02 - Post Cards From The Edge 2009

Remember last time we saw the Glorified Messiah standing in the midst of 7 lampstands and 7 stars.

The STARS were the “angelos” or messengers of the church (likely the pastors)

The LAMP STANDS were the churches themselves—7 in all.

He is seen holding both the 7 stars and the 7 lamp stands in His right hand.

A two-edged sword came out of His mouth—a picture of judgment when He speaks.

Beginning at chapter 2, the risen Messiah addresses these 7 churches. The first church is:

EPHESUS: The lacking church (2:1-7)

Ephesus is the fundamental church that failed.

PROPHETIC APPLICATION: The Age of Apostles-Founded by Paul, the Ephesian Church prospered under the shadow of Diana worship. To this congregation Paul sent his marvelous Ephesian epistle, emphasizing spiritual riches, the spiritual walk, and spiritual warfare. It symbolizes the Apostolic Age.

The city of Ephesus was the manufacturing center for the statues of Diana, the goddess of sex. It was a city of immorality, existing off of temple prostitution and paganism. The church at Ephesus was surrounded by massive sexual perversion and personal temptation.

Jesus’ first comments are positive:

“I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. 3 You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.”

Hard work, patient endurance, intolerance of evil, discernment and patient suffering w/o quitting.

The next are negative:

“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.”

They hadn’t “lost” their first love, they had “Left” their first love.

What was their “first Love?” The principle of ministering out of love for Him.

All ministry should be done out of love and devotion for Him; not for fame, money or power.

The SECOND CHURCH was:

SMYRNA: The Loyal Church (2: 8-11)

Smyrna is the persecuted church that persevered.

PROPHETIC APPLICATION: The Age of Persecutions—for over 2 centuries, from Nero, who had Paul executed, until Diocletian in the early 4th century, Christians were intermittently persecuted. Multiplied millions died martyr’s deaths, some crucified or burned at the stake, others thrown to lions or exiled. Ten great periods of persecution, catalogued by Gibbon, are indicated in Christ’s prediction having persecution “ten days.”)

Smyrna is the persecuted church that persevered. The city of Smyrna was one of wealth and greatness. Jesus assures them that He is aware of their oppression and poverty.

He actually tells them that, in fact, are wealthy in what truly matters. Knowledge of salvation is true wealth!

Their persecutions originated with false teachers that were rising up to oppose true Christianity. Jesus says to them:

“Fear none of these things…you will have tribulation for ten days…be faithful to the death.”

The TEN DAYS spoken of likely referred to the 10 terrible periods of persecution unleashed by the Roman Empire from about 64 to 316 A.D.

Jesus promised a “CROWN OF LIFE” to those that stayed true to the faith. This crown is one of 5 crowns specifically promised for faithful obedience.

FINAL NUGGET: Jesus knows exactly what you’re going through and what you will go through, and is there to strengthen and reward you.

The THIRD CHURCH is:

PERGAMOS: The lax church (2:12-17)

Pergamos is the compromising church that was corrupted.

PROPHETIC APPLICATION: The Age of Compromise—During this period, The Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the state religion. Since everyone was now a Christian by state decree rather than personal experience with God, Christianity began to absorb pagan practices. In 431 at the Council of Ephesus, the title “Mother of God” was applied to the Virgin Mary, which instituted a new female figure for adoration. Paganism mingled and mixed with Christianity, having a corrupting affect that lasted for centuries.

Two false doctrines had crept into this church:

The first is the doctrine of Balaam:

“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.”

The Doctrine of Balaam refers to the teaching and advice of Balaam to Balak, the Moabite king, to encourage his people to intermingle and intermarry with the Israelites, resulting in God’s judgment. IN other words, the doctrine of Balaam was the doctrine of compromise leading to corruption.

The second false teaching was the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. This doctrine was that of sexual immorality, or what we would call hedonism with a spiritual twist.

“In a similar way, you have some Nicolaitans among you who follow the same teaching. 16 Repent of your sin, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.”

Halley’s Bible Handbook tells us of them, “Sexual vice was actually a part of (Nicolaitan) heathen worship, and recognized as a proper thing in heathen festivals. Priestesses of Diana and kindred deities were public prostitutes.”

“In Ephesus, the Christian pastors, as a body, excluded such teachers. But in Pergamum and Thyatira, while we are not to think that the main body of pastors held such teachings, yet they tolerated within their ranks those who did.”

NUGGET: It is the responsibility of every Christian to discern what we accept in form of teaching. And it clearly matters a great deal to Jesus what is taught in the church.

The FOURTH church is:

THYATIRA: The loose church (2:18-29)

Thyatira is the decadent church that drifted into darkness.

PROPHETIC APPLICATION: The Age of Darkness—The Dark Ages is what this long period is sometimes called. After the fall of Rome around the end of the fourth century, the Holy Roman Church gained great power. Withholding the scriptures from the common people, and becoming largely a political organization, the church of this era helped plunge Europe into gross and dismal darkness. This era would last a stunning 1,000 years!

Jesus’ opening words tell a lot. He says, “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.’”

We can almost feel the penetrating, fiery eyes of the Son of God as He peers into this local assembly.

Yet, as with most of the other churches, there is a “But I have this complaint against you” involved.

Almost all of the postcard to Thyatira deals with a woman named Jezebel. This woman had introduced idolatry and immorality into the congregation.

She was, according to Jesus “…leading my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols.”

This principle of bringing idolatry and immorality into the local church is soundly condemned by the risen Savior.

IN fact, He pronounces a sobering Word: “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. 23 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.”

The promise to Thyatira is: “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 25 except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. 26 To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, To them I will give authority over all the nations.”

NUGGET: What the world calls “normal”, such as sexual sin, Jesus views as “the depths of Satan” and should be avoided.

The FIFTH church is:

SARDIS: the lifeless church (3:1-6)

Sardis is the dead church that still had the lights on

PROPHETIC APPLICATION: The Age of Reformation--In the year 1517, Martin Luther began to preach the gospel, birthing the great Reformation move of God that shook Europe and helped break the shackles of the Roman Catholic Church. In a parallel event, Columbus, a Bible-believing Explorer with ideas similar the Luther and other reformers, concluded that the earth was round and desired to spread the gospel to the whole world, believing that Christ would return when all the world had heard the gospel.

Sardis was a very old city, wealthy in textiles and jewelry making. The city had a prostitution temple to Diana, as well as mystery cults. In these cults, emotional hysteria and bodily mutilation took place.

The Sardis church had a reputation of being alive, but were spiritually dead.

“I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead.”

Even what still had a bit of life was in danger, like their devotion, dedication and zeal. Their external appearance covered up an internal dying condition.

The Great Physician felt their spiritual pulse and pronounced them “dead.”

They may have been a beehive of organized activity. They may have had a reputation around town for being progressive, having a nice building, lots of money, and so on.

Jesus said they had “a name that lived.” But “man looks on the outer appearance while God looks at the heart. Therefore, the glorified Savior, the Head of the Church, pierced through the façade and diagnosed their spiritual illness.

He did not find their works “perfect” before God, which means literally “finished” or “complete.” They had not completed or finished their race, but had been sidetracked.

Jesus’ command to them:

“Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.”

The SIXTH church is:

PHILADELPHIA: The Loving Church (7-13)

Philadelphia is the church with an open door.

PROPHETIC APPLICATION: The Age of Evangelization—The last several centuries, perhaps until the latter part of the 20th century, has been the era of worldwide evangelism. Christians have spread the gospel to all the continents. Hundreds of thousands of churches have been planted world-wide, and there are tens of millions of believers all over the globe. Through radio and television, print and computer, the gospel is being proclaimed on a mammoth scale. A rebirth of expectancy concerning the Second Coming arose in the late 1800’s and prevails to today. The loving church (Philadelphia) proclaims the love of God. The rapture of believers could occur at any time!

“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.”

Philadelphia is the only church in which Jesus finds no blemishes.

Jesus had opened for them a wonderful door of evangelism. Even those in Satan’s synagogue would become convinced that their God was the true God.

“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.”

There is perhaps a hint of the rapture of the church in verse 10:

“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.11 I am coming soon.”

GREAT TIME OF TESTING coincides with the phrase GREAT TRIBULATION spoken of by Jesus Mark 13:19

“For at that time there will be such affliction (oppression and tribulation) as has not been from the beginning of the creation which God created until this particular time—and positively never will be [again].”

FINAL EXHORTATION FROM JESUS SAYS:

“Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown (reward). 12 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.”

The “names” Jesus says He will write on us suggest stamps of ownership. The believers in glory will wear, as it were, the name of God (relationship), the name of the New Jerusalem (citizenship), and the new name of Christ (ownership forever).

The SEVENTH and last church is:

LAODICEA: The Lukewarm Church (14-22)

Laodicea is the rich church that nauseates Christ.

PROPHETIC APPLICATION: The Age of Apostasy—Some believe that during the final stages of Christian history on the this planet, there will be no great world-wide revival. Although powerful revivals could come in the end times, they will be localized. Lukewarmness is the end-time trait of professing Christians. Departing from the faith will characterize the Laodicean Church.

Jesus finds nothing in this church to commend. There is not one affirmation. Their lukewarm spiritual condition is utterly distasteful to the Lord.

According to this last postcard, Jesus would rather we be HOT or COLD in the spiritual sense. The Laodicean Church claimed wealth and prominence, but in God’s sight had no real value at all.

“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.”

Yet ever redemptive, Jesus advises them to buy “gold tried in the fire,” and “eyesalve” with which to anoint their eyes that they might truly see.

Gold represents the deity of Christ here.

Eyesalve represents spiritual illumination by the Holy Spirit. These Laodiceans were seeing yet blind, rich yet poor, knowledgeable yet foolish.

I personally believe that the church of today is the Laodicean church, which was the church of apostasy. Lukewarmness is the end-time trait of professing Christians. Departing from the faith, particularly the belief in the deity of Christ, the infallible Word of God, and the importance of genuine righteousness and sincere godliness, characterize the Laodicean Church.

May God help us to keep the flame of zeal lit, the fire of first love ablaze, and the oil in our lamps fueled with the moving of the Holy Spirit!