Bible Study - Revelation TWO

In this episode, we dive into Book of Revelation Chapter 2, where Jesus addresses the churches with clarity, correction, and a call to overcome.

Walking verse by verse, we examine the letters to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, and Thyatira, revealing both what Christ commends and what He confronts. From losing first love to enduring persecution, from doctrinal compromise to tolerated corruption, each message exposes the true spiritual condition of the Church.

This teaching challenges complacency and calls believers back to devotion, purity, and steadfast obedience, reminding us that Jesus still speaks, searches the heart, and rewards those who overcome.

Transcript

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Welcome to the Summit Church Tennessee. Thank you for joining us as we share weekly sermons and teachings from Summit Church in Vision Forge, Tennessee. Our prayer is that today's message encourages your faith and helps you grow in your relationship with Jesus. Check out our website at summitchurchtn.com. Thanks for listening, and we pray this message encourages you today.

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We're in Revelation chapter two tonight. And if I could, that first image with the map of Turkey. We're going to start initially in the letters of the seven churches of Asia. You have this, you can look at this, but to give you a little bit of an understanding, this is modern day. Okay? So when you see this and you read this in the Bible, even in the back of your Bible, you may have a map and it will say the seven churches or the seven letters, and it may say the Asia Minor and stuff, but this kind of gives you an understanding of where these churches were at this time in that time period, but we understand this is kind of the area of what we're looking at now. So, you know, Istanbul is up here, and you have Greece and the islands here. This is where Paul done a lot of missionary work as well and everything. So when we talk about the seven churches, we're talking about locations that are in one basic kind of district. It's not like worldwide, but they are significantly apart from one another at the same time. So that map is there to be able to kind of give you a little bit of understanding and put a perspective on it. Then there's a couple other things, and we'll get to them in a little bit later. But the purpose in the theme of Revelation 2 shifts from the vision of Jesus in his glory to Jesus speaking directly to his church. So this chapter is going to reveal that Jesus is not only the glorified Christ, not only is he the sovereign king, and not only is he the one who holds all authority, this chapter is going to show that Jesus is also the one who examines his church, the one who speaks truth to the church, his church. And it's also going to reveal that he's the one who corrects, warns, and calls his church back into alignment. Each letter follows a divine pattern. Number one, a specific church is going to be addressed. And in each of these, Jesus, number two, Jesus reveals himself uniquely. Number three, Jesus evaluates the condition of each church. Number four, Jesus issues correction or affirmation. Number five, Jesus gives a command. Number six, Jesus calls all to hear. And number seven, Jesus promises a reward. This is going to be the pattern of the letters when they each kind of go out to each one. Chapter two is going to establish a very critical truth. And that is Jesus is not indifferent towards his church. He is actively examining it. Again, why is all this important to know? It's not called the revelation. It's not called the book of Revelation. It's not called the Book of Revelations. It's called the Revelation of Jesus Christ. So an overall theme, if we were to look at chapter two, is Jesus is elevating or elevating, evaluating not just what the church does, but who the church is becoming. So he evaluates not only what the church is doing, but who they are becoming. If we're to give some direction in this chapter, you're going to see four things out of this. Number one, Ephesus is a church that left its first love. Smyrna is a church that remained faithful under pressure. Pergamos is a church that compromised truth. And Thyatera is a church that tolerated corruption. So the first letter goes to the church of Ephesus. And its structure is verses one through seven, but we're going to break it down a little bit more. Look at verse one. To the angel of the church in Ephesus, right, the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this. So Jesus ultimately, again, is introduced in himself. He's the one who holds the authority over the leadership, and he's the one who walks in the midst of his church. This is not a distant hyperbole of an idea of a phantom Jesus. He is actively present within the work and identity of the church. And you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false, and you have perseverance and have endured for my name's sake and not grown weary. So here's a couple of things about Ephesus. They are hard working. We see that. We see that they're even doctrinally sound. And obviously they're spiritually discerning. They would know whether or not somebody called themselves an apostle. They could tell whether or not there's spiritual discernment there. They even endured under pressure. So they tested, they rejected evil, and they persevered, right? What's interesting is when we just stop right there, we begin to realize that you can be externally strong, but already drifting internally. Now, if I can get the map with uh that's colored with the seven churches. Okay. So, in this, and you'll see this on your list, this is going to have a breakdown. This is going to go into chapter two and chapter three. And you get a little bit of an understanding. We get dates here. So this gives you a time complex, a time stamp on it. You get the meaning of the name, Ephesus, desirable, lovely, the complaint, lost first love, the compliment, we're eventually going to read, and the promise reward, right? So this sheet that you have is going to give you kind of a basis of a stature of a foundational bone structure of each church, but let's read on further. Verse 4. But I have this against you that you have left your first love. It is a devastating statement. Here's Jesus saying, You're doing this great, you're awesome here, you're doing great here, this is good, this is great, but I have one thing against you. Now here's the thing. They did not lose their first love. They left their first love. It means, in order to leave that first love, it means it was gradual. They didn't wake up one day and say, that's it, we're out. They allowed something to come in to gradually replace that first love. It also means that it was intentional over time. I'll say it this way: a husband or a wife doesn't wake up one day and decide, hey, seems like a good day to commit adultery, let's go do it. What happens is something internally in them begins to drift apart from their spouse, and they begin to have these thoughts, and then when they commit the act of adultery, it's because they were being intentional. It just didn't, whoops, it happened. It also validates it's not accidental. In other words, Jesus could have said, You left your first love on purpose. They replaced relationship with responsibility. If we just do everything right, we don't have to worry about cultivating our relationship. Outwardly, we're functioning as we should. Inwardly, we're dying. They replace their devotion with duty. I serve, I do this. And listen, this is not just an Ephesus issue. We can see this through churches all across the nations of the earth. When people serve, they can have a tendency sometimes, first of all, if they're not truly secure in their identity as sons of God, they'll have an orphan spirit about them and they'll serve for the recognition and the acknowledgement of it. But a lot of times what happens is when they're dying on the inside spiritually, they keep serving the house, believing that their service is going to satisfy what the private devotion has to have. Does that make sense? And then they replace love with labor. A key truth right here is you can work for Jesus and still drift away. Anybody know of any big name pastors here recently? They get up every single Sunday, they preach a sermon, but what is happening? They're drifting away. Verse five, remember therefore from where you have fallen and repent and do the deeds you did at first, or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place unless you repent. So Jesus does give them a process to be restored. He says, number one, remember. Remember where you once were. Number two, he said, repent. And repent is not simply changing the way that you think. Repent is because the thinking changes, you will go and do something different than what you're currently doing. And number three, it's return. Return to do the first works. What's the warning with this? If you don't do these three things, Jesus plainly says the lampstand would be removed and the church would lose its spiritual authority. Activity without intimacy will always lead to a spiritual decline. Verse six. Yet, this you do have. You hate the deeds of the Nicolaitians, which I hate. It's an interesting statement just to bring out of nowhere, right? He brags on the church in the beginning. Then he repent, return. He gives this instruction. If you don't, I'm going to remove the lampstand, you're going to lose your authority. And then he comes back with this. Oh, I do love that you hate the Nicolaitians. So after calling them to repentance, Jesus is highlighting something that they still had right. They hated what he hated. Now, I'm not calling us the modern church the Church of Ephesus. Don't misunderstand what I'm about to say. But I want to say this as clearly as I possibly can. I do believe that one of the most dangerous things that many in the body of Christ are doing right now, they have lost the ability to hate what God hates. And we've defined that God loves everything, everyone, all the time. God is loved, God is great, and all this stuff and everything. But I'm going to tell you, there, and it's not just sin that God hates. There are abominations. And we should be that same way on that. It reflects alignment with the holiness of God and not just emotional hostility, but that ability to discern and reject any kind of corruption. So let's talk about just really quickly who are the Nicolatians. The Nicolatians represent a dangerous blend of false doctrine. They were known for false doctrine, moral compromise, and spiritual control. Doctrinally, they promoted a mixture of truth and error. They distorted from Christianity that appeared acceptable, and it made the deception so subtle that it was often difficult to detect. Now we're talking about hundreds of thousands of years ago, right? And yet, sort of sounds very modern, doesn't it? Interesting. Their moral compromise, they taught sexual immorality. Specifically on their mixture, they participated in idolatry. And there was a justification of sinful behavior. They taught that you could follow Christ while still living in agreement with the world. Does it sound like a lot of modern Christianity? Let's go a little bit deeper. The name. The Nicolaitians comes from Nica, N I K A O, N-I-K-A-A-O, and it means to conquer. Laos L-A-O-S. L-A-O-S. That means the people. The name of the Nicolatians literally translates conquer the people. It gives them the foundation to control, to have a spiritual hierarchy and leadership that dominates rather than serves. And I'll catch this rabbit really quick. Watch this. That's another thing I believe that many in the body of Christ have failed to recognize the value and the worth as leaders who serve rather than leaders being served. Many in the body of Christ are demanding to be served rather than serving. So Jesus strongly states that he hates their deeds. Why? Because they replaced a relationship with Christ with control by man. They corrupted the truth. They would willingly lead believers into sin. And they blended holiness with compromise. Here's the thing God loves people. He does. But biblically, we also have to understand that he opposes anything that corrupts and destroys those who he loves. Now, the Ephesian church, again, had the strong doctrine, they had clear discernment, and they had this hatred for corruption. We saw this in the earlier part of this. And yet, in the midst of all that, they leave their first love. They hate what Jesus hates in the mixture, the compromise, and control of the Nicolacians and the deed, but they still hated, I mean, left their first love. The wild thing about it is if we were to do on a scale of 10 things, they were doing nine out of ten correct, but one thing painted a target on them, and that one thing's a pretty big deal. You and I can reject what is wrong, but still neglect what is most important. Verse 7. He who has an ear, let him hear. What the Spirit says to the churches, to him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Here we're getting an understanding, first of all, he that has an ear. And this is one of those things that's kind of confusing if we just kind of skim over it. And what I mean by that is we all go, how do you not have an ear to hear? Well, when you study this out, we get an actual understanding that even though it is the English word hear, and it does mean to hear, but it also has the understanding that he that has an ear let him hear, that understanding let him listen. It gives the understanding listening, because here's the thing you can hear someone talking, but if you're not looking at them and intently focusing on them, you're not listening to what they're saying. You can hear the noise, you can hear that chatters happening, but if you're not purposely listening, then you're not gonna know what is in this process of that. So here he says that as an overcomer, you're gonna return to love, and the intimacy is going to return. And the reward access to the tree of life and restoration of the fellowship. Now, if you just Read that at face value for what it is in that one verse. That may not seem like a big deal. But when we get to the tail end of this thing, you're gonna know why that's a big, big deal. So the letter to Smyrna. First of all, let's look here. The meaning of the name, sweet fragrance, fragrance, myrrh. The complaint, no complaint. The compliment, rich and good works, and the promised reward, the crown of life, and escape the second death. That's a pretty good deal. This is going to be verses 8 through 11. Let's give verse 8. And to the angel of the church in Smyrna, right, the first and the last who was dead and has come to life, say this. Here, right out of the gate, Jesus is once again revealing his eternity and his victory over death. I cannot reiterate this enough. It is vital that you never lose your heart and understanding that we serve and live in relationship with a resurrected son of God who is not only a mediator, but a soon coming king. He rose from the dead. Victory. O death, where is thy sting? So the one who is speaking to a suffering church is the one who's reminding them, I conquered death. God. It's kind of like when we get in the Old Testament, you have the names of God. Every name of God was a revelation that was happening at that time. So, like with when they got to Jehovah Jirah, you know, Jehovah Urah, that was the Lord God will provide. Well, in that moment, they were needing something, so the revelation came that he is the God who provides. It's the same way of understanding that if I'm sick in my body and I need healing, I also know by now that he is Jehovah Rapha, which is the Lord God who heals. So I'm sick in my body, but I have to understand the revelation that he is healer. This is what he's saying right here. I know that you're suffering where you're at, but let it be known I have victory over it all. That's a pretty good thing to build upon. Verse 9. I know your tribulation and your poverty, but you are rich. And the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews or not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Well, if that's not a word. Like, what? Okay. Externally, they were poor. Not poor in spirit. We're talking about physically poor. They were also persecuted people, and they were oppressed. But here Jesus tells them that they are spiritually rich. I'd kind of like to use that occasionally at the bank. I know what it says, but you've got to understand I'm rich. My daddy owns a cattle on a thousand hills. It's kind of hard to get the bank to understand that. But our culture wants to say if a man claims to be a woman, we got to accept it. I claim to be a millionaire. You know? Okay. Heaven's evaluation is different than Earth's. And we have to remember that. So let's talk about that synagogue of Satan. Because this is an interesting statement. And the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. What does that even mean? Well, this phrase is not an attack on an ethnic group. It's actually a discernment, a diagnosis, a spiritual identity of the opposition. Jesus is clearly identifying a particular group who claim to represent God. They claim spiritual authority. And they claim covenant identity. Just really quickly so we understand something. What is the covenant identity that they claim? Jews. This is important. We're going to have to get this in our head as we move forward, okay? The Jewish people, yes, the scripture says they are God's chosen people. Yes, the scripture says they are the apple of God's eye. Yes, the scripture also says that he married the Jewish and Israel, the people he married to them. The Gentiles who were grafted in, the whole process of that, we're known as the bride of Christ. But the Jew people, and even the land, is married to God. But here's something very important. Because of the sin, and this is why this is gonna, we're gonna see this theme throughout from this point forward, the sin of the Jewish people in the Old Testament, in Jeremiah, you will actually see a part in Scripture where God says, because of your sin, I've got to separate from you. And he actually says, I'm giving you a bill of divorcement, but then he says, I will restore this covenant with you again. That's important to understand what Revelation is really about. And we're gonna see that as we go on later. But this is important because they're claiming to be in covenant with God that they don't have covenant with. And I know that you and I may not always think how big of a deal covenant is, but we better get a better revelation of the priority, the importance, and the value of biblical covenant with the Father and the Son. Let me put it this way: Christy and I have a covenant of marriage. It would be this way for a man to come in and say, I'm in covenant with her. No, you're not. We're gonna have some issues over that. Because he's not in covenant, but he could claim to be in covenant. This is what is happening here. They're claiming these rights, but the reality is they are in opposition of the work of Christ. They persecuted believers. And they operated under this fake spiritual influence. Now we may think right here, right out of the gate, how could people like that do that? You don't get out much, do you? There's people like that still operating today. And I promise you, and it's heartbreaking, but I promise you, you probably wouldn't even have to go far to find one in a pastoral role, or a worship leader role, or an apostle role, or a prophet role, or whatever. They're everywhere still operating today, and they'll tell you that they're in authority, but the scripture clearly says they are that of an antichrist spirit, and that's important. So the issue, even though Jesus says they are the Jews, I want you to understand, it's not that identity that's the problem. The problem is they were saying they were in alignment with God. That's the problem. They were in covenant with God, they identified themselves as God's people. But they reject God's Messiah. According to the New Testament, true identity is not merely outward, but it is inward. This aligns with what is even taught in the book of Romans. True covenant identity is not just an external uh heritage, it's not just your lineage, but it's the internal alignment with God. But why then does he use the phrase synagogue of Satan? Well, a synagogue is a place of worship, it's a place of teaching, and it's a place of religious authority. Jesus says that this group had become a group of opposition. But he also says that they're a source of accusation, blasphemy. And they are instruments of persecution. It means that they were religious in parents, but opposed God in function. You kind of get some images of that now, don't you? A sobering truth when you read this simply is not all spiritual activity is aligned with God. There can be religious systems, there can be spiritual language, and there can be scriptural knowledge, yet still be in opposition to God. So what does this mean for Smyrna? Because after all, the believers here are being attacked, they're accused, they're oppressed, not just by the world, but by those claiming to be in covenant with God. Now, again, we ought to have a little bit of understanding of that because some of the biggest persecutors to Christians are other people who profess to be Christian. So that made the pressure obviously more intense, more confusion, more personal. But we and I have to remember that spiritual opposition often comes through that misaligned religion and not just simply open rebellion. What I mean by that, some of the hardest persecution you will face is not people who are unbelievers. Some of the hardest persecution you're going to face is those that say, I love God. It connects directly to an earlier truth that event externally they appear weak, but internally they're rich. So why, you know, it just sounds like a word of encouragement, but there's something deeper there on why Jesus would say, you're poor, but really you're rich. So why would he say that? Because he's trying to establish something right off the bat with this church. Number one, their suffering doesn't define them. For example, in this nation, and I love this nation. Don't misunderstand what I'm about to say. In this nation, we have this idea of success by how large of a megachurch you have, how many BMWs and Bentleys do you have, how big is your home, and we call that being a successful ministry. But the reality is, I guarantee you, there are pastors in the underground church in China that have won more people the Lord than the megachurch ever thought about doing. And in the kingdom, they are successful. It is one of these things that suffering doesn't define you. And I say that because I want us to be reminded that even though in our time right now, our day right now, whatever limitations you have, whatever holdbacks you have, whatever negative thought you have, those things do not have a legal right to define who you are when you are a son of God. You are defined because of the one who knew you when before you were even formed. Number two, because opposition did not disqualify them. Often think when I read this, hey, I think Paul understood this. I'm convinced that the apostle Paul would never be received in our day and time. People would have called him a failure just because of how many times he was beaten, arrested, thrown in prison, and all this stuff. They would have said, God's favor and blessing is not on his life. And yet, God's favor and blessing was on his life. And it's crazy to think that Paul, in some cases, had a way out, but knew that the Holy Spirit told him to go, knowing that he was about to be arrested. Number three, heaven's evaluation overrides earthly perception. Or perception. I said pre perception. It's not, I think a lot of times we think heaven only measures by what we're going through. And the truth is, heaven measures by who you're aligned with. So just because you're in a turbulent season and this person is in a blessed season, it doesn't mean that heaven is saying, oh, pour it out on them, and you're in a turbulent time. No, that is who you're in line with no matter where you're at in this stage of life. Verse 10. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison that you may be tested, and you have tribulation ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. Here's such a loving promise from Jesus. You ready? You're not going to escape it. He promises that you'll endure. They're going to face imprisonment, they're going to face testing, and they're going to face tribulation. But here's what he says it's going to be limited, and it's going to be purposeful. In other words, the pain, the suffering, the opposition, it ain't going to be for naught. God's going to do something out of that and turn it around. Kind of goes back to that whole Romans 8.28 thing. Here's another reminder for us all. If God has established something in his word, no matter where you go in the word, you can go back to where he's established it, and because he's established it, he has to abide by it. He does not lie on the things that he says and he does not renegotiate on that. And sometimes what's difficult for us to understand is that faithfulness is proven under pressure. Because here's the truth. When the pressure gets hot, most people walk out and they leave. Verse 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. So even if they die in their persecution, in their hardship, in their trials, in their tribulations, they're not going to experience eternal death. So here's ultimately a key truth for you and I to remember. Temporarily suffering will never overcome eternal victory. Whatever we're going through right now, it will never be greater than the victory of eternity. Alright. Yes. So, tree of life, crown of life, escape the second death. We're building something. I hope you're going to see this as we're going. Verse 12, we're going to the church of Pergamus. And the angel said of the church of Pergamon, right. Alright, so here we go again. Jesus is going to establish that he's the authority of the word, he has the power to judge. All that's going to be there. But verse 13. Oh, let me finish. 12. The one who has the sharp two-edged sword says this. Now, hang on. It's important that I say this. He says, the one who has the sharp two-edged sword. Remember what was written. You just have to remember this one thought. Where's the sharp two-edged sword coming from? Okay. That's important that you remember that. Verse 13. I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is, and you hold fast my name and did not deny my faith, even in the days of Antipas, my witness, my faithful one who was killed among you where Satan dwells. So you stayed faithful, you refused to deny Christ in a place that is ultimately described where Satan's throne is, where Satan dwells. Now, the meaning of Pergamus, height, evaluation by marriage. We're going to see the complaint, tolerance of Baalism, idolatry and immorality, the compliment, they don't deny the name of Christ, right? And we're going to see the promise here in a little bit. So, verse 14. But I have a few things against you. Notice the progression. Ephesus, I have one thing against you. Smyrna, I have nothing against you. I'm just going to encourage you. But here we are at Pergamus, and he's got a few things. Because you have there some of you who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. Thus you also have some in the same way who hold the teaching of the Nicolatians. Ah! This is crazy because this is coming back on this thing. So here begins the issue. They have compromise, they have immorality and idolatry. Do you start to see a big theme of how God feels about idolatry? You can't lose sight of this because I want to tell you something. Idolatry is not simply bowing to a wooden or a concrete or a beautiful statue or big fat Buddha. You know, when you go to the Chinese restaurant, there's Big Fat Buddha. You know. They tolerated false teaching and corrupt influence. They embraced the Nicolaitians. But there's some other issues when it gets early here, and we're going to go on it. The doctrine of Balaam. This is a direct reference to the account that is mentioned in the book of Numbers. Numbers 22 through 25 and Numbers 31 verse 16. So who was Balaam? Balaam was a prophet who had access to hear from God, but was motivated by personal gain and compromise. I hate to keep coming back to this, but sound familiar. He could not curse Israel directly, so instead he found another way to weaken them. So what did Balaam teach Balak? Balak, the king of Moab, wanted Israel destroyed. And when Balaam could not curse Israel, he taught Balak how to corrupt them from within. And again, this is all numbers, but I'm giving us the understanding here. So he instructed him, Balaam instructed Balak, the king of Moab, seduce Israel through sexual immorality. And then draw them into idolatry with pagan worship. Okay? I'm going to put this real plain for us to understand. There is a big movement of sexual immorality, and they worship multicolored flags and symbols. Do you understand what I'm saying? That is just in that group. Now I'm not discrediting fornicators, and I'm not discrediting adulterers. They're all in that same sexual immorality, but I'm giving us a clear understanding of something. Okay? So here's the thing about it: it worked. Man has been falling victim to sexual immorality from the beginning. And it wasn't an outward attack against Israel, but it was a compromise internally. So the doctrine of Balaam is this use compromise to accomplish what an enemy could not. The other part, two, lead God's people into sin through subtle influence rather than direct confrontation. Okay, again, anybody in the rainbow community, I am not specifically saying that they are an enemy. People are never the enemy. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of darkness. Okay, so I'm not saying that they're an enemy. I'm saying that they've been compromised because of sexual immorality and idolatry, even idolatry of oneself, because it's about how I feel and what I do and all this and everything. But I'm saying all this to say now you also have people that go, well, who am I to deny somebody to love somebody? After all, isn't God love? And this is a subtle influence instead of people confronting the sin. The other part, number three, blending truth with error to make sin appear acceptable. Did God really say? Again, this is not open rebellion, this is a very strategic corruption. I'm gonna say this, and I hope we understand. I caught a lot of flack for it some years ago from somebody, but I really don't care. But nevertheless, if the ecclesia, the legislative governing body, if the ecclesia doesn't learn how to get the strategic plans of the kingdom of heaven, we're going to continue to allow the enemy to outstrategize us. Now, how this is applied to Pergamus. In Pergamus, the same spirit was operating because they remained loyal to Christ publicly, but they tolerated teachings that introduced immorality, idolatry, and cultural compromise. It's kind of like how everybody on social media is the best Christian ever. But when you peel the layer back, you find out what's really going on. It created a dangerous mixture, a confession of Christ with a partation, participation of sin. Balaam knew that he couldn't destroy God's people from the outside, so he corrupted them from the inside. That's the doctrine. Verse 16, and I'm hurrying. Repent, therefore, or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth. Hello. So here's what Jesus says. If they refuse, he's going to confront them. Who's going to confront them? He's going to confront them. Here's the reality. If you and I don't submit to the word of God, we're definitely going to be corrected by it. Even if we don't submit by it, we're still going to be corrected by it. Every knee shall bow, and every tongue will confess. Verse 17. He who has an ear, let him hear. What the Spirit says to the churches, to him who overcomes to him, I will give him some hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone and a new name, written on that stone, which no one knows but he who receives it. What is the promised reward? Hidden manna, white stone, new name. Everybody see that? Alright, let's continue. Verse 18. We got the letter to Thyatra. Listen, if I'm mispronouncing that for the way you've heard it, everybody else is wrong, and I'm right. Prophet. No, I'm just joking. I can butcher anything. Verse 18. And to the angel of the church in Thyatra, right, the Son of God who has eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like burnished bronze, says this. Well, that's an introduction. Here immediately we see his deity. We see that there's going to be purity established in who he is, and there's going to be judgment. And here's even a greater reality for us. Nothing is going to escape the eyes of Jesus. Verse 19. I know your deeds and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at the first. So here's the thing the church is growing, they were serving, they were loving. But growth doesn't always mean it's healthy growth. You can have something growing in your body that's trying to kill you. Verse 20. But I have this against you that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads my bondservants astray, so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. So here's the issue. And then here comes the you tolerate the woman Jezebel. Now, this does not necessarily mean that the woman that they're tolerating is Jezebel herself. Doesn't mean that Jezebel somehow is supernaturally here at this time. It doesn't mean that she's been reincarnated. It doesn't mean she's been raised from the dead. We're talking about someone that Jesus is clearly talking about, a Jezebel type, spirit, personality, characteristics, all these things. Here's the thing: it does represent that spiritual influence that we see in the real Jezebel in 1 Kings chapter 16, all the way through chapter 21. Jezebel manipulates authority, promoted idolatry, led Israel into that immorality. But here's the other thing: they oppose true prophetic voices. Do you remember what the big hang up is with Elijah? What was Jezebel going to do to Elijah? Kill him the same way that he killed her prophets. That was the threat. But what Jezebel didn't know is there would be one coming by the name of Jehu. Ooh. And he liked balconies. It's a really good story if you're not ready. So here's the thing: they tolerated her. In other words, they gave permissive acceptance. One of the biggest ways that we can overthrow demonic attacks is to stop giving demons access. I mean, I know that's not rocket science, but if we'll cut some things off her life, there'll be some things to cut out of her life. But we we give it permission. We give it permission by the things we watch, things we say, things we believe, so on and so forth. Again, the Bible, the Bible says there's power in the tongue of. Most people will always quote life and death, but scripturally, and not that I'm picking on anybody, it says death and life. Now, here's my opinion. I think the reason that it scripturally says there's power of death and life in the tongue is because by our nature we are more likely to speak death than we are to speak life. And we have to reach that. So they allowed her to teach. They allow her to be influential. And they refuse to confront her deception. So now we got a failure in leadership and discernment. They didn't discern the error, they didn't correct the error, and they definitely didn't remove that influence. Jesus said she's one that describes or calls herself a prophetess. Means that she assumes spiritual authority. She claimed to speak for God, and she carries the influence within the church. But her teaching leads to that immorality, idolatry, and that spiritual compromise. Now, let me quickly catch this rabbit. I know we're going to hurry and get this read and get the questions out. But here's the thing. Today, when we understand and we say there's a Jezebel spirit, we're not calling an individual the reincarnation of Jezebel. And we're not saying that that person has Jezebel herself within her. What we're saying is the characteristics, the function, and how you do and how you operate is that of a spirit that has the characteristics of the original Jezebel. But here's the clarification. Even though the language here is her, even though it is woman, you cannot get into the idea that a Jezebel spirit can only operate in a woman. A Jezebel spirit can be in a male or a female. Okay? And by the way, let's go ahead and get this. Every strong and determined word of God woman is not a Jezebel because they're strong and determined and they know the word of God. That is not how, again, that is not Jezebel. So here's the thing. The influence is a big deal right here, right? So let's go to verse 21. And I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Here's the wild thing about it. Jesus gives her time to repent. But she ain't gonna do it. She does not want to repent, which means she has a hardened heart, which means she is willfully resistant, and she rejects all correction. Let me, I'll say it this way. This is not someone who is struggling, this is someone who is openly choosing rebellion. Okay? So here's the beautiful thing about it God's mercy. God's mercy gives us the opportunity, but his mercy does not ever remove the accountability. Verse 22. Behold, I will cast upon her upon a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her in the great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds, and I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am he who searches the minds and the hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. Let me get this really quickly, because I got to get this, okay? And I'm hurrying. So the bed of sickness, that's an interesting phrase right here. The bed can represent, we we know everything can represent in that, but the negative side, the bed can represent sin, immorality, and compromise. And because if the bed represents those things, the bed now becomes a place of judgment and a place of consequence. In other words, let's put it this way: your marital bed, if you change your marital bed into a bed of adultery, you have compromised your covenant relationship, and there is going to be a compromise. Does that make sense? Okay. Now, what this means is she led other people into that bed with her. And Jesus is declaring that it has become this place of affliction, this place of exposure, and a place of judgment when it once was a place of pleasure. Now there's consequences. Here's the reality of what is happening here. Sin is not neutral. Sin always carries consequences. Always. The principle of sowing and reaping is not just about your money. So Jesus says, those who commit adultery with her in the great tribulation, this is meaning that those who were influenced by her, those who embrace that teaching, they're going to share in those consequences. Unless what? They repent. Here again is the understanding that your alignment and agreement will cost you if you don't align with the right people. But Jesus, in his goodness and his mercy, he gives time to repent. And not only does he give time to repent, he's also telling you if you don't repent, just know judgment's coming. He's searching the minds, he's searching the heart, because nothing is hidden. Verse 24. But I say to you, the rest who are in Theatre, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan as they call them, I place no other burden on you. There is always a remnant. Not everyone in this church is corrupt. That means the remnant who refuse the deception, who refuse the compromise, who do not embrace that false teaching, they are the ones that will not have this burden. Verse 25. Nevertheless, what you have, hold fast until I come. Stay steady. Stay uncompromising. Verse 26, and he who overcomes, and he who keeps my deeds into the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, and as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I have received authority from my Father, and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. You're gonna rule with a rod of iron, strength, durability, uncompromising, firm, established, unmovable in this. We see all this in here. This reminds us of Psalm chapter 2, verse 9. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and you shall shatter them like the earthenware. Here's what it's ultimately going to show. Those in opposition to Christ will not prevail. And eventually all rebellion is going to be subdued. So we rule in alignment with God. And then he says, I'll give you the morning star. The morning star is a reference to Jesus Himself. We're going to find this eventually. We'll break it down further, but it's from Revelation 22. And this is not a reward that is giving, this is a relationship that goes deeper. There's that call to hear again. So lastly, if I can say this, Revelation is not only effective, but it's calling us to respond in this, in this first part of these letters. He's examining it, he's correcting it, and he's preparing it. He sees our works, he sees our motives, he sees our compromises, he sees our faithfulness, and he calls you and I to continue to return to our first love, to remain faithful, to reject compromise and refuse corruption. If I could, Zach, will you throw that last image up there? And if we got any questions. This is the other sheet of the seven churches. It gives a little bit more information of a different point, good points, faults, overcomers, everything. It's just another breakdown. But you can find some characteristics and stuff, but I want to make sure that you see this. Okay. Question.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:05

In your opinion, we see the spirit of Jezebel alive and well in the church today. Because it's the spirit of sexual immorality active in the church that God is exposing. Why do you believe the New Testament church, that's us, why are we not taking authority over this and ridding that sin from the church?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:43

It's a really, really good question. I want to make sure that I think this through. First of all, let me back up to something. The reason that a Jezebel spirit will operate in a lot of churches is because in that church there is also operating an Ahab spirit. And usually what happens is Jezebel's loud and boisterous, and you'll figure out the Jezebel, deal with the Jezebel, but you won't deal with the Ahab because you won't deal with the Ahab. Eventually, Ahab will find another Jezebel. And then here we go again. It's all over again. So we have to discover the Ahab as well. And again, Ahab can be male or female, okay, on this side of it. But my first response to that is in a lot of these cases, if we just look at what's going on today, even though we see an individual that is being exposed, I believe the bottom line is many are in bed with the spirit. And so they are not dealing with the spirit because they themselves are in bed with the spirit. And a lot of that you're not going to overthrow what you find pleasure in. And if you're finding satisfaction, whatever that is, whether that's sexual immorality, whether that's money, whether that's platform fame, whatever that is, a lot of times we will allow that compromise to come because of that, and we're not going to overthrow that. The other side, I want to, this is my opinion. I I've said this before, and I'm going to keep saying it. I believe with all of my heart we are the most idolatrous generation ever on the earth. And the and why I'm saying that is another thing about the spirit of Jezebel, not only is the sexual immorality, not only the compromise of truth, but it is idolatry. Care too much about themselves than they do the consequences. Even though there are there obviously is consequences. And I'm not throwing this person under the bus, but I'm going to use a real example on this. Mike Bickle's track record of what he did, there's no way that man didn't know there's consequences to this. He does know it, and he did know it. The problem is, until Mike Bickle truly repents, and here's the good thing about this: God is giving Mike Bickle time to repent. I believe that are all my heart. And Mike Bickle can repent and he can continue to serve God, but because he compromised, he had sexual immorality, he was in bed with Jezebel, he'll never be positioned in what he once was. Because sin has compromised consequences. So in that though, Mike Bickle, when you read some of these stories, I'm just using him, and I'm not throwing him under the bus. I'm just using real-life examples so we understand. Mike Bickle has been very, there's been a lot of tapes and everything come out. This man thought he was almost God. And let's face it, that is a spirit of Antichrist. I'm going to remove God so that man can be put in its place. So I think that's my opinion. That's why I believe a lot of churches are tolerating it that they will not overthrow it, is because bottom line, there is a lot of people that's in bed with Jezebel. Now, here's the other thing. The other aspect of this, and again, this is just an opinion. In Scripture, Ahab and Jezebel are not just random people. Okay? They're powerful people. And they're not just powerful people in the sense of prophets and all this type of stuff. They're powerful people in the term of wealth. And there are a lot of ministries that will not overthrow a Jezebel in their house because they know Jezebel will take their money with them. And I'd love to say that's not the fact, but I'm telling you it's the fact. Because there's a lot of ministries that mean well, they meant well. People said we're going to give money and we're going to build this big facility. And then when it came time to pay what they said they would, they didn't pay. Now, leadership has a big bill. What are they going to do? And if there's someone who is truly operating in a Jezebel spirit or an Ahab spirit, and they've got a lot of money, you'd be surprised how many people will tolerate it simply because the leaders fear they'll lose what they have. And that's just a real thing. And that's not condemnation on man. That's a real thing that happens. But we have to understand, as sons and daughters of God, that we're going to be tested with that from time to time. Where people will try to do that, and you're going to have to decide, will you compromise or will you stand for truth? Yes, ma'am.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:10

How many churches have you seen that have really stepped up to the plate and decided not to tolerate Chezebel and seeing them go on to success and to do all that God has for them? How many?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:29

Oh, I'd love to say that I know more that did that did not. But truthfully, thinking back over 29 years and being able to travel this nation and other nations, I know more that continue to tolerate than they don't. I honestly, right now, I'm just trying to run a list down my head. I and I pray that I'm just overlooking some. I genuinely pray that I'm overlooking. Because honestly, it's starting to break my heart thinking about this. But honestly, right now, off the top of my head, I can't even get to the number 10. I'm talking about churches that I know. I know of one that had really, they had a Jezebel. Oh, buddy, did they have a Jezebel and an Ahab? And this church is, I'm very close to the leadership. Very, very close. And it would have been easy for this pastor to compromise. And here's the crazy thing about it, it had nothing to do with wealth whatsoever. But this pastor, they they lived in foreign countries for years, and his wife got an infection in her brain, and she went nuts. That's just the bottom line said it. And he cared for her, and then she got better eventually. And then something else happened because of a mosquito bite, and it triggered, and she's mentally unstable now. And this guy does not live with his wife because she's from time to time very dangerous. You understand what I'm saying with that? And he lives by himself, he's pastored at church as a married but single man. But he continues to pay his wife's bills, and every single week he goes and gets her groceries, puts it in her home, and he pays all of her bills. He takes care of her. Why? He has a covenant with her. But here's the thing: a Jezebel came into that house and an Ahab and absolutely tried to destroy that man. And that man did not back down. And when he did, and and he he bucked it, he didn't lose Jezebel and Ahab. He lost about 40 plus people. Because I promise you, Jezebel will always have her prophets. Every single time. And so that's the one that's glaring at me right now because I've had a lot of conversations with this man. This man's become very, very special in our family and stuff. And I I stand amazed at a man who can't stay at home with his wife because she could libily kill him. But he knows he's in covenant with her. And he won't give her a bill of divorcement. And he puts her up in a different home and he takes care of her financially. But he has no actual relationship. I'm telling you what, that man's got my heart. I I'm a big covenant person. And I'll give you just a different example really quickly of something different. My covenant is a big deal, if I can, really quickly. I um all right. Note to myself, cut this out of the podcast. Okay. I'm gonna edit this out. Patricia King just lost her husband. He he crossed over into eternity. Her husband had Parkinson's disease, and he he had it for several years. And it had gotten so bad that even at night, laying in bed, he is just wailing, and she couldn't sleep beside him. So Patricia went to another bedroom. And here's another thing. Nobody repeat this on social media or anything. This what happens in this house stays in this house on this one. But many of you know Patricia, so this is the reason I'm sharing this. Patricia went and slept in another bedroom, and she did that for some years. And I just so happened to be there when this happened, so this is the reason I know this. And Patricia got to the point, she said, I can't do this anymore. I need to be in the same room as the one I have covenant with. That was her words. And so I'm there in Maricopa, Arizona, and Pastor Francisco he goes, Hey, do you mind to help me with something? I said, What's that? He said, We're going to Patricia's house. I said, All right, let's go. We get in there and we tear down their bed and we move it over, and like it's on this wall right here, and we put in another bed on this wall. They slept in separate beds, but she wanted to be near him. I I gotta tell you, covenant is a big deal, and I believe that's why that pastor that I just told you overthrew Jezebel, because they know the value of the one they're in covenant with rather than the one they're in bed with. Does that make sense? Okay, any other questions? Sorry, I went down this rabbit hole, but that's such a special thing for me. And there, hang on, just a second, Sylvia.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:17

Yes, hello, hello, mic on. All right, this question's a little rough. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable or put you on the spot, but I'm gonna ask you anyways, okay? Um, and if you don't answer it, that's okay. Uh it's regarding, I'm gonna read Revelation 2.5 really quick, and then I'm gonna ask the question. So remember the heights from which you have fallen and repent. And do work, do the works that you did at first. Otherwise, I will visit you and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent. Here's my question. Based on Revelation 2.5, do you believe it's indicating that your salvation could be lost? If you don't repent, your lampstand will be removed. If not, can you please explain it? Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:56

Man, that's a great question. Really good question. I like that a lot. Um, to be honest, sweetie, I've never thought of it that way. Here's what I've always read and studied is what Jesus is saying is if you don't repent, you're gonna lose my presence. Now, you know, this is a big deal in this. I let me just clarify something because you use the language, can you lose your salvation? Um scripturally, I cannot find a single verse where you can lose salvation. So I'm gonna say this scripture, I'm gonna back this up just as clear as I can possibly back it up. The Bible says no one can pluck you out of God's hand. So I want to say this as clearly as I can. When you're born again, you are born again. Okay? However, scripture also gives us an understanding, especially in Romans 1, that somehow, some way, you can make the decision to renounce God. And what Romans 1 tells us is we take on a reprobate mind. And the scripture also says when he gives us or allows us, the verbiage is, he'll allow you to become a reprobate. When that happens, repentance is taken off the table. You can't repent because you're a reprobate. And what that means at that moment is you are willfully choosing to take away what you willingly receive. So, do I believe it would be the sign of losing your salvation? No. But it's also because I don't think anyone can lose their salvation, but I strongly believe that someone could willingly negate it if choosing. Now, I also want to say this. How that's possible, I don't know. Because I'm gonna be as honest as I can be right here. Anybody that is truly born again, why would you give it up? I don't know how it's possible, but I'm gonna tell you this it's possible. Well, if you don't know how it's possible, how do you know it's possible? Because the word of God says it's possible. So it's not the losing, but I do want to clarify another thing that is very interesting about this verse that he says. Removing the lampstand, the presence. Do you know what is bad about hell? I'm talking about really, really bad. Not the weeping and the gnashing of teeth, not the yelling, not the torment, not the fire, not even the darkness. Do you know what the biggest thing about the tormenting aspect of hell is? There is no presence. God is not there, Jesus is not there, Holy Spirit is not there. It is a vacant thing. If you don't get the presence, that's why that verse does unnerve me. If that makes sense on that. But I love that question. That's a good question. All right, Sylvia. I like the way the mind thinks that you come up with that. That's cool. I like it.

SPEAKER_05 1:19:07

Um, you made an important statement and I only got half of it. It says, if the ecclesia doesn't learn to get strategy, then Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:17

If the if the ecclesia doesn't learn to get the strategy of heaven, the enemy is going to continue out-strategizing the ecclesia. I made that statement not long ago, and I'll quickly say this, and I had someone just absolutely rail on me. And I didn't know at the time they they got offended. And I'm like, what is your big deal? Well, the reason they got offended is this person genuinely believes that he and two other people are the ecclesia and everyone else is just the body of Christ. So when I made that statement, he took it as though I was insulting him. To which I proceeded to tell him he lost his mind. I've never met this man ever. I've had three phone conversations, he's tried to cuss me out every single time, and he claims to be an apostle. Yeah, I'll tell you. Uh off the microphone. Uh, because I don't want to get it out either. But anyway, any other questions? Yes, and by the way, all these things, these things are yours, these notes are yours, all this stuff. I'm getting this in your hand, and we'll move to chapter three next week. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:56

Maybe it comes a little bit in line with his. What is your understanding when the Lord is saying unto the angel of the church? Um, is he talking about the leadership, the uh the person who's in charge of it, or is there like an angel that's given this message? What is your understanding on that?

SPEAKER_00 1:21:13

Okay, so I'm gonna quickly give you something really, really quickly. The first time this is used, it is the word, we see the word angel right there. Okay? Um give a clear understanding so that everybody knows where we're going. That word literally means a messenger, especially an angel. But you ready? It also means a pastor.

unknown 1:21:49

That's what she was saying.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:55

So there's, I believe, this is my opinion, no one has to agree with this. I believe this is a twofold answer. Okay, I genuinely believe just as there are principalities in certain regions, I believe angels are assigned to certain regions. And there's twofold of this. He's talking to the leadership of the house of the church, but he's also talking about the angel that is in that region. Does that make sense? So we understand that? Like we know for sure the archangel is where? Archangel Michael is where? Israel. He doesn't leave Israel. He's over Israel, he's in Israel, he's over it, he covers Jerusalem, and you gotta know that because where are we going? Does that make sense? Okay, so that's literally what that word means: messenger, angel, and pastor. One more time.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:58

It's just an amazing observation, actually. Looking at the map, you have uh Ephesus and Smyrna real close together. So Ephesus is this cold, cold church that lost its first love, and just uh just a hop, skip, and a jump is Smyrna, who is burning on fire and laying down their lives for Christ. You think those would be sister churches there, but that that's amazing to me how close they were.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:24

That's the reason I love this this map. It gives us clarity that. By the way, I do want to notice something right here. We know one of the early pastors of Ephesus, Timothy. What Paul was trying to get Timothy to do would have corrected this. And I'm not saying Timothy did a bad job. That's not all what I'm implying. Timothy had his hands full, so understand that what I'm saying. But if what Paul was instructing Timothy to do, and if Timothy could have seen it, I don't know that we'd had this letter. Does this make sense what I'm saying in that? It's why it is so important, even now in 2026, what we're doing in 2026 is not just about 2026.