself not others.  The first 2 tests were ones of identity.  Prove who you are.  Scripture was cited as justification for these taunts, as a reason to do what was suggested.  The first two temptations would have had the Creator deny who He was, through a misuse of power upon Himself.  The third temptation was the last one, and the last one to come upon us all.  A simple gesture of humility to the authority of Satan who rules this world; for Christ he promised to transfer ownership without the hard path of choosing to die.  For us, he promises to allow us to retain our lives and live any way we wish, once we publicly acknowledge “who” is in charge.  Though it begs the question … of what value is the promise of a liar?

A challenge to our identity; a challenge to “who” we acknowledge as our leader publicly, this is the game plan of the enemy of souls at the end of all things.  John begins to reveal his battle plans in chapter 12 of his book of Revelations as the first of three beasts is revealed.  The first to emerge is the dragon.  The dragon is Satan himself.  In our previous study we learn the dragon persecutes the woman for a period of 1260 years.  The dragon and his angels make an all-out assault on heaven itself, a war that occurs in heaven, where he is defeated by Michael and his angels and cast out, no more to be in heaven accusing the brethren before God both day and night.  The sanctuary is cleansed from the stench of his accusations.  Our salvation arrives through the strength of the blood of the Lamb.  The first assault on heaven itself has failed.  The first beast has not been successful.  He will need allies.  He will need help.  He has only one species upon which he can use his corrupting influence, the species of men.  So the dragon must raise up allies in his war, and so begins John’s revelations in chapter 13 of his book.  He outlines the battle plan of the enemy, the three beasts intended to bring victory to the cause of the enemy of souls.

John begins in verse one … “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. [verse 2] And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.”  In round one, the dragon has only recently been defeated and cast out of heaven with his entire evil angelic army for a second and final time.  Round two now begins.  John watches a new beast arise from the sea, from the vast amount of people in the earth.  The characteristics of this beast are nearly identical to the characteristic of the dragon himself.  The dragon had seven heads, so does this one.  The dragon had ten horns, so does this one.  The dragon only had seven crowns, but this beast has ten.  Then come the other differences, whereas the dragon is the top of the food chain in the animal kingdom, this beast is composed of elements to make him as fierce as possible.  However he is unable to be simply another dragon.  The dragon himself reserves the right to remain at the top of his kingdom.  So this beast is built like a leopard for stealth and speed, with feet of a bear that carry claws that can climb and tear away enemies.  He has the mouth of a lion, both to speak and to consume any who defy him.

But the last characteristics of this beast are the most telling of the plans of the enemy.  The dragon “gave him his power”.  The power of this beast is a gift, not of God, but of the dragon.  The dragon also gives him “his seat”, or his throne, or the location from which his kingdom will emerge.  Lastly the dragon gives him “great authority”.  This beast will not simply be a king of a single kingdom.  If he were, he might simply be just a bear, or a leopard, or a lion.  Instead this beast has parts of many types of animals all composed into one.  His authority will not simply be over one group or type of people, but instead will be great, and will span many groups or types of people.  His seat will be recognized by many peoples and kingdoms not just one.  His authority will span borders.  And all of these characteristics have their origin from the dragon himself.  It is the dragon who establishes this beast.  This beast is a tool, an ally of the dragon – he is NOT the creation of our God.  Of course, when Satan approached Christ with his temptations, he did not reveal himself as who he was – choosing rather to appear as an angel of light.  When Satan comes to us, he does so in disguise.  If our choice was laid out before us clearly between good and evil, we might just choose good.  This is not an outcome he will allow.  Therefore he presents us with choices that look nearly the same – the best of two evils, or six to one / half dozen to the other.  Many paths to God, all we need do is to choose one.  You get the idea.  The real choice between good and evil is obfuscated by intent so we are unable to pick the right one.

John continues to detail the plans of the enemy in verse 3 … “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.”  John chronicles the history of this new beast, keeping in mind it had seven heads, one of them is wounded to death.  One head is removed, but six remain.  If one was to truly attempt to kill this beast, all of its heads might need to be removed, its entire power structure might need to be taken down.  But to only kill one leader when others remain in place, does not achieve the desired effect.  The deadly wound was healed, and “ALL the world” wondered after the beast.  The power and authority of this beast is again cited as universal, not simply limited to one kingdom or region or empire.  The characteristics that identify to us a corrupt system of power and authority begin to emerge.

John continues in verse 4 … “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?”  At last, the dragon reaps the rewards of his intentions since he became who he is.  Those who follow the beast find themselves worshipping the dragon behind the beast.  Through the worship of the new beast, they by default are worshipping the old dragon; for this beast is the creation of the dragon, and this beast was “given” his power by the dragon.  His power is so great it causes men to exclaim “Who is like unto the beast?”  and again on a similar theme express “Who is able to make war with him!”.  This is the gesture of humility the dragon has always sought.  This is the acknowledgement of “who” is in charge he has always fought for.  It comes from men, as they witness the power of the beast and the authority he has been given.  Despite receiving a deadly wound, he is healed.  And it is after his healing that there is universal recognition and amazement at his authority across the earth.  Indeed it might be easy to wage war against a single kingdom, but how does one wage war with an enemy that is already within your borders, as well as the borders of all your neighbors?

John continues in verse 5 … “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.”  The identity of this beast is coming into view ever clearer.  The element of time is added to this revelation in the form of 42 months, or 3.5 years, or 1260 days, or time – times – and half a time.  This beast has its hay-day, it has its primary power during the same period when the dragon pursues the woman into the wilderness.  A mouth is given to speak “great things”.  Proclamations from this beast emerge, and carry weight across the entire world.  What this beast says cannot easily be ignored.  Its sayings are carried across borders and affect people in all nations.  What any given king may proclaim has effect within their own borders, but outside of them, has little impact.  Not so with this beast, the great things he speaks are carried into kingdoms across the earth.  But with the proclamations come blasphemies.  Blasphemy is when one assumes the authority that only belongs to God.  Satan blasphemes when he looks for worship that only belongs to God.  He blasphemes when he demands our worship.  So this beast acts the same way.  This beast looks for our worship to go to him, instead of to God.  This beast proclaims himself worthy of worship that only belongs to God.  This beast proclaims his authority is equal to that of God, and in so doing proclaims blasphemy to the world.  When taken together with the time element of the dark ages, only one power fits the characteristics of this beast.

John continues in verse 6 … “And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.”  The blasphemy or claims of equivalency with God are targeted at His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.  To require men to divert their worship from the only God who is heaven, to those who walk this earth blasphemes the name of God.  To require men to prostrate themselves in “holy” sites built upon the earth, and pay homage to buildings dedicated to the worship of the beast blasphemes the true tabernacle that is built in heaven alone.  To require men to pay homage to likenesses of saints, or angels, or even of Christ is to blaspheme those that dwell in heaven.  We are not to worship our fellow saints, or angels, but Christ alone – not in the form of stone, wood or canvas, but in spirit and in truth.  To divert worship away from God and on to the beast is the blasphemy this beast undertakes.  He could not hope to achieve this feat if it were clearly revealed as to what he was doing.  Instead he must use old tricks.  He must come in the form of an angel of light, in disguise, quoting scripture and misusing the word of God to affect what he desires.  If the choices were made clear, we might choose against his evil, and that outcome is not something he can allow.

John continues in verse 7 … “And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.”  Persecution against the true saints begins.  Persecution that is successful.  He simply kills those who dissent.  They are forced to hide in the wilderness or be killed.  The persecution of the saints, the war against the true followers of God, takes place not in just one land, but in all of them.  The power of this beast extends over “ALL kindreds, tongues, and nations”.  The same time frame in which the dragon pursues the woman or church of God into the wilderness, is the same time frame in which the tool of the dragon makes universal proclamations, blasphemes, and persecutes the true followers of God.  The war against the true followers of Christ is waged across the globe, anywhere there is true worship occurring.

John continues in verse 8 … “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”  The results are staggering. All that dwell upon the earth worship this beast under threat of death.  We are forced to deny our identity as belonging to God and worship this false god.  But for the mercy of our Lord, all would be lost.  But for the interference of God, we would LOSE this fight.  It requires a Savior to be saved.  The Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world, who chose to die for us, even before He created us, has a book of Life.  Those who would choose to follow Jesus Christ alone, and look to Him for salvation as its only source, find their names written in this book of Life.  Our names are not written there without our consent, or our choice, but only as we allow God to place them there.  As we choose to follow Jesus Christ alone, as we assent only to His authority, we become followers of Jesus Christ.  We become part of His true church.  And as such, our names are written in the book of Life.  Martyrs in this world we may be, but servants of the Most High we find ourselves as well.

John continues in verse 9 … “If any man have an ear, let him hear. [verse 10] He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”  John then offers wisdom regarding the irony of the condition of this beast.  He that leads into captivity will go into captivity.  Those would attempt to compel the conscience of men, find their own conscience has been compelled.  Those would attempt to enslave others into a false system of worship away from the true God, have themselves already been enslaved.  Those who would kill with the sword, must in like manner be killed with the sword.  War gives birth only to more war.  Killing gives birth only to more killing.  This is the fallacy of the government of Satan, it is built upon a foundation of death that leads to only more death.  Death itself becomes the only relief from the pain this existence carries with it.  But the patience and faith of the saints realizes the fallacy of Satan, and will NOT be compelled to join it.  Patience in the face of suffering.  Faith in the face of unbelief and blasphemy.  Those who put their trust in Jesus Christ, find they are saved, not from the pain of this world, or death that is inherent in our current existence.  But those who trust in Jesus Christ to save them, find themselves saved from the evil that lies within us.  We are given a life that begins here, and has no end in the next reality.  The beast can do nothing to alter this course.  For our Savior is truly our savior.

When considering the time frame in which the power of this beast is at its pinnacle, and combined with the characteristics John reveals to us in these texts, the only power that meets these descriptions is the Papal power that emerged during the dark ages.  It is the power and quest for power of this system that causes it to become the beast.  The main goal of the dragon is control.  Those who would use religion to exert power over other men have always been firm members of the dragon’s organization.  They exist is many more faiths than just that of Catholicism.  Islam honors its prophets to the point of killing those who defame them in any way.  Cults are generally founded on the charisma of the leaders and require strict devotion from any who offer themselves to it.  And there is many a Protestant preacher who looks to enrich himself with the offerings of his parishioners with no concern to their spiritual welfare or his own.  When religion is used as a form of control, power is gained, and power is the tool of the dragon.

This is not a condemnation of those who adhered to the Catholic faith during the dark ages.  Nor is it a condemnation of those who believe in the Catholicism of today.  Instead it is a much broader condemnation of any who would seek to compel the conscience of others away from Jesus Christ and on to any other alternative.  Most chilling of all is our tendency to divert worship from God and on to the works of our own hands.  We have no time, or make no time, to serve God or others, instead electing to serve only ourselves or our families.  When we act to exert pressure upon others, to co-opt their morality and force them to adhere to our own, we act as agents of the dragon in this time and in any other.  We blaspheme God by diverting worship away from Him, thinking ourselves as equal in importance to God.  We do this when we believe our salvation is achievable through the power of our own will, our own actions, our own ideas and interpretations of scripture.  Salvation comes from Jesus Christ alone.

The Catholic system of the dark ages sought to alter that premise.  They enacted a series of proclamations that diverted attention away from Jesus Christ, and sought to uplift the Catholic church as equal in the mission of our salvation.  To pay financial remunerations for entrance into paradise, is to make the kingdom of heaven a whore.  To change His day of worship and alter His laws no matter what the motive, is to take the authority that only belongs to God to one’s self.  To worship and give reverence to great works of art, in lieu of serving only our unseen God is to blaspheme those in heaven and break the commandments of God.  To persecute those who do not share our beliefs, and kill those who would dissent, is to take on the character and power of the dragon in his cause.  Love is the ally of God, hate and control are not in His arsenal.  For us to believe we are equal with God, whether by divine proclamation, or by how our lives are lived always serving the man in the mirror, is to blaspheme against God.  We are NOT His equal.  We are NOT worthy of worship or honor in any form.  There is but one who is worthy of worship.  He alone is our Creator.  He alone is able to outline His laws, His precepts, and His scriptures.  To obey is due only to Him, not our fellow man, or ourselves.  We cannot alter His laws, as we cannot alter the definition of what it means to love others.  When we seek to supplant His ideas with our own, we become part of the dragon.  When we submit to Jesus Christ alone, the dragon has no power over us.

But there was to be one more beast and form of attack to come before the end …

 

Messages to the Church Revealed (Thyatira) ...

The fourth church of the seven singled out for a revelation of Jesus Christ as our God, was in the city of Thyatira.  Historically, the city was renowned for its artisans related to the making of clothing, particularly of royal clothing, dying of purples and blues.  The city itself is said to have been renamed to Thyatira upon the announcement of the birth of a daughter to the old king Seleucus while he was away in battle in the year 290 BC, though the name itself may have had more meaning to the Lydian culture of the day.  Paul and Silas encountered a woman who was actually named Lydia in Acts 16:14 who was a dyer of purple from the city of Thyatira, who became baptized and a devout Christian.  It may be that these historical and cultural references added meaning to the message the Jesus would reveal of Himself through John to this particular church.  The message begins with a focus on yet a different characteristic of how Christ looked to John during that initial encounter of Him walking among the seven candlesticks.

In revelation chapter two, in verse 18 John begins … “And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;”  The eyes of Christ are alive and brilliant and as the Son of God, they see everything.  Nothing can be hidden from our God who is able to read the desires of our hearts as well as the things we display in public.  His feet are like fine brass, they reflect the image of service and love, and inform us that He is more than human, but still walks amidst His church.  Jesus then exhorts his followers and reassures them that He is well aware of the fruits of His Spirit that have been poured out in this church community.  John continues in verse 19 … “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.”  The works prompted by His Spirit were listed twice, with an accentuation of the latter being even more than the former.  This may have more significance if we consider its application to be over a wider time span than just the audience of the day who composed that particular church community.  If each of the seven churches were to represent the church of Christ’s followers over a corresponding period of time, the works done in the beginning of the time period in this case, might have been out-shown by the works done in the latter part of the time period.

But none-the-less as with the previous messages revealed to the other churches, Thyatira was in need of a message of redemption as John continues in verse 20 … “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.”  This message may have both literal and spiritual application.  First you will notice what is under attack once again is intimacy.  Christ uses the idea of a woman, the most corrupt in Old Testament writings who was named Jezebel.  In Old Testament days Jezebel was an evil queen married to King Ahab of the northern 10 tribes who broke away worship from Jerusalem that held the true sanctuary of Israel’s God.  This woman inspired Ahab to destroy intimacy with God thru the worship of sexual promiscuity.  This would eventually degenerate into the sacrifice of the unwanted offspring of unprotected sex with temple prostitutes.  Girls would be preserved to make a new crop of temple prostitutes, boys would be slain in the fires of Molech, or Baal, and an assortment other false gods.  The first casualty of spiritual infidelity however was not the results of infidelity, it was the original intimacy between ourselves and our God.  As we begin to entertain other “loves” outside of our God, we find what we “love” most is ourselves, and our gratification, not our God, and the needs of others.

Jezebel of old was forever trying to kill the real prophet of God, Elijah.  Elijah had the message of truth for the people of God in his day.  But the queen would not allow for truth to be spoken to the people of God, lest she lose her power and control over the people.  So Jezebel was forever hunting Elijah to be killed.  And in her day, she did not do the hunting personally, a woman had no real power.  Instead she would have the power of the king (her husband), and his soldiers and army to do her bidding.  In spiritual terms this would equate to a false church using the power of the state to maintain control and power over the people, with its origins of denying access to the truth of the word of God.  Attempting to supplant the true word, with false words of her own.  Notice too, that Jezebel is not out to convert the world itself to her ideas and false doctrines, but instead is looking to “seduce my servants”.  She tempts the servants of God with the seductive ideas of power, control, and self-gratification.  The idea that we can please self while still claiming to please God, is at the core of Jezebel’s false seductive message to the church of Christ.

It may not have been lost on the members of the Thyatira community that Jezebel and many other women of a royal class wore garments of fine purple’s and blue’s and in general were used to living with the excesses that wealth provides.  Perhaps even some of the workmanship done by members in Thyatira would be used by Jezebel to make herself happy.  The literal piece of this message was very similar to the churches that preceded it.  A destruction of intimacy through sexual immorality, followed by the symptom of eating to please self without regard for the consequences or implications to those in need; were indicators that true reformation of the heart had not yet been experienced by those who purport to follow Christ.  If anything, wealth is here identified as NOT being the goal of the follower of Christ, in that the danger of using wealth on self rather than on the needs of others seems to outweigh its benefits.  Jezebel, as a queen, had wealth but used it to hold control over others, not to love and meet their needs.  That the church of Christ did not denounce Jezebel and expose her as having nothing to do with the real followers of Christ was the fact Jesus was revealing to His church that He was not happy with.  Jezebel and her teachings were wrong, and associated with the most evil woman in the scriptures, yet the church of Christ “suffered” her.  The church made no separation from her, or denunciation of her.  Instead it seemed the church embraced her as a part of it.  This was the revelation Christ was pointing out that was in error.

John continues the message of reformation to Thyatira in verse 21 … “And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.”  Even Jezebel is offered redemption through repentance.  Even the most wicked woman penned in scripture is not without hope, or opportunity, or a chance to repent and become part of the fold of Christ.  But repentance and humility cannot be forced, just as love cannot be forced.  If the church who uses the name of Christ, is unwilling to submit and have the heart of Christ created in it, what follows is the destruction that is inevitable in our choice to embrace the pain and death of sin.  This is not a choice our God takes lightly.  So He does not have us make it instantly, but instead he offers us time to consider it.  During this time, He makes every effort to reach out to us in love, and hopes to lure us back to Him, through the power of His so great love.  But for the heart that will not yield, that will not submit, that will not see its own need, He cannot force it to comply for the use of force is not His tactic, but that of His enemy.  Despite giving Jezebel herself time to consider her decisions and repent, she does not repent.

John continues in verse 22 … “Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. [verse 23] And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”  Ouch.  The rebuke here is severe.  The punishment for her refusal to repent, is to bear the weight of her own choices and actions.  The “works” of evil that will result in pain, are to be allowed to be experienced.  We sometimes do not know the full weight of our sins, because as we repent, the Lord is generous and protects us from the pain our choices should have resulted in.  We therefore miss the full weight of our sins and choices, because of the mercy of our God.  The punishment identified here for Jezebel however, is simply a removal of that protection.  Those who embrace the ideas of self-love and self-gratification are going to be allowed to see just what pain and death accompany those choices.  The hand of mercy will be removed, and the full weight of our embrace of pain and death will be experienced … “except we repent.”  Even in our disaster, the hand of repentance remains outstretched from our God.  But while we refuse it, the results that come upon us, will reflect that God does denounce the sins we embrace, that His hand of mercy will not forever spare us from the pain of our un-repented sins.  It is not only our actions that are allowed to bear fruit, but our motives as well, both the “reins” and “hearts” are known of our God.  The weight of our sin is to be a clear message to the world and the church of where sin leads, and what it truly means, if we continue to refuse to repent.

John continues in verse 24 … “But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. [verse 25] But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.”  Here again is hope outstretched.  Notice Jesus begins by addressing “you”.  “You” who is reading this message, by virtue of reading and reaching out to God, He identified “you” as being separate from those who have refused to repent and suffer the fate of their choices.  “You” are different than them, because this message has not been lost on “you”.  He continues “and unto the rest” in Thyatira, and in the space and time associated with this period of church history.  Both “you” and “unto the rest”, and “as many as have not this doctrine”, in effect to everyone who has refused to adopt the false doctrines of control and self-gratification, there is to be a promise. 

This group which has refused to embrace the false prophecies and doctrines and teachings of Jezebel, this is a group which in so doing has not known the “depths of Satan as they speak”.  Those who would compel conscience, and put to the sword any who should disagree with them, and in the name of our God, have truly come to know the depths of Satan in what they say.  For since the war in heaven began, Satan has blamed all death on God, taking no responsibility for it himself.  Satan has forever attempted to enslave and compel the minds and hearts of men, for he does not desire the choice of love, but instead the mindless compulsion of slavery.  Satan wishes to rule the universe on pain of death.  Whereas God rules it because we choose to return the love to us He has already offered.

The promise given to those who have remained faithful to their intimacy with Christ, who have not abandoned Him through love of other gods, or of self, to them is given the promise that they shall bear none other burden but that which we already have.  This is the essence of salvation itself.  A submission of our will, a repentance born of humility, is already the “hardest” part of our salvation.  It is after all a refusal to repent that has seen Jezebel and those who would commit adultery with her bearing all the pain of their choices.  A stubborn refusal to repent is why Jezebel is being allowed to bear the weight of her sins.  If she, and we, would have repented, the mercy of our God would have kept us from seeing the full weight of the choices and sins we had embraced.  But the outstretched hand of mercy is consistently rejected, and so what comes, comes.  But “you” were not meant to suffer the fate of Jezebel.  “You” were meant to refuse her false words and instead embrace the words of Christ.  “You” were meant to know the freedom of repentance and submission, and salvation by being remade by Christ.  “You” were meant to be saved from yourself and your natural inclinations.

John continues in verse 26 … “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: [verse 27] And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. [verse 28] And I will give him the morning star.”  Now the giving is going to just get ridiculous, as usual.  The works of Christ in His ministry were works of love for others, healing for others, meeting the needs of others.  He did these works without condemnation, or judgment, but to redeem, to save, to reconcile us to Himself.  These acts of charity we are charged with keeping until the end.  Notice this is the ONLY doctrine, the doctrine of His actions of love to others, that He charges us to remain within.  For it is love alone that accomplishes our salvation, and leads others to want that same salvation with our God.  It is not our hate, or judgmentalism, or legalistic views of right and wrong that inspire salvation in others, instead it is ONLY our unconditional love for them.  What must be overcome then, is the idea that we can compel the conscience of others, that we can deny others access to the true word of God, that we can put faith in our wealth and fineries rather than in Christ alone, that we can corrupt our intimacy with God through the false doctrines of self-gratification.  These things can only be overcome as we submit our will in repentance and humility to Christ, who alone can remake and recreate us in His image.

The power that comes over nations, the iron rod that splinters the vessels of potters clay, is the steadfast love that is given unconditionally to everyone we encounter.  Think of it, Christ took no violent actions in His day, yet the entire Roman empire was brought to its knees by the fundamental doctrines of love and submission in the hearts of true believers.  Pagan Rome is a thing of the past, despite its iron grip in the time of Christ.  No dictator, including Satan, is able to maintain control over a people who embrace love of others as their primary premise.  Evil itself, will be forever removed from the universe, by the free-will choice of sentient beings in the universe, including us, because we choose to embrace love of others instead of love for self.  This is the truth that shatters evil and cannot be broken.  Love wins.  Love conquers all, including evil, and Love will see evil finally and fully defeated.  As Christ received love from His Father, so we are to receive Love from Christ who we follow and submit our will to.  Christ was forever doing the will of His Father, not of Himself.  So we are to do the will of Christ and not of our own.  And in so doing, we are further promised the “morning star”.  We are promised the gift of Christ Himself, poured out in our lives, in our families, in our churches, in our communities, and in our world.  The gift of Christ is the greatest gift God could make to us, and is the basis of our salvation from beginning to end.

Jesus concludes his message of revelation to the church of Thyatira as John writes in verse 29 … “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”  Once again the message to the church is joined by the power of His Holy Spirit.  For without the power of His Spirit, we will be unable to overcome, unable to understand, and unable to be removed from the power of our choices and sins.  But as we submit to our God, we come to know the power of His salvation to us.  This is the promise to Thyatira, and of way more importance, the promise Jesus makes to “you”.

And the messages were not over yet …