THE BOOK OF REVELATION.
VISION 1:- THE SEVEN CHURCHES. Part 1.
CH2:1-7 THE LETTER TO EPHESUS.
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REV 2:1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:
REV 2:2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
REV 2:3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
REV 2:4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
REV 2:5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
REV 2:6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the
Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
REV 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
A) THE CITY.
(i) Ephesus was a great commercial and trade centre, the main city of Asia Minor. Very Wealthy. Situated on the mouth of the R. Cayster it had a large natural harbour, which is now silted up. It was also the crossroads of trade routes from the Euphrates, Cayster and Meander valleys.
(ii) Ephesus was a great religious centre, being the centre of the fertility goddess cult (Diana or Artemis - see Acts 19:19-31). Also emperor worship and occult practices abounded.
The Asiarchs (Acts 19:31) were the leading men of the city, and from their ranks annually were selected the High Priests of the cult of Rome.
(iii) Multicultural in social makeup. Jews had been granted citizenship since Seleucid times and had special and guaranteed privileges. Historically there had been bitter conflict between the Jews and Gentiles in the city. Society was fragmented as a result.
B) THE CHURCH.
(i) Seems to have been founded by Paul with Priscilla and Aquilla, though there were "men of Ephesus" present at Pentecost (Acts 2:9). Paul and his companions came together from Corinth to Ephesus (Acts 18:18f). When Paul moved on Priscilla and Aquilla remained behind.
The "disciples" mentioned in Acts 19:1 already existing in Ephesus are clearly not Christian disciples but those of John the Baptist. They did not know that the Christ had come, nor who he was, nor that the Holy Spirit had been given. It is clear that Paul identifies to them for the first time that the Messiah was Jesus They then accept Jesus as the Christ and so are baptised with Christian baptism. There were many groups of John’s disciples throughout the Near East – even until quite modern times. A full discussion on this point can be found in my blog:
Christianfoundation.blogspot.com
in the section chapters 20-30 on the Holy Spirit.
(ii) Paul returned to Ephesus 2-3 years later and spent 2 years there. Ephesus became the centre for evangelising Asia Minor. Timothy, Apollos, Tychicus and John later spent time there.
(iii) Ephesus later became the temporary headquarters for the Apostles after the fall of Jerusalem (AD 66).
It is the only one of the seven Churches of which we know how it came into being, and in all probability was responsible for planting all the others. This fact is significant in the prophetic interpretation of these letters as this letter applies to the second generation Church, planted by the Apostles.
C) THE LETTER.
"Ephesus" Greek = desirable. I.e. even though the Church is not perfect here, it is still desirable to Christ.
(1) Description of Christ (v1).
Seen as the one who controls the destiny of the Church - he holds them in his hands and protects them from harm. He also tends them and cares for them as a High Priest so they burn cleanly and brightly.
(2) Commendation (v 2,3,6).
(a) "works" = the whole course of life and conduct.
"toil" = (Greek kopos) labour to exhaustion. They were all out for Christ.
"Patient endurance" - Greek "heroic fortitude". They were facing problems and overcoming them.
(b) "tested...apostles" - c/f Acts 20:28ff. They were doing as Paul had instructed them to do. Obviously the class of "apostle" was not restricted to the 12 or this would not have been a necessary thing to do. Rather it included a range of itinerant ministries. There are about 85 people in the Bible called “apostles” besides these travelling ministries mentioned here.
The word “apostle” was originally used in secular Greek to denote a travelling teacher of Greek Philosophy, or Hellenism. It was adopted and “Christianised” by Jesus and the Early Church. Hence any travelling teacher was an “apostle” and so there was a need for testing. Paul is not saying here that every person who claimed to be an apostle turned out to be false. Rather he is commending the Church for sifting through the claims and rejecting the spurious ones. Presumably some of the claims were found to be valid.
(c) "persevered and endured hardships".
They were orthodox in doctrine and practice in the face of persecution and deception.
(d) "and have not grown weary".
Weariness is the greatest cause of Christian collapse.
(e) "You hate the practice of the Nicolaitans".
Church history tells us nothing of such a group, so we must assume it is a symbol.
Greek: nicol = victory, power.
Laos = people.
i.e. "power over the people" or "power to the people".
These two attitudes are both manifestations of the spirit of Antichrist. First there is a move towards democracy, which because of man's sinful heart always ends in anarchy. Arising out of this comes a dictatorship as people cry out for order. In the face of anarchy a strong man always looks good.
c/f 2 Thessalonians 2:7 - the Spirit of Antichrist is already at work - in the Church as well as in the world. We in the Church must identify it and resist it.
Hence we see here two forms of government in the Church that God says he "HATES":
(i) The democratic model, which contradicts the right of God to appoint leaders in the Church by his Spirit. In this model "every man does what is right in his own eyes". The leadership of the Church has no disciplinary authority. This is rebellion - which is witchcraft .
(ii) The other is the authoritative "priestly" model of the religions of the surrounding nations. In this model we see a pastor, or ruling body which controls all activities in the Church and functions as a priesthood. This is control, which is witchcraft. This contradicts the teaching of the Bible that ALL Christians are priests and are allowed to function in their gifts in the congregation.
The Nicolaitans have been identified with the BAALAMITES of Revelation 2:14, as Baalam derives from Bala and 'am, and these two words mean "he consumed the people", which is similar to the meaning of Nicolaitan.
It would appear then that the main emphasis God is trying to point out to us here is that there should not be a priestly class in the Church, a group which exercises control over the activities and members of the Church in such a way that they become the professional "experts" of religion. This, however, is not a condemnation of having trained Pastoral leadership – even paid Pastoral leadership. Both of the views mentioned above are extremes, and thus heresies, where the Bible teaches the Divine order of leadership in the Church of “Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers” (Ephesians 4). What we need is balance between the extremes, not rejection of the principle because of false extremes.
(3) Condemnation (v4).
"first love".
They has lost their cutting edge, a loss of fire and mutual concern.
"first" - emphasising that this was a second generation Church, they had inherited their faith from their fathers to some degree, and the reality of God had not touched them to the same degree. Compounding this, their zeal had worn them out and caused a dampening of their fire.
The fact that the city was full of racial and cultural tension has to be noted in this context also. Brotherly love has never been easy in a racially mixed Church.
(4) Instructions (v5).
Three steps to revival:
(i) Remember - meditate on God's goodness in the past.
(ii) Repent - of the present half-heartedness.
(iii) Repeat - the works you did at first of love.
(5) Warning (v5b).
"I will come".
Literally = "I am coming". This is not the Second Coming but a coming in judgement on a local Church.
When a Church ceases to reflect Christ's love he takes away the lampstand, i.e. the anointing of the Spirit which brings life (Zechariah 3 connects the oil with the lampstand). The result is a dead formalised legalistic religion and eventually the Church dies. In fact this is what happened to the Church in Ephesus. As a result of this letter there was a temporary revival, but the lovelessness was deep set. The lampstand was removed and for over 1000 years there has been no Church in Ephesus.
Ephesus, the city and the Church, have disappeared, only a site name remains, called Ayasaluk, derived from a word meaning "Saint Theologian", which was the name of a 5th Century Church built on the site dedicated to John. The harbour is now silted up and the site of Ephesus is now several miles inland.
This warning has to be seen in the light of the history of the city also. Several times the city had, in its history, shifted sites. However the temple of Artemis had remained in the same place.
(6) Promise (v7).
"he who has an ear"
I.e. spiritual insight.
"he who conquers" - in the NT refers to the one who perseveres in faith against all obstacles, even to the point of martyrdom. Martyrdom is not failure, but the ultimate success (Revelation 12:11). Here conquering means simply "to dwell in your first love".
"tree of life"
First seen in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:9) where it is in the midst and is the source of the waters of life. It apparently granted eternal life to those who, ate of it. When man took of the tree of Knowledge of Good and evil the Tree of Life was forbidden to him (Genesis 3:22,23). The Cherubim who uphold God's throne (Revelation 4) were assigned to protect it.
In Proverbs we find that it is wisdom from God (Proverbs 3:13-18, 11:30, etc).
When the words of God are fulfilled in our lives it is a tree of life to us, and so too can our words to others.
It will bring healing to the nations (Revelation 22:1,2) but only if we who live in the city take its leaves out to those outside the city. They have no access to it themselves.
I.e. it speaks of the receiving and giving of God's wisdom. Wisdom is the essence of Godly rulership and judgement (1 Kings 3:9-12). To partake of the Tree of Life therefore means to reign in life through obedience to God and to bring that grace to others.
The idea of a "tree" is usually, in John's writings, an oblique reference to the cross, and we need to see this here also. God's wisdom is only available through the cross (1 Corinthians 1:24,30), In fact the cross is "the wisdom of God".
The temple of Artemis had great religious cult trees. It was initially a tree cult, and the trees were part of the fertility rites. The tree spoke of the presence of the goddess. Jesus is therefore saying here, "I am the real Tree, the pagan palm trees have no value".
"the paradise of God"
c/f 2 Corinthians 12:3 = part of the third heaven. Paradise is derived from a Persian word meaning a "park or garden for a king". Generally they were enclosed and planted with trees and stocked with wild animals for the king to hunt. Often there was also a private shrine at which the King worshiped, c/f/ Revelation 11:1,2 where Jerusalem has an outer and an inner area.
Again we have to see a veiled reference to the enclosed temple of Artemis. The real park of the real God has the real tree of life in it, and that is only accessible through Christ.
(D) INTERPRETATION.
This letter is a prophecy of the post Apostolic, second generation Church. The Church was still basically orthodox but was losing its initial fire. Already the leadership of the Church were organising themselves into a hierarchy in some places, a professional clergy were emerging with power over the people. The congregations were becoming spectators. Leading pastors in some centres were assuming the role of a city "Bishop" in the modern sense, having control over several Churches in their area. No doctrine about this had yet developed but it was becoming an established practice (it was still only "Works of the Nicolaitans"). Ephesus was one of the last Churches to succumb to this development.
Actually, from the beginning, from Pentecost, the structure which led to the later bishop system was there, but the element of control was not. Leadership saw itself as dispensers of God’s grace, not as rulers.
In Acts 2 we see 3000 new converts – possibly this only is the number of male converts. The total, with women and children, could have been nearer 7-8000. There was nowhere in Jerusalem such a large group could meet. As a result the Church adopted immediately the synagogue system where any group of 8 (I think it was) or more men could form a new synagogue and appoint for themselves a leader, often called a pastor or father. The pastors of the home synagogues became the “Elders” of the city or area in which they lived.
As a result the Church, from day 1, was a collection of home churches each with a pastor (singular) as leader, and the collection of pastors in Jerusalem became the Elders of the new Church.
But also there was another level of hierarchy from the beginning. In John 20 Jesus pointedly speaks to Peter and says, “Feed my sheep”. The Greek word used here “feed” is a compound word, the root of which is “pastor”. Any Jew hearing Christ’s words would understand immediately that Jesus – who had just talked of going somewhere – was appointing Peter to be the “Shepherd” or Pastor of the soon to come into being “Church”. It is clear from the early chapters of Acts that Peter took this role of Shepherd- Leader of the Church in Jerusalem. He was, to use a modern term, “Senior Pastor” of the Church in Jerusalem. But the Church in Jerusalem consisted of hundreds of house churches ranging in size from maybe 10 people to over 400 at the largest *The Church in the Upper Room is estimated by historians to be about this size). Each of these house churches had a Pastor, and Peter (with the Apostles) was pastor to the apostles.
When the Apostles eventually left Jerusalem, James took over Peter’s role. When James died another of the Lord’s brother’s took the role, followed finally by Jude, another of the Lord’s brothers. Jude was still Senior Pastor when the Church fled to Pella.
So the Church in Jerusalem, from the beginning, had a structure like this:
1. Many congregations each with a pastor (singular).
2. The Pastors were the eldership of the Church in the city.
3. Overall was a “Senior Pastor” who eventually took the title “Bishop”. He was considered to be “Leader among leaders”.
As the Church spread to other centres this same basic structure was repeated in the new situations. Usually when Paul, e.g., moved on he left an apostolic delegate in charge (E.g. Timothy or Titus), whose responsibility it was to find the “Elders”. The Elders were the emerging pastors of the individual congregations.
So the structure that led to the later system of “Bishops” was existent in the Church from the beginning and was a structure of Pastoral necessity. So here in REVELATION Christ is not condemning the idea of having Biblical leadership - a congregational pastor, a city eldership or a city leader (Senior Pastor/Bishop) as such. What his condemnation is directed at is the tendency for those leaders to become Priests and deny the congregation their God-given right to acts as priests. What he is condemning is a system of control – whether it comes through one person or through a committee of “Elders”.
E) LESSONS.
(i) The danger of false teachers is still with us, particularly in travelling / itinerant ministries. Of these we need to be particularly careful. They tend to be answerable to no one and because they stay nowhere for very long their character cannot be tested as would a localised ministry's.
Another problem with them is that they tend to be prophetic in nature, and this gift is dangerous if not supervised.
A third factor with itinerant ministries is that they often have a hobby horse, one thing in which they are a specialist, but are often shallow in the whole counsel of God. This often can lead to error through overemphasis.
(ii) Christ sees the primary requisite of the local Church as being brotherly love. A Church without that soon has the anointing lift off them.
We need to make practical works of brotherly love a priority.
(iii) Christ hates the concept and practice of a priestly class.
Hence we need to resist the idea of a Pastor or Minister who does everything. Each individual in the congregation is a priest and has been given a priestly function to carry out in the Church. We need to strive to express the gifts God has given us.
Correspondingly the Pastoral staff need to, be aware of hanging on the tasks that have been traditionally defined as the "Ministers". Many of these tasks actually belong to the Body. The Bible plainly teaches that the PRIME task of LEADERSHIP in the Church is to equip and release the BODY into ministry. Instead what we still see, in spite of the Charismatic renewal, is Pastors fighting to hold onto jobs traditionally defined as "the Pastor's" even when they are often not gifted to do the particular task.
The revival God wants to see will not occur until we abandon the concept of the priestly class totally and allow the Bible teaching of the Body and its members to redefine our ministry.
2:8-17 - THE LETTER TO SMYRNA.
REV 2:8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again.
REV 2:9 I know your afflictions and your poverty- yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
REV 2:10 Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.
REV 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.
A) THE CITY.
(i) A large city, 35M N of Ephesus. Prosperous with an excellent harbour. It disputed with Ephesus for the position of first city in Asia Minor. Today it is called Izmir, and is the second largest city in Turkey. Population 1970 - about 250,000 half of whom are nominally Christian.
(ii) Again the city had a strong religious tone. A temple to Diana was erected in 195BC. It was the first city in Asia Minor to adopt Emperor worship, a temple to Tiberius being erected in 26 B.C. A large Jewish population lived there.
(iii) The city was destroyed by Lydia in 580B.C. and reduced to village status deliberately. It was rebuilt by Alexander the Great in 290 B.C. Much thought went into its planning and it was famous for its beauty.
It was liberal in its citizenship policy; a large group of Jews lived there with full citizenship rights.
It was strongly supportive of Rome, and offered to send troops to fight with Rome.
Two things stand out about Smyrna's history, suffering and Beauty.
B) THE CHURCH. It is not known how it was founded, but it probably existed before Paul went to Ephesus. The Church was mainly Jewish at first, however the fall of Jerusalem in 70A.D. meant an influx of Jews into the region form Palestine and this resulted in an increase in opposition to the Church. Jews held many influential positions in the city and hence could stir up persecution.
In the second century it was a Church of great importance in the area. It seems to have been healthy, and was one of the first Churches in Asia Minor to suffer persecution.
Persecution soon came from the Emperor cult. As this developed all citizens were required to pay annual homage to the Emperor by worshiping his image. Over 40,000 Christians over a 10 year period were martyred in Smyrna. Many lost their jobs and couldn't buy or sell. Their houses were looted and they were attacked physically.
C) THE LETTER.
Smyrna, from the root "myrrh" which is a spice which is crushed by pounding, giving off a fragrant smell. The root word means "to crush the life out of".
C/f 2 Corinthians 2:14-17.
Myrrh was used in burials and had the idea associated with it of an after life. It was a perfume used in anointing oils, incense and medicine.
This letter speaks of a Church under persecution.
(i) Description of Christ (v8).
As the city died and rose again, so did Christ, so also will those who pay the ultimate witness. But martyrdom is not the end, the suffering of myrrh points to the afterlife.
The city was destroyed again by earthquake in AD 178 but the city was so wealthy it recovered quickly. Death is not the end for Smyrna.
(ii) Commendation (v9).
"tribulation and poverty" - these two are linked, the tribulation caused the poverty.
"poverty" = "abject poverty".
"rich" - they had no earthly wealth but were rich in heaven.
"slander" - one of Satan's favourite weapons.
"Jews, and are not" - they were, physically, but this is a detail of their position before God. Physical Jews they are, but spiritually they are not. Here we see again the same procedure as in ch1 - the titles of Israel are taken from the physical people of Israel and given to the Church.
C/f Romans 2:29.
The persecution of the Church in Smyrna began with the Jews and was fuelled by them.
"a synagogue of Satan" - not God's people at all, but Satan's, C/f John 8:44.
Watchman Nee points out here four differences between the Church and Judaism:
(a) The Temple: Judaism has a material place of worship. Those in the Church who want to emphasis the material place of worship are Judaisers.
(b) The Law: Judaism had a list of commandments. Christ has given us the Holy Spirit instead to guide us, an inner control, not an outer regulation. Those who try to make laws are Judaisers.
(c) Separation: In Judaism the worshiper and the worshiped are separated. Only the priest can enter in. In Christ we are all priests and can enter in. There is no distance. Those in the Church who want to establish a separate clergy are Judaisers.
(d) Outlook: Gods' promises to Israel are material benefits. The issue was "how much could they get out of God?" The principle of Christ is opposite of this - it asks, "How can I die to self?" There are those who preach materialism in the name of Christ, they are Judaisers.
These four are attitudes we need to be careful of, as the tendency of the flesh is to slip back into religion instead of living in faith.
(iii) Condemnation.
None in this case.
(iv) (v) Warning and Instruction (v10).
(a) "Do not fear" - Christ alone has the power of life and death.
(b) "you are about to suffer" - he knows all about it before it happens, but it is only a testing of faith. It will mean imprisonment for many, and some will have to be "faithful unto death".
(c) "the Devil" - for John the empire is Satanic.
(d) "10 days" - the persecution continued for 10 years (303 - 313 AD). We may see here the principle found in Daniel 9 of a day representing a year.
The phrase "10 days" is found in inscriptions concerning the arena. Some were sent to the arena to fight to the death.
(e) Promise (v10).
"a crown of life" - Greek stephanos = a victory wreath worn by competitors at the Olympic games. Also worn at festive occasions, banquets, weddings, and victory celebrations. Death at the hands of gladiators or in the mouths of wild beasts may seem like defeat – but Christ is saying here that it is really victory. It is not the arenas or courts of men that make the final evaluation of our lives. This is done in the courts of heaven and Chris promises to those who, in the eyes of the world, lose will in actual fact turn out to be the winners.
C/f 1 Corinthians 9:25 2 Timothy 4:8 James 1:12 1 Peter 5:4.
The idea of a crown, or wreath, was prominent in ancient materials relating to Smyrna.
"the second death" - Revelation 20:6,14 21:18 = Hell, separation from God eternally.
(D) INTERPRETATION.
Smyrna speaks of the Church age of persecution from Nero through to 313 A.D. when Constantine made Christianity the legal religion of the Empire. The struggle for the truth left the Church poor, but it also kept it largely free from heresy and division. During this period there were ten periods of persecution.
(E) LESSONS.
(a) Steadfastness under trial is highly thought of by Christ, who himself suffered in that way. He knows any persecution we will experience before it happens, but in suffering we are only sharing in the Messianic sufferings. We have no need to fear, so long as we keep our eyes on the REAL world, the unseen kingdom of God that is entered only by death.
(b) The true believer in God can become an adherent of the Devil - even without realising it. Believing that he is doing the will of God he can commit atrocities in the name of God. This has been seen throughout history - in the Crusades, the persecution of the Jews, The persecution of Protestants by Catholics at the Reformation, and Protestants by other Protestants. Even today Christians in their churches will “slay” a pastor or leader who disturbs their comfort zones. Christians who live in earthly comfort zones are Judaisers and are actually of the Devil. “Roast Pastor for lunch today, dear”.
This happens when people begin to go into either one of two extremes:
(i) Reliance on the written word, having no experience of the reality, rather making it a legal religious code.
(ii) Reliance on Supernatural revelations and experiences without allowing these to be judged by the written word.
A third problem also causes it to happen:
(iii) When people begin to concentrate on the externals of religion - the place of worship, the ceremonies, etc. This is the case here. The externals had become an end in themselves for the Jews. They had ceased to be the means to the end, which is worshipping God.
2:12-17:- THE LETTER TO PERGAMUM.
REV 2:12 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword.
REV 2:13 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, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city - where Satan lives.
REV 2:14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.
REV 2:15 Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.
REV 2:16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
REV 2:17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.
A) THE CITY.
Today called Bergama.
(i) A Political Centre.
Was founded in the 5th Century BC as the capital of the old Attalid kingdom. The last king, Attalus 111, bequeathed it to Rome in 133 BC and it became the capital of the province of Asia.
It is 15M inland so has no port, but was an important centre for religion and politics.
It was a city built for a king. It had a library of 200,000 scrolls, the word "parchment" being derived from Pergamum. It had a strategic position for politics and communication. The Senatorial governor had his seat there. He had great powers, symbolised by a large sword, hence v12.
(ii) A Religious Centre.
The religious centre of Asia Minor, several cults had large shrines there.
There was a large acropolis about 1000ft high, which had on it shrines to many deities, in particular:
(a) Zeus, "the Saviour", was a patron God whose huge alter dominated the city. He was king of the Greek Gods.
(b) Asclepius, the God of Healing, symbolised by a snake on a pole (now the symbol of the Royal Army Medical Corps). This cult had a large 2 1/2 story alter, now in the museum of E. Berlin.
Many people came to the shrines for healing. It was claimed that if you lay on the floor of the temple overnight, then you would be healed if one of the 10 snakes loosed in the temple every night slid over you (if you didn't die of fright!).
Asclepius is a false Christ, compare his symbol with Numbers 21:4-9 and John 3:14.
(c) The kings of Pergamum had been the first kings in Asia Minor to lay claim to divinity. Hence they were the first to deify the Roman Emperors, and a temple for the Emperor was built in 29 BC.
(d) The fertility deities and other cults also abounded, particularly of Athena.
B) THE CHURCH. Probably founded as a result of Acts 16:6-8 or Acts 19:10.
C) THE LETTER. Pergamum - from 2 Greek words:
Gamos = marriage.
Per = a prefix added to a word to show that it is something that is objected to.
The problem in Pergamum was that the Church had so married itself to the world that one could not tell the difference between them. This God objects to.
(i) Description of Christ (v12).Christ is seen here with the symbol of Roman power in the city. He is the true authority even though Satan has his headquarters there in the Roman rulers and false gods.
But this sword is the Word of God that Christ uses to divide his Church from the world and root out all compromise.
(ii) Commendation (v13).
"held fast to my name" - If we lose the name of Christ we lose our testimony.
"you did not deny my faith" - They were faithful even under persecution. The Greek indicates that there had been some recent event in the Church where it came under persecution.
The Greek word for faith is not the normal word but is PISTIN, which means "the unique belief, that which is distinct from all other beliefs". There were many who were still orthodox.
"where you dwell" - An important concept in REVELATION.
The Greek uses two word translated "dwell" in REVELATION:
(1) "To settle down"
Revelation2:13, 3:10, 6:10, 11:10, 13:8,12,14, 14:6, 17:8.
It indicates a place of permanent dwelling, a putting down of roots, a commitment to the place.
(2) "to tabernacle, tent".
Revelation 12:12, 13:6, 21:3.
It indicates a realisation that this place is only a temporary dwelling; that it is not a place of permanent dwelling or commitment. This is a matter of citizenship.
Thus there are two places where you can "dwell":
(1) "The city", or "on earth". This is the world system and its values. Non Christians are citizens of this world.
(2) "The wilderness" or "in Heaven". This is the Kingdom of God. The citizenship is in heaven; the wilderness is simply a state of realising that while in this world we are but pilgrims, tent dwellers, passing through this world on our way to heaven. Christians are ALIENS on this earth, non-Citizens.
These are not to be seen in REVELATION as physical places, rather they are places of SPIRITUAL COMMITMENT.
C/f Hebrews 11:8-10, 13-16, 12:22,23, 13:12.
The writer to the Hebrews is here using the same sort of spiritual values. Jesus had to leave the city, in fact he was rejected by it, and hence he suffered outside the gate of the city, outside of the world and its system.
Hence here in 2:13 there is a sense of permanence implied. The Christians here are told that Christ knows "where they dwell", i.e. they have put down their roots into the system of the world in Pergamum. In Christ's opinion that city is where Satan also "has his throne". Satan would not identify himself so totally with the city if it had any goodness at all in it. Hence the Church has totally sold out to worldly values and Satanic control.
"Antipas" - It is unknown who he was, but he is symbolic of what the rest of the Church needed to be.
Greek:- "against all", i.e. the crowd. Antipas in name and deed stood against the prevailing trend of secularization and was martyred for his troubles. Tradition has it that he was roasted to death inside a hollow bronze ox and he sang praises as he died.
"who was killed among you, where Satan dwells".
The repetition of this phrase is interesting as it gives it a stronger emphasis. It changes the meaning of the phrase to some degree. The implication of Christ's words are that Satan actually "dwells" in the Church, i.e. has taken up a permanent residence there. Hence the Church is, in some way, responsible for Antipas's death because of their compromise.
(iii) Condemnation (v 14,15).
The system of Babylon, the world, has got hold of the Church in two ways:
(a) "The Teaching of Baalam".
(b) "The Teaching of the Nicolaitans".
As we have previously noted in the letter to Ephesus there seems to be an identity in part between these two teachings. They both relate to the exercise of power over the people in the Church by a priestly class. However there is more to the teaching of Baalam that we can also note:
Four Points:
(1) V14 is a definition of idolatry, particularly of the fertility cults.
"food sacrificed to idols".
The debate about eating food consecrated to idols had been largely settled by Paul (1 Corinthians 8:1-13 ). It was impossible to buy meat on the open market that had not been so offered. Paul's view is that eating such is not evil in itself, rather it was the taking part in the religious ceremonies associated with it and the subsequent feasts that ended in orgies, which was wrong.
Hence the reference to "immorality" - a term used in both the OT and the NT to mean both sexual immorality and religious infidelity. Generally it implies sexual immorality in the context of religious infidelity.
(2) It is clear, therefore, that Christ is not talking here of food as such. Rather the issue is one involving compromise of principle. The Christians at Pergamum were wanting to appear "broad - minded", and not to be narrow minded bigots, so were being involved in questionable activities, presumably justifying such activities in the name of evangelism. The result was that they had a teaching in the Church that it was OK to do things that were ESSENTIALLY wrong if it was done for the right motives. This is the same as the modern teaching of Situation Ethics prevalent in the Church. Even things specifically said to be sins in the Bible are justified if it is deemed to be the "most loving thing to do in the situation". Hence one can justify abortion, euthanasia, lying, stealing, even murder in the name of "love".
One of the results of the teaching of Baalam in the Church is to confuse the lines between right and wrong so that we end up in demon worship without knowing that is where we are.
(3) Numbers 25:1-3 31:16.
Baalam was the first in the Bible to try to use his spiritual gifts for personal profit. As such he is the type of all false prophets who follow him. We must remember - he seems to have begun his ministry as a true prophet, just as those in Matthew 7 did. This makes it harder to recognise when a false prophet is in error. The prophetic gift is dangerous dynamite.
Clearly here Christ is hinting at the idea that there were those who were trying to make a mint out of the gifts of God. This is associated remember, with the concept of a priesthood.
There is a right time and place to make money out of your gifts, the labourer is worthy of his hire. Samuel charged for his services in the area of the word of Knowledge. Those who labour in the gospel should make their living from it, but the issue is MOTIVE. Baalam was seeking wealth and position in this world as a result.
(4) Numbers 31:16.
When Baalam found he couldn't prophecy against Israel he gave Antichrist counsel to Balak. He told them to intermarry with Israel, and in doing so they would overcome Israel. Unequal yoking always pulls the Christian down away from God.
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1.
This passage does not only apply to marriage, in fact it doesn't actually mention marriage at all! Rather it is a warning against making commitments to non-believers in any area of life whereby they will gain some claim on us, and hence put us in a place where we have to compromise spiritually.
To make such compromises was obviously being taught as being OK in Pergamum, whether it was in Business, social positions or marriage we do not know.
"Doctrine of the Nicolaitans".
We saw these in 2:6, but there it was only a "practice". Here it has developed into a full blown doctrine, a teaching. Attempts to justify a priesthood class were being made from Scripture.
The good news is that "Not all" of the Church at Pergamum were accepting these ideas.
(iv) Warning ( v16 ).
"Repent" - Change your mind and actions.
"I will come" - In judgement on the Church.
"the sword of my mouth", i.e. his word. Christ will divide the truth from error in the Church by his word, but he has two ways of doing this:
(a) He warns, as in this letter, but if we fail to heed this then
(b) He comes with the sword in his mouth, in judgement.
One way or the other he will purify his Church.
(v) Promise (v17).
"overcomes" = to reject the teaching of Baalam and the Nicolaitans.
"the hidden manna"
Israel was eating manna when Baalam met them. The Church is the new Israel, undergoing its Exodus from the world. It too needs manna, Christ the true bread sent down from Heaven. In Heaven, the promised land, we will not eat manna, it is for now. Now the fullness is hidden, then it will be revealed.
Moses took some manna and hid it in the Ark of the Covenant as a testimony for future generations. In the same way God has given the Church manna, teaching received by previous generations, given to our forefathers. They deposited the truth in the Church and we need to look at it and testify to it. Also we need to deposit the truth God gives us so that those who follow us can see it and testify to it.
Hebrew tradition says that when the temple was destroyed Jeremiah took the ark containing the pot of manna and they were being preserved for the times of the Messiah. Jesus is saying here he is the manna, and those who overcome will participate in the Messianic feast, therefore they should not take part in pagan festivals (1 Corinthians 10:21).
In partaking of the hidden manna we partake in the life of Christ, the divine nature, which is now hidden to us, is revealed in us and through us.
The manna in the ark was taken from that which fell "every day" from Heaven. If we want to partake in the hidden manna we need to make sure we are sharing already in the daily manna, from which the hidden manna comes.
"white stone"
The Rabbis used to say that these fell with the manna. White stones had many uses in Ancient times:
(a) As a token of admission to public gatherings, in this case to the Messianic Feast.
(b) A symbol of victory.
(c) In juries, when voting for acquittal - hence speaking here of our justification, acquittal and vindication by God.
(d) Used in calculating things, hence here speaking of the payment for our sins.
(e) Good luck charms, hence speaking of the Protection and provision of God to us.
(f) The Urim and Thummim were said to be white stones. No one knew what was engraved on them except the High Priest who wore them over his heart.
(g) Bosom friends would exchange white stones, often breaking one apart and each taking a part. These would be passed on to their heirs. All over the world when people met they would match white stones.
"a new name"
Revelation 3:12 - it is Christ's, see Philippians 2:9,10.
It is "the Lord Jesus Christ", the name given to him after the resurrection. It becomes our name when we are joined to him in marriage through faith.
In Jewish thinking a person's name meant his CHARACTER, it summed up who he was: his power, personality, authority and future. God gives us a name, a character, future and authority summed up in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This name is reserved for the overcomer. No one knows it, i.e. what it means in reality, except those who receive it. It comes out of a personal experiential relationship with Christ, as with a husband and wife.
D) INTERPRETATION. Prophetically this letter speaks of the time when the Church was married with the world in the Roman empire and the age that followed it.
In 313 AD Constantine declared Christianity to be the only state religion of the Empire, replacing Caesar worship. Any convert was given a white robe and two silver coins. State jobs were given to those in the clergy who wanted them. Clergy were paid by the state. Hence it became politically profitable to be part of the Church.
Many joined the Church at this time, not out of belief but out of political and social security. They brought with them their mystery cults. Babylon was married to the Church. They brought with them their Church structure, priesthood, rituals, robes, etc - only the names were changed.
(For a detailed overview of how this happened see this book: A Hislop - The Two Babylons).
This process continued throughout the Dark Ages. The Church became the stronghold of Antichrist.
The Catholic Church became a great political power, rising to the point where it could put up or put down kings. Every Government had advisors from the Vatican, even today thus is still largely true in Europe.
This infiltration and take over of the Church is seen in two other prophecies:
(i) Matthew 13 - Seven Parables which are prophetic and depict the Church Age.
Matthew 13:31,32 depicts this part of the Churches history.
The tree is not all it should be. Mustard trees only produce a crop when they are small and cultivated, i.e. kept as shrubs. This shrub has been allowed to grow wild until it has become a tree. It looks good but is not fulfilling it's basic purpose, to produce mustard. The birds, i.e. ravens, are unclean birds, which in the Bible always symbolise demons. They have made their home in the tree.
(ii) Joel 1 - the fig tree and the vine = Israel and the Church.
The locusts have been invading the Church. They bring with them their doctrines.
E.g. 1 Timothy 4:1-5.
- forbidding marriage - true in the mystery cults of ancient times (all their priests were prostitutes!) and was imported into the Catholic Church.
- diets - true in the cults, e.g. witness the ban on eating meat on Fridays which was a law in then Catholic Church for generations.
Interestingly the name "Pergamum" can mean a "Tower". This is a clear reference to the tower of Babel where the system of Babylon began.
A Final Word: - Even though the Church was totally corrupted in this age IT WAS STILL THE CHURCH. We need to be sure that we do not adopt the attitude of the early Reformers towards the Catholic Church and become guilty of lovelessness as the Reformers did.
E) LESSONS.
(1) Don't compromise for anything, not even evangelism.
(2) What is our doctrine and practice of Priesthood?
(3) Do we hear God's warnings as he speaks, or does he have to cut us up with his sword?
(4) Synchretism seems to be very broad minded, but it is the end if Christianity if accepted. Hinduism, Bahai, New World will accept and absorb anything - including Christianity - but the minute we say "Christ and ..." we actually say "Not Christ at all." Jesus IS THE Way, THE truth, THE life, there is no other way.
(5) Churches can get too big. They end up with social influence and power in a political sense but invariably they cease to do what they are called to do.
The reality is that when a Church grows beyond around 250 people it becomes an administrative impossibility to allow all the members to function as priests. Hence we end up with a professional priesthood. A Church of 10,000, or even 100,000 can exercise great political influence in the surrounding society, but the reality is it loses its prime function, the growing of mustard, a spice. It loses the ability to develop the priestly function of each person in it.
VISION 1:- THE SEVEN CHURCHES.
CH 2:18-29:- THYATIRA.
REV 2:18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
REV 2:19 I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and
perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
REV 2:20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.
REV 2:21 I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.
REV 2:22 So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.
REV 2:23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
REV 2:24 Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets (I will not impose any other burden on you):
REV 2:25 Only hold on to what you have until I come.
REV 2:26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations-
REV 2:27 `He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to
pieces like pottery'- just as I have received authority from my Father.
REV 2:28 I will also give him the morning star.
REV 2:29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.
A) THE CITY.
Today called Akhisar.
(i) Founded by Seleucis 1 as a frontier post to guard this corner of his empire. The name is native Lydian suggesting there may have been an earlier settlement there. The site had no military strength - situated between the Lycus and Hermes rivers on a gentle slope. It came under Roman control in 190 B.C. and was incorporated into the province of Asia in 133 B.C.
(ii) A trade centre. It was the least important of the seven cities. Known for its trade guilds. One of the most famous was for the manufacture of purple cloth. Lydia (Acts 16:14) was probably a member of this guild. These guilds had common meals together which were certainly dedicated to the patron God of the guild. As was the custom, these feasts ended in a drunken orgy. It was virtually impossible to practice a trade if not a member of a guild. This meant attending the feasts. Here lay the problem for Christians.
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B) THE CHURCH.
Possibly founded by Lydia.
C) THE LETTER.
THYATIRA: Gk = "the sacrifice of perfumes", or "full of many sacrifices".
(i) Description of Christ (v18).
"the son of God" - the only occurrence of this title in REVELATION.
The sun god, APOLLO TYRIMNAIOS, was the chief god of the city, and its worship was joined to emperor worship. The emperors were seen as Apollo incarnate. Apollo was the son of Zeus, the Father of all the gods. Apollo was called “the son of God”.
Hence Christ is identifying himself as the true "son of God".
This title is probably given here to make us recall Psalms 22:9. This Psalm is later quoted in v27. This would be a typical Jewish method of recalling a Scripture.
"eyes...feet" - c/f 1:14,15.
Apollo was seen to be a god of judgement, and the citizens of the city were accustomed to living in fear of him. Christ is saying he is the true judge who sees all.
"bronze" - The Greek word translated this is apparently only used in REVELATION. It does not appear to be used in any other Greek literature. It may be intended here to be a veiled attack of the guild of Bronzesmiths in the city who made the gods people worshiped.
(ii) Commendation (v19).
"I know your works" - there are some true Christians there.
Four virtues are emphasized:
Love.
Faith.
Service.
Patient Endurance.
"your latter works exceed the first" - They had grown in grace.
(iii) Condemnation (v20-21).
"that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess"
Greek literally = "thy wife, Jezebel..."
There seems to have been a woman in the church promoting false doctrines, she may have been the Pastor's wife. Her prophetic "gift" seems to have earned her a place of leadership in the congregation. (Strictly speaking this is dangerous. Because of the nature of the prophetic gift a prophet should never be left to lead a church on his/her own, or have a dominant position where they are beyond question or correction.)
Jezebel is clearly not her real name, but is a symbol intended to recall the OT Jezebel. She was the wife of King Ahab, and was a non-Jew. Ahab had broken God's law by marrying out of Israel, and as a result his wife imported her religious practices into Israel. Ahab was not strong enough to stand against her. (See 1 Kings 16:31; 2 Kings 9:22; Jeremiah 4:30).
Jezebel introduced Baal worship into Israel, and also the "Queen of Heaven" cult. In her attempt to convert Israel to these false gods she persecuted the prophets and had them killed. Symbolically, then, she is the same as Babylon, the martyrer of the saints (Revelation 17:6). In actual fact the religions she introduced to Israel were simply variations on the system of Babylon.
Christ says here that the church has gone too far - the people are not only practicing Babylon, but there is an official acceptance of the practice. It is being taught in the church. To "tolerate" it means that they had recognised the source of her error but because of her position they had failed to deal with it.
What is harder is that the proponent of this corruption is calling herself a prophet - laying claim to divine inspiration. Prophecy was a widely respected gift in the early church.
"I gave her time to repent" - the Greek Aorist tense implies a specific opportunity in the past that she refused to heed.
(iv) Warning (v22-23).
"sickbed" - Literally = bed, but LXX usage gives it the meaning "to fall sick".
"I will throw" - Greek literally = "I throw", i.e. continuously. She will stay there. She will not die of the sickness but will remain in an impotent, sick state forever as a judgement.
C/f 1 Corinthians 11:29-32; 3:16-18.
"those who commit adultery with her"
I.e. those who unite themselves to this way of thinking, i.e. her adherents, or children.
"great tribulation" - i.e. trial.
This phrase is used only three times in Scripture: here, in Matthew 24:21 (= the end time Tribulation ), and Revelation 7:14. The REVELATION passages do not seem to refer to the End Time Tribulation at all, unless it is by extension of the references to the Tribulation from the localised meanings.
"great" - can mean "long" or "strong". Hence can refer to any period of Divine judgement.
"tribulation" - Greek = thlipsis = pressure or affliction.
The word is derived from the sound of grape flesh being forced out of the skin by squeezing.
"I will strike her children dead".
This is not her literal children, but her followers.
This usage of "children" follows the OT usage where there are children/ sons/ daughters of a city or country. E.g. "Sons of Zion" = those that live there, i.e. dwell in its ways, are its adherents. Hence in the NT the "children of Abraham" are those who have the same faith as Abraham (Romans 4). This idea is what is behind the other usages of the idea of "offspring" in REVELATION (see ch 12).
(v) Instruction (v24-25).
"the rest of you"
There were some in the church who were pure. Like in Israel under Jezebel there was a remnant.
Illustration:- 1 Kings 19:9.
7000 = 7x10x10x10, i.e. a perfect complete number, known and defined by God.
"deep things of Satan" - The teaching of Jezebel is the deep things of Satan. They are not just harmless myths or ancient legends.
"deep things" Greek = mysteries - a clear hint that the problem at Thyatira was the mystery religions of the Ancient world, i.e. Babylon.
"hold fast till I come"
This is the first clear reference to the Second Coming in these letters. This letter and the next three all clearly call the faithful to be faithful until the end. From this we can deduce that this type of church will last until the Second Coming. However Thyatira is not inhabited now, which indicates that this letter is meant to have a wider application than just to a local church in the first century.
(vi) Promise (v26-28).
"and keeps my works" - an unusual addition to the overcomers promise, hence it is significant. There are works in the church related to Thyatira that are the opposite of Christ's works. We need to know the difference and do Christ's works.
Here to conquer and keep Christ's works is to "hold fast to what you have". This does not sound exciting, but endurance is what victors are made of.
"power over the nations" - c/f Matthew 5:5, 19:28; 1 Corinthians 6:2.
The Babylonian heresy involves "power over the people", but Christ's way in this life is for us to be servants of our fellow man. Rulership is for the next life.
v27 - quotes Psalms 22:9 which is a promise belong belonging to Christ, but by the virtue of the fact that we are "in him" we share in it. The promise is again repeated in 12:15 where it applies to the "manchild", who is Christ, and again in 19:15 where it is applied to Christ at his coming.
"rule" = "to judge, rule, and carry out the sentence of judgement.
C/f Matthew 19:28; 1 Corinthians 6:2; Luke 19:11-27.
"the morning star" c/f 22:16 = Christ.
There is a deeper understanding to be entered into at the Second Coming (1 Corinthians 13:8-12). We are in the night time of man's sin when Satan rules (Ephesians 6:2). But the night is divided into watches. The morning watch (2am - Daybreak) is said to contain the darkest hour, spiritual pressure is at its peak.
Type:- Exodus 14.
This is a picture of the end time persecution of the church leading to the rapture.
14:20 - Darkness and persecution.
14:24 - God moved in the morning watch to overcome the enemy.
14:27 - At daybreak victory is attained. God's people experienced it by waiting patiently through the night.
The morning star is a bright star, or planet, which rises early in the morning watch. Its function is to brighten up the morning watch and herald the dawn. It is a warning sign. It is only seen by those who are watching for it and are longing for the daybreak. This implies there is for the church a revelation of Christ coming just prior to the end. In this revelation the church will patiently endure and take refuge and find victory.
The daybreak is the second coming. All men see that, but only the watchers will see the warning sign.
It is interesting to note that a star is mentioned in Baalam's prophecy (Number 24:17). This suggests that the symbolic identifying of Baalam with Jezebel is correct.
D) INTERPRETATION.
This letter speaks in prophecy of the Dark Ages of the Church.
(1) The movement which began in Pergamum has reached its fullness. This is not only in the Roman Catholic church but also in the (Eastern) Greek Orthodox Church. Jezebel, Babylon, was the official worship of the church. The church was Thyatira, full of many sacrifices - the mass was held to be a sacrifice, a re-crucifixion of Christ held every week. But Christ died once for all.
(2) But there were some true Christians in the Catholic church, and there still are. During the Dark Ages the Catholic Church martyred some 5 million people in its inquisitions, many of whom were true believers who had seen through the system of Babylon in the church and would no longer submit to it.
Those Christians who held true in this time saw the morning star rise - Martin Luther with the truth of Justification by Faith alone.
(3) The Roman Catholic Church today is still sick, and will remain so until the end, as too will the Orthodox church. They will marry in the last days with the false church of Babylon, which will unite all of the worlds religions in a unity for religious harmony. This unity will be the resurrection of the full Babylonian heresy.
(4) Note that in v18 Christ is called the "son of God". In the Catholic church, following the Babylonian teachings, he is always addressed as "the Son of the Virgin", or "the Son of Mary". In other words the mother gets the glory, not the father. This is part of the essence of the Satanic corruption, there is a reversal of the family order, and the diminishing of the authority of the man. We shall see this appearing again later in REVELATION.
(5) God does not recognise the marriage of his people to those who are in the world as being proper. We should never be mismatched to unbelievers. Hence the marriage of Ahab to Jezebel was seen as wrong, through it Ahab was compromised spiritually. In the same way Rome unites itself to the world political systems by treaties and is spiritually compromised. This is the basis of her sickness - the desire for political, or temporal, power.
It is true that Christians should be involved in politics and society at all levels, so we can be salt. But the principle of salt requires that our presence be one that is not a controlling influence. It is doubtful that a position can be maintained from Scripture for there being a Christian Political Party. If there is such a party it would undoubtedly go wrong if it came to power. The union of religion and politics in the history of the world has ALWAYS led to an authoritarian do nation of the people which was essentially demonic.
(6) Immorality, i.e. the wrong union of man and woman, is a picture of spiritual immorality in the Scriptures. It always leads to idolatry. Rome is full of idols. The "saints", and angels, the statues of Christ and Mary, the relics, and etc all are idols which are worshiped in Rome. The reality is that Rome has taken the idols of Paganism, in particular Babylonianism, and given them Christian names. The most blatant of these is Mary and her child, which has long been demonstrated to be Semiramus, the wife of Nimrod (Genesis 11), and her illegitimate child.
(7) Here in REVELATION Jezebel claims divine inspiration and authority, note how the Pope claims infallibility.
C/f Matthew 13:33 - this parable speaks of the same corrupting influence at work in the church. Note that it was a woman who introduced the corrupting leaven.
One of the facts of church history is that many of the heresies and perversions have been introduced and promoted by women.
E) LESSONS.
(1) It is easy to fall into the trap of accepting the word of a "prophet" and not to check what they say against the word. The manner of a prophet's reception and delivery of the word appears to be more "spiritual" than the rather mechanical, somewhat critical, process of the teacher. The process of judging prophecies is also rather mechanical and "unspiritual" in appearance.
However no one has a personal hotline to heaven which guarantees their utterances every time. Hence no matter how experienced and accredited a prophet is we are to examine their utterances. The scripture commands us several times to do so.
(2) The overcomer here is not someone who is overtly spiritual. Rather he is the one who "holds fast to what he has" and "keeps Christ’s works to the end". A rather mundane sort of person. Endurance under trial is the key to overcoming.
The person in Thyatira who seems outwardly to be the most "spiritual" is Jezebel, and she is the churches greatest problem! The trappings of spirituality, as we often judge them, are not God's measure of judgement.
It is "by their fruit you shall know them", and fruit takes a while to appear.
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