Category: Revelation

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one with the sharp two-edged sword:

‘I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city. But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin. In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

‘Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.'”

When I was a child I used to love the story of Balaam and his donkey. I thought it was so funny that Balaam talked back when his donkey started talking to him. Balaam didn’t seem surprised! The reference in today’s passage caused me to dig into Balaam’s story more deeply. The talking donkey isn’t the most important part of his story. You can read about him in Numbers 22-23, Deuteronomy 23, and Joshua 24. If you read the Numbers account quickly, it may seem like Balaam was faithful to God, since he repeatedly said that he would not be able to say anything that God did not direct him to say. While that was true, notice that Balaam was willing to take a bribe in an attempt to curse the people of Israel. It didn’t work because God’s will prevailed, but in the end it showed us Balaam’s heart. He was willing to do anything for money, and he sought to obtain messages from God through methods that God did not approve of.

Critical thinking and spiritual discernment go hand-in-hand. Teachers like Balaam may sound convincing, and God may even speak through them in spite of their wickedness. I am concerned that the church in America today is not producing discerning disciples. We are easily lured in by false teachers of all kinds. We seem to believe that any invitation into power or any financial “blessing” is from God. Thus, we follow anyone who offers us power or money and we call it good.

Pay attention. There are a lot of talking heads out there trying to get your attention, convince you to follow them, sell you a product, or paint a picture of an “alternative truth.” If you do not have a discerning and critical spirit, you will easily be convinced. We know that anyone who promises to save you and points to themselves rather than Jesus is a false teacher. My heart has been broken in the recent years for the ways that the church has been led astray by larger than life leaders who claim to be great. If you don’t know who I am talking about, then pause and check in on your information intake. What sources are you leaning on for truth? Who’s cause are you focused on — Jesus’ or someone else’s?

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Thyatira. This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, whose feet are like polished bronze:

‘I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman—that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet—to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols. I gave her time to repent, but she does not want to turn away from her immorality.

‘Therefore, I will throw her on a bed of suffering, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly unless they repent and turn away from her evil deeds. I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches out the thoughts and intentions of every person. And I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually). I will ask nothing more of you except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. 

‘To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end,

‘To them I will give authority over all the nations.
They will rule the nations with an iron rod
    and smash them like clay pots.

‘They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star!

‘Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.'”

It’s amazing how people like to twist the very idea of truth. It happens today and it happened thousands of years ago as we read here. This female leader was advertising “deeper truths” and encouraging people to sin. Notice that her teachings about sexual sin and food sacrificed to idols are the same as those that Balaam was teaching in yesterday’s passage (2:14).

What’s interesting to me is that Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 8 about ways in which believers in Jesus do not need to fear eating food sacrificed to idols. So what is it such a big deal here? The key difference is in my favorite word: freedom. Christians are free to eat any food, and we do not need to be fearful or superstitious about eating foods sacrificed to idols. On the other hand, someone teaching others that it is good to eat food sacrificed to idols constitutes idol worship.

God says in today’s passage that this false teacher refused to repent even though he gave her time to do so. A repentant heart is one of the most valuable things to your spiritual life. Over and over again, God opposes those whose hearts are hard and offers grace to those who turn from their ways. Keep your heart soft. Stay moldable and teachable. Stay honest with God, yourself and others. This softness of heart will help you avoid falling for the “deeper truths” of false teachers.

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars:

‘I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.

‘Yet there are some in the church in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes with evil. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine. Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.'”

I deeply believe that these verses are a word for the American church in the Trump era. The riots and insurrection on Capitol Hill with many waving Jesus flags and claiming to be Christian show the death of the church in America. Many Christian leaders have spoken as if Trump was the new messiah, and they defended him and propped him up even when he made racist, sexist, or extreme remarks. Many have been led astray by conspiracy theories and calls for violence. Even after clear rioting and inciting of violence, some Christian leaders claimed that other groups were acting as Trump supporters to make them look bad. Already these have been shown to be lies. The message to these so-called Christians: “I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.”

This is not a political post. This is not about whether or not Trump has created any good policies. But I believe that when the church chases political power and religious rights, we die. We have been dying a slow death in that regard for at least the past 40 years, with the horrific results of the Trump era placing a nail in the coffin. How many more nails will there be?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: any “gospel” or teaching that is Jesus + something is not the Gospel. Jesus is it. He summed it up with love God and love neighbor. Violence is evil. Racism is evil. Placing our hope in a larger-than-life political messiah is evil. Placing support of a political party over condemnation of wrong is evil. The church needs to wake up, repent, and return to the heart of the Gospel before it is too late. For those who have stood firm during this time, be encouraged that God sees you and he will not forget.

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open:

‘I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me. Look, I will force those who belong to Satan’s synagogue—those liars who say they are Jews but are not—to come and bow down at your feet. They will acknowledge that you are the ones I love.

‘Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. All who are victorious will become pillars in the Temple of my God, and they will never have to leave it. And I will write on them the name of my God, and they will be citizens in the city of my God—the new Jerusalem that comes down from heaven from my God. And I will also write on them my new name.

‘Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.'”

As a counselor, I’ve heard a lot of people wonder if we are living in this “great time of testing” as we live through a pandemic. Are these the last days? We know that the authors of the New Testament wrote that THEY were living in the last days, and we have come after them so logically we must be in the last days too. Everything after Jesus is the “last days.” But are these the LAST last days? It’s hard to say (and in fact the Bible says we will never have any idea, so trying to guess is probably a fruitless endeavor). We do know that other places around the world experience war and suffering in ways unfamiliar to those who have lived their whole lives in the United States. We also know that there have been plenty of plagues and pandemics throughout history. I would encourage us all to think historically and globally before jumping to extremes about our current context.

Let’s get back to God’s heart as he reveals it in today’s passage. What do we know about Jesus from what he says here? We know he values perseverance, we know that those who do persevere will be rewarded, and we know that he is making a new Jerusalem. An eternal city directly from heaven. It’s interesting to see the new Jerusalem described as a city that “comes down” from heaven, as opposed to being the same as heaven itself. There’s a lot we don’t know about what God has in mind for his new heaven and new earth. We’ll hear more about that in coming chapters.

Perseverance is the theme of this letter. Pressing on to victory. Crown of life. It’s an eternal hope that drives us in our faith journey. One thing is for sure: once you reach that crown of life no one can take it from you. You will become a pillar in the Temple of God. In some way those who are faithful to Jesus will literally be the building blocks that hold up the dwelling place of God. Never underestimate the importance of the faithful church in the eternal story.

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s new creation:

‘I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

‘Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.

‘Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.'”

Again, we being today’s reading by asking, “What does this passage tell me about who God is?” I constantly have to remind myself to start there so that he is the main character of the story instead of me in the lead role. It seems clear that God does not like things halfway — go big or go home. Throughout the Bible there are contrasts to earthly riches or earthly wisdom and supernatural riches and wisdom. We see here God’s heart to offer a better way.

It is amazing how many times I have heard this “lukewarm” concept and the idea of God spitting us out of him mouth. What a picture of disgust and anger. And yet reading this today I was surprised by what comes next: an invitation into a supernatural life. He’s offering them supernatural gold, offering to cover their shame, offering to share a meal as a friend. This picture reveals a lot about the nature of God that gets missed when we only look at him as disgusted with us.

This passage does say that God will spit this lukewarm church out of his mouth. But it’s not because he is repulsed by the people themselves. The focus here is on the ways that they have bought into earthly ideals. They’ve compromised and he has something more for them. I don’t know if you’ve ever used the bitter pet spray that is supposed to stop them from chewing on things (side note: it doesn’t work). When you get that stuff on your hands, it’s hard to get off. I have thought my hands were clean only to pick up a bite of food and taste the residue of that bitter taste. Imagine if my response to that was to cut my own hands off and throw them in the trash! I would be momentarily disgusted by my hands but not because I dislike my hands. Instead, I am disgusted by what is on my hands and my desire would be to clean them once again. This is God’s heart: call out what is evil and then restore. Thankfully, he returns to our house and waits for a friendly invitation in every time.