Letter to the church in Thyatira (Part 5)
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Intro: In our study last week we began to dive into the condemnation that Jesus gives to the church at Thyatira. We discussed how Jezebel represented that strange woman or false religious system. The fornication that is discussed here is spiritual fornication, however we looked at many verses that discussed God’s hatred for all types of fornication. By God speaking here of Jezebel, He is teaching us something concerning this church age. We should always compare spiritual with spiritual (1 Cor. 2:13) but this is a clear call from the Lord for us to go back in our Bible’s and discover the specific doctrine that is a problem during the time of Jezebel.
In doing so we will begin today at the begin of the region that will later become the birth place of Jezebel.
Judges 17- Is where we will begin our study today, but it is important to note that Judges 13-16 covers a period of time that is considered the most famous and popular of all the Judges of Israel. He was a man that found himself seduced by a woman that was not of his people, and lost his life as a result. That Judge’s name was ___________________.
The context of Judges 17 is found for us in verse 6 “In those days”. Which is a phrase that our Bible often associates with the time of Jacob’s trouble also called the “great tribulation”.
In Judges 17 we are introduced to a man named Micah, who is just a man of Mount Ephraim and is not associated with the writing of the book of Micah. (Read Judges 17:1-3)
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the Lord your God.
Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
(Read Judges 17:4-5) Even though God had made it clear that this was never to be done, they did it anyway.
(Read Judges 17:7-10) Here we are introduced to a “young man” who was a __________________. Micah makes him an offer to dwell with him, and that he will make him a _________________, and a __________________. This is not a father figure, but rather a priest, that he will call father… He also offers to pay him, give him a suit of apparel, and thy victuals. (food) So, he accepts the offer and became the priest of Micah. (Read Judges 17:12)
Then said Micah, Now know I that the Lord will do me good, seeing I have a Levite to my priest.
Micah had believed a lie… A lie that has the name of the Lord attached to it, so, on the surface it seems legit, and holy. Satan has always found a way to take false religious systems and put the name of God on them, to give people a false sense of hope and security. While the only thing that it secures is their eternal destiny in a literal place called the lake of fire.
In Judges 18 we will see the continuation of this story. Verse one again sets the time frame of prophetic events. “___________________________”
In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.
The mention of the tribe of the Danites is significant here, so, let’s take a look.
Dan shall be a serpent by the way,
An adder in the path,
That biteth the horse heels,
So that his rider shall fall backward.
And of Dan he said,
Dan is a lion’s whelp:
He shall leap from Bashan.
The Bible has called Dan prophetically speaking by two names, _________________, and ___________________. There is another in our Bible called both of those names as well...
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
The reason for this is because the tribe of Dan is a type or picture of the Anti-Christ during the tribulation period.
What ends up happening to the tribe of Dan? They get blotted out of being one of the tribes of Israel. We recognize that when we compare (Numbers 13, with Revelation 7) We notice that the tribe of _________________ no longer exists.
(Read Judges 18:1-7) They return to Zorah and Eshtaol and tell their brethren that the land is very good and that they can possess it.
When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.
We see that they send 600 Danites our of Zorah and our of Eshtaol that are appointed with weapon of way. They stop along their way by Micah’s house and the 5 spies are all to excited to show these 600 men the graven image, the ephod, the teraphim, the molten image, and the priest so they all go and see it, but they take them. The priest protests, and asks “What do ye?”
(Read Judges 18:19-21) Micah then comes out against them but he realizes that his party is to weak to fight against the 600 men of way and he lets them go.
Here we have the tribe of Dan, a serpent, and a lion… a picture the ___________________ in the time of Jacob’s trouble. These Danites get a false religious system just as the Antichrist will get in Rev. 17…
Notice: They stole away Micah’s religion. We must watch out for those forms of religion that can be stolen away… There are 8 billion people today, that call themselves Roman Catholics, but if you took away their Idols; their relics, their beads, the candles, and you poured out their holy water; and burned down their cathedrals, their “holy places” and you killed off their priests, cardinals, and the pope, and you dumped out their wine, and fed their bread to the birds (those sacrifices that they claim become the literal body and blood of Christ), then they are left with absolutely ____________________!
Here is the difference! You cannot take away our Bible (Psalm 119:89 “For ever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven.”) Our music (Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Psalm 40:3 “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.”) You can’t take away our Priest (Hebrews 4:14 “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.”) You can’t steal away our religion (Galatians 2:20 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”) because it is a relationship that isn’t based in men but in the living God! All they can do is kill us… Philippians 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” 2 Corinthians 5:8 “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
Notice: Those who have a religion that can be stolen away, have always historically killed those that have a religion that cannot be! The proof of that is in tens of millions that have been put to death for this very cause.
(Read Judges 18:22-31) They overthrow Zidon (Sidon - in the NT), rename it the city of Dan after their father who was born unto __________________, and set up Micah’s graven image.
(Read 1 Kings 16:29-31)
Jezebel means: Baal _________________. (Baal is husband too)
Ethbaal means: _________________ Baal. (Father and king of the Zidonians.) The Zidonians were from Zidon…
And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
(Read 1 Kings 18:7-46)
Closing: Joel 2:23 “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: For he hath given you the former rain moderately, And he will cause to come down for you the rain, The former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.”
The book of Joel is just three short chapters but we see the phrase “the day of the LORD” used five times. Joel is warning the people that the day of the LORD is near.
Joel 2:30–32 “And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, Blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, Before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: For in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, As the Lord hath said, And in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.”
Joel 3:1–2 “For, behold, in those days, and in that time, When I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, And will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, And will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.”
Joel 3:4 “Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, And all the coasts of Palestine? Will ye render me a recompence? And if ye recompense me, Swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;”
Joel 3:13–17 “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: Come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; For their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, And the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, And utter his voice from Jerusalem; And the heavens and the earth shall shake: But the Lord will be the hope of his people, And the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God Dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: Then shall Jerusalem be holy, And there shall no strangers pass through her any more.”