The Apocalypse: Slippery Slope

Slippery Slope

I - Story of growing up in a different culture than that of my family and being ethnically different than everyone else...trying to “Pass as Mexican”…there was targeting from law enforcement, strangers, teachers, classmates, etc…threats, extortion, corruption, even violence…so pressure to blend in and not draw attention…kind of hard to do when you’re the big white guy in the middle of a smaller city in Mexico! Pressure increased in High School…don’t be too different!

II - Tendency to do that when there’s pressure, problems, or persecution…maybe we can find ways to avoid attention…just make a few changes to what believe or how we behave...

III - Early Church faced pressure everywhere from every side. Time of great persecution under emperor Domitian around the early 90s...about 60 years after the Resurrection of Jesus...Seven churches that Jesus was calling to be Faithful to the End!

Revelation 2:12–17...Stand & Read...Pray

Revelation 2:12–17 NIV

“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives. Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.

“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword…”

These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.

Picture of Jesus: Sharp sword...Rev 1 and 20

“...I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives…”

Beautiful city...Most prominent in Asia Minor (present day turkey: modern town of Bergama)...could not compete with Ephesus in commerce but in everything else it was the center (MAP).

Hilltop city (PICTURE)

Political Center

Neokoros: Temple Keeper (first, twice, first twice) (PICTURE)

One of three largest libraries of the world at that time with Alexandria & Rome

Origin of the word parchment comes from the development of modern paper from Pergamum and their feud with Alexandria...

Thought themselves to be the political, social, cultural, and spiritual center of their region and were competing to be recognized and embraced as such by everyone.

- Satan's throne, where Satan lives (PICTURE)

Temple of Zeus on top of Pergamum (picture)

Asclepion - patron god...healing serpent (Picture)

Serapis (Picture)

Serapis was often depicted as a Greek god, but with an Egyptian paraphernalia, combining the iconography of many cults, symbolizing abundance and resurrection.

Serapis united in himself many gods. Like Osiris, he was considered the patron of fertility and the land of the dead...life AND death. As the god of the Sun, Serapis was identified as Apollo, Helios, as the Lord of the gods – Zeus himself, as Asclepius - the healer, as Dionysus - the god of fertility, and other gods.

He basically came to have all of the attributes of the main god of the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans...combined into one!

This was no accident: This was Slippery Syncretism

This god went all the way back to Apis in Egypt, the bull god of fertility...not much different then the Baals of the Canaanites and the image that the Israelites set up to worship instead of the true God at Sinai...

Aaron said, “this is Yahweh who brought you out of Egypt!”

This Apis was eventually combined with Osiris to become Serapis.

This idea of continuing to combine gods into one came about centuries before in Alexandria Egypt under Ptolemy I (wanted to be called Ptolemy Soter = savior) who was put in place to rule Egypt by Alexander the Great. He wanted to unite the Greeks and the Egyptians and he introduced this idol to bridge the gap between Hades of the Greeks and Serapis of the Egyptians…

Over the course of time Serapis continued to gain Popularity and Power and absorbed the powers and personalities of the most powerful gods of the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans...

(bringing all of the gods together in one...to unite everyone in pluralism...intolerant tolerance...easier to go with the flow)

Called Lord, Called Savior, etc.

- Serapis combined aspects of Asclepios (which, along with Zeus was one of the main gods of Pergamum)...You could say it became one of the “cool” gods to worship...building elaborate temples...and even including Cultic Ventriloquism in their temple designs...The remains of that temple still remain to this day (Picture)

Imperial Cult

First temple keepers, second temple keepers...very important to their identity.

Yet in the midst of that, most of the church had remained Faithful...Especially Antipas who remained: True to my Name...even in persecution...faithful to death.

Faithful Martus instead of Martyr...using the same title as Jesus used for Himself in Chapter 1. Quite the honor!

“...Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality. Likewise, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans…”

- Entice them to sin / stumbling block

Balaam & Nicolaitans:

- Revisit Balaam and Balak (Numbers 23-25)

- Balaam and Nicolaitans - play on words:

Names both derive from a word that means: To Conquer the People…

Probably a clever play on words in associating contemporary characters with stories from Hebrew History.

Those who hold to the teaching...

There was teaching justifying an embrace of the ways of the world...a molding.

Accepting the teaching...just going along with it.

"They sought to persuade Christians that there was nothing wrong with a prudent conformity to the world’s standards." William Barclay

The Temptation is always going to be

Embracing (and even celebrating and conforming) culture

Escaping (and condemning)...

rather than Engaging with it and Transforming! (By connecting and contextualizing the gospel)

Nowadays it would be:

Combining Christianity with secular humanism…or Adding Jesus to other belief systems...Leading to Universalism: “we all worship the same God anyway…”

Paul, and John, clearly argued that those idols and other gods were distortions of the one true God and that Satan and his principalities, powers, and demons were the ones actually being worshipped!

The truth is that: Jesus Plus Nothing = Salvation

This was a center of Syncretism, Relativism...Gnosticism...

- "Knowing" what's true really matters...

- Not just knowledge...for a city that valued Knowledge (library)...they didn't seem to want the truth...they resisted Christians and worshipped a plurality of gods and tried to make everyone else be as tolerant as them…

+ Compromising to be comfortable...

+ Hedonism: Food & Pleasure - comfort, convenience, survival…

Family gatherings, business, celebrations, community involvement ALL would take place at the Temples…

Not only is the food sacrificed to the idols, which represent principalities and powers, but it was usually done in the context of Sexual Immorality...porneia

It was impure and improper sexual acts and exploitation...they were just a “normal” part of society.

- Contrast with Antipas the Faithful Martus....just like Jesus in 1:5, 3:14

He stood apart as one who did NOT just go with the flow...He was faithful and true!

- we are called to be hagios...different...holy...saints...set apart for God’s purposes!

I don’t want to be normal!

“...Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth…”

- U-Turn

- Them: The teachers, those who have embraced it...

- BUT the whole church was guilty of indifference for allowing it to be present...and the whole church was called to repent...and remove the False Teaching from their midst!

- Sword of my mouth...TRUTH!

Jesus is called the WORD (John 1)

His Name IS the Word of God (Rev 19:13)

God created through His WORD (Genesis 1, John 1, Colossians 1)

Jesus IS the Word of Life (1 John 1)

Jesus HAS the Words of Eternal Life (John 6)

Jesus IS Truth (John 14)

Sword of the Spirit IS the Word of God…Ephesians 6

The very words of Jesus are truth and cut...double edged sword Hebrews 4:12-13!

Hebrews 4:12 NIV

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Exposes, separates, divides, and judges

Jesus Himself is the word...He IS the sword...the words that comes from His mouth are a sword...this is where truth, knowledge and discernment come from.

Sword represents authority and power…

Sword strikes on both sides...it's twice as effective...if you're using it you have to be careful not to cut yourself.

Two-sided element of separating in Hebrews 4:12

...the proconsul, who had his headquarters at Pergamum, had the right of the sword, and at any moment he might use it against any Christian; but the letter tells Christians not to forget that the last word is still with the risen Christ, who has the sharp two-edged sword.

Rome or other gods might SEEM to hold the power of life and death, but the power of the Living Lord is GREATER!

“...Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.”

- Victorious...Nikao...

- Hidden Manna

Manna all the way back to Moses

Ark of the covenant manna (stories that it was hidden by Jeremiah or one of the priests but would be revealed to the Faithful at the last days)

Jesus is the bread of life...the bread that came down from heaven

- White Stone

Guilty or innocent stones for jurors?

Voting?

Superstition?

Invitation stone to a banquet...with your name on it…

This is the banquet you really get to participate in! It’s worth waiting for THIS banquet instead of participating in the syncretistic compromise to be accepted in society...

- NEW name...

Why does no one know it?

No one will have power over you

New Identity...not tied

IV - For being a revelation there sure are a lot of hidden things! :-D

These are things that would have been pretty plain to the early readers because they understood their context...it takes us a little bit more work to be able to see what it SAYS, what it MEANS and how it APPLIES today.

The Temptation is always going to

Embrace (and even celebrating and conforming) culture

Escape (and condemning)...

rather than to Engage with culture, world religions, and people bringing about Transformation individually and corporately!

Embracing Nowadays would be:

Combining Christianity with secular humanism…with western humanist worldview plus Jesus...the centrality of self: Individualism

Have we shaped our theology to fall in line with a humanist perspective? Satanist? Anti-Christ?

Believing that WE decide what is right and wrong...not rightly discerning light and darkness...truth and lies.

Adding Jesus to Materialism…

Jesus + Hedonism: Food & Pleasure - comfortable or convenient. The god of fun. What's the worst thing in the world for most people??? BOREDOM!

Have we been trained to want pleasure, entertainment?

Adding Jesus to New Age…

Adding Jesus to other belief systems...Leading to Universalism: “we all worship the same God anyway…”

Paul, and John, clearly argued that those idols and other gods were distortions of the one true God and that Satan and his principalities, powers, and demons were the ones actually being worshipped!

Jesus Plus Nothing = Salvation (Picture)

Book by a friend in the FCA and fellow church planter in NYC

Relativism and Humanism...post-modern gnosticism and agnosticism...

- TRUTH matters!

- Not just knowledge...but TRUTH...applied WISDOM & Understanding!

The temptation of cultural relevance...I'll watch that show...listen to that music...I'll read that...so that I know…

Example: Bug Zapper: what kills you is what seemed beautiful and attractive. Seemed like a good idea...but it brought death.

Accepting the Teaching of Syncretism: compromise in the name of cultural relevance will DESTROY you!

It will destroy the church. You will be left with something that is NOT what Jesus started.

You will end up with a god that looks more like you than Jesus...or a god who is more like cultural conceptions of god but not Jesus...a god who combines qualities and ideas from other deities but is no longer Jesus...

Jesus PLUS something else mindset of syncretism has been active in the church centuries and the temptation is still there for us today:

Adding Jesus to an existing framework…

Over the years there have been many attempts to blend God’s word with cultural and religious traditions, expectations, beliefs, or values...they have FAILED to do good:

(rather than to understand God’s word and apply it in that cultural context…changing it and adapting it to be more acceptable…more palatable)

Constantine…

Conquest and Colonization of Imperialism

Example: Catholic church throughout Latin America...Haiti...

More contemporary example would be the Lutheran Church in Germany under Hitler:

There was a lot of justification done by those in the established church of how good Hitler was for them...and how the teaching of scripture needed to be adjusted and updated for the good of the German nation…

+ Even more contemporary would be denominations in the United States changing their belief statements to adapt to changing cultural norms around truth, centrality of Christ, or even sexuality...interestingly in the name of progress...all while paternalistically addressing their counterparts who disagree with them in other parts of the world as not being quite as advanced as them in their understanding...SO the paternalistic imperialism continues!

Now it’s the syncretistic ideas that are being exported...and people being forced to comply...for the sake of Fellowship or Funding!

Not just a BIG picture problem...the Temptation remains for us personally!

...What teaching are we holding to? The slippery slope of syncretism or the solid rock of God’s Word revealed to us in Jesus Christ!

Are we blending in or standing out?

Are we ordinary or extraordinary?

We have Christians watching Game of Thrones or other things that are anti-Christ...WHY? “What’s wrong with it?” That’s the wrong question. The right question is: “What’s RIGHT with it?”

Lack of Spiritual discernment in what we watch, listen to, or read.

We have Christians making political arguments and fights, one way or the other, acting like followers of Rome rather than followers of Jesus!

We have Christians trying to enforce the mindset of cultural conformism...instead of conforming to look and act like Christ!

(again on both sides of an argument...both trying to enforce conformism to things other than Christ!)

We have Christians, and the world, preaching an intolerant tolerance...mandating the celebration of things that God’s word says should not be celebrated...in the name of tolerance they are intolerant and unloving to those who disagree that it should be celebrated!

In the name of Love!

We should not try to ESCAPE or EMBRACE these cultural, religious, and spiritual differences:

There is a third option! We are called to ENGAGE the world around us with TRUTH and LOVE.

That means being WITH people. That means being willing to take a stand for truth. To speak the truth even when it hurts because the truth matters. It means being willing to stand for truth even when you may be persecuted for it.

It means being willing to serve and love those who would hate you...or who think that you hate them because you disagree with them!

V - Where will WE land on this as a church? Are we holding to teachings of syncretism and compromise? Have their been ideas that have lodged themselves in the depths of our soul that are actually a reflection of other beliefs or ideologies but not founded on truth? Is the Truth of God’s word really transforming our lives daily? Are we getting into God’s truth and allowing God to discern and divide our attitudes and actions? To expose our motives? To cause our lives to be Holy, Set Apart for God’s purposes?

If you look at your life today and you see areas of Syncretism or Compromise...

I want to invite you to REPENT! Turn back to the one who is Faithful and True...turn back to your first love and the things you did at first…

Repent of the lies you’ve believed! Renounce any and every agreement you’ve made with the Father of Lies be accepting these things and acting on them!

Make a Renewed commitment TODAY to give Jesus all of you Attention, Affection, and Allegiance.

Ask His Spirit to fill you and Guide you into all truth and to Transform you by the Renewing of your Mind...as you make a plan to get in the Word!