Jesus Takes a Faithful Church from Bad to Worse

In America, too often we believe following Jesus equals comfort and prosperity. When we sign up to walk after Christ we sign up for a life of occasional problems, but mainly ease and peace. Church is the place we gather to talk to like-minded folks and hear some nice words about the Bible but not a place to regroup and then go fight. We do not expect our Christian faith to cost us. This also means that when we do run up against something difficult or a time of hardship we expect Jesus to deliver us. This can be something as small as a broken vehicle or something as large as cancer. Our assumptions about discipleship mean we expect Jesus to rescue us, especially when we are faithful.

But in this life Jesus does not always deliver the faithful. The church at Smyrna (Revelation 2: 8-11) found this out. When Jesus comes to them they are a church that has already suffered. Jesus says he knows their works. He knows their "tribulation and poverty." Because they followed Him they have already sacrificed. Their love for God has made them poor. Though there is not direct praise, it is clear from verse 9 that Jesus is pleased with their steadfast faith in the midst of persecution.

What do you think is going to happen now? Surely Jesus is going to swoop in like one of the Avengers and rescue this faithful church. Smyrna has been faithful now they will be rewarded with peace, right? No. In fact, he takes them the exact opposite direction. Jesus says, "Do not fear the things you are about to suffer." More suffering is coming, a suffering  so great they will be tempted to fear and possibly abandon the faith. Jesus is not promising them an easy time. But it gets better. The Devil is going to throw some of them into prison. You are already poor, but you will become poorer. You have lost your possessions. Now you will lose your freedom. Then comes the crowning moment, they will die. Jesus says, "Be faithful until death."  The implication is clear. "I am not going to rescue you this time."

There are a lot of lessons in these few verses. Jesus knows our suffering. Jesus is with us in our suffering. Because of that we need not be afraid. If we overcome, we will not be hurt by the second death (Rev. 2:11) because our Lord was dead and came back to life (Rev. 2:9). If we are faithful to death we will receive the crown of life (Rev. 2:10).

But the lesson most of us need to hear is that Jesus does not always rescue the faithful in this life. We all know this in our heads, but our day to day life does not reflect this truth. We expect ease and comfort. But he does not always take us from green pasture to green pasture. Sometimes he takes us from very little grass to no grass at all. Sometimes he moves us from loss of a job to cancer or from one friend stabbing us in the back to being lynched by a whole bunch of former friends. We can be faithful to Jesus and become poor. We can be faithful to Christ and enter tribulation. We can be faithful and Jesus lets the Devil throw us in prison. We can be faithful and Jesus says, "I want you to die." Is this the Jesus we follow? A Jesus who might tell us, "Good job suffering. Now I want you to suffer more."

A Hard Working, Theologically Sound Church That Must Repent

Ephesus was one of the more important cities in the New Testament. At various times it is associated with Paul, the apostle John, Apollos, Timothy, and Priscilla and Aquila. Paul preached there for 3 years (Acts 20:31). At least four New Testament letters are addressed to this church, Ephesians, I and II Timothy, and Revelation 2:1-7. Many commentators also believe that John's three epistles were written to the church in that area as well. Outside of these letters, Paul also wrote several letters from Ephesus(I Cor. 16:8-9). All of this paints an impressive picture of Ephesus' importance in the New Testament age.

Ephesus contained the Temple of  Diana, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. This temple was 425 feet long and 260 feet wide. It was also a safe haven for criminals. If you committed a crime you could go there and be safe from prison. Immorality was rampant in the temple. Orgies were common place along with men who had been castrated so they could serve Diana. Ephesus also had a coliseum that rivaled the one in Rome, one of the biggest harbors in Asia Minor, and she was a major postal route where you could easily get to other cities. A large, important, sexually immoral, idolatrous city, right along a major road, with a huge harbor, and many people. It  made Paul drool with excitement (I Cor. 16:9).

Ephesus is in modern day Turkey

When we meet the church at Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7 she is working hard for the name of Christ. The word translated "labor" in Revelation 2:2 and 2:3 means to work until one is sweating. It is used by Paul in II Timothy 2:6 to describe the "hard-working" farmer. This church is not a lazy 25 year old living in his mother's basement. She is diligent, hard working, preaching the gospel, making disciples, worshiping God, and evangelizing her neighbors. Most importantly, they do not do this for self glory, but they do it for the name of Jesus (Rev. 2:3). Their motivation was correct.

But the church at Ephesus was not just fighting the good fight. They were persevering. Lots of churches fight the good fight for a few years or maybe a couple of decades. But Ephesus had not become weary. She was pressing forward, showing patience in her labors. She did not become discouraged and give up. She did not get tired of pushing away false teachers. She did not become tired of working for the Kingdom. She was still in the fight.

The church at Ephesus had been warned by Paul that savage wolves would come in and try to destroy the flock (Acts 20:30). Therefore when we read about her in Revelation she is carefully guarding her doctrine. She "cannot bear evil men." She tests men who claim to be apostles (Rev. 2:2). She hates the deeds of the Nicolaitans, a group that probably promoted idol worship and sexual immorality within the church (Rev. 2:6). Notice here that she does not just reject sin. She rejects the men who bring that sin into the body. Evil men, men living wicked lives, are cast out. False teachers, no matter how many degrees they have and what their reputation, are tested. If their doctrine is false and they are found to be liars they are rejected. (See also  II John 1:10, III John 1:9-10).

Ephesus is a hard working, theologically sound, persevering church, that is working for the name of Jesus. What could possible be wrong?

You know that feeling when Mom says, "Son you did really good on that test, but..." Or when a parishioner says, "Great sermon, but..." Well that is what Jesus does. He knows their works (Rev. 2:2) both good and bad.  Revelation 2:4 is one of the  most famous verses from Revelation. Despite all the good there is one bad thing. And it is really bad. They have left their first love.

There is some debate about what this means, but I think it refers to that affection and love the church had for Jesus and His people when they were first founded. For John love of Jesus and love the church cannot be separated (I John 3:15). I believe this church had lost her love for Jesus, that inward passion and fervor for Him that naturally leads to sacrifice for Jesus and His people. In the beginning it was not this way. Paul stayed there 3 years. They wanted to learn and grow. They hungered for the Word. They burned their pagan books in the streets no matter how much they were worth (Acts 19:19-20). They loved Paul (Acts 20:37-38). The book of Ephesians is one of the few New Testament books with no clear indication of major problems. Jesus is telling them to remember what it was like. Jesus tells them to do those works they did at the beginning (Rev. 2:5).

How did they get this way? Revelation does not tell us. But I think they were fighting many, many battles. They were trying to keep false teachers and false theology out. They had been doing this for some time and have not grown weary. They were in a horribly wicked city. They were just trying to survive. In the middle of all this, it was hard to keep one's love burning hot. Yes, they protected the members of the church at Ephesus. Yes, they were still fighting. But were they loving one another? Was their passion for Jesus clear and evident?

We might think that verses 2-3 got Ephesus out of the woods. But Jesus is clear. They must repent. This word is used 8 times in the seven letters to the seven churches. Repent or perish is one of the key messages given to these churches. If that love does not return He will come soon and take away their lampstand (Rev. 2:5). The lampstand means their standing as a church will be lost (Rev. 1:20). Jesus will take his Spirit away from them. They will stop being a city on a hill and a light to world. They will become the darkness they are trying to fight.

So What?
Churches need to test teachers, no matter what their pedigree. Just because a man claims to be an apostle or pastor or good teacher does not make him right. Members need to know God's Word and the theology taught in it so they can spot false teachers.

False teachers and wicked men should be rejected, not just their teaching. There is some truth in the phrase hate the sin love the sinner. But when it come to false teachers, liars, and men who reject apostolic doctrine they are to be shown the exit door. The only way to get rid of the sin is to get rid of the sinner.

Churches must learn to endure.  My generation is frankly awful at this. We have a hard time sticking with one wife, much less being faithful to Christ our whole lives. This carries over to churches who are faithful for a few years, but then falter. Often this comes down to a failure to pass on apostolic doctrine (II Timothy 2:2). Persevere may be the single most important message that can be given to young Christians and young churches.

Lack of love is not made up for by having solid theology. Christ our Lord perfectly modeled love and fidelity to truth. He expects his churches to do the same. A true church will not pit doctrine and love against one another. She will guard her orthodoxy. But she will also guard her heart making sure that in the midst of battle it does become hard and cold.

When we are rebuked through the Word the only option is to repent. Jesus expects his people to hear his voice and obey him. Failure to do so will end in a church being stripped of her title and left bereft of the Spirit. This is especially important for leaders in the church. We must model repentance when the Word dictates such a change.

The Binding of Satan

Revelation 20:1-3 is the great text on the millennium where Satan is bound for one thousand years by an angel.  Many Christians believe this will occur at some future time when Christ returns to set up his kingdom. But does a future binding of Satan fit with the rest of Scripture? Could the binding of Satan have already occurred?   Here is some Biblical evidence which suggests the binding of Satan is in the past.

Jesus specifically says that he has come to bind the strong man in Matthew 12:24-30. He uses the exact same word that John uses in Revelation 20:2. The word “bind” is common in the New Testament. But in Matthew it is used alongside Satan just like it is in Revelation 20. This makes the connection with Revelation 20 stronger. Mark 3:22-27 says something similar. Luke 11:17-23 does not use the word “bind.” Yet the passage is clear that Jesus is here to plunder Satan and his kingdom.

Jesus regularly casts out demons, which is a sign of his dominion over Satan. The demons cannot resist him.  A similar idea is seen when his disciples go out in Luke 10:18, where Jesus says he saw Satan fall like lightening. In Acts the Apostles cast out demons. (Acts 5:16, 8:7, and 19:12) Satan's power was broken with the coming of Christ.

John says in at least two places that the ruler of this world is judged. (John 11:31 and 16:11) In 11:31 he also adds that the ruler of this world will be cast out and then speaks of Christ’s death on the cross.

Jesus tells Paul that he was chosen to deliver people from the power of Satan to God. (Acts 26:17-18)

The writer of Hebrews says that Jesus came to destroy him who has the power of death, that is the devil. (Hebrews 2:14)

John specifically says that Satan is bound so that he will no longer deceive the nations. (Revelation 20:3) The preaching of the gospel to the nations in Acts and the uniting of Jew and Gentile indicates that this is already occurring. We are not waiting on some future event where the nations’ eyes will be opened. Their eyes are being opened now.

The Devil tempts Jesus by offering him the kingdoms of the world. Jesus does not dispute Satan’s claim. He does not say, “No, Satan the world really belongs to me.”  (Matthew 4:8-9). In Matthew 4, it appears that the nations do belong to Satan. However, by the end of Matthew Jesus is claiming authority over the nations. (Matthew 28:18-20) Something has shifted from Matthew 4 to Matthew 28. Paul picks up on this idea in Colossians when he says that Christ by his death has, “disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:15)

But What About…

                Some will object that Satan still has power and therefore cannot have been bound. I Peter 5:8 comes to mind. But a careful reader will notice that in many places where the Devil is mentioned the Christian is commanded to resist him. And if we resist him, he will flee (Ephesians 6:11, James 4:7, I Peter 5:8-9) The average, everyday Christian can resist the Prince of Darkness.  The question is not does the Devil still have some power. He clearly does. But does he have the power he did before Jesus came.  The answer is no. He no longer keeps the nations in chains as he did before. Yes, he still seeks to devour and destroy, but he no longer rules.

                Another verse that could be used as an objection would be I John 5:19. John says that the “whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” I may address this verse at a later date. But for now just note that “world” for John has a wide range of meanings. So in I John 5:4-5 he says that we have overcome the world by faith.  Do not assume that what John means here is that all the nations and people in the nations are still ruled by Satan.

                The New Testament teaches that Satan has some power, but since Christ’s death that power has been greatly reduced so that the individual Christian can resist him and the nations can no longer be deceived by him. 

Kick Some People Out!

Here is James Jordan's take on one of the key messages to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. After reading through these chapters again, I agree with him. 

“Jesus has one overall message to all the churches [in Revelation]: you need to kick some people out! The message is that church discipline must be exercised and exercised without qualms, or else Jesus Himself will come and do it—and that is not a desirable outcome! (James Jordan in The Vindication of Jesus Christ, p. 34-35)

Ezekiel and Revelation

Often the problem with interpreting the New Testament is a failure to understand the Old. The links between the two are not circumstantial, but absolutely essential. A good example are the links between Ezekiel and Revelation. Numerous books discuss Revelation in light of Daniel, which is not wrong, but the key OT book in understanding Revelation is Ezekiel, not Daniel. David Chilton has written an excellent commentary on Revelation called Days of Vengeance. The book presents a post-millenial reading of the Apocalypse. However, even if you do not agree with the final analysis, it is worth reading just to help you make the various connections between Revelation and the other books of the Bible. Here is a chart he gives on the similarities between Ezekiel and Revelation.

1. The Throne-Vision (Rev. 4/Ezek. 1)
2. The Book (Rev. 5/Ezek. 2-3)
3. The Four Plagues (Rev. 6:1-8/Ezek. 5)
4. The Slain under the Altar (Rev. 6:9-11/Ezek. 6)
5. The Wrath of God (Rev. 6:12-17/Ezek. 7)
6. The Seal on the Saint's Foreheads (Rev. 7/Ezek. 9)
7. The Coals from the Altar (Rev. 8/Ezek. 10)
8. No More Delay (Rev. 10:1-7/Ezek. 12)
9. The Eating of the Book (Rev. 10:8-11/Ezek. 2)
10. The Measuring of the Temple (Rev. 11:1-2/Ezek. 40-43)
11. Jerusalem and Sodom (Rev. 11:8/Ezek 16)
12. The Cup of Wrath (Rev. 14/Ezek 23)
13. The Vine of the Land (Rev. 14:18-20/Ezek. 15)
14. The Great Harlot (Rev. 17-18/Ezek. 16, 23)
15. The Lament over the City (Rev. 18/Ezek. 37)
16. The Scavengers' Feast (Rev. 19/Ezek. 39)
17. The First Resurrection (Rev. 20:4-6/Ezek. 37)
18. The Battle with Gog and Magog (Rev. 20:7-9/Ezek. 38-39)
19. The New Jerusalem (Rev. 21/Ezek. 40-48)
20. The River of Life (Rev. 22/Ezek. 47)