SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/5/2015
11:42 AM
My Worship Time Focus: The Concern
Jesus has for Thyatira
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Revelation
2:20-23
Message of the
verses: “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. 21 ’I gave her time to repent, and she does not
want to repent of her immorality. 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. 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.”
I mentioned in the Spiritual Diaries that I am doing on
the book of Ezekiel that some of the things that Ezekiel is telling the exiles
is very harsh, yet as always true, and it can be compared to these things that
Christ is writing to this church. The
difference is that Jesus was speaking to a physical church in the church age
where much more information has been given to them through what has happened to
Christ on the cross who paid for our sins whereas Ezekiel was writing and speaking
to the OT nation of Israel.
When we look at the problems that Jesus points out in
this church we can see that they were not external problems, but they were
internal problems. Smyrna had many
external problems that came from the Jews and also from those who worshiped
idols who wanted all the people in that city to do the same. One could say that Smyrna and Thyatira were
in some ways opposite in the problems that they faced. Persecution will cause the church to grow and
also get rid of the false believers as they won’t stay around to be persecuted
for something that they truly don’t believe in.
However when the church is not being persecuted then this gives a chance
for many unbelievers to sneak in and cause much trouble in the church which was
what was happening in Thyatira as we will see. Paul speaks of this when he was addressing
the leaders of the Ephesian church in Acts 20:29-30 “29 "I know that after my departure savage
wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse
things, to draw away the disciples after them.”
John MacArthur writes “The penetrating gaze of the Lord
of the church had discerned serious error, causing Him to warn ‘I have this
against you.’ The use of the singular
pronoun points this admonition especially to the leader of the
congregation. The indictment is ‘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.’ The
sin, apparently involving the majority of the Thyatira church’s members, was
twofold. First, they violated the
biblical teaching that women are not to be teachers or preachers in the church
(1 Tim. 2:12). That led them to tolerate
‘the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess.’ They compounded their error of permitting her
to teach by allowing her to teach error.
As a result, Jesus declares, ‘she teaches and leads My bond-servants
astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to
idols.’”
Who was Jezebel?
Well we can be pretty sure that this was not the person’s name, but
someone who acted like Jezebel. Jezebel
was the infamous wife of King Ahab, and she was Satan’s agent to corrupt God’s
people. If memory serves me correctly
she introduced Baal worship in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. I can’t help but write about one of the
prophecies that had to do with her punishment that God was going to give her
because of what she did and that is that she would be spread out around the
land. She died from a fall from a high
building and a little while later they wanted to bury her but the dogs had
eaten her and only her skull was left. I
guess it was the dogs who spread her all around the country.
MacArthur says “Therefore the Lord branded her with the symbolic
name Jezebel. This NT Jezebel did like
the OT Jezebel did and that was she succeeded in leading Christ’s bond-servants
astray so that they would commit acts of immorality and they also would eat
things sacrificed to idols. Remember
when we looked at the letter from the Apostles to the Gentile churches in Acts
chapter 15 and they said the following “19 “Therefore it is my judgment that we
do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, 20 but
that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and
from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood (Acts 15:19-20.” This church must not have gotten that letter
or if they did they forgot about what it said.
MacArthur writes “The Bible teaches that true Christians
can fall into sexual immorality (cf. 1 Cor. 6:15-20) and idolatry (cf. 1 Cor.
10:21). But to lead others Christians
into false doctrine or immoral living is a very serious sin, one meriting the
most severe punishment. In Matthew
18:6-10, Jesus graphically described the serious consequences for those who
lead other believers into sin: ‘6 but
whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would
be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned
in the depth of the sea. 7 "Woe to the world because of its stumbling
blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man
through whom the stumbling block comes! 8
"If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and
throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to
have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. 9 “If your eye
causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you
to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery
hell. 10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to
you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in
heaven.’
“The ‘little ones who
believe’ in Christ are not physical children, but spiritual children—believers. It is so serious to lead another believer
into sin that the Lord said death by drowning was a better option. The imagery of maiming oneself is language
depicting the need for drastic action in dealing with sin.”
There is one more Scripture I want to add to this that
has something to do with what we are talking about and that comes from Romans
1:32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such
things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty
approval to those who practice them.”
Our gracious Lord gave them time to repent, but they did
not do so and because they did not do so He said that He would “throw her on a
bed of sickness.” MacArthur writes “The
words of sickness are not part of the original Greek text, but were supplied as
a conjecture by the translators. In
light of the finality of Jezebel’s refusal to repent, it is more likely that
the bed refers to death and hell—the ultimate resting place for those who
refuse to repent.” Now not only for her
but for those who commit adultery with her for divine punishment will go to
them too and Jesus says that they will go into “great tribulation.” MacArthur does not believe that this is the
eschatological tribulation period which will later be described in chapters
4-19, but distress or trouble. He goes
on to write “Since these were the sinning Christians who had believed her lies,
the Lord does not threaten to send them to hell as He did the false
prophetess. He promises to bring them
severe chastening—possibly even physical death unless they repent of her deeds.”
Jesus then mentions a third group who will face divine
judgment and these are those described with these words “I will kill her
children with pestilence.” These were
not her physical children, but spiritual children. This church was around forty years old and we
see the second generation believers here and severe punishment could come on
them if they did not repent and turn from their ways. Death could come to them like it die with
Ananias and Sapphira seen in Acts chapter five.
This may be hard to understand but it is true that Chris
twill receive glory for judging Jezebel and those who followed her. When He does judge them then all the churches
would know that He is the One who searches the minds and the hearts. It is only God can do this and so this is
just another of the many, many statements that confirms the deity of Jesus
Christ.
MacArthur writes “It is not known how many in that
congregation responded to Christ’s warning, but, tragically, the Thyatira
church as a whole apparently did not heed it.
History records that it fell prey to the Montanist heresy) a movement
led by a false prophet who claimed continuing revelation from God apart from
Scripture) and went out of existence by the end of the second century.”
Lastly we see these words of comfort from our Lord “I
will give to each one of you according to your deeds.” Each person would be judged by their own
deeds and not on the church as a whole group, and this is something important
to know.
I have written on what my feelings about works and the
Christians in earlier SD’s and the truth is that no one is saved by doing good
works, but good works demonstrate the fact that one is truly saved. I also believe that Ephesians 2:10 shows that
God has given us works to do even before the world began and we must be open to
the Holy Spirit for Him to show us what these works are and then have Him lead
us in doing these works to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Again remember what Peter said “For it is time for
judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first,
what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: Learning more
about how my Lord watches over His church has given me greater incentive in
wanting to follow the leading of the Spirit to do the works that He has planned
for me to do.
My Steps of Faith for Today: To love the Lord with all of my heart, soul,
mind, and strength, and to better understand the love He has for me. To be a comfort to my friend whose wife is
now in heaven.
Memory verses for the
week: 2 Peter 2:8-10.
8 For if these qualities
are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in
the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having
forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent
to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as your
practice these things, you will never stumble.
Answer to yesterday’ Bible
question: “Righteousness” (Romans 4:9).
Today’s Bible
question: “In Hebrews 2:16, Christ took
on himself the seed of what man?”
Answer in our next SD.
2/5/2015 1:29 PM
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