Bible Headquarters

Revelation

By Adam Bartlett

Chapter 2
The Seven Churches

Introduction to the Seven Churches

The seven churches mentioned in the next two chapters were actual churches that existed in John's day and at the time he wrote in approximately 95-96 A.D. As I have stated several times to this point, I believe that these seven represent the "church" as a whole and exhibit what can be found in the church history from the beginning until the end. There are some however that believes that these churches represent seven distinct eras of time and also seven different characteristics of time up to the present. I will list these churches, characteristics and time frames.

Ephesus	Apostolic Church	30 - 100 A.D.
Smyrna	Persecuted Church	100 - 313 A.D.
Pergamos	State Church	313 - 590 A.D.
Thyatira	Papal Church	590 - 1517 A.D.
Sardis	Reformed Church	1517 - 1790 A.D.
Philadelphia	Missionary Church	1730 - 1900 A.D.
Laodicea	Apostate Church	1900 - A.D.

I don't necessarily agree with this assessment of the time frames for various reasons, for example. The church of Thyatira and Sardis, according to their time frames could very well claim that they should be the "persecuted" church as well. There are many of the time frames that could be merged and some that are not accurate as far as their cut off times according to this theory. Regardless, there are many theories out there and you have to look at them and then study and find what you feel is more compatible with what you find in the scriptures.
These churches were in an approximate circle of 100 miles and if you went clockwise from Ephesus you would find these churches in the same order given in these chapters.

Ephesus
Ephesus was the largest city in this area and was considered the capital. Paul started here and it became the Christian capital of Asia. Paul's missions to Ephesus are recorded in Acts 18:19-21, chapter 19 and 20:17-38. It is also believed that Paul wrote both letters to Corinth while in Ephesus. It is here that the largest and most magnificent Temple of Artemis was built to the goddess Diana; Artemis being her Greek name and Diana was Roman. It is apparent that the silversmiths had a prosperous business selling silver shrines and images of Diana according to Acts 19:23-28.

Smyrna
Smyrna was about 35 miles north of Ephesus and was a port city and most notable for its Temple of Zeus the supreme deity of ancient Greeks. There was a large population of Jews and many of them sought to eliminate the Christian church in its early stages.

Pergamos
Pergamos was inland and about 60 miles north of Smyrna and was the capital of Asia before it was moved to Ephesus. It was known for its vast 200,000 volume library second to only that of Alexandria. On the city's acropolis stood the Temple of Athena and a great altar to Zeus which had a base over 100 square feet and stood over 40 feet high. It stood 800 feet above the city with an appearance of a throne and understandably could be called "satan's seat." The altar to Zeus was the most famous altar in the world at that time.

Thyatira
Thyatira was about 40 miles south east of Pergamos and was known for its commerce, believed to be the busiest trade route in Asia at the time. Lydia, the seller of purple was from Thyatira, Acts 16:14. It is not known if any famous Temples existed in this town.

Sardis
About 33 miles South East of Thyatira was Sardis. Cybele was the chief goddess and there are still two columns of her temple remaining to this day. During this period of time this city was known for its immorality and wealth.

Philadelphia
Philadelphia was about 25 miles South East of Sardis and stood on an 800 foot elevation. It was situated in the Cogamus Valley and the Roman Road ran tangent to it opened the way from the Aegean-Mediterranean Sea to the upper plateau of Asia in the North called Phrygia. Therefore it can be seen how it was called the open door because it truly was a "door" in the midst of the mountains. The city was named for its founder, Attalus II, the Greek King of Pergamum. He lived in the middle of the 2nd century B.C., and because of his loyalty to his brother, Eumenes, he received the title, "Philadelphos" (Gk. Phileo - love; adelphos - brother). This was the last of the seven cities to fall to the Turks because it had strength in a narrow valley corridor which could hold back a stronger army.

Laodicea
Laodicea was about 45 miles South East of Philadelphia and was a place where several roads came together. It was known for its medicine, production of eye ointment, wool distribution and manufacture, and banking. A terrible earthquake destroyed the city around 61 A.D. and it was able to rebuild itself without the aid of Nero, thus these were considered a self-sufficient people.

The Church of Ephesus
1: Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

Jesus' opening comments:
It is interesting how that the opening comments by Jesus seem to relate directly to the condition of the church He is addressing. In this situation He is informing this church that He is always present and always knows what is going on. He holds the messengers in His hand and is in the midst of the "church." Therefore He will know all the good things that are going on as well as the bad. On a personal level He knows when we tend to stray from our "first love." Because He is in the "midst" of the church nothing can be hidden from Him.

At the end of chapter one we were told that the seven stars represented the "angels" or messengers to these churches and that the candlesticks represented the churches. Now Jesus says that He walks in the midst of these churches. He is the head of the "Church" and will always be in the middle of everything regarding His bride. It doesn't mean that the churches are revolving around Him as they should be, but He is always there regardless, and knows what is going on. I am sure that He is walking in the midst of the majority of churches today with sadness at what they are doing and allowing.
Jesus walks through these seven churches for a reason and that is to show us that all throughout history and to this day that there are things that need to be corrected in His churches. We must keep in mind that this is a summary of the church in general and He is giving us an inventory of what He sees and it is up to us to correct the problems and to continue in the positive things. He says one important thing to all seven churches and that is to "hear what He is saying." The church, and most especially its leaders, or messengers must be willing to put aside their pride and listen to the spiritual correction and instruction.

2: I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

Jesus starts out with each church with the positive things that He finds them doing. They have done some notable works and for that Jesus is recognizing their efforts and letting them know that it has not gone unnoticed. A good example of how we should treat our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord.
This church had apparently recognized that there were some that were only putting up a front and they exposed them for what they were. We are commanded to "try" the spirits and see if they are of God and I believe that also includes individuals, their witness and walk also. If there was ever a time that discernment was needed in the church, it is today. This group apparently had that discernment and used it to expose those who were promoting error in the church.
Notice who it is talking about that they tried; it was those claiming to be apostles. It is the spiritual leaders of this day that need to be put under the spiritual microscope and put to the spiritual test. For some reason Christians are convinced that they are off limits and that they are not allowed to question a Christian leader. First let me qualify this; I am not saying that we should go on a witch hunt as many so called "ministries" do and try to find something wrong with everyone that is known in the work. Most of the time if you just listen to what is said and verify it with the Word, sooner or later the error will expose itself if they are not genuine. Thus here lies the problem, most Christians do not know the Word well enough to know if a minister is misusing or manipulating scriptures.
We need to "labour" in knowing what is true and what is not as this church had apparently done. They had laboured in the work of the Lord and had not given up. They had the spiritual patience to not give up when problems arose. Their patience was noted twice by the Lord so they must have endured some trying times. We will face obstacles if we are doing the Lord's work and the key is to be patient in them and not try to force them to end before the their purpose has been accomplished. God allows these obstacles and attacks of the enemy for that very reason, to build our patience in spiritual matters and rely on Him totally to get us through them. To mature us and get us to the place where we understand that our efforts will not accomplish it. James agrees with this:

James 1:
2: My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3: Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4: But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

4: Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

For a long time I just read over this verse and never tried to understand it or figure out how it applied because I could not see how they could do what they had done and be told that they lost their love. Over the years I have seen this in many areas and not only witnessed it but experienced it to certain degrees, which is not something I like to admit nor would I imagine anyone does. However, I believe that to some degree and at some times during our Christian walk we all experience this to some extent.
We start to lose the saltiness or the light becomes dimmer or the candle gets somewhat hidden by other things in our life that get put in front of it. As much as we do not want to admit it we do lose our first love to degrees during our walk.
The problem here though was that this problem was apparently at a deeper level. Some could be so caught up in the "Activities" that they are performing that they slowly lose the real passion and reason behind it. Even though these may be "church" activities, they can still become routine and in the process just become a "work" instead of an act of true love and devotion.
We can know the scriptures but if they are not being applied and lived out in our lives then are we really in love with them? Our love for the Lord cannot be measured by our activities for Him, but should be known by our commitment and motives behind what we are doing. Here are some questions that when answered honestly will reveal how far we are from our first love.

Has our time and our desire to be in the Word diminished?
Has our time and our desire to pray diminished?
Do we witness when the opportunity is there?
When is the last time we did witness to someone?
Do we confuse the amount of things we do with the quality of them?
Do we have a burden for the lost?
Has our praise and worship become ritualistic instead of a true expression of our love and gratitude for Him?

It is our pride that keeps us from being honest about our spiritual condition and I know firsthand that it is a big and constant obstacle to overcome. It is easy and most especially in our day to allow all the things going on around us to creep in and steal this love from us. We must be on guard all the time against this and pray always for God to keep the flame burning brightly in our hearts and to keep the passion high.
I can see how Christians can lose their "first love" and it concerns me that there is little time left and we must be strong in these last days. It is virtually impossible to find churches in this day that focus on "Holiness" and preach the unadulterated Word that convicts the heart and leads to repentance.
Think of all the Christians that are just like these in Ephesus, doing some good things and having good qualities, but somewhere down the road have "lost their first love." When desire and passion become ritual then we have lost the original love that spurned us in the beginning. 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 give us a definition of what true love consists of.
I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that prayer is the key to our spiritual power and completeness. I hope that I never get satisfied with my prayer life and I always find myself far from the place I want and need to be.
It is "pride" that brought down satan and it is his main tool on us to keep us from being honest with ourselves, our brothers and sisters in the Lord, and most especially with God. This pride causes us to justify things we do and anytime we have to justify something it is wrong. There is no need for justification for what is right! This is what we do not hear in our churches today. God hates pride and for this very reason; it robs honesty and dignity and replaces humility. Jesus "humbled" Himself and took on the form of a man. Solomon said that if we would "humble" ourselves and pray, THEN God would hear us. There is so much pride and arrogance in churches and ministers today and they are teaching these same principles to the flocks. Demand what you want from God, repeat sayings, follow gimmicks, quote prayers of others in the Bible, and so much other garbage. This is what people are learning today instead of getting on your face in true inner sorrow and repentance and crying out to God to "have mercy on me a sinner." It is this very attitude of pride that is evident in the churches today that God is speaking of to this church. They lost their first love and the church today has lost its first love because of their pride.
Christians are so easily manipulated today and that is because they have lost their first love and that zeal is not there. The first love is what fuels that hunger and zeal to stay fervent in the Word and Prayer and by doing that we have our "shield of faith" up and do not fall prey to what is happening today.
Many Christians today have a shield that looks like Swiss cheese because of all the garbage they have allowed into their hearts and mind that is not Biblically sound. They still hold their shield high and think that it is doing its job but are blinded to all the holes in it. Their spiritual pride and arrogance has blinded them from the reality of their situation. That is why God was speaking to "HIS" people in 2 Chronicles 7:14:
14: If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

It is hard to understand sometimes because when we think of this situation we feel like to lose your first love would entail something much worse and have some obvious evil appearance to it. We must keep in mind that the enemy is very clever at what he does and deception is his favorite and most effective tool.
If he can cause a Christian to believe that what they are doing is good, just, and right while in the process they leave their first love, then he wins. You see, it is not something that I believe happens over night because they did have that "first love" to start with and we don't know for how long. It just says that they "LEFT" it and does not even say how that happened.
That is why we take other scriptures and find their relevance to this situation and use them as one of the many possibilities. Another scripture that is always frightening to me to think of and I feel also fits in this scenario is from Jesus.
Matthew 7:
21: Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23: And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

This scripture reminds me so much of what I see in churches today and it is very dreadful to see people that are so caught up in what they are doing that they don't see the reality of their condition. This is why it is so important to understand that this is not a game, it is eternally serious. When we see someone in this condition we should do all we can to show them the truth and pray for them to see it.
This should also show us the dire need for us to pray for discernment so that we never fall into this trap.

5: Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

This is a very serious warning from the Lord and He says that unless this condition is changed that He will remove them from where they are. There are many examples in scriptures of those that lost their position because of their backslidden condition. We know that God is Just and we know that He will always warn His children and give them plenty of opportunities to repent. I was happy to learn that Jim Bakker had taken advantage of the opportunity to change his life and I pray that he is still in the process of redeeming the time. He is proof that God will bring these situations to light and expose those involved, but it is also proof that God will always allow the individuals to repent and restore them. The other side of this is those like King Saul, Judas, and others that would not make the necessary change and were not restored. You see, God will not force anyone to change; He will only make the avenue available. If a person chooses to remain in their condition then He will remove them when He decides they have had enough time to repent. That is not a situation that we want to see anyone in and that is why it is so important for us as Christians to "be our brother's keeper" when necessary.
God is not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance and He gave the whole city of Nineveh a second chance. We have to understand though that there is a limit to His mercy and grace and if we continually "grieve" the spirit, sooner or later we will cross that line.

6: But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

There are not many times that we hear Jesus specify those that He hates but this is one of those occasions so we should pay special attention. Who exactly were the Nicolaitians? Some have associated them with Nicholas of Antioch from Acts 6:5. Others claim that they were a group that promoted compromise with paganism. Some say that "Nicolaitan" is a Greek form of Balaam and view the heresy as sexual licentiousness as well as eating things sacrificed to idols. This latter seems to be verified by the fact that they are mentioned again in verses 14-15 associated with Pergamos and Balaam.
One thing is certain and that is, compromise can have no place in our walk. Any kind of compromise leads to weakness in faith and creates a lukewarm heart. That is why from the very beginning in the Garden the enemy has tried to create doubt and question the Word of God. If we question the authority and infallibleness of the Word of God then the door is wide open to introduce any form of doctrine and heresy that sounds good. It is one of the enemy's biggest and most effective tools, to cause doubt and question in the Word of God. What the church needs more today than any other time is for more to hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans. There is so much compromise and tolerance in churches today that new errors are entering as fast as the door swings.

7: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Jesus makes two things clear to each of the seven churches and they are to "listen to what He says, and to those that 'overcome' will be rewarded."
It is also very important to understand that He is speaking to the church and not the lost. So those that want to justify things and say, "that does not apply to me" you are mistaken. It does all pertain to the church specifically and this message is directed to the church and Jesus clearly says to hear what the Spirit says to the "Church" not the world.
A lot of Christians do not want to face this fact because it makes them uncomfortable because of the strong warnings and the things that are exposed. Yes, there is sin in the church and it needs to be dealt with and it will not be accepted by the Lord.
We can listen to a lot of things that are said but not really "hear" anything. To "hear" is when we understand what is being said and how it applies to us. To understand a spiritual message, one must be in tune with the spirit. That is why Paul said:
1 Corinthians 2:
9: But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10: But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11: For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12: Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13: Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14: But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15: But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
16: For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

It is sad that there are so many in churches today that do not have the spiritual discernment needed to understand their condition. It is sad that they are not being taught what they need to know. It is sad that the ministry is more concerned with numbers than the condition of the very souls that need to be cultivated.
Jesus warned about those spiritual leaders that were more concerned with their position than those that were following them. He warned about those that would not teach what was needed but followed and instituted traditions that were worthless in maturing a Christian. In Matthew 15 Jesus confronted some of the "religious" leaders of that day on this very issue and the disciples were concerned because they were afraid that He might have offended these leaders. Then Jesus replied to them:
Matthew 15:
12: Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying? 13: But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
14: Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

That is exactly the condition of the majority of Christians today. They have no biblical knowledge themselves because they have not disciplined themselves to "Study to show themselves approved" but instead relied on the "Blind" leaders to show them the way.
Too many want to hear what sounds good instead of the convicting truth and as a result they are both heading for the ditch.
Jesus was very concerned about this also and devoted a whole chapter to condemning these "spiritual" leaders in Matthew 23. We must have spiritual ears to hear the message of Christ and to ever expect to overcome.
What is it we are to overcome? We must overcome the temptation of the enemy to take the easy road and only listen to what sounds good and pleasant. We must overcome this flesh that plagues us each day of our existence and entices us to take the easy way out. We must overcome the deception of the enemy and the only way we can do that is to have "spiritual" ears to know the difference in his voice and the Lord's voice.

The Church of Smyrna
8: And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

Jesus' opening comments:
Jesus here gives these that are being persecuted the hope that is needed that they will be over comers because He overcame death. He reassures their faith in knowing that He is there and knows their struggles and will give them victory even if it results in death.

9: I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

This is the shortest message of the seven churches and one of only two churches that Jesus had nothing negative to say about them. They had works, tribulation, and poverty. It is also apparent that they were being persecuted by or because of some of their fellow Jews that had betrayed them.
I have seen many Christians turn on other Christians because they may disagree with them or confront them about something. I have been victim to this personally and it is a strange feeling and leaves you a bit bewildered.
Unfortunately this happens all too often in the church today and will only increase as time closes. We must never forget that Jesus was the example of this in His confrontations with the Pharisees and Saducees. He gave us the example that we should never sit back and accept "religion" and traditions that lead us away from "relationship."
Jesus did not accept it yet we see the majority of Christians today silently following these same doctrines and practices.
These of the Church of Smyrna would not accept this and spoke up and as a result were persecuted even by those of the church. I believe Timothy gave us a spiritual measuring stick that we can use to evaluate our walk:
2 Timothy 3:
12: Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

I know this; the more you speak out against what is wrong in the churches today the more you will be maligned by Christian leaders that are prospering from their doctrines. I also know that as the time approaches we need to speak up more because the problem will continue to worsen as will the condition of those following these corrupt teachings.

10: Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
11: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
There are many that believe that the "ten days" mentioned relates to some specific period of time. There are also some that believe that the "prison" was some literal place during that time period. Personally I don't know and there is little that I have seen that would substantiate this in historical documentation.
I believe that the prison as well as the ten days is symbolic of a spiritual reality. Even when Paul and Silas were physically imprisoned they were able to reach the other inmates and even the Roman soldier that was keeping guard. In some countries it is a crime to preach the Gospel and some are imprisoned and even put to death for it.
Even when the enemy thinks he as stopped the message from going out even by means of imprisoning some, God has a way of making it work out for a soul winning event. In numerology "ten" represents the law. We can see how the "laws" of man are continually infringing on the law of God.
Just as with this book as a prime example, John was banished to a deserted island because he would not stop preaching. Even though it accomplished the enemy's goal in that it stopped John from preaching he received the vision of this book while there. It has now had more effect than if he had been allowed to preach and is still reaching people to this day. Many Christians today will not make it if persecution comes to them. Jesus says "He that overcometh" and there are many that will not be able to handle any type of physical persecution for their faith. That is the danger facing Christians in this country, we have been blessed with our freedom, but that also can cause some to become lazy and comfortable. When it comes to real persecution will you be able to "overcome?"

The Church of Pergamos
12: And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

Jesus' opening comments:
Once again Jesus' opening statement relates to the church specific and to their need. They were allowing false doctrines and teachings and Jesus alludes to the sharp sword with two edges which relates to the Word:
Hebrews 4: 12:
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The semblance of the sword being His Word is also verified in several verses in this book; 1:16, vs.16 of this chapter, 19:15 and 19:21. The power and the reverence of His Word is something that is missing in the church today. The Word is being manipulated, misused, and misinterpreted for the wrong reasons in churches and as a result the majority of churches today are just like the description of this one.

13: I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

I find it very interesting in the descriptions of these churches that there are some good qualities and some seem to be very solid. Then you read after these qualities the ways that they seemed to stumble and fall. You would think, why don't they just focus on the qualities and stick to them. That would be a good question for the majority of churches that we all know. As it says in the introduction to this church, it was a place of an enormous monument to Zeus which was like an appearance of a large seat.
I speak a great deal about the condition of the church today and the reason is because I see so many similarities with the conditions listed in this book. I also know that in the last days it will get worse and it is confirmed in scripture that it will be like this. I have been in many churches and have seen so much in the last 15 years that it is literally like looking in the mirror of what is being said here and what is happening in churches today.
I can easily see how it could be said that "satan's seat" is actually in the midst of some churches. They teach false doctrines and allow things that should not be in the church and therefore they are allowing satan to set up camp right in the middle of what is supposed to be God's house.

14: But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
15: So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

These are some pretty serious indictments against this church involving false doctrines and teachings. God does not like false teachings because it leads people astray and causes such a scar on the name of Christianity. Not that it is justifiable, but it gives excuses to those that are looking for ways to avoid facing their spiritual condition.
If Christians that are involved in these things only knew how many they may cause to stumble would they still do it?
The worst thing I can think of is to stand before the Lord and not only have to answer for the fact that I did not study enough to know the difference but to be the cause of someone missing heaven because I taught them a false teaching or doctrine.
There are so many false teachings and doctrines in the churches today that I cannot list them all but I would like to list a few of the more predominant ones that are leading countless people astray.
Theophostics - is rapidly growing worldwide and is very dangerous
The Purpose Driven Concept - is also rapidly growing and waters down the Gospel and even leaves out any clear directives on heaven and hell. Allows all paths to enter.
The Emergent Church - is hand in hand with the Purpose Driven Concept.
The Prosperity Doctrine - has been around for a while and continues to deceive people.
The Jabez Prayer - has lost momentum but was a transitional step to the others after it.

We know the story of Balaam in Numbers 22-24 how that he was sought out by Balak to curse the Jewish nation. God would not allow it but Balaam was the one that caused a stumbling block to them according to Numbers 31:16.
It is so dangerous to be a stumbling block and Jesus warned about it also.
Matthew 18:
6: But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
7: Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

It is a very serious matter to lead someone astray and that is why it is so frustrating to see all the false teachings circulating in the churches today. What is equally disheartening is to see how easily and quickly Christians are flocking to them. There is no discernment in churches today and that has opened the door for this flood of deception.
If a person stays in these false teachings long enough they become callous to the truth and slowly build up the scales over their eyes. There is a warning that seems to be speaking directly to these people.
2 Thessalonians 2:
9: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10: And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11: And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

I know these are strong statements and many Christians do not want to relate these warnings to what I am speaking about. The reality is that if a person becomes entangled in a false teaching and refuses to see the truth even when confronted about it, then they are at risk for this very warning.
They are in every effect rejecting the truth for a lie and because of that God will allow them to follow the path they choose and will not force them to follow Him. That is why it is so important for Christians that are aware of those in these teachings to confront them with the truth and expose the errors of their teachings.
Time is getting shorter each day and we don't have time to sit back and wait for someone else to do it. If we know the Scriptures (as we should) then we are obligated by those very scriptures to warn them that are wandering astray. Jesus said that there was more joy over the one that returned to the way than the ninety nine that didn't need to.
There are very few things in the Bible that God specifically says that He hates and this is one of them, those that mislead others by false teachings and doctrines.

16: Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

God always gives a chance to change your heart and ways and return to Him. We already established that the "sword of my mouth" refers to the Word. We have to fight the false teachings with the truth of the Word. The Word is our foundation and it is our strength and our weapon. Remember that all the items mentioned in Ephesians 6 regarding the Christian armor were for defensive purposes except for the "Sword of the Spirit" which is the Word of God. Could it be that this is the reason there are so few combating false teachings is the lack of the Word in their lives?

17: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
What is the "white stone?" I am not sure that anyone knows for sure but there are some suggestions. According to history, during that time a white stone was put into a vessel by a judge to vote acquittal for a person on trial. It was also used like a "ticket" to gain admission to a feast or festival.
This "New Name" is also a mystery and according to 3:12 and 19:12 it is something that we will not know until that day.

The Church of Thyatira

18: 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;

Jesus' opening comments:
Just as He alludes in vs.23, He knows all things and when He looks at us all things are revealed. He comes with the penetrating eyes and the feet representing judgment in stamping out the injustice and evil. He will always give space to repent but once that grace is rejected and that line is crossed then Justice will be swiftly dealt.

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.
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.

As always Jesus starts by stating the positive things about this church. They have some good attributes, but as we acknowledged earlier, it doesn't mean that there is nothing wrong. We can have many good qualities and be sincere in many things but also have some areas that are in serious need to be reformed.
Whether the woman "Jezebel" represents an actual woman who was spreading the error, or whether this was some type of movement is not known. The original Jezebel led her husband, Ahab, King of Israel, into Baal worship and murder (1 Kings 16:31). Just as she led Ahab into spiritual fornication, someone or group was leading this church into a similar sin.
Fornication comes from the Greek word porneia and is where we get the modern term "pornography." In this sense is included harlotry, adultery, incest, lust and idolatry.
It is suggested that it was being accepted by this church in teaching and practice. It is a sad indictment that this is a church being addressed and these Christians were allowing this activity. We see many justifications happening in our churches today also and this is not a surprise considering the impact Hollywood has in lives.
Virtually everything in advertising is laced with sexual content to some degree. "Sex sells" is their motto and the American people seem to corroborate this fact by their insatiable appetite for it. Even in things that have nothing to do with sex, it is used as a tool to advertise it.
We see now that teachers are having sexual affairs with their students and there are more and more sexual crimes each day. That is not even counting all the perverseness associated with the homosexual activities. Sexual immorality is at an all time high in America and around the world.
What makes this relevant is that we see it as much in the church as in the world and that is what makes this particular message to this church relate to today.

21: And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
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.
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.

As always God gives everyone a chance to repent and change their ways. If repentance does not occur then there will be judgment. Jesus' statement, "And I will kill her children with death:" could also be what is indicated in Romans 1:27. He ends this declaration by saying that we will all answer for our own deeds. We will all stand before Him and answer for what we have done and what we failed to do.
Oh how the church needs to know that He will search them out and expose all the things that are contrary to His ways. It is also not clear if these "children" that the Lord says He will kill are actual people or the fruit of this movement. I personally believe that this situation is addressing a spiritual condition and therefore these symbols are speaking of spiritual things. That does not mean however that we rule out the possibility that it could be literal.
The fruit of these errors is what should be focused on and the fact that this church was allowing it to continue is incomprehensible. What is happening in the majority of our churches today would fall into the same category.
God will only give you so long to repent and turn things around but there comes a point in time, His time, that you cross that line and He will judge you.
If you were to go to meet the Lord this day, how would His judgment of you unfurl?

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.
25: But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

It is apparent that not all in this church were following these false teachings. We also know that there are remnants all over the world, even in churches where there are things that should not be there. God always has His remnants all over in every place so that they can be the light in the midst of the darkness.
Are you being that light or are you being seduced by an error or false teaching in your church?
I find it very interesting that in these cases where there are false teachings and errors in the midst of His church, He likens it to knowing the depths of satan. Jesus made a very clear distinction when He said;
Matthew 12:
30: He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
There is no middle ground or grey areas as the world and many churches would try to convince us. You are either a Christian or you are not, you either believe the Word or you don't.
For those that are doing the best they can even in the midst of a bad situation He promises that He understands your situation and will not make it harder on you than it already is. He does warn to hold fast to what we have and that means for us to constantly be on guard against deception.
It is hard to be deceived if you are saturating yourself with the Truth everyday.

26: And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
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.
28: And I will give him the morning star.
29: He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Each church is encouraged to "Overcome" and they will rule with Him. Overcome the obstacles of this world and the enticements of evil. To overcome the "leaven" that tries very hard to infiltrate the church everyday. Overcome the lusts and desires of the world. Overcome this wretched flesh. There is much to "overcome" and none of it is possible without the help of the Holy Spirit. That is why the lost are without hope and destitute and we need to show them the way.
We will reign and rule with Christ in the Millennial Kingdom and we do not know what all that will entail but we are promised that if we overcome we will partake in this reign.
Jesus is the "Bright and Morning Star" (Rev. 22:16) and we are promised here that we will share in Him.
Could this also be an illusion to satan and his desires to ascend to the heights of heaven and dethrone God? He even offered (given authority only by God's permission) Christ the kingdoms if He would worship him (Matt. 4:8-11). In Isaiah 14:12, satan is named Lucifer, which in Hebrew means "brightness, bright star."
The final exhortation to each church and to all of us is: "HEAR" what is being said, understand what is being said and who it is being spoken to. This is a desperate warning to the "churches" of that time and we need so desperately to warn the churches of this day with even more earnestness.

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