| (Copyright 2023) by Gregory Diaz (Wayne, New Jersey) |
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| The book of Revelation was written around 95CE. It begins by addressing seven churches located in Asia Minor which is modern day Turkey (Rev 1:4, 11). Chapters two and three contain a specific message from Jesus to each church. Let us consider both the collective message as well as the specific messages of these important letters. We should make a zealous effort to comprehend His instructions as it is a direct message sent from Him to US in His church. Although these letters were written to the churches that were in Asia Minor at that time, the book of Revelation is a book of prophecy revealing “unto his servants’ things which must shortly come to pass” (Rev 1:1). Therefore, let us consider that these congregations also represent seven church eras which began in the first century and continue to our time. This can be understood through certain fulfilled prophecies that relate to historical events. This concept is important for correctly understanding the message Jesus has sent to us and for knowing where we are in bible prophecy. Therefore, in order to understand the letter to the Laodiceans we must hear what Jesus says to ALL the churches. He tells us “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the CHURCHES.” (Rev 3:23) First, let us consider that in each of these letters Jesus writes to the angel of the church. Let us also understand that both angels and apostles are messengers. God places apostles, ministers and others, in His church “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” (Eph 4:12). Since apostles are messengers, it seems likely that the angels mentioned at the start of each of these letters may refer to apostles. The apostles must then share the message of Jesus with the body of the church. As I mentioned previously, we may view these letters as a prophecy to seven church eras starting from the inception of the church. We see an important connection to history in the letter to the church at Smyrna. To this church, corresponding to the second church era, Jesus instructs not to fear, to be faithful unto death, and promises a crown of life (Rev 2:8-11). He tells them they “shall have tribulation ten days.” The bible gives the principle of substituting a year for a day in Numbers 14:34. The ten days of tribulation corresponds to the persecution of the church during the reign of Diocletian which lasted from 303 to 313. It ended when emperor Constantine declared Christianity an official religion. The letter to the church at Ephesus, with it being the first era, gives us information vital for comprehending the message to all of the churches. We know very much about this era since we have its important details preserved in the bible. First notice that they “tried” or tested apostles. In other words, they were open to receiving those outside of their organization. They had to receive them in order to test them. They had to consider their fruit and whether the message they brought agreed with the bible. For example, notice the Bereans first “RECEIVED the word with all readiness of mind” before searching the scriptures in order to verify them. Next notice that they lost their first love. They lost their zeal to preach the gospel and grow in grace. Consequently, the candlestick or church (Rev 1:20) was removed out of its place. The Laodicean church has a similar condition in the sense that it lacks zeal. However, those in the Laodicean church era that receive its message, shall repent with God’s help and guidance. A very important trait of the Ephesus church is that they hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans. The bible does not specifically define who the Nicolaitans are. However, from the definition of the word itself, and from various verses and because the biblical church hated their deeds it should be clear who they were and CURRENTLY are. It is true that Jesus hates all sin, however He specifically tells us that He hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans! If we want to understand the message to Laodicea, we MUST understand the deeds of the Nicolaitans since Jesus tells us to “hear what the Spirit saith unto the CHURCHES.” (Rev 3:23) The name Nicolaitan comes from the Greek words nikos, which means victory or conquest; and laos, which means people. (The etymology of the word laity comes from the word laos.) The name Nicolaitan therefore means “conqueror of the people.” In other words, the Nicolaitans were, and continue to be, ministers, or more accurately pharisees that exercise dominion over the flock. Notice how using earthly authority to rule over others conflicts with the teaching of Jesus. He tells us “Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ (Matt 23:10).” He warns us not to despise the “little ones” that believe in him (Matt 18:6 and 10). He goes on to say in verse 11 “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” He then gives us the well-known parable of the lost sheep in verses 12-14. Of course, Jesus tells us to beware of the DOCTRINE of the Pharisees (Matt 16:12 and Luke 12:1). The Pharisees set themselves apart as judges and rulers. Although discerning judgment is vital to being a Christian, Jesus clearly instructs us NOT to mete out measures of justice (Matt 7:2) OR condemn (Luke 6:37). As an example, let us understand that Jesus clearly did NOT cut sinners off by refusing to eat with them. This put him in conflict with the pharisees, which by their DOCTRINE of separating from sinners, clearly taught otherwise (Matt 9:10-13). In 1 Pet 5:1-3 Peter exhorts the elders to oversee and feed the flock NOT AS LORDS, but by being examples. It is true that the KJV of Heb 13:17 says “Obey them that have the rule over you.” However Young’s Literal Translation renders the same verse “Be obedient to those LEADING you.” Therefore, yes, we should obey elders as long as they are not teaching the doctrine of the pharisees. Many bible students understand that only Jesus is able to open the seals of Revelation (Rev 5:6-9). They understand He reveals them in the chapters of Matt 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. Specifically in Matt 24:4-5 He says “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” This prediction by Jesus corresponds to the opening of the first seal. In Rev 6:2 concerning this seal we read “And I saw and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth CONQUERING, AND TO CONQUER.” Notice how this description is identical to the meaning of the word Nicolaitan. Here the same idea of conquering is used to describe the “many” that have come proclaiming the name of Christ but have set themselves apart as rulers of the church laity. In Rev 2:14 Jesus tells the Pergamos church that He has a few things against them. First, He warns that they “hast there them that hold the DOCTRINE of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.” The Hebrew name Balaam is similar to the Greek word Nicolaitan and means “destroyer of people.” Jesus also tells Pergamos (verse 15) they have “them that hold the DOCTINE of the Nicolaitanes.” In this letter Jesus speaks of both the DOCTRINE of Balaam AND the DOCTRINE of the Nicolaitans. Similarly, in His letter to the church of Thyatira, Jesus speaks of fornication as a DOCTRINE. And lastly, we recall, Jesus warns us of the DOCTRINE of the Pharisees (Matt 16:12 and Luke 12:1). Could Jesus be using various illustrations to explain the same doctrine? Obviously yes since Balaam’s instructions to Balak caused the children of Israel to commit fornication. However, we understand the fornication Jesus warns against in these letters concerns a DOCTRINE and therefore has a spiritual meaning. Balak , the king of Moab, hired Balaam in an attempt to curse the Israelites. However, God instead used Balaam to bless them. Let us understand what Balaam teaches us about the doctrine of the Pharisees. In seeking to curse Israel Balak had taken Balaam up to various vantage points in order for him to curse the UTMOST people of Israel. The same idea happens when a pharisee puts a person weak in faith (Rom 14:1,10) out of fellowship. Romans 14:13 tells us “Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” Likewise, Jesus describes false teachers as wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt 7:15, Act 20:29). These wolves go after the sheep on the fringe, the outliers, or utmost of the flock to scatter and devour them (John 10:12, 1 Pet 5:8). This is in contrast to Jesus that seeks to save one sheep that has gone astray (Matt 18:12-14). In the letter to the church in Thyatira Jesus tells them (and us) that He has a few things against them “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.” Jezebel, of course, was an evil queen married to King Ahab of Israel. She supported the idol worshiping prophets of Baal and sought to kill Elijah. She had their neighbor Naboth killed because King Ahab wanted his vineyard. However here in Revelation the important principle to understand is that the church allowed false prophets, that were metaphorically represented by Jezebel, to teach false doctrines. In Acts 15 we see that the Pharisees attempted to impose their doctrine on the gentile converts (Acts 15:5). Although these gentiles had turned to God they had not yet attained the level of righteousness that would satisfy the Pharisees. The apostles and elders responded by rejecting the Pharisee doctrine of separation as they HATED the deeds of the Nicolaitans. Instead, they determined “that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood” (Acts 15:19-20). Now, in the letters to Pergamos and Thyatira, we see Jesus criticizing the churches for not observing these requirements. We must look to the bible for an understanding of these ideas. We should not look to vague and unprovable extra-biblical commentaries. Do we have a zeal to learn and SEE the explanation? Jesus tells the Laodicean church (Rev 3:18) to “anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.” Let us not say “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” (Rev 3:17). Let us consider the message of Jesus when He tells us that we must abstain from “things sacrificed unto idols,” “pollutions of idols,” and “meats offered to idols.” First notice that when His disciples asked him to eat (John 4:34) Jesus responded “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” Meat therefore can be a symbol of doing God’s work. God’s work concerns sharing the good news of the kingdom and edifying the church. A sacrifice is an offering and requires giving. Therefore, an offering to an idol would be doing something contrary to God’s work. Likewise, meat can symbolize a doctrine which can be either a correct or an incorrect doctrine. Notice Hebrews 13:9 which says “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.” Notice Hebrews 13:16 also which says, “But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” Clearly the sacrifices that please God concern communication. This requires fellowship rather than disfellowship. Disfellowshipping IS the sacrifice unto idols. Now, let us especially understand what Jesus teaches about a type of fornication that is a doctrine. In order to understand this, consider what the bible says in Rev 17:1-5. Here we see there is a great whore called “MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Babylon from the bible’s perspective concerns the way mankind organizes himself. The whore therefore is an organization of man “With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication.” The kings of the earth are the earthly authority of mankind. This is in contrast to the supernatural authority of God. Therefore, this is not physical sexual fornication. Fornication here represents a unity between the whore organization and the earthly authority and power of mankind. This doctrine is in the church today! The message to Pergamos and Thyatira is a message for us today in the end time church era! The doctrine of fornication is still not correctly understood by the Laodicean church era. If we believe that we do not need to learn anything additional from the bible by saying “I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing” we are then in danger of being rebuked and chastened. Let us consider that power is achieved in today’s world through political rhetoric. If a man is able to make himself look good and his political opponents look bad, he will gain supporters and political power. This doesn’t mean that speaking well is a bad thing. However, speaking well to impress others in order to exercise political control is contrary to God’s government. For example, in 1 Cor 4:6 Paul tells the Corinthians “not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.” Notice that while Jesus gives comforting words to those who have not the doctrine of fornication, He describes those who have as knowing “the depths of Satan, as they SPEAK.” Let us now recall another place in the bible where the same kind of speech is alluded to. In 1 Corinthian 2:4 Paul tells them “my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:” The church’s source of power is an important idea in both letters to the Corinthian church. Of course, it is here in Corinth that fornication had taken place throughout the church. There were “MANY” that had not yet repented of their fornication (2 Cor 12:21). Let us carefully note that Paul beseeches the Corinthians (1 Cor 1:10) to “all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly JOINED together in the same mind and in the same JUDGMENT.” Just as a physical relationship between a man and woman is a unity, Paul desires spiritual unity among the brethren. However, he desires this unity to be with the judgment of Jesus rather than to the judgment of a man. The union to the judgment of men caused divisions in the Corinthian church AND continues to cause divisions in the church today. The union to the judgment of men is the same fornication Jesus rebukes in His letters to the churches. As human beings we naturally desire order. We don’t want disruptions during church services. We don’t want to be invaded by someone that would cause a problem. We don’t want to be around sinners. When we are wronged, we want justice. However, let us consider God’s way of dealing with offenses according to the bible. In Matt 18 Jesus tells us that offenses will come (verse 7). Concerning offenses Jesus tells us in verse 20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Let us understand this important yet overlooked idea. Here Jesus gives the church assurance He is with it to handle offenses. He will be with us supernaturally to address offenses. However we must look to Him for the power to keep order in the church and not to the world. We cannot look to the world and still expect Him to be with us! John 17:15 tells us Jesus prayed for God’s church to be kept from the evil in the world. However, God’s church MUST come out of the world and its justice system therefore becoming the Church OF God. In this way we will be buying gold tried in the fire and white raiment from Jesus (Rev 3:18). We see in Acts 13:11 that the apostle Paul used the power of Jesus to strike Elymas the sorcerer with blindness. This shows how Paul correctly trusted Jesus to resolve an issue rather than asking Sergius Paulus, who was the deputy of the country, to have the sorcerer removed. Acts 13:12 tells us “Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the DOCTRINE of the Lord.” Notice the contrast between the doctrine of the Lord and the doctrine of the pharisees. The difference is the pharisees rule by the authority of man. The pharisees must keep themselves in high esteem in order to maintain their earthly power. In another example Paul was harassed by a woman possessed. The woman followed Paul and his company saying, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.” In this case Paul commanded the spirit to come out of her in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 16:18). In 1 Cor 5:1-5 we see that Paul judges a fornicator, determining he should be delivered “unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh” (1 Cor 5:5). Notice he plainly tells them the manner in which it must be done. He tells the Corinthians they should have “mourned” that the person “might be TAKEN away from among you” (verse 2). This has the idea of fasting and praying. He tells them to deliver this type of person to “Satan for the destruction of the flesh” (verse 5). Notice he clearly tells them to do it “with the POWER of our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 4). We see here that although Paul did judge he left the execution of judgment to Jesus. Note that in verse 2 he uses the phrase “MIGHT be taken away” showing that the final determination would be up to Jesus, the one implementing the verdict. Jesus addresses the Laodicean church with the intention of leading it to repentance. He tells them and us “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32). Although He tells the Laodicea church “I will spue thee OUT of my mouth,” He also tells the Philadelphia church “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he SHALL GO NO MORE OUT.” Therefore, it seems the Laodiceans may have an opportunity to again become Philadelphians. With God’s inspiration and blessing we shall receive the message of Jesus to the Laodicean church. We shall anoint our eyes with eyesalve and we shall overcome. —————————————————————————————————— See Gregory Diaz’s other articles at: Diaz, Gregory – Church of God, Bismarck (church-of-god-bismarck.org) —————————————————————————————————— |
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